Warning re AP?

[sono]

I recently had a very clear "dream voice" asking me these questions just as I woke up: "Why do you want to project? Why would you want to go to the astral, a place of illusion & darkness?" I had been trying to consciously a- p as I fell asleep earlier; has anyone had this sort of experience? Would this be my own fears speaking, or perhaps some sort of Being that wanted to discourage me. . . . I have to admit that I do have mixed feelings about the astral, having been taught as a child that it is part of Maya, the cosmic illusion (same as "physical" reality but more fluid) & that attempts to gain any sort of psychic ability can only lead one away from higher truths. . . consciously I reject that as oversimplification, but wonder if I am sabotaging myself somehow. If that's the case, how would I go about de-programming this perception?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Noelle

[Beekeeper]

Ultimately, Sono, you answer these questions for yourself. Have you read Robert's Catch basket concept (http://www.astraldynamics.com/tutorials/?BoardID=4&BulletinID=218)? This might offer you an approach that helps break a psychological block.


I do have mixed feelings about the astral, having been taught as a child that it is part of Maya, the cosmic illusion (same as "physical" reality but more fluid) & that attempts to gain any sort of psychic ability can only lead one away from higher truths. . . consciously I reject that as oversimplification, but wonder if I am sabotaging myself somehow. If that's the case, how would I go about de-programming this perception?

You say you consciously reject what you've been told. I presume then that you have asked yourself why we are in the cosmic illusion we call reality in the first place and why it is we are permitted to access the astral? If they are illusions, aren't they somehow part of the maze we make our way through to arrive at reality?

You can see this as just one view. Shamans everywhere and throughout time have believed the astral realms are true reality. Logically, someone is wrong. If you are prevented from accessing the astral then you will not be able to verify the truth for yourself. Must you then just take someone's word for it?

[Rain, iF]

If this voice contacted you while you were waking, it is quite possible, and highly likely that you were still half in the dreamworld. Often subconscious thoughts take the form of beings in dreams that tell us things that we may partially already believe. You said yourself that you have conscious inhibitions about astral projection..perhaps the voice was a result of your own thoughts- a creation of your subconscious.

As for deprogramming this, first you have to decide if you really want to. The first step toward letting go of subconscious schema-influenced thought processes is to understand it, and acknowledge that dreams like this are most likely a result of your own inner thoughts.
After you do that, you just have to come to the understanding that astral projection is a wonderful and safe thing. It is very natural to be uneasy about it. That process takes time (letting go of doubts and/or fears). Use affirmations, mantras, whatever you need to use while meditating on it. If that seems to not be working to well, I would recommend listening to binaural beats in headphones with beat frequencies on the theta range (4-6) hz. While listening to it, you will shortly find yourself in a trance, at which point you can use affirmations or hypnosis, and it should have moderately strong effect on you.

I hope this helps.

[sono]

Thanks, I find that really helpful advice, & shall take it! It's not that I have never been o-o-body before so I am rather puzzled about why I have this inhibition - possibly because one is always taught that siddhis or "powers" are to be rejected if one seeks real spiritual growth.

[CFTraveler]

Yes, but one has to attain them first before rejecting them- Part of the growth process, and rejecting (or deciding to reject) them must be something that one comes to, like the Siddhis themselves. Circumventing the process would be self defeating.

[sono]

Yes, that resontaes & makes absolute sense! Thank you!