Messages

Welcome Demi! Glad to have you on board at long last! Yes you sound as though you have a long Astral carreer in front of you. The question of 'who is it?' helping you is debated on this forum often, some say it is your higher self and others think it is an actual spirit. Also the question of subjectivity and objectivity is always coming up. Are we creating all these persons we are relating too? I still 'sit on the fence' with this one. But I am sure you are gonna get plenty of ideas given you in response to your articulate posts.
Good Luck,
djed 

Had a Lucid dream last night that was different for me in that I wasn't in the countryside but in a
multi-storied building and I recognized one of my 'triggers'- getting lost in a building. I said 'Ahh I'm dreaming'. I was on the ground floor courtyard and I flew up slowly in a spiral looking at all the people in restaurants and offices. Some notice me and are laughing some are astounded .
@Gray

In a LD the experience happens Inside the physical body and the locations and the characters ARE creations of the mind of the dreamer.

I made all those characters for myself, I'm such an entertainer, such an exhibitionist! Lol
Cheers djed

Types of Meditation
My first practice of meditation was from a yoga book written by an Indian Yogi. Light a candle in a darkened room and stare at the flame for a couple of minutes then concentrate on keeping the afterimage in the center of your eyes.(not easy at first) When the afterimage has disappeared, open the eyes slowly enough to see the flame again and repeat the process. Carry on for about 15 minutes; it will make the mind quiet.
The next meditation is on the breath. Focus the mind on the breathing. Breathe in counting
"1-2" Breathe out, "3-4". A refinement on this is to take your pulse first to set the rhythm of the counting.
My main meditation has been by mantra given me on initiation to the Transcendental Meditation program, from which I started to get spontaneous OOBE waking up in bed in the early mornings.
In addition to this, I now use the method, devised by R. Bruce, by stimulating chakras and raising energy which somehow ends up in a sort of Trance Meditation, which is a preparation to use given techniques like visualizing climbing a rope to go OOB.
What other kinds of effective meditations do you know of?

@Lizelle

Or is it like seeing through eyelids?

One morning I was lying in bed, on my side after an OOB, still in a dreamy state, with my eyes closed, just the early morning light coming through the curtains and I realized I could see the shape of a coffee mug and a couple of books on my bedside table. The image was a dim yellow color. This was the first time I knew it was possible to see through closed eyelids.

Next time I'll go out and explore 

Way to go Lightning, congratz!

I also think at some level we feel the need to check in with our physical bodies since we're conscious of being out and at first it's a bit disturbing to think there's no one minding the store.

I like that! 

But since the REM sleep state is required in order to start the OBE,

@Lightning, Not sure if this is correct, can anyone verify this? As an OOBE can be started from awake state, and from memory I have had OOBE from a non-dream period, but couldn't be certain of this, cos I may have forgotten all dreams at that time.

I agree with most of the posts, the average is about 10 minutes, and could be from physical reasons, uncomfortable limbs, breathing, local noises. Although I think its for the same reason why some OOBE are dim, heavy, and slow moving is lack of 'psychic energy' from shallow meditation techniques of short  times, cos some of us are busy people. 
Cheers,  good topic ! 

Hi Luffy, I have recently finished R. Bruce's  'Mastering astral travel in 90 days' I got two OOB exits on the 107th & 108th day, faithfully going through all the exercises, learning all the techniques of raising and storing energy and stimulating the 7 chakras. I got the book out of the libary three times! lol - 20 years ago I began TM meditation and after 4 or 5 years? I began spontaneously exiting OOB. Take your pick just meditation or energy work plus meditation.
I still havent been able to execute the phase technique.
Good luck, djed 

Another thing that also disappointed me was when I turned around and didn't see my physical body lying in bed. I guess it had to do with my vision not working well. I even used the "Clarity now" method but nothing happened. Then I woke up.
Have any of you experienced that limited vision before while projecting? I need all the help I can get regarding that subject. And also, do you always see your physical body once you're out?

Hi Lightning, Don't try to look at your body, get right away, otherwise you will just wake up.
Get as much experience as you can by floating away, go through walls or doors and dive up into the astral. You can experiance looking at your physical body, from a distance, later.
You will have limited vision staying near your body because you are not yet in the Astral, you are in the Etheric or 'Real Time Zone' you have to get further away and you should automatically phase into the astral. I don't wait I dive through a window or walk through a door and down the street.
Good luck, djed 

Hi Synune, it looks as though you've got it all together and ready to have OOBE regularly.
You have to let go and don't try to be in control, just trust the process and you will be ok.
Sometimes you will be taken by a wind, other times you can be in the void, but its all good.
Read the posts on this website, there is a wealth of experience to add to your knowledge about this exciting realization.
Good travels, djed 

Hi Bell

So for all those lucid dreamers .....what does the transaction feel like? do you suddenly just become a whole lot more clearer from your dream consciousness? pls tell.

Most times my lucid dreams are incredibly clear, but I seem to be only interested in flying around.
Conversely, when in oobe I can be poor in clarity, but in a more serious mode and want to explore and relate to people. In the etheric phase I find myself sometimes crawling along the ground in semi darkness. (As is reported by other people) I remember Don de Gracia writing about sub-planes that you may find yourself in.
I have only exited from a nondream state or normal dream, never from a lucid dream. When I do I am in the etheric plane first, not clear, but always more exciting to exit oobe. By the way you are not more in control in oobe as sometimes you are 'taken along by 'the wind' or redirectes instantly to 'somewhere else'  Going from etheric/oobe to astral is always clearer for me.

[not]

Astra, I forgot to say .. leaving a light on, not in your room, but outside your bedroom where some of the light can filter in, helps you to not fall asleep, mentally. I have a small light in the kitchen, under the extractor fan, that just allows enough light for this, (leaving the bedroom door open)
Cheers, djed 

Hypnagogic is the transitional state between wakefulness and sleep where sometimes we get images and sounds, especially when we are looking into the darkness behind closed eyes. When we see these images it usually means that astral projection is close.

Cheers, djed 

Well mac if you exit your body this is called Real Time Zone or Etheric plane. if you just walk (or float)away from your body out through the wall or door you will see your backgarden, walk down your street it will be close to your real world except for 'fluctuations' where somethings are not quite the same.
But if you begin to fly then you quickly go into the astral where it is a different reality. Some theories say 'its all in the head' but personally I believe there is an objectivity mixed with subjectivity.
Hope this helps, but just go on reading other posts, mostly everything is covered here if you keep looking.
Cheers, djed 

Hi Mac congratulations! you are so lucky getting out so soon.
Just enjoy the ethric plane floating around your bedroom and walking through the wall or door, then when ready just dive through a window or up through the roof and you are in the Astral plane.
Good luck, djed 

Hi Congratulations Dream. If you saw those people before you exited your physical body they could have been hypnogogical images, sometimes you can get sounds too. These images are a gateway to the astral. It is best to practice in the same place without the possibilty of getting disturbed.
Keep at it, good luck!
djed 

To me the 'RTZ' or etheric plane is completely different to when I am in Astral plane. It is grey yellow color and usually darker than Astral, and it is almost the same as my physical locality, I recognise the house next door and real people walking by. But as soon as I fly up the vision is clear and colorful and I have moved into my astral body.
Cheers, djed 

Tee, I think you have a good idea there. What a great school it would be if 75% of the staff did astral projection. wow 


Cheers, djed 

Astra, one of the tricks is to not make yourself too comfortable. So, if its early morning, plan to roll out of bed onto the carpet with a thin pillow or cushion for your head and a blanket over you. So you will be still rested, not too awake but there is a deterent for you to fall asleep.
Or have an armchair in your bedroom you can easily flop into, but dont forget to keep warm, like put some socks on and a covering blanket. Hopefully your carpet is not too thin. 
Cheers, djed 

Yes it sounds as though you  were nearly there so you need to setup a place where you wont be disturbed, but dont forget to keep warm.
Good luck djed

Thanks Summer, thats a lot to take in, food for thought in relation to OOB, Ap etc. I had never heard of split-brain people, or there was an operation that is performed.
Being a musician and artist and hopeless at maths, I guess I am a right-hemisphere brain type.
Cheers djed

Thanks Grey, yes it was a surprise to me getting an exit the next day and direct from a dream. By the way, I might add for anyone over 65 it's still possible to astral travel, as I am. I was beginning to wonder if it was my age that was stopping me. I think it was just stopping meditation and losing interest. That's why I find this website so important , to keep the pot boiling . lol
Cheers djed 

My dreams can vary in clarity, usually they are not too clear, there is not much peripheral vision, and everything seems to be in close proximity to the action. Other times they can be extremely clear, with heightened color and sharp images; these are the times when I think I have unknowingly phased to AP.
One thing about my dreams is that they are usually bizarre, unbelievable, not in accordance with reality of the physical world we live in.
My OOBE's can also vary in clarity, but allowing for 'fluctuations in reality', they are usually very believable, closer to the physical in reality.
My LD's are mostly extremely clear with no bizarre episodes, just flying around lovely countryside, very rarely see people, (but maybe that's cos I live in NZ, lol.) 
My AP's are usually quite clear, similar to normal, but they can be 'contaminated' by 'dream stuff' which can cause bizarre happenings and distort reality.
djed

I know I'm trying to give that up 

Cheers, djed

[Thanks for the support guys, but it has been the encouragement of all the posters on this Astral Pulse website I have to thank, and RB & BM's 90day course that gave me 'what works for me'It's great to be in the 'great out there' once again! Cheers djed]

Thanks for the support guys, but it has been the encouragement of all the posters on this Astral Pulse website I have to thank, and RB & BM's 90day course that gave me 'what works for me'
It's great to be in the 'great out there' once again!
Cheers djed

Hi Astra, I usually practice at 3pm - 4pm, but this morning I put in an extra practice while still in bed at 5am and went back to sleep about 6am. And no, I was not lucid, I was in the thick of that dream when I felt vibes and exiting sensation completely by surprise. I think this was due to the early pracitice, too much energy, also caused me to wakeup , but the tea and toast didnt help the length of the experience lol
Cheers djed