Maneuvering On The Astral Planes
(This is an excerpt from a University Of Metaphysical Sciences course at www.umsonline.org,
please feel free to visit the school website)
Maneuvering on the astral planes can be a little tricky at times. There are a few things to know that will help you when you attempt to direct your experience once you find yourself in an astral projection.
First and foremost, you must develop awareness of your inner senses. The five physical senses (sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell) are only a few of many senses that you have. There are more senses, and ones that even extend to a deeper level than your physical senses, but are usable anyway, even in daily life. For instance, haven’t you ever “felt” someone’s presence near, or “knew” someone was watching you or staring at you? This is an extension of a physical sense: touch. So are the sensations of floating, heaviness or lightness when you are meditating. There are other senses that are not related to physical senses, but are in a different category altogether. Your psychic “knowing” isn’t necessarily related to any particular physical sense, but is a classic example of an inner sense. In the Seth series of channeled writings by Jane Roberts, Seth claims that there are 19 distinct senses that a human can become aware of, and I would add to that that perhaps there will be more as evolution occurs in the species during the journey through time.
Becoming aware of your inner senses is absolutely necessary to have success with astral projections and directing where it is you go. You won’t always want to be tossed to and fro by your experiences and you will want to “learn how to walk” where it is you want to go in the astral worlds.
To become aware of your inner senses, simply meditate deeply and look for them. They will reveal themselves to you. Explore your consciousness and see if you can find and flex some “muscles” you didn’t know you had in your awareness.
The first place to start is to look for your astral body. Some call it the light body. Some say it is only part of the light body. However one might describe it, even a beginner can sense the inner body. Your astral body is similar to your physical body in its appearance and projection of its image. The astral self looks like the image you inhabit in human form, for the astral body maintains its mental construct of its human identity. The astral worlds are not very “far” from the earth, and your human experience of self is carried over into the astral worlds. As you lay in your bed, couch or recliner, notice if you can find an outline of your physical body made out of light, either right outside your skin or right inside your skin. Sense the “second self” as some call it. Once you sense it, see if you can move your inner body independently of your physical body. For example, try to lift your astral hand, but not your physical hand. When this truly happens, you are ready for astral projection. You can try this during the 2nd meditation on your Astral Projection CD.
Your emotions will assist in steering your astral experiences. Just as your emotions serve as steering mechanisms on Earth, they can serve you in your journeys in the astral worlds. You can sense danger, use discernment, and make choices. You can control your inner landscape on the emotional level by focusing on positive emotions, which in turn attract pleasant experiences, just the same as on Earth.
Your mental level is without a doubt a steering mechanism of obvious proportions. After all, thinking makes it so. What you visualize and wish to create, it will appear in the astral worlds around you or you will find yourself being brought to it. On one hand, you could find yourself suddenly surrounded by what it was you were thinking about. On the other hand you might find yourself suddenly being whooshed to a far distance to some location in the astral worlds and find yourself suddenly placed in the midst of what it was you were thinking of. Sometimes people have reported that they would think of something, and then some sort of “automatic pilot” in their consciousness takes them to a far distance quite quickly, if distance could be thought of to exist in the astral worlds. So be careful what you think! It is immediate and steers your experiences.
You can also ask for assistance from the beings that populate the astral worlds. Do not hesitate to ask for help if you find yourself in trouble in the astral worlds! A spirit friend will come to you assistance in an instant and will either calm the situation down or whisk you away from the scene. High, loving spirits can disperse darkness like child’s play, and so can you if you have conquered your own fear and know that it is all illusion. Nothing can truly harm you, not on the Earth, and not in the astral worlds: not even death of the physical body. Your consciousness is completely free, independently of any kind of form you might hold in any present moment. If, however, you forget that and find yourself in a frightening situation on the astral planes, don’t’ be afraid to call for help. There are guides watching your progress and overseeing your first steps in the astral worlds the way a parent monitors a baby learning to walk. There is always someone there to help you.
Another way that the population of the astral worlds can help you is that you can ask them directions and they will be happy to oblige. Don’t be embarrassed to ask directions. If you’re lost and really don’t know where you are or how to get where you want to go, being willing to ask directions may be your only way out because that in itself is part of the lesson in learning how to maneuver on the astral planes. Being willing to enlist the assistance of your fellows on the astral planes is necessary for continual progress. After a while, you will become proficient enough to get around on your own and you may not need to ask for assistance so often as your skill and ability evolves.
Here is a synopsis of the steering mechanisms you can use in the astral worlds:
Inner senses:
- Underneath physical senses and more
- Develop through meditation and exercises that flex muscles of consciousness
Emotional:
- Can be a trustworthy basic steering mechanism
- Danger alert, discernment, choice
- Inner control method for attracting pleasant experiences
Mental:
- Thinking makes it so
Communication/interaction:
- Astral plane is highly populated