What on Earth Am I doing? (partial, etheric, or just plain strange projection)

[substituteapple]

On one particularly lengthy road trip in my mid-teens, it spontaneously occurred to me to try a 'visualization exercise' where I'd throw my point of awareness down each street we'd pass for a short amount of time before drawing it back. What I found was that I was able to see from the point of view which I willed my awareness to go, and not only that but the point of awareness itself had it's own body that, trifold, I could see through it's eyes, through my own open physical eyes, and just outside it so that I would be viewing it's body in the third person. I could feel the sensations of the wind on it's skin and the movement of the things it touched vividly, but I knew I was not astral projecting as I was not at all detached from my body. It wasn't until the car turned down one of the streets I had been 'etherically' (for lack of a better word) looking at to find that it physically looked exactly the same, that I realized I wasn't simply really good at imaginative visualization.

Ever since then, this is something I have been able to do at will, without meditation, without even closing my eyes. As simply as focusing my eyes from foreground to background. And yet, I have no idea what it is, how to more fully control it, and potentially, I'd really like to be able to astral project from this state if possible. Does anyone know of this, or have any experience with it?

[Lumaza]

 Hello Substituteapple.

What you have explained and described is what we here call "Phasing" You have learned how to shift your awareness to "another". That is the definition of Phasing in a nutshell!  

...and yes, many of us practice this here. Check out this thread here. The thread is loaded with other great info on "shifting" your awareness as well.
http://www.astralpulse.com/forums/welcome_to_astral_consciousness/how_exactly_do_you_perform_the_phantom_wiggle_method-t44583.0.html

Here is another thread that is found in the "Welcome to the Astral FAQ" subforum that describes Phasing in it's entirety.
http://www.astralpulse.com/forums/welcome_to_the_astral_faq/what_is_phasing_and_how_can_i_do_it-t17413.0.html

[substituteapple]

Oh thank you, that is so helpful!
I'd heard the term phasing before, actually several weeks ago I spend quite a large chunk of time trying to research it on the internet without much avail-- What I'd gathered was that 'it's a thing that you can work on that is somehow related to astral projection, but nobody goes into detail on what it is, or how to do it'. Eventually I was lead to the Frank Kepple resource, but while interesting, it didn't seem like it fit with my experience thus far.

I infinitely appreciate the links I haven't read their entirety yet, but they look as though they'll be very helpful

[Xanth]

Oh thank you, that is so helpful!
I'd heard the term phasing before, actually several weeks ago I spend quite a large chunk of time trying to research it on the internet without much avail-- What I'd gathered was that 'it's a thing that you can work on that is somehow related to astral projection, but nobody goes into detail on what it is, or how to do it'. Eventually I was lead to the Frank Kepple resource, but while interesting, it didn't seem like it fit with my experience thus far.

I infinitely appreciate the links I haven't read their entirety yet, but they look as though they'll be very helpful

My website is based almost entirely around phasing.  It's not just related to astral projection, it *IS* astral projection.  A wide variety of labels people like to use are astral projection, they just don't know it.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/39504726/Phasing_Primer.pdf  <-- my book

http://www.unlimitedboundaries.ca/ <-- my website

Feel free to peruse if you haven't already. 

[substituteapple]

My website is based almost entirely around phasing.  It's not just related to astral projection, it *IS* astral projection.  A wide variety of labels people like to use are astral projection, they just don't know it.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/39504726/Phasing_Primer.pdf  <-- my book

http://www.unlimitedboundaries.ca/ <-- my website

Feel free to peruse if you haven't already. 

Thank you for the links, I'm halfway through your book right now
I never realized how many experiences I thought were lucid dreams, would actually be considered projections! I am confused on one front however-- when you gain astral awareness in a 'dream', is the scene supposed to change to a more realistic (real-time) scenario, or are you just more aware within the confines of the same dreamscape?
Thus far I've read about planes, focuses, phases, and real time zones, but not really how to determine which I am in after projection, and how to shift between them.
I've heard of people laying cards out, or opening books to specific pages, and reading them while projecting as a test, does that mean your awareness is going outward within the real world, or simply staying within a place your mind has created and being able to know what those cards are saying with some clairvoyant ability?

[Xanth]

Thank you for the links, I'm halfway through your book right now
I never realized how many experiences I thought were lucid dreams, would actually be considered projections! I am confused on one front however-- when you gain astral awareness in a 'dream', is the scene supposed to change to a more realistic (real-time) scenario, or are you just more aware within the confines of the same dreamscape?

See how you're trying to force the use of the term "dream"?  It's such habit, that it's really hard for most people to ditch that terminology.
There is nothing which is "supposed to happen" when you gain a certain level of awareness... what does happen is entirely up to you and your Intent.  Whatever happens... happens! 
All of these experiences (dreams included) are just "non-physical experiences". 

Thus far I've read about planes, focuses, phases, and real time zones, but not really how to determine which I am in after projection, and how to shift between them.

Again, they're just labels... there are no different planes, focuses, phases, rtz, etc... these are just the way people describe the feelings associated with "different" experiences they have. 
For example, someone might experience/visit a reality which they FEEL as being full of Love.  The sensation they receive from that reality is just a warm, happy, Loving sense.  So, most people would then assume it's some HIGHER plane... when it's "just another" non-physical reality, neither higher nor lower than "anywhere" else.

See how we humans LOVE to organize things?  We love order and structure, so we take our experiences and create a hierarchy to make them easier for us to understand them... not realizing that the map doesn't equal the territory, it's only a representation (a METAPHOR) for the territory.

I've heard of people laying cards out, or opening books to specific pages, and reading them while projecting as a test, does that mean your awareness is going outward within the real world, or simply staying within a place your mind has created and being able to know what those cards are saying with some clairvoyant ability?

My experience is that you're re-creating a reality mirroring (as close as your consciousness can) this physical reality.  Remember, we are all connected.  So what information one person has access to, you ALSO have access to.  This is why we can project to remote places on Earth and see them (almost) as they really are.  The stronger our collective "knowledge" of a particular area is, the greater the chance you will visit that particular place and have it be as it truly is... barring any of your own expectations/beliefs filtering and changing the experience. 

All experience is ultimately an experience of what's "within".  Including this physical reality experience which we call "life".