Can one enter astral realm before leaving body?

[Kalana]

I have had episodes of sleep paralysis on and off over many years but just a couple months ago I started having vibrations at night out of the blue without me having any intention or interest in doing so. Fortunately I had already read that these were associated with OBE (which I never had any interest in) so now I have started studying about this so I know what I'm getting into.

I have followed through with the vibrations only a few times because I'm not very confident yet and mostly I have had nonsensical visions preceded by sounds of chimes. One instance though felt different than a vision. I had very strong vibrations to the point where my teeth were nearly chattering and I made sure to feel strong feelings of love and I was thinking "high, high" (maybe worrying too much about encountering bad things) and then I was in the clouds and I saw what I deduced to be an angel. I tilted my head back and saw a huge light like the sun. The angel came closer to me and as it did I began to feel my legs start to levitate, like it was coming over to help me get out of my body. I said "i don't want to leave my body yet" and then it ended.

I'm just curious how this could be - since I clearly had not left my body yet. Thanks.

[ButterflyWoman]

Yes. There's such a thing as a split consciousness, where you can be in "two places at once", at least in awareness. Some people do this naturally (I do) and some have to learn it, but it can be developed. I'm afraid I haven't any hints for how to develop it since I've always been able to do it, and I don't really know how.

That being said, you don't really "leave" your body at any time. You simply become conscious of a different realm or area of plane of awareness. Some people see this as different "bodies" (astral body, pain body, material body, etc. etc.) to which you switch your awareness, and that can work as a metaphor to understand it. I think of it more as having multiple windows open (just like on a windowed computer system) and you just switch between them, or even have more than one open simultaneously.

[CFTraveler]

Here's Robert's theory:
http://www.astraldynamics.com.au/content.php?199-Part-7-The-Mind-Split-Effect

And yes, your 'astral body' is in the astral all the time, even when you're up and about. Your conscious perception isn't registering it, because the physical counterpart needs all the attention- but no such thing is needed when in the 'in between' stage, which is why so many strange things are seen in that state.

[ButterflyWoman]

Robert's answer: http://www.astraldynamics.com.au/showthread.php?16670-Can-one-enter-astral-realm-before-leaving-body&p=125383#post125383

[outofbodydude]

Consciousness can shift into higher dimensions while remaining in the same "space" as the physical body. Many times before projections or during deep meditative and altered states of consciousness, I have been able to perceive the RTZ and astral planes while seemingly still lying in my bed

[CFTraveler]

Yep. We seem to forget that 'the' astral isn't in space like matter is- whether it's nonlocal, or just localized in a subregion of space that isn't detectable except under certain circumstances- well, you know what I'm trying to say.