Redefining Astral Travel
(Current) Definition of astral projection (Merriam-Webster)
: the ability of a person’s spirit to travel to distant places
Although not scientifically proven as having basis in truth, personal experience in the phenomenon of astral travel, astral projection, remote viewing or out of body experience (OBE) is proof enough for me. Nonetheless, I would like to challenge the idea of travel per se and open your imagining to the possibility the soul does not so much leave the body as live the truth––in spirit there is no such thing as separation.
Last night I was celebrating my friendship with a woman I know who lives in Texas. “Close your eyes,” she said, “I’m giving you a hug.” Accepting her invitation I follow her direction and close my eyes. A state of higher vibration drifts in. My friend stands before me. I watch her reach toward me, place her hands on my upper arms and feel her gather me close.
In her arms now, I experience a very long, warm, loving hug. I feel uplifted! I see her long wavy hair, feel her head where it rests on my left shoulder, and sense her profound presence. A wave of warmth, bright light and love washes in, over and around me followed by a sense of deep knowing––this is an extraordinary friendship.
Stepping away now she releases me: the image of her fades leaving only the warmth and love of her embrace: her hug palpable yet unusual. In my mind I thought she would wrap her arms around me at shoulder height and hold me close. How unusual to find she hadn’t! Indulging in the memory a moment longer I message to inquire about the way in which she hugged me. She laughed and said, “Stop typing while I’m hugging you!” On the physical plane seconds had passed––in spirit a prolonged period of time had elapsed.
Comparing my idea of how she may hug me with hers I receive this explanation: “I clasped your bi-ceps gently and pulled you to me, hugged you, felt you receive it with love, and then I was back here.” Further, she described how her head was on my left shoulder just as I experienced in spirit, while on the physical plane she remained 3200 km away. Did my friend travel across the continent in spirit to embrace me in my living room? Did we meet somewhere between here and there? Or did we travel at all?
In the past, I have visited others in many faraway places interacting with them in similar fashion. Ontario––2700 km, Oklahoma––3500 km, Denmark––7600 km, and for many months to India––11,500 km. Those I spent time with, in this way, afforded me similar experiences in sight, sound, and physical sensation.
India was a lot of fun. I would often walk with my friend as he moved across town to wait for the train to college. I am sure my vision of the crowding at the platform and on the train was nowhere near his reality. However, I was able to see what he could see in the moment and could describe people near him, what they wore, their size, gender, colour of clothing or shape and design of handbag. At one point I describe his every step across campus, up three stone steps, across a courtyard, through a doorway, up wooden stairs inside a building, turning left down a hallway, a bulletin board with papers blowing in a breeze on his right, rows of long desktops with benches in a classroom––so different than those in Canada, the windows, the arrangement of furniture, the canvas bag of a gentleman sitting behind him in class, with a letter M on the fold over flap, and long over the shoulder strap. Did I ‘travel’ there? No, I was wide awake sitting in my room at home. But the fact I could see and walk where he walked, was undeniable, if not a little unnerving for my friend.
Recalling these experiences, I consider them less about ‘travel’ and more letting go of space and time to acknowledge, in spirit we are everywhere at once. Tuning into someone else’s current reality and sharing through their eyes seems far more plausible than having one’s soul move across the world to stand at a new location.
Some may argue when engaged in astral travel they feel themselves move out of their body to hover above, or perhaps they have the sensation of snapping back into their body at the conclusion of their visit away from their physical body. I would argue their soul didn’t so much leave as remember the truth of oneness.
What about redefining Astral travel altogether as:
-
- The ability to remember there is no such thing as separation.
Or maybe
-
- The soul’s choice to remember there is no such thing as separation and to live this truth either consciously or unconsciously, without regard to the physical boundaries imposed in our earth-bound journey.
Or perhaps:
-
- The soul’s choice to remember there is no such thing as separation and to live this truth, either consciously or unconsciously, without regard to the physical boundaries of time, space or place imposed upon us in our conscious view of ourselves as earth bound beings.
- To allow one’s soul to be present outside the confines of the physical plane.
- To consciously choose to live on the spiritual plane for brief periods of ‘time’.
- To dissolve the time/space continuum in order to experience oneness.
I have come to know it is possible to be anywhere in the world in one’s spirit-self while simultaneously remaining physically present in another. Humans can see, hear, and engage on a physical, mental and spiritual level while living time, place and space on another plane including engaging with those who no longer exist in the physical in Mediumship. (i.e., with the spirits of those who have passed away.)
If you could think outside the box, how would one explain the quantum physics of being in two places at once? Please feel free to share, ask questions of me and/or engage in the idea of oneness in this way. Tell your story.
I look forward to connecting with any who wish to join in the conversation.
With love,
Catherine ~
wow
Does this sound familiar to you, in your experience Colm?
<3
Tammy shared this interesting perspective to me on Facebook and gave me permission to share it with you. 🙂
Hi Catherine!! I definitely think you are onto something. The truth about time and space is not what we have perceived it to be. For example, I am a Reiki practitioner and practice distance Reiki. I can be in Houston sending a client energy across the world. My experience deals with energy and how it can effect someone hundreds even thousands of miles away. I send Reiki energy over distance and time as well, into a person’s past and future. Many alternative healing modalities send energy to others without being physically present. Yes, absolutely there is a larger truth present!!!
My response was this:
Oooooh! I love this! The idea of reaching into our perceived past or future with healing hands/energy. What a beautiful concept. Always with permission from the spirit we work with, of course. Thank you so much for sharing this idea. The ability to offer support across the world is within my purview as well. I have been visiting a horse sanctuary in California this weekend that Spirit brought to my attention and I did not previously know existed. Spending time with healing energy for the beautiful animals there, learning things I was meant to learn. ‘Place’ has so much importance on our earth journey, and can be utterly meaningless in terms of our ability to influence others to the highest good of all, when opening our hearts in the spirit realm. Thank you so much for sharing your experience!
I linked up with a twin flame every night for 10yrs, we could talk and give me hugs, he could send me visions of fairy stories and show me fairy realms, he would hug me to sleep, i loved going to bed just to be near him, no matter where he or i was in the world this happened, then i think a dark enity got in to join the party so i stopped it 4yrs ago, i miss it so much as it was so comforting, i couldn’t chance it and had a job getting rid of the dark enity
I have experience witnessing these so called dark entities. However, never have they turned out to be anything but love, supporting our inner sense of fear, in some way or other. Darkness, is love. It is a protection of self, ego driven and usually very confusing because our emotions around the mystery often exacerbate our confusion and feed our sense of fear. I am so sorry to hear that this was your experience, on the one hand. Yet, I trust that there was an inner need to take a break from the intensity of the interactions at the same time. How glorious to share in the way you have with your sacred friend. Thank you for sharing, Sheena.
Whenever I go for an acupuncture treatment, my practitioner puts needles in my third eye, crown, and heart chakra for that “special treat,” and I always love that hour and a half where it feels so much easier to leave and connect to others…often I’ll visit some of the same people and now it’s become a joke…they’ll often call later or the next day and say, “You went to your needle doc yesterday, didn’t you?” because they feel the connection a lot more strongly when those needles are opening up my pathways.
What an extraordinary treatment.one I have never heard of for that particular reason. Is this something your practitioner has designed with you in mind? I imagine your joyful permission being given. Energy work of this or any kind is very powerful and deep healing can occur in the right hands. Thank you for sharing!
Catherine ~
I have been fortunate to experience astral travel 2 times while awake and several times when asleep. I know it is not a dream since I clearly remember the violent yet gentle vibration that accompanies the experience once I wake up. I also don’t care if it is scientifically proven or not, it’s more real than our physical world to me. Both incidents when awake were without me trying (in fact the first time I had no idea what was going on), and the feeling of love and being home is overwhelming. Thanks for an interesting read!
Hello Susie!
I love that your experience was so warmly wrapped in the love and light of ‘home’ as you put it. How wonderous and exciting. Are these recent experiences for you? Thank you for sharing.
Catherine ( my Middle adopted name). My story is to long to tell here but i wrote o face book comments one of mine. There are so many experiences in my 77 years of life that cant be explained and yet I await new ones . I can not share with very many humans. They don’t understand and think i am crazy. But alot of things that have happened have been VERIFIED TRUTH. Amazing.!!!!!!!!!!
Hello Dear Juliet!
Ah, I so understand this idea of finding the right people to share our mystical experiences with that will support and encourage and delight in their mystery. Spirit has some wisdom around this which I have posted on my page. I will search for the link for you. It is regarding honouring our journey while allowing others to be none believers at the same time. Spirit has a beautiful way of explaining.
Meanwhile in my own journey I found that for as long as I held the belief people would think me mad, for all the mysterious occupancies in my life, this was indeed the response I received. As soon as I started believing that people would respond more positively, this too was my truth! It seems my fear created my truth – just as my joy! Twas as the saying goes (thank you Mike Dooley) “Thoughts become things. Choose the good ones!”
All the best, oh! And I promise to be a good listener, if you ever want to share!
With love,
Catherine ~
Hello Juliet,
Here is the link I referred to earlier. I hope you find this enjoyable!
http://onspiritswings.com/2017/01/01/how-do-we-share-our-truth-with-integrity-with-those-who-dont-believe/
If this doesn’t work try typing the title below in the search at the top of the page.
HOW DO WE SHARE OUR TRUTH WITH INTEGRITY, WITH THOSE WHO DON’T BELIEVE?
All the best,
🙂❤️
Catherine,
I enjoyed reading this and was able to visualize its entirety. I myself struggle with this. I have tried to project and end up “jerking hard” back into this reality feeling shaken and disoriented. I also had near death experience this past Christmas, where I laid on shower floor watching white light being check on me several times, and then later felt a very hard push and saying “get up you’re not going out like this”. I also was suddenly astro projected several years ago to my god daughter crib.I stood I before her and said” its OK, shhh, go back to sleep”. Helped her to lay back down n I awoke back in my room. Mind you I wasn’t trying to do this nor was I laying down before hand.
That’s my experience. I’d love to learn more if possible.
Tina
Hello Tina!
You describe your experiences well and wow! I was gripped in each story. How extraordinary to be so linked to your beautiful god daughter. To know that she was calling out and needed love and warmth and that you were able to be just that for her. Children, they say, are so much better equipped to connect in Spirit this way.
I am curious as to how you felt during your attempts to project, as you say. Can you
Help me understand what you mean or how you tried? If you get a chance, perhaps read my response to Glenn regarding this idea of “trying”.
I have some thoughts on that I could share.
Thank you for connecting!
Hope to hear from you again,
Catherine ~
Hello Catherine,
Great piece and one of my favorite topics. I can recall reading about Astral Projection in Weekly Reader in 4th grade, some 45 years ago, and thinking what a fabulous concept that is.
My experience has been limited, I’ve only really tried AP in the last 2 years without any success. There have been a couple of times I’ve felt ready to leave my body but then I snatch myself back either out of fear or more likely out of not wanting to lose that moment. In other words dropping out of my heart center at that moment and back into my ego.
I’m interested in your concept of the oneness and that there is no separation and love your experiences. There are a multitude of pieces on how to AP, at least using the definition ‘of a person’s spirit to travel to distance places’. But how about your concept of, for instance my favorite, ‘To allow ones soul to be present outside the confines of the physical plane’. Is achieving that similar to say, shamanic journey work? Or is it a deep meditation similar to the instructions of the first definition but without the need to ‘snap’ out of and back into the physical body?
Frankly it seems your definitions and ideas would be much easier to attain at least my initial thoughts are that would be the case. And if easier to attain, I’d say it makes the definitions more accurate.
Glenn
Hello Glenn!
My feeling is that if an exercise is complex and full of rules we are hindered in our ability to get all the steps ‘right’ and are constantly feeling like we are ‘missing out’, ‘not there yet’, ‘not good enough’ or worse, ‘not meant to’ be part of the bigger mystery. (I have been particularly pathetic in the department of meditations into Shamanic Journey, for instance, until very recently….)
The energy I refer to as Spirit would suggest keep it simple. The imagination is an exceptional tool and very close to any experience I have had in terms of having a vision; visions being correlated to AP. In other words, if you can imagine it, then are you not already in essence doing it?
For the most part, I imagine (haha) the ability to AP is simply developing your awareness that you are already doing it (dreams for instance) and then simply paying attention to what it feels/looks like and eventually defining how it differs from your conscious state/dream state or vision experiences.
Does that make any sense? That piece of allowing yourself to be present outside the boundaries or rules of physical law, is kind of like learning to trust that you are not completely mad. It can be a long, slow, puzzling process. Chances are, you are just as sane as the next person. They just don’t talk about their crazy. haha
Thanks for the question. Love it.
Catherine ~
Glenn, when you have a minute read Spirits guidance titled Enlightenment Comes From Chaos. Some of this wisdom applies to your question and Spirit says it so much better than I can. 🙂
Enjoy,
Catherine ~
“For the most part, I imagine (haha) the ability to AP is simply developing your awareness that you are already doing it (dreams for instance) and then simply paying attention to what it feels/looks like and eventually defining how it differs from your conscious state/dream state or vision experiences.”
That’s interesting. This calls out a incident I recently had. I teach a class at my gym called BodyFlow that has elements of Tai Chi, Pilates and Yoga and about 10 minutes meditation at the end. In a roundabout way last week I discovered that I’d kind of ‘been in the zone’ that night during class. I was very aware and very present but it was like I was spiritually connected, as compared to being zoned out.
I’ve had similar instances of that while hiking, Times where all aches and pains are gone, the challenge of a strenuous hike are missing and the connection is all about being fully immersed in nature. Acutely aware of every sound, every smell, every breeze and feeling, well spiritual. I call it being in the Perfect Moment. I actually stole that from a Star Trek movie, LOL.
I love this process and yes it can be long and slow and at times frustrating but I can see this path.
Thank you for the response, I think it’s spot on.
Glenn
Hello Glenn,
Although I am not currently practicing tai chi I did so for twenty years and as such know very well what you are referring to when you say you reach a place of quiet that has you feeling deeply connected. It seems much the same way as you describe your experience while out in nature. Tai chi, in my experience was one where one practices the skill of remaining present of mind as opposed to disappearing into some esoteric mind meld with the universe (had to be said). Yet within that presence comes a sensation of oneness with self, somehow, where yes, we can continue our practice for hours on end, a week, in fact, of intense and rugged workout while simultaneously remaining connected. I think I’m lost in the telling now. Magical, these exercises that encourage the mind, body and spirit to reach new levels at one and the same time.
Sounds like you are headed in the right direction for you! Well done!
Cheers,
Catherine ~
Thank you for the encouragement.
But, of course!
May the force be with you. No wait. That was Star Wars not Star Trek. I’ve forgotten which one you referred to earlier!
❤️
I wish I could
Everything is possible. Thoughts become things. <3
Love to you!
Catherine ~
Yes. .we be in many experiences within each breath. .just remembering. .keep being incredible you dear one. .❤👽🐓💖
Haha. I know you, lovely friend. I’ve met you there, in that place between, in your Merlin robes, if you recall.
<3