Astral travel. Rules of the subtle world: what is allowed and what is not allowed How to travel in the astral body

Essences of the Subtle World LETTER 2 I once photographed a city square during a rally. It was autumn, but there was no snow or rain. After developing the photograph, I discovered on it many small round, translucent balls up to ten centimeters in diameter. At first I decided

Astral travel for beginners

0. INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION

Since time immemorial, people have experienced an inexplicable craving for astral travel. How did a person manage to leave his physical shell and rush into unknown distances, going beyond the boundaries of time and space? Was this ability inherent only to a select few, or did every person have this ability from birth? It is quite obvious that it was beneficial for the shamans to keep people in the dark about such brilliant and unique opportunities: to be aware of future events, and even to influence them. That is why the technique of astral exit was shrouded in secrecy.

Nevertheless, there are many examples of how some people acquired the gift of astral exit spontaneously. In most cases, the astral experience left a pleasant impression. However, some stories terrified people, creating a misconception about this phenomenon.

Fortunately, my first astral experience, at the age of fifteen, although spontaneous, intrigued rather than frightened me. One day after class, before going home, I went into the school library. I knew I might miss the train, but I was unable to stop searching for the books I needed to do my homework. Unexpectedly for myself, I discovered that I was at the railway station, among other students. The sensation was completely natural, with the exception of the distinct awareness of leaving the physical body. The usual excitement and carefree fuss reigned on the platform, and I wanted to check if my classmates could see me. I tried to slap my friend on the back and saw my hand go through his body. However, no one reacted, and I realized that my presence went unnoticed by those around me. Then I called out to my friend, but received no answer. Suddenly I remembered that I had left my briefcase at school, and in the blink of an eye I found myself back in the library. Trying to catch the train, I frantically began to stuff books into my briefcase, but the time was hopelessly lost.

The next train arrived only forty-five minutes later, and I had a lot of time to comprehend what had happened to me. This is not to say that what happened was something out of the ordinary for me, since I had already read several books by Sylvan Muldoon about astral travel, although I had not experienced it myself. My first astral experience awakened in me a desire to learn how to leave my body at will.

Now, remembering those distant Days, I understand that the circumstances could not have been more favorable for what happened. On the one hand, I made desperate attempts to find the book I needed, and on the other, I was afraid of missing the train. Both circumstances created a kind of stressful situation, and since I was already familiar with the theory, the third favorable factor- desire - was evident. So, for a spontaneous exit to the astral plane, a state of stress is required, supported by the desire to experience a similar experience.

Some people believe that leaving the physical body involves serious risks. In fact, astral travel is much safer than driving a car. In this book I provide recommendations that virtually eliminate all adverse consequences. For many years I have taught people and been their guide to another dimension, and they all claim that astral travel enriches life, filling it with new colors and pleasant experiences.

What is astral travel? In practice, this type of travel means leaving the physical body, visiting any place of one's own choice and returning to the body.

People had astral experiences in prehistoric times. Descriptions of astral travel were left by the ancient civilizations of Egypt, India, China and Tibet. In the Tibetan tradition, people capable of astral exit were called “delogs,” which meant “those who returned from the beyond”*.

* Robert Crookall, The Study and Practice of Astral Projection (London: The Aquarien Press, 1961) 145.

The ancient Egyptians believed in the Ka (astral double) and Ba (soul or spirit) and believed that these entities could leave the body at any time. In the preface to The Egyptian Book of the Dead, Wallis Budge writes that the Egyptians endowed Ka with traits characteristic of the person to whom this entity belonged. At the same time, it was believed that such an entity had a kind of independence and self-worth.

Plato was convinced that human earthly life is only a pitiful semblance of what is available to the spirit freed from the body. Aristotle believed that the spirit is capable of leaving the physical shell and meeting its own kind in another world. The ancient Greeks also believed that in addition to the physical body, a person has a second, subtle body.

In the Holy Scriptures we find mention of astral travel: after baptism, “Philip was taken away by the Angel of the Lord” and “Philip found himself in Azoth”*.

* Acts 8:39, 40.

In the Second Epistle to the Corinthians, the holy Apostle Paul writes: “I know a man in Christ, who fourteen years ago... was caught up to the third heaven... he was caught up into paradise and heard unspeakable words, which it is impossible for a man to utter.”*

* 2 Cor. 12:2-4.

The ancient Celts had a legend that told how the druid Mog Ruith turned into a bird and flew over the positions of the hostile army, looking for weak spots in the enemy’s defenses. This is direct evidence of astral travel.

In 1808, the German merchant Herr Wasermann discovered that he had the ability to fly astrally - he “appeared” in the dreams of his friends. Wasermann conducted a series of experiments, in four of which friends confirmed his “visits”, and their dreams unfolded in accordance with the experimenter’s script. The fifth experience made a particularly strong impression. According to the proposed scenario, Lieutenant N was supposed to see in a dream a woman who died five years ago. At the appointed time (11 p.m.), the lieutenant was still awake, discussing with his friend the details of the military campaign against the French. Suddenly the door opened and a plain-haired woman in a black and white robe entered. Nodding three times to the lieutenant's friend and once to the owner himself, she smiled and left. A few seconds later, the startled men rushed after her. However, there was no trace of her, and the guard standing at the door swore that he had not noticed anyone.

The first scientist to use scientific methods to study astral experience was the Frenchman Hector Durville. The object of his experiments was a man who entered the astral plane of his own free will and at any time. During the experiments, this subject beat drums from a distance on a table at the far end of the room, illuminated photographic plates and caused a glow on screens coated with calcium sulfate.

Madame Blavatsky, or HPB*, as her like-minded people called her, founded the Theosophical Society in New York in 1875. For forty years, this woman traveled through the countries of Asia, comprehending the wisdom of the East. Members of the Theosophical Society believed that the true essence of a person is not limited to his physical shell and consists of at least seven bodies. The Society itself made an invaluable contribution to the popularization of Eastern traditions and, in particular, astral travel.

* Abbr. from "Helena Petrovna Blavatsky".

In the 20th century, interest in the astral plane increased unheard of. While Europe was devastated by the battles of the First World War, two enthusiasts, no matter what. never happened, they boldly experimented in the field of astral projection. One of them, engineer and theosophist Hugh Callaway, wrote the book Astral Projection, which is still deservedly popular. This study, published by Hugh Callaway under the pseudonym Oliver Fox before the outbreak of World War II, collects lengthy articles previously published in the 1920 issues of the Occult Review. Hugh's comrade, the French mystic Marcel Louis Foran, lived on the other side of the English Channel and, under the pseudonym Iram, published the book "Le Medecin de l'Ame", better known as "Practical Astral Projection".

American researcher Sylvan Muldoon, co-author with Herward Carrington, wrote the book “Projection of the Astral Body” in 1929. Unlike Oliver Fox and Iram, who considered the ability to astral exit to be the prerogative of especially gifted people, this author believed that astral travel is available to everyone. As confirmation, he gave numerous examples that people can spontaneously go on astral flight.

Muldoon's work was continued by retired geologist Dr. Robert Crookall, who collected and analyzed more than 750 cases of astral travel over ten years. His first work, The Study and Practice of Astral Projection, was published in 1960.

Carefully analyzing each episode, Dr. Crookall tried to determine the main factors that could explain the essence of this extraordinary phenomenon: As a result of research, the scientist came to the conclusion that all cases have six main characteristics.

1. In all cases, people feel that they are leaving the physical body in the head area.
2. At the moment the astral body leaves the physical shell, a person’s consciousness “turns off.”
3. Before setting off on a journey, people’s astral bodies “hover” for some time above their physical shells.
4. Before returning, the astral double also “floats” above physical body.
5. Before the final return, an instantaneous “darkening” of consciousness occurs again.
6. In the event of an accelerated return of the astral body, people’s physical bodies experience involuntary tremors.

Before Dr. Crookall's research was published, few people thought about scientific explanation phenomena of the astral plane. However, not much time passed before scientists became seriously interested in the problem and discovered that the circle of people who had astral experience was much wider than previously thought.

It was during these years that an employee of the Institute of Parapsychological Research, Celia Green, was collecting data on cases of out-of-body experiences. The information obtained can be considered the most complete. In addition to the usual research and survey methods, searching necessary information carried out through newspaper advertisements*.

* Celia Green, Out-of-the-Body Experiences (London: Hamish Hamilton Limited, 1968).

Despite the fact that the statistical data of representatives of different countries had some differences, basically a single trend was visible: approximately twenty percent of the inhabitants of the Earth had an astral experience at least once in their lives*. As it turned out, compared to other people, university students were more susceptible to astral projection. Celia Green discovered that thirty-four percent of her Oxford class of 1968 had experienced at least one astral travel. In 1975, an even more serious study was conducted, the participants of which came to the conclusion that, compared with fourteen percent of other groups of the population who had astral experience, students held the palm (25%). Even more impressive were the data obtained by an American magazine that addressed its readers: 700 out of 1,500 respondents (46%) declared their ability to travel to the astral plane**.

* D. Scott Rogo, Leaving the Body: A Complete Guide to Astral Projection (Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall, Inc., 1983), 5.
** J. H. Brennan. The Astral Projection Workbook (Wellingborough: The Aguarien Press. 1989), 33.

In 1980, at the annual convention of the American Psychiatric Association, a representative of the Topeka Medical Center Veterans Dr. Stuart Tuemlow presented the results of his own research. According to his data, eighty-five percent of those surveyed enjoyed the astral experience, and more than half of them said that they experienced “joy.” Dr. Tuemlow's report literally stated the following: “No less than forty-three percent of respondents insisted that what happened to them was the most vivid memory of their life.”* It is not surprising that most of them sought to repeat their experience. Singer Kate Bush compared the astral exit to a “kite” floating in the sky and connected to the physical shell only by a thin thread**. My students unanimously recognized this comparison as very successful and accurate.

* Rogo, Leaving the Body: A Complete Guide to Astral Projection, 8.
** Jenny Randies and Peter Hough, The Afterlife: An Investigation into the Mysteries of Life and Death (London: Judy Piatkus Publishers Limited, 1993), 207.

These days, many parapsychologists demonstrate the ability to perform remote viewing (an aspect of so-called psychometry), which is a form of astral travel. During such experiments, the subject is asked to describe something that is happening thousands of kilometers from the place of the experiment.

The ever-increasing interest of the scientific world in such a phenomenon as astral travel is encouraging. Thus, Dr. Eugene I. Bernard, a professor at North Carolina State University, stated: “It seems unlikely that so many mentally healthy people would experience hallucinations. The brain and its capabilities are still a closely guarded mystery to scientists. It is difficult to say when it will happen, but I firmly believe that sooner or later the theory of astral projection will receive scientific justification and confirmation."*

* Brad Steiger, Astral Projection (West Chester: Para Research, 1982), 228.

There is much other evidence of astral experience. A widely known example is referred to as “Case Number Fourteen,” given in Edmond Gurney’s fascinating book “Living Ghosts,” which contains 702 psychic experiments. Mr. Werd tells how in November 1881 he astrally visited the bedroom of his bride. He writes: “Reading about the powerful powers of the human will on a Sunday evening in November 1881, I believed that I could mentally transfer my soul to the second floor of No. 22 Hogard Road, Kensington, and indeed I found myself in one of the bedrooms.” This room was occupied by his fiancee, Miss Verygi, and her eleven-year-old sister.

Byrd's house was located three miles from the house of his bride, who knew nothing of his plans. The next morning, an excited Miss Verity told her groom about the shock she felt when she saw his ghost at her bedside. The younger sister, awakened by her scream, also saw a ghost.

The culprit of the commotion was very pleased with his experience, which he repeated twice more. Byrd tried to explain how he managed to leave the physical shell; “In addition to purely volitional aspiration, I made some effort that cannot be described in words. I was aware of certain mystical fluids in my body and was fully aware that forces were involved that lay beyond my understanding. Nevertheless, at certain moments they obeyed my will." Emmanuel Swedenborg (1689-1772) talks about another documented case. On July 17, 1759, he attended a party in Gothenburg. At this time, an unprecedented fire broke out in Stockholm, located three hundred miles from the scene of action. At six o'clock in the afternoon, Swedenborg suddenly turned pale and announced to the guests that a fire had started. Going out into the garden, he began to talk about the details and spread of the capital fire. The guests learned that his friend's house had burned down and his own mansion was in danger. Two hours later, Swedenborg returned to the house and exclaimed: “Thank God, the fire has been extinguished three blocks from my residence!” The next day, the clairvoyant confirmed his words with the governor, since many Gothenburg residents had friends and relatives in Stockholm and were concerned about the alarming message. There were also those who owned real estate in the capital. Only two days later, fire victims arrived in Gothenburg and confirmed in great detail what Swedenborg had said. The hero of the day could go into the astral plane at his own request and, moreover, repeatedly visited the angelic worlds. His mystical revelations are described in numerous diaries*.

* Emmanuel Swedenborg, Heaven and Hell (New York: Swedenborg Foundation, Inc., 1976).

In 1918, nineteen-year-old Ernest Hemingway fought in the Italian army. While delivering cocoa to positions, he received severe shrapnel wounds to his legs, which served as the reason or a kind of impetus for a spontaneous astral exit. He recalls: “I felt like the soul, or something else, was leaving my body, like a silk handkerchief” being pulled out of a pocket by the tip.”* The writer reflected his experience in the novel “A Farewell to Arms!”, giving it the main character the book's character, Frederick Henry.

* Susy Smith, Out-of-Body Experiences for the Millions (Los Angeles: Sherbourne Press, Inc., 1968), 19.

One of the most famous astral travelers is Edgar Cayce. In a state of trance, he diagnosed patients located thousands of kilometers from the place of the experiment. While in a trance, Casey abstracted himself from traditional senses, brought himself to a borderline state in which his “subtle body” interacted with the patient’s subconscious, revealing one or another pathology.

It should be noted that Edgar Cayce categorically forbade those present to move objects in front of his body while he was in the astral plane, fearing for the condition of the invisible thread or cord through which his physical body was connected to the subtle body*. This thread is commonly called "silver cord".

* Sylvia Fraser, The Quest for the Fourth Monkey (Toronto: Key Porter Books limited, 1992), 259.

The ability to travel in the astral plane can hardly be overestimated. So, you can find out what people really think about you, get answers to many previously unanswerable questions, and visit your friends and loved ones at any time. Without leaving your home (physically), you will travel through time and space at will and forget what boredom is.

One of the most important aspects astral exit is something that worries many people - the question of the finitude of earthly existence. The realization that death does not put an end to your path will help you get rid of fears associated with the frailty of earthly life. Scientific research confirmed that at the moment of physical death, the human body loses approximately 60 to 90 grams of its mass, and a certain haze appears in the head area. It is possible that these are the signs that indicate that a person is setting off on his last lifetime astral journey.

Almost everyone who has experienced an astral experience (including involuntary ones) strives to repeat it again and again.

Fortunately, anyone can master the technique of astral exit; in many ways it resembles the technique of driving a car. Some people master the skills of “astral driving” playfully; others require more serious and lengthy preparation. However, in both the first and second cases, serious attitude brings the expected results to the subject of study. In exceptional cases, a person has to spend several years studying. This happens due to internal complexes, “stiffness,” as well as in the case of training under incompetent leadership. Nevertheless, I hasten to assure you that completely hopeless students simply do not exist.

My personal experience teaching convinces me that everyone can learn to astral exit. Working with students, I could never determine with certainty which of them had the greatest abilities, but at one time each of them went on an astral flight.

My book contains a wide variety of techniques for entering the astral plane. This was not done by chance - despite all my efforts, I was not able to develop a single, universal technique. As a rule, a person can learn to “leave” the physical body in several ways, and at least one of them will work for you.

Before moving on to specific exercises, I would advise reading the entire book and only after repeated, more careful reading, begin to master the proposed techniques. Some exercises may seem too easy and ineffective. However, you should not jump from one chapter to another (this especially applies to the ninth chapter), since the methods presented in the book have proven their practical effectiveness in this sequence. So, be consistent, don’t be afraid to waste an extra ten minutes, and the results will follow.

1. REQUIREMENTS FOR ASTRAL JOURNEY

The theory of astral projection is based on the assumption that a person has two bodies: the physical one, which grows, ages and dies, and its “double” - the astral body. It is the latter that can quite consciously leave the physical shell and observe it from a distance.

The ability to astral travel will give you a number of advantages. First of all, you will be able to look at the world with different eyes: new horizons of the universe will open before you. Once you realize that the mind can exist outside the body, you will understand that the soul is immortal and there is no need to worry too much about what happens to its shell. Ascertaining your own immortality is only the first step towards even more amazing “adventures”.

Most of my students learned to astrally travel without much trouble. However, some of them had to work hard, and there were always specific reasons for this.

Most often, this reason was fear, the depressing effects of which we have all experienced at one time or another. When I was young, I was into bungee jumping*. The first jump, no matter how brave we were, inspired some fear, and only those few for whom the experience was not the first praised the upcoming sensations for beginners. I am sure that, standing on the parapet of the bridge and looking down from a great height, almost every one of us experienced fear. Oddly enough, the most nervous members of the group were the first to rush into battle, perhaps obeying a natural desire to overcome their weakness. I will never forget the sinking feeling in my stomach before my first jump.

* Jumping from a height with a rubber cord attached; There is no satisfactory Russian term yet. - Approx. lane

Of the twenty members of the Group, nineteen jumped. The last one left was a man of about thirty, who was clearly uneasy from the very beginning. However, before the jump, he unexpectedly calmed down and, while the instructor secured the cord and gave instructions, behaved with dignity. Some people gave encouraging remarks, and everything said that he was ready to jump. But, swaying slightly, he pulled back from the edge. The instructor repeated his instructions; and again it began to seem that he was ready to overcome himself. However, this did not happen. Five minutes later the belay was untied, and, burning with shame, he went to drink tea with the rest of the group.

Wanting to show their participation, his comrades told him about how they themselves struggled with fear, and finally he declared that he was ready to repeat the failed experience. We all returned to the bridge together, and again nothing worked out for him.

Some students experience something similar before their first astral journey. On the one hand, they want to go on an astral flight, on the other hand, they are unable to overcome their unreasonable, but no less “insurmountable” fears. In my classes, I usually explain the reasons and talk about ways to overcome various kinds of prejudices, including fear.

Most often, beginners are afraid that they will not be able to return to their physical body after the astral journey ends. This fear is unfounded, since there is no written evidence that this ever happened. As a rule, the exact opposite happens. Very often, the astral journey is interrupted against your wishes, and you are “forcibly” returned to the physical shell.

Many students fear that they will die during astral travel. You should know that during astral flight the etheric double maintains a direct connection with the physical body using an elastic and infinitely long “cord”. There is no doubt that a person will die if the cord breaks, but, as in the previous example, there is no written evidence of such cases. The cord is invisible to strangers; therefore, he cannot be circumcised through malice. There is nothing to fear from physical damage to this “connecting thread,” since its substance is different from the structure of solid material bodies.

Some people are afraid that during astral travel their physical body may be taken over by an otherworldly entity. There is no need to talk about this seriously, although the topic is of some interest for a horror film script. Always remember that at the slightest threat to the physical body, the astral double “automatically” and instantly returns to its shell.

Some people think that during astral travel the heart or breathing may stop. This never happens, and although it is generally accepted that during astral exit the body temperature drops somewhat, all the main vital organs continue to function normally.

My book is entirely devoted to leaving the physical body and astral travel, which, as far as we know, is absolutely safe.

The possibility of getting into a hopeless situation should not frighten you - at any moment and in a split second you can return to your physical body. Nor should you be afraid that while you are “absent” your house may be on fire: at the first sign of impending danger, the astral double immediately returns to its shell.

Several years ago I was able to verify this. While I was in the astral plane, a car exhaust sounded on the street and, unexpectedly for myself, I instantly found myself in the physical body. I won’t lie, such a sudden return left me somewhat confused, and only after a couple of minutes did I feel comfortable in my physical shell. At the same time, I cannot help but note the feeling of deep satisfaction that gripped my soul upon realizing that I am able to control the situation in any state.

One Sunday morning, during another astral flight, my wife tried to wake me up by shaking my shoulder. Having failed to achieve any results and realizing what was going on, she left me alone for a couple of minutes. When I tried again, I came to my senses after a light touch.

However, if instead of my wife there was a stranger in the bedroom, my astral double, feeling potential danger, would react in the blink of an eye. The body reacts very sensitively to outside touch. This indicates that during astral travel, at least a particle of consciousness remains in the physical shell.

So, while the superconsciousness goes on an astral journey, part of it remains to guard the interests of the physical body.

Another obstacle to astral exit is the fear of communicating with any undead. This cannot be ruled out, and when this happens, it will be enough just to wish to return back, and the unpleasant astral journey will immediately end. Thus, the astral plane is much safer than everyday reality, since an unfavorable situation can be eliminated instantly.

To summarize, I will say that your possible fears of astral travel are groundless and are no different from the trivial fears of other people. And yet, if you are persistently pursued by such intrusive thoughts, first try to get rid of them and only then begin to study the technique of astral exit.

Some people question the very existence of an astral double and consider the physical body to be the only essence of a person. On the pages of this book, the presence of a subtle body is taken as an axiom. In the expressions “I love” or “I feel,” “I” should be understood as the spirit or soul of a person, while when I say “my hand” or “my body,” I mean the physical body, or the mortal coil of a person.

The Hindu holy book, Rig Veda, written 4,000 years ago, says that man is like a driver in a chariot. The chariot refers to the physical body of a person, and the charioteer refers to the true self, spirit, or universal life force.

Understanding the difference between the human soul and the physical body is absolutely necessary for some people when undertaking astral travel.

I have repeatedly heard from my students that some of them saw the aura of a sleeping person. In fact, they observed not an aura, but an astral double, which during sleep rises slightly above the physical body and hovers at a height of about 25-30 centimeters.

There are other reasons that make astral exit difficult. One of them is having too much lunch. On days of astral travel, food intake should be significantly limited, since digestion requires significant energy expenditure. On a full stomach, a person would rather fall asleep than go on an astral journey.

In the West, most people overeat, and light food on the day of astral exit will only benefit your body. Not being a vegetarian, I note that adherents of this diet for accessing the astral plane have clear advantages compared to lovers of a meat diet. When going on an astral journey, I never eat meat, limit myself to chicken or fish, and avoid fatty foods in every possible way.

Light physical activity is also not prohibited. Before entering the astral plane, I usually go for a walk. In addition to emotional release, a walk relieves me of the annoying companions of our everyday life: TV, telephone, etc. - and allows me to concentrate on the upcoming journey. Returning home, I not only feel ready for astral flight, but also think with pleasure about its benefits for physical health.

When preparing for astral travel, you should avoid the use of alcohol and drugs, since the influence of these substances makes it much more difficult to enter the astral plane. I know several people who experienced spontaneous astral passage while smoking marijuana, but their experience was not pleasant because they had no control over the situation. Thus, the soul of one of them involuntarily rushed from one dimension to another for several hours.

I used to think that a glass of wine drunk a couple of hours before an astral session was not a hindrance. However, I became convinced that this was not the case. During astral travel, a person must maintain absolute control over the situation, and even a small amount of alcohol in the blood can spoil the matter. I have been practicing astral projection for thirty years, and the only time I have experienced any unpleasant sensations is when I took a small amount of alcohol.

Even cigarettes and coffee negatively affect the ability to astral exit. Therefore, you should stop consuming them at least three hours before your session.

Astral travel is contraindicated for heart patients and other seriously ill patients. Very often it is the latter who have a predisposition to spontaneous astral exit. I have no doubt that you have heard of cases where people, being in a borderline state, left their physical body and felt like a rapid stream was carrying them through a tunnel towards a blinding light. Examples like these are clear cases of astral flight, during which some people have looked back and seen their physical body on the operating table.

There is considerable evidence that terminally ill people, compared with healthy people, have increased psychometric ability. The author of three excellent monographs on astral projection, Sylvan Muldoon wrote his first book at a time when, in his words, “I was so ill that I could not get out of bed without assistance and did not know whether I would live to see tomorrow.”* Despite this feeling, the courageous researcher took part in many experiments carried out to verify the facts included in the book.

* Sylvan Muldoon and Hereward Carrington, The Projection of the Astral Body (London: Rider and Company Limited, 1929), 19. From the Introduction by Hereward Carrington.

German oncologist doctor Joseph Issels, in the Bavarian clinic in the city of Ringberg, noted the presence of extraordinary abilities for astral exit in his terminally ill patient. During the morning rounds, an elderly woman told him that she could. leaving one's own body. She said: “I will prove it to you, and immediately.” A few seconds later she spoke again; "Doctor, if you go into room 12, you will see a woman writing a letter to her husband. She just finished the first page, I saw it." The old woman then described exactly what she “saw.” Dr. Issels went to the twelfth ward and made sure that his patient was accurate even in the smallest details. Intrigued, he hurried to return, but did not find the patient alive*.

*lan Wilson, The After Death Experience (London: Sidgwick and Jackson, 1987), 108.

Having talked about what not to do, let's move on to some preliminary recommendations.

The first necessary condition for astral exit is a strong desire, experiencing which, we are confirmed in the thought of its possibility.

Then you should bring yourself into a state of “positive expectation.” To do this, you need to relax, free yourself from fears and look forward to the start of the experiment.

Many people don't know how to truly relax. Without expensive electronic devices at hand, this can be done to the sound of special tape recordings. Sit back, close your eyes and listen to the tape.

Before the session, you should get rid of all external irritants. It's a good idea to turn off your phone and wait until your loved ones go to bed. Any outside influence can interfere with astral travel.

Practice in a warm, ventilated room at a temperature of at least 20°C.

Clothing should be loose. For this reason, many people strip naked. However, this does not mean that you will travel naked. If you hate to appear in the astral in this form, just imagine yourself dressed, and it will happen right away.

For a while, forget about all problems and adversities; This happens to me automatically, immediately after relaxation. Perhaps your way of getting rid of bad thoughts will be different. I know a woman who, for this purpose, mentally “throws” all her problems into the trash can. If that doesn't work, she flushes them down the toilet. One of my students actively plays squash before entering the astral plane. It is possible that problems can simply be “put aside” and dealt with after the session.

Before you travel, you should know where you would like to go. In ordinary life, we rarely get into a car and drive wherever we look. As a rule, before we get behind the wheel, we already know where we will go. Once a decision is made, its implementation is not difficult.

You should act in exactly the same way before entering the astral plane. In fact, it's even easier than driving a car. Because we are not bound by boundaries physical world, you just need to make a decision and in a split second find yourself in a place where there are no traffic rules, traffic jams or traffic lights.

As you can see, everything is very simple. Most people who regularly go on astral travel lead a healthy lifestyle because they want to experience these sensations every day. I hope that readers will also like it and that astral flights will enrich and decorate their lives.

2. A FEW WORDS ABOUT ASTRAL TERMINOLOGY

Over the years, I have been asked questions about astral travel, and I have become convinced that most people have a very wrong, distorted understanding of this phenomenon. That is why, before we set off on our first astral flight, it is worth saying a few words about what we will actually do.

Astral travel should be understood as leaving the physical body and moving the astral double outside of time and space.

ASTRAL BODY

An astral body is a double of the physical body, which has a more subtle organization and the possibility of existence in another dimension. Sometimes it is called the etheric double. According to Herward Carrington, the density of the astral body is one millionth of the density of the physical body*. After numerous experiments, this researcher came to the conclusion that the astral body weighs about forty-odd grams.

* Hereward Carrington, Your Psychic Powers and How to Develop Them (n. d. Reprinted Wellingborough: The Aquarient Press, 1976), 230.

During astral travel, our ego is inside the astral body, and sometimes we are aware of it. Sometimes the astral double feels like an exact copy of the physical body, except that it does not feel pain and is not subject to physical ailments. Thus, astral travel is an excellent means of helping people suffering from chronic illnesses.

During a journey, not everyone is able to see their astral body, and those who see it perceive it differently. Some feel it as a particle of consciousness moving in space. This vision is typical of people who have experienced astral flight in a borderline state. While traveling, many people imagine themselves enclosed in some kind of cocoon.

The astral body leaves the physical body through the aura in the forehead area, known as the glabella, and returns at the occipital area. However, some people think that it simply rises above the physical body and returns in the same way.

After death, all astral bodies finally leave the physical shell. Sometimes you can observe how a certain energy cloud rises above a person who has just died, which indicates that the next earthly incarnation has been completed.

The connecting link between the astral and physical bodies is the “silver cord”.

SILVER CORD

The silver cord refers to a ray of light connecting the physical and astral bodies. It usually begins in the forehead area of ​​the physical body and ends in the navel area of ​​the astral body. Its color range varies from pale smoky to iridescent. In esoteric literature, the silver cord is referred to as a line, rope, chain, string, channel, tape, magnetic thread, etc. In the book In Search of the Secrets of Egypt, Paul Brighton calls it a “trace of silver light” and a “mysterious psychic umbilical cord.” Dr. A. S. Wiltz describes it as “the finest thread, like a spider’s web.”* In the book "Fundamentals of Clairvoyance" Vincent Tierney also mentions the web: "... this thread looks like a cobweb, is painted in silvery tones and has the property of contracting and expanding like an elastic cord." Staveley Bulford claimed that when his astral body was at a great distance from the physical shell, “the cord looked like a thin ray of light”**.

* F. W. H. Myers, Human Personality and Survival of Bodily Death, Volume 2 (London: Longmans Green and Company, 1903), 252.
** Smith, Out-of-Body Experiences for the Millions, 70.

The silver cord is elastic and can stretch almost indefinitely. Thus, the further the astral body moves away from the physical, the thinner the silver cord becomes. People who have closely studied the silver cord say that it consists of a bundle of twisted threads, securely fastened at both ends.

Some people describe the silver cord as pulsating life energy. Dr. Robert Crookall refers to the impressions of a young African who claimed that his cord emitted a "phosphorescent light"*.

Not all astral travelers notice the silver cord. This happens only when a person dwells on the physical body “left” behind. As a rule, these people, before setting off on a journey, looked back at their shell.

The reason that some people see the silver cord and others do not is that the cord itself is rather imaginary and is not a familiar physical object.

William Gherardi cited the presence of a silver cord as proof of the reality of astral exit. "How can you tell a dream from reality? Look at the glowing trail behind you!" In another place he writes: “Perhaps I died without regaining consciousness? I... turned around and saw my faithful companion - a silver cord”*.

* Robert Crookall, Out-of-the-Body Experiences (Secaucas: Citadel Press, 1970), 149.

Many believe that breaking the silver cord means imminent death. Mr X was present at the death of his wife. According to him, at the moment of agony, a certain energy haze separated from the wife’s body, which soared above the dead body, forming a kind of ghostly double of the wife. The astral double communicated with the physical body using a “cord,” which “suddenly broke”*. Dr. Burgess, who was also present at the deathbed, states that Mr. X "never read occult literature" and his mental state at the time of his wife's death "does not allow thoughts of possible hallucinations."

* Journal of the Society for Psychical Research, Volume XIII (London: 1918), 368.

Dr. R. B. Hout, who was present at the death of his aunt, had a similar experience. The first thing he saw was “the vague outlines of some airy substance.” This haze became more and more distinct and acquired the contours of the dying woman's body." The double was, as it were, suspended in a horizontal position, several tens of centimeters above the physical body. Suddenly, the witness, with his inner vision, saw a certain silvery substance connecting the bodies. "I realized this for the first time. The body and soul were connected by a silver cord, just as the umbilical cord unites mother and child. The cord was round, perhaps two and a half centimeters in diameter, and emitting an iridescent silvery light. It seemed to be filled with the energy of life." Dr. Hout saw a stream of pulsating light flowing along the cord. With each pulsation, "an energy flowed from the physical body to the astral body. He watched as the threads of the silver cord were broken one after another until "the last thread broke and the spiritual body was finally freed" *.

* Light Magazine, Volume IV (London: 1935), 209.

ASTRAL PLAN

The astral plane should be understood as one of the parallel worlds. Most people simply do not notice the difference between our world and the astral world. Usually in the astral plane a person goes anywhere and does what he wants. However, there are some limitations.

For example, most people cannot visit their friends and still make their presence known. However, in some cases this is possible. Astral Projection author Oliver Fox recalls his girlfriend's reaction to his admission of astral experience. The girl was convinced of the sinfulness of entering the astral plane. Young Oliver, with the categoricalness characteristic of teenagers, declared that she had no the slightest idea about what he judges.

“I know more than you think,” Elsie replied. “If I want, I will come to you this evening.”

Oliver laughed and the teenagers quarreled. One way or another, in the evening of the same day, while preparing for bed, he “suddenly saw a huge shining pale blue cloud in the form of a cocoon, inside of which was Elsie with her hair down and in a nightgown.” She stood nearby, her gaze was sad, and her fingers frantically ran over the top of the desk.

Oliver called her name and she disappeared. The next morning Elsie celebrated her victory. She gave the most detailed description of Oliver's bedroom. She's right about everything, except for one detail, Oliver thought. The girl mentioned a characteristic protrusion on the surface of the table, which he did not even suspect. After checking, Oliver was convinced that his doubts were groundless - there was a protrusion, and Elsie felt it with her fingers during an astral visit.

After what happened, Oliver perked up and a couple of months later gave Elsie a surprise by astrally appearing in her bedroom. The girl decided that her friend was invading her room in the presence of her grandfather, and she was seriously frightened when she heard her mother going up the stairs. As soon as the door opened, Oliver disappeared*.

* Oliver Fox, Astral Projection (London: Rider and Company, n.d. Reprinted New York: University Books, Inc., 1962), 56-61.

Despite the fact that usually outsiders do not see astral bodies, very often the presence of the latter does not go unnoticed. In this sense, animals are especially sensitive.

In 1973, research into the phenomenon of astral travel was conducted in North Carolina. Stuart Blue Garary participated in an experiment to transfer astral projection to another building. In the room where the astral transfer was carried out, there was a kitten named Spirit (what a symbolic name!), which was placed in a box equipped with special equipment for recording the movements of the animal. The kitten turned out to be nimble and did not sit still for a minute, actively moving around in the makeshift cage. However, as soon as Blue Garary's astral double appeared in the room. The spirit froze and became silent*.

* Rogo, Leaving the Body: A Complete Guide to Astral Projection, 174-175.

Experiments with animals were continued by Dr. Robert Morris in 1978. Four animals were chosen for the experiment - a jerboa, a hamster, a snake and a kitten. Blue Garary, by this time known as Keith Garary, entered the astral plane and approached each of the four cells in turn. The jerboa and hamster did not react in any way to his approach, but the snake showed obvious activity. Dr. Morris's assistant, D. Scott Rogo, recorded the following: "The snake attacked. For about twenty seconds, and precisely at the time when Keith should have been near its cage, it violently bit the air around itself." The kitten behaved in the same way as in the previous experiment, that is, it seemed to be numb. With the same results, the experiment was repeated four more times.

* Rodney Davies, Discover Your Psychic Powers (London: The Aguarien Press, 1992), 135.

Surely many will be puzzled by the impossibility of communicating with friends during astral visits. Be that as it may, you should console yourself with the thought that everything is fine with them and you can find out about their well-being at any time, no matter where they are in the world.

REMOTE VISION (VIEW)

Over the past twenty-five to thirty years, parapsychologists have intensively studied this particular area of ​​esoteric knowledge. The term itself was first heard at Stanford research institute(Menlo Park, California) in 1972. Remote viewing has a lot in common with astral travel. During astral flight, you leave your body and go to any place of your own free will. Remote viewing (psychometry at a distance) does not involve leaving the body. Instead, a piece of consciousness is sent to a specific location and then returned back, receiving relevant information.

At first, two people monitored the purity of the experiment. The clairvoyant was asked to choose one of sixty places from a list. Having made an arbitrary choice, he “went” to this place and “stayed” there for fifteen minutes.” During this time, one of the assistants focused his attention on the possible “location” of the psychic. At the same time, the second assistant, who also remained in the dark about the choice made, mentally “prompted” to his colleague.

The results of the experiments exceeded all the expectations of scientists, who were pleasantly surprised that paranormal abilities were demonstrated by people who had never previously shown interest in such topics.

CONSCIOUSNESS

So, astral travel, like remote viewing, involves the conscious transfer of a particle of our “I” to any place. This may sound a little strange, but nevertheless it is true.

The ability to perceive cannot be considered a purely physical phenomenon. Despite the fact that the work of consciousness is associated with the activity of the brain, there is no convincing evidence that it is the brain that contains consciousness. Thus, in astral travel, it is the astral double that is the bearer of consciousness.

Any person has repeatedly traveled to the astral plane in a dream. This form of exit is called involuntary astral travel, and it is what will be discussed in the next chapter.

3. SPONTANEOUS ASTRAL JOURNEY

World history knows many cases of involuntary astral travel. Some people entered the astral plane for no apparent reason. Mr. P. J. Hitchock, in his book “The Psychology of Sleep,” writes about how his son woke up in the middle of the night, got out of bed and, going out into the corridor, felt “that something was wrong.” Looking around, he saw a beam of light stretching from the bedroom and ending behind him. Seriously concerned, he walked into the bedroom and found that none other than himself was sleeping on the bed. The next morning he could not remember how he returned to his physical body*. A similar exit to the astral plane in a dream can happen to anyone. The only remarkable detail in this case is that the man woke up and felt anxious.

* Crookall, Out-of-the-Body Experiences, 55.

Spontaneous out-of-body experience while awake was experienced by Mrs. Nellie Schlankster of Scotia, New York. One day, sitting in a circle of friends, she felt “something living” leaving her body. She wanted to scream, but her voice did not obey. The “second self” stopped about two and a half meters away, and she observed this “something” until it returned to the body*.

* Sylvan Muldoon and Hereward Carrington, The Phenomena of Astral Projection (London: Rider and Company Limited, 1951), 200-201.

Fortunately, such cases are relatively rare. Most out-of-body episodes occur due to stress or extreme fatigue. Some people enter the astral plane at the climax of sexual intercourse. In this regard, it is worth mentioning specific Eastern techniques for deliberate astral travel, the impetus of which is given by orgasm.

ASTRAL EXPERIENCE IN A BORDERLINE STATE

There are many known cases of astral experience experienced by people in a critical, near-death state. Phoebe Payne states that "during accidents, the momentary exit (of the soul) from the body can be compared to the action anesthetics"Karol Zaleecki has found many accounts of the borderline state in the myths and legends of ancient Greece, Rome, Egypt and the Middle East.* Research conducted by the Gallup Institute in 1981 showed that approximately two million American adults experienced life-threatening situations. spontaneous astral exit**.

* Carol Zaieski, Otherworld Journeys: Accounts of Near-Death Experiences in Medieval and Modern Times (New York: Oxford University Press, 1987).
** George Galiup, Jr. and William Proctor, Adventures in Immortality (New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1982), 32-41.

Among people who experienced a near-death experience, approximately nine percent spontaneously left their bodies. As a rule, this happened immediately after they, for one reason or another, were brought to the brink of life and death. The man suddenly realized that he was hovering above his physical body, and his consciousness belonged to his astral double.

In this state, most people experienced joyful and sublime feelings. They were fully aware of what was happening on the physical level and at the same time surrendered to the rapturous feeling of liberation from the mortal coil. For example, during resuscitation procedures, the patient hovered above the operating table and impartially observed the actions of the doctors.

In some cases, people who were in the astral plane provided themselves with practical help. Thus, the Italian engineer Giuseppe Costa, in a state of extreme physical and moral exhaustion, collapsed on his bed one evening and fell into a deep sleep. At the head of the bed stood an unextinguished paraffin lamp, which he had knocked over in his sleep. The room was filled with a "cloud of black acrid smoke."

At the same instant, Giuseppe found himself in the astral plane and felt himself floating under the ceiling. Despite the fact that the room was plunged into darkness, he clearly distinguished all the “phosphorescent contours.” Moreover, he saw “every vein and every nerve on the body lying on the bed and felt it as a living, luminous stream of atoms.”

The feeling of freedom possessed him undividedly, but was overshadowed by the bitter realization that he was physically unable to open the window.

He needed help, and Giuseppe remembered his mother sleeping in the next room. Just as he thought this, she woke up, opened her bedroom window and walked into her son's room, accidentally touching him. The mother's touch instantly returned Giuseppe to his physical body, and he woke up. There was a lump in my throat, my head was breaking into pieces, and my heart seemed to be about to jump out of my chest.

This experience was the first, but far from the last. Giuseppe later wrote the book “Di la della Vita” (“Life in Another Dimension”), dedicated to his psychic experiences and spiritual development*.

* Stewart Robb, Strange Prophecies That Came True (New York: Ace Books, Inc., 1967), 114-117.

Most often, in a borderline state, people experience flying through a tunnel towards a bright light. Often during the flight they are accompanied by deafening noise. A person who has entered a coma usually does not want to come back.

As a schoolboy, I knew a girl who experienced a coma after a traffic accident. She miraculously survived, but almost died on the operating table while the surgeons “worked magic” on her body.

She told me the following: “I was literally pulled into a tunnel with great speed, so that I heard a strong noise in my ears. I was drawn towards a beautiful light. Some time later I found myself in a magnificent garden, where everything around me shone with an indescribable light, of which I was a part. me. People came up to me, and I recognized them. They were Granny and Uncle Bill. Nearby was my younger brother Phil, who died at the age of eight. The meeting was joyful, and our mental conversations left an indelible mark on my soul.

And finally, an all-consuming Light appeared. I don’t know what it was, most likely the Lord. Goodness and understanding came from Him. In a split second my whole life flashed before me. Suddenly I felt myself being drawn back. I really didn’t want this, but in the blink of an eye I found myself back in my body. I assure you, this event changed my whole life. Everyone says that I am no longer myself, and they explain this as the consequences of the accident. However, it is not. Having been on the “other side”, I became tolerant and merciful.”

I had heard and read about many similar testimonies, but no one attached much importance to them until such cases interested a young student at the University of Virginia.

Dr. Raymond A. Moody was the first to bring public attention to the phenomenon of astral flight in people who had near-death experiences. A university professor told twenty-year-old Moody a story about a psychiatrist friend, George Ritchie, who was pronounced dead from double pneumonia and later miraculously returned to life. At the time this happened, George was serving as a private." His death was recorded in an army hospital in Texas in 1943. After his body was covered with a sheet, the orderly thought that the deceased moved his hand. The doctor re-examined the body and confirmed his original verdict However, at the orderly's request, he injected adrenaline into Richie's heart. To the surprise of those present, the young soldier returned to life, and after the end of the war he began practicing medicine. Dr. Moody was most interested in this story in George's "posthumous" story about how how he flew through the tunnel and met the Light-Bearing Beings.

Many years later, Moody recalled this episode in connection with the story of one of his students about an almost identical case.

Dr. Moody told both stories to the students, who in turn shared with him the testimonies of their relatives and friends. Many years later, he had every reason to declare: “In any group of thirty people there will be at least one who has experienced or knows someone who has experienced a similar experience in a state of clinical death.”*

* Melvin Morse, M. D., with Paul Perry, Closer to the Light (New York: Villard Books, 1990), 12.

After years of research, Dr. Moody has published several books on the subject, including the world-famous Life After Life*.

*Dr. Raymond Moody, Life after Life (New York: Bantam Books, 1975); Reflections on Life After Life (New York: Bantam Books, 1977); and The Light Beyond (New York: Bantam Books, 1988).

It should be noted that Moody was not the first to pay attention to cases of astral exit at the moment of clinical death. The case of Dr. Wiltz of Kansas is widely known. In 1889 it was announced that this gentleman had died of typhus, and even funeral bells rang in the local church. However, he survived. The St. Louis Medical and Surgical Journal reproduced on its pages the “memoirs of a dead man”: “I ... realized that I was still in my body, although I felt that it was indifferent to me. Feeling the natural curiosity of a doctor, I observed amazing, the process of separation of the soul from the body"*.

*St. Louis Medical and Surgical Journal (St. Louis: February 1890).

In the same article by dr. Wiltz describes his impressions of the "post-mortem" experience. After leaving his body, he noticed a man standing at the door of the hospital room. As Wiltz approached the exit of the room, “this man’s hand passed through my body without meeting any resistance ... I looked at his face, wanting to check his reaction to what had happened, but he clearly did not notice anything and continued to stare blankly at the hospital bed , which I had just left. I followed his gaze and saw my dead body... what struck me most of all was the exceptional pallor of his face... I tried to attract people's attention... I wanted to tell them that they were immortal , but no one paid attention to my silent calls. The situation in which I found myself began to seem funny to me, and I laughed... I felt great. Just a few minutes ago I was experiencing unbearable suffering, and suddenly the deliverance called death, which I was so afraid of. Now all this is in the past, and here I am - alive and thinking, yes, yes, thinking, and with greater clarity and without a shadow of anxiety. My health is excellent; no illness threatens me; I am immortal".

Almost everyone who experienced the borderline state got rid of the fear of death, realizing the immortality of the soul. Another characteristic feature of most people who have been “beyond the horizon” is rare patience and philanthropy.

In 1944, the famous psychiatrist Carl Jung broke his leg. Immediately after the injury, he suffered a heart attack, which almost brought him to his grave. The nurse later said that a bright glow emanated from his body, similar to what she had observed in some dying people.

Fortunately. Carl Jung is not dead. He found himself in outer space, looking down on the Earth, which was "bathed in waves of sky-blue light." The depths of the seas and the outlines of the continents appeared in all their splendor. Ceylon (Sri Lanka) lay under his feet, and India was visible ahead. He could not see the entire planet, but “its shape was clearly visible as a silvery glow against a background of blue light.”

After admiring the Earth, Jung turned around and saw a huge rock rushing through space like a meteorite. On the ledge in front of the entrance, a Hindu was sitting in the lotus position, and Jung, stepping onto the rock, felt peace, humility and a kind of religious enlightenment: “I had everything, and it was all me.”

Jung was already ready to enter the illuminated chamber, where, as he felt, answers to all questions about the meaning of existence awaited him. Suddenly his attending physician appeared, “crowned with a golden laurel wreath,” who told Jung that his time had not yet come and it was time to return to Earth. Reluctantly and “very disappointed,” Carl Jung returned to the world of the living*.

* S. G. Jung, Memories, Dreams, Reflections (London: William Collins, Sons and Company Limited and Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1963), 270-273.

Carl Jung's experience turned out to be much richer than an ordinary flight through a "light tunnel", indicating that the feelings of people in a borderline state vary. Before finally recovering, Jung experienced several more visions. He writes: “The beauty and emotional richness during these visions defies description. Everything experienced before pales in comparison with this experience... I could not even imagine that this was possible. The visions cannot be considered a figment of the imagination, since they were completely real; there was nothing subjective in them, on the contrary, they reflected absolute objectivity." The words of the famous scientist are quite consistent with the stories of other people who perceived their near-death experience as reality. We can safely say that all this has nothing to do with dreams.

Many people mistake these experiences for hallucinations. However, this is unlikely, since similar impressions are typical for representatives of all countries and peoples, including children. In his book, Closer to the Light, Dr. Melvin Morse cites many cases of children caught in life threatening situation, left their bodies.

The famous borderline researcher Kim Clark, while a staff psychologist at a clinic in Seattle, received irrefutable evidence of the reality of spontaneous astral experience.

Before the heart patient was discharged from the clinic, she tried to tell her about psychological rehabilitation methods. However, the woman did not show the slightest interest in her instructions. Instead of listening, the patient began to talk about her astral journey, which happened while the doctors were struggling to get her heart to beat again.

Seeing the psychologist's skeptical attitude towards her story, the woman invited Kim to verify the veracity of her story. To confirm her words, she stated that there was a shoe on the window ledge. Kim opened the window but didn't see anything. The patient continued to insist, but when she tried again, Kim did not find any shoe.

“We need to look around the corner,” the woman said.

The room where the conversation took place was located on the fifth floor, but Kim bravely climbed onto the ledge and was convinced of the truth of the patient’s words - the shoe was where she indicated. It was this incident that launched Kim Clark's career as a borderline researcher*.

* Morse, Closer to the Light, 18-19.

Dr. Melvin Morse has shown that astral experience in the borderline state is a result of this state, and not a consequence of insomnia, drug use or subconscious fears. Leading a team of scientists, Dr. Morse compared data on the sensations of dying and seriously ill people. It turned out that astral experience is available only to those who are on the verge of death. The results of these studies were published in November 1986 in the American Journal of Pediatrics.

Dr. Morse identified the area of ​​the brain responsible for near-death experiences and suggested that it is the "home of the soul."

It should be noted that very a small amount of patients who have experienced leaving the body in a near-death state are identified with an astral double. As a rule, they indicate some kind of “spark of consciousness.” Nevertheless, their experience should be qualified as obvious astral flight. Keith Garary, who was subjected to extensive parapsychological testing in 1970, was sent to the astral plane in the form of a "ghost", a ball of light or a beam. In some cases, he traveled through space as a "point of consciousness"*. So, there are many ways of astral travel, and all of them are absolutely real.

* D. Scott Rogo, "Experiments with Blue Harary" in Mind Beyond the Body, D. Scott Rogo, ed. (New York: Penguin Books, 1978), 192.

VISIONS IN CRISIS SITUATIONS

There are many cases where people have seen visions of their loved ones or lovers, whose death occurred immediately at the time of the visit of these “ghosts.” This happened when a deceased person unexpectedly appeared in front of a living person in order to say the last “sorry”.

A lady who attended my lectures told me about one such episode. The woman had an uncle who lived a hundred kilometers from her home. The old man, who was over eighty, had been widowed ten years ago and lived completely alone. The niece was haunted by the thought that she should visit her uncle, but urgent matters did not allow her to carry out her good intention. On top of that, the old man was deaf, as a result of which the telephone conversation lost all meaning.

One fine day, she firmly decided to bake a cake and make her uncle happy with her arrival the next morning. Unfortunately, the next day her son fell off his bike, and she spent the morning fussing over the child.

Already lying in bed, she told her husband that she would definitely visit the old man next week. Early in the morning, something woke her up, and she saw the ghost of her uncle standing next to the bed. Something told her that her uncle had died, and she began to wake up her husband. By the time he woke up, the ghost had disappeared. “I will never forget the mournful, reproachful expression on his face,” she complained. When the family arrived to put the house in order before selling, the neighbors told her about the old man’s last days, full of loneliness. According to them, they helped the lonely widower as best they could, but did not even suspect that he had relatives.

“This taught me a lot,” she said in conclusion, “not to put anything off for later; next week or even tomorrow. When you decide to do something, you need to do it immediately."

The author of the monograph "Living Ghosts" Edmund Gurney claims that ghosts can appear twelve hours before death and within twelve hours after death. In this book, Gurney gives one of the most famous examples of this phenomenon.

The English statesman, Lord Brougham, in his childhood and youth often discussed with his friend X issues related to life after death and the immortality of the soul. Their discussion ended with an oath, which the young men solemnly sealed with blood. According to this arrangement, whoever dies first must appear before the living to confirm the reality of life after death.

After graduating from college, everyone went their own way, and X went to India. After a few years, all communication between the friends ceased.

In 1799, Lord Brougham traveled to Sweden. The weather was cold, and Brougham was taking a hot bath at the inn where he and his companions stopped for the night. Getting ready to leave the bath, the lord looked at the chair on the back of which he had hung his clothes, and, not believing his eyes, saw his old friend X. “I don’t remember how I got out of the bath,” writes Lord Brougham, “but when I came to my senses , then I found myself lying on the floor. The ghost or whatever had taken the form of X had disappeared..." Upon returning home to Edinburgh, the lord learned that X had died on December 19, that is, the day he saw the ghost*.

* Gumey, Myers and Podmore, Phantasms of the Living, Case 146.

In 1991, Icelandic parapsychologist Erdendur Haroldson published the results of a study of phenomena of this order. According to these data, crisis management accounted for about fourteen percent of all ghost sightings. The figure could be even more impressive if not only fatal episodes were added to the list, but also all cases that occurred in extreme situations. In eighty-five percent of cases, people did not know in advance about the death of the person whose ghost they happened to meet. In half the cases, ghosts appeared within half an hour of death. It seems likely that approximately five percent of the population has encountered or will encounter such a “ghost” at least once in their lifetime*.

* Jean Ritchie, Inside the Supernatural (London: HarperCollins Publishers, 1992), 95-96.

In reality, a vision in a crisis situation is nothing more than the last astral flight of a dying person.

In some cases, this phenomenon takes other forms. So, a person hears a voice or smells a familiar smell. According to the research of Dr. Louise Rain, most people in such situations hear a familiar voice saying their name.

Something similar happened in France in 1907. A woman from Bordeaux heard a sad voice at night calling her name three times. Later she was informed that it was that night that the unsuccessful suitor for her hand died. From his deathbed he cried out to her for help.

DREAMS

We all astrally travel in our sleep, although few are aware of it. Dreams in which a person flies are typical for representatives of all nations and historical eras. There is a belief that a sleeping person should not be disturbed because his soul has gone on a journey. According to another view, during sleep the astral body hovers above the physical, that is, sleep means the automatic exit of the astral double.

Often a person experiences a feeling of falling just before falling asleep. This is explained by the fact that the soul that separates from the body is forced to return to its shell, unable to cope with the burden of problems or due to excessive stress.

Scientists have noted the difference between the drowsy state and the deep sleep mode. In a drowsy state eyeballs move involuntarily, and brain wave activity increases. During this phase, body twitching and signs of sexual arousal are often observed. Scientists call this condition “D mode.” It was noted that people who were awakened during this period clearly remembered their dreams and talked about them in great detail.

The deep sleep phase is called "mode A". During this period, a person is practically motionless, brain activity decreases, and the body works only to maintain vital physiological functions. A person sleeping in this mode, after waking up, talks about the dreams he experienced as events of everyday life. It is possible that “mode A” is a form of astral travel*.

* Gavin and Yvonne Frost, Astral Travel (London: Granada Publishing Limited, 1982), 41.

Three quarters of a typical night's sleep occurs in mode A, and one quarter in mode D.

When going to bed, a person goes through a phase of the so-called “hypnogenic state”; During this period, the mind and emotions calm down. It is at the end of this “preparation” that a person experiences a feeling of falling.

Unfortunately, in most cases people do not remember their dreams. After waking up, some vague images still hover in our heads, but literally an hour later there is no trace of them.

In order to remember a dream, special preparation is required, which in many ways resembles the preparatory actions before astral travel in the waking state.

First of all, you should determine the location of the intended trip in the dream. In the absence of such a plan, a person can end up anywhere, and this is precisely one of the reasons for nightmares. You should have a clear idea of ​​the location of your intended travel. For this purpose, it is useful to learn about it from magazines, books, or use existing photographs.

Always go to bed on time. If a person has not had enough sleep for a long time, his sleep will be so deep that, upon waking up, he will not be able to recall the picture of the dream in his memory. You should not eat immediately before going to bed, because in this case you will experience nightmares rather than pleasant dreams.

A person burdened with a lot of problems and unable to relax is also doomed to failure. In this case, it is better to wait until life gets back to normal, and only then experiment with the astral plane. Stress and strong emotional turmoil can cause spontaneous and short-lived astral exit, which usually occurs while awake.

Turn off the electricity in the room and imagine yourself bathing in waves of bright healing light. Breathe deeply into this beautiful, life-giving energy several times. Relax completely and mentally imagine the place where you are going to go in your dream. Pre-planning greatly improves memory capacity.

Place a notepad at your head and immediately after waking up, write down your impressions in it. Usually, after sleeping for some time, I remember and analyze the night visions while lying down and only then get out of bed and write in my diary. One of my friends puts a cassette recorder next to his bed and, when he wakes up, speaks his impressions into the microphone.

The technique of complete relaxation before astral travel in a dream is described in the tenth chapter.

For many people, their first memories of an astral experience are associated with awakening from sleep. The author of Astral Projection, Oliver Fox, at the age of sixteen, experienced his first astral exits in a dream. He discovered that even in a state of deep sleep he could control what was happening and influence the situation. He designated this phenomenon as a “cognitive dream”, since in a dream he received the knowledge that he dreamed about in reality*. The secret was that while he slept, his mind retained the ability to think critically. By working hard on yourself, anyone can achieve this, no matter how difficult it may seem at first glance.

* Fox, Astral Projection, 34-35.

People who have had their first astral experience in a dream include such famous psychics as the author of “Astral Body Projection” Sylvan Muldoon and the famous Keith Garary, who has succeeded like no other in the field of out-of-body experience.

Some methods of astral exit are applicable in a drowsy state. Robert Monroe wrote that when a person could “maintain a borderline state without falling asleep,” he was halfway to mastering the technique of entering the astral plane*.

* Robert A. Monroe, Journeys out of the Body (New York: Doubleday and Company, Inc., 1971), 208.

Oliver Fox coined the term "lucid dreaming", meaning a state of controlled sleep. Most often, a person encounters this phenomenon in nightmares, when by force of will he forces himself to wake up. However, in this case we are not talking about conscious control over the situation, since a person who has seen a nightmare cannot change the “plot”, but simply wakes up. Trained people easily acquire the ability to “consciously dream.”

The famous Russian mystic P. D. Uspensky, before falling asleep, concentrated his attention on consciousness for some time, and after falling asleep it continued to “work” as usual. In this way he achieved complete control over dreams*.

* Ouspensky, P. D., A New Model of the Universe (n. d. Reprinted New York: Random House, and London: Routledge and Kegan Paul Limited, 1960). This most accessible of Ouspensky's works includes a fascinating chapter entitled "The Study of Dreams and Hypnosis."

The easiest way to develop these abilities is to focus on dreams immediately after waking up. While you're half asleep, remind yourself that, no matter how much you might like it, dreams are not reality. Then try to go back to sleep and experience "lucid dreaming."

When conducting experiments of this kind, I usually imagine myself flying over familiar cities. For example, I like to soar over London and admire the familiar landscape. You can go anywhere. The goal of the flight can also be an imaginary landscape. Flying will help you fall asleep and experience "lucid dreaming."

It is possible that a spontaneous astral exit will occur during the flight. This method of astral travel was one of Sylvan Muldoon's favorite methods. He believed that any flight in a dream is a direct astral experience, despite the fact that consciousness remains in the physical shell. In this state, Muldoon had no difficulty in controlling the moment of awakening.

Realizing that the dream is not real will help you avoid the unpleasant moments that abound in every dream. As soon as your mind fixes one of these absurdities, by an effort of will “transfer” it into a “conscious dream”, and control over the situation will be ensured. You may want to watch the dream to its logical conclusion. In this case, there may be a desire to extend or change the plot. One way or another, once you gain control, you become a “co-author” of the script.

Some people use key phrases to transform a normal dream into a conscious dream. For example, in lucid dreams, flying is a widespread phenomenon; so you can repeat to yourself something like: “As I take off, I know that this is a dream.” Often during sleep, people are visited by various fantasies of a sexual nature, which can also be exploited to move to the conscious level of dreams. However, any dream can be used for the same purpose.

I have learned from my own experience that when I go to bed physically exhausted, I prefer lucid dreams to normal dreams. Emotional problems can also cause lucid dreams. During a period when my family was experiencing serious problems with one of our children, I had lucid dreams every night. However, I don’t want to invite trouble, so I recommend taking advantage of physical fatigue rather than expecting emotional turmoil.

As already mentioned, conscious dreams can be accompanied by astral exit. During such a dream, you can order yourself to go back and see yourself sleeping. After this, it is enough to wish to leave the body and instantly soar to the ceiling.

Don't be discouraged if your first attempt is unsuccessful. Keep experimenting and, sooner or later, you will achieve the desired result. Move persistently and with confidence in your soul towards your intended goal, and you will succeed.

Danish psychic and psychologist Dr. Frederik van Eeden was the first person to use lucid dreaming as a springboard for astral travel. He began his research in 1896 and a year later experienced "lucid dreaming" and astral flight. He especially liked flying, contacts with the souls of the dead and visiting unknown places to explore them. During astral exits, he sometimes, as if from the outside, saw his astral double standing at the head of his sleeping wife. The results of his discoveries were published in 1913*.

* Frederick Van Eeden, A study of Dreams in Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research Volume 26 (London: 1913), 431-461.

Dreams and out-of-body experiences go hand in hand. In the book Enhancing Psychic Power, Dr. Joe G. Slate talks about a woman who had a dream in which her car flipped over several times. Soon what he saw in the dream came true. At the moment of the catastrophe, the woman spontaneously entered the astral plane and observed from the side what she had already seen in her dream. Moreover, when she got out of the wrecked car, there was not a single scratch on her body*.

* Joe H. Slate, Ph. D., Psychic Empowerment (St. Paul: Llewellyn Publications, 1995), 159.

Spontaneous astral travel is of undoubted interest, but, unfortunately, we cannot completely control it. In the next chapter we will begin to study the technique of astral exit at will.

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Tags: Astral travel for beginners, out-of-body travel, Richard Webster.

From the story of the practitioner of astral travel, you can draw your own conclusions. Oleg, 25 years old, entered the astral plane after many attempts. Further about the astral world, what it is will be told from his perspective.

“I tried for a long time to get out of my body, but all attempts were in vain. Now I understand that this was due to a lack of knowledge.

Getting up early in the morning without an alarm clock, I wandered around the apartment for some time. When I lay down in bed, all my muscles were as relaxed as possible. After a couple of minutes, I began to see images, various pictures flashed in front of me, but I held onto my mind with all my might and tried not to fall asleep. During one of the images, I decided to stand up. It was difficult to get up; I seemed to roll forward.

I started feeling everything around. I was struck by the reality of the feelings. After that I woke up. But now I understood that everything was real, and I continued my practices. It is not possible to get out every time; a certain predisposition of the mind is required.

Now I sometimes travel to my favorite places and spend this time thinking about certain situations. This helps me stay more balanced in everyday life and sometimes see how a given situation will end. I think with practice I can stay there for a longer period. Great concentration is required to linger in the astral world."

What is the astral world?

The topic is quite confusing, there are many versions and sources. The Astral is an existing place, it is not a dream or a human fantasy. If two individuals enter it at the same time, they will meet each other. In the astral plane you can move to any point on the planet and in any time period. There you can meet higher and lower beings, deceased relatives.

You can go into the future and see what will happen in a certain period of life. But it is impossible to change anything or influence events.

There are often cases when a person loses interest in life after astral travel. It is worth understanding that the astral plane is simply a projection of the entire information field; you cannot live your life there.

Astral travel is the separation of the soul from the body, accompanied by a buzzing in the ears, heaviness and other unpleasant sensations. Both when leaving the body and during the journey itself there will be an unpleasant feeling of fear or anxiety. Often, people who enter the astral plane do not leave their room due to a feeling of anxiety.

Astral body

It is not the soul that goes on a journey through other worlds, but the astral body. As you know, a person consists not only of a soul and a physical shell. It contains 7 bodies: physical, etheric, astral, mental, causal, buddhic and atmic. At this moment in time, science has come closest to the astral body. Perhaps in the near future new opportunities will open up for everyone.

Therefore, you should not be afraid of not returning or oversleeping in the morning. The body continues its work in full and after awakening the astral body returns to its place.

If during the journey the body dies due to illness or someone kills you in reality while you are sleeping, then the astral body will not be able to return back. Therefore, a person in old age or in poor health should not engage in such practices.

Evidence of the Astral World

The astral world exists in exactly the same way as the astral body. There are many facts of clinical death, after which people talked about their travels through other worlds.

In the BBC film about near-death experiences, you can see the story of one woman who underwent complex brain surgery. During the operation it was necessary to kill her, that is, to put her into clinical death. But even when the brain died, the woman, separated from the body, heard and saw everything that was happening. Having told the doctor about the dialogues that had been heard, he confirmed that this was exactly what happened.

Many esotericists in their books confirmed the presence of the astral plane and have been there themselves; whether you should believe them is up to everyone to decide.

But the best proof will be personal experience, which anyone can get with some effort.

Astral world and mental world

The astral world is a display of images, and the mental world is a reflection of thoughts. It is very easy to confuse them. Just as images differ from thoughts, so these worlds differ from each other.

The mental world is considered a higher level. To get there you will have to work hard on yourself. The higher astral is a mental dimension. Only spiritually developed people with high concentration have access there.

It is believed that the highest astral or mental is heaven.

Since the astral world is a kind of projection of our world, it is very similar to our planet. There may be identical cities, countries, there may be small or huge differences. On the lower astral you can change forms by force of will, so it is quite difficult to describe this place specifically. One thing is clear - it is very similar to our world.

The lower astral can appear to a person as a figment of his imagination. In the lower astral plane you can modify the shapes of objects, create something new and play with your imagination in every possible way.

By entering the astral plane, you can move to any point in the world with just one thought; all you need is concentration.

You can often hear stories from eyewitnesses about how they saw our planet from the outside, while in the astral plane. The destination when entering the astral plane depends on the level of spiritual development of a person and his desires. He can wake up in his room, in a place from his childhood memories, anywhere on the planet.

3 ways to see the astral world

The subtle world is interesting to almost everyone; everyone dreams and wants to know a little more about the other world.

There are several exit techniques.

First way

Fall asleep in a position that is uncomfortable for you. If you sleep on your back, lie on your stomach, or vice versa. The state should be calm, not excited. The mood should be indifferent. If you cling to the idea of ​​exit, you will never be able to truly leave the body.

Closing your eyes, you need to begin to peer into the bottomless emptiness. This must be done until images or pictures appear. After them, vibrations will appear in the body.

At this moment you need to get up immediately. Don't worry about how to do it, the main thing is action. If you can’t get up, you can roll out of bed onto the floor; for many, it’s easier to just roll down. This is an important point!

At the same time, people often confuse reality and the astral plane. Waking up already in the astral plane, they believe that they just got out of bed and lie back down. After which they wake up in reality with a feeling of missing a moment.

If you miss the vibrations and do nothing, you will fall into sleep paralysis, and this state is very unpleasant.

Second way

In the evening, when you go to bed, you need to relax and close your eyes. Next, falling asleep, half asleep, you need to raise your hands and see them. In reality, the muscles will be completely relaxed, and the real hand will not move anywhere, the eyes will be closed.

When a fuzzy image appears, you need to rub your hands together with all your might. When the image is clear, you will have to immediately roll out of the physical body.

Third way

Torsion around its axis. When falling asleep, you need to imagine how your body makes an infinite number of revolutions in one direction or another. The faster the better. The more revolutions there are, the easier it will be to get rid of the shell. You can alternate all three methods while falling asleep at 15 second intervals to achieve the best effect.

Sleep paralysis

Paralysis occurs during exit from the body if a person was unable to jump out of the shell in time and got stuck in it.

The body will be paralyzed and fear will arise due to the feeling of being uncontrollable by the body. Otherworldly sounds and perhaps even images will appear. Sometimes there is a feeling of suffocation and terrible fear. At such a moment, you should not panic, this will only aggravate the situation, you should relax and just wait until the body wakes up.

Sleep paralysis is a fairly common phenomenon. There are many legends among different nations about demons or witches who sit on their chests in the middle of the night and scare people, trying to strangle them. In fact, this is explained by the fact that the person woke up during sleep. When we sleep, we experience a condition called muscle atonia, it prevents body movements and paralyzes the body while we sleep. When we wake up during sleep, we get this kind of sleep paralysis. This state lasts from a few seconds to a couple of minutes.

Is the astral world dangerous?

When the astral body travels through other dimensions, no entity can harm it. Provided that the person has a strong psyche and is not afraid when he sees this or that entity.

Guests from the lower strata exist in the real world. Invisibly for us, they are attracted to places where envy, lust, and anger accumulate. Gradually they begin to influence people, making them slaves of earthly pleasures and vices. It is worth understanding that the subtle world is always present in a person’s everyday life. Just because we don't see it doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

At the lowest level of the astral plane there are entities of the same level of development as a person. You cannot destroy anything in that world or try to harm entities; the consequences can even extend into everyday life.

Contact with the astral world

Once on lowest level You can meet various entities from myths and legends. From vampires to werewolves. There are also bad souls here who could have sinned greatly during their lifetime. We are travelers just like you. Also there you can meet various magicians who travel around the worlds in order to study abilities.

The astral plane has its own laws, but each person sees it a little differently. This happens due to the peculiarities of perception of the world. In our daily lives, we also see the world differently.

Sensations and contacts are absolutely real; just because the world is invisible does not mean that it does not exist.

If the astral body reaches the highest level, we can say that it has gone to heaven. But the path to the top is open only to the brightest and wisest souls; a small number of people have been there.

The astral world of cats and dogs

Everyone has heard stories about animals that came to their owner across thousands of kilometers. Or even after death they visited him. This is not all fiction. Animals often travel to the astral worlds and feel much more confident there than people.

After death, animals also enter the astral plane and continue to live there. It’s not for nothing that a cat is considered a guide to the other world.

Animals can become your companions on your journey through the subtle world. To do this, it is enough to call the animal’s astral body to you during the journey. As a rule, this happens easily and without hitches.

Safety precautions when working and traveling in the astral world

Protection in the subtle world will be a person’s strong faith and his moral principles. Gradually, when a person gets stronger, his powers will increase, and the entities will not have such an influence on his soul.

To avoid consequences, you should follow safety precautions:

1. Do not go into the astral plane for a long time until the practices become something familiar.
2. Do not attack entities, do not destroy your place of residence and do not imagine yourself to be great. You are just a guest there.
3. People with strong mental health should go to the astral plane.
4. You can't be scared. Fear is the only way through which spirits can cause harm.
5. Each entity can be directly asked who it is. Because appearance can be deceiving. She has no right to lie, but she can evade or simply hide.

Conclusion

Many people are unable to stay in the astral plane or simply get there. You should not be upset in such a situation; mentally weak people, as well as unprepared people, are not allowed into the astral plane. In order to get there you need to have a strong psyche and moral readiness. The consequences of being there can easily affect daily life. This is a serious and responsible journey where two worlds collide.

Also, only those who really want it get there, who can break through the wall and force themselves, will not be afraid and will be able to survive all the experiences.

Therefore, if the thirst for travel burns in your heart, then you will succeed, the only question is practice and regularity of its implementation.

In order to understand what astral travel is, you must firmly believe in. At the same time, astral travel, the method of exiting the body of which is varied, and individual methods are sometimes contradictory, assumes that the human essence has five bodies:

• material shell– the physical body itself;
• an astral body that can move in space and time;
• mental body, giving a person the ability to think and rationalize his thinking;
• mind - consciousness, which forms the psycho-emotional essence of a person;
• soul, given to man by the Creator, which is the immortal essence of the individual.

Before understanding specific methods of astral travel, it is necessary to briefly familiarize yourself with modern ideas about them and possible ways liberation of the astral body from the bodily shell.

Astral Travel Basics

In order for an individual to master the technique of exiting the astral body from its physiological shell, he must have a strong will and the ability to concentrate. People who “fly” in their sleep are most prone to astral travel. Depending on the development of this ability, the following options are possible:

• when flying during dreams, a person will not spend any physical effort to the rise and fall of your astral body, which will be able to soar, but not move in space;
• For controlled movement, a person will waste his physical energy, and the astral journey itself takes place in several stages:
• repulsion from the ground (bed) – take-off – soaring – descent;
• movement in space provided by a trained physical body and its astral component.

Astral bodies separated from the physical shell hover above their place of residence, and energetically strong and better prepared individuals can make longer and farther journeys. Usually people cannot see the flight of someone else’s body, but those with extrasensory or paranormal abilities (clairvoyants) perceive someone else’s astral shell in the same way as an ordinary physical body.

Some esotericists are convinced that astral travel can end in death, since the soul will not be able to find its way to the physiological shell. This is a deep misconception, since astral flight takes place under the guidance of the subconscious, which, unlike the mind, is always awake.

Anomalous zones and territories with strong electromagnetic fields pose some danger. However, even in them, astral travel does not always lead to death. In most cases, a person falls ill and for some time loses the ability to move astrally even in exoterically safe zones.

Training Methods for Astral Travel

People who do not have the innate ability to fly in their sleep can independently, after certain training, make astral travel, the method of leaving the body of which offers various sets of spiritual and physical exercises. Regardless of the chosen method, there are certain requirements that are common to all, the main one of which is regularity and continuity of training, for which you need to devote from five minutes to half an hour every day. At the initial stage of training, a person must master the ability to separate his astral body from his physical body. After this, having chosen one of the sets of exercises, you should begin to master the control of the astral substance. At the same time, at first a person may not actually feel the emerging skill, but he will fly more and more often in his dreams.

Currently, the following methods are most often used to realize one’s astral essence and control astral travel:

• exit of the astral body from the physiological shell using Alice Anne Bailey techniques (Alice Ann Bailey) - American theosophical writer and founder of the Arcana School;
• a technique for separating the physical and astral components by self-hypnosis ;
• technique using a visualization mechanism (self-visualization), sometimes called Aleister Crowley's method (Aleister Crowley);
• astral method traveler Yuri Borisov .

At the first stage, any astral movements and journeys, exits from the body of which are chosen and accepted, must be carried out under the supervision of a curator (mentor, inductor).