As I said in my other blog post, when I had my first OBE in 2004, I had no idea what was happening to me. In fact, I didn’t even know such a term as astral projection or OBE existed.
For five years, in the attempt of even having just a sniff of what this phenomenon could possibly be, I started buying books and books and books… but, unfortunately, the wrong kind of books. Assuming that something that happened at night when I was asleep must be some kind of dream, I went on buying books on dreams, but again, the first years I was not very lucky, or maybe not very smart in my choices.
Some dictionaries on the meaning of dreams felt like absolute nonsense to me and I could not identify my own experiences with what I was reading.
Then finally I came across Edgar Cayce` Association A.R.E., and followed an awesome course with Henry Reed on Dreams. It was finally something that made sense to me and it taught me a lot, but again, still, I could not find anything close to what I was experiencing at night.
The first decent book on dreams that made real sense to me, actually much more than decent, it was outrageously magnificent to me, was Robert Moss`s `The Three “Only” Things`, and there, I was finally getting the feeling that maybe this author was talking mainly of dreams, yes, but not only of dreams. Yet, his experiences and mine were still too different, and despite the fact that I loved every word, I was still on the search for anything or anybody in this wide world that could report anything similar to my own nightly vicissitudes.
It was only in December 2009, after five years of inexplicable things happening at night, that I had the great fortune of getting my hands on a copy of William Buhlman`s `Adventures Beyond The Body`, and came across the word OBE for the first time ever ! God Bless ! Now, this opened a complete different picture in my mind and I found myself realizing that, although I could still not relate to all, this author was indeed talking of something very close to what was happening to me or , at any rate, of a slightly different version of it.
In this book, the name Robert Monroe was mentioned more than once, and it stuck in my mind. I ordered Monroe`s books right away and started reading from the first.
OH- MY- GOD !!!
I couldn’t believe what I was reading. I had finally found what I had been looking for. This guy too had had no idea of what was happening to him, this guy too rushed to the doctors to have himself checked up, this guy too had his brain monitored! I WAS NOT ALONE !!!
No need to say that after this, I literally devoured his books, and then went on reading all of William Buhlman`s books and any other book on Astral Projection I could find.
Everything was at last falling into place… it was high time ! I felt such relief, actually something closer to joy than relief ! And, little by little, I found myself capable, for the first time, of talking about it with a few close friends. It’s not like I really needed to talk about this, but it was certainly a liberation not to have to keep it inside as if it were a contagious disease, or rather, a mental malady.
I came to realize that there were people who actually wanted these experiences, and that there were even methods to make them happen.
I must admit, that in my case, to this day, I have no method, no technique whatsoever in my arsenal . These astral projections just seemed to `happen` to me when I least expected them. And to say they happened in the most natural way is almost an understatement. No vibrations, no big thundering noises, no sense of falling, no nothing. And most of the times, it was almost always around midnight, right before falling asleep.
As far as I can recall, just before they `happen`, I usually feel sooo tired, so sleepy, my eyelids sort of cave in, getting heavier and heavier as I sink down into deep sleep. There is a sense of being sucked into the darkness of sleep, but this is so quick that it lasts only a few nanoseconds. Sometimes I don’t even recall going through this passage/process at all.
How can I put it … it happens almost too simply… one moment I close my eyes and fall `into` sleep, next moment I open them up again and puff! Here I am in this `different` space. And wide awake. So totally wide awake, more awake than I could possibly be. It never ceases to amaze me, the quickness, the totality … the closing of my physical eyes and just a second later the opening of my `astral` eyes (but at that time, remember, I didn’t have this knowledge with me, and this word was not yet in my vocabulary). And these astral eyes feel so physical, so incredibly physical, but they are not …THEY ARE NOT, THEY ARE NOT PHYSICAL! My physical eyes, in fact, are completely shut and oblivious… Isn`t this incredible?! I am in my room, in my own bed, in exactly the same position I fell asleep in, yet, nevertheless, there is a totally different feel to the air around me. And so I know I’m `there` again. But where is `there`??? I had no idea.
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Spiritual Journey of FOAL 
Lovely and compelling description. Have courage.
Thank you, Marco ! it did help finding books and understanding the process.
Just found your blog. I know how you feel! I didn’t know what was happening to me either! I only happened once spontaneously but I too have read William Buhlman’s books over and over and keep trying to get out at will.
Barbara, first of all, thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. i really appreciate it ! and as to this day, i must say, i have not been able to make them happen when i want ! although i have had so many OBEs by now, they only seem to `come` when i least expect them ! but i have heard of so many people who were able to induce them by following the techniques offered in Willam Buhlman`s books and others. SO KEEP THE FAITH AND THE PRACTICE!!! i do pray for your success , and am pretty sure you`ll have one sooner than you think. Remember, dont let your own fear scare you !!! Good luck and good journey! (and if you want to hear more about my little experiences, do follow FOAL !! will be talking a lot about dreams and OBEs 🙂 ) Again, thank you so much for stopping by !
I’m curious, FOAL, if you have read any of Stephen LaBerge’s books on lucid dreaming, and if so, what you think of his idea that an astral projection is a particular type of lucid dream?
Thank you Arthur for taking the time for a comment ! as for Stephen LaBerge, i have heard of him , but am not so knowledgeable about his teachings/ideas. From the little i could experience though i can say that it seems to me Consciousness states are not so easy to be defined. They kind of blur one into the other. and i am not big on labels and definitions anyway :-).
I heard so many different opinions among OBErs, that i came to think it is difficult to be sure on one in particular. Besides i dont really care so much whether it`s called an obe or lucid dream :-). both are so worth exploring ! very recently i read a comment about how LD works in a more subjective environment that we can easily change(our imagination) while OBEs work in a more objective environment, meant as you cannot easily change things at will.
Personally, this kind of resonated within me, although i very well know that any other future experience in the astral could change (in the blink of an eye!) again my opinion on this. So i try to stay OPEN and see what comes next , and try to experience/learn without trying to define something that, at the end of the day, i dont understand ! 🙂
Cant thank you anough for your comment and question. It is so exciting to be able to talk about this so freely ! THANKS AGAIN !
we all will experience OBE in our own unique way, this is how it is supposed to be. And just as in life, all things do not apply to all people, like when certain drugs for illnesses do not work for everyone, a solution for that one or how many need a different solution. It is the same in OBE, different ways, words, explanations, techniques to match the individual not the masses. We are unique, individual, specialized, units or atoms of God. Our experiences will be ours alone, but we can have similar experiences to others, in this way we can feel we are not alone in our quest for knowledge of who and what we are and in relation to our “Heavenly Father”
my two books that i got started with in OBE’s we first Lobsang Rampa, an american Tibetan monk, he has a book called “You Forever” in there are techniques quite good actually. and presently I study Eckankar, it’s main premise is teaching, getting used to and practising daily OBE and much more. This is my path and one that is many more, but it must fit the individual or it will not work. Much good fortune to all who seek and have the courage to be different and brave in the adventures they bring. See you all amongst the heaves, stop by and say hello from time to time
Yes, Michael, thanks for sharing your path with us ! 🙂
just as a way of sharing some more. and to let all know who read your blog and book, on OBE i was doing dream experiences as an 8 year old boy in the 60’s it was just beginning to become mainstream at that time. I did not know that it was not normal and just had fun with my experiments with learning to fly and change dreams midstream while dreaming. for me it did not seem weird or unnatural at all, it did not occur to me that this was not done by everyone. I thought everyone could do it and did not talk about a so called mundane subject as dreams. after all who discusses the first time one learns to tie their shoes or goes potty. so my point is that if an 8 year old boy who did this as matter of fact as normal. then anyone and everyone can do this. I wrote my own book on this as a way to broadly share this to in a sense give permission by way of normalcy to this, then it would be okay for any or all to give it at least an honest go at it. you will not be disappointed and find out how normal it really can be.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Michael !