Ready To Leave Your Body Behind? - 2

Astral travel is an interesting experiment that revs up the right hemisphere of the brain
but do not attempt it unless you are absolutely relaxed

Astral travel has evoked an extremely “queasy” response. It has touched the twilight zone in most readers... the temptation to try but some inexplicable uneasiness has also exerted itself. Most of the responses reflected this and hence I am responding to some of the more common ones.

Astral travel is a very interesting experiment, but the real fear I feel, which has already been mentioned, is that, if I succeed in the experiment, and I manage to lift my astral body, can some other soul occupy my physical body, which is lying unattended? That thought is scary. You have told the way to go out but what’s the way  to come back to the physical body?Is there any possiblity that I may not be able to re-enter? Does it cause any harm to the physical body? As when you take your car to the garage, it never comes back to the real showroom condition. Is it fine to disturb the God made system?

All these years, I have not had any problems and that is the best I can share at this stage. Your analogy of taking the car to the garage is not tenable, since you are not taking your body anywhere. I can expound on my own experiences. The astral body is often reported as being joined to the physical body by a silver cord - an etheric umbilical cord. Some people believe that if the cord breaks while in astral travel you will not be able to return to the physical body.

Remove any such fears before you attempt this because it is our own thoughts which create problems for us and ultimately create our reality. If you get fearful, please stop as you are not ready for astral projection. Anything done in metaphysics should feel comfortable and easy.  If it is stressful, let it go for now, as you are not ready. Your own thought is your “genie”, so if you are afraid, you create a nightmare immediately.

Many ask how long one should practice to get the experience and once experienced, how long one should continue in that state?
There are no shoulds in this experience! During astral travel, time and space simply do not exist. The out-of-body-experience (OBE) is not generally long; on the order of a minute or so. Time is distorted and extended, i.e., an hour in the astral can be like a few minutes in the physical dimension. Those who experience OBE may note that the subjective experience is much longer than the objective time passing.  Why bother about compiling statistics - instead just go ahead and relish the wonderful experience which may open up a whole new world for you!

Earthly benefits?
Astral projection is a great way to rev-up the right hemisphere of your brain. It is a virtual manifestation of creative visualization with all your senses aligned together. The subconscious mind has far greater powers of visualisation than the conscious mind. It is like comparing a super computer to an child’s calculator.

How do I remember what happened during my astral trip?
You are aware of things you encounter along the way while out of your body. It is essential to write them down immediately. After your astral travel, everything seems so obvious that it seems that you can remember it forever. Furthermore you feel very comfortable and ready to fall asleep. If you write enough details, you can consciously reconstruct the information later, when you need it.

What is the scientific basis of OBE?
OBEs cannot be disproved, these have not yet been studied to the satisfaction of the scientific community. Some neurologists believe that at least some OBEs are caused by an unusual but natural brain state in which one’s body perception and sense of reality are altered. These experiments involve electrical stimulus of a particular part of the brain, the right angular gyrus located in the parietal lobe, which produce subjective experiences having all of the hallmarks of an OBE, including the sense of enhanced reality and extreme disembodiment.

What precautions should I take before venturing out for an astral journey?
Be calm and  relaxed when you do astral travel. You should not be full in the stomach or hungry. Make sure the room temperature is comfortable. Stay balanced and do not get too excited or fired up.

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Thought for the Week

“Be brave. Take risks.
Nothing can substitute experience.”
Paulo Coelho
(Mystical Brazilian Novelist)
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First published in Gray Matter - The Hindustan Times

Ready To Leave Your Body Behind?

Astral travel is an out-of-body experience

Let’s look at a kind of out-of-body experience (OBE). It’s also called ‘astral travel’, referring to an ‘astral body’ that is separate from the physical body and capable of traveling outside it. When the physical mind is asleep, the subconscious takes over, and this is when you do your astral projection.

If you ever wake up in the middle of the night with a jolt, this is your astral body returning to the physical. The initial experience of being without a body can be frightening. It is natural to assume that you are dead and for panic to set in. But once your initial fears are overcome, astral travel will become perfectly natural.

Remember: When your physical body sleeps and the astral body leaves, the physical body just rests. So no harm can come to you through astral travel if you do it consciously. Warning : It can be dangerous if practised when you are on drugs or alcohol.

The best way to practise astral travel is to be physically awake. You must learn how to use your mind to project your astral body. When you’re out of the body, you are not bound by time or distance. But you have to learn to control yourself, so you’ll go where you wanted to go.  Since you’re controlling yourself with your thoughts, think of any place and you’ll be there.

To start with, lie down on a comfortable, flat surface or hard mattress. You need to be quite alone, without any distractions so make sure no one can intrude. Also, that every part of you is comfortable — without anything sticking into your body. Don’t cross your legs or your limbs may develop numbness after some time.

Close your eyes, breathe slowly and deeply and focus or concentrate on a point about five to six feet in front of you. Imagine a light shape roughly resembling your physical body rising up from within you. WILL yourself to think that YOU — the astral you — are watching your body some six feet away.

You may get the feeling that you’re in a huge big balloon, pushing and pushing but nothing seems to be happening. Yet suddenly, you will burst through.

With practice you will experience a slight, almost electric shock and be able to see your body lying with eyes closed some six feet away. Don’t panic or get alarmed. There is nothing to fear but fear itself. And fear will make you bounce back into your physical body.

Don’t bother to look at your physical body too long. Let yourself float about the room. Leave your room, move around the house and gradually move out into the street.

You may not achieve astral travel at the first or even subsequent attempts. But it will happen. Think positive and be confident you can do this, because as soon as doubt clouds your mind, you won’t be able to do it.

And don’t be disappointed if you cannot achieve astral travel every day. The success rate could be only 10%, even if you practise it every day.  Every session has its benefits though, since it would be an immensely relaxing session in itself.

Share your experiences with me by emailing graymatter@hindustantimes.com with the subject line, ‘Astral Travel’

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Thought for the Week

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — 
I took the one less traveled by, 
and that has made all the difference”
Robert Frost (1874-1963)
American Poet
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First published in Gray Matter - The Hindustan Times

If You Can Dream It, You Can Do It

Yes, but how do you turn dreams into reality?

It was a delight to go through the dreams you shared with us. I will not be able to respond individually to all of you, but I can say this : the very process of conscious day dreaming would have set the ball rolling in your life -  if you can dream it, you can do it.

The key is to connect your dreams to specific goals. The law of attraction, popularized by Rhonda Byrne’s book “The Secret”, works only when all your senses are aligned to your dream.

For instance, some said their dream was to have “lots of money”. But lots of money could mean a lakh for one individual and a crore for the other! Could I issue you a cheque for “lots of money”? That’s how vague this dream is.

Get more specific. Exactly how much money do you want to make? How do you plan to do so? And what will you do with it?

It also helps to understand your daydreams. Think about this:

1.     When you fantasize about a dream-home, do you actually see it in your mind? Smell the fragrance of your garden, feel the texture of your walls? Was the image clear and sharp?

2.     Are your dreams personal or impersonal? In dreaming about establishing a school, are you driving the project, a participant or a mere spectator?

3.     Is your dream relevant to your real life? If you daydream about swimming in a pool of champagne, you are probably just seeking an escape from today’s problems. But, if you rehearse an important presentation,  you are dealing with a relevant aspect of your life.

4.     Do your dreams represent suppressed desires? If you have been doing poorly in school but telling yourself it doesn’t matter, while your daydreams show you overcoming incredible obstacles, you may have misjudged your deepest wishes. Or if your daydreams consist of passionate love affairs while in everyday life you have focused on career success, you may be suppressing a deep need for affection.

Gathering self-knowledge is the first move towards fulfilling your potential.

It won’t always be easy, but bear in mind what George Elliot said, “It is never too late to become what you might have been.”

THE POWER OF POSITIVE
The importance of thinking and dreaming positively cannot be stressed enough. If you worry a a lot, keep this in mind - worrying is actually a form of daydreaming, but with a pessimistic result. If it recurs, it could actually lead to the imagined result.

The opposite is true as well. If you repeatedly visualise success, you are more likely to achieve it.
It is so easy and simple to daydream and then say, “Well it is just a daydream. It will never come true”. It is so easy to give up due to lack of faith.

Don’t. 
Remember, quitters don’t win and winners don’t quit.

In short, to achieve your dreams and goals:
1. Have a specific goal.
2. Be sure you really want to achieve your goal.
3. Have a clear mental image of your goal.
4. Nurture a strong desire for it.
5. Disregard and reject doubts and thoughts about failure.
6. Keep the faith and persevere.

When you visualize your goals or write them down, the energy you channel toward visualizing and affirming your goal helps develop your inner strength, concentration, willpower and self-discipline. You actively develop your inner powers.

And lastly, one of the advantages of visualisation and affirmation is that you can use them wherever you are, at any time. All you need is your mind.

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Thought for the Week

“The starting point of all achievement is desire. 
Keep this constantly in mind. 
Weak desires bring weak results, 
just as a small amount of fire makes a small amount of heat.”
Napoleon Hill (1883–1970)
Pioneer of Personal-Success literature
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First published in Gray Matter - The Hindustan Times