I received quite a bit of feedback and a lot of questions about my entry, Astral Projection: My First Encounter so I thought I’d take a step back and answer some questions and explain astral projection a little bit better.

What is astral projection?

Astral projection occurs when you consciously separate your soul or astral body from your corporeal body.  If the body houses your soul, as some believe, then astral projection is the separation of those two.  Your consciousness goes with the astral body.

Is it the same as an out-of-body experience?

Yes, the effect is the same.  An out-of-body experience can sometimes happen unconsciously, though.  In other words, I consider an out-of-body experience to be when someone suddenly, and without conscious intent, leaves their body.  This happens during trauma or surgery for example.  It doesn’t usually last very long, whereas astral projection lasts as long as you want it to.

What happens to your body when you astral project?

Your body is left behind in a sort of stasis.  It’s still alive and functioning even though the astral body is gone.  A silver cord, as it’s called, attaches your astral body to your corporeal body and keeps you connected.  If the silver cord is cut, you die.

Is that what happens in death?

I believe so, yes.  Your astral body, your spirit, your soul, whatever you want to call it, the essential, conscious “you,” leaves your body behind, just an empty shell of organs, blood and flesh with no soul.  Your soul continues on to its next destination.

For more on this topic you may want to check out my article about The Dangers of Astral Projection.

How do you know astral projection isn’t just a dream?  Even a lucid dream?

In a lucid dream you are in the dream construct, the dream world.  The characters in it are fabrications of your own mind and subconscious.  They are not real. You can control them.  You can snap your fingers and create a donut, a Porsche, or Brad Pitt, but none of those things is actually there.  Alternatively, in astral projection, you are awake and leaving your body.  There are no dream elements.  You are in your room or where you laid down to do it.  Any beings you encounter are real and simply living on the astral plane as opposed to the Prime Material plane as it’s called.  When you separate your soul from your body there is no question whatsoever whether you are dreaming or not.  It’s quite unlike anything you’ve experienced in a dream, even flying.

What can you do while in a projected state?

There are so many things to do, and I’m quite sure I haven’t done everything, but a short list of things I’ve done while in an astral state include:

• Helped lost souls find their way to the after-life
• Encountered some really negative, low-energy beings who weren’t very nice (to put it mildly)
• Visited and conversed with high-energy beings who were really nice to me (to put it mildly)
• Had conversations and encounters with deceased relatives
• Gone back in time (but stayed on the astral plane, not the Prime Material, so don’t worry, your grandparents are safe!)
• Gone to other planets and realms I can’t even begin to describe
• Visited with friends who were also astral
• Flown around the planet for fun
• Engaged in, um, relations with other beings
• Had interesting conversations with my spirit guides

What is the benefit of astral projection?  Why bother?

Confirmation that I have a soul was really cool.  Not being afraid of death anymore is also quite comforting.  Getting the chance to speak with dead relatives is something you don’t get to do very often.  Helping lost souls find their way to the light is singularly satisfying.  Exploring the unknown, understanding the universe better, and speaking to angelic beings is also pretty high on my list of fun things to do.  But truthfully, there is no reason or need for you to do it.  You can live a full and satisfying life without ever getting an astral tour of the cosmos.

How do I learn to astral project?

As you may have read from my first encounter, I didn’t exactly do it on purpose.  That came with time, experience, and trust.  I spent 3 years reading books and trying to project and couldn’t.  What I finally realized is this:  the body doesn’t want it’s soul leaving for any extended periods, so it’s really hard to separate the two.  You need to raise your vibration to a really high frequency in order to get out of your body.  To do that, you need to move your life in the direction of high awareness.  You definitely need to learn to control and set aside fear or you’ll attract some negative entitites to your bedside.  The reason I think I was finally able to do it is because I learned how to stay conscious while in an unconscious state, aka lucid dreaming.

Essentially, you need to find your consciousness, and learning to lucid dream is an excellent way to do that.  Meditation may also work, but it’s much easier, in my opinion, to astral project once you’re already familiar with lucid dreaming because you’re halfway there at that point.  Intention is also extremely important.  You must also learn to proect yourself and your body while you’re in an astral state, which I will discuss in future entries.

Summary

In summary, if you want to learn to astral project there’s no reason why you can’t.  But it will take a commitment and some high awareness.  Start listening to your intuition, master the art of lucid dreaming, and get in touch with your own consciousness.  And stay tuned to this blog for more on this subject.

For more on astral projection:

Learn everything you need to know to successfully master astral projection. Get Erin’s new book, The Astral Projection Guidebook: Mastering the Art of Astral Travel