Lesson 2: Basic Meditation and Basics of the Astral Plane

Last lesson we looked at some of the common thoughts about the Astral Plane, we also defined different terms pertaining to Astral Projection. This lesson, we will be looking at some of the basic theories of the Astral Plane and also working with some of the basics of meditation.

First and foremost is the fact that getting to the Astral Plane, or projecting, is a mental discipline. There are no shortcuts to be able to force you out of your body (believe me, I've looked). There are some devices techniques and tips that will bring about the proper states of mind, or a trance state.

Basic meditation technique is to sit and close your eyes, and think about nothing. Sounds easy? Well, it can be just as it can also be the hardest thing you have done.

Relaxation if the key to meditation, just as meditation is the key to Astrally Projecting. So, the more relaxed you are, the easier it will become to fall into the state where you can leave your body to reach other planes. The key to all of this, unfortunately in some ways, is the mind.

The mind is like a spoiled child. It resents having to do something that it has not already learned. As such, it will resist when you try to force it to meditate. Your mind wants to do things the same old way it always did, so when you actually start meditating on a regular basis, you will find that your mind has a tendency to drift onto subjects that have nothing to do with the meditation. This can be good and bad.

Let's talk about the structure of the mind for a bit, before we go any further. The mind is composed of three parts, the Superconscious, the Conscious, and the Subconscious. For our purposes here, they are the same as the Superego, Ego and the Id. These three parts make up what we term as our thought processes. The Superconscious is the moralizing, logical part of us all, the thinker, the reasoner, and so much more. The Subconscious is the storehouse and also the random thought processes, the artist, the base animalistic side of our nature, the one who remembers everything we do and say as well as being the sex drive, emotions and the urge to reproduce. In between these levels is the Conscious mind. This is the part of you that thinks thoughts, accesses memories and makes up your personality and all the things you think of as going on in the front of your brain.

It is my personally held belief that once the Superconscious shuts off in sleep, that the Conscious mind disappears. That it is the border area, the overlap between the Super and Subconscious, that allows us to think and behave as we do when we are awake. When the body lays down to sleep, the Superconscious shuts down, like a computer, and that allows the Subconscious to run free. Note that this is only my belief, not one held by the psychological community at large, and I came to this conclusion through conversations with various people's Superconscious during hypnotic sessions.

Well, when you meditate, you are doing basically the same thing to your mind that going to sleep does, shutting down the logical and reasoning part of yourself, and allowing the undisciplined animalistic part of yourself to run free without fetters. This being the case your mind will wander into little side-paths of thinking and dreaming, songs will start up for no reason, you will find yourself thinking of things that you haven't thought of in weeks or months, or old memories will surface. This is because the subconscious does not like doing anything new. However, just like a child, once the discipline and rules become consistent, the subconscious usually settles down and follows the rules you just gave it.

This will take time and constant effort. That is why it is so important to consistently practice meditation and to do it about the same time everyday. But, once the mind is bowed under the "yoke" of learning a new way of functioning it will stop throwing up distractions to what you are trying to accomplish. Instead, usually it will start throwing up solutions helpful memories and thoughts. The Subconscious is a very intuitive entity. It can use that for you during meditation. But you have to meditate on an ongoing basis at about the same time everyday, with the same environmental conditions.

There are other ways of achieving this state, but by far, the easiest is by use of meditation. However, it is germane to the issue to discuss the other means by which this state of awareness/not-awareness can be reached.

The first is probably the most expensive in terms of doing it properly. That is the use of equipment for sensory depravation. Most people either remember or have heard of the SenDep tanks that were used in the 70's for experimentation in the human mind. These experiments showed that left to it's own devices, the human mind will invent things just to give itself input. However, not all equipment needs to be this elaborate. The same ends can be achieved with a pair of ear-plugs and a blindfold. The goal here is to cut off the distractions from the outside world, to remove the input of the senses, so that the mind turns inward. The only thing the tanks do that can't be done by other means is to cut off the sense of touch and smell. As a necessity, once the primary senses are frustrated, the remaining senses become heightened. Turn off sight, and the hearing becomes stronger. Turn off sound, and the sense of touch becomes that much more powerful... and so on. Your senses are still there, just denied input. SCUBA diving does something similar to the mind, and SCUBA diving in the pool with a blindfold on will do exactly the same thing as all the elaborate equipment. Buckland even recommends a primitive version of this in the Big Blue Book, with his "witches' cradles" and so on.

The next means of achieving this trance state is through dreams. Every night you go into a self-induced trance when you are falling asleep. This is a hypnotic state, and it is very easy to fall into, but it is also easy to fall out of into sleep. In my experience, this kind of AP is the most unreliable, although there are some spectacular results that can come from adepts who use this regularly. I will wait until another lesson to go into this in more detail.

Whirling Dervishes, monks of the Sufi Muslims There is Ecstatic Trance that can free your mind to roam the Astral Plane. An example that I can think of is the Whirling Dervishes of the Sufi Muslims. It was believed that their spinning allowed them to be receptive to God. In this state, the body does not matter. It was also used as a meditation for the Sultan who would watch the dance and open himself to the mind of God as well. Having seen some film of these dancers, and knowing that they go for upwards to 5 or 6 hours of spinning, I can only imagine that they are in a state of trance. But this is not the only kind of ecstatic trance that can be induced. The frothing at the mouth that happens in some primitive Christian groups is exactly the same kind of state. It is a trance that is self-induced by hysteria. So the devotional prayers in some churches, also called "storming heaven", is a from of this. Basically a lot of people get together and start praying for one goal, and they keep these prayers up for as long as possible. Being "ridden by the Loa" in the Vodoun tradition is also a form of this trance state. They consciously enter a state of trance through hysteria and expect spirits (or Loa) to use them as vehicles to communicate with others.

The next way to achieve this trance state where AP is possible is through mortification of the flesh. Ever wonder what the heck a scourge is used for in some traditions of Wicca? Here is the answer. According to the Alexandrian tradition, as related by Janet and Stewart Farrar in their book (and shown to us in the Online Alexandrian Book of Shadows under the topics of "To Gain the Sight" and "To Leave the Body"), the scourge is used to whip the person who wishes to have their mind opened and to see into the "realms beyond". However, this takes two people, one who needs to be experienced in doing this kind of work, and one to be the subject. It is not something for the inexperienced to do. Put it this way, I have been traveling out of my body for about 8 years now with confidence, and I have never tried this version. From what I have read, the theory is sound. This is the same thing that the Christian Monks did in the Middle Ages (and still do to a point). Druids also practiced this along with Sensory Depravation by having their adherents lay in a pitch-dark cell beneath the ground with a heavy stone on their belly.

Another method to the Trance State is to take drugs. Let me state now, that this is the absolute last option that anyone should take. I do not advocate this, nor do I approve. However, I do know of shamans who do use this method to great effect in the Andes Mountains of South America. However, they do this with years of experience and training behind them. Basically the use of drugs is to throw the conscious mind out of gear enough that receiving visions and leaving the body is natural. However, one cannot control any aspect of the trance at this point. By taking the drug to inhibit your thinking processes, you are necessarily also inhibiting the controls that you would have without the drugs. That is the whole point of taking the drug after all.

The last method of trance that I can think of is to be hypnotized. This is almost exactly like the Dream method, but instead of self-willing it, you are guided to this state by another. They can give you suggestions and visualizations to use to help you along, and in all cases you have to actively participate in the hypnosis. I will talk more about this later in this lesson.

All of the above methods of entering a trance state have been used in the past. Usually they have been used to enter a state in which God (or your deity of choice) can talk directly to you. From this state, it is an easy leapfrog to leaving your body.

I'm going to touch on a few basic techniques of meditation so that you can see that it is not the technique of meditation that is important to achieve this state.

The first technique, in my experience is the "Void state". This technique sounds simple, and is to a point, but it can be one of the hardest to maintain over time. You simply close your eyes, and think of nothing. Some go rigid, some become flaccid, and others keep a state of tension in their bodies as though they were expecting something. Many close their eyes, some don't. The practice varies, but the technique is simple. Any thought, any sensation, any sensory input is disregarded or stopped. You don't think of anything, or feel anything, etc. If your mind starts supplying things, you cut that off and go back to being nothing. It is theorized that by doing this, you get closer to the Mind of God. By doing this enough, and by coming into contact with the Mind of God enough, that some of His wisdom will leak over to you.

Lucid Dreams are another technique. This technique, when applied properly, will allow you to do two things at once... sleep and AP at the same time. There are a few catches though. First is REMEMBERING your dreams. The way to do this is to tell yourself to remember your dreams before going to sleep, and to keep a notepad and pencil by your bed when you do sleep so that you can write down what you remember upon awakening. This does work extremely well. I did this for about a year, and while I got no closer to AP, I did dream very vividly, and can still remember my dreams from that time. When you wake, IMMEDIATELY grab the pad and write everything you remember from your dream. No matter how disjointed, you will get something. Enough to jog your memory later in the day when you can sit down and write a five-chapter treatise on what you dreamed.

It is interesting that this is one of the techniques for meditation. I say this because you naturally AP every night. All those dreams you have vague memories of where you went somewhere and saw things and then fell so that you were startled awake, are true AP experiences. Most of us have memories like these (I know I do *S*) and forget them after a while.

Once you remember your dreams, the next step is to CONTROL those dreams. It is a matter of realizing you are dreaming, while you are dreaming, and changing it to what you want the dream to be. This is not as easy as it sounds. Many people wake up when they realize they are dreaming, and many never realize it in the first place. A factor that complicates things is that dreams are our subconscious mind's attempt to assimilate what has been happening our lives. It is a way to vent, and to remember what has been going on by symbol association. It is also a way to work out problems. By dealing with them in a "safe" environment, we can confront problems that we may feel are insurmountable.

Once the control of dreams is accomplished, it is a very easy matter to decide to visit other places. Or times. Or people. It is possible to go anyplace that your imagination can take you, which is why this is an advanced skill and why you must be careful.

The third technique that I have used is The Lotus Position. This is what many people think of when we speak of mediation. It is sitting in a somewhat uncomfortable position, chanting, and doing other goofy things. You don't have to do any of that. The only reason that you sit in an uncomfortable position or concentrate on saying "Ohm...." over and over is to focus your mind. This kind of meditation is as easy as daydreaming.

Brainstorming, daydreams, "put it in the back of my mind" are all forms of this. You simply let your mind drift among many different paths. You do not try to force any one thought upon it, you simply go where association takes you. You may start with a problem, think about it, but you will find yourself, usually, miles from where you started.

An example; I work with computers IRL, which is my day-job, the one that I earn money from. If there is a problem with the software that I don't have a clue about, I will take a break, think about what the problem is, define it, and start on a trail of associations that will lead me to a working plan. Usually this turns out to be the right plan, but the way I go there is through such stuff as MP3s, my cousin, his computer, the modem and cable modem on his computer, to "device driver problem or conflict" which will usually be right. But the problem I started with was "software locks computer". Channeled right, you can break "intuitive flashes" and "gut reactions" down into steps that you can follow in your mind to get to the same place. Usually those gut reactions are this process speeded up until you can't see the components.

Doing it this way can result in some interesting connections and associations coming to light. Why would thinking of Montana make you think of your mother's dog (as an example)? Usually the train of logic is a good one for you, and the associations there are interesting, but for someone else, they will seem the stupidest way of associating the particular piece of data.

Next lesson we will go into more depth on meditation and tools to help you.

However, one thing I did want to talk to you all about was "guided meditations". These are interesting as they are neither hypnosis nor a meditation, but have elements of both incorporated into them. I have an example audio file where I am reading a guided meditation, and you can listen to it here. It's a zip file that is about 7.5 Megs, so it may take you a while to download it. Be patient. There are two files in this zip file; both are the exact same thing, just in two different formats. One is a wav file, the type that Windows uses to make all the sounds. Everyone should be able to listen to that. However, if you want to hear the MP3 version, it's in there too. Feel free to use this if you wish to and to keep them. You can find the original text to this meditation on this page.

We will discuss this in the next lesson.

In this section I will be talking about some of the theories about the Astral Plane itself. Many people have written about their subjective experiences in the Astral Plane, and many more have tried to define it. The Astral Plane is not something that lends itself easily to definition because it is so subjective. Here I will be talking about some of the more popular beliefs and sharing with you what I have discovered from my experiences.

In Past Lives, Future Lives by Bruce Goldberg, Dr. Goldberg presents the most comprehensive theory to the levels of the Astral Planes that I have read. It is concise and to the point and well explained. In brief, he states there is nine levels of the planes. Getting to these higher planes is simply a matter of your vibrational level.

Let me explain that last part a bit. Start with the idea that everything is made up of energy (which it is). From science and physics, we know that energy resonates to a specific frequency, like sound waves. If our soul is made up of this same energy, then we must resonate to the universe as well, correct? Okay, given that, let's say that all existence here in this world is vibrating to a frequency of about 5 cycles per minute.

He goes on to explain that in order to reach any of the other planes, we must consciously increase our vibration to be able to go there in the Astral Body. Upon death, because you don't have a body any longer, you automatically get promoted to a frequency that will allow you to get to the Astral Plane. Your ultimate frequency is determined solely by what you have been learning during your lifetimes (his book is on reincarnation and is a GOOD read. I recommend it highly) and what lessons you have internalized for yourself.

It is possible, according to Dr. Goldberg, to regress instead of progress and to slide down on the frequency scale back to a previous state. The goal of this cycle of lifetimes is to reach the "Universal Consciousness" or the Is as I like to call It. Being part of the Is reintegrates one with the entire spectrum of creation, on all planes and levels of being. It is the ultimate goal of all of us here. Having to be sent back to this plane because of not having a sufficiently high frequency is one of the worst punishments that I can think of for a discarnate entity.

Dr. Goldberg also presents a theory to time that is completely interesting and rational, but I will wait to present it when we start talking about Time Travel and AP.

I will not make reading this book an assignment for you all, but I would highly recommend it as a reference. AP, OOBE, Reincarnation and so on all touch on the same subject. I will probably be mentioning things from his book from time to time and it would help if you know what I am talking about. If you can't afford to purchase it from some store, I bet it is available through inter-library loan.

Next comes my theory of the planes, that of the cube. Building on Dr. Goldberg's theory, I take it a step further. He only has Illustration of Daven's theory of the Planes levels, but I extend those levels vertically, horizontally, and forward and back. It becomes something similar to an infinite Rubik's Cube. Within each of these "blocks" is an entire universe of people, worlds, stars and so on. Each also has the levels of planes in them from before. They also have their own Akashic record and Collective Unconscious. Some of these planes are developed from our decisions, some from the imaginations of authors and writers and the beliefs of those who read their books. Other blocks are the past and future to our own block. Please note that these blocks go on forever in either direction you choose.

What this does is take Robert A. Monroe's idea (as expressed in his book, Journeys Out of the Body) of the other Universes and builds on it. I have also proved this idea as far as I can, but I will relate this presently.

The next question is "How do I get to these other 'cubes'?" The answer to that question is "Astrally". You see, I believe that when you leave off dealing with individual realities (or cubes) and start dealing on the level of the Gods, that everything is interconnected. In other words, there is only one Astral Plane, and it touches every reality. The Astral Plane can be used to move from one reality to another and back again. Also the Is exists concurrent with the Astral Plane, and touches each of the realities. Is this starting to sound a lot like the SciFi show "Sliders"? It should. The whole concept of that show is not far off the general idea.

Everyone still with me? I hope so, because we move on into who lives on the Astral Plane now. In Chrome Circle by Mercedes Lackey the author (Mercedes) gives a good description as of the actual environment that one will experience on the Astral Plane. Briefly, she states that anything is possible, anyplace is possible, any environment is possible. One will encounter all manner of creatures and beings on the Astral Plane, ones that you have only read about in mythology and also beings that you have never heard about before. She goes into some detail about the method of transport in her description, but she is basing it all on the "assumption" that you are there physically. However, when in your Astral Body, considerations like that can be discarded. I have never heard of anyone who went to the Astral Plane physically. A few other notes about the book; first, it is a work of fiction and the environment they are all in is called "Underhill". However, from Mercedes Lackey's descriptions, it sounds like the Astral Plane to me.

The important part is that she points out some of the pitfalls to the Astral Plane, in plain language. Such as the necessity of keeping your mind on a tight rein before you start going to other planes. This is important for more than one reason. I will go into these pitfalls and the necessities in another lesson, probably the next one, but I don't have space for that here and now. If you want to get a sense of the reasons behind this absolute requirement (a disciplined mind) then I invite you to read an article I wrote a while back called The Path of the Magician.

Please note that this environment is NOT what Advanced Dungeons and Dragons ® says it is. This is not a starry night sky in outer space. I have seen the illustrations of Rakasha and magicians shooting lasers from their fingers at each other while they float in space, and while that can be the environment you are in if you want it that way, it is a much more comforting environment to interact with if you visualize an environment you are at home in around you.

One thing that I cannot stress enough is that the Astral Plane will conform itself to your desires. If you want to see spaceships floating in deep space, that is the environment you will be in. If you see a beach with a clambake going on in the distance, that is where you will be. It's all the same location, but it is by your will that the environmental conditions are created. Your will and imagination are what create what you see.

With this being the case, you can conform a section of the Astral Plane to be what is called an Astral Temple. Basically this is a way station for your psyche to start out at. You can have meetings there, or just relax or what have you. It is a place of safety that you have created and protected. It is where you will start out at when you project to the Astral Plane, and where you will come to if you are threatened. All you have to do is to believe it is there, know it is protected, and sculpt it to your desires.

My own Astral Temple is a simple three-sided building that is designed from a shelter on a hiking trail. It has a roof, it is made from wooden timbers, it is in the middle of a forest, and there is a clear place in front of the shelter. There are log seats around a fire pit for those with whom I wish to speak to seat themselves.

I have had battles there, spoken to the Gods and Goddesses, trained in martial arts with the best teachers in creation and history; I have worked out problems there, and many other things. I use it as my primary interaction point. Since there is no limitation on transportation or distance on the Astral Plane, it is no problem for those I wish to talk to to come to me and sit down. To get back there, all I have to do is think of that area around me, and I am "home". Others that needed me for one reason or another have also summoned me out of this haven. One time I was called by a "might have been" of myself who was more involved with the magickal aspects of Wicca and Witchcraft than I was at the time. He "summoned" me with a spell, and proceeded to talk to me about him and myself for a while. He needed comfort, as he was depressed about his lack of happiness in his life. I did what I could, and I think I was able to help him. Mostly what he needed to hear was that SOME version of him was happy and content. Which is why he got me.

So, we have covered a lot of ground in this lesson, and discussed many different things. You must understand that any information I give you in these lessons will ultimately help you with your primary goal, learning about Astral Projection. All of these aspects of different disciplines are interconnected, and knowing more about one will help you in another area.

The theory I give you is also important. I have made the best and fastest progress when I had epiphanies either on my own or in my studies. A blinding flash of light struck me between the eyes, and it was really hard not to squint.

So, I guess it's Assignment time: Get a notebook. I don't care if it is on the computer or a lined paper book. I want you to write down the answers to a few questions that I will ask (along with the questions, for your own reference). The answers must be at least 50 words long, longer if you choose to make them longer. I will also ask you to transcribe them into the computer so that we can see these answers from everyone. The questions follow:

What kind of environment would you like to interact with on the Astral Plane? Describe it in detail.
Where would you go on the Astral Plane?
Whom would you talk to on the Astral Plane? Assume that you can speak to anyone that exists, has existed or will exist. What would you talk to them about?
What would your Astral Temple look like? Describe it.
Who would you allow to come to your Astral Temple? Why or why not?
What technique of meditation do you think will work best for you? Why?
Can you think of any technique of meditation that I missed? Describe it.

It may be easier to simply put all your notes on the computer, and print them out later. However, I do want you to have a notebook of some kind near your bed. One thing that you will start doing and that will continue throughout this course is you will be writing down your dreams. Remember the Lucid Dreams that I talked about earlier and in the previous lesson? Start writing them down and trying to remember them. I'll go into more detail with those dreams and various tricks that will help you next lesson. Just start writing them down.

Also, I would like you all to begin meditating for 20 minutes a day. These last two parts are on your honor. I won't be looking over your shoulder to see if you have been writing in your dream journal or meditating, but I would like any interesting dreams or meditative experiences to be shared with everyone on the message board.

Until next time, Stars light your path.

Daven

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