Many of my "more interesting" OBEs can be found in the online text of my first book, but most of them are from 40 years ago. People sometimes ask: What are my OBEs like today? When I rewrote my website earlier this year, I realized how few of my recent OBEs appear in my blog.
Well here is an OBE that's much more recent. Hopefully it will some day make its way into a book.
by C.W. Leadbeater
Today I'm reviewing The Astral Plane by Charles Webster Leadbeater. The copyright on my copy is 1933 but the first edition was printed in 1895: 129 years ago! I'm reviewing this book at a Facebook friend's request.
The author, C.W. Leadbeater, was one of the most prominent authors in Theosophy, which was a spiritual movement started by Russian mystic Helena P. Blavatsky in 1875. The book was published after her death in 1891. I've read several Theosophy books, including Leadbeater's The Inner Life and A.E. Powell's The Astral Body, but I'm still pretty ignorant about the movement. They remind me of the younger Eckankar, the "out-of-body religion (cult?)" founded by Paul Twitchell. Twitchell and Blavatsky had similar stories: both supposedly traveled to India and studied with secret esoteric masters with amazing spiritual powers. Both took it upon themselves to bring their "knowledge" to the Western world as a not-so-secret society, spooning out esoteric secrets for a price. Frankly, I think Theosophy goes deeper and has a lot more street credentials than Eckankar, but I'll leave that subject for another day.
I don't know if the book is still in print, but it probably is. At any rate, it's easy to find online copies. I acquired my copy more than 40 years ago.
The book is small in size, but it has 183 pages and a very small font, which provides a lot of content despite the small package.
Even though the book is small, it took a long time to read because it was written in 1890s British English. It's more cumbersome than today's writing. I'll give you an example:
"Illustrations taken from the physical plane seem generally to misrepresent rather than elucidate astral phenomena, because they can never be more than partially applicable; but the recollection of two simple facts of ordinary life may help to make this important branch of our subject clearer, if we are careful not to push the analogy further than it will hold good." (pg. 165)
The whole book is like that!
Leadbeater was extensively trained in Theosophy and supposedly got to the state where he had full astral sight. As he tells it:
"I worked at it for forty-two days, and seemed to myself to be on the brink of the final victory, when the Master Himself intervened and performed the final act of breaking through which completed the process, and enabled me thereafter to use astral sight while still retaining full consciousness in the physical body--which is equivalent to saying that the astral consciousness and memory became continuous whether the physical body was awake or asleep." (page X)
So we're supposed to just take his word for it. Call me cynical but I've heard that line before and I'm not buying it. He doesn't give any examples of his direct observations, nor any of his direct OBEs, so as far as I'm concerned, all the "information" he gives is unsubstantiated and therefore questionable. I suspect much of the information are hand-me-downs from other teachings of Theosophy, which are hand-me-downs from a variety of ancient Hindu scriptures, Vedas, Upanishads, Patanjali, etc..
For example, he states that there are seven planes of existence, each of which has seven layers or sub-planes. In order of materiality, from densest to finest, they are:
Oddly, Leadbeater doesn't say much about the planes of existence themselves, other than saying there are too many places to describe.
Instead, the vast majority of the book describes the various entities that may be seen on the astral plane. That includes the nirmanakaya (those who have achieved nirvana but renounce it in order to work for the good of mankind), ordinary people after death, astral shells, vitalized shells, astral shades, dead people waiting for their next incarnation, victims of sudden death and suicide, and so forth.
Much of this is just blatant fear mongering. For example, he describes "vitalized shells" like this:
"Let it suffice here to mention that it is almost always a malevolent bring--a true tempting demon, whose evil influence is limited only by the extent of its power. Like the shade, it is frequently used to further the horrible purposes of the Voodoo and Obeah forms of magic." (pg. 74)
He also describes the "Vampire" and the "Werewolf" which have "unearthly horror and of extreme rarity." But again, he doesn't say whether he's actually seen these things or if he's just passing down lore from elsewhere. I personally have never seen anything like that so I tend to think of it as fear mongering, especially in light of ridiculous claims like this about vampires:
"Since the eighth sphere cannot claim him until after the death of the body, he preserves it in a kind of cataleptic trance by the horrible expedient of the transfusion into it of blood drawn from other human beings by his semi-materialized astral, and thus postpones his final destiny by the commission of wholesale murder." (pg. 81)
Here's another claim regarding werewolves made in the book that I see as nonsensical fear mongering:
"When a perfectly cruel and brutal man does this, there are certain circumstances under which the body may be seized upon by other astral entities and materialized, not into the human form, but into that of some wild animal--usually the wolf; and in that condition it will range the surrounding country killing other animals, and even human beings, thus satisfying not only its own craving for blood, but that of the fiends who drive it on." (pg. 82)
On the astral plane, it is possible to shape-shift and take on the
appearance of a vampire or werewolf, and I firmly believe that is the origin of such horrors. But Leadbeater seems to categorize
them differently than a "run of the mill astral shapeshifter." And I simply refuse to accept them walking around on the physical plane. (Ask me again after the next season of The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch!)
Perhaps he was using these fear tactics to drive would-be students to Theosophy where they can be "properly trained by the experts" to deal with such ghastly entities. If the carrot doesn't work, use the stick, right?
He does say:
"Intending explorers of the astral plane need have little fear of encountering the unpleasant creatures described under this head, for, as before stated, they are even now extremely rare, and as time goes on their number will happily steadily diminish." (pgs. 83-84)
But then, later, when describing Elementals and Nature Spirits, he's back to fear mongering:
"There is, however, undoubtedly a sort of bias or tendency permeating nearly all of their subdivisions which operates to render them rather hostile than friendly towards man. Every neophyte knows this, for in most cases his first impression of the astral plane is of the presence all round him of vast hosts of protean spectres who advance upon him in threatening guise, but always retire or dissipate harmlessly if boldly faced." (pg. 101)
He takes it a step forward and actually gives good advice:
"Though tricky and mischievious, they are rarely malicious unless provoked by some unwarrantable intrusion or annoyance; but as a body they also partake to some extent of the universal feeling of distrust for man, and they generally seem inclined to resent somewhat the first appearance of a neophyte on the astral plane, so that he usually makes their acquaintance under some unpleasant or terrifying form. If, however, he declines to be frightened by any of their freaks, they soon accept him as a necessary evil and take no further notice of him, while some among them may even after a time become friendly and manifest pleasure on meeting him." (pg. 115)
Clearly the author is describing the guardian of the threshold but attributing it to Elementals. His advice is sound, but I don't think it has anything to do with Elementals.
That
brings us to a discussion of something the author calls "The Fifth Root
Race" which I only know about from my study of Edgar Cayce. Cayce was
born in 1877, so he was 18 years old when this book was published. I wonder
if the book--or Theosophy in general--influenced Cayce? Or perhaps Cayce
influenced Leadbeater? But again, those are best left for a future discussion.
I do agree with Leadbeater on some points, such as:
"The horrible doctrine of eternal punishment, too, is responsible for a vast amount of most pitiable and entirely groundless terror among those newly arrived in this higher life." (pg. 61)
Another curious feature of this book is that he describes godlike inhabitants of the astral plane: Kamadevas, Rupadevas, and Arupadevas. Likewise, he talks about "devas" in general, and four "Kings" or "Regents of the Earth" describing them as associated with the "elements" of earth, water, air, and fire. Since the author gives us no idea of his direct experiences, I can only assume this all comes from the ancient traditions of India (or Blavatsky) and not from his own observations. In other words, secondhand information, also known as hearsay.
Toward the end of the book, Leadbeater branches out and talks about other phenomena, such as churchyard ghosts, apparitions of the dying, haunted localities, family ghosts, bell-ringing and stone-throwing ghosts, fairies, communicating entities (think seances). This is all pretty old-school and not very enlightening.
He also talks about various phenomena related to seances and physical mediumship: clairvoyance, prevision, second-sight, etheric currents, astral forces, etheric pressure, latent energy, sympathetic vibrations, mantras, disintegration, materialization, table tipping, spirit photography, reduplication, precipitation, slate writing, levitation, spirit lights, handling fire, and so forth. Much of this is described as real phenomena with scant explanations, but I wrote most of it off as nonsense in the light of modern science.
That's not to say I don't believe in mediumship. On the contrary, I've studied it extensively. I have an entire shelf of my bookcase dedicated to mediumship and channeling. (Compare that to the four shelves for my astral projection books.) I've also known many talented spirit mediums whose gifts seem "real." Any doubters in the audience should read the excellent book The Truth About Medium by Gary Schwartz, Ph.D.
I give this book just 1 and 1/2 stars out of 5. It's hard to take the book seriously when it talks about physical manifestations of vampires and werewolves. There are no astral projection narratives and no techniques. It's just a "data dump" (of questionable data) with little substance to back it up, topped off with fear mongering.
The previous book I reviewed, Jurgen Ziewe's Elysium Unveiled, is a much better description of non-physical environments and their inhabitants. It's also much newer and not burdened with superstition and fear mongering.
Bob Peterson
08 October 2024
----------------------------
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.
by Jurgen Ziewe
Today I'm reviewing Elysium Unveiled by Jurgen Ziewe. The subtitle is A Visual Odyssey of Life Eternal. The copyright is 2023. The book is 162 pages, chock full of stunning images.
I read most of this book from the seat of an airplane. This is the first
book I've reviewed for my blog that wasn't a printed book. It is an
eBook. In the past I've always confined my reviews to printed books, but due to unusual circumstances, I decided to make an exception. (The book is available in print, as well as a German edition).
This is not a teaching book.
"Jurgen Ziewe sees himself not as a teacher but as a reporter, delivering a
down-to-earth narrative of his remarkable experiences." (pg. 162)
And that's basically what it is. This book is a travelogue: a written description of the author's travels alongside
images to illustrate his points. But unlike the travelogues from my
old website, this is for non-physical places, astral
locations, consensus realities.
The book is rich with verbal descriptions of non-physical realms, including some all-important example OBE narratives that give the book a great deal of credibility. Some of these reminded me of a childhood experience where it seemed like I spent years in a non-physical city. You can read the full account from my first book at this link. Compare what Ziewe says:
"Our earth life appears like a distant bad dream from which we have awoken." (pg. 130)
...to my narrative:
"...I had gone to sleep and dreamed of a little place called "Earth" and now I was awake. "That was a silly dream" I thought, and I soon forgot all about "Earth." I continued my life, just like before I fell asleep. I lived in that fantastic city for years and years--centuries it seemed. I lived there so long that I COMPLETELY forgot all about Earth. For hundreds of years I had forgotten Earth. If someone were to ask me about it, I couldn't remember, since it happened so long ago." (pg. 11)
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Extrapolate
that to the next level: an out-of-body experience is worth a thousand
pictures. So alongside the text, this book has a plethora of full-color near-photo quality images produced by the author with the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI) similar to the cover photo above. In fact, there are images on every page, and many additional images with no text.
But Ziewe admits that the images don't do them justice. They are only "approximate" visual representations of non-physical places he has seen firsthand in his many years of out-of-body experiences. In an OBE, you can hear incredible music and see thousands of colors more vivid than the physical, and there's often a lack of words to describe what you experience. I could feel his frustration: Even though he's a professional graphic artist, using state-of-the-art AI design tools, and despite having spent countless hours refining and honing them, the images are just crude shadows of the places he visited. The images are analogous to stick figures etched into cave walls by our ancient hominid ancestors: They only give a crude idea of what Ziewe actually saw.
Some of them looked vaguely familiar, and as I stared into them, sometimes I felt like I had been there, too, even if I didn't consciously remember.
And Ziewe's images in the book are mind blowing. As I read, my wife Kathy watched a movie on her iPad, occasionally glancing over my shoulder. Several times she paused her movie and interrupted me saying, "Wow! Those images are just phenomenal! If they're supposed to represent what he's seen in his OBEs, it's just incredible and amazing to think." One time she added, "All of those images--every one I've seen so far--are good enough to put into a frame and hang on our walls! They're amazing!"
But it's more than just art. It takes the reader deep into the non-physical worlds of the astral plane. It's a visual odyssey, much like Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy is an odyssey of words, describing the various regions of the afterlife from heaven to purgatory to hell (Paradiso to Purgatorio to Inferno). But where Dante was limited to around 96,000 words, Ziewe gives visual representations to the afterlife.
The book can also be compared to Charles Leadbeater's 1895 book The Astral Plane (which I will review next time) but so much better. Leadbeater's book mostly describes the inhabitants of the astral plane, but in a matter-of-fact way, without the emotions, narratives or descriptions of the places themselves.
Near the beginning of this book, Ziewe recommends the readers study the images and try to draw themselves into them, and imagine that they're standing there. Many of the images drew me in like a magnet. While they weren't OBEs, it was almost magical, as if I was somehow propelled by the image into a higher vibration. It was weird and hard to explain. No other book has had that effect on me.
The book starts out describing the lowest of the lower astral, where the worst of the negative souls confine themselves to a hellish environment, wallowing in their own hideous negativity, greed and selfishness. He describes how he was accompanied to this dangerous place by his "silent companion" very similar to beings I've encountered.
Then he describes "Earth II", and areas of the "middle astral" and "higher realms" that are stunning.
According to Ziewe's direct observations, he asserts that we--our
individual personalities--live on in the afterlife. In other
words, we don't just get re-absorbed into the infinite consciousness
without a sense of self. This is contrast to the ages-old Occult belief that a suitable "Body of Light" needs to be created and cultivated in the astral plane or else our personalities will dissolve into the infinite.
Ziewe also asserts that reincarnation is a fact. And like William Buhlman and other authors, he asserts that we go to the places that best suit our vibrational level. Negative people go to negative places, and positive people go to positive places, etc., and yet we are free to choose where we go.
In past reviews I've compared Ziewe's words to Eckhart Tolle: simple but profound wisdom, like gold coins casually fall from his pockets as he walks. This book is no exception. It's a simple book, not complex or wordy. In fact, it has short, simple, powerful messages like:
"Appreciation and gratitude are the most important faculties to nurture while still on earth to get our passport into Heaven." (pg. 128)
Here's another example:
"We all share one consciousness, and the demarcation lines are only inside our heads. We are living with an epic illusion and delusion, thinking that there is a Now and After and a Here and Beyond. There is only a constant Now and a persistent Here. Thinking there is an Afterlife is still one of our greatest delusions, even among the stanchest believers in “Life After Death”." (pg. 22)
Throughout the years I've told this to many people: All our beliefs in the afterlife come from someone's firsthand experience. So why do so many people today cling to the cryptic descriptions of heaven and hell from people who are separated from us by thousands of years of time, radical evolution in science and culture, and badly distorted by translations from an ancient language? Why do people viciously defend their religions when they can read (and now see) modern accurate descriptions of the afterlife, undistorted, from someone in their own culture, in their own time, and in their own language? Jurgen Ziewe is much too humble to say it, but I will: his books are just that.
I loved this book. Its short messages are deep and profound and its art is visually stunning. I give it one of my rare 5 star ratings. It's not only "deep" and thought-provoking, it's emotion-provoking.
Bob Peterson
24 September 2024
----------------------------
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.
by Bob Peterson
Several days ago I was meditating and wished for more encounters with what I call "Angels." These are powerful energy beings I've sometimes encountered in my OBEs, often by accident. I wondered, "How can I encourage more of these experiences?"
The answer came immediately: "Raise your vibrations."
Yeah, my vibrations have been pretty low lately. There's a lot happening in the world to fuel negative emotions and lower our vibrations:
Let's face it: we're all facing big challenges lately. So how can we raise our vibrations?
In January of 2020 I wrote an article titled Raising Your Vibrations in which I gave several techniques I use to raise my overall vibrations. They were:
These are all still great techniques. But greater challenges require greater techniques. It's time to level up! So here are some more ideas:
It helps to go out into nature. I love to go biking. I spend my summers in Minnesota, and there are lots of bike trails that take you through deep woods and past lakes. The Paul Bunyan trail, Heartland trail, Cuyuna, and many more. Getting out into nature can really help raise your vibrations.
Hiking
Similarly, I love to go hiking in nature. There's just something "primal" about walking, especially if you can un-focus and clear your mind a bit. Maybe it's a throwback from when our ancestors were hunter/gatherers and did a lot of walking.
Go for a motorcycle ride
When I have the option, I love to ride my motorcycle out in the country. This is especially lovely in autumn when the leaves are turning colors and the air is fresh and crisp. I don't recommend freeways and city driving, which can actually lower your vibrations.
You can raise your vibrations just by being near water. Visit a lake, a river, a stream, or the ocean. Just close your eyes and become absorbed in its healing vibrations. If you can, sit on a beach. If you can't do that, take a relaxing bath.
It may seem corny or ridiculous to hug a tree, but it works. Show a tree some love and visualize its love return to you. There's something very grounding in trees.
Show some love to an animal. It doesn't need to be a dog or cat, and it doesn't need to be your own pet. Pet any dog, horse, ferret, rabbit, or whatever. Most pets give love unconditionally, and most don't judge.
In this meditation, close your eyes and pick a person whom you love. Start with someone close to you, like maybe your wife, husband, or kids, or even just a friend. Visualize them and just send them feelings of love. Imagine hugging them. Imagine raising their vibrations. Then pick someone else, maybe not as close, like a relative, an aunt or uncle, niece or nephew, and do the same. Next, pick someone a little more distant, like a co-worker and do the same. Then do it for a grocery store worker, a hair stylist, etc.. Then try to do the same with multiple people: All your family. Then all your relatives. Then everyone in your life.
A lot of people talk about the power of gratitude. Being grateful can really increase your vibrations. Take some time to think about all the good things in your life and just feel grateful for them. Count your blessings. Then thank the Universe for them.
One of my greatest joys is helping others. Do something to help others, even if it's just holding the door at a store or restaurant. I've always been a "fixer" so it gives me great joy to help someone solve problems with their computer, television, or phone.
Sit down, close your eyes and visualize your chakras. Visualize them becoming charged with energy, spinning faster and faster, and interconnected.
Fountain of Joy meditation
Sit down, close your eyes and imagine a fountain of joyful energy shooting up from the ground, through your body, exiting out the crown chakra at the top of the head.
Fireworks meditation
This is similar to the Fountain of Joy meditation, except you pretend there are rockets of energy shooting up your spine, bursting joyfully overhead like fireworks. To quote the Katy Perry song, "Make 'em go Oh, Oh, Oh, as you shoot across the sky."
Full disclosure: I'm not a Katy Perry fan. In fact, I often do this meditation to my all-time favorite song by Yes, called "And You And I" which has music near the end that (to me) evokes images of fireworks shooting off.
Comedy
Sometimes it's very healing to watch a lighthearted comedy. Everyone has different tastes in humor, just like music. I love silly comedies. The sillier the better. Watch "Airplane!" or "Police Squad" or "Top Secret". I also like the really old Marx Brothers movies like "Animal Crackers." One of my favorite comedy series is "Coupling".
You can also listen to youtube videos of various comedians doing standup. My favorite was Gallagher.
Sit quietly, listen to your own breath. With each breath make believe that you inhale pure divine energy from the Universe and exhale all the negativity in your life.
Energetic Shielding
Sometimes you can "absorb" negativity from other people, such as a spouse or your parents, and not even know it. This is a big problem for empaths, people who naturally absorb the energy and feelings of people nearby. So it can be beneficial to do "energetic shielding". Just close your eyes, relax, and imagine a bright white light surrounding you. Affirm that no negativity can get through.
We are all interconnected. I've heard it said that separateness is an illusion: We are all One. There are no others. When we raise our vibrations, we help raise the consciousness of everyone. Perhaps this is what the world needs right now.
Bob Peterson,
10 September 2024
by Robert Bruce and Brian Mercer
Today I'm reviewing Mastering Astral Projection: 90-Day Guide to Out-of-Body Experience by Robert Bruce and Brian Mercer. The copyright is 2014.
It's been a long time since I worked on my blog, mostly for two
reasons: First, I took a couple months off to work on home improvement projects.
Second, I needed time to read this book, which is very long. It's 484 pages long, with
small font, in a two-column format. It's a LOT of material to read and a lot to digest, so it took me a long time to get through it. That's the main reason I've never reviewed Tom Campbell's My Big Toe and Waldo Vieira's Projectiology: They're huge.
One of the reasons I chose to do this book next is because: Unfortunately, Robert Bruce, one of the all-time greatest astral projection teachers, passed away on April, 22, 2024. His book Astral Dynamics is still one of the best AP/OBE instruction books out there.
That's not to say I agree with everything the authors say about astral projection. Astral Projection has some interesting peculiarities, and the authors explain these away with Bruce's own theories (based on his experiences), whereas I have my own theories (based on my experiences).
Bruce believes in multiple planes of existence with (at least four) corresponding non-physical bodies:
He believes each of these non-physical bodies can have separate (and simultaneous) experiences and separate memories, and because of that he also believes these "Shadow memories" need to be "integrated with" or "downloaded to" the physical body's memories. If you're not careful, these "shadow memories" are lost and you won't remember what took place in your out-of-body experiences.
I find this approach to be unnecessarily complex. For example, they write:
"During the OBE exit, your energy body will create a subtle duplicate of itself (of you) complete with a full copy of your conscious mind. This is a spectacular feat when you think about it, and yet this happens naturally and unnoticed whenever you sleep." (pg. 223)
To me that sounds way too "fairy tale" unscientific and speculative. By what mechanism does it accomplish this duplication?
I tend to believe in a single (although possibly split) "conscious awareness" that can be re-focused to different body schemas, but one stream and source of memories. In other words, all the information (sense data) processed by our "awareness" comes from one stream of (non-local) data or another. In an OBE, we simply switch from one stream of data (based upon physical reality) to another. But I digress.
Like almost all Astral Projection books, the authors insist there's a big difference between OBEs and Lucid Dreams, but again, I disagree with their explanation:
"So what is the difference between a lucid dream and an OBE? In a lucid dream, lucidity itself consumes the majority of a dreamer's finite energy resources. During an OBE, the lucidity factor resides within the projected double. The focus here is on which copy of consciousness takes the level of energy required to function on a lucid and independent basis. In a case where neither aspect can get enough energy for independent lucidity, the memories from the dream mind are more usually remembered. This is because of the close association of the dream mind with the physical brain/mind." (pg. 290)
In my opinion, the difference is if the data stream is a self-created hallucination (dream environment) or some other non-physical objective reality.
Simply put, this book is Astral Dynamics put into action: a 90-day guide that gives the reader step-by-step, day-by-day instructions to achieve astral projection.
If I understand it correctly, the story goes like this:
The co-author, Brian Mercer, found Astral Dynamics to be an excellent source of information on how to achieve astral projection. So he took the material and developed his own personal development plan/guide to put the book into action.
The material was so compelling that he shared it with Robert Bruce. Bruce suggested a bunch of changes to make it more useful. From there it morphed into a full-blown collaboration between the authors. They fleshed out the details and embellished it with tons of tips and techniques.
The book is divided into two parts. Part 1, roughly the first six weeks, covers the basics and core skills:
Perhaps the most important of these things is energy raising:
"We cannot stress enough how important energy raising is for astral projection. You cannot do too much energy raising." (pg. 78)
These energy building exercises are very much like the Taoist techniques I learned in Tai Chi class back in the 1980s and Qi Gong: The greater and lesser orbits of energy circulation and energy storage in the Dan Tien (belly button chakra).
The authors suggest you do ten to twenty minutes of energy raising techniques after your nightly affirmations. I often do this, but for me, anything beyond five to ten minutes is too much: after that I'm "buzzing" so much I'm unable to sleep.
Each of the 90 days is broken down into affirmations and exercises to perform: what to do that morning, that afternoon and that night. For example, day 13 recommends:
The exercises for day 13 are:
All these exercises are explained in detail earlier so there's no ambiguity.
As per Astral Dynamics, the authors describe several different ways to manipulate and massage the primary energy centers (chakras) (pg. 119):
The book talks about all the energy sensations and pre-lift-off sensations. For example, it talks about the heart racing thing, and gives solid recommendations:
"Please trust us here. A racing heart center will not hurt or damage you in any way, but it can take time and an act of faith to get past this sensation during an OBE exit. A racing physical heart has never ever been detected in any sleep lab or OBE research studies, even when the resulting evidence suggests that OBEs have indeed occurred." (pg. 113)
Part 2, "Liftoff" gets deep into the actual techniques, what to do and what not to do.
The exercises in part 1 are simple but effective. For example, performing reality checks ("Am I dreaming? Is this normal? Can I levitate?", etc.) throughout the day, the "Ring Technique" for learning to calm the inner chatter and stop the inner dialog. Write numbers from "1" to "12" on sticky notes and stick them to a wall. Stare at the number "1" and breathe slowly but deeply, then go on to "2." If after "2" your focus was interrupted by inner dialog or chatter, go back to "1" otherwise go on to "3". Any time you lose your inner focus, start over at "1" again. This trains you to hold an uninterrupted focus longer and longer.
This book has tons of exercises and techniques. For example, the section on trance techniques contains:
Some of the other OBE techniques ("methods") described in the book include:
But the book has more than just 90 days of exercises. It goes way beyond that. For example, it talks about fasting (up to 3 days and no more). It talks about altering sleep patterns. It talks about Wake-Back-To-Bed (WBTB) which it refers to as Wake-up Time Patterning. It talks about Controlled Sleep Deficit. It talks about how you need to maintain a certain level of discomfort to ensure lucidity. It talks about strength and vitality issues, reasoning problems, and problems with eyesight.
It explains how to tell when you're in the real-time zone versus one of the astral planes. It describes the astral planes and how to move from area to area. For example, it suggests diving down into the surface of the plane, which often look like repeating grid patterns, similar to diving into a pool.
It talks about "astral tubes" and "astral winds" that sometimes whisk you away.
The book also contains a lot of information on problem solving. For example, it talks about aches and pains, cobweb feelings, distracting sounds, saliva problems, inability to enter trance, going too deep, sleep paralysis, the boredom barrier, falling asleep during trance, snoring, the Guardian of the Threshold (although they don't call it that) and others. (pgs 150-155).
Perhaps the most valuable part of the book is the "Daily Tips" that are given for each chapter. Each day has tips from both Robert Bruce and Brian Mercer. Bruce's are solid advice on how to approach the daily exercises based on his many years of experience. In a way, Mercer's tips are more valuable and more useful. Since Mercer was new to the Astral Dynamics material, he gives a unique "outsider's" perspective. For example, he describes when he first did the exercises, what he did wrong (and right), and ways he got around the sticking points. Mercer says things like:
"If you find it difficult to sweep energy from the feet, legs, and up through the primary centers in one continuous motion, try this: start with the feet and sweep energy up through the legs to the base center during one inhale. Rest your attention there until the next inhale, when you'll sweep energy up from the base center to the genital (or navel) center and hold on until the next inhale." (pg. 139)
In other words, he gives very straightforward, very practical advice on the exercises.
In another example, he talks about problems he had with the "rope" technique, and how he solved them by imagining a "goal" at the top of the rope, like a city hovering in the clouds. In another exercise he recommends you imagine a background so the rope has a backdrop with which to gauge your progress. In another place (pg. 268) he recommends developing a rhythm or beat to the climb to increase effectiveness. Great ideas!
The authors depart from Astral Dynamics to embrace more modern techniques. For example, they borrow from Michael Raduga's The Phase in recommending you dynamically switch techniques as you practice. They even repeat some of William Buhlman's suggestions, like "Clarity Now!" and demanding light.
I was pleased to discover my first book was in the list of recommended reading. I guess I made a positive impact!
I give this book a full 5-star rating. It's well written, well organized, and chock full of tips and techniques to achieve astral projection. It even contains several small narratives to illustrate points in the book. What's not to like?
I dare say this is better than Robert Bruce's original Astral Dynamics.
Bob Peterson
27 August 2024
----------------------------
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.
by Cyrus Kirkpatrick
Today I'm reviewing The Afterlife and Beyond by Cyrus Kirkpatrick. The subtitle is An Examination of Life After Death by an Out-of-Body Explorer. The copyright is 2018.
I have mixed emotions about this book. I really liked the book a lot, but still, it did not meet my expectations.
Why did I like this book so much? For one thing, Kirkpatrick is relatable, at least to me. Like me, he loves to travel and has traveled around the (physical) world and immersed himself in foreign cultures, rejoicing in new experiences, meeting new people, and exploring new ideas. Like me, Kirkpatrick is an accomplished out-of-body explorer. He speaks from experience and his depth of knowledge shows. Like me, he is very logical, analytical, and yet thoughtful. He doesn't jump to conclusions or speak as a guru. He's done his homework and research. He uses big words, some of which forced me to open my dictionary app. He cites numerous references, giving credit to other authors like Jurgen Ziewe, Robert Monroe, and Robert Bruce. He brings plenty of insights and deep thoughts to the table, the likes of which I haven't seen since Frederick Aardema's book Explorations in Consciousness. This book is for intellectuals.
I once wrote that an unexamined belief is not worth having. Well, Kirkpatrick has given each and every one of his beliefs in the afterlife careful examination and observation. If he believes something, it's safe to assume he's done his homework and has a very good reason for believing it. I absolutely loved this quote:
"It makes me realize that a lot of people repeat information without spending much time to think about what they're saying." (pg. 58)
Kirkpatrick has studied and explored the deepest curiosities related to the afterlife, including mediumship and channeling, after-death communications and the paranormal (as I have), and of course, astral projection / out-of-body experiences. He expertly navigates the pothole-filled road that borders science and the supernatural, and he does it well.
Why did it not meet my expectations? In a nutshell, I expected--no, I wanted really badly--to read all about Kirkpatrick's adventures in the afterlife, what he experienced, his observations about the planes (or sub-planes) of existence, how the non-physical world operates, what non-physical people are like, etc. But instead, he mostly (but not entirely) dismisses all that with blanket statements about how his out-of-body observations line up perfectly with Jurgen Ziewe's many books (and a few other authors) and if that's what you want, you should just go read Ziewe's experiences. Don't get me wrong: Ziewe is still my favorite OBE author, and he's traveled way beyond my own (or possibly anyone else's) capabilities, so this is very good advice. But that's not why my nose is deep inside Kirkpatrick's book.
He does give us some morsels based on personal experience. For example, he affirms, through personal observation, that his non-physical body has genitalia, for example. And if you karate-chop your hands together, you can feel pain. That kind of thing. He's tried unsuccessfully to materialize an object, or change objects greatly. He can, however, levitate or move objects.
He says that the level closest to our own, which he calls Astral Earth, has all the same elements as this physical Earth. In his OBEs he's visited street markets, biker bars, even strip clubs, and the people there generally know they're what we call "dead." He talks about exploring the "astral" version of Los Angeles, and says there seems to be energetic barriers that keep violent or murderous gangs from causing havoc in more civilized parts of the city. (pg. 127) He talks about:
"...vast dark astral realms, filled with malicious inhabitants who love to manipulate us and, when possible, interfere into our dimension." (pg. 136)
He also says that in virtually all astral cities he's visited he's seen the presence of astral police, law enforcement, and/or private security. (pg. 130) (For the record, I've never seen astral police or these vast dark astral realms.)
So he does give a few actual OBE narratives, but it left me hungry for more.
The biggest problem I had with the beginning of the book, believe it or not, was with the manufacturing. For the first fifth of the book, the pages literally fell out of the book like pedals from a flower! Every page I turned literally fell out of the book, which made reading quite difficult. The book's printer needs some lessons on how to manufacture books so they don't fall apart literally in your hands.
The book doesn't really have any out-of-body techniques to contribute, except for one gem I haven't seen before: Setting a soft alarm, which appears on page 38. Basically, you use your phone to record yourself in a very soft voice saying something like William Buhlman's famous "Awareness now." Then you set several alarms for the middle of the night that play the recording so softly that it doesn't wake you up. Instead, it triggers your sleeping self to stir into awareness. Cool idea.
One of the most notable things about this book is that Kirkpatrick disagrees with many new-age and religious authors who say that when we die, we are either absorbed (or re-absorbed) into the collective soul of God, diluted in a sea of greater consciousness, thus losing our unique personality or identity. Kirkpatrick says that, based on his research, evidence, and personal experience, we retain our human personality after death. He disagrees with the notion (mostly in Eastern religions) that we should strive to escape the cycle of reincarnation / rebirth and that we should try to extinguish our ego.
Unlike many books that claim we're either "here" or "there," Kirkpatrick says that we exist in all these planes of existence at the same time. It's just that we're not aware of it most of the time. You're already in your astral body, etheric body, and every other body as well as the physical, all of the time. You might be talking to someone on the astral plane right now as you read this, and not even know it. It's just a matter of where you focus your experiences and memories. Astral Projection, then, is just a convergence of our Earthly and Astral minds.
"Temporarily, we are a whole entity again." (pg. 71)
He gives a very interesting quote from Jurgen Ziewe taken from his Facebook group:
"There's a simple Axiom or rule we can apply if we wish to understand what the afterlife is like and it is this: Consciousness is primary. Physical manifestation is secondary, rising out of primary consciousness. consequently EVERYTHING that exists in this world can also exist in the primary non-physical world of consciousness depending on the state of consciousness we are in. We can smoke tobacco, weed, drink alcohol or have sex when we are dead, no doubt about it. I have seen it, tested it, done it. Everything in all cases takes place in consciousness whether we are dead or alive." (pg. 89)
Kirkpatrick writes:
"Regardless of this controversy, the original presupposition that "naughty" behavior doesn't exist, or my favorite--sex still exists but is sanitized and involves only mental "merging" versus any feeling like desire or orgasm--is silly, contrived by people's hang-ups that are projected onto the astral Earth." (pg. 91)
Well, sorry to break it to you, Cyrus, but I've directly experienced this "sanitized mental merging."
Kirkpatrick has a dig at Tom Campbell, author of "My Big TOE." He writes:
"While Campbell may be an astral projection practitioner, he appears unable to connect on a humanistic level with people from other realms. This is because, in my opinion, there's a high likelihood Tom Campbell is exploring lucid dream states as opposed to real astral domains, as it would explain why the inhabitants he encounters appear to be generated by his own mind." (pg. 92)
I really don't have any exposure to Campbell or his worldview, but I thought it was interesting.
I also thought this was interesting:
"The astral Earth is not a lesser-realm that we all must graduate from to get away. Rather, like this world, it's an arena--a place where a soul reduces its density to share a realm with many other individual souls--to explore, create, and learn valuable lessons amidst conflict and challenge." (pg. 96)
Just to be clear: this book is not so much an "astral projection book." It is exactly what it advertises on the front cover: It's an examination of life after death--the afterlife--but from many sources. The book is colored with (and influenced by) personal observations from his out-of-body experiences, but a lot of it comes from "elsewhere." For example, after his mother died, he started having long talks with her, while he was out-of-body, and she would explain how life on the "other side" compares to life here in the physical world. Fascinating stuff.
He spends a lot of time on Near-Death Experiences
(NDEs), mediumship and channeling, after-death communications (ADCs),
paranormal investigations, Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVPs) and
countless other sources that, for many years, have given us tiny
glimpses into the afterlife. Fascinating stuff. Valuable stuff. Stuff I
cherish! But not the out-of-body narratives I'm hungry for. So while the
book is exactly what it advertises, you can almost forget the "by an
out-of-body explorer" part. It spends way too much time for my liking on peripheral topics, and even the philosophy, and not enough on astral projection itself.
For example, he has a long-winded and interesting discussion about cryogenics and the future with regard to life-after-death. Most interesting, he speculates about a distant future in which doctors can 3D-print a new disease-free physical body for you to use rather than to re-animate your frozen corpse.
The book is 253 pages, with a good font, and tight margins, so plenty of content. The writing is professional and I only found a few typos. I'm going to give it 4 stars out of 5, because I loved it, but it strayed too far off the target topic. This is Kirkpatrick's second book, so maybe I should have started with the first book, Understanding Life After Death.
Bob Peterson
04 June 2024
----------------------------
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.
by D.J.Conway
Today I'm reviewing Flying Without a Broom: Astral Projection and the Astral World by D.J.Conway. The copyright is 1995.
I re-read this book mainly because one of my recent reviews (Arundell Overman's book Astral Projection) referenced and quoted some of the Conway's work. So I wanted to go back to the original source.
This book is unmistakenly written from a Wiccan point of view and cosmology. I wasn't impressed when I read it back in the 1980s and re-reading it hasn't won me over either. For one thing, some of Conway's assertions conflict with other authors. For example, Theosophists like C.W. Leadbeater (and countless others) wrote about seven planes of existence, describing them as if gained through firsthand experience. But Conway writes:
"No one can travel astrally (or any other way) to the very highest level above the seven astral levels." (pg. )
Well, I don't know if it's true, but what I'm saying is: others disagree. I certainly haven't been higher than the astral.
The book also contains a fair amount of fear mongering, and fear mongering is never good. For example, Conway writes:
"The malicious spirits of this lowest of astral levels are the ones who haunt buildings or areas of nature; sometimes they will try to harm humans. They are inherently evil and nothing can be done for them, except remove them (if possible) from their haunting area and confine them to their astral level." (pg. )
Conway describes a common occult technique to induce astral projection:
"The most commonly described method of attempting astral projection is to sit, eyes closed, and visualize yourself standing in front of your seated physical body. This picture of yourself is to be built up entirely, so that it looks like your reflection in a mirror. Then, bit by bit, one is to transfer consciousness into this astral body. The transfer is complete when you can look back and actually see yourself." (pg. )
She recommends using mugwort, but not in a tea. She says:
"Stuff this little pillow with dried mugwort, an herb long known for its ability to enhance the psychic. Stitch the opening closed." (pg. )
Conway gives plenty of advice with regard to stones such as amethyst, aquamarine, azureite, useful, lapis lazuli, malachite, moonstone, peridot, intermoline. She also gives advice on essential oils such as Bay, Calendula, Camomile, Cinnamon, Clary Sage, Deer's Tongue, Frankincense, Honeysecle, Hyacinth, Iris, Jasmine, Lylocke, Lotus, Mace, Mimosa, Mugwort, Mhyrr, Nutmeg, Sandalwood, Star Anise, Yarrow.
If you have difficulty getting the astral double to project, want to try closing your eyes and looking upward at the center of your forehead, this is the location of the pineal gland, the brow center, and what is called the third eye.
There are five easy methods that will help you with your time travel during meditation or other methods of astral travel. All of these methods are symbolic pictures sent to your subconscious mind so that it can understand what you want to do. (pg. )
The five "easy methods" are: the time river, the time tunnel, the hall of a thousand doors, the time dial door, and the time machine.
Conway gives many astral projection scripts for various purposes such as healing and learning, but to me they seem more like hypnosis scripts than actual astral projection. For example, she says:
"He introduces himself as Edmund Warbridge as he leads you to the back of the house and down a flight of stairs to a basement area." (pg. 100)
Conway gives several astral projection rituals taken from different cultures but I question how accurate they are. For example, she says:
"The Persian Fire Ceremony: Little remains of the records of the ancient sacred Persian Fire Ceremony. It was part of the Magis' worship of their unnamed God." (pg. 107)
Contrary to what she said, a lot is known about the Persian Fire Ceremony. The Magi were Zoroastrian priests, and Zoroastrianism as a religion is still practiced today in many parts of the world. Their God is not unnamed, but Ahura Mazda.
"If you already have a spouse or lover, you are not in any way being unfaithful. Well, your physical companion is your lover friend on this plane of existence, your astral companion, your lover friend on the astral only." (pg. 120)
She writes:
The chakra through which you exit for your astral journey should be carefully considered. (pg. 122)
I don't know anyone who chooses a chakra and implements that plan. For me it's more a process of dislodging my non-physical body from my physical, and bam, I'm out. Some people (Oliver Fox comes to mind) focus on the pineal gland, while others focus on the third eye, but I believe it's the focus that makes the difference.
Some of the astral works she describes just seems too hokey to me. For example, when giving instructions on healing, she writes:
"Mix some of the astral putty with the liquid light, completely cover the disease with this mixture, giving it the instructions that as it hardens, it will shrink and so will the disease within it." (pg. 157)
I don't know what "astral putty" is nor how to harvest it. I believe healing comes about through focus, intention and energy manipulation. No putty needed. But maybe the putty is the medium through which her focus is achieved.
She does make some good points. For example, she writes:
"If you are having difficulty pulling your consciousness out of the physical body, along with the separation of the astral body from the physical, you might try visualizing a vortex of swirling energy pointing down at the top of your head. Let this vortex lift you up out of your body. You will still have the cord of connection and the ability to return whenever you wish." (pg. 161)
Others (If memory serves, J.H. Brennen and D.Scott Rogo suggest this) Conway also talks about the guardian of the threshold, but she calls it the "Terror of the Threshold." She writes:
"Coming face to face with it can be terrifying. You have to pass the test and overcome your fear before you can advance. When you have faced this guardian in the proper manner, it will transform into a totally different being. If it doesn't transform, you can be certain that you have some deeply buried fears and preconceptions that need to be unearthed." (pg. 166')
"This so-called Terror has another duty once you have passed over the threshold. It guards your physical body from being disturbed or harassed by astral entities and also keeps such beings from challenging you upon your return. The Terror is a powerful ally for all astral healers and magicians." (pg. 167)
Conway suggests confronting the Guardian/Terror directly. For example, she recommends you ask it direct questions:
"The questions should be specific, such as, Are you made from my fears of death? Are you composed out of propaganda about heaven and hell? Or, Are you my fears of failure and being wrong? Keep questioning until you get answers. It's quite likely that this personal terror is built out of any number of hidden fears, Not just one." (pg. 167)
Conway has an extensive section on astral self-defense. In fact, this is probably the best in the genre. She gives many pieces of advice with regard to astral safety and self-defense. For example, she talks about several things that I have talked about, such as immediately calling upon the white light to surround you.
"While you are defending yourself by using your astral body just as you would your physical, don't overlook the power of your astral "voice." Shout "Be gone!" or "Back off!" with great indignation that anyone or anything should have the temerity to lay hands on you.
Develop an attitude of "don't you dare bother or threaten me!" when when traveling in the astral. Astral entities, like physical attackers, usually prey on those they feel are afraid or timid." (pg. 195)
That's good, sound advice.
The book is big on rituals, assumptions, and suggested scripts, but it's shy on actual techniques to leave your body. Conway seems to have a pervasive attitude that you'll have plenty of time to wander the astral planes. She suggests building your own astral temple, brick by brick, with nice decorations, complete with an altar and ritual items. Sit down, relax, kick up your heels on your astral desk and have yourself a nice cup of astral tea.
In reality, astral projections tend to be very short. The vast majority of OBEs only last a few seconds. A long OBE is less than a minute. I've been "out" as long as two and a half hours or more, but that's unusual. It's more like exploring the depths of the ocean with scuba gear where your oxygen tank is getting low and every minute is precious. I'm certainly not going to spend my precious seconds of OBE time doing construction!
I'll give the book 3 stars out of 5. The writing is professional, with no spelling or grammar mistakes. The book is 218 pages, with glossary and index, so there's plenty of content. But to me it seems more like hypnosis or flights of imagination than actual out-of-body experiences. In other words, to me Conway's OBEs lack...credibility.
Bob Peterson
21 May 2024
----------------------------
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.
by Silvia Hill
Today I'm reviewing Astral Projection for Beginners by Silvia Hill. The subtitle is The Astral Travel Guide to an Intentional Out-of-Body Experience. The copyright is 2021.
Okay, I was not prepared for this. I expected another cut-rate astral projection book with a pretty front cover, written by a clueless person (or an AI) with scant (or no) research and no personal experience. But it's actually really good! Finally, a book by someone who gets it, who is intelligent and articulate, but still relatable to the younger generation. It's not only informative and accurate, it's refreshing.
Her writing is young--like talking to a twenty something--but professional. She's a good writer; competent, organized and intelligent.
Although Silvia Hill really doesn't give many personal experiences, I can tell just by reading it that she's had a fair number of experiences. For example, she describes getting parcels of telepathy--what Robert Monroe called "rotes"--but she calls them "thought blocks." I like that; it's simple but accurate.
She's done tons more research than the average author in the genre.
Here are some interesting things to note:
Part 1 is "Astral Projection Basics."
Part 2 is "What is Astral Projection."
First, Hill claims we have three bodies: physical, astral, and causal. This is in contrast to many books, such as those from Theosophy, that claim we have 7 bodies.
When it comes to the subject of lucid dreaming, Hill explains it well:
"Lucid dreaming and astral projection are both fantastic, yet they are not the same. Lucid dreams are subjective. They are your own experiences and allow you to play with infinite scenarios. However, astral projection is objective because the planes you visit really do exist, and much like in the physical realm, they have their own limits and laws." (pg. 13)
She also suggests decent ways to test whether you're astral projecting or lucid dreaming. For example, she says:
"You cannot control other beings on the astral plane. It just doesn't work. In a lucid dream, you can get others to do your bidding..." (pg. 122)
and also:
"You can't change the environment in the astral realm. Wherever you find yourself, you can't change the setting. It is what it is. In a lucid dream, you'd be able to make night day and vice versa." (pg. 122)
Hill is also up to date with modern (2024) lingo. She talks about dreaming journaling apps for your devices, like EverNote, Penzu, and Google Keep. She talks about the show Behind Her Eyes and how it's really not possible for someone to take over your body. She uses acronyms like FOMO (Fear of Missing Out).
Hill has a good section on breath work, explaining Holotropic breathwork, and why breathing matters in astral projection. She explains a few different breathing exercises, such as Alternate Nostril Breathing, also known as Nadi Shodhana.
Chapter 8 is Self Hypnosis.
Part 3 is "Getting In The Astral Plane"
I can't say I agreed with everything Hill said, but we do have a lot of common ground. About the only thing I disagreed with is the subject of itching. According to Hill:
"As for the itches, there's nothing to do but resist them." (pg. 88)
In my opinion, itches indicate you're not close enough to the sleep state. I've always maintained that it's best to just scratch the itch and go back to your out-of-body focus. Think of it this way: you don't have lots of itches when you're falling asleep, so you need to get into that pre-sleep groove where you won't itch.
Hill covers yoga poses for astral projection, and she even includes photos of various stretches and poses.
Chapter 11 is Focusing with Music and Mantras, and she covers the subject well. She correctly says you don't need music to astral project. But if you insist, surprisingly, she recommends Baroque music. She also talks about Hemi-Sync by The Monroe Institute. She also covers Shamanic Drumming to reach a trance state, as well as brainwave entrainment audios, binaural beats, monaural beats, Isochronic beats, and Sound and Light machines.
As for mantras, she recommends the system taught by Samael Aun Weor, which includes:
Hill has a very good techniques section, including:
Chapter 14 is Other Astral Projection Techniques, and it includes:
Hill brings a unique new astral projection technique to the table. (At least one I've never heard of). She calls it the IMP Method, where IMP stands for Impossible Motion Practice." Basically, you use your imagination to simulate movements that would be physically impossible. For example, bending your arm at the forearm instead of at the elbow. Interesting! She writes:
"Feel the chosen body part bending and moving in the most ridiculous of ways." (pg. 127)
You repeat this over and over until the sensations become real.
Other techniques in the book:
Most of these techniques appear in other books, but Hill only gives credit to a few of the originators: Robert Monroe, Robert Bruce, Michael Raduga.
Another place I disagreed with her is on the subject of the vibrations. According to Hill, you can increase or decrease the vibrations "with your intention" (pg. 126). In my experience, the best way to increase the vibrations is not with your intention, but by making your mind as blank and emotionless as possible.
Chapter 16 is "Problems and Mistakes to Overcome" and like the others, it's balanced and well informed.
This is a very well-rounded astral projection book. I give this book 5 stars out of 5.
Bob Peterson
26 May 2024
----------------------------
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.
by Kensho
Today I'm reviewing The Astral Explorer by Kensho. The subtitle is "My Journeys To the Astral Plane." The copyright is not dated, but the material is recent, so probably late 2023 or early 2024.
When I reviewed Kensho's earlier book, Out of Body Experiences, I was perhaps a bit harsh. I only gave it three stars out of five due mainly to its small size (just 80 pages) and his general attitude of "I know this is how things are." And he didn't really say who he was or where he got his information.
His new book, The Astral Explorer, is much better. It has almost 200 pages, along with beautiful colored artwork and plenty of his personal experiences with astral projection, and if you follow my blog, you know how much I love OBE narratives.
This book is much more mature in writing, style, and overall information. There's even a section at the end for "About the Author" complete with a photo. Throughout the book, we learn who Kensho is, his range and depth of out-of-body experience, and tidbits about his spiritual journey.
So who is Kensho? While his origins are still unclear, he seems well traveled, well-read, intelligent, and most importantly, experienced. He knows several languages, including Italian, English, and Spanish. According to the book, "Kensho" is a Japanese term from the Zen tradition. Ken means "seeing" and "sho" means "nature, essence." It's usually translated as "Seeing one's (true) nature". He has traveled the world and opened meditation centers in Mexico, the USA, and the Czech Republic. He currently lives in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. He met his Zen Buddhist master, Dharmapa Rimpoche, in 2010 and moved to Guanajuato, Mexico to study under him.
The book starts with his childhood experiences, early OBEs, and his beliefs about the different planes of existence, and other general beliefs about the OBE. Early on he won my heart with this quote:
"But just for the record, after projection has nothing to do with invoking ghosts or entities. it's not related to Witchcraft or working with dark forces. Astral projection is a natural skill that connects to true spirituality. It is one of the highest forms of self-development." (pg. 61-62)
He doesn't number his chapters, but on page 64 is a chapter titled "Fascinating Astral Experiences." It contains interesting experiences in which he talks about "The inner father and mother" who are available to call upon for help with various things. To me this sounded like my "invisible helpers" who always seem to be observing my OBEs and ready to help, but only if I ask for it. On rare occasions, he says, they do become visible.
As with his earlier book, I don't agree with everything Kensho teaches or says. For example, he asserts that humans are given 108 existences of spiritual growth, and if we stop evolving spiritually after that, we face inevitable devolution, until we start reincarnating as animals, then plants, then rocks and inanimate objects, until eventually we're absorbed and restart the whole process of spiritual evolution again. He says some people, in rare circumstances, can make it beyond 108, but it's rare, and spiritual progress must always progress.
That sounds to me like Buddhist teachings he may have picked up from his Zen Master, Dharmapa, but I'm not sure I'm buying it. But hey, who am I to say otherwise?
He spends a considerable amount of time talking about Elemental Spirits, like genies, fairies, gnomes, and such, apparently which he has seen firsthand.
Here's another place I disagree with him: He asserts that:
"In short, lucid dreaming is astral traveling; there is just a different dynamic in terms of the way it happens." (pg. 89)
Well, if you've ever read my article Are OBEs the same as Lucid Dreams?, you know my stance on the matter: I believe lucid dreams are astral projections in which we experience a hallucinated "dream" environment, whereas OBEs are some sort of objective non-physical reality.
Like many other astral projection books, he writes:
"Therefore, when the mind thinks about something, whether consciously or not, that thought will instantly manifest in the astral plane." (pg. 91)
While that may be true in a lucid dream, it's not always the case in astral projection. I've thought about many many things during OBEs that definitely did not manifest. Take, for example, the many times described in my first book in which I thought about visiting various friends and family, but absolutely nothing happened.
Sometimes Kensho seems cryptic, occasionally saying he's not allowed to share this or that, at least not at this time.
One thing that got on my nerves is: in several (four or more?) places he clearly says he will teach this or that in his astral projection class. I felt like he was trying to squeeze the reader for more money, as if buying his book wasn't enough. Then again, he left a good degree and potential career to pursue spirituality, so he has to find a way to feed himself, right? For example:
"In my astral projection course, I teach a powerful dream remembrance technique to start training yourself to remember your dreams and increase your chances of lucid dreaming." (pg. 99)
He has some unique views of astral entities:
"Entities are not human beings...I like to think about them as software or viruses. They are mental matter created by the mind. Just like a virus they feed off energy for survival and exist in the astral and mental planes. Sometimes they can make themselves visible in the physical plane.
Most entities are formed by the "fake personalities," the personalities the deceased left behind. These personalities are like thoughts; created by those people during their lifetimes. It is not the spirit of the dead person, of course, and it eventually disintegrates. But in some cases, this mental matter finds ways to keep living by feeding off energy." (pg. 112)
Sounds like the concept of "Shells" in Theosophy.
Like me, Kensho hasn't had many scary encounters. He writes:
"This shouldn't dissuade us from astral projecting, though. In more than 20 years of astral projection projecting, I've only encountered negative entities a few times. They were not that scary and I was even able to scare them off with techniques that I learned in my esoteric studies and which I teach to my students." (pg. 115)
So here again, he's not being very helpful. Instead of telling the reader how to defend themselves or react to negative entities, he wants to get your business and become a student. Not cool. He does, however, talk about how most negative entities are "mind-creations" and how you shouldn't expect negative encounters. You can openly read my advice about it here, taken straight out of my second book, Lessons Out of the Body: http://robertpeterson.org/psychicprotection.htm
Unlike many astral projection books, he talks about the Akashic Records, and his own personal experiences with them. He talks about how "Akash" is a Sanskrit word that means "ether" or "sky" and his theories behind them.
As with his first book, he talks about the different dimensions and how he believes they fit together. But some of his assertions still seem odd to me. For example, he writes:
"Most animals have a two-dimensional consciousness: they perceive life as a plane: length by width. Any surface or angle is perceived by them as a moving body, they lack the ability to discern between a fixed and moving body." (pg. 144)
Now that just seems wrong to me. Birds, for example, need to think three dimensionally. Their lives depend on it. They need to predict how high up or down branches are. Most of my dogs could follow a laser pointer up a wall, in three dimensions, and many a cat owner has led their cat up the curtains with a laser pointer. And as for fixed versus moving bodies, I remember during a trip to Africa in which I was in an open-air jeep near some lions. Our guides told us not to move our arms or legs because the lions didn't care about us as long as were moving with the vehicle, but if we moved our arms, the lions would see us as like a monkey in a tree: something to eat.
As I wrote in my review of his other book, I believe "time" is the fourth dimension of this world. Kensho writes:
"As it has been discussed, while we have an astral body to which we can transfer our consciousness to explore the fifth dimension every night, the only vehicle we have in the fourth dimension is the etheric body, the body that gives us life, and though this body is endowed with many properties, our consciousness cannot be transferred to it for the moment, because our vibration ties us to the third dimension." (pg. 144)
In my 2002 article about Awareness during Sleep Paralysis, (ASP) I wrote about how it seems and feels (to me) as if, during ASP, our conscious awareness is located in the energy/etheric body, and how to free yourself by transferring your awareness from the etheric body to the astral body. I also wrote about how the etheric body cannot move away from the physical body unless you are a spirit medium, as per the findings of author Robert Crookall.
Despite all this, Kensho talks about having direct experiences of the "fourth dimension" but only through a special rare practice that's rarely taught, called Jinas Science.
Maybe, like before, I'm focusing too much on the negative and where we disagree. I actually enjoyed this book and was glad to read many of Kensho's experiences and get his perspective. He has a good discussion, for example, on parallel lives. He talks about a few special experiences in which he seemed to have a second physical body in another parallel place in which time seemed to move much differently. He's only the second author (not counting my own childhood experiences from my first book) who described that; the first being Robert Monroe's "Locale 3" from Journeys Out of the Body.
I give this book 4 stars out of 5. It's much better than his earlier book, Out of Body Experiences. It doesn't really contain any astral projection techniques; apparently you need one of his classes for that. Then again, it doesn't purport to be a teaching book: it's about his experiences. There's plenty of content to satisfy and the writing is mature. I found only a few typos and grammar problems.
Bob Peterson
09 April 2024
----------------------------
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.
by Melissa Gomes
Today I'm reviewing Amazing Astral Projection by Melissa Gomes. The subtitle is How To Astral Travel, Have Complete Lucid Control Over Your Celestial Body And Powerful Journeys Through Dreaming And Astroprojection.
Sigh. Where do I even begin?
This book, like many others I've complained about, is apparently written by someone who cranks out book after book, each of which has a captivating title, alluring cover photo, and hastily thrown-together information compiled from shoddy research, with no personal experience. Apparently her goal is to make as much money as she can by having a trickle of royalty income from dozens of books. In other words: It's bad. I've read worse, but it's bad.
First of all, the author, Melissa Gomes, gives the reader absolutely no information about her credentials: Where did she get her information? What's her level of experience? After reading it, I doubt whether she's had any out-of-body experiences herself. So it's all just book-learning, or worse, Internet-only research, at best echoing what other authors have said.
Second, the writing is immature, like a regurgitated high-school paper. Some chapters follow the familiar paper writing pattern taught in High School: Tell them what you're going to say, then say it, then tell them what you said.
Almost every sentence in the book is written in "passive voice," which drives me crazy and is very difficult to read.
Third, there's blatant misinformation in the book, which does everyone a disservice. I'll give you way too many examples below. For example, Gomes writes:
"Unconscious Projection is when you are unaware that you are projecting. This is the most dangerous projection level, as you can get lost in the astral plane and may not be able to find your way back to your body." (pg. 15)
That is complete nonsense; a fabrication that disagrees with almost every other astral projection book ever written. For the record: we all have unconscious projections every night, but because we're unconscious, we usually don't remember them. They are completely normal, natural, and harmless. It's impossible to not find your way back to your body.
Gomes has plenty of confused statements in the book, such as:
"When you astral project, you will be simultaneously aware of both your physical and spiritual bodies." (pg. 17)
This blanket statement displays Gomes' lack of personal experience. When I leave my body, I can sometimes have brief awareness of both my physical and nonphysical body, especially when I'm very close to the physical. But if I'm at least 15 feet (5 meters) away from the body, all my awareness is in my nonphysical body, and my physical body is, as I've said many times, "Just another inanimate object in the room."
Here's another example of Gomes' confusion:
"Lucid dreaming during an astral projection amplifies the experience." (pg. 19)
Sorry, but in my world, lucid dreaming and astral projection are two different things, and it depends on whether your experience is of some objective reality or a self-created hallucinated environment (the dream world.) You can transition from LD to OBE by dispelling the hallucination. You can transition from OBE to LD by using your imagination to play "what if" and fall back into the hallucinated environment, but you can't do both at the same time. For more information, see my article Are OBEs the Same as Lucid Dreams?.
Here's another example of Gomes' confusion and lack of research:
"You can also travel to locations you have seen before while dreaming or having lucid Out-of-body Experiences...This freedom is not limited to the astral plane either; it can also be used on the physical plane while you are awake through a process called lucid dreaming." (pg. 28)
What exactly is she trying to say here? That lucid dreaming is done in an "awake" state? Nonsense. You can visit the "physical plane" in a lucid dream? Whatever she meant to say, she missed the mark.
When describing the "Main Steps of Astral Projection" Gome writes that after "the body falls asleep":
"Now that your body is asleep, it's time for your conscious mind to take over. You'll still be aware of your surroundings and what's happening around you, but your physical body will be completely unresponsive." (pg. 42)
But she doesn't say how your conscious mind regains control. How exactly do you go from "You'll find yourself in a deep slumber" (end of page 41) to becoming conscious again? The reader is left clueless.
Here's some more misinformation:
"So if you want to visit a certain location or person, all you need to do is Picture [sic] it in your mind and you'll be transported there instantaneously." (pg. 43).
Readers of my first book may recall that I struggled with this a long time early on. I wanted to visit my friend Lisa, or her apartment, so after I left my body, I'd think of her, but nothing happened. I'd vividly visualize her, but nothing happened. I'd say her name, or demand, "Take me to Lisa!" but nothing would happen. I'd recall what it felt like to be with her. Nothing. I'd try to imagine her apartment. Nothing. On and on it went until years later when I finally learned the trick. For me it's never been as simple as Gome (or others) have said. It's hard to describe, but it's more like sending out a thread of awareness to the person (or place) and pulling yourself there.
More of Gomes' misinformation:
"It is important to focus on your third eye chakra to return to your physical body." (pg. 50)
Wrong. It has nothing to do with your third eye chakra. In fact, some people focus on their third eye chakra to induce the OBE state, not end it.
Most astral projection authors agree: To return to your physical body, you only need to think about your physical body, or any body part. For example, William Buhlman says to think about moving your little (pinky) finger.
Better yet, try to prolong the experience as much as possible, because your body will pull you back automatically when you've been out too long. But Gome never says that.
I'm sorry, but I find it absurd when a book recommends procedures to end an out-of-body experience because to me it's like ending a roller coaster ride. Why would you want to end it in the middle and what would you gain by it? You're a hundred feet up in the air having the time of your life! Or better yet, it's like wanting to end an orgasm. The only times I've ever deliberately ended an OBE is when I've been out a long time and worry that I'll forget something. "I better get back before I forget all this." But I digress.
Gome describes all the things you can do from the out-of-body state. Unfortunately, she pretty much uses the same exact technique for all of them. For example, to find your higher self:
"To find your higher self, focus on your breath and imagine yourself surrounded by white light." (pg. 52)
To meet your animal guides:
"If an animal guide appears to you in the astral realm, simply focus on your breath and imagine yourself surrounded by white light." (pg. 53)
To explore past lives:
And more. Here is how Gome describes "Transitioning into the Astral Realm":"Explore your past lives, focus on your breath, and imagine yourself surrounded by white light." (pg. 54)
"Continue to focus on this light while your thoughts slowly drift away into a state of deep relaxation. After some time, you will find yourself drifting out of your body and into the astral realm..." (pg. 51)
Really? You just magically find yourself drifting out of body? I think she missed a step.
Another example of the author's confusion:
"Once you learn how to become relaxed in the physical world, then you can begin practicing relaxing your physical body." (pg. 59)
How in the world can I become relaxed in the physical world before I relax my physical body? Or is this just bad editing?
Here's some more blatant misinformation:
"On the one hand, having strong emotions can make it easier to leave your body and enter the astral plane. On the other hand, emotional turmoil can make it harder to focus and maintain concentration, two things essential for successful astral projection." (pg. 61)
Wrong wrong wrong.
Let me make myself perfectly clear: While it's true that desire is a powerful (some would say necessary) motivating factor, strong emotions make it harder, not easier, to leave your body. In all my books I've stressed the need to remain completely passive when leaving your body. That means no thoughts and no emotions. Quiesce your mind completely. Just be a watcher.
Gome also warns against sleep paralysis:
"You can do a few thing to reduce your risk of experiencing sleep paralysis: 1. Maintain a regular sleep schedule and get plenty of restful sleep..." (pg. 62)
This is more bad advice. Researchers know that broken sleep often causes out-of-body experiences. In fact, many authors leverage it with the Wake-Back-To-Bed technique. Also, in my experience, sleep paralysis is an excellent jumping board for out-of-body adventures, as per this article I wrote 22 years ago!
Gome clearly doesn't know what she's talking about, with statements like:
"A person in sleep paralysis suffers from the inability to move or speak while dreaming. This state can stimulate several REM periods during the night when a person is normally asleep, leading to vivid dreams." (pg. 65)
REM periods naturally occur to everyone, every night, during several normal sleep cycles. Sleep paralysis doesn't stimulate it.
Here's another dubious claim. Gome writes:
"For example, one study found that people who regularly astral projected had lower levels of pain after surgery than those who didn't." (pg. 27)
Really? She doesn't cite the study or give any references, so am I supposed to just take her word for it? I don't think so. I'm too much of a critical thinker. If Dr. Charles Tart or Susan Blackmore made this claim I'd be more willing to accept it at face value. But they'd cite their reference, wouldn't they?
Here's another dubious claim:
"Studies suggest that Out-of-Body Experiences occur as a fringe of consciousness during dreams, and their ability to function while out of the body is dependent upon the depth of the dream experience." (pg. 66)
Again, Gome doesn't cite any of these supposed studies. Give me a reference or it's means absolutely nothing. On the contrary, the work of Charles Tart in a real sleep laboratory with Robert Monroe and "Miss Z" indicated that OBEs did not occur during dreams, as per measurements done with EEG machines and eyelid sensors. Their OBEs occurred in the hypnopompic state, after REM sleep, and were accompanied by strange theta brain waves.
More Gome misinformation:
"The most common type of Remote Viewing is probably telepathy, which is the ability to receive thoughts from another person without them having to verbalize those thoughts." (pg. 68)
Wrong. Remote Viewing is not Telepathy. They're two very different things.
So is there a positive side to this book? Well, kind of. To Melissa Gomes' credit, she does provide several astral projection techniques in chapter 8. Those include:
Chapter 9 is "Advanced Astral Projection Techniques", which are:
"The experience of lucid dreaming is known as a hypnagogic illusion." (pg. 102)
Good lord. No, that is absolutely not what lucid dreaming is. Lucid dreams occur in REM sleep, and hypnagogic sleep is post-REM.
The book is 119 pages, with decent font and margins. The grammar and spelling are generally solid with only a few typos. I found a paragraph that just abruptly ended in the middle, another sentence that's repeated multiple times, and a few other nits. But the biggest problem, as I said before, it's almost all written in passive voice.
I'm giving this book 1 star out of 5. On the positive side, it has more techniques than some books, albeit copied from other sources, and not explained as well as those sources. On the negative side, there's way too much misinformation and redundancy.
I'm sorry, but I cannot recommend this book to any serious seeker.
Bob Peterson
26 March 2024
----------------------------
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.
