Review: Astral Projection
by Eva Roseheart
Today I'm reviewing Astral Projection: The Complete Self-Empowerment Guide & Workbook by Eva Roseheart. The subtitle is: Experience Profound Awakening With Simple Techniques to Let Go of Limiting Beliefs and Awaken Your Higher Consciousness. Whew! That's a mouthful! The copyright is 2022.
The book is 135 pages, with tight margins and smallish font, but there's also a lot of white space. I'd like the book to be bigger, but at least I didn't feel cheated like some of the 48-page so-called "books" I've read.
After reading a bad book, like my previously reviewed book by Holly Jane McConnell, this one seemed refreshing. Still not great, but better. Roseheart's writing was at least normal, unlike McConnell's tedious "passive voice". Roseheart should probably have used a good editor or proofreader to catch a few rookie mistakes, like three or four times she wrote "mediation" instead of "meditation." But at least she knows the difference between "it's" and "its." And she even has chapter numbers and page numbers, unlike some books I've reviewed.
If I had to sum this book up in one sentence, I'd say: It's a classic "Self-Help" book clothed in an astral projection disguise. That is to say, the book focuses more on fixing the person (in this case, potential astral projector) than teaching dynamics, tricks, tips, or techniques of astral projection.
The questions I always ask when I read an astral projection book are:
- Who is this author?
- What is their level of experience?
- What are their credentials?
- What makes them qualified to write about it?
- Do they have book-learning or knowledge based on personal experiences?
On pages 36 and 37, Eva Roseheart gives a personal out-of-body narrative to show you she's had at least one OBE. That's better than McConnell and many other authors. Unfortunately, it's the only OBE narrative in the book, and it's labeled "My astral projection" (singular), so I can only assume her experience is very limited. Still, I appreciated her honesty and candor.
Roseheart gives several astral projection techniques, but nothing really unique or innovative. She describes some obligatory techniques like Robert Bruce's "Rope" (pg. 121), even giving him credit. Also "The Monroe Technique" (pg. crediting Robert Monroe) But instead of quoting the original authors, she apparently used a website called astralprojectionmastery.com, which is now gone or recently hacked as a redirect to some slot gaming site. Maybe it was once owned by L. Jordan whose book "Astral Projection Mastery" I gave 3 stars? At any rate, she echoes the same advice to "visualize" a rope, which is one variant, but the whole idea behind the rope technique is to use tactile imagination, i.e. to use your imaginary sense of touch, not visualization.
She also describes "The Yo-Yo Method" (pg. 122) which I invented for my first book (she doesn't give me credit, but you can read it at this link).
So also gives "The Free Fall Method" (pg. 122-123) which I also invented (I called it "Falling In A Well" which is at the end of my chapter 11.)
She also describes:
- Rotation / Roll-out Technique (Robert Monroe)
- Rocking (which I invented) (See this link)
- Wake Back to Bed (Famous lucid dreaming technique)
- Chakra Spinning technique (ancient yogic technique)
- Target Technique (quoted by many, but invented by Ophiel)
I don't want to nit-pick my way through the book, but there are a few things I found in error. Roseheart writes:
"Even though some of the oldest mentions of astral projection date back to at least 3,000 years ago, it was just around the 1970s that it was popularized with the name astral projection by Robert Monroe..." (pg. 11)
It's more like 5,000 years ago, and while Robert Monroe undoubtedly helped popularize the subject, I think he hated the old term "astral projection," which is much older. The term "astral projection" was used by occultists (like Oliver Fox) and Theosophists (like Charles Leadbeater) in the 1800s, long before Monroe was born. Some might argue it was popularized by Sylvan Muldoon in his 1929 breakthrough book The Projection of the Astral Body.
Here's another simple misunderstanding:
"Some people might experience hypnagogia--most known as sleep paralysis." (pg. 42)
Actually, hypnagogia (AKA hypnagogic hallucinations) and sleep paralysis are two very different things. I can easily reach a state of hypnagogia 20 seconds after lying down, but it takes a lot longer for me to reach sleep paralysis.
Lastly, I found a really bad piece of advice in the book:
"Remember to eat at least an hour before practicing any technique and always choose to wear loose clothing." (pg. 131)
No, no, no. Don't eat an hour before practicing. In fact, astral projection experts agree with the rule "Eat early, eat light." Many say that fasting enhances your ability to induce OBEs, otherwise try to eat nothing after 3 p.m. (15:00) the day before you practice and then practice in the early morning.
Now for some of the good points of the book.
Chapter 6 is "Setting an Intention and Letting Go of Limiting Beliefs." That's actually got some good, useful information. Again, it's more like a "Self-Help Guide" but still, there are entire OBE books centered around this. Rick Stack's book comes to mind. I found her list of suggested affirmations (pages 81-82) especially useful.
The book also stresses how important it is to keep journals; both astral projection journals and dream journals. But she takes it a step further and recommends affirmation journals, and--this is fun--a "One Sentence a Day Journal" (pg. 98). She doesn't go into much detail as to why journaling is so important (See my blog article Why Keeping A Dream Journal Helps OBEs), but she does treat the subject fairly.
She also stresses that it's important to communicate to your "Higher Self" and even includes an exercise on page 106 suggesting you "Write a Letter to Your Higher Self." I agree that it's important. I wrote a whole book (titled Answers Within) about the subject.
Another cool exercise (Roseheart calls them "activities") is to "Write Your Own Prayer" (pg. 109) and she even gives an example.
Her astral projection instructions, however, fall short. I want details! Aside from the exit techniques, she only has a few pointers. It's good stuff. For example, she summarizes "key points of astral traveling" such as (paraphrased from pages 118-119):
- Intention and affirmation: Tune into your intuition, affirm what you want.
- Relaxation - Achieve mind awake/body asleep
- Vibration state - Not everyone has it, but be prepared for it
- Just let go and surrender
- Just stay calm
- Use your exit technique of choice
- Do this in the early mornings, like Wake Back To Bed, or in deep trance
- Try not to move your physical body when you wake up, but go into your technique
She goes into more detail than this, but not enough detail to satisfy the more detail-oriented people in the audience (me!)
I give this book 3 and 1/2 stars out of 5. It's not bad, but there are much better. It might be just right for someone who needs to hear her messages of encouragement. I would have preferred:
- A longer book (more information)
- More detailed technique instructions
- Examples and explanations of how things work, the "Whys"
- More out-of-body narratives to illustrate her points.
Bob Peterson
14 January 2025
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If you want me to review
a book about out-of-body experiences or astral projection, send me an
email: bob@robertpeterson.org, but please check the index first to see
if I've already reviewed it. Also, I've got a huge pile of books I'm
planning to review, so don't expect a quick turnaround.
If you like my work, visit my website, robertpeterson.org, where you'll find lots of other free OBE advice and links.
