Does Lucid Dreaming Lead to Astral Projection? (Blog)

[Erin Pavlina]

Use this thread to discuss the following entry from Erin Pavlina's blog:

Does Lucid Dreaming Lead to Astral Projection?

[Nathan]

Well clarified Erin, good post. Looking foward to my first encounter with astral projection

[Matt]

Very interesting post. I am not able to do astral projection yet, but I have experienced sleep paralysis a few times (due to irregular sleep schedules). It was a very odd experience, I did not know it was related to AP or Lucid Dreaming.

[RandomJohn]

Ok, I think I get the idea a little better. The common thread I was looking for was "mind awake, body asleep." I'll try this again (my first time trying to AP from a lucid dream wasn't quite successful).

[theshot92]

Erin,
I checked out the link to your First Astral Projection experience and it ends with a mention of a "4 month struggle". Did you end up posting about it? If so, can you post a link to it?
Thanks,
Dave W.

[Erin Pavlina]

Haven't posted about it yet. The story is so long that one blog entry won't do it justice. It needs a book really.

[eternomi]

Erin, what do you mean by "raising your vibration"? How does one do that? In the astral plane or otherwise? I did read your post about higher vibration, how to create and keep it through detoxing the body, eating right, etc.. But how do you raise your vibration at will in a few seconds within a lucid dream or during astral projection? Does it have to do with what you are thinking about at the time? Do you visualize something in particular?

[Clavdivs]

what do you mean by "raising your vibration"? How does one do that?

Outback,
For some info about raising one's 'vibration', see Erin's reply to Babuji at 466-dead-path-blog.html#post4790.

[eternomi]

I hadn't seen that post. Thanks!

[DKSprocket]

Thanks a lot for the clarifications Erin.

Here's my own experience with trying to astral project:

1) While trying to astral project I fell asleep only to awaken a little later by felling a gentle push pushing me down onto the bed (it felt as if I was being pushed from about 50 cm above the bed and down). I am not sure if this was real or just a dream, but it felt very real. No idea who it would have been pushing me, but I took it as a sign that maybe it wasn't time for me to project yet.

2) About the same time I had an experience laying in bed trying to astral project and drifting in and out of sleep. Then after struggling with it for a bit I just simply got up and thought "hmm that was pretty easy". I then looked back down on the bed and was surprised to see my body wasn't there. I didn't think much of it at the time and continued to explore my bedroom - it was definately different than it used to be and after a moment I got a visit from an entity that had a strange energy about him. After talking to him briefly I began to suspect this wasn't a projection at all, but instead a lucid dream. Shortly after this I found myself back in my body feeling disoriented. Looking back on the experience I'm pretty sure it was "just" a lucid dream and that the entity was probably just a figment of my own subconscious mind.

3) During this time of experimenting I would often lay still, with my body "frozen" by relaxation/meditation trying to move without waking up my body. Most of the time I was simply fail, but a few times I felt a strong buzzing/vibrating feeling in some of my limbs that felt very much like the astral body was trying to move, but wasn't quite suceeding. Pretty frustrating. Eventually I quit trying, figuring I'd get back to it later.

4) A few weeks ago I learned a new technique for relaxing my physical body while waking up the subtle energy body - it was similar to the technique I had used before, just slower and deeper. One of the first times I tried it at home I started to drift off and for the next few minutes continued to drift in and out of sleep. While this went on I had a strong feeling of parts my astral/energy body moving around independently of the physical body, but not quite being able to break all of the "body" free at the same time. While this was going on I had the same strong feeling of "vibration" in the parts of the body that were breaking free. Although I didn't manage to leave my body completely it definately felt like a part of me was out of the body during the experience.

Since that experience I've been unable to repeat it, even though I've done the relaxation technique multiple times, some of the times even more thorough, but still no luck.

I've been using the book "A Course in Astral Travel and Dreams" by Belzebuub (yes, aparently that's his name) - anyone else have experience using this book?

Rasmus

[ram1]

Erin, i'm scared. No, really.. I think I accidentally astral projected once recently while I was high on caffeine (pills) and diphenhydramine (sleep aid). That was a one-time thing I can't recall why I even took them. I'm no scientist but I'm guessing the combination of the two in such high doses had something to do with it. Before it happened all I remember is being awake/alert but my body absolutely refused to stay awake and eventually fell "asleep". Dreadful feeling by the way, actually it made me sick. Next thing I know I'm floating upwards and out of my closed bedroom window above the road 10-15ft. in the air... looking back at my body through the window. Scared me senseless, then I woke up but couldn't move for a while due to sleep paralysis. Eeek. Besides the obvious terror the experience short as it was felt like nothing i've ever felt before in a positive way, very difficult to put it into words that do it any justice I suppose. I guess I could say I felt more "alive" or conscious than I do normally in my own body, like I am right now typing this post.

So, I've been trying to lucid dream lately using the method you describe in your podcast. For about 3 or 4 nights in a row that I tried this....At the point of falling asleep I felt weird vibrations and heard a mild buzzing sound, then I felt like I started to separate from my body very similar to what happened before... its at that point that my fear kicks in and awaken very suddenly I can't seem to get past it. I don't even know if i'm going to end up projecting or dreaming, although it feels like the former.

[Reyv]

I'm not sure I see the benefits of Astral Projection. I'm a beginning lucid dreamer myself, had maybe 20 of them thus far (just starting to reach the higher levels of clarity), and I can imagine tons of uses for lucid dreaming, not the least of which being entertainment.

The only thing I can imagine in favour of going Astral is exploration. I don't suppose you're socializing with the entities there, unless you can invite your spirit friends over. As such, I can't, personally, see much reason to tackle it. Plus, exploration in a potentially hazardous environment isn't exactly something I'm willing to try right now, not until I get myself into a constant state of high vibration at least.

Am I missing something? Is there anything more to it than exploration?

[Edit:] Having just read your blog entry on the basics of AP, I no longer need a reply. Astral Projection: The Basics Explained

[Reyv]

Holy ga-freakin-zooks Erin! Having just read about your first astral experience, I can't but wonder if it's all worth it. How did that particular set of encounters end anyway? I know you've already addressed this, but if this were a book, I'd be tempted to skip to the last page right about now. Were those in fact negative entities or not? If so, was this solved through increasing your vibration?

I don't intend to start practicing AP anytime soon, but I do believe it's possible, which puts me in the awkward position of being afraid that I might get into a similar situation accidentally. What I'm probably expecting is confirmation that AP is difficult stuff, and the odds of it happening accidentally are extremely slim, which coupled with the odds of encountering such negative entities make it all but impossible. But then and again, I do already lucid dream.

[Erin Pavlina]

When I first started astral projection I succumbed to fear and low vibrations. If you go into it with love and light you probably won't have the encounters I had.