Like Cody, OBE turning into a dream?

[summersolstice]

I was excited to read AstralCody's recent post about an OBE turning into a dream since I had a very similar experience last night. I know without any uncertainty that I experienced my first OBE but there were irregularities regarding my home and neighborhood.

I had a call from work at 0030 and couldn't get back to sleep. After tossing and turning I noticed the time was 0130 and I was not at all sleepy. I continued trying to get to sleep and the next thing I know I began getting a sensation similar to the chills you get when you have a cold or the flu, and similar to a slight vibration. I also experienced a loud whooshing sort of wind-type noise and consciously understood the sensations were a precursor to an OBE. The vibrations would strengthen and wane over a period of a minute or two and I made an effort to lift, roll, or otherwise move out of body. The sensations stopped and I felt someone in bed beside me to my left (I sleep alone and usually lie on the right side). I felt someone's right arm and perhaps experienced talking (talking to physical body?). I was only slightly apprehensive and I decided to get out of bed on the right side side and walk out of the room.

I knew I was out of body and immediately decided to move away from the immediate area of the bedroom. I walked through the basement and up the stairs. I experienced, and readily noticed, a light feeling and I knew that it wasn't the usual effort of walking up the basement stairs (so far everything appeared the same as in the physical). Rather than emerge at the landing at the top of the stairs, the stairs opened directly onto the kitchen. The kitchen had a couple of small tables in the wrong location and everything was kind of dark and fuzzy. I then walked into the living room and, again, the room wasn't exactly as it should have been, though it was about the same size. I decided to float up into the room and floated from one wall to the other, touching them. I then physically opened a sliding glass patio door to the front porch (we don't have either). I seem to have realized I wasn't wearing clothing but I didn't care and there was no physical discomfort due to the weather. I wanted to fly and found myself on the roof overlooking a fairly well populated rural vista - certainly not my suburban neighborhood. I lifted up in the air and began flying around a verdant green countryside at an altitude of perhaps a couple of hundred feet. It was most certainly night time but yet I could see the lush green colors of the fields, which were separated with fences into individual properties. As the experience progressed, things became much more clear and focused. I swooped lower to the ground and flew close to a brown horse, who seemed to be watching me. I said something to the horse as I flew past but I don't remember what I said. I flew by barns and outbuildings containing machinery (one barn had an open side and was full of some sort of colorful orange machinery). I then discovered a flyer or brochure in my hands and a voice telling me that the military commander put his command on alert because of concerns that something had breached the airspace and I gathered it was me. I then thought about my body at home in bed and immediately woke.

As with Cody, was this an OBE that turned into a dream or a straight forward OBE?

[AstralCody]

Summer- Hey.:-) I read a little bit about what you typed, but I am going to read the rest later. (Got to go to a vet appointment) Whatever you do don't get discouraged because I have had a few OBE's that were more real than this right now. Lots of them can indeed be dreamy like. Mine seem to turn into dreams too because I lose focus sometimes. Other times I am so aware and seems "very real" Clarity is great. I'l read more when I get home and get back to you. Congrats. :-)

-Cody

[CFTraveler]

If you started out with an OBE more than likely it went to a simulation, or an AP. I only think they turn into 'dreams' (in the traditional nonlucid sense of the word) if you lose lucidity, or if you're sick or exhausted.

[AstralCody]

CFT- What do you mean by simulation?

[AstralCody]

-Summer

Also I would like to point out something on how real they can be.
I got out of bed once and was going to get on my computer. Everything seemed just like this, until I walked through my door and then realized I was in an OBE.

[CFTraveler]

CFT- What do you mean by simulation?
http://www.astraldynamics.com.au/showthread.php?13835-Amazing-experience-last-night-But-question-on-clarity&p=110682#post110682

Run your mouse cursor over the words... "astral simulation"

[SoulSail]

I thought I'd chime in here since my projections have also had dreamlike qualities, and more than once have ended in a dream state. When these happened I wanted to know more so I asked my higher-self, God, and the forum here -- which is somewhat Godlike, mind you ; )

Here's what I came up with:

First, projecting at night, unless you've slept for 3 or 4 hours before the exit, may very well muddy the projection. The energy body seems to be less "energized," and energy is perhaps the biggest prerequisite for successfully building up the astral body before it can travel and imprint strong memories upon its return.

In my experience it's far easier to project during naps or at night, but I now realize now that I must sleep a few hours first in order to recharge my energetic structures (Chakras, Meridians, etc).

More, I believe there is an element here related to the concept of awakening. This gets a bit philosophical and may or may not be relevant, but what follows is the stream of clear thought that came to me when I put the question of astral lucidity out to the Universe:

When one first begins to undertake conscious exploration of any type, it's natural to first go through a "waking up" period.

For example some, not all, but some people just naturally need more time to wake up in the physical plane, and so it is with the astral.

If there are cloudy areas in your inner life, you can expect those areas to have an impact on your spiritual life as well since the two are separated only by mental constructs that naturally split and categorize in order to form understanding. So you may not experience absolute lucidity until you've addressed issues and blockages both emotionally, energetically, and even physically. For me this meant I had to increase energy practices that involved movement. I took up more yoga and incorporated poses with Pranic breathing to get the energy flowing, and it's working. There are specific poses one can do to dump tons of energy into the heart chakra area, which is directly related to building the astral double (if anyone wants to know more, I can look up the names and post them here since I don't have them memorized). These are quick examples from a much bigger narrative that I won't belabor here...it's different for everyone, you just have to look within.

So my advice is:

Make sure your energy body is charged and that you're removing blocks where you find them. Experiment. Play. Discover.

The Universe is supportive. Ask for a gushing energy well and you'll get it so long as you're willing to pay attention to those subtle, hidden areas that my be preventing your evolutionary growth on other scales.


Make sense?

Soul

[CFTraveler]

(if anyone wants to know more, I can look up the names and post them here since I don't have them memorized
:wave:

[SoulSail]

The specific pose I've been having increased heart chakra activity with is called Viparita Karani and it's one of the easiest to do!
http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/690

And this one (not so easy)
http://thegreenyogimb.wordpress.com/2010/06/18/heart-chakra-opening-urdhva-dhanurasana-wheel-pose/

And finally, this book is a gem as it not only goes into great detail on doing poses correctly, but actually shows (on the final page, I think) the energetic frequency needed to release the energy body away from the physical body:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Key-Poses-Yoga-Scientific/dp/1607432390/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1336433132&sr=8-4

Pow!

(Your mileage may vary)


Soul

[SoulSail]

One more thing to add here, and I hope Korpo will look upon me with mercy for quoting him without permission first. But his response to my muddy projections was spot on:

So, from our esteemed Korpo:

"Lucidity will grow over time, and the dream-like quality will recede. The sixth chakra coordinates all your sense impressions into a coherent picture. (It also is related to the Perception sense described in "The Multidimensional Human".) If the picture is still rather dream-like, its development for out-of-body uses might need further time. Lucidity and full clarity are like the crowning glory of that development.

If you follow Kurt's ideas about the energy body chakras, this development might proceed through these stages: ability to feel an energy body, ability to perceive a space surrounding you, ability to move, ability to detect beings and their function, also the function of places, ability to communicate at all, then finally ability to communicate more clearly, analyse/process/understand and have lucidity.

There will be always some sixth chakra activity, but it might be rather weak. This makes for problems in rendering a coherent, logical picture of the reality surrounding you, and especially impair communicating. Seeing visually is not the same as seeing accurately. The sixth chakra will render a full picture even if you have not all the inner sense information present from all the chakras. It would seem like beings do not talk to you or don't hear you (no 5th chakra activity to allow doing so) or no beings at all (no 4th chakra activity).

You seem to expose activity mostly associated with the 2nd and 3rd chakra. Watch out for experiences where you can move more easily (3rd chakra activation) and for dreams where you can read signposts, labels and markers (4th chakra activation).

People tend to think they have no energy when other causes might be the source, including not-yet-mastered chakras like the 3rd (problems with moving or no movement at all), problems to attain and maintain a state of consciousness conducive to the experience (hit-and-miss affair during learning to do so) and simulations (one or more chakras deliberately inhibited to emphasize the role of a chakra, for example)."

[Korpo]

Hello, summersolstice.

I don't think the experience was a dream. It has "astral projection" written all over it if you ask me. You were also rather lucid. Fields and farms are for growing food. On the middle astral planes a fair deal of humanity (= well populated) works on their spiritual growth. I think this was the middle astral planes as positive aspects are clearly in presence in this experience, the focus is on growth, and you experience a certain degree of freedom when moving within this subplane.

All in all this seems to be a promising experience. Most chakras seem to be active to some degree. The way you translate the flyer seems to indicate that your 5th chakra in the astral body needs further development to decode information at this level - as for example from the environment. This will occur naturally over time and during further experiences, but also can be helped by journalling and interpreting your dreams and significant symbolism from waking experiences.

Regarding what a simulation is, see here: http://www.kurtleland.com/astral-projection-log/2006/99-recognizing-simulations-astral-plane

[CFTraveler]

The specific pose I've been having increased heart chakra activity with is called Viparita Karani and it's one of the easiest to do!
http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/690

And this one (not so easy)
http://thegreenyogimb.wordpress.com/2010/06/18/heart-chakra-opening-urdhva-dhanurasana-wheel-pose/

And finally, this book is a gem as it not only goes into great detail on doing poses correctly, but actually shows (on the final page, I think) the energetic frequency needed to release the energy body away from the physical body:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Key-Poses-Yoga-Scientific/dp/1607432390/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1336433132&sr=8-4

Pow!

(Your mileage may vary)


Soul Wow, I used to do Viparita Karani as part of my martial arts practice (my Sensei taught us as a method of recovery from exhaustion) without knowing that it was a Yoga pose.

I'd need to lose about forty pounds to do the other one, lol. :lol2:

[summersolstice]

Thanks everyone for all the help and suggestions. I've been interested in OBEs and lucid dreaming for 40 years and have worked toward experiencing an OBE for the past few years. Though I've experienced lucid dreams, the OBE seemed to have eluded me. I'm encouraged by this recent experience and, as I've been doing with all dreams and meditations I've considered "significant" during the past year or so, I recorded it in my journal. Although it's taken nearly 60 years to reach this state, my opinion is, "better late than never".

[SoulSail]

Although it's taken nearly 60 years to reach this state, my opinion is, "better late than never".

You're not late. You're right on time.

The evolutionary forces nurturing life, physical and non-physical alike, are supportive, loving – and whether by direction or chance – helping to bring forth light and life in a process which we call love. If one passes through this world and only ever encounters the fantastic and transcendental once, they have participated in a dance meant to bring completion and peace to all.

Best,

Soul