Hello everyone.
Before I move on with my post, I'd like to just briefly say hello. I am new here to the forums, so forgive me if I have posted this topic in the incorrect area. I don't really have much information to share about myself that I think would be of use regarding my topic, so I will move on now. Oh, and I will mention that I have trouble sorting my thoughts, so if my post seems scrabbled, forgive me again. 8-)
Just recently, I'd say about 3 weeks ago (give or take), I became aware of the subject of Astral Travel. I forgot exactly how I found out about it. I think I was just surfing through YouTube videos and happened to land upon it. Anyways, I was just fascinated with the idea, not to mention almost terrified, too. After reading about it some more, I decided that I would try to project myself. I still wasn't comfortable with it, so I wanted to read up on it more before I committed to doing it. To this day, I am still not completely comfortable with it, but I continue to read accounts of travel from other members.
Now this is where my story may get a little confusing, so bear with me. I don't know if anyone here is against the use of marijuana, but the other night, I smoked it once. I've smoked it occasionally before, but this time was the first time I've done it since learning about Astral Projection. The "high" started out normally, from what I'm used to. I don't smoke weed often, so I'm not used to different stuff, and I am by no means an expert in the weed field. After about 20 minutes, if my sense of time was correct, I started to just stare off into space. Sometimes I was able to stop myself from staring, but other times I could hear my friends talking, but I was unable to stop my daze. I'd imagine this was just from the high I was experiencing, but maybe I am wrong. About another time minutes later, it started to get really weird. I was still conscious, but I felt like time was slowing down. Every time someone would talk to me, my mind felt like it was going through scenarios about what to say back. It felt like I could picture in my mind a bunch of TV screens, and each screen showed a different scenario of how to respond to what my friends were saying to me. I'm not sure if that is normal with weed, because like I said, I don't smoke it often. Maybe I was just really high, I don't know.
Again, about 10 minutes later, I decided to go to sleep. I've been up since 7 in the morning, and at this time it was about 10:30 at night. I was laying on my friends couch, when I felt my body start to vibrate. It started off slowly, but over the next few minutes (which seemed like hours) the vibrations became stronger. They finally reached what seemed to be their peek at the time, but then I felt a new sense of vibrations. These new vibrations came in a pattern, while the original vibrations were still going on. The new vibrations seemed to jump from the bottom of my chest, to my left arm, to the top of my chest, and back to my right arm. Maybe they were going in the opposite direction, I don't recall too well. But, at this point, I became aware that maybe I was going into a drug-induced OBE. I didn't know what to do though, so I just tried focusing on the vibrations. Unfortunately, there were other people in the room while I was trying to do all of this, so it was hard to focus. After awhile, I succumbed to exhaustion and fell asleep.
I'm trying to think if I left any details out. If I did, I will add them in where they belong. Until then, does this seem like a plausible subconscious attempt at getting me into the Astral plane? I don't know if it was a guide trying to help me out, or if the marijuana was just really strong. I could swear I felt these vibrations, but when I opened my eyes, I did not see my body vibrating. The only thing I noticed was both of my arms twitching, I think.
Again, forgive me if you got lost somewhere in my story. I have a hard time describing things over the internet, ha. And trying to describe this seems almost impossible.
Thank you for reading.
The fact that you'd been smoking marijuana makes it very difficult to judge what you were experiencing. It could just have been the drug or it could have been something more.
If you can reach the same state without any drugs, then you may be getting somewhere.
I hate to say that I was, but I do agree with you, too. I'll try to get there without the use of weed. I don't want to get the reputation of being a pot-head, because that is definitely not the case. I guess I was curious if this ever happened to anyone else though, or if I'm on the right track.
Thank you for your response!
All this has happened with you only because of the drugs. You can reach that state without these types of drugs.
Quote from: cjbr on September 10, 2012, 12:44:49I don't know if it was a guide trying to help me out, or if the marijuana was just really strong.
I see no connection between these two. A drug-induced OBE is still an OBE. Do not confuse the experience with the trigger. Anything can be a trigger or a combination of triggers that lead to the experience. The physical body does have its own body chemistry (substances, or even "drug") with e.g. serotonine, melanine and especially DMT which do 'prep' the body computer to 'tune into' other realities and off the physical reality in lucid mode.
Quote from: cjbr on September 10, 2012, 12:44:49I could swear I felt these vibrations, but when I opened my eyes, I did not see my body vibrating.
All you say seems like the legit OBE vibrations for me. They can be very varied and different in strength and feel, and affect different body parts or the entire body. After all, it is you who has to decide if you had vibrations. When you wake up ("open your eyes") you won't have them anymore (and you never "see" them as you write) because you tuned back into physical waking reality (although there is such a thing as 'almost' waking vibrations, I had this once or twice). I also have a post-reentry electric-goosebumpy feel around my body when I am 'back', but it is very special to me and almost no one else seems to have it.
Thank you much for your replies. I'll try to reach that state again sometime without the use of drugs and post back with what I felt may be different or the same.
Again, thanks.
Hi cjbr!
I thought I'd reply since I have a lot of experience on weed and a little on OBE's/projecting.
First of all I have to say, that in my opinion you were experiencing the proper vibrations, with mj as the trigger as explained above. I say this also because your description of the vibrations sounded like the ones I have when practicing projecting, but mainly because in all my life I've never experienced anything like that from weed alone. But I have also heard that people report having OBE's while high, especially with high doses and little experience, as seems to be your case.
However, I want to stress that in the long run, weed is bad for projecting, at least for me. I've smoked on and off in small binges usually lasting 3-10 days, after which I usually have a break for a month or two. During these binges and the week after it feels like smoking has undermined all the progress I have made in meditation and while practicing projecting. My mind is filled with random thoughts and clearing it or focusing on anything feels next to impossible. After that time however, all is back to normal without any long term damage to my training. During the breaks I usually have at least a minor succes every week, whereas while high or the week after, I have never succeeded in anything projection-related.
Like Tom Campbell said, drugs can be benefical in introducing the experience, but in the long run they'll become a major hindrance.