April, Gana....I'm more confused then ever! I hate to admit this but I din't get it All that talk about meditation, chakras etc. makes my head hurt.
Guess you can't teach an old dog new tricks as is aparent in my case.
So, you are saying you don't actually leave your body behind like ina OBE? And you have to construct an prodective circle or space around you? Also, is it kinda like a trance?

I know I'm asking a million questions...sorry, but I find that very facinating. I will be looking for your replies and ya'll take care 'til then. R

Ask away!

Meditation is just used to reach a different level of consciousness.

You do leave your body but never entirely because you're connected to your body by a silver string coming out of the top of your head. This string is only broken when you die. So yes, as April has said the Higher Self is a good way to name this part of you that leaves your body. The Higher Self isn't your soul. You can think of it more or less like the subconscious which can only be accessed in certain ways. Some have considered the Higher Self to be the part of you that goes through all your incarnations and 'remembers' them. It is not earthly but it serves as a guide, steering you through your different lives. You could think of it as the spiritual you (for lack of a better word because this isn't the right one) that moves on and is always there.

Not everyone uses extra protection, but a circle is a good idea.

If you want, I can send you the research I've done on some astral travel techniques to give you an idea of how it's done. Some use visualization to roll or lift out of the body.

I hope this helps.

Blessings

Gana

Ok, now I am really confused.....lol So just to get my understanding right you are saying that you leave your body but it's still attatched by a 'string'. Well, that brings me to more questions then....I know you all are tiered of my nitpicking and ya'll can tell me to stop if needed....
So, here it goes...I read somewhere a while back that the US used Astral Travelers to spy on the Russians during the Cold War. My question is ....does the silver string reach that far? And isn't what you all call 'the Higher Self' our soul? At least that what I would call it....
Yeah Gana, send me the study material on that. Maybe the 'lightbulb' goes on in my head. Unless, of course, you want to share it here on the site....I don't know if anybody else is interested in it and I guess I'm the only one who doesn't get it....lol

Well, so much for that and thanks for all your patience with me....R

K here is the research I did for my Astral Travel assignment. The techniques are very much summed up, but you can find more elaborate descriptions on the net.

Blessings

Gana

3 astral travel methods:

The rope technique

A deep level of relaxation is required: this can be achieved by meditation. This method does not require visualization. Hang up a rope above you so that you have a good idea where it is. Imagine reaching out and pulling on this rope in the dark (no visualization). First you will get a dizzying sensation followed by a heavy sensation. The pressure on your etheric body will move you into a state of trance. Your chakras will open and then you will start feeling vibrations and consequently you will feel paralyzed. During all these sensations you should not stop climbing. Finally, you will come free of your body.

The lift or roll out technique

A deep level of relaxation is required. Visualize yourself floating upwards out of your body. In order to make it easier, you may use an aid such as birds which are flying up and lifting you up because they are attached to your body with strings. After a while you will feel vibrations, which you should ignore, and then come free of your body. A variation on this technique is the roll out method. Instead of imagining that you are being lifted up out of your body, you imagine yourself rolling sideways out of your body. You start by rocking slowly, until you reach the point where you are separated from your body.

The anchor technique

Once you’ve reached a deep level of relaxation, you should use your ability to visualize.
The fixed anchor: imagine a fixed anchor somewhere outside of your physical body. The anchor may just be a point in space or it can be an object. ‘Feel’ how solid it is. Try pushing it, pulling it, moving it with your mind. The anchor should not budge. Once the anchor is totally fixed, imagine your hands reaching out and grabbing hold of it. Again, the anchor should not budge. Then try pulling the object towards you, gently at first and then harder and harder. Gradually, you will feel yourself moving towards the object as you pull (instead of the other way round). Finally, you’ll end up in the place of the anchor, outside of your body.
Common factors:
A deep level of relaxation is required.
Prior to the out-of-body experience you start to feel a dizzy sensation, vibrations.
Some techniques require visualization
During projection, you must be very focused and ignore all physical sensation.

Gana, thanks for posting this...I must say that it looks easy on paper but doing it is a different matter.
Ok, let's just say I achive to climb out of my body, silver string attatched, and then what? What am I suppose to do then? Can I go where I want to go? And then the most important thing....how do you get back?
You all have a good evening, Romana

Oh man, Rommy! This is gonna take a minute.

Ok so we start at the beginning....

Chakras are the energy points of your body. They start at the base of the spine and run up and out. you have chakras at: the base of the spine (red), the reproductive organs (orange), the solar plexis (yellow), the heart (pink/green), the vocal chords (blue), the third eye (purple) and the crown (white or clear). There are also points at each of the major joints: shoulders, wrists, knees, and ankles plus at the plams of the hands and the feet. Chakras are the outlet for a persons kundalini (their life force and personal energy). The study of chakras and kundalini is not new, it's thousands of years old. Old Vedic teachings talk about all of this and it is my understanding that yoga is one of the meditation methods to help raise and balance the kundalini.

We know about meditation. There are several different forms and processes. it is a tool used to train the mind, increase the ability to focus, gather your thoughts and clear your mind. Now we are entering into the areas of the shamanic side of meditation. Astral travel, skin walking, dream walking, and visiting the ancestors are included in this side of things. You use more of this that you realize you do.

Silver string.... I've never seen one, but that's me. I never do things the "normal" way. Protection for me is subconsious. I even set up my "sphere before I pull out the driveway each morning, but I understand that there are times and situations when you should just leave it out. Like, I don't really like to set up a circle of any kind while doing ritual or any working, after all why do you want to lock out the Gods and the ancestors ( oh crap! pitchforks and torches! I'm getting burned at the stake!)?
But a semi coming at me in my lane calls for BIG time Protections (Please!!!! Let him miss me or me miss him whatever. I'm not ready to die yet!!!!) I have never run across anything that I was really worried about on astral, and like I said... Because of some of my other experiences, I'm not really worried about anyone or anything else using my body.

Cold war-psychic warfare.... Yeah I've heard those stories too. To some extent I suppose that it could be termed as astral travel, but they call it remote viewing. It's another technique that requires a lot of training and practice, but supposedly you can find anything. A couple of experiences with it and I'm convinced that it can be done, after all it works really great for finding the state trropers on the road. Like lots of other things it's not a matter of "the string" reaching. It's more like climbing a tree to see what's down the road.

Now for the "higher self".... Soul or not I don't really know and language is really inadequate for trying to put to voice how this works. When someone pins you down about who you are, they exclude your body and your brain and your personality, when you are left with "I'm me". It's that me that goes on these journeys. It's not the energy produced by your brain, that stays with your body. It's not the name that your parents gave you. It's that part that KNOWS you are so much MORE than the little box that houses you, it's the part that can feel the dance of the planets and hear the music of the stars. I know... I left you behind again and I'm sorry. There's just no easy way to explain whic part takes off and goes wandering.

Gana posted some great ways to attempt astral travel. I tried them and, like most things, they didn't work for me. Then one day, really wanting this experience, I took a "step to the left and through the hedge". There I was walking through a garden. The next trip was Europa a very cool place, by the way. You can go where ever. You can go when ever. Not a typo, I mean it. Time has no meaning So when do you want to go?

I've never had any problem getting back. I just opened my eyes. Not being sarcastic here it just seems that while it takes me a while to get deep and shift gears going down in meditation, I always catch the "express elevator" to get back. The only time this is any different seems to be when I'm either listening to yoiking(finnish folk music) or when I'm drumming. I seem to take off then and usually let someone else come "play" for a while. Even then, when I'm ready to come back... I'm back. Given the memories of what occured in my absence and well.... I don't know what else to say about that. It's probably why I'm not real worried about someone else using my body.

Does this help any??