The Astral Pulse

First off i'd like to start by saying hello to everyone and i'm sorry if I didn't post this in the right area, i'm new to this forum I just came across it today, i've been interested in sucessfully projecting for quite a few years and have failed everytime...

Now I wanted to say i'm a daily marijuana smoker and have been for about 5 years, so my question is wether or not marijuana will have a affect on someones ability to leave their body? Maybe this is the reason I haven't left mine yet...

Sorry if this has already been asked before, it's just hard to for me to believe I haven't had not one successful projection over the past 3 years i've been trying...

I just can't seem to find a method that works... I always end up laying there for about an hour or 2 until my body hurts and have to stop and get up and move around and it kills the experience.
I've made it to the vibrational state a few times and everytime I have I get too excited and my heart starts racing then I become "aware" of my body it ruins it. :|

If you're not free from the 'effects' of smoking, then you might have a tougher time focusing.
If you're free from the 'effects'... then it shouldn't, but such things are unique to the individual.

What are you generally trying when you're just lying there for one or two hours?

As for the heart racing... that's just normal excitement.  The more you do this stuff, the more the sensations will become "normal" and "meh" to you... and the less you'll get excited and knocked out of the state.

Learn to meditate.  :)

When i'm laying there, i'm trying to focus mainly on my breathing and try to keep my thoughts as still as possible.
Like I said I can usually get to or atleast near vibrational state everytime I just haven't made it "out" yet I always get too excited and just lose the vibrations overall then I get frustrated and basically give up.  :|

Maybe it's the time i'm trying to OBE, I usually can't do it during the day or mornings so I have to try it late at night before I go to sleep is this my problem is there a certain time to try it, like when you first wake up or your body is tired and ready for sleep??

Having been a heavy user in the past and now being free of the drug for over a decade, I can shed light on my own experiences:

When I was still using, I would find that it was easier to reach altered states of consciousness. Obviously drugs effect different people in different ways so it's not really enough to say that: x thing produces y results. Since not using and starting to try OBE again, I have found it much more difficult to focus, relax my inner thoughts and so on. I believe that the drug was able to allow for singular focus as well as remove many inhibitors preventing the reaching of these altered states of awareness.

My problem with all this is that the experiences are, whether or not the effects of the drug are "active", drug induced to some extent. When you're in an "active" state of effect then it is more drug induced than when you're not active (ie. not stoned).. but still there is THC in your body and it is definitely affecting you to some extent.

For me, this is an issue in regards to "verification/validation" of the experiences. I don't need to prove to anyone else whether they were real or not, that's not what this is about. It's about validating it to myself. Can I be 100% sure that the experience I had was not attributed directly/indirectly in total or in part to the drug induced state? Even for 6 months (apparently) after the cessation of the taking of the drug, the THC chemical remains in the body. So for "at least" 6 months after you stop using, you still can't be 100% sure.

So while I think it may be possible to do and I don't believe there is any true danger in doing it from that state, I wonder if you can be sure as to validate it, to yourself, or not.

Thanks for the reply light487, you're right about it helping you get to altered states of awareness i've used it to help me meditate in the past and it worked very well. I think i've used it so long now that being "stoned" is nothing but my normal state of mind...

I think if I work hard enough I can enjoy my "high life" and still acomplish astral projection... it may take more time and more dedication but eventually I gotta "pop" out of my body it can't be impossible to do for me.

I'm still trying to find a technique to leave the body but I can't find one that works for me, that or I completely midunderstood the methods and weren't doing them right... I don't know what i'm doing wrong.

I've had full and partial OBEs while "high".. so definitely in the realm of possibility. I used for a long time so I knew the different between the effects of the drug and "something else". So I do believe that they were genuine OBEs but what occured during them is another thing that I can't validate to myself. It may be that certain drugs can heighten or lower the vibrations of the "other" bodies' energies. I remember in one instance it was quite scary because I was fully physical and my astral was literally falling out of my body despite me being able to walk around. There was a distinct separation between the two bodies but the astral was still stuck partially inside my body but due to the fact it was a drug induced state of awareness, I couldn't just "switch it off".. therein lies another problem with drug induced OBEs and other awareness states. Sure.. you can "get there" but once you're there, how much control do you have and can you "switch it off" if you need to?

I'm not saying to be cautious because of any major danger.. but think of it like being trapped in a box and you can't get out. Being in the box itself is not a problem, provided there is plenty of airflow, so no real danger there but the fact you can't get out is what makes it effectively a "prison" and can be psychologically damaging and something might take you months or even years to completely get over.

I think I had one OBE once, it was either an OBE or a lucid dream but I remember I was sound asleep, dreaming I was flying through the air above the trees then all of a sudden I became fully "aware" like I was 100% awake but I was still flying and then once I realised "wait i'm flying??? but people can't fly? suddenly and very very quickly whoosed downward towards the trees and hit the ground and went straight through the ground and I obviously was moving at high speeds that are unheard of because I went out the other side of the earth kept going and instantly was in outer space in the matter of like 3 seconds it was amazing beautiful seeing all the colors and stars then all of a sudden I kinda not heard but I felt a "pop" and I was awake in my bed sat up and was like "WTF just happened".
I'm guessing it was a lucid dream but it felt so real if not even more real... this was the closest thing i've ever had to a OBE and that's what got me into wanting to learn this "ability" to project. Sorry didn't mean for

this message to be so long lol couldn't even type anymore... got completely off topic sorry didn't meant to. I'm too "stoned" right now...
Maybe I can do it in the morning before I smoke would it be okay then I wonder???

Quote from: xFailureByDesignx on August 31, 2011, 01:07:07
this message to be so long lol couldn't even type anymore... got completely off topic sorry didn't meant to. I'm too "stoned" right now...
Maybe I can do it in the morning before I smoke would it be okay then I wonder???

So......
What you're saying here is that you can't even focus enough to keep the subject of your post.

Yeah, if you wanna project/meditate... drop the weed.  This thread is proof enough that it's ruining your efforts.

Quote from: xFailureByDesignx on August 31, 2011, 01:07:07
Maybe I can do it in the morning before I smoke would it be okay then I wonder???

That would be something worth trying. If you're determined to smoke daily, I suggest keeping it and AP practice completely separate and don't attempt when you're baked. You may end up finding that the desire to smoke slowly disappears.

Quote from: Ryan_ on August 31, 2011, 09:09:39
So......
What you're saying here is that you can't even focus enough to keep the subject of your post.

Yeah, if you wanna project/meditate... drop the weed.  This thread is proof enough that it's ruining your efforts.

You're right it is ruining my efforts and i've been this dumb to not notice this all along.... now i've gotta quit smoking but it's gonna be so much easier said then done.  Sorry for the waste of your time guys... :|

Quote from: xFailureByDesignx on August 31, 2011, 13:10:02
You're right it is ruining my efforts and i've been this dumb to not notice this all along.... now i've gotta quit smoking but it's gonna be so much easier said then done.  Sorry for the waste of your time guys... :|

What Stookie said.
Just practice when you're NOT high... unless you're also unable to focus during those times as well.

In which case, learning to meditate should probably be your first goal.  :)

And there's no time to be wasted here.  We choose to be here and reply to you.  ;)

quitting altogether will benefit your mind. I was a recreational everyday pothead for like 7 years.. I quit 2 months ago with the hopes that it would sharpen my focus and clean up my awareness in general. a month later I had a obe. I posted about it recently. that experience was very encouraging as far as staying off mind dulling substances. weed is a great tool I believe, when you need to get a different perspective, but chronic use is definitely not helping your chances. no blockages in the conduit! keep it clean.

edit: sorry I noticed you decided to quit while I was typing this. ha! stick with it dude its worth it!! if you got to the vibrations while smoking, then you surely can get farther while clean.

Well lets see i'm not "high" now so I think i'm fully capable of focusing while sober.... if not more so than when i'm on it, when I am "high" i'm foggy minded and it is a bit hard to think.
So, like I said I don't know how i'm that stupid to not notice it on my own.

Glad I found this site. Now i've gotta work on meditating. Well thanks again for "choosing" to take the time to read my post and reply i'm gonna quit smoking pot or atleast slow down because i'm really eager to learn this... Take care guys have fun AP I soon hope I can do it too. :-)

I'm curious about the poll.  What was it for?
:?

Maybe you are suppose to choose one to answer? Not really a poll  :-P

I think.. personally.. Marijuana can be beneficial to OBE's as the closest I have ever come to actually OBEing, was when I was high. All the other times, My body starts to cringe with pain after only 20 minutes and I HAVE to move ;/

PERSONALLY Marijuana helps, but again.. each person is different :P

I've had the same question about my pot smoking and astral projection.

I'm still working it out myself.. all I know is that before I smoked pot regularly I was able to OBE a lot more.  My OBEs have been rare now since marijuana smoking has become a daily thing. Although I'm still not blaming pot for my non-ability to get out lately.. I think it's more due to the fact that I've stopped practicing regularly.  I have never had an OBE from smoking pot and have always failed while trying under the influence of pot.   I refuse to believe pot makes you unable to go OBE.. but hey , I just hope I'm not in denial here. =)  My problem is falling asleep during my attempts.. I think pot makes it easier for me to fall asleep once I start relaxing.. so maybe thats my answer.  I'm working on sitting up and practicing so that if I fall asleep I may notice it better , or my happy arse will fall out the chair instead.   Good luck tho! Sorry I know I'm not much help O_0

Pot will hold you down, you won't be able to do much if you're addicted to earthly stuff..its your choice.

Quote from: HiRes on August 31, 2011, 22:49:38
I think.. personally.. Marijuana can be beneficial to OBE's as the closest I have ever come to actually OBEing, was when I was high. All the other times, My body starts to cringe with pain after only 20 minutes and I HAVE to move ;/

PERSONALLY Marijuana helps, but again.. each person is different :P

It has NO benefit to consciously aware projections.
Will it take you into the non-physical?  Sure...
Will you be able to have a controlled experience?  Probably NOT?

What kind of growth can you have in an uncontrolled non-physical experience?
Well, how spiritually growing are your normal dreams?  Not so much...

That's only one aspect of why using drugs to achieve an altered state is unadvised.

I don't recommend smoking for seeking OBEs.  As a frequent OBEr, and one who smoked his share ... albeit many years ago ... I feel that I understand this somewhat well.  Personally, I found that the best way to achieve OBEs is to be very clean and clear minded.  For me, diet and exerise have been most helpful ... although, not critical, just very helpful.  If you want some "weed," I suggest that you chew on a whole lot of lettuce instead.  Raw veggies, etc., for a few days, etc., should help much more than weed, I think.  Also, if you're trying to do OBEs at night, try doing OBEs in the morning after you awaken.  And, don't try to control the process.  Make a clear request to OBE, and tell yourself that you will try to remember to OBE when the time comes.  Then, just relax and allow your body to fall asleep ... if you get into a mode of falling asleep and waking up without OBEs, that is good since you can go right back to sleep and try again.  After a while, you will get it.... 

If your mind is talking too much and your not able to concentrate,
try Isochronic sounds, also try counting your breaths, vibrations are nothing if you can't get to AP.

PS: Counting your breathes is easy, just do: {inhale} 1 {exhale} 1 {inhale} 2 {exhale} 2 {inhale} 3.. and so on, so every inhale is counted as 1 "point"(or what ever you want to call it)

make sure you breath in slowly and relaxed, and between transitions don't breath in/breath out fast.. take your time with it.

Drugs are bad, don't do them... Seriously You can last longer with many things ;) ................ Pervs i know what you were thinking, but whatever floats your boat n_n honestly though, don't do drugs. and especially don't do them when you are doing any spiritual work

~astraladdict

Hell yeah it does man. I've smoked alot of pot but had to take a 6 month break because of a random drug test. I started smoking pot again basically daily and didn't astral project for the whole time. but I am now in a 1 week break because I got mono and have a sore throat. I astral projected after not smoking pot for 4 days. When I wasn't high I would all the time. It makes your mind sleep harder I guess. idk science behind it. It sucks because I love pot and projection.

Quote from: Lexy on September 01, 2011, 02:24:45
Pot will hold you down, you won't be able to do much if you're addicted to earthly stuff..its your choice.

Pot isn't addictive bro.

Quote from: astraladdict on September 01, 2011, 18:42:23
Drugs are bad, don't do them... Seriously You can last longer with many things ;) ................ Pervs i know what you were thinking, but whatever floats your boat n_n honestly though, don't do drugs. and especially don't do them when you are doing any spiritual work

~astraladdict

its just pot. Really not a big deal. Should't even be classified as "drugs"

Quote from: Landshark on September 02, 2011, 22:49:59
its just pot. Really not a big deal. Should't even be classified as "drugs"

I agree... however, the fact remains that it's a consciousness altering substance, regardless of the legality of it.
That altering isn't always controllable by the user.

Personalreality, a dude who posts here, uses a nice metaphor for describing the problems with using drugs (or other consciousness altering substances).
I'll just paste it here, cause it rocks and is 100% accurate:

QuoteI've referenced this analogy before.

Achieving OBE/AP is like climbing a mountain.

When you do it through dedicated practice, you learn the topography of the path like the back of your hand and could navigate the way "with your eyes closed", to the peak and back down the mountain.

Using hallucinogens is like strapping on a jet pack and shooting to the top.  You get there, but you have no idea how you got there or how to get back down.  You didn't learn anything along the way so the context of the experience is completely different.  That's not to say that this experience is bad or wrong, it will just be different.  However, there is also the chance of completely over-shooting the summit and winding up on the other side of the mountain (which could refer to you being in a completely different mental context after the experience, i.e. psychologically pathological....crazy).

Either way is valid because you're still getting there.  However, hiking up the mountain provides you with more details and contextualizes the experience so that you have a better understanding of what it is to be on the top of the mountain.  It also provides you with a "map" so that you might return to the summit anytime you choose to do so, not just when your jet pack has been refueled and tuned-up.  In addition, the map you gained from hiking allows you to retain what you gathered at the summit and again, it puts it in proper context because "the journey back down" provides you with the means to assimilate the new knowledge.

http://www.astralpulse.com/forums/welcome_to_out_of_body_experiences/have_anyone_tried_obe_with_dmt-t34527.0.html;msg286941#msg286941

I used to smoke pot everyday often heavily for around 5 years. At least I can talk about the effect on dreaming. When I used to smoke I only had a few dreams per month and I could barely remember them.

I quit smoking about 6 month ago for several reasons and since I quit, I dream almost every night and sometimes more than one dream per night. Though pot help me relax and meditate better than being clean.

BTW, pot is not physically addictive but it can be psychologically addictive. It was very hard for me to quit, and often I crave it so bad but I plan on not smoking at least for a year.

It really does affect everyone differently. Personal experience is that it hinders progress. It seems to be possible to get more relaxed and slightly deeper into trance, but then that's about it. In terms of dreaming practices in general, THC also suppresses REM sleep which I personally believe is tied with AP.

i dont think it can really help you if you are high at the time.. but i notice when i smoke, the next day i am able to do it quite easly.. maby because i am relaxed and my mind is not clouded but at ease with the world. maby im the only one that feels like this the next day.. i am not an avid smoker eather... also when i am high i feel like i can collecet enerygy easier and move it around. but again could all be in my head. but whatever helps right.. so i would say a yes to this but dont try while on it but after, like a day. also a no if you are a very avid smoker, its just going to take time out of you day to practice right and to get any sort of rythem down to do it sucsessfully. just my two cents.

Quote from: spark on September 01, 2011, 13:08:58
Also, if you're trying to do OBEs at night, try doing OBEs in the morning after you awaken.  And, don't try to control the process.  Make a clear request to OBE, and tell yourself that you will try to remember to OBE when the time comes.  Then, just relax and allow your body to fall asleep ... if you get into a mode of falling asleep and waking up without OBEs, that is good since you can go right back to sleep and try again.  After a while, you will get it.... 

Hrmm.. yes.. I see what you mean, I think. Just let it happen.

I think I have been trying to force it too much. I lay there and then when I finally get to a hypnogogic state, I snap out of it because I don't want to fall asleep.. but what you're saying is to basically keep focused on that one "suggestion" to yourself that you want to OBE; even ask yourself to help achieve an OBE.. and then just allow yourself to drift off.. with the intent of OBE'ing, rather than the intent of sleeping. If you do sleep, fine.. just wakeup and do it again.. is that right?

I recommend 24 hours of being drug-free before attempting a projection (this includes caffeine!)  At least as far as occasional use goes.  Chronic use is much more complicated because your brain has been rewired and the psychoactive chemicals could be in your body for months after quitting. 

At your current rate of cannabis intake, you will not have a verifiable conscious exit projection, ever.  People don't like to hear that but it's the truth.  You may have drug-induced projections that are hard to verify because you don't know if it's the drug or an actual projection, if that makes sense.

I have no issue with drug use and believe all psychoactive substances should be decriminalized.  But I do have an issue with chronic use and dependence of anything, whether it be crystal meth or coffee.  You need to seriously consider cutting back on the cannabis.

Hrmm.. I've not seen anyone mention the use of coffee inhibiting projections or awareness in projections, I've actually seen where people use a morning coffee to snap themselves awake just prior to making OBE attempts. Not having a go at you or anything, I'm just wondering where you got that from?

All i know is being stoned has to effect your abilities to project. it makes you alot more tired, as you know. Idk about if it's just in your system. but if you smoked that day, speaking from experience, you're usually just a little groggier and more tired throughout the day. 24 hours or so sober is a good idea. To quit smoking pot in general might be a little too much effort with no helpful results, so I wouldn't try that.

Quote from: Ryan_ on September 01, 2011, 10:05:29
It has NO benefit to consciously aware projections.
Will it take you into the non-physical?  Sure...
Will you be able to have a controlled experience?  Probably NOT?

What kind of growth can you have in an uncontrolled non-physical experience?
Well, how spiritually growing are your normal dreams?  Not so much...

That's only one aspect of why using drugs to achieve an altered state is unadvised.

Marijuana.. is A TOOL used to achieve a higher state of awareness.
It is a manifestation of consciousness, that decided to become a plant that would allow for access to this state of being.
It has different states it puts you in.. but if you learn to control this, you can achieve whatever state of consciousness you wish.

You are not a slave to a tool.. the tool is your slave to do with as you please :P

As for using it to shoot to a certain point, and possibly over shooting it?
I do not allow this 'shooting' process to occur. I force it to slow down, and teach me to do it itself.
If I get shot out though, and cannot control it.. When I start coming down, I try to reach the point of the summit again.. Eventually, it will allow me to master things that would normally take much longer :]

Some would argue that marijuana and hallucinogens original purpose was to spur on the expansion of consciousness in early man... it could be that religion and creativity and scientific thinking arose out of early human experimentation. But you could also argue that we've advanced to where we don't need them anymore, that normal human consciousness has expanded as far as we can go with them, and that from here on out we need to do it on our own and take charge and responsibility for our own growth. Going back to the ancient ways will only take us to where we've already been.

(I don't know, I'm just throwing a different perspective out there)

I see what you mean. And yes, it is our job to expand our own consciousness.. The tools are just that.. tools.. if you over use them, you get lost.. if you dont use them at all, your all on your own..
I believe that our consciousness will naturally expand more when a certain day comes.. around Dec 21 2012 ;p

as in we'll become aware of the fact that it's like any other day? The malls will be crowded and christmas cheer will be in the are. I'll be smoking a bowl and enjoying watching the clock strike 12:01 marking Dec. 22

chronically, it depends on your tolerance, yif your obsessed with the plant, you need some work.

It really doesn't matter how much you use, I think it helps because it helps you let go of unwanted brain garbage that doesn't matter one bit to me although its in your mind, stuff like your awareness and cautions. safer and cheaper than skydiving.
So I would say its how and when you use it , i have had an OOBE while awake and walking while under a light smoke unintentional. it just happened.
When you have too much on the mind you lose you sense of time, but i really want to figure out how the clock goes fast and then slow.

your Desires are more natural and effective. tapering of the frequency (once every 2 weeks, then three, then a month, etc ) of plant use i have had countless OOBEs , if you just stop smoking it all together it messes up your sleep patterns and get wired as an insombie.

My old guru said something like each drug keeps you in it's collective consciousness, you won't be able to outside of that. You are being tricked into keep using it. You cannot evolve with the use of drugs, you are just having an experience. That is all some people want. Its up to you.