Astral projection or dream about astral projection?

[SouL]

So, lately I have been trying to induce astral projections and lucid dreams.


I've been utilizing the WBtB technique, and the other night I was trying to lucid dream using the WBtB and MILD techniques. I woke up at 5:00 AM, stayed up for thirty minutes or so, and did lucid dreaming affirmations before I went to bed.


The next thing I (very vaguely) remember was being in a weak vibrational state in my bed, I have felt vibrations before, and these were quite weak. I remember having the intention of projecting, and I recall exiting somehow (this part I have very fragmented memory on.)


The next memory I have was being on the floor in my bedroom, shouting "clarity now," in hopes of making the experience more lucid, as everything was very dull and weak. The command seemed to help a bit, and the next thing I remember was going to my bathroom, where I checked my hands and my reflection, both of which appeared normal. My very last memory was realizing that I should try to pull my friend out to share the experience, and then I slipped into a dream.


I'm still trying to figure out whether my experience was a legit projection, or just a dream, which would make sense, seeing as though this has been on my mind a lot lately. The fact that I remembered being in the vibrational state makes me think that it was not a dream, but on the other side of things, I never remember seeing my physical body on the bed, I very weakly recall my exit technique, and everything was completely dull and not vivid at all...


So was this a dream or a projection?

[CFTraveler]

A dull environment is a good thing. It means you were in the realtime zone. But I digress.
A dream is a projection to your subconscious. If you had exit sensations you probably projected into the realtime zone (which is usually murky anyway unless you project during the day. However, if your hands looked normal, I'd say your subconscious kicked in and produced your usual dream body, which is pretty stable.
Even though doing affirmations is lovely, I recommend getting away from your physical body to clarify your senses, as feedback can be a problem in the beginning stages of a projection, and if you can stay in the realtime zone after you've gotten far enough, then you can explore your surroundings to your satisfaction.

[SouL]

Interesting... so this was more likely an authentic astral projection?

Also, I forgot to mention that navigation was extremely difficult... Much more difficult than I had expected. I felt like I was actually struggling to move about, whereas I imagined that navigating in the astral would be easier, seeing as though you are not constrained by your physical body.

And lastly, I definitely remember being in the vibrational state, and increasing the vibrations throughout my body. Then, I remember very small fragments of exiting, and floating up, but not seeing my physical body. What is the explanation for this?

[CFTraveler]

I wouldn't call it an astral projection, I'd call it an out of body experience to the real time zone. Since the realtime zone is the part of the astral that is closest to the physical dimension, it technically is an astral projection. But most people consider the astral to be it's own separate plane, so I'll let you digest that.

Also, I forgot to mention that navigation was extremely difficult... Much more difficult than I had expected. I felt like I was actuallystruggling to move about, whereas I imagined that navigating in the astral would be easier, seeing as though you are not constrained by your physical body. But since you were in the real time zone, you were literally next to your physical body, which is why you had trouble navigating. Feedback. This is completely normal and a feature of being in the rtz.

For more info, scroll down to 'the OOBE' on this link. (http://www.astraldynamics.com.au/content.php?193-Part-1) But it's better to read the whole page for clarity.

[SouL]

So if I wanted to have more clear, less murky, and more lucid experiences without fragmented memories, what would I have to do? Would trying to re-enter on my own help? I heard that staying 'out' too long can cause you to slip into a dream/forget the experience, which I did to some extent. Was this my mistake?

[CFTraveler]

I wouldn't call it a mistake, I would call it a confusion of expectation. You were expecting B and got A- Instead, just see what you get and try to enjoy it-whatever it is.
If you want to avoid much of this feedback and trouble navigating, I have a couple of possible solutions:
1- Cultivate energy work. Besides the obvious 'energy' connotation, energy work also trains you into knowing your energy body, and helps you control it a little more. This is easier to do than to explain. I don't know if it helps with 'vision' issues (because they are not really 'vision' issues, since the energy body has no 'eyes') but it will help with control and navigation.
2- Get away from your body. If you get out of your body, but are having trouble moving, seeing, etc., more than likely the energy body is fighting to get away from the physical so that your perceptual awareness can make the transition from in-body perceiving to energy-body perceiving. So even if you have to feel your way out, crawl, whatever you have to, try to get away from the area where you know your body is (especially if you feel pulled towards it)- get out of the room. Once the real time body is far enough your conscious point of view will center in your energy body and you can see what you want or fly around or go through stuff, which is the kind of stuff you do in the rtz. Do this enough times that you are comfortable making the exit and reentry, and after a while it becomes easier and soon you'll be shifting into the 'proper' astral, and so on.