"Dear Merciful and Omnipotent Father Sotlio,
I'm sure this has come up with anyone attempting to learn this very difficult yet rewarding skill, but I can't seem to get out of body! I really want to learn how to astral project.
I know I get close, I KNOW I do, but I can't seem to get out. I think i have done it twice, quite by accident and not necessarily when I meant to, and other times I feel like my hands are out but nothing else is.
I've pictured the rope, I've tried rocking back and forth, i've tried imagining floating up.....nothing.
PLEASE HELP!
Your frustrated faithful follower,
sonofgallifrey"
Dear frustrated son,
It is fantastic to hear that you've been actively attempting to learn Astral Projection. I'm pretty sure it seems like quite the daunting task to you at this point, doesn't it?
Oh yes, EVERYONE who decides to learn how to Astral Project has found it to be a difficult to learn yet rewarding skill, you are certainly correct there. In fact, the rewards are so great that the frustration level can get quite high!
There were 2 main factors that affected me (and many others) when I first started practicing Astral Projection. These 2 factors likely affect you, too. For this, there are a few philosophies and practices that will seriously help.
The first factor is "OVER-EDUCATION"
As your interest in Astral Projection grew, you likely sought out many different books, videos, advice etc, and now you have many different theories, techniques, and maybe even some contradicting advice. Now you are left with a long list of "MUSTS" and this 101 point checklist. With all this information in your head, even if you WERE successful at an OBE, you'd miss out on it due to being so focused on not "breaking any of the rules"!
Don't even worry about it, though. I've been there, many others have been there, and EVERYONE who gets into this will go through this stage.
The philosophy I use to remedy this (as well as many other endeavors) is:
"Keep It Simple, Stupid"
You may have heard of this before, the "KISS" principle. Basically, if you over-complicate a task, it will seem more difficult than it really is, and you'll increase the probability of failure. So, simplify it! I'll segway into the "good stuff" of this post by talking about the 2nd philosophy:
"FAKE IT TILL YOU MAKE IT"
I'm sure you've came across a number of different tricks used by others to induce an OBE, like grabbing a ball of light and pulling it down to your head, or imagining climbing a ladder or rope, or to visualize yourself as floating up, and so on.
You don't really NEED to do any of those things. What it all comes down to is to "fake it", to PRETEND.
What do I mean by this? Well, the next time you go for an attempt at Astral Projection, start small. Before you lie down, look around your room. Pay attention to some of the details of the items in the room. Take visual "snapshots".
Then, with your door closed, lay down. If you have your head pointing North, it won't hurt, but it is actually far more important to ensure you are very comfortable. Next, close your eyes. Lay there for a bit, get relaxed, and then pretend to sit up. Imagine yourself as just you, body and all, sitting up.
Pretend to look around. Focus your imagination and pretend to see your room. Pretend to stand up. Pretend to walk around the room. Pretend to look at the different things in your room. Pretend to get up close and look at a few things. Don't bother with trying to touch anything or move anything. If you happen to look over at where you are laying, pretend that you aren't there (you'll want to pretend that your physical body is actually up and walking around at this stage).
You'll really want to focus on visualizing the room as you pretend to walk around in it. Try to use that same level of vivid imagination you used as a young child. This is all pretend (for now). With practice you'll find it much easier to pretend and visualize walking around your room. You can also try pretending to crawl around your room to have a different vantage point.
Once you are really good at your room, start doing it with the door open. Walk out into the next room and do all those same things you've been doing. You can even go further, too. If you want to roam the whole house or go outside, it's best to pretend all the doors are open (even if you know they are closed) as opposed to pretending to float through walls.
As you keep pretending to do this, eventually the time will come when you realize you're not actually pretending anymore. This is when it starts to get REALLY interesting!
If you find yourself having a hard time with your imagination, visualization, and patience, this ties into that 2nd factor I mentioned earlier.
The 2nd factor is PINEAL GLAND CALCIFICATION
See, there are a lot of things in the environment that can adversely affect your pineal gland. This includes external physical factors, internal physical factors, and even META-physical factors. Toxins in the air, toxins in the food you eat, toxins in the shampoo/conditioner/hairspray/toothpaste/soap you use, perceived "toxins" in your mindset, and the list goes on!
It's important to pay attention to the ingredients in things you eat, and things you put on your body. If you look at the back of the box or bottle, you'll of course see the ingredients. If you research those chemicals, you'd be surprised to find what some of those 7 syllable chemicals are, and how they are made.
Many of those ingredients are DISGUSTING, and you'll be flabbergasted that these things are in those products and you are told to eat it/put it on your body! The same chemicals they use in car gasoline and corpse preservation (just a few examples) they trick YOU into putting on/in YOU!
Though there are few things you can do about the air, there is A LOT you can do regarding things like your diet and what you use ON your body.
In the spiritual community there are those of us who have studied and worked with herbs, oils, powders etc. that are naturally occurring found on earth. Some of this work has been Clandestine, but remedies for many physical and metaphysical issues and concerns have been found.
(if you open the above links "in a new tab/window") you'll be able to keep this page open)
Those are the 2 main factors that affect Astral Travelling.
OVER-EDUCATION and PINEAL GLAND CALCIFICATION
This tackles the mind and body resistances to this. The wonderful Teal Scott can offer help regarding any possible spiritual resistances:
-- Goren Sotlio