I've been trying to astral project for over two years with limited success. In the beginning I had an out of body experience when I was barely trying, which startled me. After that, however, nothing else happened. I feel depressed, like I'm stuck in a hole and not sure how to approach the next step. I'm not afraid; I've even had some disturbing dreams recently, but I wasn't afraid. I bought some Hemi-sync tapes from the Monroe Institute, and the only progress I've noticed is that my dreams seem more defined and my inner voice seems clearer as well. Other than that, I feel like nothing is happening. I've asked for guidance but feel like I'm being ignored by the spirit world. Am I being tested? I've stopped trying so hard to have an OOBE now, but I feel like I'm getting nowhere. Am I just being impatient? During my waking hours, I don't notice details much; I'm sort of on auto-pilot as far as being aware of daily life. I can space out and I often ignore other people's conversation without even knowing I'm doing it. Should I try to pay attention to details more when in a waking state? I don't want to give up. Thank you for your advice! (I was born May 24.)
Astrea:
Often people beginning to enter the state of spiritual awareness wherein astral projection is possible will spontaneously have one or more out of body experiences. This is common and tends to encourage them on their paths. When a person can see what COULD be, often they will concentrate on manifesting more of those experiences, which kick-starts a whole new level of psychic experience.
Just as no two OOBEs are the same, no two people experience them or describe them happening in the same way or with the same frequency. It's entirely normal for people to have an isolated astral projection experience at the beginning of a period of enlightenment and then have a long period of time until the next one. Some people wait for many years before astral journeys become easy to facilitate.
In fact, most people who have OOBEs only have one, though the first such event is always a gateway to other spiritual experiences. Sometimes this isn't something that can be controlled; it takes lots of practice and patience to master astral projection.
Practice and journaling go hand in hand in this sort of endeavor. Practice will get you accustomed to the feeling of doing it, while journaling will help you figure out what works and what doesn't. Whenever we're trying to master psychic skills, journaling tends to accelerate our pace.
Sometimes during this process, people find that waking reality seems more distant and surreal. By all means, focus your mind in the now and get with it! You must pay close attention to what other people around you are saying, doing and feeling.
Some of these people have messages for you from your Guides, and if you don't hear them, your Guides won't help you achieve what you want in any area of your life. Your guides are testing your ability to listen to what they tell you, and will limit your progress until you can put your feet firmly on the ground and separate your experiences in the physical from those you may have in other realms.
Many times, people give up right before the light comes permanently on. Two years is a good start. Most people say it takes about five years to make all the necessary shifts in order to willfully and consciously engage in astral projection. Most are in their early forties before they can settle down enough to astral project whenever they want. Even after many years of doing this, I still can't pull it off every time.
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Susyn:
You mention that your first out of body experience occurred when you were barely trying, and it was only after you became intent on having more of these events happen that things seemed to get more difficult. This is a paradox of metaphysics and one of the most difficult concepts to understand.
As a Gemini myself, I can tell you that because we are intellectually oriented, one of our greatest challenges is mastering the ability to disconnect from our minds in order to let our hearts and spirits take over.
Training tapes, books and repeated attempts to create these experiences are popular with those of us fascinated by information, but in practice, too much thinking can actually limit our soul-based efforts. This could explain why you feel stuck and frustrated.
One of the most effective ways to break through these blocks is to engage a teacher or join a group of other people who are interested in the art of out of body experiences (OOBE). These people can increase our abilities and expand our consciousness simply by virtue of their own personal experiences.
You should definitely practice paying more attention when in an awake state and try to listen more closely to the world around you. One of the best ways to increase your attention span is through meditation. Being still and sitting in silence can be challenging in and of itself, but is one of the quickest ways to manifest more out of body experiences and other metaphysical phenomena.
Keep in mind that when we're asleep, we're normally in a totally relaxed state. Our minds are at rest, which allows our spirit/ subconscious mind to take over and bring us dreams, out of body experiences and prophetic messages. To recreate these events in an awake state, we must overcome the additional challenge of trying to bypass our practical minds.
Because you have had one out of body experience, you may be looking for certain feelings or events to happen in the same way as the last one, which could also be limiting your success.
I recommend you seek out a teacher or mentor to guide you through the process of astral projection, and instead of trying to make something happen, take up a daily meditation practice. In this way, you can be guided to awaken your abilities instead of forcing them to come. This will require patience and daily devotion, but you should start to experience some notable progress within a week or two.
Astrea:
Many times in life we hear, "You will always have what you NEED, but not necessarily what you WANT." Your spirit must have needed to experience the feeling of leaving your human body, and the suggestion in the next chapter of Sylvia Brown's book was all it took to get you there.
Even though you hadn't read it yet, your SOUL recognized the title of that chapter as something it had been seeking, and your soul, knowing that you had that reference to read after your experience, got with it and out you went!
While I don't usually recommend her books, Sylvia Brown has a wide reaching and powerful effect on lots of people. A Gemini like you would be able to relate easily to her writing and put it to good use. Synchronicity - you gotta love it!
I like your description of "getting caught." That's exactly what it feels like, isn't it? One minute you're free and hovering above the room, and the next minute, ZAP! back down into your corporeal form you go!
As a little kid, I loved that "feeling of return." With practice, most of the time we can control that event, but sometimes, when our physical ears hear a distracting noise or something else occurs to knock us back into reality, back we go. With practice you will be able to control your return better.
I find it interesting that you were visiting your mother-in-law and not someone in your own genetic family. Evidently, you and your husband got married for reasons that are even deeper than love. His family's interest in "psychic stuff" will nurture your children in such matters and help them to grow into their own abilities.
You'll never have to be concerned that when your daughter visits them, she'll be discouraged from exploring her own psychic life and power. My parents encouraged me to develop my psychic senses in a time when it wasn't nice to even discuss such things in public. Heck, it's STILL not considered a great topic at the dinner table in some families!
Your kids will get to talk about it ALL and ask questions and read and study. This is going to give them such an edge in life! Talk with your husband about how you want to present this to your kiddos, so that you are united in your approach and ready to tell them their experiences are all natural and okay.
A word or two of warning: Geminis often have difficulty staying grounded in REAL LIFE. Don't get so strung out on your ASTRAL life that you neglect what you're doing here on Earth.
You are at the beginning of a long journey to learn where your power really lies. Try to be patient with this process and take your time.