First OBE, mixed feelings

[Nay]

Fantastic!!!  Welcome to the forums, sounds like you are off to a wonderful start!

I think you answered you own questions.. like the vision and moving..feeling like in syrup (which is a great way to describe it) Is just a lack of more energy.  I have had several experiences myself and am in no way a expert, so I know Jeff_Mash will come along and add some great thoughts and tips. [^]

The pulling of your physical, I think getting more distance from your physical will help this.

As for you having a dramatic life changing experience, don't sweat it.  Let me ask you though, wasn't this experience like..WOW!! to you?
I bet if you are looking for something paticular..it will happen, when the time is right. []

I look forward to reading more of your post, keep'em coming!!

Nay []

[Jeff_Mash]

Hi there LifeOrange!  Congrats on your fitst OBE!  Aren't they wonderful?  Of course, your first OBE is sometimes like taking a DMV driving test without ever being in a car before!  I will address your questions and concerns below:

quote:I'm somewhat confused though. My very first thought when I found myself back in my bed was - why is everything the same? Why is my attitude towards life and death the same? Why hasn't my view of the world changed dramatically as I've actually, really proven to myself that we survive death? I'm not seeing something here for sure.

Not everyone will be instantly changed after experiencing an OBE, nor changed for the better.  If that were the case, then all of us who have experienced OBE's would be saintlike in nature.  And after having 100+ OBE's, I can tell you that I'm FAR from being angelic.  []

In all seriousness though, having your first OBE is much like spending the day with a celebrity.  While it's happening, you feel so special and honored to be experiencing it.  But after you're back in your own house, with your own problems and routines, you're not sure what to feel.  On the one hand, you think you should feel on cloud 9 all the time....on the other hand, you still get ticked off at your boss, you still yell when guys cut you off on the highway, etc.

All I can say is that the next time you get "out", you will learn a little bit more, and you'll start developing a different outlook on things.  And then the NEXT time after that, you will build off your experiences and your outlook will change even more.  I am definitely not the same person I was 5 years ago, at the age of 23, when I had my first OBE.  The more time goes on, and the more experience you get under your belt, the more your views may start to change.

Just let the experience sink in for awhile, and really contemplate what happened to you.

quote:
Second; why was everything so slow? Why did I feel like I was moving through syrup or jelly? Is it because of my energy body not being adequately developed or because I just didn't have enough energy? Is it because my body is pulling me back? Both? Why is my body pulling be back?

I'm glad you picked up on this.  In my opinion, my body feels slow and heavy when I am not 100% focused.  As an example, have you ever woken up someone who was in a deep relaxed sleep by shaking them real fast and yelling, "GET UP!!! GET UP NOW!!! QUICK, HURRY!!!"

Well, if you haven't, you should know that they jump out of bed, often in a daze and not fully "with it."  They may even walk crooked and appear very disorientated.

Well, having an OBE when your energy body isn't fully "there" is kinda like waking up a sleeping person.  You're consciously aware of your surroundings, but you have to make a serious effort to control yourself.  

Most of the time, in this situation, there are a couple of things you can do.

1) Move away from your physical body.  I try and leave the bedroom and get into the hallway, much like you did.  That seems to lesson the magnetic-like pull you feel.

2) Remain calm.  Many times, when you get out of body, your mind starts RACING with ideas and thoughts.  Not only are summing up the experience ("Wow, I'm having an OBE!) but you're also thinking about what to do ("I should visit my friends....Oooooh Ooooh, I can go to England.....No wait, I can fly to the moon!").  

Keeping control of your thoughts and emotions will also help to ground you and stabilize the experience.

3) Take a few deep astral breaths when you get out, and feel yourself becoming lighter and more lucid with each breath.  This usually helps me get focused and have more control over the situation.

quote:Third; my sight. Is poor "visual" ability due to lack of energy as well? Or maybe just lack of experience?

I would say a little of both.  To be honest, getting my astral sight took the longest time for me.  I started to think I was astrally blind!

Sometimes, even us "experienced" projectors can't see right away.  I often roll out of my body, and have to feel myself crawl around my room until I reach my door.  Only then does my vision reflex kick in.

What you can do to see is to imagine, or pretend, that you can see.  Don't let those words fool you.  Just because you imagine or pretend something does not mean it's fake, or generated by the mind.  In this environment, your mind is a very powerful tool.

As an example, if you have trouble flying, you can "pretend" that you have rockets on the bottom of your feet which help you lift off the ground.  I guarantee that after that, you will have no problems flying.

Same with sight.  You can imagine that you're going to put on "magic glasses" which help you see, and this can make all the difference.  Just try it next time.

quote:I'm stilled all mixed up. I know and feel that I was out of my body but I'm still not sure how to distinguish my experience from a dream. I guess I wanted it to be more powerful and clear. Oh, those expectations! Need to get rid of them!

The more you project, the better you will feel.  However, the only reason why some people doubt the experience and chalk it up as being only a dream is because all that is left is a MEMORY.  You wake up, and you have nothing to show for it.

However, I have often thought about this, and I look at it this way.  Think about a time when you were alone this week.  It could be in the bathroom, or in your car.  Now, how do you KNOW that this really took place?  After all, it is now only a memory in your mind, right?  And yet, we don't question things like that because we experienced them in the physical.

You have to understand that in the astral, we have nothing to bring back.  Nothing to put in our pocket to show us we were there.  All that is left is the memory of the experience.  This is why when you're having an OBE, you know AT THAT MOMENT that it's real, and that you're logically using the left side of your brain.  It's only when you come back, and things are in your head, that you start to doubt.  Don't doubt your initial feelings and instincts.

quote:
Anyway (is this the third time I say that?), I just wanted to share with you all. I kind of already know the answer to my questions but maybe someone can shed some light from a new angle. I feel I'm on the right track atleast. It's all practice, practice and more practice from here.

I look forward to hearing more from you.  Great post!

[Nay]

I always learn something from your posts, Jeff!

quote:3) Take a few deep astral breaths when you get out, and feel yourself becoming lighter and more lucid with each breath. This usually helps me get focused and have more control over the situation.

If only I would have done that this morning..hehehe.  I couldn't seem to stay in the air.  I would float up, then come right back down.

I definitely will try the deep breaths next time, I bet it is going to make a world of difference.

Nay []

[coral1]

Hi lifeorange

Welcome to the forum.I enjoyed reading your post and Jeffs excellent reply. I definitely think you`re on the right track and look forward to hearing more of your experiences.I agree with your statement about getting rid of expectations.I also had alot of trouble with vision at first but it`s getting better with practice.Sneezing in a trance sounds like a trip!

Happy Trails

[TheSeeker]

Welcome Lifeorange,

I recently had my first experience and I am still a little unsure of whether or not it was a dream or OBE, but because I was concious and attempted to leave my body, I think it was an OBE.

Anyway, I could fly gracefully, or atleast it felt graceful, but I couldn't see anything after about 3 seconds, I was what Jeff called 'Astrally blind'.

Also I did not feel like my outlook on life was changed, but I think this has to do with my uncertainity (is that a word?) of the situation.  Anyway, just wanted to let you know there is someone in the same boat as you [], I need to pick yoga back up though.

[alt0xFF]

Let me chime in, as my experiences are very similar to yours.

Regarding not-overly-impressive reaction. Before I've had my first full-blown OBE I've experienced vibes a couple of times, and have had several weak OBEs, and, most importantly, I've read many books on the subject, as you did. So in our case, we've developed step-by-step, while being armed with all essential knowledge about what to expect. My impressions were not "OMFG WOW!!!", but more like "ookay... proceeding according to operational parameters".

I bet those who have had powerful spontaneous OBEs without having any apriori knowledge on the subject were much more impressed.

Astral sight problems are VERY common, and I suffered from it too. Most effective things to try are the following: move away from your body; try looking at your hands and seeing them; try "switching on" the sight by an affirmation such as "sight NOW!" or "main screen turn ON!".

Blurry sight, distortions, and weakness are signs of lack of energy. Keep practicing and doing energy work, and the picture quality will eventually increase.

To distinguish the OBE memories from the dreams, as they are somewhat similar in certain respects, I usually say to myself during an OBE: "Captain's log: Tonight is November 20th, and I'm fully conscious and having an OBE. Proceeding according to the mission objectives..." or something like that.

[lifeorange]

Wow! Thank you all for your kind words and advice! I was just telling my girlfriend yesterday that I find this forum concept so fascinating. I can post my experiences and in no time have people from different parts of the world giving me comments and advice. Most excellent!

Nay; indeed, I guess I just needed to give my experience some time to sink in. Today when I think back to what happened I get this bubbling Wow-feeling and the feeling of living in a magic world. And I've noticed an enormous increase in desire to explore things further. It feels like I somehow realized that there's a huge world to explore. Not only the out-of-body-world but also the here-and-now feels more magic and fascinating. I cannot imagine how I am supposed to maintain a cool attitude when trying to project next time

Jeff; thanks for all your thoughts and advice! I really appreciate it. It always amazes me how great it is to be able to share others views on things. And you seem to have a lot of experience with these kind of things. One affirmation that is said on the Monroe Institutes Gateway CDs during the Focus 10 excerise goes "I deeply desire the help and cooperation, the assistance, the understanding of those individuals whose wisdom, development, and experience are equal to or greater than my own" And indeed I do.

Reading what you wrote I see more and more that being focused is the key to a successful OBE. I meditate rather regurarly and I'm able to keep my mind under control rather well. In ordinary waking state, that is. Oh, just writing about this makes my heart beat. I'm going to let this sink in for a couple of days before I continue experimenting. One thing I've learnt through my yoga and meditation practice is that some things just can't be rushed into.

However, it's Saturday tomorrow so I'm thinking about sleeping in but waking up rather early to raise some energy and do some experimenting from there on. Let's see.

coral1; thanks for the warm welcoming. It means a lot!

Thanks again you all!

Peace and happiness!

[lifeorange]

Hey, TheSeeker and alt0xFF, thanks for replying!

quote:Regarding not-overly-impressive reaction. Before I've had my first full-blown OBE I've experienced vibes a couple of times, and have had several weak OBEs, and, most importantly, I've read many books on the subject, as you did. So in our case, we've developed step-by-step, while being armed with all essential knowledge about what to expect. My impressions were not "OMFG WOW!!!", but more like "ookay... proceeding according to operational parameters".

That's exactly how I feel. You're putting words to my thoughts!

Peace.

[Centa Five]

Hello Ligeorange, and welcome to the Forums.  One thing to remember about "expectations", most of our disappointments in life occur when our expectations are in conflict with reality.  You can't do much about changing the reality of the experience but you can certainly change the way you choose to view it and as it is your first projection I think you did very well to remain calm and to have remembered how to trigger your return.  By keeping the projection short in duration you assured yourself of remembering it in detail, and that is very important.  It's a great start with many pluses and you will be able to build on it and don't worry, you will have many very memorable ones in the future.

[lifeorange]

Hi everyone!

I've been reading these forums for a week or two now and because of something that happened this morning I decided it's time for my first post as well.

I've been interested in OBEs for quite some time but it's only this fall that I've seriously looked into the matter. I've read numerous books on the subject (the Monroe ones being my absolute favourites) and also own a copy of Roberts excellent Astral Dynamics (that's how I found  this place). Since a couple of years back I've had some experiences that would fit into the OBE concept; sleep paralysis, vibrations and to a smaller extent lucid dreams.

Anyway, in an attempt to further develop my energy body I've started taking yoga classes. I've been doing Satayananda yoga more or less regularly since early September. Meanwhile I've been reading books on the subject and just actively tried to keep the thoughts on OBEs fresh.

Seems like my effort is starting to pay off.

A couple of days ago I decided it was time to really try to trigger an OBE. I started to say affirmations before falling asleep; basically telling myself that I would, during the night or in the morning, have an OBE (a positive one, mind you) and remember it clearly and with detail. The first nights after starting with the affirmations I had really vivid dreams on the verge of being lucid. Last night though, or more specifically early morning, something different (at least to me) happened.

I woke up, not being able to breath through my nose (I have a terrible cold, atchooo), but after blowing my nose and drinking some water I found myself unusually comfortable and relaxed. After a while I felt the vibrations surging through my body (I've had them a couple of times before) and succeeded in staying totally cool and calm about it. Somehow I managed to sneeze without breaking the trance and oh my - did that trigger some heavy sparkles and stars in my minds eye!

Anyway. I was able to keep myself calm even if I was very eager to get out. I had no idea how to proceed but decided to just stand up, even if my physical body would follow. Well, I did and.. the first thing that struck me was; my sight was terribly distorted and I felt like I was moving around in syrup. I realized I was out of my body.

My newly gained freedom didn't last for a very long time though. I tried to move out of my room, out through the window, but it was extremely slow going. I struggled and struggled but I felt I wasn't going to make it. My sight was distorted; my room felt grey, dark and gloomy and I saw things that's not really there (or misinterpreted things). As going through my window didn't go very well I decided to try leaving the room through were my door is. Well, from there on I lost focus and things are rather blurry. I got through my door at least because I remember standing in our hallway looking towards my flatmates room. Because of some reason, I don't know why exactly, I decided to return to my body using the wiggling-of-the-big-toe-trick (in hindsight I'm amazed that I actually used that technique to return to my body but I guess I would know of that trick even in my sleep as I find it very amusing) and next thing I know I'm awake, back in my bed.

Phew! This developed into a long post, hope you're still with me!

I'm somewhat confused though. My very first thought when I found myself back in my bed was - why is everything the same? Why is my attitude towards life and death the same? Why hasn't my view of the world changed dramatically as I've actually, really proven to myself that we survive death? I'm not seeing something here for sure.

Second; why was everything so slow? Why did I feel like I was moving through syrup or jelly? Is it because of my energy body not being adequately developed or because I just didn't have enough energy? Is it because my body is pulling me back? Both? Why is my body pulling be back?

Third; my sight. Is poor "visual" ability due to lack of energy as well? Or maybe just lack of experience?

I'm still all mixed up. I know and feel that I was out of my body but I'm still not sure how to distinguish my experience from a dream. I guess I wanted it to be more powerful and clear. Oh, those expectations! Need to get rid of them!

Anyway (is this the third time I say that?), I just wanted to share with you all. I kind of already know the answer to my questions but maybe someone can shed some light from a new angle. I feel I'm on the right track at least. It's all practice, practice and more practice from here.

Peace and sunshine to you all!