Astral Projection (Part 3)

The time has come for me to finish up with this series of posts. :) If you remember, in the first and second post on this topic, I explained what astral projection is all about, some techniques to achieve it what you can and can't do once you're there.

In an attempt to describe what the astral planes look like, I used the visual images of flying with an airplane and rocket. When we are in our physical bodies, it is like we are walking on the earth. The astral world has several levels and if we try to simplify its plan as much as possible then we could say that a lower and higher astral plane exist. The lower astral would be the equivalent of flying with a plane while the higher astral is, obviously, a higher level and would be like flying in a rocket though outer space. I hope that this is all clear up to now. :)

I dedicated the second post in this series to the lower astral plane which you directly enter when you achieve astral projection, but it is necessary to learn a bit more and gain a bit more experience to get to the higher astral plane. Now let me explain this.

How to Get to the Higher Astral Plane?

I mentioned that there are two factors that influence your stay in the astral world apart from yourselves, and those are your subconscious and your higher consciousness (if we can even put it like this since both of them are an integral part of you). In short, your subconscious is the one who will try to bring you back to lower astral levels and, ultimately, back in your physical body (i.e. back in the physical plane). In order to do this, it will put out bait for you such as mysterious doors which will intrigue you because they aren't where they should be, the ringing of a phone which you will badly want to answer and things like this. All of these signs will be very obvious because your subconscious is too primitive to notice, and let alone create, small differences with which to capture you. You higher consciousness knows that your subconscious doesn't notice details so it leaves you small clues which you have to follow. Why am I mentioning this? Because of the simple reason that it will be these small clues that will lead you to a higher astral level, or better said, onto the higher astral plane.

The point here would be that details will lead you to the higher astral plane! They will attract you attention in one way or another because your higher consciousness knows how you function and knows what you like. So don't worry about this; it will find a way. But remember that these details will stand out, usually because they don't even exist in your physical world or perhaps because they will be somewhere they aren't supposed to be (if you recall, the lower astral plane will usually be a replica of your physical world).

How Do Things on the Higher Astral Plane Work?

Like I said, the lower astral plane is a copy of your physical world (that which usually surrounds you), but the higher astral plane will be something that you have never set eyes on before. This is why it is not recommended to try and reach the higher astral plane until you are completely confident in your abilities and until you gain enough experience on the lower astral plane. You may now be asking yourselves: "How do I gain the necessary experience?". Remember the plan of action I mentioned in the previous post. This plan will be made up of all the goals you want to achieve during that astral projection and the more goals you achieve, the higher your self-confidence will be and the more experience you will have (not much different from normal life, is it?). In time, you will have enough confidence and experience to successfully enter the higher astral world.

But it is important for you to remember that you are a sort of an intruder in the higher astral world (at least until you "make yourself at home"). There are many worlds on the higher astral plane and each one has its own guards, guides and rules. When you are on another's territory, you have to play by their rules. Of course, you won't know the rules the first time you get there. This is why you will have to ask someone to find out.

Your Guide

Some call him the keeper of that particular world and some a guide. A guide exists in every world but just so there are no misunderstandings, I have to emphasize that each world has its own guide. When you reach the higher astral plane, the first thing you have to look for is the guide. You can call upon him the way you would do for any other thing/place in the astral plane - with your thoughts. It is enough to wish for the guide to be there and he will be there. Remember that no complicated invocations or visualizations are needed in the astral worlds because you can control everything with your thoughts. A useful tip would be that every thing/creature you "call upon" in the astral world usually turns up behind you so you will have to turn around to see them. This may seem strange to you so I will explain why. Basically, when you wish for/want something, your unconscious has already started constructing it outside your field of vision. You could have figured out by now that the whole astral phenomenon is based on construction, and for this purpose, ingenuity will be of more use than "book smarts". You will have to be ingenious in order to trick yourself and your mind (which is, in some way, the enemy of the astral world).

Once you have called upon your guide and gotten to know him (never forget to be polite), he/she/it will lead you through that astral world just like a real tourist guide. :) It is important to note that the guide doesn't even have to be human. It can be an animal, a rock, a leaf blown by the wind, a series of signs or something completely abstract. But don't worry, you will know that that something is leading you and all you have to do is trust your instinct.

After you have gotten to know that world and its rules, you will be able to travel alone, but nobody can forbid you to call upon the guide for help at any time if you get "lost". :)

Moving Around on the Higher Astral Plane

The methods are basically the same as on the lower astral plane but they sometimes have different affects. Some of them are:

• Teleportation (do not try this until you've achieved astral projection several times because it does take a bit of experience). This is done by imagining your destination and keeping the image in your mind for 5-10 seconds while keeping your eyes closed. During this time, you will feel like you are moving (as if the wind is carrying you), but don't let that distract you. The next time you open you eyes, you will find yourself in the place you imagined. Once you are on the higher astral plane, teleportation can only lead you onto higher and higher levels (whereas if you try to teleport on the lower astral plane, this would just return you to your physical body....that's the main difference!). Also, an exception can happen once in a hundred times (figuratively speaking). To elaborate, it may occur that your higher consciousness chooses to take you some place of its choice to give you a certain message and it will take advantage of that moment of teleportation to do so. So, instead of ending up where you wanted to, you will end up where your higher consciousness wanted you to be. But this is no reason to be worried because, as you may remember, your higher consciousness doesn't want to do you any harm. Just relax and go with the flow, give yourself over to it and let it guide you.
• Translocation (it is different from teleportation in the fact that it is random, while teleportation is intentional). You can achieve this by looking at your hands and keeping your gaze there for a while. They will look differently than what they look like in the physical world, but that is less important now. What is important is that when you move your gaze from them, you will be in another random place. This can be done on all levels of the astral plane. But this method can also be quite tricky, but you will learn from experience. The trick is to know exactly when to remove your gaze from your hands because if you look at them for a short period of time, you will achieve nothing. Then again, if you look at them too long, you will just return to your physical body. But like I said, it will come with experience.
• Using doors (it seems obvious but I have to mention it). You can use this method even while walking around the astral plane. They can take you to another room or a completely different place. They can also take you to other worlds. This can be achieved by drawing the symbol of that world on the door/over it/on the door knob etc. This falls under the category of the higher astral plane so let's talk about that some more now.

Entering Other Worlds

I already mentioned that there are many worlds on the astral plane, but which ones exactly? Well there are countless worlds there, but I would like to mention a few which are worth visiting and which are, in a way, universal.

• Elemental worlds - each element (water, fire, earth and air) has its own world on the astral plane. Each of these worlds has its own guardian/guide towards which you should behave as with any other guide. But, the world of fire will only introduce you to fire, as will the world of water only introduce you to water. These worlds are worth visiting because they will enable you to become closer to the elements which may be of great use to you in the physical world, for example when working with the elements and elementals during rituals.
• Tarot card worlds - you know that there are many cards in the tarot deck and for those that have become serious about practicing Tarot, this may be an excellent what to connect with the cards and visit the world that lies beyond the 2D picture on the card. This is a long-term process, but it is worth it in the end. You will have the chance to meet the characters on the cards (this would actually be the polite thing to do and, while you're there, abide by their rules) and in time, you will be able to explore these worlds by yourself.
• Zodiac worlds - you know which ones they are so there's no need to elaborate here. In these worlds, you will have the opportunity to explore the stars, see how each sign functions etc.

But how exactly do you enter all these worlds?

The simplest way would be to use a door. Since you control everything in the higher astral planes (with a bit of help from your higher consciousness), you can simply wish for a door, and it will appear behind you (just as most things do there). It is necessary to know some symbols which are associated with the world you want to enter and do draw that symbol somewhere on the door (on it, over it, on the door knob etc.). Once you go through that door, you will be in that specific world. I would like to mention another trick that could be useful. This technique may be complicated for you in the beginning because it goes against logic i.e. your reason won't be able to accept it. You can solve this problem by feeling the knob and walking backwards through the door after you have drawn the symbol. Only when you have passed through the door backwards and turned back to the front will you find yourself in a completely new environment.

There are many symbols for the elements, so it's best if you use the ones you are most familiar with or those which you find the most attractive or perhaps the a special symbol that represents that element only to you. It is only important that you know what that symbol means. :) Each zodiac sign has its own universal symbol which is usually left unchanged. Tarot cards, on the other hand, are more complicated.

If you want to enter the world of a specific tarot card, you can do this in several ways. You can imagine the card as the actual door, or the card being stuck onto the door. Another method is leaving that card next to you before you enter the astral plane. When you "wake up" in the lower astral world (i.e. when you astral body falls off your bed), all you have to do is find the card where you left it in the physical world by feeling around. You can then take it around with you wherever you go. If you are even more experienced (like my friend is who explained and improved all these techniques), then you can go straight from the lower astral plane to the tarot card world by placing the card on the floor and jumping into it. This way, you will directly enter the higher astral plane.

Another note. :) It is very useful to put many entrances/portals in your apartment, or rather its copy in the lower astral plane just in case of emergency. It is also a good idea to have a bag in the physical world with the symbols of all the worlds you may want to visit (including a set of runes, a tarot card set etc.). So instead of remembering all those symbols, all you have to do in the lower astral realm is walk to the bag, take out the symbol you need and jump in it as you would with the tarot cards. :)

Other Things You Can Do

You don't have to only travel from world to world! You can try many more things in the astral planes, such as:

• Try to fly (even though it is recommended to avoid this as much as possible because you loose your sense of touch in the air and, as I said, this sense is your primary one in the astral world)
• Try to invoke your higher self (you will have to discover this for yourselves)
• Heal ailments (this is done by actually filling yourself with energy in the astral realms which also happens to keep you there longer. You can do this in several ways: by looking at the sun which is, by the way, very hard to find; by spinning around yourself; by doing the exercise of the vibrating Middle Pillar which I will explain soon enough etc.)
• Read a book (just out of fun. You won't suddenly be enlightened, but it is very interesting to see the differences from reading in the physical world. It is much more difficult because of the connection of the right and left hemisphere of the brain that happens in the astral world, but it can be done. But this is usually done in your astral temple)

Creating Your Astral Temple

I have already mentioned this astral temple without actually telling you what it is. Well, you know what a temple is. From this, you can easily conclude what an astral temple is - a temple in the astral world.

But what is its purpose? You could say that it is some sort of a refuge. It can be like your living room, or it can serve a religious purpose, be there for your do to magic in (yes, you can do magic in the astral world too and it is even more intense than in the physical world!) etc. Regarding doing rituals in your astral temple, I have to mention that they are strongest when done there and then their effects simply come down into the physical world where they carry out their influence. Actually, rituals were practically created to be done in the astral world.

What is your temple appropriate for? For starters, an astral temple is a great place to have because you can "escape" from your subconscious there. Remember that you astral temple is like a home and your subconscious like a burglar. It will want to enter, but if you secure it well enough, if you lock the door when you go out (and also enter it), activate some sort of alarm or put guards at the entrances, then it simply won't be able to get in.

But how do you build an astral temple? You are your own boss in the higher astral realm so you decide how everything gets done. If you want it to magically be built by itself, that's how it will be done. If you imagine it being built by laborers, or perhaps little gnomes then it will be built like that. It's all up to you. It can be built out of any material at all, it can have unimaginable proportions and be made up of forms that don't even exist in the physical world. It can also have any floor plan that you want. Just don't forget to guard it well and even additionally secure it after the builders have finished doing her work. You can do this by building a simple fence, or digging a ditch, building a bridge, using a security code on the door, putting in energetic protection, "employing" guards (strong men, powerful Amazon women, sphinxes, lions or whatever!). Everything is possible! But perhaps the best way to build it is in your thoughts (thought is the only real building material for this!). When you're awake, draw its floor plan, blueprints (even if they aren't professionally drawn), think about what it could look like etc. All of this will make it stronger and better the building.

You can also have a bedroom in your astral temple in which you can fall asleep and go even deeper into the astral world, charge your energy this way and then wake up in your astral temple ready for a new day in the astral world. This will extend your time in the astral world, which is sometimes of great importance (for example, when you're doing a ritual or other works there). This kind of sleep brings you face to face with the most hidden parts of your being. It is recommended that this bedroom be connected to the "living room" with a small, barely visible tunnel that just slightly drops downwards. All of this effects your consciousness and makes time flow slower. You can have a special room for rituals, your own library, a swimming pool filled with pure energy which you can bathe in to gain more energy (which, again, will extend your stay in the astral world). There are just some ideas, but I'm sure you'll be able to think of even more.

I would like to mention a few more things regarding your astral temple. Firstly, don't ever turn off the lights in your temple! Lack of light enables your subconscious (the burglar) to break into the temple and get your back into your physical body (this is actually the only way in which it can break into your temple). Secondly, always have an emergency exit with some sort of secret passage that leads you to another place. This can also come handy (you never know).

Also, it is recommended that you picture the door of your astral temple even before you start building it. You will have to remember the exact appearance and feeling of your door knob as well as the way in which you can enter (be it a security code, a special way of knocking, speaking special words, doing some actions etc.). This is important because it will enable you, at least when you are experienced enough, to enter straight into your astral temple from the lower astral plane; remember the time when your astral body has just fallen onto the floor. You have to start feeling around yourself at this point in time to find out where you are. The trick here is that you will be able to feel the door to you astral temple (or the door knob) if you imagine it well enough. If you recognize this door as that specific door, all you have to do is open in the appropriate way and just enter.

That would be about it regarding your astral temple. :)

How to Return Back to Your Physical Body?

The methods are practically the same as in the lower astral world. I'll still say a few words on this topic, although you can find a more detailed answer in the second post in this series.

• Closing your eyes - remember that you don't really have a physical body on the astral plane and, ultimately, no eyelids so this will create that physical bridge that is needed for you to return. This is different from teleportation because when you simply close your eyes, you don't have a certain destination in mind but when you teleport and close your eyes you have to imagine exactly where you want to go.
• Squinting - it achieves the same effect as closing your eyes but less sudden.
• Looking up - when your eyes roll backwards a bit, it reminds us of that spinning motion that we did to achieve the vibration stage so this literally takes us back into our previous state (the physical one).
• Pinching yourself or rolling your head - these are very physical actions which will also create that necessary bridge to the physical world.
• Concentrating on something - this is the simplest method. If you focus too long on something, then the image around you starts melting and you find yourself in your physical body again. A good example is looking at your hands (which I mentioned before). If you look at your hands in the astral world, they will start to melt after a while and if you don't look away, you will return back to your physical body (but if you do look away quickly, then you will find yourself on a higher astral plane).

Final Notes on the Higher Astral Plane

The same goes as for the lower astral plane: don't enter closed spaces (be they mobile or immobile), don't try to achieve astral projection two days in a row (at least in the beginning), pay attention to details etc. But there are a few notes that I would like to single out. I mentioned most of them throughout the text, but a summary tends to be very useful.

• To enter the higher astral plane, look for details in the lower astral plane.
• Don't forget to follow the rules of the world you are in and be polite.
• It is advisable to have a plan of action when going to the higher astral world!!! (despite the fact that you're in the higher astral world, a lack of animation and too much concentration can still bring you back to the physical world)
• Guides (as all other entities in the higher astral) are very powerful. It is useless to try to run from them (and thus any other entity there), although there will be no need for this since they won't want to harm you. But you will feel a sense of awe towards them because they simply impress you.
• You can lose energy here too, so your image may become unclear. You can solve this problem the same way you would on the lower astral plane (follow the advice given in the second post on this topic).

Notes on Your Astral Temple:

• The lights must ALWAYS be turned on in your temple (it doesn't matter if they're electric, simple wax-candles or even torches, just keep them turned on!)
• Secure your temple well and, if possible, try to hide it a bit (camouflage it or in any other way adapt it to its surroundings).
• Don't let anyone know how to enter your astral temple (no-bo-dy!). This is a place reserved for you and you alone.

When Even Enter the Astral Plane?

I am assuming that you started reading this series of posts because you wanted to achieve astral projection, although some of you may not have this intention. Maybe it was only curiosity for you? Whichever the reason may be, I feel obliged to explain why you would even want to achieve this and what you can even get out of it all expect the experiences and a bit of fun. This is a very important question so I have left the answering to my friend, Dušan Trajković who, along with a couple other people, tried all this out, thought a lot of it up and taught it to many people all over the world. Here's what his answer to this question is. :)

"Andy Warhol said that each one of us has their own fifteen minutes of fame. Maybe we could say that this is an overall nice and different way for us to use these fifteen minutes. We live believing that our time lasts, that it has passed or that it will pass and, accordingly, we measure our spiritual improvement in time (how long we have been engaged in a certain practice) instead of the quality of even one night's experiences. Simple calculation leads us to shocking information that we spend a third of our lives sleeping and even a smaller part of this dreaming. According to this, a thirty-year old has only experiences twenty years of their life. If we add these unconscious periods to our life span, then why not add those nine months we spent in the uterus (which, by the way, modern psychologists claim to be of great importance to our lives)? Therefore, the difference in the spiritual work of a novice and a master lies in how we use that unconscious part of our lives which is the same for us all and, unfortunately, quite often left unnoticed. Without the achievement of experiences such as those of astral projection, all systems of eastern and western esoteric thought are nothing more than fairy tales. Dare to reach for success. Moreover, dare to use the means you have."

Good night, sleep tight! I wish you all a nice trip! ;)

Until next time. Yours, 

Witch's Cat