The Astral Traveller
Today I'm reviewing The Astral Traveller by Gerard M Pratt. The subtitle is Guardians of Light & Shadow. There's also a sub-subtitle: A Journey into the Supernatural: Exploring Astral Projection and Out-of-Body Experiences.
I know it's been a long time since I posted to my blog. I took a long hiatus and I've had very little time to read. However, I just finished this book and wanted to share my thoughts about it. I set down a lot of flags, so let's get into it.
Note that the author, Gerard Pratt, is British, so I'll be using the British spelling of some words throughout.
The first question you should always ask about a book on astral projection / out-of-body experiences is: Is the author writing from experience? Experience is almost everything in this genre. Sure, there are a few exceptions, if the author has done their research. Authors like Anthony Peake, Robert Crookall, and Janet Mitchell come to mind. They may or may not have had OBEs themselves, but it hardly matters because they've done tons of research and are really experts in the subject.
In the case of Gerard M Pratt, the answer is yes, he does write from experience, and he has multiple journal entries in the book to illustrate his claims. He even went above and beyond and took a polygraph (lie detector test) to demonstrate the authenticity of his claims, and put the results at the end of the book. So Pratt is the real deal. But you can also tell that from his narratives themselves. For example, he writes:
"It's both frustrating and exhilarating--this dance between fear and discovery." (pg. 84)
He shares some experiments he did in the out-of-body state, like trying to deliberately get himself stuck inside walls, then calling for help to see who would come to his aid.
He talks about Robert Monroe and some of his odd experiences, and compares them to some of his own OBEs. For example, he talks about one of Monroe's "locale 2" OBEs in which everyone seemed to bow down to a powerful being. Then he writes about a similar experience he had, along with conjecture about whether this being was the entity known as "King Paimon," a renown demon and djinn celebrated in the Ars Goetia. My (amazing) brother, Joe, has been studying this, and similar, work for about 50 years and is an expert on these subjects. He could probably spend hours talking with Pratt. Do yourself a favor sometime and look up "Joseph Peterson" on Amazon. He's written more books than I have.
Pratt is also contemporary. His experiences are as recent as 2024. That's important.
Here's an example I loved from one of his journals:
"At that moment, the realisation dawned on me: my Higher Self is far more significant, and the impact of my actions is--or will be--immeasurably substantial. It's a gentle reminder that even when we feel small or insignificant, our potential and influence are far greater than we can fully comprehend." (pgs. 90-91)
Some of the most intense and interesting of Pratt's experiences have to do with the "angels" or light beings I've sometimes talked about, who sometimes take us out-of-body to go on spiritual missions; often without our conscious knowledge. For example:
"08 Nov 2019: I had an unforgettable experience that still lingers. One morning, I awoke to two voices deep in conversation. One of the voices, a commanding male tone, urged, 'Don't wake him yet; we have another task for him!...'" (pg. 216)
I've had things like that happen to me, so it gave me the chills. He ends this same OBE narrative with:
"...A part of me firmly believes that humans are intricately woven into the fabric of the astral world, engaging in battles far beyond our waking reality." (pg. 217)
Also like me, Pratt did some of his own "God" experiments, with interesting results. (Page 242, etc.) He also was given "tests" and "lessons" by spirit guides, like I describe in my second (hard to find) book, Lessons Out of the Body.
"Suddenly, I was transported to a shadowy cave. It was all a test--a series of virtual challenges orchestrated by unseen guides to confront my fears and gauge my growth." (pg. 267)
Like me, he gives this advice about the vibrations:
"I've realised the importance of approaching spirits with a mindful sense of caution. Not all of them are who they claim to be; they can embody forms or generate personas that resonate with those they guide." (pg. 227)
Experience aside, Pratt has also done a great deal of research on the subject. In my books, I tried to use a more scientific approach. Pratt takes a more occult-leaning approach. Like many authors in this genre, he's investigated more traditional occult approaches to the topic. So he subscribes to the multiple-bodies theory (Physical body, Etheric body, Astral body, etc.) I found it interesting that he doesn't mention Eckankar, but that's probably a good thing.
He writes about (and quotes) people like Eliphas Levi, Madame Blavatsky, Aleister Crowley, and so on. He references Crowley more than any of the others. He also talks about Dr. John Dee, astrologer to Queen Elizabeth I, and so on. (e.g. Page 20). Dr. Dee is also near and dear to the heart of my brother, Joe. (See above). Pratt even has a photo on page 228 of Dr. Dee's crystal and scrying stone from the British Museum. (I also took a photo of it when I was there in 1990.)
He also writes about the Rosicrucians, Golden Dawn, Theosophy, and other organizations, and occult works like various grimoires.
Pratt also talks about the Scole Experiments (pg. 118) and also on pages 226-227. So he's well-read and examines all these paths.
He divides the astral dimensions into three categories:
- Consensus Realities
- Non-consensus Realities
- Voids
In talking about exploring higher planes of existence, he says:
"[Crowley] noted that while a 'fine body' may be sufficient for the lower planes, it falls short in penetrating the higher realms. Significant development and a deep infusion of our highest spiritual essence are essential to pierce those veils of perception." (pg. 123)
In his quest for spiritual explorations, Pratt has studied several different paths. This includes a "Truth of Spirit" group. He delves into the world of Mediumship (chapter 12), the world of witchcraft, and he addresses phenomena like the incubus and succubus, and the guardian of the threshold.
Pratt gives good, sound advice for inducing out-of-body experiences. It's not the usual rehashing of the same techniques in other books. He gives good advice about relaxation, meditation, and such. He discusses tools and aids, such as binaural beats, crystals like labradorite, lapis lazuli, and keeping both dream and OBE/AP journals. Like me, he recommends that you do not try to amplify "the vibrations" but instead, to make yourself as calm and passive as possible when they come.
As for techniques, he gives a pretty good sampling of various techniques, from many sources. He puts more emphasis on the manipulation of hypnagogic images, which is my go-to technique. He covers:
- Visualisation techniques
- Post-Sleep techniques
- Lucid Dreaming
- Affirmations and Intentions
He echoes various authors who say that intention and mindset are the most important things to leverage. (Author Franck Labat comes to mind.) - Dream Journaling
- Relaxation techniques
- Rocking & swaying techniques
- Roll Out technique
- The Hammock technique
- The Rope technique
He also talks (briefly) about supplements like mugwort, Dream Leaf, and "Lucid Esc":
I was slightly disappointed he didn't go into more details, so even though he covered a lot of ground, he never went very "in-depth" on any of them.
He also talks about UFOs/UAPs, and even a bit about the "inner voice" phenomenon. For example, this quote is just as likely to be from my book Answers Within:
...their responses often remain elusive and brief, mentioning, "I can't tell you." (pg. 293)
In short, I loved this book. It's like someone used "CRISPR" to mix my "spiritual DNA" and knowledge with my brother Joe's "spiritual DNA" and knowledge, with a good healthy dose of personal experience.
The book is 333 pages, with good margins and font. It's well thought-out, well written, and well organized. I only found a few mistakes and typos. I give it 4 and a half stars out of 5. There was one particular place in the book where the author used an excessive amount of "passive voice" sentences, which got on my nerves, but most of the book was great. This is a great book.
Bob Peterson
10 February 2026
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