Astral projection is also known as an out-of-body experience and it is an event that can occur to a great many people at various times. These events will commonly occur during a major trauma although many people report having experienced such events through their own sheer willpower.
A more common name for such a process is astral projection. A great many persons have claimed to experience out of body experiences and even more people have made the claim they are able to perform astral projection. While the basic techniques for these abilities can be considered identical, although they can differ slightly depending on the exact person. However, some question the true validity of these claims to such abilities.
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 are many accounts of out-of-body experiences that occur during near-death situations. In all cases of out-of-body experiences, the person having them state that they are able to see and hear everything that is going on in the room. These people can describe events that occurred while they were in this state and would otherwise not be known to them.
Out-of-body experiences also seem to occur as a result of the use of psychedelic, or dissociative, drugs. However, there have been some techniques to induce an out-of-body experience developed. One example is the use of visualization during a relaxed, or meditative, state. There have been studies, recently, that show that similar experiences to out-of-body experiences are able to be induced by directly stimulating the brain, as well.
Probably the most common type of out-of-body experience is dubbed an astral projection. During astral projection, a person may be able to leave the bodies and visit other places on earth. The individual may even be able to explore astral planes or even higher planes of human existence.
In the world of renaissance Neoplatonist and Rosicrucian philosophy, in addition to scores of other philosophical thought processes, it is stated that an astral body in body created by light and will link the concept of the “rational soul” and the physical body in the form of an intermediate. Within these theories it is stated that an astral plane is a world and realm devised by the same light and exist in an area between heaven and earth. The composition of this realm will be derived from spheres of stars and exist amidst a home of angels, demons, and spirits.
According to ancient Egyptian beliefs, the soul has the ability to hover, or float, outside the body in, what is called the “Ka”, or subtle body, also known as the astral body. In most beliefs in astral projection, the astral body is connected 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.
While an out-of-body experience occurs, many individuals have noted that they willed themselves to leave their physical body. Other people have made reports that they discovered themselves venturing out of their bodies as if they were being pulled. Then, there are others that stated that they did not realize they exited their bodies until long after they were already out of it. Many people even stated that they wished to get out of bed and when they sought to venture to their door, they found out they could not touch the door. Upon realizing this, they looked towards their bed and saw their physical body lying down.
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.
Many scientific studies however have been undertaken in the field of astral projection and out-of-body experiences to show that this is a very real phenomena. Research facilities in a number of different countries such as the Monroe Institute in Virginia and the prestigious Projectarium at the International Academy of Consciousness in Portugal and the Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience in Switzerland have explored the subject with a number of interesting results.
Tags: astral projection, astral travel, out of body, out of body experience, out of body experiences