Where Am I?

[free_spirited_soul]

Dear friends,
I'm new here. I have had few experiences lately, which made me think seriously, and to seek opinion of experienced people here. I have been trying to do astral projection, but without great result. I try to project myself to my next room through visualizations. What I have observed is I have some "experiences", it doesn't happen immediately, but after few days. Anyway. Will share two experiences I had recently.

This happened a few weeks back

First, I had a sleep paralysis, and it involved shaking of my whole body, as if I'm in an earth quake. It was so real for me, I tried to see my other family members are also afraid. But they were as if nothing has happened. I later confirmed that there was no significant earth quake activity in my area.

In second experience - Just after few hours of "earth quake" experience, It started as a dream(?). I was in a dark place. I tried to open my eyes. I couldn't or at least I couldn't see anything. It was all black. I was perhaps outside of a home, sitting. I guess somebody was awake in that house, and I wanted to draw their attention. Somehow they came, I told them - "Brother, my house is near by. I can't see. Can I sleep? (I'm not sure if I indicated I wanted to sleep in his house). To which he seems to have said - "There are people sleeping in our house. Perhaps you can sleep there".. I don't remember what happened clearly after that.

I do experience sleep paralysis sometimes, but "earth quake like shaking" and that strange dream is whole new experience for me.

Please let me know at what stage of development I am when it comes to astral projection. I have never had or at least don't remember full OBE. Therefore I want to know where am I. I greatly value any opinion or suggestion.

Sorry for the long post.

Thank you.

[SimpleMan]

You experienced vibrations, this is the last stage before leaving your body.It happened to me too, they can be pretty gentle or pretty powerful, your description of feeling an "earth quake" represents the way you feel these vibrations, in my case, it felt like being ripped apart in a worm hole, I was messed up an entire day after this experience.The good news, in my case, it happened once, after that, these vibrations became pretty gentle, it may happened to you too.

Very important, just relax, sleep paralysis is the first stage, it took me years to understand that there's nothing to fear, so, don't fear, then, when you really relax and just let it happen, you experience these vibrations, the last stage, finally, if you wish for ( you had to think it ) you can leave your body.In my case, I just have the thought of leaving my body and it happens instantly.Well, let me put it this way, when you astral project, every thought you have is like a command in that realm and it happens instantly.

I think you may partially astral projected, well, your eye sight wasn't there with you ( I had this problem once, it was all black, but the sense of being in my house wasn't gone ), the being that you met and talked with can be a spirit from the astral realm.In my last experience I met a little kitten and I saw two girls, I was in the garden of their house and they saw me instantly.The funny part is that I was still around the place where I live but there was no house with to girls, from what I've read, this house is on the astral realm.Even that little kitten was in that garden, so, I assume, it was their little kitten.

When you have an OBE, you know instantly, and how do you know? Well, you become lucid of being in a "dream", then, you became aware that you are out of your body.

Just don't give up, use the power of "auto-suggestion", from time to time, tell yourself that when you will be stuck in sleep paralysis, you would not fear, that you will leave your body.In my case, I learned that I have to plan ahead of what I really want to do in the astral realm.

[free_spirited_soul]

Thank you, SimpleMan. I really appreciate your words of experience. Every sentence of yours has some guidance for me.

One stumbling block for me is sleep paralysis, which I had so many times, but nothing beyond it. At least now I know what to do.
I should not give up. I get busy with worldly things, and sometimes neglect pursuing astral projection/spirituality. I'll take your advice and put them into practice.

It just amazes me to think that there can be worlds and realms beyond this, and we could actually meet beings from another world.

Thank you again!
May we all attain truth and peace!!

[Oranssi]

Like SimpleMan said the earthquake sensation was probably the vibration, one of the last stages before you separate from your physical body. I tried for years to exit and to have a successful voyage thru the astral plane but what happens mostly is that I can't pass the actual separation from my physical body and just linger in it, feeling the vibrations and other phenomena like chakras all aligned and even the ascending of the kundalini energy in the spine.

All in all, I don't even bother anymore for not exiting because the experience just before exiting is satisfying enough for me now. I used to call the vibration phase as a mixture of being under a train and having a cauldron bubbling inside my belly. This can all be pretty intense! So yeah, I don't do astral projection, I just do energy work... I guess ^_^

[Headintheclouds]

I agree, the shaking feeling you described as similar to an earthquake, was probably the vibration stage. Keep in mind, not everyone experiences vibrations. I used to the first few times it happened, but now I feel a sort of 'head zapping' sensation just prior to separation. I don't know why, but it works. Everyone is different. Also, you can AP with or without sleep paralysis.

Good luck!

[free_spirited_soul]

@Oranssi Thank you for sharing your experience. Wish you all the best in your venture! I'm trying to go beyond sleep paralysis/vibration phase.

@Headintheclouds Thank you! True. I've read earlier also that one can do AP without vibrations. I had sleep paralysis, but earth quake was new experience for me. Anyway, as you pointed out, everyone is unique, and I must explore what works for me.