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Gruapel -
those hypnogogic images are the beginning of dream images. They begin under closed eyelids. At first they are only a series of lights and shapes. As we near sleep the subconscious mind exerts greater influence and organizes those images into coherent pictures and eventually into dream story form.
If you are having trouble seeing hypnangogic images then you may be a poor visualizer. Yet all that is required is practice. It's a lot like keeping a dream journal to improve memory recall of dreams. Same idea. Practice watching for close eye visuals during meditation and that visualization will occur more often.

Keep trying different methods until one works. There are some general favorite methods like rope and roll out. Yet even those don't work for everyone. It's all a series of trial and error. I tried about 6 to 8 different techniques. Of those 6 to 8 only 'roll out' ever worked. [8D]
So don't be discouraged. It may take a few weeks or months. Keep looking for differnt ways to exit the physical. Keep trying and sooner or later it will happen.

gdawson6 -
you can feel reasonable certain that all those experiences were actual full out of body experiences. Certainly at least some of them were OBEs.[]
Clear conscious control during projection Will eventually be possible. Usually control is a result of both experience and intention. Intention is simply a matter of deciding what you want to do and where you want to go Before the projection. (example - many people like to visit friends and family while 'out'.)

You are improving Tao. Remember that separation from the physical body into an out of body experience is entirely a mental process. Any physical movement will ruin and abort this experience. (That is why sleep paralysis is actually beneficial.) Focus your conscentration  on mental intent and try Not to think about the physical.

Yes rodentmouse that Was a kundalini experience.[:O]
During yoga the various chakras tend to go back into proper alignment. This facilitates a channeling of Kundalini energy up the spine toward the head. If those chakras are aligned just right then that energy rush can be dramatic.
I had this same thing happen about three weeks ago during hatha yoga. It nearly overpowered and me and knocked me down. Yet it only lasted for a minute or two.

Family unity in an afterlife must be dependant on a number of factors. Loving family members would most probably Want to be together. However, if people are unable to coexist now then why would they wish to remain together in a superphysical dimension/realm[?]
Anyways there are probably other factors involved. Religious preferance and degree of spiritual enlightenment are also good indications of compatibility.

lucid_dreamer
From my experiences and the reports of other people it appears that the ability to stay out of body is a result of both intention and repeated experience. Mentally note to yourself the intention to remain 'out' before each meditation or induction session. After a few experiences the time spent away from the physical should increase to 10 to 15 minutes or more.

Sweet_Celestial_Sounds -
There could be something about OBEs and dreams being memories of past lives. I tend to have a fair share of dreams about historical events. Some events are pleasant and some are not. In any event I try not to dwell too much on that as living in the complicated modern world is difficult enough.[]

Beware of answers that only involve the brain or psychological theories. Most times those answers are only gross oversimplifications that really leave more questions than answers.
A good example is the recent report that French scientists 'induced' an OBE in a person by stimulating the angular gyrus area of their brain. If you read that report you would have noted that the person who claimed to have the OBE simply recalled seeing parts of her body from unusual angles. Then, without further explanation, the scientists stated that it was theoretically possible that the angular gyus 'explained' OBEs. The stort received ALOT of media attention yet, of course, the explanation actually did not explain anything at all!![?][?][V]

Getting past the fear 'barrier' usually requires some experience. Don't get discouraged. Once you become familiar with the out of body experience then you will intuitively know why those situations are annoying yet not inherently dangerous.

Wake induced OBEs Are possible but they are notoriously difficult for most people.
Other than the use of drugs (which I cannot really recommentd) the 2 other options are either spend alot of time and effort meditating and practicing induction (like the Indian swamis and yogis). Or get into a sensory deprivation tank or high speed gyro machine (like that used by the Air Force to test gravilty stress on pilots).

'Demonic War' may well be the result of an increase in the number of reports with negative entities. A couple of months ago that was somewhat of a hot topic. Now the number of reports is back down to normal.
It also ties in with 2012 and a lot of religious prophesy (speculation).[?] [8]

jacob -
there are risks attendant to almost everything that we do. The risk of an encounter with a negative entitiy is less than that of severe weather (thunderstorm or lightening strike). So don't let a few scary stories discourage you. Many/most people who have OBEs have never encountered a hostile discarnate. []

Graupel -
regarding incongruities in dreams.
Yes that is EXACTLY the concept for reality checks (also called state tests). By continually checking on being awake it will be MUCH easier to notice anything WAY out of place in a dream. For that reason many accomplished lucid dreamers pratice reality checks several times a day. []

Cawtney -
I agreee that some dreams can appear like projections and vice versa. However some many people unnecessarily confuse them. Many people report being clear and aware during projection. That is not at all like a dream.
Being conscious of experiencing a projection is usually similar to experiencing waking cognition or being in a lucid dream. You KNOW that it's an OBE (or are awake or are in a luic dream).

I would like to reply to the opinion that all lucid dreams are OBEs.
It would make far more sense to think that some, but not all, lucid dreams are OBEs.
Many people report projections where their state of consciousness is very clear and awake. This is a Lucid consciuousness yet is Very Undream-like.
So there is most probably an area where some lucid dreams and OBEs overlap. Yet this does not imply that ALL lucid dreams are projections.

Though tunnels, tubes and portals are reported by many people during projection I have only had one experience. This was with a portal.
My only experience occured one night in my room. Suddenly a portal or gate opened up directly through a window. There appeared a very dark land. Apparently this was a Word War I battlefield because a soldier appeared. He wore a French uniform and an old style 'Poliu' helmet. I waited until he passed from view and did Not go through this portal.
So apparently this experience Would have (if I had gone through) led to a time travel experience during a projection?[?]

goingslow -
Maybe you are trying too hard. Flying is not that difficult though it can be 'tricky' sometimes.
If you can float inside a house then try floating around once outside the building. After floating about for awhile you should get some control and be able to fly.

James S, your quote
>>>>IMO, most of this paranoia comes from church leaders who are afraid of losing control of their flock because of what they might see in the big wide spirit world <<<<

is Right on the Mark!!
Church leaders Are paranoid and in fear of losing control. And they have good reason to be concerned! The Church is sadly lacking in real spiritual teachings (those regarding OBEs) and Enlightnemnet. [V][]

From your description of the experience lucid_dreamer it appears that you DID have an OBE. Most of what you described is consistent with having an ethereal (etheric) projection.
Blurred vision, distorted familar locations amd floating and flying all are common during projection.
So now I'm curious if anyone else agrees with me or believes that it was a lucid Dream?

Ayahuasca can be a very strong catalyst. The DMT (psychotria viridis)combines with harmala (Banisteriopsis Caapi) to produce a very psychoactive brew !!
South American shamans use Ayahuasca to go out of body and induce visions. Shamans can use it to ward off malicious spirits. Yet those shamans probably use other (magickal) methods in addition to Ayahuasca in fighting spirits.
Kep this in mind in case you have too much confidence in Ayahuasca by itself as a means to combat negative entities.

Graupel -
The best way to induce a Lucid Dream is to notice any Inconsistency or Incongruity in a dream. An Incongruity is anything that you would not experience in person in the waking world.
For instnce some incongruities are -
Monsters or mythical creatures,
Playing major league professional sports,
Acting in a movie or a tv show,
Being a participant in a historic event,
Meeting a historical person or dead celebrity.
When you consciously notice an ingruity then you realize that it is a dream and are lucid !

Questions 1 and 2 I'll have a go at.
Questions 3 and 4 are a Big [?]
1) Hollow body. Compared to the physical body the astral/ethereal body is practically weightless. An analogy is a lead weight (physcial body) to a helium filled ballon (astral/ethereal body). Compared to the former the latter will simply float up and away. []
2) Wind. Don't know what causes this. Yet I have experienced this wind on at least 2 or 3 occasions. This wind has been so strong as to prevent me from flying. One idea is that there is Extreme Solar Flares causing a Solar Wind to pass the Earth right now. Solar Flares = Asttral/Ethereal wind [?]

Sweet_Celestial_Sounds. From your description of that short OBE it appears that you have reached a state from which to project. That initial shock of separation is causing you to abort the experience after only a few seconds. That shock will eventually become only a mild, temporary annoyance. It is basically the case of getting used to the sensations and becoming familiar with the process.
An example is diving into a swimming pool. For some people the shock of hiting the water is very discomforting at first. After a few dives most people get over that discomfort (it becomes merely annoying).
At that point you will be able to 'stay out' much longer. That is when the really intresting experiences can happen! []

Hallo SteveWhite2000 []
Maybe something that you learn from Astral Pulse will help you have the first projection.