Greetings all!
I've had the odd OBE occasionally over the years and I really got back into it recently, my girlfriend bought me a copy of Astral Dynamics(great book) and I began reading that every change I can get.
Now, I've tried for years to have an astral projection/OBE but I just never can. I wonder if I'm failing to grasp a concept, I've meditated, cleared my mind, done the exercises, but.......nothing.
Tonight I'm going to set aside some time for pleasant meditation and in the morning I'm going to exercise heavily, then take a hot shower, then relax and meditate. I just need help, really.
I'm not sure if what I'm doing is wrong, or if I'm missing some glaring concept, and any help would be very appreciated, thank you.
:)
Hi there Wiley!
Welcome to the boards. You're asking a pretty broad question, but I'll try to help you out a little bit.
First off, you ask us if you're failing to grasp a concept, or if you're doing something wrong. However, from reading your post, I'm not too clear on what you're doing at all. Perhaps you can us exactly what you do.....what do you focus on? What goes on mentally when you're trying to induce a projection?
Now, I will give you some beginner pointers that help ME out. I say ME in capital letters, because what works for one person (and the terminology of one person) is not the same for others. Some people choose to sound real esoteric and "new-agey" when talking about these things. Others have 300 different focus levels that they have categorized things in. I personally try to keep it as simple as possible,
So first of all, here are some basic things that you can do:
1) Relax - Duh! Just simply relax your body. Don't focus TOO MUCH on this. One of the things I have always said is that most people make the mistake of trying to prepare their physical body for the experience, instead of preparing their MIND for the experience. Just make sure you're physically comfortable and relaxed.
2) Calm your mind - Quit thinking about your day, your problems, the argument you had with your partner, etc. Just calm all the errant thoughts that are darting this way and that. You want to make things still.
3) Make sure your eyes, while closed, are not trying to physically look for anything. You want to be able to pick up and percieve images that come into your minds eye.....not strain and look with your physical eyes for these things. For more detailed information on this "eye" concept, check out this old post I wrote here: Jeff's OBE Tips (http://www.astralpulse.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=9955)
4) You will start to see some images the more you start shifting your level of focus into this area. You may see objects, like a tree, a building, etc.....or you may see a shape, like a square, a triangle, etc.....or you may see just colors, swirling and floating by. Don't try to analyze any of this. Just let it happen and acknowledge it.
5) Sometimes, you may be able to mentally "lock on" to one of these images.....When I say 'lock on', I mean that instead of it just fluttering past you, you can actually hold onto it. This seems to ALWAYS pull me into a new focus level......one that is lucid and what many people would call an 'astral' experience. I used to label this as 'phasing' because it's at this point that I find myself pulled into a new environment with all my mental awareness and consciousness in place.
One thing to keep in mind: you aren't actually travelling from point A to point B, so don't think of it like that. When you're relaxing your mind in step 2, just tell yourself that you are not actually travelling from point A to point B. You're simply shifting your conscious focus from point A (your physical body) to point B, a place where you're already at but not consciously aware of.
Imagine it like this. Take one finger and touch it on your computer monitor. Take a finger on your other hand, and touch the wall behind you. Now, while looking at your finger which is on your monitor, you may have a desire to be touching the wall behind you.......but you already are! By shifting your focus to your other hand, you will realize that you ARE touching the wall. It's all a matter of focus and where it's pointed.
So having an OBE is kinda like that. We just shift our focus away from this base level (physical world) and place it on ourselves in a non-physical world.
I hope this has helped you somewhat. Like I said, I'm not the best when it comes to terminology, but one thing you'll come to learn with experience: personal experience is the best teacher. You will hear things said by some projectors and discard the theories that don't stand up to your own experience, while maintaining other things which do conform to your experiences. From what I have read, Frank who posts here says a lot of things which match up well with my own travels in this non-physical dimension, so I really recommend you pay attention to what he says.
I may say things a little bit differently, but that's because I'm on a different level than he is, and I (like many of you) are constantly changing and reforming our theories on how these things work, and how to induce them. However, together, we are all working towards the same goal, and man, it's a beautiful thing! :D