went out of body...not what expected

[perpetualnostalgia]

hello,

I have a few questions about an experience of mine a few weeks ago.  Let me first kind of describe my situtation.  

I have that ability which comes maybe a little more naturally to me than others, to fall asleep consciously and enter a lucid dream.  I've been doing this for a while and I'am sure I've had a few accidental OBE's that I probably mistaked for a dream or something.  I can say that the majority of my lucid dreams after I go through those crazy vibrations, I end up in my room where I'am sleeping.  I don't really feel myself leave my body, my room just slowly comes into focus and then I'am there.  Out of all of these time when I end up in my room,  the scenery is very dark and sometimes i can't see anything, but can move around.  These experiences are different than my lucids cause the majority of my lucids are full of color and energy.  So I don't really know what this means.  

Anyways, a week or two ago I tried actually rolling out of my body when the vibrations started.  Someone told me this is a good technique, so I thought I would give it a go.  The vibrations hit and I went for it but nothing happened.  I tried a few more times and eventually it felt as if I was slidding out of my body.  I felt myself actually moving around my room but it was pitch black, and I was taking a nap during the day which doesn't make much sence.  I remember I could feel tecture on walls and the window, but no sight.  

The next thing I remember I was on the outside of my window and could see everything in detail finally.  The only problem was I was at my window in the house i grew up in, some 800 miles away.  I went inside my room and too my surprise I saw myself sleeping in my bed.  Its kind of funny because it looked like myself when i was in 8th grade.  I touched my dream arm and it kind of scared me on how real it felt, so i jumped out the window and flew around the brilliant violet sky, you know the usual stuff you do in lucid dreams.

I think the first part of the night when I actually felt myself leave my body but couldn't see anything was the closest I was to an OBE even if it wasn't an OBE.  I think after that, the rest of the night was just a regular lucid dream.

Please let me know what you think.

[kiwibonga]

Lucid dreams occur in the astral. You are out of body when you are lucid dreaming.

The thing is, they are dismissed as lucid dreams because they are "not real" ; in other words, you are so affected by your subconscious that reality will be distorted to the point that you are in "dream land".

All you need to do to have a "real" OBE is to suppress manifestations of your subconscious. Do not expect or doubt the things around you, observe them objectively.

With enough practice and focus, you will find that you are not merely dreaming in the archaic sense (i.e. creating a movie in your head), but you're "really out there" with a perception fogged up by your expectations, fears, doubts, desires, etc.

Control over this is the key to turning a "lucid dream" into an OBE.

[astral]

perep

your black obe is much like some of mine, sliding out of my body but as though my eyes are closed and everything is black, I still feel things but just can't see them.  At other times I am out and into it without any trouble. Have fun.

Astral

[Astralopithicus]

I've had a few (short-lived) OBE's and lots of lucid dreams, all of the OBE's and most of the LD's have me starting out in or near the house I grew up in. I haven't been there for 15 years and it's half-way around the world in the UK. Glad to see I'm not the only one affected by this, must be some kind of comfort thing you create because it's such an unfamiliar state.

[listener]

I'm familiar with this. Whenever I OOBE into realtime, I do it blind. I find it very hard to see anything, but I can feel the cold of surfaces around the room against my body as I move around. I feel completely out, but can see nothing.

[cosmicwanderer]

I haven't OBE'd since I was a child, but I remember vividly what it was like.  I started Bruce's Mastering Astral Projection a few weeks ago and within a week I had my first experience -- although it was completely unintentional.  I had been avoiding alcohol for Lent but went out to dinner with friends and ended up celebrating one of their job promotions.  I didn't think I had had that much to drink, but when I went to bed, I found my astral sight activated almost as soon as my head hit the pillow.  I was scared witless when I saw what looked like my husband's double peering down at me and I popped back into my body.  You wouldn't think alcohol would have that kind of effect since you have to be able to focus so much, but there you have it (perhaps this had something to do with my abstination).  I haven't been courageous enough to try it again.  I think we all just have differently developed capacities for some reason (probably developed in infancy or childhood).  It really is true that if you think something, it will happen, however.  You have to really train your mind to focus.  Think, "see" and you will.

[Potatis]

My first OBE I was completely blind. I guess it is not uncommon.

[fliesatnite]

Try saying to yourself when you are 'blind, or in the dark' say something to the effect of :

Clarity please, or clear vision.  You might surprise yourself, it'll be like someone turned the lights on.  Anyway, this technique works for me, hope it helps you.

[Aros]

I've tried all the mantras (i.e. "Clarity NOW!" for instance) but I can never seem to really get my "astral" eyes to focus and bring forth light and detail in my OBEs.

Sure, I can "see" my room and details to a point but it's always fuzzy and dark no matter how conscious I am during the experience.

I've read so many books but nothing seems to work.