Consciousness remains in physical body during astral projection

[thesilentmind]

Hi there,

For the past couple of weeks I have been attempting astral projection through meditation.

* I know this isn't easy, and most people seem to recommend projecting as soon as you wake up in the morning, but it feels natural for me to do it through meditation, so I'm sticking with it.

I am getting very close to success, I know I am, but I keep coming across the same hurdle each time, and need some knowledge and guidance to overcome it. Each time my astral body separates from the physical, my consciousness does not move with it, instead my consciousness remains in my body while I feel my astral self move further and further away.

Let me give you a recount of my most recent meditation session that culminated in an AP attempt, to give you some context on this.

I begin by sitting cross legged on my bed, back straight, completely comfortable, hands resting limply on my knees, palms facing outwards. I close my eyes, and keep them closed for the entire meditation session. I relax all my body parts one by one through the method of visualization. I then count down slowly from 100 to 0, breathing naturally and never forcing the breath. When I reach 0, I am quite numb and feeling entirely at peace with myself. I then begin another countdown from 30 to 0, and by this stage I am in a fully meditative state of trance. My body is weightless, I am floating, as if I am a boat on the surface of a still lake.

Then, the next phase begins. I call this the 'wobble'. It's not a sudden vibration, but a gentle rocking back and forth. I am not 'willing' it, it just happens. My body wobbles forwards and backwards like a pendulum. I never resist it, I just let this uncontrollable force rock my body like a boat rocking on water (to keep with the boat metaphor). Then the wobble intensifies. I am pushed by this invisible force further forwards, and further backwards, but it's never uncomfortable and feels quite natural.

It's at this point I begin to become aware of my astral body and the astral projection phase begins. I use the 'rope' technique, so I visualize a rope coming down in front of me, and I visualize a phantom right arm reaching out to grab the rope. I do the same with the left arm. As I do this, my physical arms go cold in temperature. I then visualize my astral arms climbing the rope, hand over hand, pulling the rest of my astral body with them. It seems to work, as I start to feel my spirit tugging gently at my face, until I feel the spirit fully separate. I know some kind of separation has taken place, because as soon as my astral head peels away from my physical head, I am overwhelmed by the inability to breathe. My whole body goes cold at the same time as well.

I have gotten to this point many times now, so have been able to overcome the suffocation feeling and allow my body to breathe naturally, but now my astral body has separated from my physical body and is making its way far up this rope, while my consciousness remains inside my physical body, and I am cold and without a spirit. At this point, I 'will' my astral body back into my physical one and generally opt to end the meditation session, as no further progress is made.

Here are the questions that come with it.

Why does my consciousness stay in the physical body, while I wave goodbye to the astral one?

Is this a simulation of the mind, and are the physiological responses such as 'not being able to breathe' and 'temperature dropping' just ways of my brain making sense of my expectations?

Am I doing something wrong along the way? Should I be going about it differently?

I'm looking to the experienced astral projectors on this one, especially those who have managed to achieve it through meditation.

Thanks for any help you can give me!

peace, love and Namaste
thesilentmind

[Szaxx]

If you take your concious awareness of self and know it can be seperate from the physical body, you have a starting point.
At present you are most likely using your physical senses to reference what your experience is giving you in experiential feedback.
As you are progressing, the physical body and all its senses fade completely. The breathing and all bodily functions are taken care of naturally.
This leaves you being conciously aware. At this time you have no body or form. You are a point source of existance.
As most people need a fix on being in some form they create a body of reference to exist in. It isn't necessary as it complicates the natural  process that is wanted. Adding ropes to climb is a common example. It does work for some quite well too, however most practitioners with years of experiences don't climb ropes etc.
They have learned the conciousness itself is what needs to be projected into a scene. This is where phasing earned it's label. You simply phase out of the physical and into the non physical NP. It has the same feel as meditation and the destination is set by intent, desire and previous experience.

It may be you are better suited to a more direct exit technique.
Have you considered this?

[Lionheart]

 I second Szaxx's excellent explanation here.

Although you "think" you are tuning the body out, your description shows that you haven't done that at all. If you had you wouldn't be feeling "temperature fluctuations" or the need to breathe anymore. When you create a strong NP (Non Physical) focus, the breathing becomes automatic. I had an extremely hard time turning my focus on it off as well. Sometimes today I still do find it difficult, especially when I have a cold or find it difficult to breathe due to my Bronchitis.

I find that all of the "exit techniques" are a great way to deepen a good NP focus, but I have no problems with the just creating a relaxing state and awaiting a shift to occur. It may be by using a tactile NP focus or visualization. But with both I just create the right circumstances and allow what's going to happen to happen. If nothing happens, then I try again next time.

I used to think I had failed when I just found myself in the 3D darkness. But then I found that at that time, that's exactly what I needed. Just relaxing in that "zone" has it's "perks" as well.  

Check out this link on Phasing. It's another way to find yourself there.
http://www.astralpulse.com/forums/welcome_to_the_astral_faq/what_is_phasing_and_how_can_i_do_it-t17413.0.html

This section here has some great Stickies with member's techniques of success as well. There is also a Sticky on the "Phantom Wiggle", which is similar to your "wobble".
http://www.astralpulse.com/forums/welcome_to_astral_consciousness-b30.0/

[thesilentmind]

Thank you guys, that's really helpful information, both of you!

When you say 'I just create the right circumstances' Lionheart, could you elaborate a little on this? What are the circumstances you are creating before you allow what happens to happen?

I will check out your links too, especially phasing.

I think these 'climbing' techniques were perhaps misleading to me, as they turn meditation into 'interactivity', rather than just 'existence'. From my reading the consensus seems to be that the less you 'make something happen', the more likely it is to happen. Does this carry any credence to it?

[Bluefirephoenix]

I'm going to give you a different perspective than the other two. I'm familiar with the technqiue your using. It's taught by followers of ACrowley and I think GD teaches it that way as well. It stems from yoga but then is combined with some other techniques.  I have some suggestions that helped me. First make sure your raising your energy when you do this. For me this takes a few minutes. ( I dont time sessions so I'm not sure exactly how long it takes) Then instead of an exit go a scrying technique. Isreal Regarde describes a Tattva scrying which is basic in Golden Dawn training. I don't do the robes and flowery rituals, but the technique teaches to go within and phase into the astral by changing your focus and vibration rate rather than the exit. It natuarally pulls your focus away from the physical. Its a much more natural transition rather than all at once you will go in stages which is also less intimidating and it can be practiced with every meditation. I assume your doing 2 to 3 times a day at this point.
You remember in meditation that your physical awareness should be nearly totally diminished. At the point of this diminishing where your body then feels like a block of wood basically your ready to phase out. If your not at that point you need to go further and deeper in or you won't be able to make the transition.
I think it likely your at the area where your seeing some thoughtforms and that's what your waving to but that's a fairly superficial level. If you see this you may have gifted sight and the method I described will yield well for you.  Anyway all the suggestions are worth trying. Now you have one more.



 

[Xanth]

Welcome to the forum! 

I'm looking to the experienced astral projectors on this one, especially those who have managed to achieve it through meditation.

I just quickly wanted to address the above sentence... everyone else seems to be handling the rest very well. 

I know you're not discounting those who project via other means... but I wanted to point out that there does seem to be this bias towards having spontaneous projections and consciously inducing them via whatever method.  This is one of my beefs with William Buhlman, as nice a gentleman as he is, but he perpetuates this very idea when he puts more worth into consciously inducing projections. 

There is only *ONE* important point... and that's that you experience the non-physical consciously aware.  HOW you get to that point is, literally, meaningless.  All that is important is that you do it.

The opinions shared by individuals are valid and strong regardless.   

As I said, I know you're not discounting people who haven't had projections via meditation... I just wanted to point that out because a lot of people get confused from what they read.

[thesilentmind]

Thanks Bluefire and Xanth, I have taken in what both of you have said and after some more meditating it has sunk in as well.

I had a meditation session just before writing this post and had some very real progress.

As I type this, my whole state of 'being' is still vibrating, even after the meditation has ended. Quite a profound feeling.

This is probably going to sound very amateur to experienced meditation practitioners, and indeed it is amateur, but I will admit I have been using music as an aide for my meditation (a crutch if you will).

Let me take you through what happened in this session:

I listened to music very quietly through stereo headphones (Koan - The sound of silence)
Without even needing to focus on relaxing my body, or use countdown methods, and just 'existing', I reached the point of 'wobbling' in less than 5 minutes. I did not focus on anything but 'being' (and I wouldn't even call it a focus, because if you are focusing, you are not 'being'). Most times the 'wobble' point takes 10-20 minutes, so for this to happen in under 5 minutes this is good progress already. The wobbling continued for the next 20 minutes, varying in speed and direction, and I just allowed my existence to go with anything that was happening. My physical awareness was significantly less than the last time I had meditated too, and I did feel like I'd plunged deeper, just by shutting off everything in the mind and just 'being' (no visualizations of ropes and phantom limbs!)

Nothing happened... then the music got to the end of the stream and stopped.

Silence. Then, after a minute or two, a 'different' kind of wobble took place, and I began to feel my physical awareness disappear almost completely. As I shook, I could feel my consciousness shake too! The alien experience caused thoughts to rush through my mind, and I didn't go further.. I seemed to let excitement get the better of me as I knew I had made progress.

What have I learned through this?

I am convinced it was the music preventing me from going deeper. Perhaps it was a reminder that I was still connected aurally to my physical body. Without that connection to the hearing senses, I could let my physical awareness simply disappear. I could come to the existential awareness that I was just a point of consciousness in the astral plane.

I will no longer meditate with music now.

I feel I must be extraordinarily close to reaching the void... just a matter of getting used to these new experiences and I will be able to breakthrough.

Let me know what you think of these musings.   

[Szaxx]

Initially the music will help. U use pink or brown noise as things in the immediate environment are rather noisy. The level is set to drown this inconvenience out.
10 mins is more than enough in most cases. Once it ends the distraction is 'tuned' out as well as the noise itself if still running. This leaves you in a comfy silent solitude. The hypnagogic noises are plentiful and these are simply noticed whatever they bring forth.
Visualisation is then induced often to create a scene to eventually enter. Otherwise its left to its own and typically many short lived scenes come and go. Each one getting the depth required to enter an alternate reality. This wraps itself around you naturally and when it does so you interact. A concious projection is in full swing.

[thesilentmind]

That makes sense. That would explain why as soon as the music stopped I was able to transition so suddenly. I will try out 10 minutes of music to block out the extraneous street noise... and then silence.

[Bluefirephoenix]

I had to use ear plugs starting out. I learned to discard that after awhile.

[thesilentmind]

Success! I got there through meditation. I didn't get to experience it for more than a second or two, but I was there... I had just finished watching the second Zeitgeist film, and boy did that help me to WAKE UP... once I had seen the truth, and discovered my true purpose for this world, astral projection was able to come naturally!

By the way, if you haven't found the 'red pill' yet, watch Zeitgeist 1, 2, and 3. Please, wake up to the truth and you will be set free!!!

[Xanth]

Success! I got there through meditation. I didn't get to experience it for more than a second or two, but I was there... I had just finished watching the second Zeitgeist film, and boy did that help me to WAKE UP... once I had seen the truth, and discovered my true purpose for this world, astral projection was able to come naturally!

By the way, if you haven't found the 'red pill' yet, watch Zeitgeist 1, 2, and 3. Please, wake up to the truth and you will be set free!!!

What did you discover your true purpose for being here is?

[Bluefirephoenix]

keep going gets better..

[thesilentmind]

@Xanth: I am to help change the education system in a big way... I don't know how many others I will be working with... But I know I have to completely re-structure the education paradigm, and I know it's big... but let me just say, the universe has already set those wheels in motion as I've crossed paths with a couple of people who are vital to my journey. It's already happening...