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AP_15.TXT ------------------------------------------------------------------- FILE 15 - CompuServe Astral Projection Class by Don DeGracia, 1994 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY Recommended Reading List There are basically 3 different types of books in this list. 1. Books about HOW TO astral project, which give techniques. 2. Books about people's experiences in the OOBE realm. These are written in the first person and are autobiographical. 3. Books not specifically about astral projection but that provide background information on topics related to astral projection. For each book on this list I will specify which category(ies) it falls under, and then say a few words about the book. The list is simply in alphabetical order according to the author's name. By no means is this a complete list. It is only meant to give you a starting exposure to literature relevant to astral projection/OOBEs/ lucid dreaming. The books listed here are, however, those I have found to be particularly useful. ******************** Besant, A. A Study In Consciousness, Madras: Theosophical Publishing House, 8th edition, 1980. This book is not about astral projection. This book is an excellent and profound introduction to theosophical occultism. Besant, A., and Leadbeater, C.W. Occult Chemistry. London: Theosophical Publishing House, 2nd edition, 1919. This book is not about astral projection. This book describes Besant and Leadbeater's clairvoyant investigations into the structure of the atom. The reason this book is relevant is because Besant and Leadbeater use the little known psychic ability anima (called also "magnifying clairvoyance" or "micro- psi) which I discussed under the section of the notes titled "Surreal Spaces". As you can excersise the ability of anima during your projections, this book gives you some idea of what is possible to see using this psychic ability. Besant, A. and Leadbeater, C.W. Thought-Forms. Wheaton, IL: Quest, 5th edition, 1986. (Originally published in 1901). This book is not about astral projection. Again, this book provides important background information relevant to the OOBE. This is a classic book, the first ever to describe thought-forms. You will encounter thought-forms when out-of-body and this book will give you a good understanding of the nature of thought-forms, what they are and how they behave. Fox, Oliver. Astral Projection A Record of Out-of-the Body Experiences. Citadel Press, Secaucus, N.J., 1975. This is one of the classic first person accounts of the OOBE. Oliver Fox was highly influenced by theosophical ideas, so his accounts generally fall under the occult world-view. There are many useful tips in this book as well. For example, this is the book that first described "False Awakenings". Hall, Manly P. Unseen Forces. Los Angeles, CA. Philosophical Research Society, Inc. 1978. This book is not about astral projection. Again, this book provides excellent background material about the forces and inhabitants of the inner planes. It is written from the occult perspective. Most important this book discusses the "Dweller on the Threshold". I highly recommend any of the books by Manly Hall. He is a highly infomative and intellignet speaker. His material contains a vast wealth of useful information. Leadbeater, C.W. Man Visible And Invisible. Wheaton, IL: Quest, 3rd Quest printing, abridged, 1980. This book is not about astral projection. This book is about occult anatomy. Here, the various bodies (astral, mental and buddhic) are described in detail. Leadbeater claimed to be able to percieve these bodies using clairvoyance. Again, this is important background information. I also strongly recommend reading any and all Leadbeater books you can get your hands on. Of all the authors I have read, Leadbeater has been by far the most useful for understanding the nature of the OOBE. Many things I have directly experienced during my OOBEs are described in Leadbeater's books and Leadbeater present many useful ideas I never seen published anywhere else. Leadbeater, C.W. The Astral Plane. Madras: Vasanta Press, twelfth reprint, 1984. This is *the* classic book on the astral plane. Written in 1895, it is still relevant in many respects today. Of course, just as the physical world and society changes, so too do the astral realms transform. Nonetheless, this book will introduce you to many of the important principles operating on the astral plane. Leadbeater, C.W. Dreams. Adyar, Madras India: Theosophical Publishing House, 12th reprint, 1984. Here we have the theosophical conception of dreams. This is a very PRATICAL book for the astral projector. This book will help you understand the nature of your projections and how they relate to your dreams better than any other book available. This is a MUST read for anybody learning astral projection/OOBEs/lucid dreaming. Leadbeater, C.W. The Chakras. Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 4th Quest edition, 1985. This book is not about astral projection. Again, this is another classic book in the field of occultism, and explains the chakras; how they function and what they do. Again, this is important background information and will help you better understand the nature of things you percieve while in the out-of-body state. Leadbeater, C.W. Clairvoyance. Wheaton: TPH, 1986, 15th reprint. This book is not about astral projection. This book is another important source of background information. Here Leadbeater defines the various types of clairvoyance. This book is also a MUST read because you will find yourself using the different types of clairvoyance Leadbeater defines while you are out-of-body. Agin, this book will help you make sense of perceptions you will have while out-of-body that you could not understand otherwise. Mavromatis, A. Hypnogogia. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1987. This book is about hypnogogic imagery. This book presents numerous reports of hypnogogic imagery and also presents a number of theories to explain hypnogogia. It is an academic book, but it is highly informative. My favorite aspect of this book is that it is the only academic type book about altered states of consciousness I have ever read that suggests that the theories of Besant and Leadbeater may be the most suitable theories for explaining altered states of consciousness. Monroe, R. Journeys Out Of The Body. New York: Doubleday, 1971. This book too is a classic in the astral projection literature. Here, Robert Monroe presents his personal experiences out-of-body. This is a first person, autobiographical book, but it also has some technique described in it. The important thing about Monroe's books are that they are NOT based on occult ideas, nor strickly on parapsychological ideas, nor on psychology ideas. Monroe has his own personal style of understanding his OOBEs. Nonetheless, Monroe clearly describes and supports many of the claims of occultists. Monroe, R. Far Journeys. New York: Doubleday, 1985. This is Robert Monroe's second book. In my opinion, this book is perhaps the most "modern" of any book about OOBEs. In Far Journeys, Monroe paints a picture of the OOBE realms that is absolutely stunning. This book is a MUST read book. Again, what is very clear is that Monore is desribing the planes that occultists have described. However, Monroe's approach is different in that, unlike occult ideas, Monroe's attitude is that the reality of the planes is open to everybody. Traditional occultism tends to reserve traveling in the planes for special initiates, Masters and other supposedly "advanced" humans. Monroe severly challenges this view by showing that anybody can travel in the planes (or "rings" as Monroe calls them). This change in attitude is very important, and it is an attitude that I share with Monroe. Also in this book, Monroe describes the activity and researches of the Monroe Institute in Faber Virginia, a research organization established by Monroe for studying the OOBE. As I said in the notes, the Monroe institute furnishes tapes and programs for learning how to have OOBEs. Monroe, R. Ultimate Journey. New York, Doubleday, 1994. This is Robert Monroe's third book about OOBEs and is hot off the press as I sit here and write these words. In this third book, Monroe describes how he has discovered his past lives, and also gets a faint glimmer of something mystics have described for centuries, which is the fact that our psyches touch God. Actually, I am dissapointed with this book. It is not as useful a book as is Far Journeys. You would think that, after 30 years of having OOBEs, Monroe would have somewhere come across the fact that what he has experienced in the out-of-body state is very similar to what others have described. However, he comes across in this book as if he is the only one in humanity that has ever experienced the realities he describes. This is just not a good attitude to have in the OOBE buisness. Also dissapointing in this book is that Monroe gets kind of "preachy" (as one New Age forum member put it), as if his particular viewpoint on the universe is the ONLY viewpoint. Again, this kind of closed minded approach is not good in the OOBE buisness. OOBEFAQ.ZIP - OOBE FAQ file by Jouni Smed, 1994. This is NOT a book! OOBEFAQ.ZIP is a compressed file which contains the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) file for the Internet newsgroup alt.out-of-body. This file is available in the Compuserve New Age forum Library. If you are not on Compuserve, you can send e-mail to the Internet address jounsmes@utu.fi and request information for obtaining this file. This FAQ file is an excellent source of information on the OOBE. It includes techniques for inducing OOBEs, information about numerous surveys and studies of the OOBE and much other useful information. It also has a large reference section which can lead you to many other sources of information about OOBEs. This FAQ file is written mainly from a parapsychology perspective and quite obviously attempts to discredit occult views of the OOBE. Nonetheless, the author at least presents occult views side by side with nonoccult views, which is much more than most parapsychology presentations do. I highly recommend this file for reading. Though it is slanted with a bias I do not share, it is a veritable storehouse of information. Reading this file will expose you to the variety of ideas that exist regarding the nature of the OOBE. In effect, this file is a more advanced approach to the theory behind OOBEs than I have attempted to present in these notes. Ophiel. The Art And Practice Of Astral Projection. York Beach, Maine: Samuel Wiser, Inc., 1982. This is a HOW TO astral projection book and is another classic in the field. Ophiel outlines specific methods for achieving OOBEs and also describes many helpful hints. This is one in a series of "The Art and Practice of..." books by Ophiel. Generally, all of Ophiel's books are practical introductions to traditional occultism, and are fun reading too. Unlike most occultists, Ophiel does not have a "holier than thou" attitude and he also presents the view that OOBEs and other occult gifts are meant for everyone, not just Masters. This book is highly recommended. Powel, A.E. The Etheric Double. Wheaton IL. Quest Books (TPH), 1969. Powel, A.E. The Astral Body. Wheaton IL. Quest Books (TPH), 1972. Powel, A.E. The Mental Body. Wheaton IL. Quest Books (TPH), 1972. Powel, A.E. The Buddhic Body. Wheaton IL. Quest Books (TPH), 1972. A.E. Powel undertook the extrordinary task of compiling the writings of Annie Besant, C.W. Leadbeater and H.P. Blavatsky on the topics of the etheric, astral mental and buddhic bodies. Each of the four books listed above is a complete compilation of these three authors thoughts on each of the bodies. These four volumes compiled by Powel provide a very compact and convinient source of information about occult anatomy as defined by Besant, Leadbeater and Blavatsky. These volumes make a nice addition to any library. Rogo, D.S. Leaving The Body. New York: Prentice Hall, 1986. This is a HOW TO book on astral projection and is a MUST read book. If there is one book in this list that you should read, it is this one. Rogo has done us all an increadible service in this book by collecting all of the known methods of achieving OOBEs in one book. He covers Monroe's methods, Ophiel's methods, Fox's methods, the methods of Yram, and others as well. For the beginner in astral projection/OOBEs/Lucid dreaming, this is the book you want. My only reservation about this book is that Rogo's ideas about the nature of the OOBE are not very sophisticated. Rogo was a parapsychologist who came eventually to realize that occult ideas are more uesful than not. But he was not informed enough about occult theory to really give a coherent picture of the OOBE. Nonetheless, this is *the* most useful HOW TO book on astral projection available today. Roberts, Jane. The Nature Of The Psyche. New York: Prentice Hall, 1979. This is not a book about astral projection. however, the Seth books are MUST READ books. The ideas that Seth presents go one step beyond traditional occultism to what we can call "modern occultism". In this book, Seth discusses the nature of human psychology. The ideas he presents in this book are highly relevant to the idea that what we percieve in dreams and OOBEs are, in some sense, symbolic expressions of our "higher self" (or whatever term you prefer here). Seth helps us realize the greater contexts in which our physical, dream and OOBE experience fit. This book is especially useful for understanding the differences and the overlap between waking and dreaming. Roberts, Jane. Dreams, "Evolution", And Value Fulfillment, A Seth Book. New York: Prentice Hall, 1986. Another Seth book. Actually, this is two books: volumes I and II. Here, Seth presents a concept of what dreams are that is completely unique. Nowhere else can you find concepts of the nature of dreams that are described in this book. I will not even pretend here to capture Seth's ideas. All I can say is I highly recommend this book. Roberts, Jane. Seth - Dreams And Projections Of Consciousness. New York: Bantam, 1989. This Seth book goes into the nature of OOBEs and their relationship to dreams and our waking experience. Again, this Seth book helps us understand the personal symbolism that is always present in our life, whether waking, dreaming or out-of-body. This is a very good book. Rudhyar, D. Culture, Crisis and Creativity. Wheaton: Quest, 1977. This book is not about astral projection. I list this book here in the bibliography because it is an excellent example of how sublime occult thought can be. For secular intellectuals and academic types who think occultism is for raving loonies by raving loonies, I strongly suggest they check out this book. Rudyar presents a view of human history, evolution and spirtuality that dwarfs any of the feeble minded misconceptions that proliferate in secular academic circles today. Sparrow, G. Scott. Lucid Dreaming, Dawning Of The Clear Lights. Virginia Beach, VA. A.R.E. Press (The Edgar Casey Foundation), 1987. This book is about lucid dreams. It is written primarily from a psychology perspective. For those of you interested in this perspective, here's a book. There is not much practical material in this book. It is mostly case studies and a lot of speculation about the nature and meaning of lucid dreams and how lucid dreams are different from OOBEs. van der Leeuw, J.J. In Conquest Of Illusion. Wheaton, IL: Quest Books, 2nd paperback edition, 1968. Original edition 1928. This book is not about astral projection. This book is about enlightenment, it is about mysticism. I have advocated in these notes that enlightenment (or buddhi) is the perspective and state of consciousness you should seek. This book is one man's experience of achieving this state. van der Leeuw does an elegant job of displaying how becoming enlightened alters forever ones view of oneself and the world. He also does a great job of showing how the intellect is *inferior* when not illuminated by the light of buddhi. For those of you who seek the ultimate, and desire to overcome the limitations of the mind, this book is a MUST READ. Zimmer, Heinrich. Philosophies Of India. New York, Meridian Books, 1956. This book is not about astral projection. For those interested, this book is an extensive survey of the ideas of Indian civilization, including Hinduism, Yoga Jainism, Buddhism, Tantra and Brahmanism. It is a beautifully written book by one of the foremost modern scholars on Indian thought. Any of Zimmer's works are highly recommended; he is a brilliant, articulate and sensitive writer. One might even suspect Zimmer was a reincarnated Hindu! ------------------------------------------------------------------- Please note: Any of the above books that are published by Quest Books or the Theosophical Publishing House can be ordered directly from the Publisher. Almost all of the above TPH books are still in print. To order books or get more information about the Theosophical Society, please write: Theosophical Society in America P.O. Box 270 1926 N. Main Street Wheaton, IL 60189-0270 Or call toll free at: 1-800-669-1571 ------------------------------------------------------------------- END OF FILE 15 of 15 -------------------------------------------------------------------