Astrally projecting but not going anywhere

[2Heinrich]

I am a very stay at home person and during this pandemic Ive realized that it goes to a degree in which going out grocery shopping can feel like an exciting adventure.

I love roleplay and while I'm just walking in the streets inside my head I'm wearing a bomb suit, or a biohazard suit, or a space suit, even an old diving suit for that matter and it makes me feel better.

I can be a ninja or a spy and I need to infiltrate the facility, get the supplies and get out before I blow my cover. It's a long way and there is not even that much distance between my house and the supermarket.

Now, I sharing this because going out very far to unknown places is not that appealing to me in real life. I'm not much of a tourist and yet I've always been intrigued by the whole idea of astral projection.

Recently I came across with some pretty good exercises for astral projection and during my practice I noticed that I was able to project successfully because during one of the steps it mentions that the physical body goes to sleep while I will be projecting and just like sometimes when you're asleep you can feel your physical body moving and taking a different position or adjusting the covers, I felt that my physical body was still there.

My first thought on it was that it made sense. I had already experienced something similar before anyway. My second thought was that it was very reassuring to be able to feel my body because detachment is a bit scary and I had always imagined that when you are astrally projecting you get yanked into someplace else and you stop feeling what's around you and your new surroundings become your physical reality and you would feel just that. Pretty much like a lucid dream where it feels very vivid.

During previous attempts to astral project I have gotten scared and snap out of the process but this time I felt safe and continued until I was able to "get out" of my body. It was an assisted meditation exercise where you ask your compa to pull you out and let them guide the experience.

And then is when I realized that there is a popular idea that you're astral projecting in order to experience astral travel but that wasn't my case because I didn't want to go anywhere.

Then I realized that my astral senses kicked in and I didn't need to blink for example. I could feel my body but I was in a place in which I wasn't standing nor laying down, nor sitting nor floating. I just was. I wasn't even moving, it was perfect stillness and I could be just there and no absolutely nothing other than feeling the astral energy.

To me it was a wonderful experience and I loved it but thinking about it it has made me understand that I had my eyes opened but I didn't need to blink probably because I didn't see anything. I didn't hear a sound. I could feel the space around me and I could feel the energy and I could feel the presence of my companion but that's it. I wasn't touching anything either. No scents nor flavors either.

So it made me think that even when I could feel a lot of things I wasn't using my senses. I could move but I didn't. I never went anywhere. I think that's probably any introvert's fantasy.

I eventually came back feeling blissful after experiencing the joy and wonder of astral projection like the exercises said I would and I rated it a great success.

That was a couple of days ago and today I have been reconsidering things because a part of me always believed that if I astrally projected I was going to be able to see my companions. Even from a distance, even if I didn't hear them or touched them I was still going to be able to see them but when I did, I felt their presence and I knew they were there but I couldn't even say where because I was in a place where it was pointless to try and figure that out.

Do you think that astral travel is a must when you are projecting or can you just have a quiet session with your companions instead? Like... ask them to be in front of you and just talk.

So I've been holding that thought in my mind and I've kept practicing. Now I don't ask for help in getting out because I'm trying to achieve that on my own and then I had another interesting experience. Someone came into my space.

In my physical body it felt like someone was close, but not in my room. In my astral space, I felt a presence just like I felt during the assisted meditation but this time I was completely clueless as to who was there with me and for the first time in my life I felt something like sleep paralysis and there was a huge pressure in my head and chest.

I must have terrible self preservation skills because I didn't even feel threatened and I didn't try to ask the classic scary movie line of "who's there?". Instead I found myself thinking... damn, I'm here and I can't communicate hahaha.

How do I even communicate when I can't use my traditional senses? Maybe before I can even go anywhere I should be focusing on being able to communicate right? In whatever primitive way and then take it from there right?

[Lewk]

That's an admirably clear account by the way.

In my opinion it's fine to project and not 'go' anywhere. And it sounds like you're doing something right.

But it occurs to me to ask: how do you communicate with your spirit companions anyway? One way of astrally connecting - maybe especially with what CH call astral realm spirits - is while remaining in the body.

So maybe a good question to consider is: how do my bound spirit companions manifest to me?

Maybe it makes little difference to the spirit companion whether we are in our body or are astrally projecting. They are where they are, regardless. Or maybe to some spirits it does make some difference and they manifest differently in the earthen realm, the spiritual realm and the astral realm. Maybe it takes slightly different methods for them to manifest in the different realms - and different levels of energy and difficulty. Maybe some spirits find it easier to manifest in one way than another. Maybe some have mastered all manifestation methods. Maybe some are more comfortable with one type of manifestation.

That's a lot of maybes. But that's what goes through my mind when I think about what you asked.

When it comes to manifestation, the approach that I've learned from CH is to tell our bound spirit companions that they should manifest to us in the way that they find most comfortable.

Might it perhaps be useful to let your spirit companion know this before you project, then review your experience afterwards?

The advice from CH is:

"Do not overlook subtle signs; this is very important. Not every manifestation is going to be fireworks & full glory. Sometimes the signs are subtle, slight, and may be missed if you're distracted.

Look for the little things like orbs, brief feelings or sensations, random thoughts that interrupt your day, phantom scents, objects moved a little, vivid dreams, and other small signs your spirits are trying to call out & let you know they are there.

Many Keepers expect everything to be a Hollywood-level manifestation, when usually your spirits are coming to you through telepathic thoughts, little moments throughout the day, and little signs to show their support."

https://www.creepyhollows.com/faq/?acti ... artlang=en

Maybe you're expecting connection with a bound spirit to be automatically improved by the simple fact of astrally projecting: clear sight and sound etc. But perhaps we still need to work on those same skills of noticing the subtle signs & thought patterns before it opens up for us into a clear channel with the spirit - whether we're in the astral or not...

[2Heinrich]

Thanks Lewk! I always enjoy your posts. They're always good.

So... to answer your question how I communicate with my companions is mostly through intrinsic knowledge. Like, I would ask a question or say something and then there will be a reply in my head. Not like I am receiving it, it's just there. Full information at once. Like when something finally clicks and makes sense to you. That way. And most of the time it would be accompanied by an empathic feeling of the author's energy signature or there will be a distinct mark letting me know who sent the message. Like when old documents had wax seals and you knew who had sent them.

The rest of the time it feels like playing hide a seek and asking for clues. You know that version of the game where you can ask those who are hiding to clap? That way I can adjust whatever I'm doing to the direction in which I hear "the clap" coming from.

Hope it makes sense.

You are also absolutely right. A part of me was certainly expecting to get better results just by being in the astral realm. Like... getting super HD reception in a quiet room to yourself where there are no distractions.

I'm still learning a lot of things and at least I can admit without a lot of shame that yes, I did have those expectations but I was also opened to possibilities at least enough to not feel dissatisfied when it didn't happen as I wanted it to be.

At the time it happened, it didn't occur to me that some spirits do have that information available on their CH association lists and it also states which realm they're from. I thought about it before starting the exercises and then I just didn't consider it but you make a good point there.

I love the maybe even though I know it could be a long list of them. I guess I'll continue practicing for now.

[LittleBat]

I've had similar experiences! When my spirits are around and I take a nap, I often wake up astrally projected; I'm in my bedroom, but I'm seeing through astral eyes, physical eyes still closed, and I can fully, clearly see, hear and feel the spirit next to me - often I'll be lying on their shoulder, my hands around their arm, and occasionally we've gotten to exchange a few words before I pop out of it and (annoyingly) return to my physical body. Sometimes I don't get vision, but I do get full sensation, and can feel the spirit touching me. Everything from that point belongs in the adult forum, lol, but I wish my ability to move my astral body was more reliable: sometimes I can move about, adjust my clothing & bedsheets, but a lot of the time I'm basically paralysed and can't move without jerking myself out of the astral state.

I would utterly, utterly love to go astral exploring as soon as I have the capabilities (if ever!), but I think hanging out with your spirit friends can be incredibly beautiful and rewarding, even if you don't go anywhere, be that through choice, anxiety, or simple lack of capability, like me! It's a vast astral world out there - taking your time is quite sensible, really, I think

[2Heinrich]

Thanks for your words @LittleBat and cool username btw.

You're right and I think there's a pretty good point in what you said.

For me, it has taken a lot to get where I am. A lot of deconditioning myself. Opening up and trusting others and just learning to be comfortable with things. Quality time is a lot of my love language so staying with then is more appealing to me than going out on adventures. I just hope they don't find me boring.

Also, don't get discouraged. I've been into this paranormal stuff for a while now. Even before spirit keeping I had learned some skills and now after a few years into it, I'm starting to learn that I have yet a lot of potential to reach in my own skills just because I have different needs now so I can use the tools I already have to get new results if I apply them in a creative way.

I could relate to your post. Earlier today I had an experience where I saw one of my most recent companions and I asked her to show herself to me. Our first experience together was a bit puzzling but very meaningful and so I wanted to just be able to see her and stay there. After a whole and a couple exercises I got a vision of her. Surprisingly detailed and vivid. I saw her move and it is fun because I felt so proud of being able to see her that I snapped out of it.

When I opened my eyes I noticed that for some reason I can't seem to be able to use more than a single sense in my spirit interactions. So now I'm trying to bring more input into my experiences.

We all have to learn how to get better, and then practice makes perfect they say. The forum has an adult section. Maybe you can ask to be allowed there and share more of your experiences. It has a lot of cool stuff too.

[LittleBat]

That's so cool that you got to see her! I do relate on the snapping out of it too quickly out of sheer excitement though, hehe... And yes, single sense at a time is something that often plagues me - even in astral states, it's rare for me to get clear sound, particularly at the same time as vision. In waking life I often get touch and scent simultaneously; I absolutely love it when there's an offering of wine, or strawberries or something, way across the room from me, and then the spirits will bring the scent across & I'm surrounded by a gorgeous whirl of lovely smells. Sometimes it'll even be the next morning that I still smell the wine, and wonder if they've been up all night partying, lol - it seems like a 'Hey, you're just getting up, well, we're just calling it quits for the night - thanks for the drinks!'

And yeah, definitely practice makes perfect - I've had a lot of big setbacks this past year after making a huge misstep with spirit keeping and inviting BA spirits into the mix (dumb, dumb newbie!!), so getting them fully out of my life & having a safe enough space to have astral experiences at all again is still an ongoing process...but I feel like it is getting to be time to start working on it again, & digging back into my favourite books about AP, which have fun exercises to play with, even if they haven't yet sparked a fully conscious-effort AP for me!

(I really must email about that adult forum, I keep meaning to then forgetting - it'd be fascinating to hear everyone else's experiences in that area! )

[2Heinrich]

Thank a lot!

The vision of things, at least for me helps me to settle down things beyond a mistake.

Normally I would pick up emotions on anything all the time. And sound is usually something that makes me snap. Strong and intense sounds, or constant sounds are a battle for every day. But then having a visual confirmation of things is amazing because beyond a doubt I can feel like we connected in a deeper way.

For the longest time, I've had friends online and even here on the forum and such where I have spoken to people for years and I still don't know what they look like. I don't care for the most part but I consider it a privilege so it's extra special to see things for yourself.

That's a cool experience to have about offerings. It is true to scents can oftentimes change the whole mood in a room. And you'd say that you have the party hard type of companions? that's interesting.

BA can be a huge challenge. Maybe in the future you can look back at your experience and weight it out. Maybe you will like to give it a try again, maybe not. It's fine, whichever case it's your choice. I just hope your doing alright.

Adult forum is awesome. It changes a bit but then again, a lot of what goes around in there can be said somewhere else and not necessarily just there but it's a cool place with great stories if you enjoy that type of content.