NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Astral projection

Astral projection (or astral travel) is an occult interpretation of an out-of-body experience achieved either awake or via lucid dreaming or deep meditation. The concept of astral projection assumes the existence of another body, separate from the physical body and capable of traveling to non-physical planes of existence. Commonly such planes are called astral, etheric, or spiritual. Astral projection is often experienced as the spirit or astral body leaving the physical body to travel in the spirit world or astral plane.^[1] The concept of astral projection has been familiar for thousands of years, dating back to ancient China and other ancient cultures. The word occult comes from the Latin occultus (clandestine, hidden, secret), referring to knowledge of the hidden.[1] In the medical sense it is used commonly to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e. ... An out-of-body experience (OBE or sometimes OOBE) is an experience that typically involves a sensation of floating outside of ones body and, in some cases, seeing ones physical body from a place outside ones body (autoscopy). ... Lucid dreams occur during REM sleep after the person becomes conscious and aware of dreaming within the dream. ... For other senses of this word, see Meditation (disambiguation). ... A physical body is an object which can be described by the theories of classical mechanics, or quantum mechanics, and experimented upon by physical instruments. ... Travel is the transport of people on a trip or journey. ... The etheric body, ether-body, Ã¦ther body, or vital body is one of the subtle bodies in esoteric philosophies, in some religious teachings and in New Age thought. ... Spirituality, in a narrow sense, concerns itself with matters of the spirit. ... The soul, according to many religious and philosophical traditions, is the self-aware essence unique to a particular living being. ... The astral body refers to the concept of a subtle body which exists alongside the physical body, as a vehicle of the soul or consciousness. ... List of bones of the human skeleton Human anatomy is primarily the scientific study of the morphology of the adult human body. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... The astral plane, also called the astral world or desire world, is a plane of existence according to esoteric philosophies, some religious teachings and New Age thought. ... China is the worlds oldest continuous major civilization, with written records dating back about 3,500 years and with 5,000 years being commonly used by Chinese as the age of their civilization. ...

Astral projection is controversial. Skeptics say that there is only the evidence of personal testimonials that anything actually leaves the body.^[2] A controversy is a contentious dispute, a disagreement over which parties are actively arguing. ...

Schools of thought

There are three general schools of thought on the nature of astral projection. These can broadly be defined as the separation model, the phasing model, and the skeptical model.

Separation model

The separation model includes a large variety of belief systems, which say that astral projection takes place outside of the physical body. In this model, an astral or etheric body carries the consciousness outside of the physical body.^[3] Some, such as those who believe in Theosophy, say that the higher astral planes are reached through the progressive projection of subtler energy bodies from previous projected bodies, much like a Russian doll, while others believe in less complicated systems.^[4]^[5] The subtle body is attached to the physical body by means of an energetic connection which usually takes the appearance of a silver cord 'plugging' into the chakra system.^[6]^[7] This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... The Subtle body is a non-physical energy or psycho-spiritual body or bodies that all beings have, according to various esoteric, occult, and mystical teachings. ... A Matryoshka doll (Cyrillic матрёшка or матрешка) is a Russian nesting doll. ... For the Naruto jutsu, see Chakra (Naruto). ...

Phasing model

According to the phasing model, defined mainly by Robert Monroe, no "movement" actually occurs during astral projection. The astral planes and the physical world are points on the spectrum of consciousness. When a person projects, they actually "phase" into another area of consciousness and the locales it contains. This can be likened to tuning a radio to another station. The phasing model does not say that the mind is dependent on the brain, but only that our concepts of space do not necessarily apply to astral travel.^[8]^[9] Robert Allan Monroe (1915â€“1995) was a psychic researcher and author of Journeys Out of the Body, a 1971 book that popularized the expression out of body experience. Monroe was a conservative Virginia businessman who had his first out-of-body experience in 1958. ... Consciousness is a quality of the mind generally regarded to comprise qualities such as subjectivity, self-awareness, sentience, sapience, and the ability to perceive the relationship between oneself and ones environment. ...

Skeptical model

Astral projection is an experience which takes place in the mind/brain of the experiencer. The exact mechanisms are unknown, but experiences somewhat similar to an Out-of-body experience -though without any experience of astral planes- can be induced with drugs or brain stimulation.^[2] ^[10]^[11] An out-of-body experience (OBE or sometimes OOBE) is an experience that typically involves a sensation of floating outside of ones body and, in some cases, seeing ones physical body from a place outside ones body (autoscopy). ...

Projection types or locations

The astral planes are usually conceived as either realms that overlap the physical in different layers, or as states of consciousness that need to be traversed in order. Usually, the progression is from the physical to the etheric, then the astral, then various other realms or spirit worlds beyond the astral. ^[12] This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

Astral projection

In astral projection the traveller finds him- or herself in an apparently real domain, which has no parallel to any physical setting. This is termed by New Agers and occultists among others as the astral plane or "the astral". Environments here may range from populated to unpopulated, artificial to natural to completely abstract environments and from beautific to horrific. Here, normal physical laws often do not apply. The quality of detail ranges from crude to vivid and fascinating. Projectors may gain access to visions of the past or future of Earth, and to the Akashic records. It has been said that space and time do not exist on the astral plane in the same way they do on earth, or that they can be transcended. Many travelers have theorized that people having dreams travel to the astral realms. Travelers have reported seeing dreamers enact dream scenarios on the astral plane, unaware of the more extensive and varied non-physical environment surrounding them. Some also claim common movements in dreams, such as falling or feeling like you are walking through quicksand, is the astral body in action.^[13] New Age describes a broad movement characterized by alternative approaches to traditional Western culture. ... The word occult comes from the Latin occultus (clandestine, hidden, secret), referring to knowledge of the hidden.[1] In the medical sense it is used commonly to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e. ... The astral plane, also called the astral world or desire world, is a plane of existence according to esoteric philosophies, some religious teachings and New Age thought. ... The Akashic Records (Akasha is a Sanskrit word meaning sky, space or aether) are said to be a collection of mystical knowledge that is stored in the aether; i. ... For other uses, see Dream (disambiguation). ...

The astral environment is often divided into levels or planes. There are many different views concerning the overall structure of the astral planes, and many different numbering schemes applied to them. These planes may include heavens and hells, places where people go immediately after death, transcendent environments for those who are "more enlightened," and other less-easily charicterized states.^[14]^[15]^[16]

Etheric projection

Though closely related to astral projection, in etheric projection a projector encounters mainly that which exists physically, moving about in a (usually invisible) etheric body. The term was used as far back as the 1940s, by Dion Fortune in her book Psychic Self Defence.^[17] In contrast to astral projection, during this type of experience, there are no fantastical worlds, or self-absorbed encounters; the majority of the experience can -hypothetically- be validated. The etheric body, ether-body, Ã¦ther body, or vital body is one of the subtle bodies in esoteric philosophies, in some religious teachings and in New Age thought. ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Violet Mary Firth Evans, born Violet Mary Firth (December 6, 1890[1] - 1946) and better known as Dion Fortune, was a British occultist and author[2]. Her pseudonym was inspired by her family motto Deo, non fortuna (Latin for God, not fate)[3]. // She was born at Bryn-y-Bia...

The world encountered during etheric projection may seem to be at variance with physical reality if strict mind control is not maintained. Robert Monroe describes this type of projection as a projection to "Locale I" or the "Here-Now", and describes it as containing people and places that actually exist in the material world.^[18] Robert Bruce refers to a similar area as the "Real Time Zone" (RTZ) and describes it as the nonphysical dimension level closest to the physical.^[19] Robert Allan Monroe (1915â€“1995) was a psychic researcher and author of Journeys Out of the Body, a 1971 book that popularized the expression out of body experience. Monroe was a conservative Virginia businessman who had his first out-of-body experience in 1958. ... Robert I, King of Scots, usually known as Robert the Bruce (July 11, 1274 – June 7, 1329, reigned 1306 – 1329), was, according to a modern biographer (Geoffrey Barrow), a great hero who lived in a minor country. ...

In Western theosophy, each subtle body is functionally distinct. Since the etheric body and astral body are not the same, they cannot represent the same kind of psychic activity.^[20] ^[21] Theosophy, literally god-wisdom (Greek: Î¸ÎµÎ¿ÏƒÎ¿Ï†Î¯Î± theosophia), designates several bodies of ideas. ... The Subtle body is a non-physical energy or psycho-spiritual body or bodies that all beings have, according to various esoteric, occult, and mystical teachings. ... Psychic (sÄ«kÄk) refers in part to the human mind or psyche (ex. ...

According to Max Heindel, the etheric "double" serves as a medium between the astral and physical realms. Ether, also called prana, is the "vital force" that empowers the Physical forms in order for change to take place. This means that when one views the physical during an OBE, they are not technically "in" the astral realm at all.^[22] Max Heindel (1865-1919) Max Heindel - born Carl Louis von Grasshoff in Aarhus, Denmark on July 23, 1865 - was a Christian occultist, astrologer, and mystic. ... The etheric body, ether-body, Ã¦ther body, or vital body is one of the subtle bodies in esoteric philosophies, in some religious teachings and in New Age thought. ... Prana (, IAST: ) is a Sanskrit word meaning breath and refers to a vital, life-sustaining force of living beings and vital energy in natural processes of the universe. ...

Research

Dr. Robert Crookall published case studies of astral projection in 1960. He divided these into naturally-occurring out-of-the-body experiences (people who nearly died, people who were very ill, people who were exhausted, etc, and people who were quite well) and enforced OBEs, from anaesthesia, suffocation, accidents and hypnosis.^[23]

Dr. Charles Tart tentatively concluded that etheric projection may have objective validity. For example, in a 1967 study, a subject was unable to discover a five digit number written down and placed face up in an adjoining room, but did provide some details of the activities of the technician monitoring the experiment. Tart summarizes, "Thus, there is some indication that ESP may have been involved with respect to the technician's activities, but it is not at all conclusive."^[24]^[25] Charles Tart (1937- ) Charles T. Tart, Ph. ...

Robert Monroe, founder of the Monroe Institute, published several accounts of his experiences of astral projection, including Far Journeys. Monroe developed a method called "Hemi-Sync" to induce mental states that are favorable for projection. Hemisync is a method of altering brain waves using sounds, together with meditative instruction, listened to on headphones. The process is based on a concept called binaural beats.^[26] Robert Allan Monroe (1915â€“1995) was a psychic researcher and author of Journeys Out of the Body, a 1971 book that popularized the expression out of body experience. Monroe was a conservative Virginia businessman who had his first out-of-body experience in 1958. ... Note:This article is not an objective documentation. ... Hemi-Sync is a trademarked brand name for a process developed at the Monroe Institute, used to create audio patterns containing binaural beats, which are commercialized in the form of audio CDs. ... Electroencephalography is the neurophysiologic exploration of the electrical activity of the brain by the application of electrodes to the scalp. ... For other senses of this word, see Meditation (disambiguation). ... Binaural beats or binaural tones are auditory processing artifacts, that is apparent sounds, the perception of which arises in the brain independent of physical stimuli. ...

Bruce Moen began as a student of Robert Monroe, but has developed the process of mentally exploring through 'projection' in such a manner as to frequently override the need for sound wave support such as Hemi-Sync.^[27] Bruce Moen is an engineering consultant in his own firm as well as an author and international lecturer. ... Robert Allan Monroe (1915â€“1995) was a psychic researcher and author of Journeys Out of the Body, a 1971 book that popularized the expression out of body experience. Monroe was a conservative Virginia businessman who had his first out-of-body experience in 1958. ...

See also

An out-of-body experience (OBE or sometimes OOBE) is an experience that typically involves a sensation of floating outside of ones body and, in some cases, seeing ones physical body from a place outside ones body (autoscopy). ... â€œNDEâ€ redirects here. ... LiÅ„ga ÅšarÄ«ra is the Sanskrit term for the invisible double of the human body. ... Plato (Left) and Aristotle (right), by Raphael (Stanza della Segnatura, Rome) Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the ultimate nature of reality, being, and the world. ... Look up Esotericism in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Hypnagogia (also spelled hypnogogia) describes vivid dream-like auditory, visual, or tactile sensations, which are often accompanied by sleep paralysis and experienced when falling asleep or waking up. ... Early parapsychological research employed the use of Zener cards in experiments designed to test for possible telepathic communication. ... The Nightmare, by Henry Fuseli (1781) is thought to be one of the classic depictions of sleep paralysis perceived as a demonic visitation. ... There are six main schools of thought on Tattvic philosophy. ... Teleportation is the movement of objects or elementary particles from one place to another, more or less instantaneously, without traveling through space. ... Mediumship is a term used mostly in spiritualism to denote the ability to produce psi phenomena of a mental or physical nature. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

References

^ http://parapsych.org/historical_terms.html entry on Astral body in the Historical Terms Glossary from the website of the Parapsychological Association, retrieved August 26, 2007
^ ^a ^b http://www.skepdic.com/astralpr.html Skeptic's Dictionary by Robert Todd Carroll, article on Astral Projection, retrieved August 24, 2007. "There is scant evidence to support the claim that anyone can project their mind, soul, psyche, spirit, astral body, etheric body, or any other entity to somewhere else on this or any other planet. The main evidence is in the form of testimonials."
^ http://parapsych.org/historical_terms.html entry on Astral body in the Historical Terms Glossary from the website of the Parapsychological Association, retrieved August 26, 2007
^ Monroe, Robert. Far Journeys. ISBN 0-385-23182-2
^ Astral Dynamics by Robert Bruce. Hampton Roads Publishing Company, Inc, 1999 ISBN 1-57174-143-7 p. 31-33, 404-410, 538
^ Projection of the Astral Body by Carrington and Muldoon
^ Out of Body Experiences: How to have them and what to expect by Robert Peterson (chapters 5, 17, 22)
^ Monroe, Robert. Far Journeys. ISBN 0-385-23182-2
^ Journeys Out of the Body by Robert A. Monroe, p 60. Anchor Press, 1977.
^ http://www.skepdic.com/obe.html Skeptic's Dictionary by Robert Todd Carroll, article on out-of-body experience (OBE), retrieved August 24, 2007
^ Blanke, O., Ortigue, S., Landis, T., & Seeck, M. (2002). Stimulating illusory own-body perceptions. Nature, 419(6904), 269-270.
^ Wilde, Stuart: Sixth Sense, p 129. Hay House, Inc, 2000.
^ Astral Dynamics by Robert Bruce. Hampton Roads Publishing Company, Inc, 1999 ISBN 1-57174-143-7
^ Astral Dynamics by Robert Bruce. Hampton Roads Publishing Company, Inc, 1999 ISBN 1-57174-143-7
^ Monroe, Robert. Far Journeys. ISBN 0-385-23182-2
^ Journeys Out of the Body by Robert A. Monroe, p 60. Anchor Press, 1977.
^ Charles and Collins, Carr; "The Story of Dion Fortune", Thoth Books, 1998, ISBN 1-870450-33-7, p150,
^ Journeys Out of the Body by Robert A. Monroe, p 60. Anchor Press, 1977.
^ Astral Dynamics by Robert Bruce Hampton Roads Publishing Company, Inc, 1999. p 25-27, 30-31
^ http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/etgloss/ass-atm.htm ENCYCLOPEDIC THEOSOPHICAL GLOSSARY: A Resource on Theosophy Retrieved August 23, 2007 "Astral Body Generally equivalent to the Sanskrit linga-sarira, the ethereal model-body, usually invisible to our physical eyes, upon which the physical body (sthula-sarira) is modeled. There are three ethereal forms or bodies which might properly be called astral bodies: 1) mayavi-rupa -- the illusory form-body of thought and substance projected by high initiates; 2) linga-sarira -- the model- or pattern-body, the second principle of the human constitution; and 3) kama-rupa -- the phantom or spook which is seen occasionally in the vicinity of graves or which occasionally materializes at seances."
^ http://www.skepdic.com/astralpr.html Skeptic's Dictionary by Robert Todd Carroll, article on Astral Projection, retrieved August 24, 2007.
^ Heindel, Max, The Rosicrucian Mysteries (Chapter IV, The Constitution of Man: Vital Body - Desire Body - Mind), 1911, ISBN 0-911274-86-3
^ Crookall, Robert. The Study and Practice of Astral Projection, copyright 1960 (before ISBN)
^ http://www.paradigm-sys.com/ctt_articles2.cfm?id=31 Psychophysiological Study of Out-of-the-Body Experiences in a Selected Subject, by Charles Tart Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research, 1968, vol. 62, no. 1, pp. 3-27
^ http://www.paradigm-sys.com/ctt_articles2.cfm?id=32 Second Psychophysiological Study of Out-of-the-Body Experiences in a Selected Subject by Charles T. Tart Published in the International Journal of Parapsychology, 1967, vol. 9, 251-258
^ Monroe, Robert. Far Journeys. ISBN 0-385-23182-2
^ Vol.1 Voyages into the Unknown 1997 By Bruce Moen ISBN 1-57174-068-6

Contents

Schools of thought

Separation model

Phasing model

Skeptical model

Projection types or locations

Astral projection

Etheric projection

Research

See also

References

References

External links

Contents

Schools of thought GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

Separation model

Phasing model

Skeptical model

Projection types or locations

Astral projection

Etheric projection

Research

See also

References

References

External links

Schools of thought