Articles on the Supernatural

Astral Projection

-Astral Projection is More Common Than You Think By: Jaime T. Licauco

Pyramids; Powers and Mysteries

Astral Projection is More Common Than You Think
By: Jaime T. Licauco

Very few realize it, but astral projection, or more technically called “out-of-body experience” (OOBE), is a rather common occurrence. It is also a perfectly ordinary and natural process just like sleeping or waking up is. There is really nothing supernatural about it.

Throughout my long years of writing about psychic phenomena and related subjects, I have received numerous letters from readers who have experienced it. The typical out-of-body occurrence goes like this:

“You are about to go to sleep or already asleep. Then you become aware that you are very light, and you feel like you are floating on air. When you look down your bed, you see your physical body sleeping and you panic. You try to move but cannot, or try to shout as loud as you can but no sound comes out. You begin to palpitate and think you are dead.

“When you think all is lost, you are suddenly able to move your fingers or toes and you wake up panting and out of breath. Sometimes the process of getting out of the body is accompanied by “whooshing” or “popping” sound, like the sound of a bottle of soft drink when opened, only not that loud.”

You have just had an out-of-body experience. And when you become conscious of being away from your physical body and sees different scenery, that’s called “astral travel.”

Here’s an example of OOBE from a letter I received recently:

“There are times I go to sleep when I feel something weird, like I know it is going to happen again and I can’t control it. Then I feel like a “zooming out” or “whooshing” sensation, then it happens. It feels as though a strong wind pushes or moves my being out.

“One time, I even saw Arab-looking men sitting on their mats praying in a mosque, like an open space.

“Then I start to panic. It’s like I am half conscious. And I begin to pray that I would wake up and everything would be back to ‘normal’ again.

“Is this what you call astral travel? Is it possible for our spirit to travel that far?” How come I get these experiences? Is this something I should worry about, or simply ignore? What can I do to develop and control these occurrences?

Let me respond to this and other similar questions I’ve received:

As I said earlier, an OOBE is a natural occurrence and there’s nothing one should worry about it. Most of the time, when we are asleep, we are not even aware that we are out of our physical body.

There are four types or ways people go out of their bodies.

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First is “unintentional and unconscious,” This means a person does not intend to have an OOBE but he nevertheless does so without being aware of it. This is the most common type of OOBE. That’s why most people say they have never experienced one, but actually they have.

Second, “unintentional and conscious.” This is what happens when we wake up in our sleep and find ourselves out of our physical body. We can see our physical body lying down on the bed peacefully. If we have not experienced this before, the usual reaction is fear and panic. We desperately try to get back to our body and find ourselves unable to do so. The more we try, the harder it is to go back.

Third, “intentional but unconscious.” This means you try to intentionally or deliberately get out of our body but do not realize you have succeeded in doing so. You are not aware you are already out of your body. You may feel like you are just dreaming and that you are flying in your dream.

Fourth, “intentional and conscious.” This is the way of the mystics and masters of the east. They are able to go out of their body at will and be aware of it. They can travel anywhere they want to with complete control. But this fourth type of OOBE can also happen to ordinary but sensitive people.

Astral projection is one of the skills I teach in my Advanced ESP and Higher Consciousness seminar. But only those who have taken the basic courses are allowed to attend it.

“Why does astral projection happen?” Let me first state here that this happens to everybody, whether he or she is aware of it or not.

What goes out is our astral body, which is made up of more subtle and ethereal stuff than the physical body, which is dense, solid and material. The astral body is sometimes called our “desire body,” because it goes wherever we desire to go.

Our astral body goes out during sleep for a number of reasons: One is to gain spiritual knowledge; second is to meet ad commune with other astral beings or sometimes even with our guides; third, is that going out of the body gives our physical body a chance to have complete rest and recuperate from the hassles of daily living. In the case of masters and mystics, going out of their body is a means to help others at a distance. Or it may simply be due to a need to get information that we cannot otherwise get.

“Why is it that we can’t move our physical body, nor even make a sound, even when we shout?” Because you are out-of-your-body. If a driver gets out of his car, can he drive the car and make it run? The same reasoning holds true when we are out of our body.

“But why is it very difficult for us to get back to our physical body?” On the contrary, the more difficult part is to stay out of our physical when we are near it. The reason we find it difficult to get back into our physical body is we panic or get worried. When this happens there is a lack of synchronization between the vibrations of your astral body and your physical body. If the two bodies are out of sync, they cannot easily reunite. But if you stay calm and do not panic, you will easily get back to your physical body and wake up normally.


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“How far can our astral body travel?” As far as you want to, even as far as the moon and the stars and even as far as outer space.

Out there in the astral world, there is no sickness or physical disability. I remember the case of an American soldier who got shot in the leg during the Vietnam War, as a consequence of which he limped. Then he learned how to get out of his body with complete awareness and realized that in the astral realm his astral body was whole, he did not limp at all. That’s why he enjoyed immensely his journeys out of the physical body. When he returned back to his physical body, he limped once again.

Not all who experience astral travel are able to go to other places. In my own experience, when I am out of my body, I just stay in the room I am in. I have not ventured out yet. I don’t know why, although I want so much to be able to travel far from my physical room. Maybe there is an unconscious fear to let go. I don’t know. Or maybe there is something I am not to know yet.

According to one esoteric school of thought, there are seven planes in the astral world. And each plane has seven subplanes. So there are many levels one can go to in the astral realm. And maybe, depending on one’s consciousness or readiness, one goes to one level and not to other levels. It is all a question of vibration or harmony.

It is my belief that sleep happens when our astral body is just a bit out of our physical body, maybe just halfway out. When it completely detaches itself from the physical, that’s what we call astral projection. When it moves farther away from one’s normal physical surroundings, that’s what we call astral travel, as pointed out earlier.

The reason we sometimes feel a body jolt while sleeping is because our astral body suddenly gets back into our physical body.

There are ways of developing control over our astral body and travel out of the physical body. But this is best done under expert or professional guidance, because attempting to do so without a guide can be dangerous. If it happens spontaneously and naturally, there is usually no danger to it. So there’s nothing to be worried about. When this happens to you and you find yourself waking up outside your physical body and see yourself sleeping soundly on the bed, do not panic. Just relax and enjoy it.

Another frequently asked question is this: “Is it possible for me to die while I’m out of my body?”

The answer to that is, of course, yes. It is possible for you to die while out of your body, just as it is possible for you to die while crossing the street!

The point is that, it is not your being out of your body that causes death, but only when the silver cord is severed or broken. The silver cord is an elastic band of etheric substance that connects our astral body with our physical body, like an umbilical cord. It is the silver cord that animates the physical body while the astral counterpart is out. It is also the silver cord that


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warns us if there is some danger that many happen to the physical body. The silver cord cannot be cut physically because it is made up of non-physical substance. It is called “astral cord.” The reason it is often called “silver cord” is the fact that it is silvery as seen by clairvoyants.

Not everybody, however, sees the silver cord when he or she is of the body. I am one of those who don’t. It does, not mean however, it is not there.

“Is it possible for one to be possessed by a spirit while out of the body?” Yes, it is possible but it is unlikely to happen when you go out of your body naturally and unintentionally. Possession can happen if you are in a place where there are evil or negative spirits around, or if you are mentally or emotionally negative. That’s why it is not safe to attempt to go out of your body in a haunted house or when you are negative.

However, most spontaneous astral projections are safe. You must remember that there is protection given to us while we are out of our bodies. There are the angelic creatures and also our spirit guides that are always ready to protect us. There are also benign astral beings who will help us if we get into trouble.

“Is there a connection between ‘bangungot’ (or nightmare deaths) and astral projection?”

At first glance, there doesn’t seem to be a connection between them. Philippine medical researchers have theorized that “bangungot” is caused by “acute pancreatitis” due to eating too much rice or carbohydrate-rich food before sleeping. This is not always true. Although there were indeed a good number of cases where bangungot was associated with acute pancreatitis, there are also cases where no pancreatitis was found and the victim has not eaten too much rice before sleeping.

Another curious fact is that only Filipinos, and to a lesser extent Indonesians seem to suffer from Bangungot. Why not other rice-eating people? How come they don’t suffer from this dreaded killer? We don’t have a definite answer to this question.

But I have a theory why bangungot happens. And this is only a theory which requires further study or validation. I believe that “bangungot” happens when a person goes out of his body in his sleep and strays or is lured into the lower astral planes, which some call the “phantasmagoric plane.” In this plane are negative, monster-like spirits that are always on the lookout for astral bodies that stray into their realm. They grab these astral bodies and won’t let them go. So the person dies moaning and struggling to get out.

People who sleep with somebody who died of bangungot have reported that before the victim expires, he is heard moaning or struggling, as if fighting someone. If not waken up on time, the person dies. This lower astral-plane may be likened to what Christians call “hell.”

But in general, astral projection is perfectly natural and safe.