The Astral Plane: An Exploration Beyond the Physical
by D.R. T Stephens
Today I'm reviewing The Astral Plane: An Exploration Beyond the Physical by D.R.T Stephens. The subtitle is Uncovering the Secrets of Astral Travel and OBEs. The copyright is 2023.
If I was asked to describe this book in five words, I'd use words like "sterile, impersonal, mechanical, boring, uninspired."
As you know, the best astral projection books are inspired by personal experiences. This one isn't. There are no clues how the author acquired this "knowledge." In fact, it reads like the author doesn't have any knowledge at all; it could very well be copy-pasted from an AI chat-bot, sight unseen.
The book has a couple of astral projection narratives in chapter 30, but they're extremely generic and uninteresting. They're so uninteresting, with lack of emotion, that I question their authenticity. And they're not the author's experiences.
The book doesn't really say anything interesting at all. I would be more entertained by misinformation or misinterpretation. At least that's interesting. At least that gives me something to think about.
I can't really find fault with anything the book said. It just didn't seem to say anything. I have absolutely no evidence to substantiate this, but I tend to believe the entire book was written by AI, Artificial Intelligence. It reads like the author, D.R.T Stephens, entered instructions into an AI chat-bot like "Write a short chapter on astral projection X" where X is something like "throughout history" or "anatomy of the astral plane" or "and aging." In other words, each and every chapter reads like a short AI-generated essay on the topic that says nothing substantial.
The entire book reads like: "While many scholars regard astral projection as a phenomenon of the mind, experiencers see it as an experience of a nonphysical reality." Well, duh.
In other words, it tries to argue multiple sides, like an AI presents different viewpoints. It never asserts anything. It never argues anything. It never presents information. It never backs up anything with experience. It never references other works on the subject. It's completely uninspired and unimaginative. Worst of all, it's mostly written in passive voice. I'll give you an example. (Opens the book to a random page):
"Chapter 20: Astral and the Occult
The realm of the occult, with its multifaceted practices and deep-rooted philosophies, has often been closely intertwined with the concepts of astral projection and the astral plane. This chapter aims to delve into the historical and contemporary roles of astral experiences within the realm of occult practices and traditions... (pg. 73)
While occult traditions share similarities with religious and shamanic systems in their use of astral projection, they often differ in objectives and methodology... (pg. 73)
The astral plane in the occult context is seen as a repository for thought-forms--concentrated packets of energy created by collective belief or individual focus...(pg. 74)
Summary
The realms of the astral and the occult are tightly interwoven, with astral projection serving as a significant practice with various occult traditions...(pg. 75)
And on and on. See what I mean? It's all just...gobbledygook.
Another dead giveaway: At the beginning of the book, it says the characters in the book are all fictional. But there are no characters and it's supposedly nonfiction. Get it?
Then there's the off-putting multi-page disclaimer at the beginning that says things like:
"By continuing to read this book, you agree to be bound by the terms and conditions stated in this disclaimer." (pg. 3)
You're better off finding a decent AI chat bot like chatgpt and asking it your own questions about astral projection. Better yet, find a book that speaks from personal experience, and moves you with their experiences, and actually says something worthwhile. Like, say, Jurgen Ziewe, William Buhlman, Robert Monroe, or just about anyone else.
I cannot recommend this book. I give it one star out of five. It is 129 pages of unhelpful discourse, with narrow margins and a decent font. I didn't find much inside to fault, but I didn't find anything to recommend it either. Unlike some books that openly promote misinformation, this book just says...nothing. It's like bubble-wrap or packing peanuts: nicely packaged air.
And remember that subtitle? Uncovering the Secrets of Astral Travel and OBEs? It's bait-and-switch. It uncovers no secrets.
Bob Peterson
28 April 2026
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If you want me to review
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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.
