OBE ARTICLES

[PeacefulWarrior]

OBE ARTICLES
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This thread is for OBE articles and discussions.  Please feel free to post any articles, essays or personal feelings relating to the articles or to the out-of-body experience in general.  

Obviously not every article will be of equal value/truth, but all articles are important because they relfect the myriad ways the OBE phenomena is experienced.
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The following article is an intro to the OBE and might be helpful for those who are new to this subject:
You & The OBE
by Wagner Alegretti
The phenomenon of the Out of-Body Experience (OBE), or conscious projection (CP) is a natural phenomenon. Accounts of this experience have been recorded b y persons from all walks of life for thousands of years. With new methods and techniques now available, the phenomenon of OBE can be put under the voluntary control of the experiencer, thus developing the ability of the individual projector to remain lucid during the experience (extraphysical lucidity), to reach various chosen extraphysical objectives, and to remember the experience afterwards (physical recall). The mastering of one's protectability allows the individual to utilize, over many physical (intraphysical) lives, that one-third of his or her life which is, from a consciential point of view, wasted during sleep.

It is generally accepted that the human brain is the most complex object known to man. It is evident to those who experience lucid projections that the consciousness transcends the physical brain which it controls, as the . project or is lucid and active while projected outside the temporarily dormant physical body. In this way, the consciousness (ego, essence, soul, spirit, etc.) is recognized as being the substrate of intelligence and individuality, and something far beyond classic parameters of energy and matter. Thus, the study of the consciousness, held to be something transcendent of physical consciousness, is a dignified subject of study in the true spirit of scientific inquiry.

New methodologies and techniques are needed to enable the study of the consciousness. It is impossible to study the consciousness with classic devices, no matter how sophisticated they may be, as they can, at best, only measure physiological alterations which are merely indirect consequences of the actions of the consciousness being observed. The obvious conclusion, then, is that the consciousness itself is the most effective tool to be used in the study of the consciousness. This inevitably leads to participative research, where the researcher quite often serves as his or her own research subject, while his or her daily circumstances, both inside and outside the body, serve as his or her laboratory. This is the essence of the consciential paradigm.

OBE & History
Today more light is being shed on the universal phenomenon of CP or the OBE. just like the simple physiological acts of breathing and eating, CP is a natural phenomenon - actually a large number of occurrences linked to the disconnection of the consciousness from the body which has accompanied humanity since its birth, having been experienced by men, women and children of all ages, states of health, beliefs, cultures, and social levels.

Like many other natural phenomena (astronomical and meteorological, for example), which were initially regarded as mystical and religious matters, and were only later considered to pertain to science, projections of the consciousness and related phenomena are now being studied from a scientific view, considering the existence of only relative truths 'and maintaining the practice of constant open universal re-evaluation of hypotheses and theories originating from first-hand experiences, many of which are testable.

The history of conscious projection began with primitive man who, like many of the shamans of today, probably used OBE almost instinctively as a means of contacting the "spirits", as well as for more practical ends such as the treatment of physical and psychological problems of community members, or the location of concentrations of food and the whereabouts of missing persons.

Looking at history, clear references to OBE are found in the records of Egyptian civilizations (paintings symbolizing the exit of the kha, or double, from the physical body, for example), and the ancient Greeks (the reports of Plutarch regarding the Near-Death Experience). It also merits noting that references to OBE were made by Buddha, Herodotus, and Plato, and can be found in various parts of the Bible (Ezekiel 3:14; Epistle - 2nd Corinthians 12:2, for example).

Up until the end of the 19th century, the projection of the consciousness was generally looked upon as a type of spiritual initiation.

Consciential States
The consciousness, being the source of life and the sponsor of the intellect, is extremely dynamic and mutable, and manifests in many different ways. However, its three basic conditions are the intraphysical state (when inside the human body), the projected state (when temporarily outside the body) and the extraphysical state (when the consciousness is completely disconnected from the physical body - the result of discarding the physical body, or physical death).

These three basic states indicate one of the main attributes or capacities of the consciousness, that of interdimensionality-.the intrinsic ability of the consciousness to manifest itself in several realities, planes, spheres or dimensions.

hat is the point of all of this? First, it is important to remember that the projection of the consciousness is a (para)physiological and inevitable phenomenon. Everyone spontaneously projects every night, but the overwhelming majority of the population projects with a complete lack of lucidity and, consequently, has no physical recall of these experiences. The projective experience is a natural extension of daily life and engenders personal growth through interaction with extraphysical consciousnesses and events. The developing projector will gradually begin to make use of that one-third of life that is lost during sleep as the body needs sleep, but the consciousness doesn't. Additionally, OBE will accelerate a person's consciential maturation, eventually achieving a state of continuous consciousness (continuous lucidity regardless of whether the body is sleeping or awake) and, finally, become a free consciousness that no longer has to return to physical life.

Conclusion
Everyone leaves their body nightly during sleep. However, only about 1% of humanity is able to spontaneously or voluntarily achieve lucid projections of the consciousness and recall their extraphysical experiences. Anyone can project if s/he can overcome the fears and insecurities that most people have, knows how to work with his or her bioenergies and acts in accordance with the cosmoethic. The long-term benefits of interdimensionality are so many and transcendent that the effort and discipline required to realize lucid projections is well worthwhile.

About The Author

Wagner Alegretti is an electronic engineer and a charter member of International Institute of Projectiology (IIP). Wagner teaches Projectiology courses internationally in English, Portuguese and Spanish, and has been having conscious projections since childhood. The IIP is an independent private, nonprofit organization founded by individuals who decided to formalize their experiences and discoveries in the parapsychic field. You may contact Wagner at: IIP, 545 - 8th Ave, Suite 401, New York, NY 10018.