Astral Projection Examined
Astral projection is the legendary phenomena in occult circles to project one’s spirit (ghost or soul) out of one’s physical body, while experiencing all the sights and sounds of their physical surroundings. After a certain time which may be long periods, the person’s astral essence goes back into their physical body. This practice often occurs, reportedly during rest or sleep. Astral projection is also known as astral travel.
Individuals who allege to practice astral projection claimed to have left their bodies, to see themselves lying down on the bed or couch in their room as they floated above. These astral travelers would also allege to see the objects in their room from the from an elevated vantage point. Often reputed to have floated through the walls or windows or ceiling out to the street, seeing and hearing thereabouts before returning to their physical bodies.
Occult legends regarding astral projection refer to an “astral cord” which is said to be a silver in color linking the spirit of the astral traveler to the physical body. The astral cord seems to be a spiritual counterpart to the umbilical cord which is connected to a baby at birth, but must be severed to free the baby from the mother’s body.
But, the notion of a silver cord connected to the head of the astral body to the physical body seems just to be mythical. The reason is because a ghost has no problem leaving its former container-the physical body, it is understood, thus there should be no type of cord connecting it at all to the physical body.
In some cases, astral travelers tell stories of having left their physical bodies, met and then had short conversations with ghosts of deceased family members. Other astral projectors describe traveling to other dimensions; other universes, or other planets before returning to their physical bodies on earth.
Astral projectionists have claimed there are 7 planes, plains, or spheres of dimensional worlds, with the 7th being the highest, best, and most advanced.
The seven realms of existence might have been originally referring, since ancient times of the seven main celestial objects of the universe: the sun, the moon, and 5 planets of Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn; all of which are visible in the sky; the sun in the day sky and sometimes the moon is as well; while the moon and the 5 planets are visible in the night sky.
For many years, scientists have studied the claims of astral projectionists and made highly controlled scientific experiments to verify their statements. The results have been very negative, showing multiple failures. Astral projection has been discredited by modern science.
The idea of astral projection seems to have come from people who had what is called near death experiences; people who have actually died, and a short time later had been revived. Scientists theorize that individuals experiencing near death, while unconscious with their brains still functioning, apparently believe they are dead and these individuals unintentionally and unknowingly fantasize (hallucinate) or dream of what it is like to be dead. Sometimes they are a little bit conscious and can hear bystanders, as doctors or nurses talking around them which can be incorporated into hallucination or dream of being dead or as a spirit floating around the emergency operating room of the hospital.
Often times the near death unconscious person reports seeing a brilliant light that can be explained by the brain turning on survival mode neurons.
The idea of seeing and conversing with the spirit of dead relatives might be based on expecting such family spirits to be there at the time of the person’s perceived death and the brain, through memories of such deceased family visualizes their forms that can be mistaken by the unconscious person as real family ghosts.
In all cases of people who described amazing psychic stories of near death experiences it is that these people never were completely dead; they may have seemed dead clinically; in a medical clinic but were not biologically dead. If these people were biologically dead; they could not have been resuscitated; revived by today’s modern science.
A very interesting critical viewpoint regarding astral projection is that if an individual could really force his or her life force; life essence; spirit; ghost out of the physical body; the physical body being deprived of its operating system; its power or energy unit would begin to quickly die, and thus then the astral traveler could not re-enter the physical body to report on the experience.