Professional Documents
Culture Documents
1 Accounts
1.1 Western
According to classical, medieval and renaissance
Hermeticism, Neoplatonism, and later Theosophist and
Rosicrucian thought, the astral body is an intermediate
body of light linking the rational soul to the physical body
while the astral plane is an intermediate world of light
between Heaven and Earth, composed of the spheres of
the planets and stars. These astral spheres were held to
be populated by angels, demons and spirits.* [9]* [10]
The subtle bodies, and their associated planes of existence, form an essential part of the esoteric systems that
deal with astral phenomena. In the neo-platonism of
Plotinus, for example, the individual is a microcosm (
small world) of the universe (the macrocosm orgreat
world). The rational soul...is akin to the great Soul of
the Worldwhilethe material universe, like the body, is
made as a faded image of the Intelligible. Each succeeding plane of manifestation is causal to the next, a worldview called emanationism; from the One proceeds Intellect, from Intellect Soul, and from Soul - in its lower
phase, or that of Nature - the material universe.* [11]
Often these bodies and their planes of existence are depicted as a series of concentric circles or nested spheres,
with a separate body traversing each realm.* [12] The
idea of the astral gured prominently in the work of the
nineteenth-century French occultist Eliphas Levi, whence
it was adopted and developed further by Theosophy, and
used afterwards by other esoteric movements.
1.2 Bible
Patients have reported feelings similar to the de- Some have claimed that the Bible contains mentions of
scriptions of astral projection induced through various astral projection.
1
1 ACCOUNTS
1.3
Islam
1.4
Ancient Egypt
Similar concepts of soul travel appear in various other religious traditions, for example ancient Egyptian teachings
present the soul as having the ability to hover outside the
physical body in the ka, or subtle body.* [22]
1.5
China
1.6 India
Similar ideas such as the Lin'ga S'ari-ra are found in
ancient Hindu scriptures such as the YogaVashishtaMaharamayana of Valmiki.* [22] Modern Indians who
have vouched for astral projection include Paramahansa
Yogananda who witnessed Swami Pranabananda doing
a miracle through a possible astral projection* [25] and
Osho (Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh) who practiced it himself.* [26]
The Indian spiritual teacher Meher Baba described one's
use of astral projection:
In the advancing stages leading to the beginning of the path, the aspirant becomes spiritually prepared for being entrusted with free
use of the forces of the inner world of the astral
bodies. He may then undertake astral journeys
in his astral body, leaving the physical body
in sleep or wakefulness. The astral journeys
that are taken unconsciously are much less important than those undertaken with full consciousness and as a result of deliberate volition. This implies conscious use of the astral
body. Conscious separation of the astral body
from the outer vehicle of the gross body has
its own value in making the soul feel its distinction from the gross body and in arriving
at fuller control of the gross body. One can,
at will, put on and take o the external gross
body as if it were a cloak, and use the astral
body for experiencing the inner world of the astral and for undertaking journeys through it, if
and when necessary....The ability to undertake
astral journeys therefore involves considerable
expansion of one s scope for experience. It
brings opportunities for promoting one s own
spiritual advancement, which begins with the
involution of consciousness.* [27]
The Yogic tradition is an elaborate system of meditation
and astral projection and most other Chino-Tibetan systems are derived therefrom through Buddhist channels.
Astral projection is one of the Siddhis considered achievable by yoga practitioners through self-disciplined practice. In Mahabharat Acharya Drona leaves his physical
body to check whether his son was dead or not
1.7
Japan
ying deep down in a river to get the help of other beings.* [34]
Astraland etheric
1.8
Inuit
1.9
Amazon
The yaskomo of the Waiwai is believed to be able to perform asoul ightthat can serve several functions such
as healing, ying to the sky to consult cosmological beings
(the moon or the brother of the moon) to get a name for a
new-born baby, ying to the cave of peccaries' mountains
to ask the father of peccaries for abundance of game or
5 SEE ALSO
Notable practitioners
4 Scientic reception
There is no scientic evidence that astral projection as an
objective phenomenon exists, and pseudoscientic claims
to that eect are not accepted as reliable scientic evidence in the relevant elds of study.* [6]* [7]* [8]
There are cases of patients experiencing descriptions of
astral projection from brain stimulation treatments and
hallucinogenic drugs.* [8]
Robert Todd Carroll writes that the main evidence to support claims of astral travel is anecdotal and comesin the
form of testimonials of those who claim to have experienced being out of their bodies when they may have been
out of their minds.* [60] Subjects in parapsychological
experiments have attempted to project their astral bodies
to distant rooms and see what was happening. However,
such experiments have produced negative results.* [61]
According to Bob Bruce of the Queensland Skeptics Association, astral projection is just imagining, or a
dream state. Although parallel universes are mathematically possible,* [62] Bruce writes that the existence of an
astral plane is contrary to the limits of science.We know
how many possibilities there are for dimensions and we
know what the dimensions do. None of it correlates with
things like astral projection.Bruce attributes astral experiences
such asmeetingsalleged by practitioners to
Robert Bruce,* [51] William Buhlman,* [52] and Albert conrmation bias and coincidences.* [63]
Taylor* [53] have discussed their theories and ndings on
the syndicated show Coast to Coast AM several times. The psychologist Donovan Rawclie has written that asMichael Crichton gives lengthy and detailed explanations tral projection can be explained by delusion, hallucination
*
and experience of astral projection in his non-ction book and vivid dreams. [64]
Travels.
Arthur W. Wiggins, writing in Quantum Leaps in the
The soul's ability to leave the body at will or while sleep- Wrong Direction: Where Real Science Ends...and Pseudoing and visit the various planes of heaven is also known science Begins, said that purported evidence of the abilas soul travel. The practice is taught in Surat Shabd ity to astral travel great distances and give descriptions
Yoga, where the experience is achieved mostly by med- of places visited is predominantly anecdotal. In 1978,
itation techniques and mantra repetition. All Sant Mat Ingo Swann provided a test of his alleged ability to asGurus widely spoke about this kind of out of body expe- tral travel to Jupiter and observe details of the planet.
Actual ndings and information were later compared to
rience, such as Kirpal Singh.* [54]
Swann's claimed observations. According to an evaluEckankar describes Soul Travel broadly as movement of ation by James Randi, Swann's accuracy was unconthe true, spiritual self (Soul) closer to the heart of God. vincing and unimpressivewith an overall score of 37
While the contemplative may perceive the experience percent. Wiggins considers astral travel an illusion, and
as travel, Soul itself is said not to move but to come looks to neuroanatomy, human belief, imagination and
into an agreement with xed states and conditions that prior knowledge to provide prosaic explanations for those
already exist in some world of time and space.* [55] claiming to experience it.* [65]
American Harold Klemp, the current Spiritual Leader
of Eckankar* [56] practices and teaches Soul Travel, as
did his predecessors,* [57] through contemplative techniques known as the Spiritual Exercises of ECK (Divine 5 See also
Spirit).* [58]
In occult traditions, practices range from inducing trance
states to the mental construction of a second body, called
the Body of Light in Aleister Crowley's writings, through
visualization and controlled breathing, followed by the
transfer of consciousness to the secondary body by a mental act of will.* [59]
Ghost
Ring-a-Ding Girl - ctional treatment of astral projection in popular media
Disembodied spirit
References
[4] Sylvan Muldoon, Hereward Carrington. (1929). Projection of the Astral Body. Rider and Company. ISBN 07661-4604-9
[22] Melton, J. G. (1996). Out-of-the-body Travel. In Encyclopedia of Occultism & Parapsychology. Thomson Gale.
ISBN 978-0-8103-9487-2.
[2] Suki Miller, After Death: How People around the World
Map the Journey after Death (1995)
[6] Terence Hines. (2003). Pseudoscience and the Paranormal. Prometheus Books. pp. 103-106. ISBN 9781573929790
[7] Brian Regal. (2009). Pseudoscience: A Critical Encyclopedia. Greenwood. p. 29. ISBN 978-1591020868
Other than anecdotal eyewitness accounts, there is no evidence of the ability to astral project, the existence of other
planes, or of the Akashic Record.
[24] Erzeng, Yang (2007). The Story of Han Xiangzi. University of Washington Press. pp. 207209. ISBN 978-0295-98690-6.
[25] http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Autobiography_of_a_
Yogi/Chapter_3
[26] Osho, The Transmission of the Lamp, Chapter 3, Rebel
Press
[27] Baba: 90, 91.
[35] Chic Cicero, Chic C, Sandra Tabatha Cicero The Essential Golden Dawn, Llewellyn Worldwide, 2003.
[16] Rabbi Nosson Scherman, ed. (2011). The ArtScroll English Tanach. ArtScroll Series (First ed.). Brooklyn, New
York: Mesorah Publications, Ltd. p. 1150. ISBN 14226-1065-9.
[17] Hankins, James. Ficino, Avicenna and the Occult Powers
of the Rational Soul.
[18] 2 Corinthians 12:2
REFERENCES
[64] Donovan Rawclie. (1988). Occult and Supernatural phenomena. Dover Publications. p. 123
[40] Journeys Out of the Body by Robert A. Monroe, p 60. Anchor Press, 1977.
[41] Astral Dynamics by Robert Bruce Hampton Roads Publishing Company, Inc, 1999. p 25-27, 30-31
[42] Astral Dynamics by Robert Bruce. Hampton Roads Publishing Company, Inc, 1999 ISBN 1-57174-143-7
[43] Heindel, Max, The Rosicrucian Mysteries (Chapter IV, The
Constitution of Man: Vital Body - Desire Body - Mind),
1911, ISBN 0-911274-86-3
[44] Monroe, Robert. Far Journeys. ISBN 0-385-23182-2
[45] Frederick Lawton Balzac The Echo Library, 2007, p. 18
[46] Substantial bibliography of general OBE and astral projection literature
[47] A biography of Robert Monroe by Susan Blackmore
[48] A biography of Oliver Fox by Susan Blackmore
[49] A biography of Sylvan Muldoon by Susan Blackmore
[50] A biography of Yram by Susan Blackmore
Baba, Meher (1967). Discourses. Vol. II. San Francisco: Susm Reoriented. ISBN 1-880619-09-1.
Fock, Niels (1963). Waiwai. Religion and society
of an Amazonian tribe. Nationalmuseets skrifter,
Etnogrask Rkke (Ethnographical series), VIII.
Copenhagen: The National Museum of Denmark.
Hoppl, Mihly (1975).
Az urli npek
hiedelemvilga s a samanizmus. In Hajd, Pter.
Urli npek. Nyelvrokonaink kultrja s hagyomnyai (in Hungarian). Budapest: Corvina Kiad. pp. 211233. ISBN 963-13-0900-2. The title
means: Uralic peoples / Culture and traditions of
our linguistic relatives; the chapter means The
belief system of Uralic peoples and the shamanism
.
Further reading
Robert Bruce (1999) - Astral Dynamics: A New Approach to Out-of-Body Experiences. Hampton Roads
Publishing. ISBN 1-57174-143-7
Robert Todd Carroll (2003) - The Skeptic's Dictionary: A Collection of Strange Beliefs, Amusing Deceptions, and Dangerous Delusions. John Wiley &
Sons. ISBN 0-471-27242-6
Thomas Gilovich (1993) - How We Know What Isn't
So: The Fallibility of Human Reason in Everyday
Life. Free Press. ISBN 0-02-911706-2
Terence Hines (2003) - Pseudoscience and the Paranormal. Prometheus Books. ISBN 1-57392-979-4
Robert Monroe (1971) - Journeys Out of the Body
Doubleday. Reprinted (1989) Souvenir Press Ltd.
ISBN 0-385-00861-9
Sylvan Muldoon and Hereward Carrington (1929) Projection of the Astral Body. Rider and Company.
ISBN 0-7661-4604-9
External links
Astral Projection at the Skeptic's Dictionary
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Text
9.2
Images
9.3
Content license