Is an OBE preparation towards death?

[Alex-Anderson]

A difficult question to articulate but assuming that there is actual or shared non-physical environment in which OBEs take place, and assuming that in death there is a continuation into this non-physical zone, then could it be OBE's are an educational or opportunistic experience that can prepare us towards bridging the gap from the physical to the non physical.

[Astral316]

Yea, absolutely. Whether or not there is an afterlife, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by treating this practice as preparation for it.

[personalreality]

This has been a common topic of discussion around this forum and other places I've been involved in over the years.  The idea is that the afterlife and OBE's are essentially the same thing, so by practicing OBE here you will be prepared upon death to manage yourself in the afterlife.  You will already have taken the "intro" class and will be prepared for the "real world" that is the afterlife.

[Stookie_]

I think you can find out much more than you already do and come to a completely different understanding of what death really is and have a different relationship to it. Fear of death is misunderstanding it.

[Jilt]

Tibetan Buddhists think so - that's why Lucid Dreaming is considered one of their highest/most valuable practices. Not only do they believe it will affect the 'level' they end up at after death since they can navigate their way through the lower astrals (Bardos), but they have demonstrated they can consciously decide when to leave their bodies and not come back so die without pain in a deep trance state.

A psychic told me that was how I was going to go since I've become adept at OBEs and death will just seem like another OBE, albeit a really joyous one. I like the idea of that!

[astraladdict]

This has been a common topic of discussion around this forum and other places I've been involved in over the years.  The idea is that the afterlife and OBE's are essentially the same thing, so by practicing OBE here you will be prepared upon death to manage yourself in the afterlife.  You will already have taken the "intro" class and will be prepared for the "real world" that is the afterlife.

Sorry, for some reason when you said that i thought of MTV :/ But you're correct, that's usualy a shared belief on the forums.

~astraladdict

[pondini]

i like to believe that OBEs, meditation, etc. are necessary steps in reaching anamnesis (the loss of forgetfulness), so i guess i agree that, in a sense, alternative states of reality prepare us for death of the physical body. but we will be back, again and again, until we conquer the lessons we set out to learn.

[Boom]

Yeah one of the reasons and advantages for teaching yourself how to OBE and to have the experiences, is to prepare yourself for death.  Afterall, OBE and Astral Projection is you learning how to work without your physical body. Somehow, we have become so glued to the fact that we are our physical bodies that we cant imagine that we could exist away from it.  OBE and Astral Projection is the evidence if you like, that you as a person can exist away from your physical body and perceive a reality, hear, see, feel etc without your normal five senses.

So what happens when you die? Well if you don't believe its possible to live outside of your body. Then when you die, I guess you could get stuck into a limbo state for a long time until you realise that actually you can still exist.

So, learn how to astral project and OBE, and prove to yourself that there is more to you than your physical body. Then when you die, youre already prepared to exist away from it, and viola. Everything is great!!

Or... if you die and there is no life after death, then oh well!!

[rubyaura]

I thought this was interesting, because it's what got me into looking into AP and OBE. In Jon Peniel's book "The Lost Teachings of Atlantis and the Children of the Law of One" it was the final task in order to reach enlightenment. Essentially, once you conquered your fear of death the door to the "Garden of Eden" would be opened, and you would be able to love unconditionally and unselfishly.

Now I'm kinda curious (as I've only AP'd unconsciously in my dreams and had a couple of lucid dreams) if his version of enlightenment is actually experiencing the 4th dimension, or somehow reaching an even higher dimension and actually talking with your Oversoul or God and/or visiting the Akashic records. I suppose it's possible for someone to have an OBE and not be 'changed' somehow profoundly on the inside, though even when I wasn't consciously aware of doing it, I always wake up knowing I had a life changing experience when I do.

The only thing I do see that may make a difference and may not be practiced by all APers is the high level of meditation, affirmations to love unselfishly, and working to purify yourself which may raise our vibration to a higher level and give us an entirely different experience than the 4th plane. (But since I've only bounced around the 4th I can't confirm any of this.)

I think it's 'preparation' for death in the sense that it's a tool for living life. Since fear of death is our ultimate fear, after conquering it through OBE we should be able to handle anything thrown at us and guide others into releasing the chains of fear.

[Alex-Anderson]

I thought this was interesting, because it's what got me into looking into AP and OBE.

I have realised now that this is the main driving force or agenda to my experiences. Despite my numerous experiences I still have a fear of death, but it's now not a fear of the unknown but more a fear of leaving things or loved ones on the physical plane unfinished/incomplete.

Perhaps OBEs are predestined and existing only to serve as a tool due to us reaching a stalemate on some life line or path. Once we can recognise and accept the differences then maybe it may allow us to progress to a different level.

[Summerlander]

I strongly suspect that those who induce OOBEs and lucid dreams are one step ahead in preparing themselves for what is inevitably coming.  we are all going to die one day and that may mean entering the Phase with a one-way ticket.