Scrolls of ancient wisdom—well, not really, but close

In my last post I mentioned finding a few articles on a local BBS in the mid-nineties which got me into astral projection. I'll share them with you since they're all worth reading! Here they are at their current homes around the web...

“A Sales Pitch on Astral Projection” by Aaron Frale

“Astral Projection 101” by Edgar van Oostrum

“Treatise on Astral Projection” by Robert Bruce

The “Sales Pitch” by Aaron Frale is a fun read, and along with “Astral Projection 101” it's a perfect introduction for first time readers.

Robert Bruce is a great writer with a lot of detailed theories about astral projection. There's lots of practical techniques for those who are interested. I haven't read his book Astral Dynamics, but I suspect it's a superb read. You can check it out here, along with his other books. His website also has lots of good resources.

The fourth text was a short article by Charles W. Leadbeater, a Theosophist. I've lost the file, and haven't found it again on the net. I'll probably make some later posts about him and about Theosophy in general. A very interesting group of people, but I always take their writing with a grain of salt, given some of the claims that they've made. But then again, you should take everything you read with a grain of salt. Don't believe it until you've experienced it for yourself!

Leadbeater wrote in the late 19th
and early 20th century

There's a whole book you can read on-line by Leadbeater called The Astral Plane (or simply Manual no. 5 to Theosophists). It's an exciting read, but like I said (and as Leadbeater often said himself), don't believe it until you've seen it. Lots of exciting descriptions of elementals, fairies, astral werewolves and vampires.

In later posts, I'll talk about some other authors who I've read since then. So who's your favourite writer or book on the topic? Comment below!

An open secret

Before describing my own experiences, I'd like to say a bit about how I got into astral projection. It was back in 1995 or 1996. I was in high school, and this was in the days before everyone had the Internet. I used to connect to a local BBS (bulletin board system) in my home town. For those who've never used a BBS, it's essential a computer in someone's house that hosts files, message boards, and games. People connected to them by dialing the home phone number over a modem.


A good old-fashioned BBS interface

On this BBS, someone had posted a few documents about astral projection. I had never head of the concept before, and I was totally blown away by what I read.  I had heard about near death experiences on the TV show Unsolved Mysteries, but I didn't know healthy people could do something similar at will. I couldn't wait to try the techniques for myself!



My cousin and good friend Eric was also a regular at the BBS. He had come across the same articles, and his reaction was the same as mine. Soon we were practicing regularly with another friend who was also interested.

When my cousin and I talked to our relatives about our new interest, we found out that our uncle, a doctor, had taken an astral projection class with his wife in the 1970's. He was successful at achieving an OBE, but the resulting experience was so terrifying that he gave up for good.

He told us that he had been practicing the techniques, when all of a sudden he rocketed out of his body, flying straight up into the sky above his house. Then just as suddenly, there was a terrible jolt. He felt like he had hit the end of a chain that was tethering him to his body. With an awful jarring feeling, he woke back up into his body. That was his first and last projection!

Still, knowing that our uncle had been successful only made us more enthusiastic. My cousin and I didn't have much success in those early attempts, but with persistence, we both eventually succeeded in getting out of body. It's been a big interest of mine ever since.

I'd love to hear how you first heard of astral projection. It's such an interesting topic, but it seems like it's not really in the mainstream of our society. So how were you let in on this “open secret”? Was is from a friend or family member, or from TV or Internet? Did you try to do it right away, and did you have success? Or maybe you had a spontaneous OBE without even trying. Share your experiences below!



Planning for a trip

Hi everyone and welcome to my blog! 

I've been interested in astral projection for a long time, and I've learned a lot of methods for achieving OBE's.  I've had some success in the past, with a few very short but very interesting experiences.  I'm starting to practice the techniques again, and I'm very excited about it! I'm writing this blog to share my experiences and to keep myself motivated to practice. 

I'd like to share my past experiences and discuss what I've read on astral projection and other related topics.  But most importantly, I'd like to hear your own comments, thoughts or experiences!