Lucid Dreaming and Astral Projection
Dr Raven Dolick M.s.D.
Feb 29, 2016
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2016 RavenStar Enchantments
Dreams and magick are closely connected, particularly in the early forms of Shamanism that gave rise to the various systems of magick throughout the world. Learning the language of your subconscious via dreams can be a great source of personal knowledge and power. Having become familiar with their dreams the next step for many Shamans was to learn to become self-aware within the dream itself and interact with it. This is still done by tribal Shamans today, and by Pagans such as Chaos Mages, Technomages, and Pagans who are recreating the Shamanistic branches of Celtic and Norse spiritual systems.
This technique is called “Lucid Dreaming” and has also crossed over into the New Age and Psychology fields, which has lead to the discovery of easy and effective ways to attaining this state and making use of it. Today, as with most things, the mainstream trend is towards using pricey technology. From lights that, placed by the bed, come on just enough to wake the person up enough to become aware of their dream, to vibrating bracelets that do a similar job. However there are two traditional Craft methods work just as well and are within the reach of everyone.
The first technique is repetitive autosuggestion that when a particular situation occurs, or you see a particular thing, then you will realize you are dreaming and become conscious in the dream. The best trigger is something that you wouldn’t see in normal waking life, such as a striped rose or a purple giraffe. You can do this verbally “Whenever I see (your trigger) I will realize I am dreaming”; or by imagining/experiencing yourself dreaming then seeing the trigger and ‘waking up’ in the dream.
The second way to increase your chances of having a lucid dream is, if you wake up after having a dream, lie back down and re-experience the dream you had. As you do so remind yourself that you are consciously doing this, and there is a good chance that you will find yourself aware within the continuing dream. This happens because you are returning, consciously, to the same level of perception you were when you were dreaming previously.
Once you have attained the ability to dream lucidly there are a number of things you can do with this skill. Firstly, in a dream you are free of the limitations of the waking world including things such as gravity, and actions having consequences. This raises some interesting possibilities which are fun to explore for a while before going on to more ‘serious’ work. Doing this will help motivate you to achieve the lucid dreaming state, learn how far you can mould dreams, and the characteristics of the lucid dream state.
After a while this ‘fun’ aspect of lucid dreaming begins to pale and you can start to explore the ‘deeper’ aspects of this special state. People can enter the Astral or Etheric realm through dreams and, by doing this with lucid dreams; you can find a system of projection that works best for you. You also find out the difference between Astral projection; where you project your consciousness into the inner planes, and Etheric projection; where your consciousness is focused within your energy body which can travel on the physical plane to any part of the world, or out into space.
In some modern magickal literature the two are confused under the general heading of “Astral Projection”. The two states overlap, as do the Astral and Etheric planes, but are quite distinct in their ‘feel’ and effect. Particularly in dreams. Etheric projections tend to result in clairvoyant dreams of things happening in the here and now and, on rare occasions, the figure of the dreamer being seen by people they were ‘visiting’. Etheric projection may also be the basis of the shape shifting associated with Witches and Shamans and their “going forth in the form of a Hare” or other power animal. In the Etheric state there can be some interaction between the projector and the environment in that the projector may be able to move lightweight objects. Also damage to the etheric ‘double ’might be mirrored in their physical body due to damage of the energy field, or psychosomatically because of the projector beliefs.
Astral projection on the other hand means projection of consciousness into the astral planes that are totally different from the physical world. Current magickal worldview has it that the astral planes condense down into the etheric, then the physical, worlds. The further you travel from these condensed areas, the more exotic your experiences become. One classic way of checking which plane you are on is to evoke a cube, such as a dice or Rubik’s cube, and endeavor to see all six sides at once. If you fail then you are either lucid dreaming, or on the etheric plane, but if you can it is a good indicator that you are in the Astral realms.
Projecting from a lucid dream can be done consciously, by willing it. But it can be made easier by giving yourself the suggestion that, as you climb a ladder or move upward in any other way, you are projecting or focusing your consciousness outside your body. Some people suddenly become self-aware just after they have passed from the physical into the etheric or astral planes. Usually this is as part of a dream where they are stuck or cannot move in some form or another.
In lucid dreaming this is caused by sleep where paralysis, part of your brain is switched off to avoid you acting out your dreams. With the body paralyzed this is a good chance to will yourself to leave the body – if you can remember to get over the panic of not being able to move! Concentrating on ideas/images of floating or flying free can cause this problem to become a doorway into realms beyond the physical. The same can be true of the ‘running and not getting anywhere’ dreams. Focus on the idea that you can fly, as this is usually indicative that you have reached the Etheric/Astral boarder and the medium you are travelling through has too low a density for the etheric body to be able to gain a grip.
Once on the Astral plane a whole new set of challenges and experiences await you. This is where physical reality has its roots and you may see glimpses of potential futures, meet beings that are particular to this aspect of reality, and see the workings of the multiverse itself. Hopefully this is where the experiences with lucid dreaming will pay off, as all the beings and events you have experienced in that state are part of your own personality. If you have been interpreting your dreams then the symbolism you encounter should tell you if what you encounter is an external being or a projected part of your own persona. At this level of being your Pagan practice and rituals are truly integrated into the Universe and have powerful effects.
Astral Travel Tips
Here are some tips to remember when astral traveling:
Clear your mind by unwinding from stress in the normal way you would, do breathing exercises to relax the heart, lower your state of consciousness to be still.
Light some soothing incense to calm down and light candles,
Play music to liven the mood or sanctify it,
Recite affirmations and get into ritual mindset, for astral travel is ritualistic in that it requires concentration, methods, practice, and application of techniques and discipline.
Smudge yourself, your aura, and your space with sage, cedar, juniper, frankincense, and/or lavender,
You may cast a circle around you for protection, hold crystals, carry objects with you, or ask deities or beings to assist and protect you. Imagine being surrounded by a radiance of white light.
Meditation Techniques:
What to do BEFORE You Meditate
Your astral travel success depends largely on your self-esteem, your belief of it, your confidence; you’re at onement with consciousness, and your ability to accept. Your mind controls every single aspect of what you perceive. The reason meditation must quiet the mind and dissolve into silence is so that you can receive true objective enlightenment without a subjective mind picking what it wants you to see, and you must be prepared to face the truth. If you cannot during or after meditation and astral travel, you stagnate and miss out on beneficial transformation.
On that note, know yourself very well. Through trial and error you will learn, but it’s also important to know your limitations, your strengths, and your weaknesses. On a foundation, you can choose to build on top of it or destroy it to build a new, or just leave for new beginnings. You have the power, always. Enlightenment is literally being aware of who you are, it’s not just some divine, unable-to-grasp skill gifted only to yogi masters who have worked for 60 long years. That time is consequential, but the wisdom found therein is not limited to time/age, but to experience. It is hoped that with how wisdom goes, the older ones have spent their time progressing, rather dillydallying around or stagnating.
Repeat, reread, reuse.
Read material like this again from time to time. See how your perspective has changed, if it has changed, if it will not change. Repeat practices or astral intentions that you have done. Don’t be afraid to recycle the same materials into new methods for self-learning and expansion. You will always gain a new perspective on anything you’ve seen before. A new emotion or feeling or thought will evoke naturally. When a new movie comes out, you watch it once, and if you go back, you see tons of things you missed, and if you go back for more consecutive visits, you’ll really start to understand just exactly the full spectrum of what the movie was meaning to portray. Again, it goes back to your mind and how it picks and chooses for you. It is a lot of work, this path of enlightenment (awareness), but you will get better with time, don’t worry.
By the above note, it is crucial to record your experiences, your thoughts, your emotions, and your intentions in a journal or blog whenever you travel. There are so many learning opportunities embedded within what you think, feel, write, and say. The same goes with a regular journal and a dream journal. I delight in reading old journals from 2006 and I learn something new about myself each time I look back on it.
Dreaming and Astral Travel are one in the same. It is so important to have dream recall skills, because dreaming is astral travel while asleep, and meditation is like astral travel when awake. An unexamined dream is like an unopened letter.
Meditation is a conscious portal to astral travel. To learn meditation is to learn astral travel.
Grounding does not have to be tried, it can be done simply by sitting on the floor, laying on your back, and just recalling all your problems. Allow the recall for each stress be forgotten and absorbed by the earth.
Astral travel can be done anywhere, at any time, in any place. Too often do people get tripped up in what is and isn’t astral travel. Where we are all unique beings, so are our methods.
Discipline is crucial in all things. If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again. No esteemed novel or piece of literature is composed cover to cover without being a rough draft. With patience and diligence, you win the word count. Then, you reread each chapter and edit accordingly to further progress its finalized publication. Patience is a virtue, and so is Diligence.
Take a chakra evaluation test or write out on a list how you broke the tenets of each chakra. In learning your faults, you automatically correct them. Our Clients receive these free from RavenStar Enchantments upon request).
When traveling, leaving your body is difficult, yet simple once you get the hang of it. Traveling is literally as simple as willing yourself to do it, and seeing through your mind’s eye. If you’ve ever read a book and could visually imagine everything, that’s what astral travel is like.
A lot of the difficulty in people is because they try to work around a concept of an opening or a door. This is difficult to imagine. Astral travel is not like walking through some door or portal and you’re suddenly there. People will exhaust all of their mental energy on try to figure out how to get there, and then they give up and call it a failure, and never return out of self-disappointment. To get there is to be there, it’s that simple, but how does one simply be there? A good way to get to the realm of the astral is to literally command yourself to be there, You Are Already There, and your destination is all around you.
The Astral Realm is pure consciousness; it is exactly how you see it in your own way. Healing can be performed, dreaming can be performed, altered states of consciousness, magic, enlightenment… whatever is your desire, intentions, or destination, it will be performed.
While in astral body, you are 100% you, but in energy form, in a way. You have no limitations in this form. The only limitation is your belief of it; back to the mind’s subjectivity.
A comprehension of the Fourth Dimension will largely aid you in your travels, and as will sacred geometry. It is all linked, and makes up who you are as a multi-dimensional being.
Ask and you shall receive, persist and you shall conceive. You’ll get it, you’ll figure it out. Try your best, commit to learning through trial and error, and by god, ask for help when you need it! “Ask and you are a fool for five minutes, never ask and you are a fool forever.” Some refuse to ask out of fear of embarrassment. Try your best, eventually you’ll get it, but your experience is not downgraded in comparison to another because you asked for help and you couldn’t do it all on your own. That’s what help is there for, do you think those people who do get it got there all on their own, no, they asked for help also. You’re still a very special being no matter who helped you because of the sole fact that you were able to get there to begin with, don’t sit in the throne of the ego. Allow assistance to come through from Cosmos, deities, guides, and friends. One day, you will be asked for help and be delighted to share your tokens.
Above all, there is no wrong or right way to astral travel. Many people see gray versions of themselves and they see the silver cord. This can happen, and you can astral project into the physical plane, not just the astral plane.
This is the realm of infinite and nothingness. It is both small and yet both wide. Know your boundaries, know your purpose; it will keep you safe, sane, and productive.
You can actually go on voyages or trips to cosmic places, astral places, and attempt to communicate with the dead or other realms/beings.
If you are in trouble or wish to return, it is typically as simple as willing yourself to be back in the physical plane. Open your eyes, stand up tall, shake your feet, jump, and drink water. Remind yourself you are a physical being, feel the earth, feel the third dimensional world.
How To Have An Out of Body Experience:
First Steps
Many are fascinated with astral travel but don't know where to begin. Let’s jump right in and get as practical as we can about something often labeled as mysterious.
First and Foremost: Intention
Your intention doesn’t have to be incredibly detailed, the main thing is the feeling behind your desire.
Maybe you want to gain insight. Heal. Maybe you wish to re-awaken a sense of energy and awe you possessed as a child. Or sure, maybe you are simply curious.
Just make certain that when you break it down, something positive is at the root.
Maybe you don’t quite know what you’ll gain from this, but your intent is generally in the direction of growth, health, greater harmony, etc. Before concentrating on how to have an out of body experience, have a why.
Next comes what we call “setting the scene.” This means getting mind and body in an optimal state for out of body experiences.
Your mind must get into the right state. To attain the required relaxation and focus, we’ll use the word “meditation”–but don’t worry if you have no prior meditation experience. There are meditation technologies and various techniques that help get your brainwaves into the right state.
Vibrations
As you may know, humans undergo different cycles of sleep.
Generally, there are the alpha, theta, and delta brainwave cycles. These are literally different frequencies that your brain resonates at when in the different cycles of sleep.
But your brain is always vibrating at different rates, not just during sleep. Science teaches that everything vibrates.
Your brainwaves affect brain chemistry and thus experience. Someone who just meditated will likely have a very different response to inconvenient traffic versus someone who just had a nasty fight with their spouse.
Likewise, there are brainwaves more conducive to out of body experiences.
Certain research indicates that chemicals released in the pineal and pituitary glands may have serious effects on how our brains organize all of the sensory inputs that result in what we call experience. If a part of your brain intuitively knows how to have an out of body experience, it’s these glands.
Here’s the comforting part: all of this won’t seem as daunting when you keep one vital fact in mind: our consciousness experiences a very different reality every night while dreaming.
Since our brains process and react to stimuli, who’s to say that the external stimuli we experience in waking life is more valid or “real” than the internal stimuli we experience in the dream state?
Please re-consider what most people deem “normal,” it will loosen you up and be a great tool as you explore the world of out of body experiences.
Which leads to this:
Tips for Beginners
Your habits in one state (waking, dreaming, out of body experiences) all affect one another. Therefore, be aware in your waking life. Even stopping a few times per day to take some breaths and say, “Here I am. I’m alive,” will help.
Some more tips for “setting the scene”:
Don’t eat too too closely to your session, and don’t go in hungry either.
Needless to say, too much caffeine or sugar prior is not recommended.
Wear comfortable clothes, and do your version of relaxing. Remember, some people need totally dark rooms and complete silence, while others actually feel a certain pressure in such an environment. Sometimes well-meaning tips lists forget such facts.
Let your intuition and your smile guide you. Even an article like this on how to have an out of body experience is not quite the same as an instruction manual for your DVD player: there’s room for you to make it your own!
Starting your session at a time other than when you go to bed may help (otherwise you could just fall asleep!). Also, it is recommended that another person be physically present in the room with you only if this is someone you know and trust completely.
Again, brainwave entrainment to quiet the mental chatter and nudge the brain into its more mystical states have helped many get over the initial hump, proving to be the lynchpin in their toolbox of obe techniques.
