In our present times, the term Astral Projection is often confused with many other kinds of "projections." It's understandable because nobody classified projections under a single group. If we literally try to analyze this term, then the word "astral" derives from the Latin word astralis, meaning "resembling the stars." You could say that a person conducting an astral projection is basically a star traveler. So, when people mention Astral Projection, what does it really mean?

Since projections are variations of teleportation, we could say that an astral projection is the most basic form of teleportation. In simple terms, Astral Projections or as some call them, Out of Body Experiences (OBEs), are the experiences in which a person seems to leave his/her body and to observe the world from a point of view other than that which he would have were he is still "in" his/her body. Since the human being is made of a physical and Spiritual body, in this chapter we will focus more on the Etheric Auric ody, which was briefly mentioned under the Auric Body  chapter.

The Astral Body, belonging to every person, is an exact duplicate of the perfect physical body of that person. In other words, it coincides with the physical throughout. In a conscious state the two are aligned with each other. Astral Projections should not be mistaken as ordinary dreams because they are very different. For one thing, during an Astral Projection clear consciousness of Self is maintained by the subject. Other differences include questioning of actions taken - if we wish we may view ourselves from the outside, our senses are more refined, and usually Astral Projections tend to end as if going down stairs or falling or flying towards earth.

There is nothing to fear from an Astral Projection as it's a natural behavior of the Spiritual Self. One thing that must be clarified before continuing with this subject is that spiritual possession does not exist; it's not allowed because when the Astral body is out of coincidence - whether traveling or near by - it is linked to the physical counterpart through a cord or cable which supplies vital energy to both bodies. We cannot break this cord as it's a necessity for this physical lifetime to exist. When it breaks, a permanent projection of the Astral body occurs resulting in what we call death. In fact it's actually Re-Birth , as we return to the Astral plane from which we came.

Basically, Astral Projections may be classified as unconscious and conscious, or spontaneous and voluntary. Spontaneous projections are the most common ones and it happens when the person undergoing the experience finds himself/herself projected without knowing how or why. Voluntary projections on the other hand are much rarer than spontaneous ones because we are conscious throughout the whole process. To do this requires a lot of patience and experimentation. If you know how to breathe during meditation, then a simple experiment can trigger a voluntary projection. For a start, if you wish to experience a voluntary projection then use your body to trigger it. If you are thirsty, place a glass of water a few meters (feet) away, and instead of drinking you may go into meditative state and imagine yourself drinking a glass of water a few meters (feet) away from yourself. By doing this, it forces the Astral body to move out of coincidence from the physical counterpart and project itself towards the glass of water. Once you succeeded with this basic experiment, then try new ones which require you to go further away.

For another viewpoint on Astral Projections, read Astral Projection: The Doorway to a New Dimension by Jerry Gross, a teacher and practitioner of out-of-body experiences.

What's the process of an Astral Projection? Click the image below for more information.