HPAVC/HPAVC CD-ROM.iso/pc/ATRAL.ZIP/AP_06.TXT

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AP_06.TXT
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FILE 6 of 15 - CompuServe Astral Projection Class by Don DeGracia, 1994
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                   Astral Projection Class on CompuServe

                        by Don DeGracia:  72662,1335

                              Copyright 1994
                           None of this material
                          may be reproduced without
                          explicit permission from
                                the author.



                       HOW TO ASTRAL PROJECT - PART 3



3. Don's Actual Experiences On The Border Between
   Waking And Projecting


So, here they are, right from my astral projection journal. Remember,
these are all just excerpts of my experiences with the *transition*
from being awake to being in a projection.  I have purposely left
out the description of my subsequent projections from these entries.
We will discuss what it's like during an astral projection in the
next section of these notes.

As you read the following entries, try to keep in mind what I described
in the previous file. You will see every possible combination of the
sensations you can expect as you enter the projection state.  You
will also see in these notes some things I did not mention in File 5.

Also, the parenthetical remarks are comments I have added to high-
light certain features of each entry to which you should pay attention.



1>
        (This was my very first projection experience back in 1987.)

"All I remember about my first willed projection is that I had gone
to bed with the intent to project.  After dozing off, at some point
I became aware of the fact that I was looking at my bedroom, though
I could feel that my eyes were closed.  I was also very afraid, and
the fear was of the quality that I had experienced years earlier:  I
was afraid but I didn't know why, and there was no apparent reason
for my fear.  I remember that something that seemed like a
paper-machΘ snake was sticking out of my wall and biting my hands.
But I could not feel anything except the fear sensation.  I struggled
and tried to pull away from the snake creature.  Eventually, the fear
response became so great that I could no longer bear it and I woke up."



2>

"I awoke and attempted to travel.  Felt my body falling back to sleep.
In my third eye I felt myself sliding down a gigantic cliff.  When I
let go I was outside of my body.  It seemed like I slid out through
my feet.  I flew out of my bedroom into the back yard..."



3>
    (Note here how I saw hypnogogic images prior to leaving my body.
    This is also an example of blacking out before leaving)

"Looking at an aura from on the inside of it that looked like the modern
one in Master D.K.'s book.  Grey background, orange red and black pictures
in it, but more like glyphs than photos.  I felt uncomfortable looking at
it because of what I thought the colors meant.  Then as I was looking, a
jet  or spray of red particles in a fine mist seemed to emit from me!
The aura seemed to be either revolving around me or it was changing its
appearance as I looked at it.  It appeared like it was on a concave wall,
like the inside of a bowl.  I saw other "weird" things while I was
stationary on my bed but can't remember them.  A large featureless fish
seemed to swim past me.  I blacked out.
     When I regained my vision I was standing on steps leading down
into what appeared to be a basement laundry mat..."


4>
   (Here is an example of me using the hands trick. This occurred
    during the middle of a projection though.  Notice that I ended
    up tuning into one of the lower subplanes)

"Then I faded out of the lockmold and was back in the void again.
     I tried my newly discovered hand trick again.  This time I got
strange results.  I saw my hand appear, kind of ghost like and
transparent, then disappear as I withdrew my immediate attention from
trying to feel/move it.  I re-concentrated on feeling it.  Now I was
looking at my palm, thumb and about 1/2 of one finger.  This kind of
grossed me out cause it looked like melted wax or something where the
rest of my hand should have been.  Then I watched my other fingers
"grow" or materialize, first as stumps, then they formed into my
fingers.  Then I got the idea to try to feel both hands, then my legs
and feet.  I was literally wiggling my whole body.  This seemed to
cause the void to disappear and make me phase in to a new lockmold.
     Again, wherever I was felt desolate and dingy..."

5>
        (Here is an active, "push out" example)

"Laid concentrating, felt myself escape.  I was in a purple cocoon,
plastic like, surrounding me.  I shut my eyes and flew/pushed my way
through it. Went upwards.  I was in an unfamiliar small bedroom on the
second story.  I got the impression I was up over my bedroom, but
everything was unfamiliar..."


6>
        (Here's an example of the problems you may encounter
         when trying to push out of your body. In this case
         I pushed out into the void, but used the hands trick
         to cause myself to materialize. There is another
         trick here which I use to keep my lockmold strong.
         Note that this occurred during the middle of a projection,
         but the ideas are the same as at the beginning of a projection.)

"Was back in my physbod, very close to being awake.  I could hear sounds
outside, feel the bed under me, etc.  But I didn't want it to end yet so
I laid there trying to fall back into it.  As my trance was deepening,
or my concentration was getting stronger, I had the momentary experience
of simultaneously being in my physical body lying on my bed, but also of
floating half way out of my physical body.  I tried to jump out.  I
could only see the void, but it didn't feel like I went anywhere.  I
jumped out 4 or 5 times but, even though I felt myself jump, it didn't
seem like I was "out".  Finally though I felt "out".  I was in the void,
but I could definitely see the silhouette of my bedroom around me.
I tried intensely to materialize.  I achieved a partial materialization.
I was standing there in my room, looking at my arms.  My hands weren't
there, there were only stumps that looked melted.  But I could "feel"
my hands.  I tried wiggling my fingers and they appeared, but only
slightly.  My hands looked like melted stumps with barely visible,
practically transparent fingers wiggling around on them.  And I was
having a difficult time maintaining my lockmold.  I remembered how
hugging the counter in that bar had helped stabilize my lockmold, so
I grabbed my chair with my transparent hands, and I could feel
myself stabilize.  I hugged the chair with my body trying to be as
conscious as I could of the sensation of my body up against the chair.
I stayed like this until I felt confident to move.  Once my lockmold
stabilized, I was surprised by how lucid I felt.  I felt completely
awake and lucid and I was in awe at how real everything seemed around
me.  My mind began to race.  What should I do with my lucidity, what
can I explore?..."

7>

        (Here's an example of me becoming lucid in a dream)

"I was in a dream, walking down an unfamiliar street in an unfamiliar
neighborhood, and for no apparent reason, it dawned on me that I was
dreaming.  I figured it was best to stay cool about the fact and not
get excited, so I kept walking and stayed casual.  Yet now I was
completely aware of my environment.  It was very vivid.  I was on a
boulevard walking past a rather large school...."

8>

        (Here's an example of no break in consciousness
         while entering the projection)

"Totally conscious transfer to projection, there was no break in
my consciousness.  I was laying on my bed.  Felt that "sinking"
feeling of relaxation.  Saw a grey pattern and "swam" into it.
The pattern took on a more geometric form around me, like a checker
board, but it was like moving static as well.  When the static
cleared I was flying about a department store..."

9>
        (A nice illustration of entering the projection state)

" Was very tired and went into trance easily.  Laid concentrating
for a bit and eventually scenes began forming in my third eye (i.e.
hypnogogic images).  I relaxed and pushed myself out, actually I
kind of "fell" out.  I was in the void but it was only a very light
grey smoky mist this time.  I stared into it and it formed into a
nicely colored pattern.  I thought to myself, "now this is the
astral plane."  What I saw was an orange-yellow light centered and
somewhat off in the distance.  Surrounding this, or emanating from
it was a blueish-purple mist that faded into black at the periphery.
The scene eventually faded.
     I was back in my physbod and pushed myself out again.  This time I
was standing in my new bedroom..."


10>
        (Another example of being at the border. This also illustrates
         how you may be somewhere that is familiar but it is also
         different.)

"I remember standing at the edge of some kind of "opening", in what
I don't know.  The opening was surrounded by clouds and darkness.
Through the opening I could see dancing color patterns that looked
like a lightning storm.  The only colors I remember were flashing
yellows and whites, on a dark background.  I stood there watching
for a moment but I don't recall what happened next.  I had the
realization I could leave my body.  I jumped out and was in a room
that resembled my room at Dad's house, except none of my stuff was
there and the walls were white plaster..."

11>

        (Here's an example of how confusing it can be sometimes.)

"Woke at 9 AM, went back to sleep and dreamed.  Woke again at 11:30 AM.
I decided to go back to sleep.  Laid there concentrating on the space
behind my closed eyes.  I had to go to the bathroom, and John had left
the door of our room open.  I could hear my roommates downstairs.  Saw
pictures in my third eye; a couple of different views of my face, some
landscapes, and some unidentifiable figurines.  Then my roommate Drew
came up the steps and he threw a crumpled up bag at me.
     "You ***hole, get outta here!" I said to him.
      He said, "No way, man, I'm gonna bug you."
      He came over by my bed and I reached out to strike at him.  When
I swung my arm forward, it was then that I felt like I was pulling out
of my body.  Drew was trying to bug me and it dawned on me that I was in
trance.  I was curious because there was no break in my consciousness
at all.  I then faded back into my body.  I tried to go back to the
projection.  A rift formed in the space behind my eyes, and in this
rift, a blurry figure was trying to grab at me.  Lost this lockmold.
Woke up completely.  Heard Drew downstairs playing his guitar."


12>

        (This is a nice description of some kinesthetic sensations.)

" Laid there in bed a while paying attention to my physiology as I
was falling back asleep.  Felt streams of warmth shooting through
my body and vibrations thru my arms, legs and torso.  I saw a picture
form in my third eye, it was unrecognizable.  Must have broke
consciousness because the next I knew I was in the state where I
felt I could dissociate.  Laid there struggling to get out.  I wiggled
out.  I ran to the front window here in the attic..."

13>
        (Here's an example of stepping into a hypnogogic image, also
         note what I say about being startled and keeping myself
         relaxed.)

" I woke from sleep.  Had fleeting glimpses of my dream memories then
they were gone.  Laid observing my physiology.  I had an aspirin the
night before and now I felt it burning in my stomach.  I felt better
than I did before I fell asleep.  I shut my eyes and could see into
(through?) my third eye.  As is common for me, whenever a picture would
form I would feel a tightening in my heart, which would always cause
the image to fade from my third eye.  I tried to still this and relax
and just calmly watch the pictures form in my third eye.  A few scenes
formed and faded but I don't recall what they were.  Finally I managed
to coordinate my heart and third eye chakras.  The scene of a street
formed vividly in front of my closed eyes.  There was a river off to
my left, 50-100 yards from the road.  On the left seemed to be a
construction site.  There were buildings on my right.  I was trying
to observe details and I felt my foot step forward!  Surprised the
hell out of me! Next thing I knew, I was walking along the street...."


14>
        (Another example of leaving.)

"Woke around 1:00 AM.  Within about 1 hour, I felt a throb at the
back of my head.  Wondered if it had anything to do with my pineal
gland.  Tried to fall back to sleep but I was too uncomfortable
from the pain.  Was up for a little while, took some aspirin and
went back to bed.
     I laid in bed waiting for the aspirin to hit me.  Soon I could see
the swirling motion moving through the darkness behind my closed
eyes.  I thought of the motion as "my friend".  I tried to sense if
there was any connection between the throbbing and the motion.  Next
I knew, the aspirin took effect and the throb was numbed away.  I
continued to watch in my third eye.  I started to be able to see
the meme bacteria and the imagery was surprisingly clear.  However,
whenever I achieved a good clear focus, I would become too excited
and the images would fade.  Laid thinking about some material I had
read earlier about microtubule transport and diffusion c-AMP networks
in the brain and what this might have to do with the meme bacteria
that I could see.
     I must have drifted off cause the next thing I realized, I could
leave my body.  But I was laying in a bed in a totally unfamiliar
room.  I flew out through the wall and was in an unfamiliar suburb..."


15>

        (Here's a nice description of watching the hypnogogic images,
         also in this experience I appear on the etheric plane.)

"Laid down to project.  Was very relaxed.  Laid watching images form in my
third eye (the so-called hypnogogic images).  I watched this process
carefully.  At first the images could be seen to appear in the grainy
milieu behind my closed eyes.  They would be the graininess in the form
suggestive of a face.  They did not have color to them.  Soon though I
would be observing an image in full color, but it would only last an
instant.  The instant I would be aware of a vivid and distinct image,
my heart chakra would tense and the image would disappear.  Also, I'd
feel myself "slip" closer to being wide awake when I'd lose an image.
Soon the images were forming rapidly and in color.  They were very subtle.

Once I became relaxed enough that I would not "tense" the pictures away,
I noticed that the images would blend imperceptibly with my visual memory.
That is, one instant I would be observing a hypnogogic image, the next
instant I was remembering the image.  At times this would occur so quickly
that I almost couldn't tell if I was just conjuring up an image in my
imagination.  Finally, one particular image clicked in and I felt very
stable.  I thought to myself, "This is it.  Leave now."

I looked around and saw I was lying on a bed in a room that looked like
my bedroom (at my Dad's house, which is where I am at right now), except
there was no furniture in this room.  I could hear "haunted house" sounds:
wind blowing, shrieking and clanking and howling sounds.  They were not
loud but they were audible.  I tried to levitate but I could not.  I
could feel my body and it was paralyzed.  I realized that I was on the
etheric plane.  I could hear my step mother talking very clearly in the
next room.  I tried to get up.  It was very difficult to move but I
pulled myself up.  I pulled my covers off of me and tried to stand up.
I felt very heavy and knew I was in my etheric (ectoplasm) body...."


16>

"Went to take a nap after classes.  Been frustrated lately cause I
haven't traveled in about a month.  Was determined to do it now.  Laid
in bed trying to focus, but my mind kept wandering.  Finally I made
a strong determined effort.  A couple hypnogogic images came and went.
One of them was sexual and it caused me to wake.  I began to concentrate
on the lights behind my closed eyes (entopic light) and the "whooshing"
sounds in my ear (the blood circulating in the ear).  Some time passed,
yet I kept concentrating.  Finally it hit.  I felt the "headrush" feeling,
but at that moment its significance escaped me.  But I tried to jump
out anyway.  It worked! I was in my bedroom, lockmold blinking on and
off badly...."


17>
        (Here's an example of a passive exit, and apparently here
         I "fell" into my hypnogogic images!  Note too that this
         entry occurred in the middle of a projection, but again, the
         same thing could easily happen when you first try to leave.
         Note too how I am trying to remember my projection while it
         is occurring.)

"Laid trying to remember all that has been recorded to this point
before I attempted to leave again.  Soon I felt as if I was reclined
backwards, with my feet up about 2 feet up in the air, though I was
still stretched out on my bed.  I stared into the "stars" (ideoretinal
light) behind my closed eyes and I could see green and purple shapes
of the meme bacteria moving in a way that looked like unicellular
creatures moving under a microscope (like the motion one sees when
looking at pond water under a microscope).  I could see this quite
clearly.  I mentally kept tipping myself steeper backwards.  Then
suddenly I slid backwards right into the midst of the meme bacteria!
This made me scared.  But I could see helical tubes of green and
purple moving and spiraling around me.  I knew that I must be in
my brain somewhere.  I can't remember now (as I'm recording this)
exactly what I saw.  However I had continued to fall backwards, and
it was as if I slid backwards through the green and purple spirals.
When I stopped falling backwards, I had landed in a rather large room
that seemed familiar to me, though I couldn't place why..."

18>
        (Here I apparently feel lighter instead of heavy
         as my trance gets deeper. See, this is why you write the
         stuff down! I never would have remembered this!)

"Woke about 7:00 AM.  Went and pissed and came back to bed intent
upon leaving.  Laid down feeling "stiff-tired".  As I relaxed and
concentrated I felt myself get lighter and lighter.  Saw the "stars"
("ideoretinal light") transform into a balloon-like cocoon surrounding
me.  I turned around and pushed backwards through it.  I think I
appeared in a forest, but I can't remember now for sure.  I recall
walking along a muddy dirt road...."

19>
        (The following rather long entry was written about 1
         year after I started astral projecting. You will note
         many of the familiar themes I have described above, but
         also note my more detailed description of them.  As
         these elements became more familiar to me, I would
         take more time to study them carefully.)

"The most exciting thing today was my hypnogogic imagery I saw before
I left my body.  I am most definitely getting better at allowing third
eye images to form. I don't seem to need to go into as deep a trance
as I used to before the imagery starts.  Today I was only very relaxed,
not even in trance yet, and the first image formed.  It lasted in
full proportions for maybe 5 seconds then weakened a bit and lingered
for maybe another 20 seconds.  After the image weakened a bit, I
could actually open my eyes and still see the hypnogogic image at
the same time!  The heart chakra jerk that usually accompanies my
recognition of a hypnogogic image was weaker today.  When I felt it,
it did not cause the image to fade.  I'm beginning to suspect that
the perceiving of these hypnogogic images is related to brain wave
states (i.e. EEG patterns), because there is a very distinct change
in the "carrier wave" of my consciousness before these images begin
to arise.
     What was the image?  (picture in notebook)  It was a circle that was
divided up like a pie and it looked to have rivets in it.  I wondered
if it was some type of image of one of my chakras.  It had a yellowish
white cast to it.  In the "stronger image" the upper left quadrant of
the circle seemed to be open revealing a view of a cloudy blue sky.
There were also little neon green springs that flitted in and out of my
vision.  When the image became "weaker" the region showing the sky
disappeared, it closed up, and all I could see was an image of the
circle, though it seemed more transparent, the colors were more pale.
     After the image deteriorated, I could see lots of "neon motion" in
the darkness behind my closed eyes superimposed over the imagery of
the drifting entopic light.  I desired to leave.  Soon, the
Kundalini vibrations started up and took over my body.  These felt
like chills whipping gently up and down my whole body.  I laid there
feeling this for some time.  At some point I attempted to leave,
to push up and out, and it worked.
     I was in my bedroom and it looked extremely physical - so much so
that I wasn't even sure if I had left or if I had woken up.  But
when I tried to move, my motion was sluggish and lethargic and the
farther I moved from my bed the more difficult it was to continue,
and I knew then that I was in my etheric body.  Couldn't pass through
the ceiling, wall or behind bookshelf.  Then I "snapped" back into my
physbod.
     Layed there drifting off in my thoughts.  Finally, I refocused on
leaving again.  My consciousness seems to have broken and next thing I
knew, I was flying in the void.  Flew for a distance then tried the
hands trick.  It took some time for me to focus myself in, but it
worked well this time.  As soon as I could see/feel my body, my
bedroom had materialized around me as well.  My room appeared different
though now...."

**END OF JOURNAL ENTRIES**

Well, I hope you didn't mind all those entries. The reason I put so many
in these notes is because getting out of your body is obviously the
most crucial part of this whole experience!  I wanted to illustrate to
you just how variable this is and how many different ways it can manifest.
And also, as you can see from the above entries, leaving your body
is by no means a cut and dry thing.  Sometimes I was not sure if I was
still awake or if I was in trance yet. Of course, eventually I'd
figure it out, but it's not always obvious.  Also, you can see
that there is no regular pattern to what happens as you go deeper
into trance.  Sometimes you may see hypnogogic images, other times
you may fall into them!  Sometimes you might not even see them.

In spite of all this complexity, I really hope I have at least given you
some idea of what it is like to go into trance and what it is like
to leave your body.


4. Other Techniques For Getting Out Of Body

     Before I start the topic of what it is actually like in a projection,
I want to briefly mention some other methods that people use to
get into the projection state. I have saved these techniques for last
because I don't use them and don't really know too much about them.
I suspect that if you want more information about the following
techniques you can go enquire on the message boards here in the CompuServe
New Age forum. There are many people here in the forum who know
more about these techniques than I do.  As well, there are references
provided in the bibliography that specify in much more detail than I do
here how to achieve projctions using these other methods (see
especially Rogo's "Leaving The Body").  The techniques I'd like to
mention now are: 1. visualization methods, and 2. using electronic
devices such as tapes and other gadgets and using drugs.



        A. Visualization Methods

     The basic idea of visualization methods for projecting entails
creating an image in your mind's eye and then stepping into this image.
Above, in my discussion about the trance method, I went to great
effort to make clear that hypnogogic images are different than
images created in your visual imagination (i.e. your mind's eye).
What we now want to discuss are the images you create in your visual
imagination, and we are NOT discussing hypnogogic images.

    Like the trance method, visualization methods require concentration.
You create an image in your mind's eye and you must concentrate on
this image, which means you must hold this image uninterrupted in
your mind's eye.  Such a thing is not easy to do.  If you can hold
on to one thought for longer than 5 seconds you are doing really good.
This type of concentration is also a basic technique of yoga meditation.
In yoga, one may concentrate on a mandala or a chant as a meditation
exercise.  Concentrating on a mandala is a visualization exercise.

So, to achieve a projection through visualization, one must first be
very good at concentrating on visual images.  If you are not good at
this, it will require much preliminary practice before you ever
see your first projection.  You will have to practice daily on
holding an image uninterrupted in your mind's eye.  It is only when
you can hold an image in your mind's eye for an extended period of time
- perhaps 15 to 30 minutes - that you will then be able to enter
into this image.

Next, what does it mean to "enter an image in your imagination"?
Now, since I do not use this method, I can only go by what I have
read.  From these sources, it appears that the act of stepping
into a visual image is similar to pushing out of your body as is
done in the trance method.  Frankly, I can't imagine that this is very
easy to do. Stepping into an image in your mind's eye is a different
process than stepping into a hypnogogic image or pushing out of
your body while in trance.  I suspect that very few people find it easy
to *literally* step into their thoughts. Sure, we all day-dream to
some extent or another, but how many of us *physically feel
ourselves* in the day-dream?  I know I do not.  When I day-dream,
I am fully aware that I am making up a story in my mind, and my
kinesthetic sensations are firmly fixed here in the physical world.
Yet, it seems to me that this is what visualization methods entail;
stepping into a day-dream.

I suspect that the ability to literally step into your thoughts
must be a talent possessed by a small fraction of the human population.
For most of us, there is a very rigid distinction between our
perception of ourself in the physical world and in our thoughts.
For example, when we are sitting in a classroom day-dreaming, we
are still (painfully? <g>) aware of the fact that we are sitting
in the classroom, and that we are NOT inside our day-dream.
For some people however, this must not be the case.  Perhaps for
a small percentage of people, they have the ability to literally
feel themselves inside of their day-dreams! And it seems to me
that this is the essential gist of the visualization methods for
achieving astral projection; in effect, you create a daydream,
and you shift your awareness from the physical plane into this
day-dream.  That is to say, you shift your kinesthetic
sensations from yur physical environment to the made-up environment
in your imagination.  Having never done this, I obviously don't know what
it is like to step into a day-dream.

     If the idea of becoming lucid in a dream seems like an
"artificial" way to astral project (which, again, it is NOT),
then it seems to me that stepping into a day-dream, or
an image you have concocted in your imagination is even more
artificial.  By "artificial" I mean lacking spontaneity.  The
trance method is by far the most spontaneous method of astral
projecting in that you are creating nothing in your imagination
when you do the techniques I outlined above.  Everything is
spontaneous in the trance state: the hypnogogic images,
the sensations you feel, and where you eventually appear
once you leave your body.  The dream method is less spontaneous
in that you never directly perceive your consciousness dissociating
from your physical body.  Yet, there is no question that the
content of your dreams is highly spontaneous and unpredictable.
In the case of visualization methods, it appears that one perceives
themself entering into the visualization, but, you are then in
an environment created by your own imagination, which is about the
most predictable thing there is.

     However, the one book I have read that really advocates
the visualization method (see Brennan, "Astral Doorways") refers
to these visualized (i.e. imagined) environments as "astral doorways".
So, I suspect that what this means is that the place you have
visualized in your imagination, which you want to be standing within,
simply gets you to the astral plane. Once you are there, you can
then leave this artificial place of your own creation and go
explore the planes.  This is what Brennan and others who advocate
visualization describe.

     That's about all I have to say about visualization methods.
My intenton here is not to teach you visualizatiuon methods
but to simply expose you to the fact that this method exists.
The idea of a visualization method is that you make up an image
in your mind's eye, and then you step into this image as a means
of to getting to the astral plane. As I said, there is nothing easy
about this technique.  Not only do you have to have the ability
to concentrate on one thought for long periods of time (15
minutes is an eternity when you are holding one thought in your
mind), but you as well have to have the rare ability to be
able to step into your thoughts.  The ability to step into
your thoughts is apparently the ability to transfer, or displace,
your kinesthetic sensations from your physical environment to
the image in your mind.  Again, I cannot do this, so I am obviously
in no position to tell you how to do it.  Like I said, I suspect
that a few rare individuals can naturally do this, but for most of
us, cultivating this ability would take a LOT of work.  And given
how easy the trance method I described above is, and how effective
it is for getting you to the astral plane, I don't think you
need to waste time learning how to do visualization exercises.
However, if you are into ritual magic, yoga and meditation, then
visualization exercises are right up your alley and you may
find this a suitable method for getting to the astral plane.




        B. Drugs, Tapes And Other Devices

     Finally, I want to address methods that rely on some kind
of external gadget to help you get to the astral plane. Such
gadgets could be listening to tapes, wearing goggles, and
possibly even taking drugs.  In general, all of these gadgets
are designed to put you into a state of mind that will make it
easy for you to leave your body.

Let me discuss drugs first.  In my experiences, common street
drugs do NOT help you achieve astral projection.  Street drugs
such as alcohol, marijuana, LSD, and cocaine create conditions
inside your body that will PREVENT you from astral projecting.
This at least has been my personal experience.  Perhaps there
are people who have been able to project by using street drugs
but I do not know any of them.  And in all of the books I have
read about astral projection, not one of them mentions using
drugs as a means to achieve OOBEs.  So, based on what I have read
and based on my own personal experience, street drugs CANNOT
help you achieve an astral projection. Again, street drugs
PREVENT you from astral projecting.

Now, I was careful in the previous paragraph to discuss only
street drugs.  There are medications that doctors use that
seem to put you in a state that induces OOBEs. Most notably,
there is a drug called ketamine (sometimes called "K" or
"vitamin K" on the streets) which can put you in an OOBE.
Doctors *used to* use ketamine as an anesthetic, mainly on children
getting their tonsils out and on pregnant women in labor.
Doctors call Ketamine a "dissociative anesthetic" because
the drug doesn't simply put you to sleep as an anesthetic is supposed
to do, but it causes your consciousness to separate from your body.
Not only this, but patients given ketamine often reported very
unpleasant experiences such as nightmares or weird visions.
Because of this, doctors do not use ketamine anymore as an
anesthetic, at least here in the United States. In Europe, doctors
still use ketamine.

Aside from its legitamate usage as an anesthetic, because of the fact
that ketamine produces such weird psychological effects, its use
as a street drug has become popular.  You will find in underground
literature, or in magazines such as "High Times" descriptions
of people using ketamine as a mind altering substance.  The
descriptions that people give are actually quite intriguing
and fascinating.  On the basis of what is known medically about
ketamine, I suspect that ketamine produces a state similar
to hypnogogia, and can even induce OOBEs, and this is the basis
for the amazing reports of "K" that you will hear on the streets.

So, should you try to use ketamine to achieve OOBEs?  Frankly, I
DO NOT ADVOCATE THE USE OF KETAMINE FOR ACHIEVING OOBES.  The reason
for this is two-fold. First, you DON'T need a drug to achieve OOBEs.
The trance method I describe above is easy enough and effective
enough.  In light of this, why waste time with a drug?  Furthermore,
you have to INJECT ketamine, there is no pill form.  The
idea of sticking a needle in ones arm is not very pleasing. Second,
I once actually tried ketamine, and you know what? It IS an
anesthetic! All I wanted to do was go to sleep!  Nothing happened
to me at all.  I got no weird psychological effects - nothing.
It was a completely disappointing experience.   So, besides the
fact that you have to stick a needle in your arm to do ketamine, it
doesn't seem to be as much of a panacea as its advocates make
it out to be.  My recommendation: stay away from ALL drugs when
trying to astral project. DRUGS WILL NOT HELP YOU ASTRAL PROJECT.

Now, what about things like tapes or other electronic gadgets
that are supposed to help you astral project?  Again, there are
many New Age forum members interested in this topic. You can
get more information on the message boards in the New Age forums
than I can give you here. Essentially though, the idea behind
these gadgets, from tapes to whatever, is that they manipulate
or affect your brain waves in such a way as to help you achieve
an astral projection.  Do they work?  I'm sure they do for some people.
There are probably people for whom the dream and trance methods,
or any other non-gadget methods simply do not work. These kind of
people can benefit from the use of electronic gadgets to help
them achieve an OOBE.

Tapes that help you astral project are very common. One source of such
tapes is the Monroe Institute in Faber, Viginia.  Robert Monroe is a
well known astral projector (his books are listed in the bibliography).
Monroe has since gone into the business of offering tapes and retreats,
not so much for learning how to astral project, but for learning how to
become a more integrated person.  He does claim that some of his tapes
can help "facilitate" OOBEs.  He claims to have discovered a method,
which he has patented, called the "Hemi Sync" method. The hemi sync
method entails putting different frequency sound waves in each ear,
which then are supposed to result in making a standing wave in your
brain that supposedly makes it easier to astral project.

Frankly, I don't know if this is what his hemi sync method really does.
The actual physiology of brain waves is much more complex than Monroe's
simplistic explanation of hemi sync.  But still, whether his explanation
of his hemi sync method is believable or not, the bottom line is:
do his tapes work?

I have actually tried one of Monroe's tapes.  What is on the tape is
some rather low budget New Age music with sounds like ocean waves
underneath the music.  Apparently, the ocean wave-like sounds are
the hemi sync frequencies.  Now, what is very interesting is that
I actually did have a projection after listening to the tape!  However,
I want to stress, I used his tape ONE TIME ONLY.  I do not know if
his tape caused me to project or not.  I project all the time
without using tapes, so just because I projected after
listening to Monroe's tape does not mean the tape caused my projection.

Basically, I have not tested Monroe's product well enough to
say definately that it does or does not work.  Should you go
buy one of Monroe's tapes and test it for yourself?  I only
recommend doing this if you have tried the dream and trance methods
but have gotten NO RESULT WHATSOEVER.   I don't think you need
to go using tapes unless you know for sure that non-gadget
methods will not work for you.  As I said, I've had way over 100
OOBEs and I NEVER use tapes or other gadgets.  I DO NOT THINK
THAT MOST PEOPLE NEED GADGETS TO ASTRAL PROJECT.  People have
been astral projecting just fine for centuries without the use
of tapes or other electronic gadgets. And the methods that have
been developed based on dreams, trance and visualization work
very well.  I recommend strongly that you try the traditional
methods of astral projecting before you go and buy tapes
or other gadgets that are supposed to help you astral project.

Now, are there other kinds of electronic gadgets that are
supposed to help you astral project?  I've heard talk here
in the New Age forum about "dream goggles".  I don't
know what these are or what they are supposed to do.  You might
want to ask around on the message board if you are interested in
anything like this.

In some respects it is good that people are experimenting with
electronic means to achieve altered states of consciousness.
However, virtual reality is nothing compared to a REAL astral
projection.  I personally am not into any of these electronic
ways of achieving altered states.  I prefer more "natural"
methods like trance or dream methods.  In the end, your
choice of trying these electronic methods is completely up to
you.  If you want to spend money on these gadgets or tapes,
that is your buisness.  However, I want to make it perfectly
clear that you have built right into you all the tools you
*need* to astral project.  Again, astral projection is a
natural ability just like dreaming.  You can do it without
recourse to electronic devices of any kind.

So that's it.  This now ends my presentation of methods used
for astral projection.  Again, check out the bibliography
for information on books that describe other methods besides
the dream and trance methods I have emphasized here.

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