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| Astral Travel: A Nightly Phenomenon |
By:
Sandie Gustus |
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ASTRAL TRAVEL: A NIGHTLY PHENOMENON
© Sandie Gustus
Surveys, anecdotal reports and a brief glance at the history and literature of astral travel confirm that people all over the world have been experiencing their awareness outside the physical body since the times of Ancient Egypt. Astral travel, also known as astral projection or out-of-body experience (OBE), is in fact a natural phenomenon that everyone experiences nightly during sleep.
The reason so few of us are aware of this fact is because most of us experience poor levels of awareness or lucidity whilst out of the body, don’t remember what happened or confuse the OBE with a dream. In reality, most of us are just sleeping outside the body. It is possible to learn to be become more aware and ‘awake’ outside of the body however. Anyone who has the will to do it can achieve results. No particular psychic ability is required.
Although poorly understood by most people, astral travel represents a truly unique means of obtaining answers to the fundamental existential questions of life that continue to perplex humankind such as: who am I, where do I come from, what is my purpose in life, what happens when I die, what is it like there, and who else will be there, because it is the means by which we can access the non-physical dimensions in which we existed before we were born and to which we will return when we die.
Perhaps you think you have never had an OBE or that such an experience is beyond your ability. You might be surprised. While going to sleep have you ever experienced vivid dreams, dreams of flying, or dreams about astral travel? Have you ever felt a pulsation or pressure on one of the chakras, particularly the fronto-chakra (third eye)? Have you ever perceived a flow of air that you couldn’t account for or sensed the presence of a non-physical person in your bedroom? These are just some of many sensations that typically precede astral travel.
Other common sensations often experienced at the beginning or end of an out-of-body experience include a falling sensation followed by waking abruptly with a start, the sensation of being temporarily paralyzed and unable to move, and jerks and jolts. These sensations are caused by the disconnection of the non-physical (astral) body from the physical body. When the astral body is at a distance from the physical body and suddenly returns, we may experience a falling sensation. When the return occurs very abruptly, this can sometimes cause us to wake suddenly, breathing rapidly. Sleep paralysis results when the astral body is in a state of non-alignment with the physical body and so our mental commands are temporarily unable to operate the physical body.
The results of an Internet survey (available online at http://www.iacworld.org/Research)
conducted by researchers Wagner Alegretti and Nanci Trivellato of the International Academy of Consciousness (IAC), to which over 10,000 Internet users have so far responded, show that many different characteristics of astral travel, including all the sensations mentioned above, are shared by people around the world, irrespective of their age, gender, nationality, cultural background, religion, level of education or socio-economic status … demonstrating astral travel is a truly universal phenomenon, not specific to any one group of people.
So we know now that this is a normal, natural experience that 99.9% of the population is having several times a night while asleep. How then, can we learn from the experience? The challenge is two-fold. Firstly, we need to increase our level of awareness outside of the body so as we can operate with the same clarity that we experience inside the body. Secondly, we need to remember our out-of-body experiences upon returning to the normal, physical waking state.
If we can achieve a good level of awareness outside the body, we will be able control where we go and what we do in both the physical dimension and the non-physical realms, and interpret and analyze our experiences correctly (i.e. differentiate real OBEs from dreams and other altered states of consciousness).
Some of the many different things we can do outside the body include visiting and communicating with former friends and family members who have passed away, an experience that allows us to verify first-hand that we continue to exist after death. We can prepare ourselves for what will happen after our own death by frequently travelling to and familiarizing ourselves with non-physical environments. This way, when we do die, the territory will already be known and we will easily adjust to life there. We can give assistance, while out of the body, to those who are isolated, confused and in despair after death precisely because they weren’t prepared. Some, in such a condition, don’t even realize they are dead. When projected however, we can access the dense energies generated by our physical body (via the silver cord) and can use these to help others in need. In some instances we may even be able to gain information out of the body that can later be corroborated in the physical dimension, and so, confirm that the experience actually took place.
We may also start to access information pertaining to our past lives, including the periods we spent in a non-physical condition between physical lives as these memories are stored in the ‘astral’ brain in which we manifest during an OBE. This phenomenon of retrocognition (recalling past lives) has particular benefits. When we recall our past physical lives we have an opportunity to identify the weak traits of our personalities that we take with us from one life to the next, the first necessary step to overcoming them and making changes for the better. If we can recall the most recent period we spent between lives we will remind ourselves of the plan for this life that we decided upon and agreed to prior to being born – and if we are off-track with what we planned, can then take measures to get back on track.
Such direct, personal experiences and observations of the non-physical realities of our existence allow us to by-pass the dogmas and mysteries of so many of the world’s spiritual traditions and independently learn about the broader nature of reality for ourselves. Such understanding affords great opportunities to discover what life is for, to take advantage of the rich possibilities it affords and to prepare lucidly for the certain eventuality of death.
More information:
Sandie Gustus is an instructor and volunteer at the London office of the International Academy of Consciousness (IAC). For details of IAC courses, including free introductory seminars and the Consciousness Development Program, or information on IAC books and videos, Email: london@iacworld.org; Tel: 020 7723 0544 or visit: www.iacworld.org
First published in Paranormal magazine (U.K.) Issue 4, February 2006 |
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