The Astral Plane

[happyrain]

I had a few OBE’s recently and was curious if anyone here believes in an astral plane and what they’ve experienced?? I believe what we perceive in the astral changes based on ones belief system meaning the mind heavily influences the environment. I have always been fascinated by dreams and the in between state

[Sandy]

Hi Eric,
"I believe". Would love to hear some of Your OBE's.
xxSandy

[happyrain]

i had two recently on different nights. the first one was interesting and a couple days after i had the same scenery but different things happening in it.

this first one i recorded a couple days later but happened last thursday

i woke up in the early morning. my ribs were in pain, it was the mattress' fault. i thought it'd be a good time to try and project and was right. it took multiple attempts to pull myself out. i was exhausted performing this. i also heard my mother whisper, "I wish you parked the car on the driveway"(No not literally but that's what I heard while slipping into the astral. I stayed at my parents house this night and slept in my old room). i remember walking up to my bedroom door and thinking i didn't know how to open it so instead I'd walk through it. I distinctly remember trying 2 or 3 times to get it done. Once i did this I walked down the stairs towards our front door. The door, a glass door, was emitting a golden light like dusk. I thought this was odd since everything else was so dark and it would soon be morning in waking time. It was a very comforting light and you could see particles in the air, I was entranced. I walked towards the light with a curiosity but as I got closer some force started to pull me back. The more I tried walking forward the tireder I became. I finally let go and was pulled backwards up the stairs and quickly snapped back into my body and woke up.

[Sandy]

Hi Eric,
Thanks for posting your latest OBE. Isn't it interesting how you have to work at getting through doors. I wonder why? I am remembering something George said. He was retelling some of his childhood astral adventures of flying and remembers telling his friends at school about them. They laughed at him and told him it isn't possible and he said for a little while it wasn't for him. He said he even tried flapping his astral arms like a chicken and nothing. Funny how people's opinions can affect us even in in the astral. It does seem as you said, "The mind heavily influences the astral.
Another interesting thing though is that sometimes it has no bearing... G had an experience as a kid when he left his body and flew over to his school. He said it looked very much the way it should other then there was an open well in the middle of what was a play ground or lot... I can't remember for sure. He thought to himself, "That's not right!" But later he discovered that there once had been a well in the exact location he observed it on this astral flight. To me this is exciting in that it demonstrates that in a way there is an opportunity to see the past at least in some strange form. Although it might be a past that could change depending on circumstances of the mind etc.

Do you think you were hearing something your mom was saying or thinking quietly to your Father? Though I suppose it could be her thoughts as she was specifically addressing you. (Hope you moved the car the next morning.

I wonder if the lighted doorway represented more then what it appeared...a way for you to go to your astral "outside. It seemed you definitely either weren't supposed to go there or a part of you was unwilling to go there.

Now I have a question. You wrote

i woke up in the early morning. my ribs were in pain, it was the mattress' fault. i thought it'd be a good time to try and project and was right.

Okay, what made you think it was a good time to project and how did you go about doing it?
xxSandy

[happyrain]

Hi Sandy,

Thank you for your interest. I am fascinated by George's experience because I have noticed some similarities. I remember years ago trying to fly would be me jumping up and start swimming very slowly upwards- Hah. I realize now there are times I even have trouble just walking around in the astral. Without proper know how it is most always a mess trying to figure these things out. Other times I glide or am guided uncontrollably. Fascinating details about the well- reminds me of stories you've shared about witnessing a blend in time. I think there's something to learn here about this state so I really appreciate your questions. One time I had an out of body in my old apartment and saw a tiny bird flying around the room, it was like I was outside despite being in my bedroom... I wonder if this was a blending of time like the well or like that of your own experiences.

I think you're right about picking up on Moms thoughts. It never did rain like she though it would. I think I read somewhere here about tuning into someone else's thoughts in a dream. Actually, I had another OBE just a couple nights after and I think I heard my ex say, "hello?" I wrote that one down too. It was very similar to the one in the OP. Whether I am actually picking up on thoughts or if it's just the subconscious playing out while simultaneously having some degree of lucidity in this plane, I can't be certain.

I don't know why I would be unwilling to go to the light... I have been trying more and more to experience this... More and more to face my fears of feeling vulnerable and face these things head on. I think because of the stress on my nerves that night I actually lacked the energy to go on. Many times I am tired when I do this even though it seems so easy for others(from what I've read).

So to answer your last question... I kind of stumbled into this phenomena and well, I am going to try to answer but it's difficult... There's a word I found recently that kind of describes the state that allows for the experience... It's interesting, this word wasn't so easy to find back in 2008.

Hypnagogia, also referred to as "hypnagogic hallucinations", is the experience of the transitional state from wakefulness to sleep: the hypnagogic state of consciousness, during the onset of sleep. (For the transitional state from sleep to wakefulness see hypnopompic.) Mental phenomena that may occur during this "threshold consciousness" phase include lucid thought, lucid dreaming, hallucinations and, sleep paralysis. However, sleep paralysis and lucid dreaming are separate sleep conditions that are sometimes experienced during the hypnagogic state. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypnagogia

It was those three lucid dreams that lead me to this message board 10 years ago. When I first met you I would talk to you about sleep paralysis.
So here we are in 2018 and I am only a little more comfortable discussing the routine of what I do know. There's still so much unknown it's awesome. I can't just say, "Okay I am going out of body now and that's that." There has to be certain conditions and lately those conditions are easy to recognize. So if you remember my OP saying I woke up early morning? This is usually a good sign. It's an in between state and the key, for me, is an excessively tired body combined with an alert mind. I focus on my breathing and watch my body shut down. I feel and hear signals the body is entering into its, 'standby' mode while the mind is feeling and envisioning itself pushing up and away from the body. In my latest experience I was lying on my side and had my arm in a weird position, I focused on my arm and kept whirling it over and over mentally until I actually felt like this was happening physically and I detached from my body and pulled myself to the edge of the bed. There was a moment I knew I was dreaming because I started to witness an orb of white light in the center of my whirling arm. So... even though I knew I was dreaming I still felt very engaged physically... If that makes any sense...

I used to work out really hard because being tired physically was one way to watch the body quickly go to sleep. I learned by accident from drinking too much wine that alcohol stresses the nerves and can wake you back up due to the excessive sugars(LOL) I guess what I'm getting at is the body is tired and that's usually an ideal state for me IF i can keep the mind in a particular state. Sometimes the mind goes with the body and there's just no chance to recall. I've read we all detach from our bodies... I've also read the average person has 8 dreams a night but can barley recall 1 the next day. I've also tried to wake myself up at 3:00AM sharp every night just to meditate back to sleep but have had little success for recall... So the opportunities seem random.

Sometimes there's no rhyme or reason to it BUT there are signs your mind is alert and watching the body fall asleep... That includes not limited to a ringing in the ear, a creeping sensation starting from your toes and slowly taking over your body, a very heavy sensation like you're unable to move, a metal noise honing into your ears or something scraping inside your head...

The astral is very lively and the plane itself is fascinating- I once saw a ghoulish green figure at the end of my bed but I believe now it may have been some aspect of myself displayed in a way that fits my current capacity to witness in said realm. I share and read about this on other boards and learn a lot but feel so distant to it compared to when I was younger. as a child all I had to do was get relaxed and look at the clouds... I would accidentally slip out.

Ok I tried!
^_^ Take care...

[Sandy]

Excellent stuff, Eric...Thank you so much for taking the time to explain all that. I'm excited to look into this and will keep in mind some of your suggestions and guide points from your post. I've traveled through my spirit vision or mind eye but never attempted bonified astral travel...Oh geez now I am thinking of George Clooney's movie, "Oh, Brother Where art Thou". It is only a matter of time before the songs begin as well.

You know you may have actually heard your mom speak those words. G used to sneak downstairs in astral form and listen to his parents discuss stuff. He laughed and said They'd put him to bed and in no time flat he would be right back out of bed. Anne (Blue Nova was much like that too) I was a very boring child and cannot once even begin to remember doing anything exciting like that. But my parents maybe squashed it with their pretty strict straight forward beliefs. I am certainly no worse for wear and appreciate all the fascinating stuff open to us in this budding spiritual age. It is so wonderful to look with excitement to the many things we now know are possible... and we've only scratched the surface. YEA!!!

Well I have to get to the post office soon so I'd better close. I am copying your post so I can refer to it repeatedly when I need too.

Thanks again!
love,
Sandy
P.S. I once heard my ex yell my name across thousands of miles LOL (I was actually glad all those miles were between us. LOL) xx