Astral Travel

Astral Travel (noun) from Late Latin astralis, from Latin astrum"star," from Greek astron"star" + English “travel”: the ability of a person's soul to travel to distant places

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Astral travel, astral projection, or out-of-body experience, is. a state in which the astral body, (see astral body) rather than the physical body, is the vehicle of consciousness. This may occur whether one is awake, asleep, or in a trance state.

Remember your flying dreams? Most likely you were astral traveling. The astral body is indeed the focus of the consciousness, but instead of being controlled by the conscious mind, it is being controlled by the unconscious mind in the scene or dream that the subconscious mind has created. But flying in a dream may not be the only time you're out of the body while dreaming. Actually, your entire dream. may take place in the astral world.
These experiences are as real as the fact that you are sitting here and reading this article. This ;page is written to help you achieve astral travel in a conscious state and on a regular basis.You are much more than just a physical body. You are a spirit which has control over . several bodies (or vehicles). The physical body is one and the astral body is another. There is also an etheric body and perhaps others. The astral body is complex and always in a state of flux. Its appearance ranges from a Casper-like ghost shape to an exact replica of the physical body, depending on the level of consciousness of the viewer.

Just as, with a single thought, you can travel to any place or time in your mind, so your astral body can take you there, too, only with the sensations also. You can travel anywhere in the world.. Or to other planets, if you want... You can visit friends and loved ones, in this world or the next; or you can even meet with other astral travelers and communicate with them. You can go anywhere or anywhen that you choose. The difference between traveling mentally and traveling astrally might be said to be like the difference between a regular movie and one in 3-D and smell-o-vision! . .

How to do it

USING MEDITATION: Meditation is one of the easier ways that one can leave the physical body and travel astrally.. Other methods need fierce determination and hard work, but meditation is simple and requires no effort.

To do it, .just sit back, close your eyes, and relax. Let you mind go free and, then progressively relax your body (that is, relax all of the muscles in your body one at a time until you are totally relaxed) until you have the feeling of being as limp as a wet noodle

Once physically relaxed you will need to quiet your mind and allow your consciousness to be still and empty. Sensations that you may feel will include a soft breeze, a humming in the ears, shapes may form and so on. Look at them but don't think about them as this will start your thinking processes again.

Then just wait. Your head may appear to grow larger, you may vibrate but let it happen. It just means that you are close to leaving your physical body. Suddenly, and all it takes is an instant, you will find yourself hovering above your physical body. All it takes then is a thought about where you would like to be, but do not analyze the thought. Simply flow with it and see where it takes you.

To return to your physical body just tell yourself to return. Pause for a moment, count upto five and then open your eyes..

THE SWING METHOD: .You start this method with the progressive relaxation technique until you are totally relaxed. Once the body is relaxed imagine yourself on a swing, swinging to and fro in an arc that flows from the tip of your nose to the top of your head. Concentrate on these two points but feel your body as if it were on a playground swing. Try swinging a little higher each time until you feel that the swing could do a complete revolution. At the highest point of the arc, just before you feel that it will keep on going in a complete circle, let go in your mind. You will suddenly find yourself outside of your physical body. This creates a strange sensation as you will feel in your stomach that you have been swinging, However, on looking at your physical body you will see it relaxed and motionless, right where you left it..

Eventually you will not need to use the progressive relaxation technique as you will be able to instantly visualize yourself on the swing going higher and higher until you begin astral traveling.....

THE VISUALIZATION TECHNIQUE: This technique is easy if you have the ability to visualize clearly. To test your abilities to visualize sit down quietly where you will not be disturbed and close your eyes. Visualize a scene from your early childhood, preferably when you were less than five years old. See the scene as clearly as you can and become aware of any smells, feelings or other sensations connected with the scene. Once you can picture this scene let it go and picture a blank screen.

On this screen, visualize the front door of your home. See it as clearly as possible and notice any marks or scratches on the surface. See the keyhole, the door frame and anything else that you can recall. Then, again let the scene go blank.

Next visualize your bedroom. See it as clearly as possible and notice the furniture and everything else in the room. Check the position of clothes and so on until you have seen everything. Then, again let the scene go blank.

In the final visualization see yourself walking across the surface of the moon. See it clearly and become aware of any sounds that you may hear. Totally immerse yourself in this scene. Once you have visualized theis scene as clearly as you can let it go and open your eyes.

There is no right or wrong answer but which did you see most clearly? Some people find that they see all scenes clearly whilst others don't see anything. The majority of people see some things but not all. If you don't see anything there is little sense continuing with this method.

If you see some things but not all you need to try this final exercise. Find a blank wall and place a plant in front of it. Sit several feet away and stare at the object for five minutes. Then close your eyes and visualize it for several minutes. If the object fades open your eyes and look at it again.

Once you are at this stage, place an upturned glass on a table and sit several feet away. Close your eyes and visualize your conscious mind inside the glass. Focus your entire attention on this glass. You will notice after a while that you are aware of only two things. The object and your conscious mind. With practice these two will merge into one and you will have achieved your aim. You can then practice sending your conscious mind anywhere you want.

To astral travel, sit down, close your eyes and relax. Become completely in control of your breathing. Visualize yourself in your minds eye and then gradually visualize your astral body rising up and away from your physical body. Once free, you can astral travel anywhere you want to. When you are ready to return just visualize the astral body returning to the physical and you will find yourself instantly back in your physical body.