Section IV
Awakening Your Other Senses (Step Two)
So, you’ve gotten this far? Here’s where things get interesting….
If you can master this chapter, your clairvoyance ability should be better than at least 90% of the general public. Everyone has the potential to work up to this point — but it takes time, patience, and dedication. I cannot stress hard enough how important it is to experience this firsthand before moving on to the next chapter. This section will “rend the veil,” or break the barrier, between your astral and physical bodies.
Out-of-body experiences (OBEs)
At a certain point in gnosis, in which the mind is awake and the body is asleep, occultists claim to be able to leave their physical bodies temporarily. I used to laugh at the idea. After all, astral projection seemed to be the very epitome of self-delusion… Some spiritually-obsessed optimist has a daydream about flying — and then convinces himself he was actually out of his body! “What a joke,” I thought, until had I researched it more.
In truth, the process of going out-of-body is not purely a mental experience. There are some rather intense physical (for lack of a better word) symptoms involved. People report hearing impossible sounds in the room, ranging from the loud crack of a pistol to the thunder of a freight train. Their bodies seem to shake uncontrollably, as if seized by epilepsy, yet with no physical movement apparent; some describe this as a pronounced “buzzing” similar to the feeling of electric shock. They can see with their eyes closed (using the third eye chakra, though they may not know it at the time), and there is no sense of darkness because everything seems to be ambiently illuminated by its own light. Plus, all of this occurs even before the experimenter leaves his body! All in all, it’s a very intense, and sometimes frightening, experience — not to be easily confused with a daydream about flying.
So what happens when you’re out-of-body? Pretty much anything you want. You are free of all laws of physics — you can walk through walls, travel over huge distances in the blink of an eye, float through the air, etc. The most rewarding experience I’ve ever had was teaching a quadroplegic how to do this; it gave him the key to freedom from his physical restraints.
How to go out-of-body
A deep level of gnosis is required to initiate an out-of-body experience. For this reason, it is preferable to attempt OBEs during the process of falling asleep each night, or in the process of waking up slowly every morning. Try sleeping in a slightly uncomfortable position, such as sitting up, so you’ll be kept on the border of sleep for a longer amount of time. But don’t let the timing convince you that this is all just a dream — believe me, you’ll know the difference!
Have a course of action planned out, even if it’s something as simple as walking through a wall into the next room (or anything a ghost might do). Then desire to accomplish it with all your being — halfhearted attempts will get no results. Most people who try OBEs fail because of a lack of discipline and patience. It may take several weeks, or even months, of nightly effort to attain your goal. But once you do, you’ll most likely agree that it’s worth it.
Okay. Now that you’ve got a plan of action, and you’ve meditated long enough to clear your mind…. pay attention to your body. When you can tell it is past mere relaxation and in fact has shut down for the night, and you are calm and undistracted — mind a clean slate — stop and listen.
What are you listening for? Nothing, really; it doesn’t matter. But keep your mind clear and just listen to the silence of the emptiness around you. If you’re truly in gnosis, the emptiness around you is no longer your bedroom, but an indefinable, boundless vacuum — not really a place at all. Wait patiently, mind clear, listening for nothing in particular. You are to be an observer of yourself, not really involved in the exercise at all.
If you’re deep enough in gnosis, you’ll feel an odd fear building slowly in the pit of your stomach — and then you’ll “switch” to astral awareness. This is a definite slip between realities, sometimes accompanied by a short loud noise or a buzzing sensation; sometimes it is intense enough to shock you into full consciousness. Don’t confuse this with that common half-asleep feeling of abrupt falling, though (that’s actually just your inner ear’s balance registers shutting down for the night).
After the shift, the “physical” symptoms described above will suddenly sweep over you like a tidal wave, undeniably intense. At this point, desire with all your might to get “out” by floating upwards (or by climbing an imaginary rope, etc.), and it very well may work. If not, you’re probably still close to the right level of consciousness, so just clear your mind and try again.
Getting back “in” is a worry of many beginners. As a matter of fact, this is more easily done than would be preferred. At the slightest hint of fear, or even something as nominal as a full bladder, the astral body will be “snapped” back into the physical body like a taut rubber band, safe and sound. Standing close nearby your physical body (within a couple of feet) usually does the trick, too. If that doesn’t work, try to wiggle a finger, and you’ll be snapped back into physical awareness at the effort.
OBEs are a topic of endless speculation and personal experience. Dozens of books have been written on the subject, explaining every minute detail recorded about the phenomenon. As much as I would like to, I cannot explain much more here than I already have. So, to get out-of-body, follow the directions above; or find other suggestions on the Internet by typing “how to have an obe” in a search engine. My favorite OBE website of all time is Charles C. Goodin’s Astral Projection Homepage which includes lots of great, informed information on the subject. (HINT: Ignore everything you read about lucid dreaming.)
As a general rule, if you’re asking yourself during these practice sessions, “Hey, is this what they were talking about? Are these the buzzing and shaking sensations I read about? Does this mean that I’m out of body?” then the answer is an emphatic NO. If you do manage the feat, then there will be no doubt in your mind about it.
Side effects
- A paradigm shift! A change in your beliefs about reality itself. Suddenly any assumptions you had about a soul or a separate plane of existence will shift from believing to knowing. This is no small feat, and it should not be undertaken by the faint of heart.
- OBEs become exponentially easier to initiate. You may start to go out-of-body every once in a while without even trying.
- Your chakras will go haywire. You’ve broken the barrier between the two realms of reality, and your newly-awakened senses are having to interpret the strange astral input. You will have to spend some time accustoming yourself to what each feeling means.
- You may become a psychic, of sorts — knowing things that are about to happen before they happen, etc. This is because you’ve torn the barrier between your soul and your mind. And since other people have a “soul” on the astral plane, as well as you do, you should find people’s true thoughts and personalities amazingly easy to read.
Section IV Exercises
- Your goal is, obviously, to get out-of-body and come back to tell about it. Caution: the out-of-body experience is intense, and should only be attempted by those of sound mind and body.
- Keep a journal of your OBEs. This is extremely important, as for some reason what happens to you astrally tends to be forgotten much more quickly than things that happen to you physically.
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