Were these OBE's or just lucid dreams?

[s33k3r]

For the last few months, roughly about one time a month, I have been having these episodes in which I am not sure if I am astral projecting or just [lucid?] dreaming.

Typically, these episodes occur after I have woken up to go to the bathroom or whatever in the early morning, and go back to sleep.

Some time after that, I find myself in my room, next to my bed.  I do a reality check by holding my nose, and if I can breathe through pinched nostrils, I know that I am not in an "wakeful" state.  Once I establish that I am not awake, I try to examine my surroundings.  I'm definitely in my room, I can see the floor tiles and my bookshelves, my bed and the colored sheets.  This has happened to me a few times.  One time I distinctly remember walking up the stairs in my house and out the front door.  I felt myself walking up each step.  I faintly remember walking through the front door of my house.  At this point, I suspected that I might be having an out of body experience, and I wanted to see if I could bring back some proof that I was out of my body.  For whatever reason I thought that if I went into a nearby house I could remember something from inside that I can go back when awake and see if it was real.  Somewhere in this logic I seemed to have forgot that you can't just walk into somebody's house in the real world for this reason.  But nevertheless I remember walking around in the neighboring house and making a few mental notes of what I had seen.

That was a month or so ago, and last night I again found myself in my room when I knew I was not awake.  This time I decided to check to see if I could see my physical body lying in bed.  It was kind of hard to tell for whatever reason, I think perhaps because it seemed like the sheets were pulled up too high on my bed, perhaps over my face.  But I do remember concluding that I did not see my physical body.  I briefly layed on the bed and attempted to astral project, thinking that what I was in now was just a lucid dream.  I tried for a second, felt a bit of a buzz, but got scared and stopped.  I sort of remember thinking to myself "hey, you might already BE out of your body," and decided to see if I could prove it again, and knowing what I know about astral projection (admittedly not a ton) and how you can supposedly go "anywhere," I felt that I would go all out and attempt to visit the moon.  I remember sort of jumping up into the air and that's when everything goes black, and I remember nothing after that.

The first time this happened I shrugged it off as a lucid dream.  But since then I've been reading more about astral projection and the more I think about it the more it seems that these episodes could be out-of-body-experiences.  For one, I was in my bedroom and not in some imaginary place.  Secondly, I noticed that while having these episodes everything is not "dark" as it should be since I sleep in the dark.  It seems like the room is lit regularly and I can see fine.  This morning I was searching Google and found out that some consider the heightened "brightness" to be a common factor in astral projections.  I also wonder if my inability to see my body is due to some kind of "blur" or interference that is occuring (also somewhat common if what I have read is correct?)

I've purchased a book recently and plan on starting a 90-day program to have "conscious" astral projections but I have not yet started the exercises.  At first I thought that since I had not been actively practicing any techniques that these must not be true OBE's.   But I've been reading theories about how EVERY dream is an out-of-body experience, whether people know it or not.  If this is true then it would lead me to believe that I actually may be experiencing an OBE.  It's exciting to me that I may be just beginning to experience this phenomena, but it frustrates me that I don't seem to have the control over my surroundings like so many experienced projectors seem to.   Also, another thing worth mentioning is that at no time during these episodes do I recall seeing a "silver cord" of any type.  Perhaps it's there and I don't see it, but I think it would be pretty obvious and stand out a bit.

I guess the reason for this post is to ask if you all think that I am experiencing an OBE or merely a lucid dream.  I've weighed the evidence and I can't really come to a conclusion, but for the sake of progress I'd be very happy if I am already having OBE [somewhat] successfully.  Also, if any of you have any tips or advice on what to do the next time I find myself in this state, I would be interested to hear it.

Thanks.

[kiwibonga]

You can do a verification experiment yourself... Take a card out of a deck without looking at it, and put it somewhere in your house. Next time you have an OBE, go look at the card (you can see what it is even if it's face down), and check if the card is actually the one you saw once you wake up. You can supposedly even require to know what the card is by simply asking, and it'll appear in front of you, clear as day

This experiment might not work though. It is very easy to "slip" into a world created by you, where the card becomes what you think it might be instead of what the card actually is. I recommend teleporting to the card as soon as you get out, as the "slip" usually occurs over time.

I haven't had any OBEs yet, so all this is the conclusion of my readings, but I think it could help you find out.

About all dreams being OBEs, I think that's not entirely true -- you do have an OBE every night while you're sleeping, with your astral body hovering a few inches above your physical body, but what a dream actually is is debatable. For instance, you see dreams as images forming in your memory just like when you remember something in your head as a little movie, while vision in an OBE is actually what you see with your mind's eye (the "third eye," located in the center of your forehead)

About the blur, I read that some people have trouble seeing if they're standing too close to their physical body -- this might be happening to you...

As for things you are not able to do... Practice is the key. As you become more and more used to the astral world, you'll become better at achieving what you want.

[MFInsane]

I would definitely say it was an obe or ap.

If at any time you even question whether you were actually awake or in an obe, you are in an obe.

If you can think cognitively while in a state beyond physical wake, you are in an obe or ap.

[Dean]

I'm also new to OBE but your experiences do sound like you are having or realising that you have had an OBE or AP.

I have had dreams where i'm astral projecting and even dreams (lucid ones) where i'm floating above and looking at my body in bed. The difference between these and your experiences is that when i wake i know that i was dreaming and that when i was in these dreams i know that i am not awake but i haven't been able to know that i am not in a dream.

While you were in the OBE/Dream if you could know that you aren't dreaming, as well as not awake, then definitely i would suggest OBE/AP. i find i can tell that i'm not awake but i can't know that i'm not in a dream, and i figure that's because i probably am in a dream.

If the next day you think you were dreaming an OBE then maybe you were.

You were twice in your room and you visited the house next door and it looked as it does in reality from outside (i presume) without any variations from reality then i believe you are very likely experiencing OBE's!  

Great stuff!

PS. i figure you are reading "Mastering Astral Projection" it would be interesting to know how successful you become at AP as i'm reading the same book.

Dean

[AndrewTheSinger]

Also, pay attention to the sensations that you have. Do you feel like you're separating from your body or switching from here to there, does one type of experience feel more real and profound than the other type?

One nice tip is to notice how your body feels after you come back, does it ever feel recharged, exhausted?