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{{For|the musical band of the same name|Astral Projection (group)}}
{{For|the musical band of the same name|Astral Projection (group)}}
{{planes of existence}}
{{planes of existence}}
'''Astral projection''' (or '''astral travel''') is an interpretation of [[out-of-body experience]]s (OBEs) achieved either awake or via [[lucid dreaming]], deep [[meditation]], or the use of [[psychotropic]]s. Proponents of astral projection maintain that their [[consciousness]] or [[soul]] has transferred into an [[astral body]] (or "double"), which moves in tandem with the physical body in a [[Parallel universe (fiction)|parallel world]] known as the [[astral plane]]. The concept of astral projection has been around for thousands of years, dating back to [[ancient China]]. It is currently often associated with the [[New Age]] movement.
'''Astral projection''' (or '''astral travel''') is an interpretation of [[out-of-body experience]]s (OBEs) achieved either awake or via [[lucid dreaming]], deep [[meditation]], or the use of [[psychotropic]]s. People who experience astral projection often say that their [[consciousness]] or [[soul]] has transferred into an [[astral body]] (or "double"), which moves in tandem with the physical body in a "parallel world" known as the [[astral plane]]. The concept of astral projection has been around for thousands of years, dating back to [[ancient China]].{{fact}} It is currently often associated with the [[New Age]] movement.


== Schools of thought ==
== Schools of thought ==

Revision as of 00:11, 24 February 2007

For the musical band of the same name, see Astral Projection (group).
Planes of existence

Gross and subtle bodies

Theosophy
Full list

1. Spiritual/Divine/Logoic/Mahaparanirvanic plane/Adi

Divine Spirit/Word; First Logos/Theon/Pranava/Parabrahman. paramatman

2. Spiritual/Monadic/Paranirvanic plane/Anupapaduka

Holy Spirit/Word; Second Logos/Monad; Nirguna Brahman. oversoul/monad/jivatman

3. Spiritual/Pneuma/Nirvanic/Atmic plane

Holy Spirit/Word; Third Logos/Pneuma; Saguna Brahman. individual spirit/pneuma/atman

4. Spiritual/Soul/Causal/Intuitional/Noetic/Buddhic plane

soul/nous/buddhi/causal body

5 Mental/Manasic/Causal/Intellectual plane

mind/manas/phren: mental and causal and higher mental bodies, projection/out-of-body experience (OBE)

6. Astral/Emotional plane

ghost/thymos/kama/emotional/astral body, projection/OBE

7. Material-Ethereal plane

material/soma/sthula and life/ethereal/phasma/linga/vital bodies/shariras, aura/prana, projection/OBE
Rosicrucian

The 7 Worlds and the 7 Cosmic Planes
The Seven-fold constitution of Man
The Ten-fold constitution of Man

Thelema
Body of light | Great Work
Hermeticism
Hermeticism | Cosmogony
Surat Shabda Yoga
Cosmology
Jainism
Jain cosmology
Sufism
Sufi cosmology
Hinduism
Lokas/Talas - Tattvas, Kosas, Upadhis
Buddhism
Buddhist cosmology
Gnosticism
Aeons, Archons
Kabbalah
Atziluth > Beri'ah > Yetzirah > Assiah

Sephirot

Fourth Way

Ray of Creation

This box:

Astral projection (or astral travel) is an interpretation of out-of-body experiences (OBEs) achieved either awake or via lucid dreaming, deep meditation, or the use of psychotropics. People who experience astral projection often say that their consciousness or soul has transferred into an astral body (or "double"), which moves in tandem with the physical body in a "parallel world" known as the astral plane. The concept of astral projection has been around for thousands of years, dating back to ancient China.[citation needed] It is currently often associated with the New Age movement.

Schools of thought

There are two general schools of thought on the nature of astral projection. These can broadly be defined as the mystical model and the phasing model.

Phasing model

The phasing model, which was defined by Robert Monroe, holds the belief that it is impossible to actually leave your body in the truest sense of the word, and that the astral planes and the physical world are merely points on the long spectrum of consciousness. When a person projects, they actually "phase" into another area of consciousness and the locales it contains. This can be likened to tuning a radio to another station. One of the initial signposts representing a phase shift away from physical reality has been labeled the state of focus 10 (mind awake/body asleep). This viewpoint can be seen as a logical progression of the philosophy that external reality is actually an internally created state (see Postmodernism; Buddhism).

Mystical model

The mystical model includes a large variety of belief systems and astral maps, but they are tied together by their belief that astral projection takes place outside of the actual physical body. In this model, a more subtle energy body is believed to carry the consciousness outside of the physical body. In their book Projection of the Astral Body, Carrington and Muldoon detail how consciousness is transferred into a secondary "energy" body (the etheric body) to allow travel into the astral planes. This idea is also described by other authors such as Robert Peterson in his book Out of Body Experiences: How to have them and what to expect (chapters 5, 17, 22), and Robert Bruce in his book Astral Dynamics (pages 31-33, 404-410, 538). Bruce expanded on this idea in his book Astral Dynamics, stating that higher planes of existence are reached through the progressive projection of subtler energy bodies from previous projected bodies (pages 33-42).

The subtle body is attached to the physical body by means of an energetic connection which usually takes the appearance of a silver cord 'plugging' into the chakra system like an umbilical cord. Robert Peterson describes this in chapter 13 of his book Out of Body Experiences, Robert Bruce in his book Astral Dynamics (pages 27, 52-53, 84, 397-403,544) and by Carrington and Muldoon in their book Projection of the astral body. This description raises the question, which is connected to which? Are our physical bodies powered by our 'spirits' or 'souls', or vice versa?

Kinds of projection

Astral projection

The traveller finds him- or herself in an apparently real domain, analogous to the "other worlds" experienced by traditional peoples, which have no parallel to any physical setting or to consensus reality, described by New Agers and occultists as the astral plane or "the astral". Environments here may range from populated to unpopulated, artificial to natural to completely abstract environments and from beautific to horrific. Here, normal physical laws often do not apply and humans can often, for example, float or fly. Quality of physical detail ranges from crude, non-detailed and depressing to bright, vivid and fascinating as detailed, among other writers, by Robert Bruce in his Astral Dynamics. Travelers may travel from one realm to the other. Projectors may find access to visions of the past or future and to the Akashic records accessible from here. It has been said that space and time do not exist on the astral plane nor the higher planes, but no explanation is given as to how forms and entire environments can exist without spatial dimensions, nor why there can be a sequence of events and yet no such thing as time. Many travelers have theorized that people having dreams actually travel to the astral realms, unaware, and, again as reported in Astral Dynamics, travelers have reported seeing dreamers enact dream scenarios on the astral plane, unaware of the more extensive and varied non-physical environment surrounding them.

Etheric projection

In contrast to "astral" projection, the traditional understanding of out-of-body experiences involves the projector (or traveler) moving about in usually invisible or ghost-like form in a mundane physical reality—the etheric body. This world may, however, have minor differences between the physical reality world we know if strict mind control is not maintained. Proponents of the writings of Robert Bruce sometimes refer to this practice as "Real Time Projection" (RTP) and the mundane world as the "Real Time Zone" (RTZ). From the Real Time Zone, travelers can access "the astral" or remain in the RTZ and witness real time happenings.

In Western theosophy, each subtle body is functionally distinct. Since the etheric body and astral body are not the same, according to several sources (noted below), they can not possibly represent the same kind of psychic activity.

Alice Bailey, in Telepathy and the Etheric Vehicle (Lucis Trust), stated that the etheric and astral bodies should not be confused. She indicated that "HPB" (Helena P. Blavatsky) had erroneously merged the two concepts, in order to cover a "mass of information anent the etheric [and] astral" (pages 140-141).
The Rosicrucian Fellowship has released several publications on the "etheric region" and the etheric body, as well as their integral relationship with the physical state of being (see Max Heindel, et al).
The Theosophical Society, having several branches around the world, also has published literature on both the etheric and astral states. To them, the etheric body is actually the same as the physical; however, it "rests" at a slightly different frequency than regular matter.
Lawrence Bendit and Phoebe Bendit wrote a book called The Etheric Body of Man (Theosophical Publishing), in which the analysis of a psychiatrist meets the psychic visions of an alleged clairvoyant. Therein, the authors explain how the etheric body is a functionally separate body from the physical, and yet they share a mutual relationship—all of which seem to be consistent with how ether and etheric projection is believed to operate, as depicted in other literature.

The term was coined at least as far back as the 1940s, by Dion Fortune in her book Psychic Self Defence (Red Wheel/Weiser). She details how an etheric body (during etheric projection), once projected, is "sufficiently physical enough" to be mutually observed by on-lookers (pages 20-22).

James H. Brennan, in The Astral Projection Workbook (Sterling Pubishing), devotes an entire section of his book to etheric projection and its constituents (pages 17-28).
Annie Besant, in The Seven Principles of Man (Theosophical Publishing House) actually explained that the "etheric double" can be separated from the physical body:
This etheric double is the exact double or counterpart of the [physical] body to which it belongs, and is separable [from it]... When separated from the [physical] body it is visible to the clairvoyant as an exact replica thereof, united to it by a slender thread...(pages 8-9).
Stuart Wilde in The Sixth Sense (Hay House) wrote that the etheric body (not astral) is the "true" individual, and that its function is to allow psychic abilities to actually surface. He stated that astral projection is not at all part of the etheric body's actions, and that it is more a "mental state [of reverie]" (page 102). Further, he said that the etheric body is actually the vehicle used in an OBE, and that calling it astral projection is misleading (pages 102-103).

Robert Monroe in his series of books makes several references to a "second body", which he says must be "shed" in order to be completely free. Because many of his fantastical adventures are alleged to happen after this shedding, he was most likely referring to the etheric body and etheric projection.
Susan Blackmore wrote an article, summarizing some of Monroe's observations. Therein, she stated:

Monroe gives a detailed description of the "second body". It has weight, is visible under certain conditions, produces a sensation of touch just like the physical touch, and yet it is very plastic and may adopt any form required of it. Possibly, suggests Monroe, the second body is a reversal of the physical. He even relates this to his ideas that it may consist of antimatter, although what he means is obscure. As for a cord, he tried feeling it on some of his excursions, but it was not an important part of his experience. Finally he suggests that the second body is related in some important way to electricity and magnetism. In experiments in a Faraday cage he found that he could not pass through the walls when a current was passed through them, but when it was turned off he could (though sufficient details are not given to assess the explanation fairly). He suggests a "third force" to add to electricity and magnetism which is used by the second body and fundamental to thought. [1]

Many people confuse this phenomenon with astral travel; however, etheric travel is mainly related to that which can and does exist, physically. During this type of experience, there are no fantastical worlds, or self-absorbed encounters; the majority of the experience can be validated. Dr. Charles Tart has done many experiments, which conclude that the person can not possibly invent the experience—unlike astral travel, where the experience is conceptual. According to Arthur Powell and Max Heindel, the etheric "double" serves as a medium between the astral and physical realms. Ether, also called prana, is the "vital force" that empowers the Physical forms in order for change to take place. This means that when one views the physical during an OBE, they are not technically "in" the astral realm at all.

Research

Robert Monroe, founder of the Monroe Institute, published several accounts of his experiences of astral projection, including Far Journeys. Monroe developed a method he calls "hemisync" to induce mental states that are favorable for projection. Hemisync is a synchronization of the brainwaves of both of the brain's hemispheres or lobes. This is said to work by altering brain waves using sounds, together with meditative instruction, listened to on headphones. The process is based on a concept referred to as binaural beats.

An exhaustive reference, which includes techniques and types of out-of-body experiences and related phenomena, is the 1,200+ page Projectiology by Dr. Waldo Vieira, MD, which has over 1,907 bibliographic entries from sources in 18 languages on the topic. Dr. Charles Tart has conducted many experiments on OBE, and has had several articles and journals published on this subject. These include [http://www.paradigm-sys.com/ctt_articles2.cfm?id=31 Psychophysiological Study of Out-of-Body Experiences in a Selected Subject], which was published in the journal of the American Society for Psychical Research.

Criticism

Among the many books and articles on the subject of astral projection, there does not seem to be any etymological connection between an OBE and the astral body; that is to say, few or no authors make the attempt to explain why the astral body is the vehicle for projection, when there are traditionally more than one subtle body. Proponents of astral (and etheric) projection have yet to discover the mechanism behind the OBE. As with most psychic phenomena, the evidence in favor of the event does not quantify whether or not it exists exactly as believed. Although the evidence on OBEs do suggest there is a paranormal element, there appears to be no consensus (among those who support paranormal phenomena as real) as to whether or not one actually "exits" their body, or whether they have a vivid clairvoyant experience. The use of drugs and other substances to induce an OBE greatly reduces the credibility of the event. Those who practice this kind of activity may find it more difficult to validate their experience, when they induced a clinical hallucination.

See Also

References

  • Bruce, Robert (1999). Astral Dynamics. ISBN 1-57174-143-7
  • Buhlman, William. Adventures Beyond the Body: Astral Projection.
  • Monroe, Robert. Far Journeys. ISBN 0-385-23182-2
  • Pritchard, Mark H (2004) "A Course in Astral Travel and Dreams". ISBN 0-9740560-1-4
  • Vieira, Dr. Waldo. Projectiology. ISBN 85-86019-58-5
  • Carrington, Hereward. Muldoon, Sylvan J. Projection of the Astral Body. ISBN 0766146049
  • Peterson, Robert. Out of Body Experiences. ISBN 1571740570.
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