Astral Projection Essay, Research Paper

Astral Projection

Imagine if you could go anywhere you wanted to for free. Think what it would be like to travel wherever you want, whenever you want. You are at total peace with yourself and your surroundings. You can meet people and beings you would otherwise never meet. Enter the Astral Plane, a place where one s consciousness can exist directly within the physical world. Astral projection is a highly popular area of the occult. Many followers believe they can will their consciousness to depart their physical body. However, there are also many skeptics out there who doubt the validity of the believers claims. Although there are many people who believe that one can will his or her subconscious to travel away from their body, physical proof is lacking to prove or disprove this truth.

The major cause of skepticism toward metaphysical occurrences or abilities is the lack of proof. Several studies have been conducted. However, most of them prove inconclusive. In an experiment conducted by Dr. Russel Targ and James Randi of Stanford Institute, Ingo Shwann and Harold Sherman claimed to have traveled in space. They claimed they traveled to planets in the solar system before any spacecraft had traveled that far. Their claims were compared to the findings of Mariner 10. According to the results, forty percent of the claims were false. Only one in sixty-five of the claims were facts that could not be found in research books. This data could not be interpreted either as for or against the validity of the claims, since thought can affect the astral plane.(Goodin 12)

Psychologists and scientists who are nonbelievers feel the out-of-body experience is merely a lucid dream. A lucid dream is an imagination of the mind, and according to Matt Holmes, they are very different from astral projection. People who claim to possess this unique power say that there is a difference between astral projection and lucid dreaming, as they have experienced both. (Goodin 15)

Astral projection is more popularly known as an Out-of-Body Experience. The Skeptic s Dictionary defines astral projection as The separation of a person s consciousness from his or her body, allowing the person to travel short of vast distances without taking the body along.

When one astral projects, he or she travels on the astral plane. According to Matt Holmes, the subject s thoughts create the reality of the experience. There are also theories that when someone has negative feelings, negative entities are attracted. In the astral plane, there are beings that do not exist on the physical plane. Some people say that a traveler has no chance of being harmed. Others claim that projection can be dangerous. The people with more knowledge on the subject believe it to be as safe as dreaming.(Goodin 32)

The astral plane is composed of astral matter and contains thought forms. These thought forms are the impressions left by things of the physical world. Some items leave a larger impression and the thought form can exist long after the physical item is gone. In the astral plane, one cannot interact directly with physical objects. Another major difference between the physical plane is Astral Vision. In the astral plane, a traveler can see more than 360 degrees simultaneously. The traveler is only an energy form that can travel at will. There is no need for transportation since thoughts alone control this plane.

The believers in self-willed astral projection all have their own ways of achieving an Out-of-Body Experience. However, they are all based on the same ideas. The room should be dark, but not totally black. No restrictive clothing should be worn. The best position is lying down. The projector begins by entering a relaxed mental and physical state, usually by meditation. The next step is to enduce a vibrating feeling throughout the body. Once the sensation is felt throughout the body, the person attempts to leave the physical body. Everyone has different methods for what works best.

People believe in astral projection for many reasons. Some people merely want there to be more than what people know. The idea of other planes excites them as well as the chance that they can be visited. Others have personal experience with leaving the body, such as in near death experiences. Astral projection could be merely an emotional escape from the physical world, like a lucid dream. Or else maybe there is more than most people think. Maybe we really can will our consciousness onto another plane and interact with other beings there. For now, people are going to have to believe what they want to because there is simply nothing to prove it false or real.