The reason I want to Astral Project is just for my own personal pleasure.

[SeekersLegacy]

My primary reason for wanting to Astral Project, above anything else I may experience, is to just mess around and explore, have fun! The reason I'm saying so is that it seems most of the people here do it to find some sort of personal or spiritual growth and development. If it comes to that for me, awesome, but of course for me, why not something so simple as just having fun for awhile, and just messing around doing whatever, not really seeking out any spiritual purpose?

[proyect_outzone]

why not something so simple as just having fun for awhile, and just messing around doing whatever, not really seeking out any spiritual purpose?

Youre right! I believe, that most people, who says, that they do it for any spiritual stuff are just liars (to themselves or only to others).

I do it mainly because i want to know how it is and how it works. And not to forget, having fun is also a little bit important for me  .

[SeekersLegacy]

I wouldn't call them liars. I haven't seen any reason why they would be lying at all. Seeking out personal and spiritual growth is a very valid reason. For me, if I have pretty much anything I can imagine at my disposal and can go anywhere I want, I would want to have fun with it. I'm sure spiritual growth would come with my journeys anyway.

[CFTraveler]

Some people don't do it on purpose- it just happens to them.  So their spiritual understanding may come from their various experiences, or their experiences may come from their spiritual understanding- but neither is exclusive from the other.
The idea that people would come to an anonymous forum to pretend to be spiritually inclined is just absurd to me, it just does not compute, frankly.

[scout]

Some people don't do it on purpose- it just happens to them.  So their spiritual understanding may come from their various experiences, or their experiences may come from their spiritual understanding- but neither is exclusive from the other.
The idea that people would come to an anonymous forum to pretend to be spiritually inclined is just absurd to me, it just does not compute, frankly.

I would be one of those people that knew nothing of AP until I was pulled out of my body one night by something I couldn't see and was taken on a journey. Its about both having fun and the spiritual stuff for me. Since this all started happening, I've started having premonitions and noticing synchronicities. I've seen things and been visited by various people/entities. I can't help but be curious about the spiritual aspect of AP now with all of these new experiences. I can't deny though that freedom I feel and the sense of accomplishment that comes with successfully travelling in the astral motivates me greatly to keep attempting AP at this point. I imagine though that the fun aspect will wear off when I get really good at AP and I'll seek to understand the universe more.

[Lionheart]

 Waking up to this has a purpose. Most of the people here that are learning are learning because they have been having or had a involuntary experience. That then led them to this site here to ask why and understand it better. You can do it for fun and thrills if you want but you will find that you will become bored or blocked. I say blocked because I can't see going to the higher dimensions just for a joy ride, it takes a lot of work to get there. I see the thrill experience as being a lower level location. You don't have to learn to go to higher dimensions, it's just that these are where you become enlightened. Where you find truths.

[SeekersLegacy]

You say most people are here because they have had an experience already. I've never had an experience actually. I just stumbled across the subject very recently an took a great interest in learning how to do it.  I'm working on learning as we speak because I want this. Learning more about this and eventually actually doing it is out of intense interest.

[Stookie_]

Having fun is OK, I've spent a lot of time exploring and reliving fond places, and still do at times, but it's become more and more limiting rather than open and free like it started out as. It's hard to explain, but I've realized how limiting consciousness is and held in boundaries the closer you are to the physical. To have true, total freedom, you have to move beyond it and beyond your own self and who you think you are. It becomes more about liberation than having a fun time. No one says you have to, but it's common for people to eventually gravitate that direction when you hit the limits of your normal experience.

Basically, you follow your heart, and if that's having fun, have fun. When you get the urge for more, you'll know it.

[pondini]

like some of the replies here, i also started out with just the urge to experience these events for the exhilaration and grandeur they seemed to hold, but the experiences began to evoke feelings of a higher nature. i believe we will all eventually gravitate to a more spiritual (for lack of a better word) mindset and understanding of these types of phenomena -maybe not in this lifetime, but it will happen:)

[Contenteo]

How can you go the beach and not expect to deal with little bits of sand for the next couple days?

And when you are wiping those little bits of sand off you later on, how do you not think of the beach?

Cheers,
Contenteo

[Volgerle]

Why is spiritual progress and 'having fun' or gaining happiness through it here seen as mutually exclusive?

I am not a liar when I say that I do it for spiritual progress. But spiritual progress also means progress on the physical level for me. It is a more holistic view. Why should I have to justify myself for this? Yes, all my goals I set are focussed on progress in some way or another. However, having fun along the way does not hinder it, rather I think it even furthers it. I have quite some fun, believe me.  

E.g. tonight I did my first retrieval and I am now quite happy about it, so it is also "fun" in some way.

That's why the "fun" can also extend to your physical daily life. Robert Bruce says this also nicely in his recent ebook: Your personal evolution can be one of the main basics for your happiness (in this physical life) - and I think he might be right.

I agree with what Lionheart says about reaching higher levels. You can have fun on the Astral level and 'play around' there, but some things can maybe only be attained by simultaneously (quote T. Campbell:) "lowering the entropy or raising the quality of your consciousness". That is also when you become motivated to do this - in order to reach these realms / levels / planes / states and gain more quality of your experience.

But even having fun on the astral level, such as exploring, flying around, even if you only hedonistically hunt down monsters in ego-shooter mode is a kind of "unconscious" training exercise for becoming "mobile", more conscious and active in the non-physical. Maybe you also undergo some simulations where you learn things that also will help you later for more "serious" purposes, many authors ("gurus") on AP also suspect sth like this to happen (Campbell, Bruce, Leland) with all of us actually. This might mean that despite 'only having fun' you might also progress your self by having training sessions and learning.

In short: It is NOT mutually exclusive.

[CFTraveler]

They are NOT mutually exclusive.

Thanks for pointing that out, Volgerle, I thought it but didn't say it.

[Lionheart]

 Congratulations on the Retrieval Volgerie. I have had 3 of them now in the last year and they leave you with the best feeling in side. It's hard to explain, but if that's what complete 100% love feels like, than I can definitely handle more that. 

[ArmyOfOne1911]

I have anxiety, touretts, and depression, and when I get out of body I smile, and wave at everything I see lol.  It is pretty darn cool walking through walls and flying too. It's a break from this physical life that's unfortunately really tough for me. But, I have it better than others. And I know in the end I will be all right.