#0 · Mar 06, 2003, 18:44 · DIM

Greetings friends,

I have been practicing Astral Projection for two years now. About six months ago I successfully projected.  Since then, I have projected roughly once a month.  The problem is I cannot seem to do it successfully at will.  The only times I have projected (with the exception of a few) have been accidentally (though during an attempted projection).  It takes place after I fall asleep and wake up within, rather than willing my astral body to leave the physical one.  This is extremely frustrating and is affecting me deeply.  I take my spiritual life very seriously and feel that Astral projection is a very necessary tool.  I was hoping that there would be a few suggested methods out there that I have not tried, or even a suggestion or two on my own method which I will share with you here.

1.   Lay down comfortably with my back up against a wall of pillows.
2.   Open my main chakras starting from the head and working down.
3.   Attempt to relax my body without losing focus.
4.   Transfer my conciousness to another set of eyes and walk around.
The whole while trying to make it seem as real as possible.
This will usually lead me into a light sleep whereas I sometimes
snap into it.  If I don't let myself start to drift off, I could
go on viewing with the other set of eyes forever without ever
feeling any of the pre-projection symptoms, thereby doing nothing
but practicing concentration (which isnt bad, but there is a time
and a place for everything).

Please help me if you can.

Love is the Law.
D.I.M.

#1 · Mar 06, 2003, 18:54 · Tom

You are farther along than I am. Your technique sounds familiar from having read William Buhlman's work and listened to two interviews he did in 1999. I have MP3 copies of his interview and we can discuss a snail mail CD copy if you are interested.

http://www.out-of-body.com/

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/index=books&field-keywords=buhlman&search-type=ss&bq=1/002-8555441-2322438

#2 · Mar 07, 2003, 00:27 · Ashy

It seems that this is what i must have done on my first (and so far only) concious astral travelling.I had been to an overnight LAN party.  The next day i went to sleep at about 1 in the afternoon.  I was still playing counter strike in my head exept i was one of the participants in the game. next thing i knew i was floating upward above my body.  Then i realised what was happening and I got overexcited about it and it stopped.

#3 · Mar 07, 2003, 00:57 · weagle

interesting I've never been able to obe/ap from what you are describing.  Only times I was able to obe you can try this technique as well to enhance your ap/obe, is to go to sleep for 5hours wake up wash your face you can do some alert exercises if you want for 30mins keep your mind awake, then as you drift off to sleep you can do some meditation whatever method you are doing then drift off to sleep.  Chances are either you will obe/ap consciously, or fall asleep have a lucid dream be able to ap from it or fall asleep be aware you are falling asleep.  Countless times this is the only way I was able to do a ap in my dream, even sometimes be aware I'm falling asleep and thirdly one time I slept 5hours stayed awake all day then went and did exercises instead of falling asleep and was able to conscious obe.  I think reason being your mind and body is too tired when you do it before you go to sleep but if you sleep 5hours and wakeup for 30mins then go back to sleep you interrupt the sleep cycle a bit, your mind becomes alert and body still needs a little extra recharge so when you drift to sleep you literally wake up in your dream or be aware you are dreaming or obe consciously.  Many people I've heard of they usually wake up early in the morning and have like two alarm clocks to wake up for meditation earlier and try to obe and second ot wake up to go to work in the morning.

#4 · Mar 07, 2003, 03:10 · quant

This is only a suggestion but instead of laying with your back against the wall, try laying on the bed or sitting in a chair, the reason i say this is because maybe from having your legs horizontal and your back vertical, maybe your body is finding it uncomfortable but you just don't know it.  I know that if i sat in that position i would find it uncomfortable too.

Good luck.

#5 · Mar 07, 2003, 14:10 · Frank

quote:
Originally posted by DIM

Greetings friends,

I have been practicing Astral Projection for two years now. About six months ago I successfully projected.  Since then, I have projected roughly once a month.  The problem is I cannot seem to do it successfully at will.  The only times I have projected (with the exception of a few) have been accidentally (though during an attempted projection).  It takes place after I fall asleep and wake up within, rather than willing my astral body to leave the physical one.  This is extremely frustrating and is affecting me deeply.
What you describe in terms of frequency of projection and timescale is about how it happened with me originally. Well, more or less. I went from about once a month to around 3 times per week after about 5 to 6 years of practice and mainly from "waking up" within a dream.

Okay, I'm on record as having made clear several times that I have no particular talent for obe work. So I guess I'm not the best yardstick. But I still cannot, "project at will" after 20-odd years. But that doesn't stop me projecting fairly reliably. I have just chopped and changed my lifestyle to the extent where it is all mainly geared to the specific routine I need to follow.

Yours,
Frank

#6 · Mar 10, 2003, 12:01 · Dog Faced Liar

If you sleep on your stomach you can put your hand under your pillow and your head. Supposedly your suppose to use your left hand not sure if it really matters.  Don't put the full weight of your head on your hand though. It seems to work for me.

#7 · Mar 10, 2003, 20:37 · ralphm

I also have a similar experience- I do energy work, fall asleep and then project, so i don't think you should discount your projections if they are not when you try. My favorate technique is to wake in the middle of the night and then try energy raising and projection techniques. I have had quiet a few experiences from this, however the quality of them has been lacking-poor vision, not able to move, just not your classic obe, but i figure I will keep trying. Have you noticed any correlation to the phase of the moon with success? I have my best exp. right before the new moon-except this month- which has started with the new moon-had 3 experiences last night.

#8 · Mar 12, 2003, 15:40 · terrance

DIM - two points about your method.

1)  My understanding is that it's better to open the chackras from the base up.  This way (whilst drawing energy up from your hands and feet) you charge the energy centres as you open them in a more natural way.  However, I have not tried the head to base way round.

2)  You concentrate on seeing through other eyes and walking around.  Have you considered not relying on just sight but also on other sensations such as hearing and feelings (emotional).  I've had good success from relying on other  types of perception and using those to bridge the gap to a full projection.

Kindest regards
t

#9 · Mar 22, 2003, 17:35 · Kodemaster

Hi DIM,

It takes a *lot* of practice before you can project at will. I've been practicing for about 2 1/2 years and I can project within a dream, but that's about it.

What works for me is to:

- Do NEW exercises the night before
- Meditate
- Use the dream technique. Make yourself consciously aware that you're dreaming, and then pick out something to focus on. It could be a colour, an object, etc. and just stare at it. Keep staring/focusing until the dream scenery shifts. You will then find yourself OB - either in the astral, the Real Time Zone, a lucid dream, or a combination of the three.
- It helps if you do "check yourself" while in the physical, day-to-day environment. By this, I mean touching something and testing whether you are in the physical or not. The more you do this, the better chance you will remember to make yourself within a dream.

Good luck! :)