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Astral projection, also known as an out-of-body experience, can occur at any time to any person. The most common out-of-body experiences occur during a major trauma. However, it is possible to have an out-of-body experience by sheer will.

It would be this will power manifestation that would be the most commonly known form of astral projection. A number of people have claimed to have had out of body experiences while others make claims about being able to directly perform such astral projection powers. While the basics of these techniques are the same, the power levels can differ from person to person. Of course, there are those that question the validity of such claims.

For hundreds of years, a great many people have experienced this phenomenon known as the out-of-body experience. Many people have experienced these sensation while they sleep but managed to ignored it. It was their belief that what they saw and experienced was nothing but a common dream. Yet, most out of body experiences are commonly felt while undergoing a major trauma such as a surgery.

There have also been scores of accounts of out-of-body experiences occurring during frightful near-death situations. In all of these cases of out-of-body experiences, the person experiencing them notes that he/she is able to see and hear everything occurring in the real world even though they were not conscious at the time.

Out-of-body experiences have also been known to occur due to the prolonged use of psychedelic or common dissociative drugs. Yet, there are a number of techniques known to induce the common out-of-body experience most have read about. A traditional example of this is the employment of visualization during a relaxed and meditative state of mind. Various studies have occurred recently designed to show that similar experiences to out-of-body experiences might be induced directly through stimulating the brain.

Among the most common forms of all out-of-body experiences is the process of astral projection. During astral projection, a human being develops the ability to leave the body and visit other physical places as well as the world of astral planes or even higher planes of existence.

In the renaissance Neoplatonist and Rosicrucian philosophy, there is the belief that an astral body in body is created by light that links the “rational soul” and the physical body together. Such philosophy also professes the notion that the astral plane is a world created of the exact light and exists between Heaven and Earth. This metaphysical light is comprised of the spheres of stars and planets that are commonly believed to be the home of angels, demons, and spirits.

According to the beliefs of the ancient Egyptians, the human soul possesses the ability to hover or float in a world outside the human body in what is commonly referred to the “Ka” which is also known as the subtle body. (Another name of this is the astral body) In most belief systems in astral projection, the astral body holds a connection with a silver cord of psychic energy to the physical body.

The classical Chinese Taoists took part in an alchemical practice that centered on creating a body of energy via the employment of breathing meditations, pulling energy into an internal section dubbed a “pearl” and then circulating the mysterious pearl through the body to create a powerful base of energy.

During out-of-body experiences, many people have accounted that they willed themselves to leave their bodies. Others have reported that they had found themselves coming out of their bodies as if being pulled, while others state that they didn’t realize that they had left their bodies until after they were already out. Several people have even stated that they wanted to get out of bed and when they tried to reach for the door, they could not touch it. Upon this sensation, they looked in the direction of their bed and realized that they were still lying down, apparently asleep.

Neurologists have long tried to explain such events as being triggered by an errant mismatch of the visual and tactile signals. The great majority of out-of-body experiences have taken place during the duration that exists between REM sleep and the point prior to waking up. Among the many points of time where out-of-body experiences occur, the subject will go into a state commonly known as sleep paralysis. During this time between being asleep and awake, sleep paralysis might potentially continue and dream-like imagery will become mingled with sensations that reach the senses.

However, there have been many scientific studies in the field of astral projection and out-of-body experiences which have shown that out of body experiences are in fact very real.There are also several research facilities in several different countries, including the Monroe Institute in Virginia, as well as the Projectarium at the International Academy of Consciousness in Portugal and the Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience in Switzerland.

For hundreds of years, individuals have experienced a state in which their spiritual self, or soul, is freed from their physical body, allowing their spirit to then explore regions of time and space that differ from the plane their physical body is inhabiting. This state is called the out of body experience, sometimes abbreviated as OBE.

Sometimes known as astral projection; feelings of weightlessness, freedom from physical limitations and a sense of being able to see one’s own physical body from a multi-dimensional, external perspective are typical of these experiences.

People who report having an out of body experience usually have their experience immediately after living through one of three situations: a physically, mentally and/or emotionally traumatic event, an interaction with drugs, or an intentionally-induced state achieved through meditation and a sequence of specific steps.

Out of body experiences are distinctly not dream events; they differ in that they are conscious states of awareness, often quite vivid, that unfold in real time. Dreams are the concoctions of the subconscious mind and may or may not appear to be real. Individuals who have had out of body experiences typically say that during the state, their senses are heightened and they possess additional levels of awareness beyond their usual physical senses.

Individuals who report their out of body experiences also say that their spirits or souls seem to take on another form, a form that is in addition to, and separate from, their physical bodies. This separate spirit, sometimes called the astral body, is then free to travel to different dimensions of space and time, and free even to encounter the spirits of deceased loved ones inhabiting the other side.

For this reason it’s easy to see why many individuals actively pursue the out of body experience, whether in search of answers to the unknown questions of the world such as ‘what happens after we die’ or ‘how big is the universe?’ or simply to reconnect with a friend of a relative with whom one has business yet unfinished.

It is important to know that people of all ages and from all cultures and professions have out of body experiences. Some people are reluctant to report that they have had an OBE because they fear religious repercussions, but various scriptures throughout history document the occurrence of out of body experiences, including ancient Native American oral histories and the Christian Bible.

Although most people who actively seek an OBE are at least somewhat open to new age thinking, the practice is actually a very old method used to find personal enlightenment and enrichment.

Individuals report that out of body experiences occur with a surprising frequency: approximately one out of every 15 individuals has some type of OBE. These experiences occur in almost every set of circumstances, ranging from sleeping or relaxing to being in the midst of a stressful or violent situation such as an accident. The explanation for this wide spectrum of causality is very simple: every person is different, and each responds differently to given situations.

Common to many reports of out of body experience is the feeling of vibration, or the physical self suddenly becoming very heavy. Many believe this feeling is actually the separation of the spiritual self from the physical self in order for the former to then pursue its travels along the astral plane.

Some people who are not familiar with the concept of the out of body experience fear that if their spiritual self separates from their physical body, it may not be able to re-unite. Experts suggest, however, that a permanent link exists between the spiritual and physical selves, and that this is particularly the case with people who are sufficiently self-aware to induce the state on purpose. Because it is not believed that the spirit can somehow become trapped outside the physical body, there is very little reason to fear having an out of body experience.

Having an out of body experience is more common that one might think, and has been a part of human life across the cultural spectrum for centuries. It has long been considered a method for gaining personal understanding and enlightenment for the world and universe that surrounds us.

If only we can calm our minds long enough to give our inner selves the freedom they strive for, we can enjoy opportunities for increased personal insight and advances in technology that otherwise lie beyond our physical consciousness. Through study and practice, anyone can begin to unlock his or her personal potential by starting down the path that leads to spiritual awakening. The path is before us, we have only to take the first step.

Out of body travel has been recorded in the annals of history, dating back several centuries to the times of the ancient Egyptians. They called the soul, or the astral body, “Kha,” and often reproduced images of it hovering over or beyond the flesh-and-blood body. It was shown to be airy and translucent, and often haloed by light.

The ancient Egyptians were fascinated by the astral body, and experimented with many methods of controlling it in order to visit other planes of time and space while the physical body stayed behind. It is suspected that it is through astral projection experiences such as these that they were able to learn the skills necessary to build the pyramids using only the materials they had at the time, which is something that still baffles scientists to this day.

The first component of out of body travel for the ancient Egyptians involved meditation, it is recorded. Followed by focusing on nothing except the visions seen with the eyes closed, while nearly at the point of being asleep. The ancient Egyptians associated the flashing patterns and lights as a sign of the beginning of the journey to other planes of space and time by the astral body.

After passing this state, the astral body entered into an emergence phase. This caused the humming and tingling of the physical body and then the feeling of heaviness followed. The feelings of tingling and then heaviness the ancients believed was the feeling of the astral body pulling away from the physical body, while initiating the unknown out of body journey to other planes.

The techniques for accomplishing this varied, but the most common practice seemed to be to simply “walk” out of oneself, beginning through the mind’s eye, followed then by the shoulders and chest, hips, legs, knees, and finally the feet until there were two entities - a physical body and the astral body.

This separating of bodies, then allowed the astral body to pass freely through solid objects, it could also hover and fly about without being effected by the lack of oxygen or changes in the atmosphere.

Examples of out of body travel is also recorded by the ancient Greeks. They simply expanded on the state induced by meditation according to the ancient Egyptians. They also recorded out of body experiences that were caused by various types of mental or physical trauma. Plutarch of Queroneia an ancient historian mentions a person named Arisdeu after suffering from a blunt head trauma, which occurred by falling and who then slipped into a three day coma.

While in the coma, Arisdeu had the experience of seeing his physical body lying there immobile on the ground, yet he could move about freely, hover, and travel out of body to previously unimagined places. Once acclimated to his new environment, Arideu was met and was assisted by his spiritual guide, who then advised him regarding the projection of his astral body into other dimensions.

After some time exploring and learning what he could about this altered state of existence, he felt himself forcibly pulled back into his physical body, where he then spent the rest of his life trying to apply the information he learned while on his out of body journey.

Other ancient cultures recorded their findings of out of body travel similar to that of the ancient Egyptians and Greeks. For instance, the history of the Native Americans includes various full accounts of such happenings to their people as well. Their accounts include the meeting of their spirit guides and totem spirit animals. These entities also advised them concerning the astral plane and the astral body. For centuries, the Native Americans have used specific plants for burning and inhaling in order to relax the mind to the point of being more receptive to out of body travel on the astral planes.

Since the beginning of recorded time, human beings have been able to channel their consciousness into a spiritual body, which is then capable of exploring the limitless horizons of space and time. But in today’s technological age with it fast-paced culture, many of us have lost touch with this ability to alter our consciousness to the point that we can release it from the confines of our physical limitations, and with practice, join our spiritual guides and counterparts on a higher plane of existence.

In order to reopen this door to higher planes within us all, we have to remember how we can reconnect with our higher, spiritual selves. Once we are able to do this, we are able to use our out of body experiences to reach the higher planes of existence. This natural process is unlimited in its possibilities. When we are able to rediscover this natural part of us that so many have forgotten, we open ourselves up to the potentials of traveling the astral plane and understanding our higher, spiritual self.