I often suffer from bouts of terrible sleep paralysis. They terrify me when they happen, but my boyfriend recently suggested that I research astral projection, and see if it was possible to turn one into the other. I read very, very little about it, only meditation techniques that I've tried, but with no result.
Tonight, I instantly felt I was beginning to experience sleep paralysis. Instead of panicking, however, I remembered what my boyfriend told me. During most of my episodes of sleep paralysis, I experience false awakenings. I can see the room around me, but can't move. I began to come into this, and I told myself, "If you can see the room around you, walk around it, then."
Usually, I fight during these episodes, trying to move but failing and panicking. Instead, I stood up from my bed. Without standing. I clearly felt myself leave my body, however, I noticed I felt odd and out of control. That if I kept focusing my energy toward moving forward, I would continue to move forward and fall through the floor. Sort of as if I were balanced on a pivoting platform.
The best way I can describe is that moving felt too easy, and difficult because of it. I felt drunk or underwater. I could easily sort of float from one place to the next, as if I were walking on the moon or the ocean floor, but walking down the stairs I felt that because I was focusing my energy downward, I might fall.
Once I reached the bottom of the stairs, I began to feel a terrifying anxiety. For one, it might be because I am absolutely terrified of the dark. I never took into account that while awake I'm afraid to be downstairs in the dark, let alone while projecting.
I walked around my dining area and living room, and decided to see if I could leave my house, into the lawn. I left through the closed window, which I wasn't sure would work at first. It felt like any inconsistency might break the experience and I would instantly awaken in my body. It did, however, and I walked across my lawn, and through a small garden that's planted there. I could clearly see the snapdragons planted there (though I haven't paid any attention to what's growing there during the day.) I walked through them, and noticed something really strange.
I couldn't hear anything but televisions and radios. From my own house, and the neighbors. Some of them sounded as if they weren't exactly from this decade, either. And some, I knew, weren't even on. But I could hear them clearly and knew instantly where they were coming from.
Being outside was terrifying to me, there was a very foreboding presence lingering on what I feel was the border of where I could explore. I've felt a presence like this before many times during sleep paralysis, but never in an open space. Usually, when paralyzed, I feel it's a very singular presence nearby. This time I felt it was EVERYWHERE.
I tried to ignore the fear as long as I could, and wanted to see if I could enter my neighbor's house (a priest, I've always been curious as to what it's like in his home.)
Then a very strange thing happened.
I could hear a song being played. Very clearly. A song I've never heard and according to my limited research doesn't exist.
It sounded as if it were being played on an old record, from the woods behind my house. The voice was familiar but new, very similar to Billie Holiday or another female singer from the 40s or 50s. The song was woeful but beautiful, the vibe very much the same as the song Strange Fruit, which I haven't heard or thought of in years.
The disconcerting part, however: the lyrics. "Tonight, you'll sleep in beautiful.....death...."
I immediately wanted to be somewhere else, and I tried to see if I could travel to somewhere I've never been, and it felt like it was too far a reach, and I could feel myself not being pulled but whisked back to my body, and I instantly woke up.
I have no idea why my experience was so terrifying. Was the foreboding presence maybe a result of external influence? Was I maybe already feeling it before I projected? The song, too. I've searched a few posts here about hearing songs during AP experiences (part of the reason I'm choosing to post, and feeling a little less crazy than when I woke up.) I found a few mentioning similar things, but for the most part the lyrics are about praise and are generally uplifting. What does it mean that mine was about death?
Thanks in advance for reading, and any help. I'm terrified to go back to sleep, in case...well, you know.
wow what an experience, I would describe it as someone being thrown into the Super Bowl "OK here play". Honestly you have experienced what many have been trying to do for years. I also suffer from Sleep Paralysis and it was very terrifying at first and in fact I tried researching it and I ended up here. The next time I had SP I just let it happen, I could hear the buzzing in my ears and it was so intense that at one point I decided to think of lifting up and there I was inches from the ceiling but it was over after a few seconds. You on the other hand seemed to have a very solid experience and it is very normal to be so scared since it was literally a different world but believe me it's very real.
The presence you felt might be your expanded self just watching over you, just know that you can have complete control. If you want to return back to the physical body just think it and you shall return. It can be a very simple world and so awe inspiring at the same time if we want to, but we human beings have so many beliefs in place that it can be complicated without much thinking about just from our beliefs. I suggest you read the experiences in this forum and you'll be amazed the level of simplicity or complexity you can find. In my opinion it's up to us what we want to make of it.
Take care
Awesome first OBE Six!! and great description of it!
Like mcdwg said, you packed two or three firstime OBE's all into one neat package...well done!
I'll add a few observations based on my own experiences:
Don't fear the Sleep Paralysis, instead use it as your launchpad to go oob; just as you did. Just understand that when you first encounter SP, you are already likely in, or very close to an Astral Awareness state; therefore, any emotional energy you inadvertently release (ie FEAR) will get reflected back at you in multitudes of ways--loud noises, screams, the idea of burglars breaking-in, visuals of shapes, shadows...anything at all to scare you or distract you. In my opinion, you took some of this "anxiety energy" with you out into the garden and that gradually grew into a greater and greater generalized fear. I haven't come across a clear explanation of what this phenomenon is, but it seems to diminish the quicker and further you can move away from your physical body, say 10 to 15 feet. Personally, I think it's some kind of subconscious defense mechanism, trying to dissuade us from projecting, and over time I've had less and less issues with it. Also, as you will find anywhere in the Astral, you have to keep your emotions under constant control, trying to maintain a "calm and detached, impassive observer quality". Finally, dispell any fear you may have; it appears nothing can hurt you. Affirmations, prayers of protection, bathing yourself in white light are good insurance, but if you do get into a scrap, the best defense is to radiate Love and Humor. Melts 'em every time.
Your description of trying to move about is pretty standard for the first few outings, I went through the same thing, like an underwater drunk :-D! You get better with practice.
The music...with a song seemingly tailored for you...? I haven't experienced that one but one possibility could be your subconscious safety-mechanism acting up again. I've found mine can be very crafty and subtle...
Hope some of that helps, can't wait for your next report. Now go flying and have some fun!
EV
I think your inherent fear of SP infected the rest of the experience. If you start off in a negative frame of mind then it will only be a negative experience. It's a downward spiral. As long as you can tell yourself nothing can happen to you and keep your frame of mind as mildly curious (as Frank would always say) about what is going on around you then you should be fine.
I think a lot of people have fearful first experiences. For me it was because I'd read scary accounts of other people so this tinged my own experience. I think a lot of scary encounters are self-created because 'thought=direct action' to quote Frank again.
Hi there Six!
Welcome to the Astral Pulse. :)
Quote from: Six on October 17, 2010, 01:44:22
I often suffer from bouts of terrible sleep paralysis. They terrify me when they happen, but my boyfriend recently suggested that I research astral projection, and see if it was possible to turn one into the other. I read very, very little about it, only meditation techniques that I've tried, but with no result.
It can be very terrifying.
I've had only a couple experiences of sleep paralysis, but they came after I had read up on the phenomenon... so I knew what to expect and that reduced my anxiety greatly during them.
When you KNOW that what you're experiencing is normal and that you are NOT dying and that you WILL wake up eventually... it removes most of the fear from the experience. I just remember thinking "Oh, this is neat", at which point I remember seeing my arms all glowy and dangling upwards.
QuoteTonight, I instantly felt I was beginning to experience sleep paralysis. Instead of panicking, however, I remembered what my boyfriend told me. During most of my episodes of sleep paralysis, I experience false awakenings. I can see the room around me, but can't move. I began to come into this, and I told myself, "If you can see the room around you, walk around it, then."
Usually, I fight during these episodes, trying to move but failing and panicking. Instead, I stood up from my bed. Without standing. I clearly felt myself leave my body, however, I noticed I felt odd and out of control. That if I kept focusing my energy toward moving forward, I would continue to move forward and fall through the floor. Sort of as if I were balanced on a pivoting platform.
Yeah never fight... never fight anything actually.
Always try to stay calm, cool and collected. This is for two reasons really... first, you'll extend your experience and secondly, you'll notice and remember more afterwards. :)
All in all that's a great experience!
Hopefully it's the first of many! :)
Thank you guys so much!
I'm actually very interested in the fear aspect of all of this. Have been reading all around here, and I'm intrigued by the concept that it's a projection of my own negative thoughts or emotions. I can't wait to try this again, but I'm curious if confronting the source of this negativity might be a bad idea? I'm excited to try to use my astral experiences as a way to better understand my subconscious while I'm awake.
If you do experience something negative in your next projection you could try a Bruce Moen technique which is mentally send PUL to the negative force. This is Pure Unconditional Love. The idea is to think of a time when you were feeling love or loving. Don't just generically think of love but rather something personal (e.g. like the love you have for your child). Hold this in mind then mentally project this to the neg.
Apparently a very effective technique. Personally, I have not had the need as of yet.