Woke up at 5:00am and went back to bed at around 6:00am. It was difficult going back to sleep but by 7:05am my eyes were getting droopy. Experienced sleep paralysis and felt a pressure on my forehead. I got up out of bed and slowly walked. My body was very solid which made me question whether I was projecting or sleep walking. I could not bring myself to fly out the window - just in case. Got snapped back to my actual physical body which confirmed that I was projecting. The same thing happened and again I had some doubt that I was projecting.
Again back in bed my head was vibrating lightly and then I became aware of a presence coming closer to me. I have to say I was not prepared for this. So afraid, I could not open my eyes.
Then I became aware of a female voice who seemed to be talking to me. I remember her saying how wrong she was about something and that I do create -. All of a sudden something whooshed into my left ear and began buzzing. I seriously thought it was a fly. I had to force myself out of the sleep paralysis so that I could check my ear out. Upon waking up at exactly 7:20am my ears were fine.
I'm usually fearless when projecting but that buzzing felt like a bumblebee in my ears. I now have a sense of a body when projecting whereas before it was more consciousness than an actual body.
March 24, 2008
A Presence
March 23, 2008
The Pressures of Sleep Paralysis
Experienced a new symptom this morning while at sleep paralysis. Completely immobilized I felt a pressure on me as if someone heavy was lying down or sitting on my belly. I'm sure after that I was getting really close to projecting however, I seem to have no recall of it except for some fragmented parts of dreams about superman.
March 21, 2008
Double Vision
Woke up 7am, far too groggy to stay awake so instantly went back to sleep. Suddenly my body felt really heavy and I began sinking. Again I'm back in bed with some lucidity, my body now feels spaced out and very light. I lift my right arm with some effort which looks transparent and has a bluish glow.
I try to move my body by rolling out of bed but struggle. My physical eyes open and half of my vision is covered by my room, below that on the other half I can see a field of grass and some trees. I've had this before where I'm seeing both physical and astral.
After that I had some vivid dreams all of which I can recall very clearly.
Last night I was listening to a Hypnosis CD ('Develop A Powerful Memory' by Glen Harrold) to help recall my astral experiences and dreams. I will be writing a review and my experiences on this soon.
March 18, 2008
Wake Back to Bed - Sleep early + Wake early + AP Intention = An Astral Projection
Sleeping early say around 8-9pm and waking up around 3-4am then staying awake for about an hour increases the chances of achieving an astral projection.
You can intend or affirm the night before that you will wake up at a certain time, then upon waking up think of any dreams you can remember, you might even want to write it down in your dream journal. Also get up and walk a bit so you're somewhat awake. Then, just before going back to sleep set an intention to astral project.
This technique is known as the Wake Back To Bed Technique.
March 17, 2008
An Astral Projection with free control of my astral body...
Woke up at 3:45am from a very intense dream. Pondered the dream and went back to sleep with a mild intention to project.
I had a few more very vivid dreams until in one dream I climbed up somewhere saw my cousin and asked her for help. She lifted me up and I think disappeared. I saw a tiny door, went through it.
I suddenly find myself waking up in a bed and realize it's not mine. I'm in a double bed and the room is almost completely dark only there is a sort of brown shade. I try to move my arms and legs but they are tangled. Then I roll over and land on my feet.
I get out of the room and into the hallway. I walk down the stairs holding the rails. Everything is very solid, almost like a complete replica of the physical dimension. I see the carpet is identical to mine but the structure of the house is similar to my cousin's. At this point everything just seems unbelievable, even though I've astral projected many times the realness of this experience was just too intense.
I thought I might be sleep walking with partial awareness. I check out some of the rooms and find one that confirms I'm projecting.
I notice I have a pack of bacon in my hands, I get v. hungry and look for the kitchen. I open the refrigerator to see what else I could eat. Inside there's things that should not be there like Colgate toothpaste. As I head towards the kitchen I decide I am not bothered with cooking and get out of the house.
A car drives by with a couple inside smiling at each other looking very cheery. To my right on the street there are a couple of teenagers enjoying themselves. I walk towards them and look up at the sky. I'm ready to fly and just as I prepare to I wake up at 4:45 am without warning.
After-thoughts: Wow, my projections are becoming more clearer. The past few days I've been having intense vivid dreams that wake me up at the middle of the night which I think has contributed to this experience. For the first time I had almost complete control over my limbs (of course in a projection).
March 15, 2008
Astral Blindness
Woke up at 4:20am at about 5:00am I repeated my intention to astral project. Eventually I found my body was flickering (not the usual vibrations). Felt like my astral body was loosening. I ended up in a semi-lucid state dream where I dreamt of two children with a hard knock life. A boy and a girl getting beats from their mother for silly reasons. The father stands up for his children and tells the mother to leave.
I have more vivid dreams. Then I walk outside towards a grand garden where elderly people are seated around garden tables. I get the impression that I'm in a residential nursing home. At this point I am fully aware of my surroundings and that I'm projecting. I look at some of the people but suddenly become blind. I say 'clarity now' but lose consciousness.
March 14, 2008
Meditation Progress
I've once again included meditation in my daily routine.
What, When and How I Practice Meditation?
My meditation sessions take place at 6:00pm because things quieten down and I feel like relaxing at that time. So far each session lasts about 15 minutes and when I do meditate for longer I tend to get frustrated.
The practice I use is very simple, I lie on my back (on sofa or bed) and take a few minutes to breathe deeply which is controlled (this really helps to relax). Then I breathe normally and focus my awareness exclusively on my breathing. When thoughts do arise I just notice it and remember to go back to being aware of my breath.
My Current Progress
So far managed to get deep into meditation to the point where I lose awareness of my body. I then experience involuntary movements in my fingers, hands and arms which instantly snaps my awareness back to my body and then I'm back at square one. The good thing is that I don't get frustrated for not going deeper because when I do snap back I feel extremely refreshed and energized as if I had woken up from a good nights sleep.
In my recent sessions I have been experiencing something different. When I close my eyes and focus on my breathing within 2 minutes the darkness behind my closed eyelids snaps into an orangish red shade - the same intense shade you see when you close your eyes in sunlight. It quickly disappears as soon as I become aware of it.
I guess when these sort of phenomena arise I get distracted and very analytical. Next time I intend on being as passive as I can - which is easier said than done.
March 10, 2008
Making some adjustments
Haven't been projecting much lately with only 2 or 3 experiences per month. This past week didn't stick to my meditation plan very well which was mostly due to fatigue. I've been sleeping late and waking up tired which explains the fatigue (currently end up sleeping between 1:00am - 2:00am). So it seems some changes are in order particularly my bedtime. The latest I plan to sleep is at 11:00pm starting from tonight.
March 1, 2008
Astral Phasing
Astral Phasing is a very simple technique, at least it seems that way. All you do is lie down on your back, remember comfort is important here so if you prefer lying on your side or any other sleeping positions go ahead. Make sure you are wearing loose clothing and if using a blanket use a light blanket. Once you get comfortable breathe deeply, click here for a great exercise on breathing deeply with visual aid.
Once fully relaxed with eyes closed notice the darkness behind your closed eyelids. You won't notice much other than this darkness but eventually you might notice a spark or a flash of light or images. Don't try to analyse everything that you see or feel, try to remain as passive as you can. I guess if you are a beginner it can be difficult to not get excited when something like a random vivid images pop up, but with practice it will be easier to release it.
Eventually what happens is several scenes will begin to flash before you, these can look cinematic. In my experience they looked like moving pictures with a glow of light around them. Soon the speed of these random scenes should slow down - I don't know if this can be controlled, I need to experiment more. Once slowed down you can begin stepping into one of the scenes - I have no experience yet with the stepping into the scene but I expect to do so with more practice.
I think the best time to practice this is anytime that's good for you. By this I mean it can be anytime under the following conditions:
1. A strong desire to astral project
2. You can dim the light in the room you are using - the darker the room the better
3. Make sure there is some peace and quiet and that you will be undisturbed
4. An empty bladder
Deep Breathing
I've been practicing deep breathing recently and I've noticed since incorporating deep breathing I relax much faster. I now meditate almost daily and have noticed a significant difference between my usual breathing and deep breathing. Prior to practicing deep breathing when in meditation it would take me between 20 to 40 minutes to relax fully. Now that I'm breathing deeply and slowly I can fully relax withing 5 minutes. I'm more motivated now to meditate because it's so much easier to relax.
Find out how you normally breathe by placing your palms on your lower abdomen and blow out all the air. Then take in a deep breath slowly. If your abdomen expands when you inhale you're breathing properly. However, if your chest and shoulders should rise and your abdomen sucks in rather than stick out you really should consider practicing deep breathing the healthier way. Click here for a wonderful site explaining, with some visual aide on how to breathe properly.
I think it would be best practicing deep breathing at least once everyday. It would also be beneficial to do this at times of stress and anxiety due to it's relaxing effects.