I began reading everything I could find about dreams, and from there, I learned how to start a dream practice that took me down so many new paths of self-discovery and non-physical experiences.

I fully believe that dreams are so much more than just the brain releasing steam and processing our daily lives. Dreams give you access to things that are about to occur in your life (pre-cognitive dreams), experiences on the astral plane (out-of-body experiences), and contact with your higher self and spirit guides.

In this article, I’ll explain dreamwork, the benefits of a dream practice, and how to start tonight with one.

What is dreamwork?

“A dream which is not interpreted is like a letter which is not read.” – The Talmud

Dreamwork is the practice of intentionally becoming more present and aware of/in your dreams. The purpose behind this practice is varied: personal growth, spiritual development, healing, deeper connection with self/subconscious/higher self/the universe, or simply for the fun and enjoyment of it.

The nature of what dreams even are is hard for anyone to describe. Here are some quotes from philosophers, dream researchers, and psychologists on what they believe dreams to be:

“Dreams are a reservoir of knowledge and experience, yet they are often overlooked as a vehicle for exploring reality.” – Tarthang Tulku, Tibetan Lama and Scholar

“Dreaming is a kind of mental metamorphosis that takes place at night, as the dreamer creates a new narrative that can bring new insights and understanding.” – Rosalind Cartwright, Psychologist and Dream Researcher

“Dreams are a place where the conscious and unconscious mind meet, providing a way to process complex emotions and experiences.” – G. William Domhoff, Dream Researcher and Psychologist

“Dreams are a form of thinking, occurring under conditions of the brain and body that are different from those of waking life.” – J. Allan Hobson, Psychiatrist and Dream Researcher

“Dreams are windows into the mind’s most secret, and often most important, concerns.” – Ernest Hartmann, Psychiatrist and Dream Researcher

“Dreams provide a means by which the mind can explore ideas and emotions that are not readily accessible during waking hours.” – Deirdre Barrett, Psychologist and Dream Researcher

After the experiences I have had over the last few years of recording my dreams daily, I really believe that dreams are so much more than just the mind and soul working out problems. Dreams are a gateway to our higher selves, where we have access to loved ones in non-physical, experiences in other realities, and information about experiences we are about to have in this reality before they happen.

Benefits of a dream practice

There are so many benefits to having a dream practice. Here are just a few:

• increased awareness of self
• solutions to daily issues
• insights into your repressed fears/concerns
• connection to loved ones here and on the other side
• connection to guides, higher self, and loved ones from other realities
• precognitive awareness of upcoming experiences
• psychic development
• out-of-body experiences
• lucid dreaming
• emotional and physical healing
• creative ideas/inspiration
• more presence
• improved memory
• enhanced intuition

A regular dreaming practice can lead to any of the above. The more you become aware of your dream state, the more you are connected to all parts of yourself.

I have found a dream practice to be one of the most tangible spiritual practices I’ve experienced. Meditation for expanded consciousness is a very close second, but my dreams have shown me so much and have opened me in ways I never expected.

Personal development through dreams

Personal development is almost a guaranteed side effect of having a dream practice. I say almost because I have seen other dreamers who tend to see their dreams as a fun virtual reality without much meaning. However, if you have a practice for long enough, even those who see dreams like this eventually realize they are much more than a fun escape, especially when facing a life challenge.

A dream practice naturally causes you to become more present and aware in your waking hours. This alone helps with personal development because most people are going around asleep while awake, going through the motions and lost in their thoughts/mind.

Being present detaches you from the incessant noise and stories the mind creates on a daily basis. Eckhart Tolle’s book The Power of Now is all about being present and the inner peace that comes from it.

When you record your dreams daily, your connection with yourself begins to grow and deepen. Your dreams allow you to explore your subconscious, as well as even give you messages about people and events in your life.

Precognitive dreams are some of the most interesting dreams I’ve had in my dream practice, and they can be common and frequent. I would see people in my dreams before meeting them, or I would see a major event happen–like my 85-year-old grandmother falling down the stairs days before it happened. My dad was going to be doing yard work, and I saw him come across a large snake in a dream. I told him about it, and he actually did almost step on a copperhead a few days later while doing the yard work.

I have improved relationships with loved ones here who haven’t passed but with whom it’s too difficult to converse. In my dreams, they have shown me their love, and I have witnessed my own love for them as if I were a bystander.

The most interesting, beautiful, and healing things can happen in our dreams. I believe they happen every time we go to sleep, but without a dream practice, we aren’t aware of them.

How to start a dream practice

Starting a dream practice is extremely simple, and “the basics” are always the most powerful ways to engage and recall your dreams. Here is what I recommend.

Start a dream journal

The number one practice all dreamers have is recording their dreams daily in a journal. You can record your dream out loud using a recorder or dream app, but it’s most potent to write the dream out later once when you have time.

Writing your dreams down encourages recall, as well as helps you to really decode and understand a dream. Sometimes, as you write a dream down, you will find more and more dreams popping into your mind.

I use my tablet and a writing app called Notability. I like the way I can search the app for a dream and easily find it, which is why I prefer using this journal app versus an actual pen and journal.

But all you need is a journal—it doesn’t really matter if it’s a physical or digital one. Get a journal and start writing down your dreams every time you wake up.

Dream recall methods

There are a few tried and true ways to remember your dreams.

• Tell yourself every time before falling asleep, “I now remember all dreams and experiences.” Say it a few times, and that’s it. This is a very powerful, simple tip I learned from another dreamer who has amazing dream recall.
• When you wake up, don’t move right away. Try to stay still and keep your eyes closed. Start replaying your dreams in your head as you lie there. Then, proceed to write your dreams down in your dream journal.
• Practice being present during the day. The more present and aware you are in your waking life, the more present and aware you’ll be in your dream state as well.

How to interpret dreams

I’ve learned that decoding dreams is extremely subjective, so always go with your intuitive feelings about your dreams versus using a dream dictionary or other general interpretations.

That being said, we do, as a collective, have universal symbols that we’ve assigned certain meanings to. I highly recommend the book “The Secret Language of Signs” by Denise Linn. This book is not a dream dictionary but one of the most accurate books I’ve come across to use for decoding your dreams.

I also encourage you to consider whether a dream could be more than a dream. What I mean by this is that a dream you had could actually have been an out-of-body experience remembered as a dream or an experience you had in another reality.

Not all dreams are experiences that only you have in your private subconscious mind; they can actually be experiences you have in other areas of your consciousness. This is extra evident when you share a dream experience with another person.

Mindfulness and dreamwork

As I’ve mentioned a few times already, becoming more present and mindful during the day will naturally cause you to become that way in your dream state.

I recommend reading Eckhart Tolle’s book because it will teach you how to be present. Another tool that dreamers use is asking themselves throughout the day, “Am I dreaming?” and then actually attempting to decipher whether they’re in a dream or not.

The benefit of doing this is that you will become mindful and present throughout the day. You will also find yourself wondering if you’re dreaming while dreaming, which will allow you to become lucid in your dream.

Development of psychic abilities

Once you begin your dream practice, you might find at some point that your psychic abilities are opening or expanding. This is because, in your dreams, you use your psychic abilities versus your physical ones.

People in your dreams talk to you telepathically, and you intuitively know things without being told. As you become more fluid in your dream state, this translates over into your waking state. Your intuition is enhanced, and a whole host of psychic experiences can occur.

This is all completely normal and part of the personal and spiritual growth that comes from having an active dream practice.

Out-of-body experiences & lucid dreaming

Just like psychic abilities being enhanced by a dream practice, you will likely also begin having lucid dreams and/or possibly out-of-body experiences as well. These are so AWESOME!

Lucid dreams are when you become aware that you’re dreaming within the dream, and you can then control what you do in the dream.

An out-of-body experience is when you realize your consciousness is outside of your physical body. That’s the easiest way to describe it because, really, you could say that an out-of-body experience is going inwards into other dimensions of your consciousness. But it FEELS like you are outside of your body.

You will intuitively know the difference between the two. Out-of-body experiences are very often remembered as dreams, which is why, as you go deeper into your practice, you will begin to notice different types of dreams and which ones were “more than dreams.”

My favorite book to learn more about expanded consciousness within dreams is this one. I also recommend this one, this one, and this one. I also wrote a blog post here on how to have out-of-body experiences, which is essentially everything I learned from the books I just shared that worked for me.

Conclusion

To summarize, starting a dream practice is one sure way to expand, grow, and have some of the coolest experiences that will blow your mind. It can be hard to write down your dreams when you first wake up, but it is always worth it. You will discover so much about yourself, mainly that you are truly a multidimensional being!

EXPLORE FURTHER

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this article and found something to take away with you. 

To receive my weekly, self-care focused email that inspires you to go deeper inside the magic that is you, sign up for the Dwell in Magic weekly newsletter.

If you’d like weekly digital resources, guidance, and community with me and others, come and join the Dwell in Magic Patreon. We have a book club too!

For self-paced inner work, visit the shop for transformational bundles and guides. 

With love,

Jessica

The post Dreamwork 101: How to Start a Dream Practice For Spiritual Expansion appeared first on Dwell in Magic®.

In a nutshell, it was life-changing. Even though a few friends shared their experiences with me before I went, I had no idea what to expect. I think it's best to go in with no expectations and an open mind, as TMI (the Monroe Institute) recommends.

They'll teach you how to explore your consciousness in a way you likely haven't done before. In addition, you'll be meditating in a place full of timeless energy with like-minded people, which tends to make your experiences much richer.

Read on for a more detailed description of my experience at TMI and why I believe you should go if you're interested in it.

What does the Monroe Institute do?

According to its website, TMI's mission is "helping people create more meaningful and joyful lives through the guided exploration of expanded consciousness." 

Robert Monroe established TMI in the early 1970s as a nonprofit research and education institution. Before that, in 1956, Bob had his own radio production company and began researching the effects that different sound patterns had on human consciousness. At that time, it was popular to listen to programs that promised learning through the subconscious while one slept.

Bob Monroe frequently used himself as a test subject and, in 1958, began having spontaneous out-of-body experiences. These experiences, to say the least, significantly changed his life. His professional career changed directions to follow his newfound focus and purpose. Thus, TMI was born and has been growing ever since.

Today, TMI (a nonprofit, nonsectarian organization) offers numerous programs that explore varying levels of expanded states of consciousness. They teach you to access your own higher consciousness using "specially built binaural beat audio-guided technology," which Bob first created.

Their main program, The Gateway Voyage, is the best starting point, as it is also a prerequisite for most of their other programs.

What is the Gateway Voyage experience?

The Gateway Voyage is a week-long retreat that teaches you how to reach expanded states of consciousness to access the higher self and other nonphysical communications. You begin by practicing with the first six waves of the Hemi-Sync® Gateway Experience®, and by the end of the week, you understand how to do it without audio sounds.

The Gateway Voyage explores Focus Levels 10-21. According to a handout I was given at TMI, Focus Levels are explained as such:

"Throughout Robert A. Monroe's out of body journeys, and during the course of several years, he mapped "territories," as he called them. These territories, or locales, remained consistent with specific deep-state levels of consciousness. His subjective experience of each locale was the same every time he entered the state of awareness associated with it. To avoid using mystical or religious language to describe these territories, Bob numbered them, calling them Focus Levels. Along with Hemi-Sync®, the Focus Levels formed the basis of Monroe Institute core programs."

The following are all of the Focus Levels that Bob mapped:

• Focus 1: "C-1" (waking consciousness)
• Focus 10: "Mind Awake/Body Asleep" (exactly as it sounds)
• Focus 11: "The Access Channel" (access to Total Self)
• Focus 12: "Expanded Awareness" (expanded beyond the five physical senses)
• Focus 15: "No Time - No Space" (the void, all potentiality)
• Focus 18: "The Heart Level" (unconditional love vibration)
• Focus 21: "The Bridge State" (access to nonphysical energies and intelligence)
• Focus 22: "Here and There" (a locale where you encounter people who are physically alive but unconscious, such as those in a coma or drug-induced state)
• Focus 23: "New Goners" (a locale where you encounter people who are no longer physically alive but haven't realized it yet)
• Focus 24, 25, 26: "Belief System Territories" (afterlife expressions of spiritual traditions)
• Focus 27: "The Park" (an afterlife area created by humans often resembling earth environments)
• Focus 34-35: "The Gathering" (allows communication with intelligences gathered to observe happenings on Earth)
• Focus 42: "The I-There Cluster" (allows awareness of even more aspects of Self)
• Focus 49: "Infinite Sea of Bonded I-There Clusters" (higher order guidance, "The Cluster Council")

My experience at the Monroe Institute

This section aims to give you an idea of the physical basics when staying at the Virginia location of TMI. A couple of friends I spoke with before gave me an idea of what to expect in this area, and I found it very helpful.

Accommodations

Most rooms are double-occupancy, but sleeping inside your CHEC unit, which has a curtain, provides considerable privacy.

There are two retreat locations at the Virginia campus: the Nancy Penn Center and Roberts Mountain Retreat. I stayed at the mountain retreat, which is up the hill. I had a room in the annex building, where most of us slept.

The rooms were nothing fancy, but they were clean and provided everything I needed for the week. I also had amazing sleep in the CHEC unit–they provided lots of blankets, and the air conditioning was great. I was worried I'd be a little warm, but the units were nice and cool.

Inside your CHEC unit are headphones, an overhead dimmable lamp, and a small shelf to put things on. There are buttons on the inside wall for adjusting sounds and switching your ready light on so the instructors can begin your meditation.

In the room I stayed in, we shared a bathroom. My friends stayed at the Nancy Penn Center and said bathrooms are located outside the rooms (they also said there are LOTS of bathrooms everywhere, so not to fret)!

Overall, the room situation was fine. Of course, I'd love to not have to share a room, but so much time is spent in meditation and group sessions that it wasn't that big of a deal.

Also, shuttle services brought people from the airport and took them back at the end of the week. A few of us drove in, such as myself, since I live only three hours away.

Meals

I never got a picture of the dining area, but this table spread was waiting for us in the Fox Den the first day we arrived. Everything was fresh and high-quality.

TMI has a kitchen staff, including a chef who prepares the most delicious meals! Our chef was Mark, and he had the best energy, which is probably why his food was so good. He even took requests from us, making someone's favorite cookies one day, for example.

They work hard to accommodate everyone's diet, which is really nice. There was something for everyone. The salad bar was always stocked and included homemade dressings that everyone raved about.

We had three meals a day, and the kitchen was always open if you needed a snack. Fruit, nuts, and candy were always available, as well as leftover homemade desserts from the previous day. Coffee, tea, and water were also available. The chef flavored the water daily with different combinations of herbs and veggies. My favorite combination was ginger, lemongrass, and cucumber–it gave the water such a unique, delicious flavor.

Many people brought their own water containers, but there are also water glasses and mugs that can be used throughout the day.

Meditations

The Gateway Voyage experience is centered around the meditations. We did three meditations between breakfast and lunch and up to two more after the afternoon break.

Each meditation lasts about 40 minutes. I didn't time them, but that's the length they seemed to be around.

They always take place in your CHEC unit. Also, you'll pee more times at TMI than you have your whole life because they advise you to before every meditation. Nothing is worse than getting into an altered state and realizing you need to go to the bathroom, so don't skip it!

Once inside your CHEC unit, you'll shut your blackout curtain, get into a comfortable position (some people sit up, halfway up, or all the way down), get your headphones on, and turn your ready light on and your lamp off.

It's normal to fall asleep during some meditations, and the running joke at TMI is how nice those $2,000 naps are! I also learned the meaning behind the term "clicking out," which happens when you're alert during meditation but wake up to the sound of the meditation ending and realize your consciousness went somewhere else at some point.

I always try to focus on affirming that I remember all of my nonphysical experiences. This is half the challenge of exploring the nonphysical–bringing the awareness of it back with you.

Group sessions

There are group sessions before and after most meditations. Every day, before breakfast, there is an optional yoga session. Only a few people in my group attended these. After breakfast, we had our first official group session of the day. These sessions were educational and allowed us to ask any questions we had.

After each meditation, we would debrief, share any experiences we wanted to share, and then discuss the following meditation. This was the pattern while at TMI: discuss, meditate, debrief, repeat.

Most people wore loose-fitting, stretchy clothing. I went in September, so it was mostly warm outside, but it's good to take cardigans or sweaters because you never know if the air conditioning will make you feel chilly. Also, most people wore casual sandals that they could easily slip on and off.

Some other random info that comes to mind when I think of going to group sessions is that TMI provides umbrellas, so if you're trying to travel light, don't worry about bringing one. Also, if you'd like to tip the staff, please make sure you have cash on hand to do so.

Breaks & other notable things

Every day, we had a long afternoon break that started after lunch and lasted until around 4 p.m. TMI is big on "no time," which means there are no clocks posted anywhere. You listen for their bells to ring, which signals the next activity. However, I observed the afternoon break to be around two to three hours long.

During the afternoon break, people napped, went for walks, ran, swam in the pool, got massages, or relaxed in the peaceful sitting areas around campus. Most people also visited the bookstore at some point during the week, where they could purchase audiobooks, souvenirs, books, and other items.

Back to the time thing, I noticed they generally woke us up around 6:30 a.m., followed by yoga at 7, breakfast at 8, lunch between 12 and 1, a break from 1 to 4, and our last session ending around 9 p.m.

I also enjoyed the sounds they played at night in our CHEC units and the wake-up recording done by Bob. The sounds at night were made for sleeping, and these faint airplane sounds were conducive to going out of body, in my opinion. They currently do not have these night sounds available for purchase.

Bob's wake-up call was awesome. His voice would come over the speakers quietly and he would have you affirm how good your day was going to be. It was such a nice way to wake up.

Noticeable changes before and after

I noticed several apparent changes before I left TMI and after going home. I saw several other people experiencing the same things. The following are some things you might experience:

• decreased appetite
• vivid dreams (or no dreams)
• feeling the need to ground often (which they assist you with)
• feeling like you're high after going home (a very relaxed, blissed state)
• driving too slow, being a bit more zoned out
• vivid dreams after returning home
• feelings of love and connectedness with others
• seeing people in a new light
• no more fear of death
• increased or newfound psychic abilities

I met a person at TMI who had his first out-of-body experience while there. It was short but blew his mind. Another woman who had no previous experiences vividly saw a small craft hovering over her inside the CHEC unit. She reached up to touch it, and her hand went through it. She was so awe-stricken during our next group session that she was visibly shaking while retelling her experience.

I did not have a conscious out-of-body experience while there, besides small recollections of walking up the stairs outside or checking my phone while meditating. However, I did receive many psychic impressions during the meditations and found my personal meditation before sleep to be super powerful, such as feeling vibrations for an increased amount of time.

Since I struggle with some social anxiety and am very sensitive to energies, I found myself a little drained each day and not fully charged up for having an out-of-body experience or even much dream recall.

I found myself appreciating the process of learning how to induce these expanded states of awareness more than needing to have experiences there. Since returning home, I have applied what I learned to make my meditations more effective and efficient. Before, I might meditate for up to an hour and never really reach a good meditative state, but now I know how to get there within less than 10 minutes.

Using Hemi-Sync® to expand consciousness

Before I went to TMI, I would listen to Gateway Experience meditations occasionally. I didn't know what I was doing, but the synchronization sounds would put me in an altered state, and I would have some really cool experiences.

I would mainly listen to Focus Levels 10 and 12 at that time. The sounds alone would make my meditation so much more effective. I remember one of my first experiences using Focus Level 10, which took me to some time in the 1700s here in the U.S. I was inside a cabin, and we were deciding where to hang a picture. If I had that experience now, I would know to inquire more about it, but at the time, I just marveled at it and wondered what it meant.

The following Focus Level recordings are the home study versions of the audios used for the Gateway Voyage:

• ​Wave I (Intro to Focus Level 10)
• Wave II (Intro to Focus Level 12)
• Wave III (we did at least one from this track, like "5 Questions")
• Wave V (Intro to Focus Level 15)
• Wave VI (Intro to Focus Level 21)

Each day, we focused on one wave: three in the morning and two in the afternoon. The audios are slightly different from the home study versions, but I noted they're pretty much the same. The ones at TMI might be slightly longer.

I recommend Focus Levels 10 and 12, linked in the above paragraph, or you can get them in this collection, which contains Wave I and II. You will likely experience some cool things even if you do not fully understand everything.

Recommended reading

Bob's books are recommended reading before you get to TMI. They are:

• Journeys Out of the Body
• Far Journeys
• Ultimate Journey

I read his first book a year before attending TMI and found it fascinating. Before attending TMI, I read the last two, which were also fascinating in a different way. Those books explored a lot of his experiences and conversations with nonphysical entities.

You can also read this post for my favorite books on astral projection.

In conclusion

I took this picture from my front yard right after returning from TMI. The three cloud rings reminded me of their logo and I was in such a state of gratitude.

I highly recommend that anyone interested in exploring their consciousness attend TMI at least once. I personally would love to attend yearly. Not only is it educational, but it's also highly conducive to connecting with higher aspects of yourself.

I typically read books and "do it myself," but I walked away from my experience at TMI with so much more context and understanding than I could have ever gotten on my own. Or, at the very least, a lot faster than it would've taken me otherwise.

Despite being a more private and sensitive person who can struggle with social anxiety, I really encourage anyone like me to still attend. There were a few people there like me, and we all felt it was worth it.

I plan to go again many more times, with the personal expectation that the energy will be strong. I'll feel it, and I'll struggle some with social interactions, but I'll walk away with so much more than I walked in with.

It's a life-changing experience, and if you ever get the chance to go, I say don't let it pass you by.

EXPLORE FURTHER

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this article and found something to take away with you.

To receive my weekly, self-care focused email that inspires you to go deeper inside the magic that is you, sign up for the Dwell in Magic weekly newsletter.

If you’d like weekly digital resources, guidance, and community with me and others, join the Dwell in Magic Patreon. We have a book club too!

For self-paced inner work, visit the shop for transformational bundles and guides.

With love,

Jessica

The post My Gateway Voyage Experience At The Monroe Institute appeared first on Dwell in Magic®.

Therefore in today's post, I'm sharing the astral projection books I found most helpful. These are the books I would recommend to anyone just starting out or wishing to know about the topic more in-depth.

Best astral projection books

In my opinion, a good astral projection book educates and doesn't complicate. It doesn't mystify astral projection but explains it for what it is–a natural occurring phenomenon that we can all access.

The five astral projection books below are the ones I keep returning to. They are full of wisdom and written by authors who have dedicated their lives to teaching others about out of body experiences. 

1. Adventures Beyond the Body

Most important, I now knew that my physical body was just a temporary vehicle for the real me inside, and that with practice I could separate from it at will.

This book is hands down my favorite for simplifying how to get out of body. I have consistently found that William's target technique to be the easiest way.

He doesn't get super into energy, chakras or other things people worry over. Instead, he focuses more on what we can do out of body and how it will change our lives.

In addition, I really enjoyed reading William's personal thoughts on astral projection and his out of body experiences. He also gives a list of interesting and life-changing ideas of things to do while out of body.

2. Journeys Out of the Body

It's ok to have strange experiences, to consider seriously as natural those events and activities beyond the present ability of our physical sciences to replicate or measure.

Robert Monroe has been called the grandfather of astral projection for our time. He was also the founder of The Monroe Institute, a nonprofit education and research organization devoted to the exploration of human consciousness. 

He wrote several books about astral projection and Journeys Out of the Body was the first one. This is a book you can't put down.

I found it fascinating that a man like him, who worked in the radio business and had no spiritual background, began to have spontaneous out of body experiences. 

His shift in beliefs about reality and the astral experiences he had make this book a must-read.

3. The Treatise on Astral Projection

After the physical body has fallen asleep, the astral body always projects into the physical world.

This is a lesser known astral projection book, but I highly recommend it. You might already know the author, Robert Bruce. He's authored Mastering Astral Projection which is a well-known and popular book on astral projection. 

The Treatise on Astral Projection was one of Robert's first books, therefore it has most of the same info that's in his newer books. It's an extremely enlightening read and really helped me to understand the way astral projection works. 

4. Demystifying the Out-of-Body Experience

Very few life experiences can compare to the feeling we have once we produce our first lucid projection through effort and consistency.

Similarly, Luis Minero gives a very logical framework for understanding out of body experiences. I appreciate that he takes out the mystic words usually associated with astral projection and replaces them with modern terminology.

This book is very thorough and in-depth. You can also find interviews with Luis Minero on Youtube that show the depth of his knowledge and expertise. 

5. Hacking the Out of Body Experience

Learn to actively engage in playful fantasy. Don't consider this a waste of time; consider it a necessary part of rewiring your brain.

This book is the mac daddy on everything you could want to know on astral projection. Bob Peterson shares multiple techniques as well as everything he knows in general from decades of astral projecting. 

I really like the way he touches on all subjects and topics. In short, anything there is to know about astral projection can be found in this book. 

You can read my post here on what astral projection is and my own insights for having out of body experiences. 

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed this article and found something to take away with you. Do you have a favorite book on astral projection I didn't mention here? Let me know in the comments below.

To receive my weekly, self-care focused email that inspires you to go deeper inside the magic that is you, sign up for the Self-Care Sunday emails.

With love,

Jessica

EXPLORE FURTHER

For more support around implementing a daily magical mindset and self-care routine, head here.

The post 5 Most Helpful Astral Projection Books appeared first on Dwell in Magic®.

In today's post, I'll share my introduction to astral projection, what it is and how it benefits your spiritual journey. I'll also share 7 tips that I feel really helped me to begin having out of body experiences.

My introduction to astral projection

In the fall of 2020, I was studying a mix of Seth's work on dreams, as well as life between lives hypnotherapy. I was wanting to go deeper and be more in touch with the larger aspects of myself and reality in general. 

Seth had mentioned how we heal in our dreams and how we can use our dream states to receive answers and understanding for our daily waking lives. I began to ask questions before falling asleep and began to have some really interesting experiences. 

The first experience I had was a message coming through to me over and over one morning. Every time I'd wake up, I'd hear "You have to find your vision!" I'd fall back asleep and when I woke up again, I heard "You've got to have a vision. Like the chicken has an egg, you have to have a vision!"

The next dream I was instructed on performing "psychic surgery." In another I was told to write my fears out so I can release them. Jumping on a trampoline with older people in yet another dream I was told "Your body only hurts in old age if you think it does." 

After an unusual dream where I spent what felt like a day with a gentle, blue being, I went back to my Seth books and began reading everything they'd written about dreams. It finally started clicking that they were discussing not only dreams, but out of body experiences as well.

Fascinated, I then purchased a book solely on astral projection and began learning everything I could. I learned that out of body experiences could give me the access I was looking for without needing a hypnotherapist or any other "middleman" to connect with higher parts of myself. 

What astral projection is

Astral projection, in a nutshell, is the phenomenon of consciousness traveling outside of the physical body. It's an intentional out of body experience (OOBE). A near death experience would be an example of an unintentional OOBE.

Whereas lucid dreaming is an experience where you are aware within a dream, an out of body experience is "an experience where you perceive and feel yourself separate and detach from your physical body, entering into an objective non-physical dimension." - Gene Hart, Beyond Dreaming

Each time I have astral projected consciously, I get up out of my body and leave the room while my body stays sleeping on the bed. I feel just like my waking self, except I'm aware of so much more. During my second OOBE, I returned to my room and instinctively dove back into my sleeping body and felt myself lock into place. 

Something interesting I learned was that we all astral project every night, but we just don't remember it. Many times those highly vivid dreams that leave an impression on you are actually unconscious OOBE's remembered as fragmented dreams.

I was told over and over again that getting out of body isn't the hard part...it's having the awareness of it and remembering. When you have both of those present, you get the incredible experience of a conscious astral projection.

Benefits of astral projection

The benefits of astral projection are numerous, but a few of them are:

• spiritual growth & expansion
• learning more about yourself and others
• connecting with loved ones who are no longer in the physical (or who are arriving, such as connecting with an unborn child)
• overcoming inner blocks
• healing your energy body
• connecting with your higher self, guides, masters and other helpers
• visiting anywhere you want

It's not that you need astral projection to do any of these things, but since it's something natural that we do, I can't help but conclude it's a spiritual tool we can access if we so desire.

Out of body experiences give you direct access and insight into soul areas you are working on, questions you want answered, and help bring even more meaning into your waking life. 

It is an amazing spiritual tool, like meditation, that will take you into deeper parts of yourself and the universe. It's a spiritual experience that you get to have directly. Most religions are based on the out of body experiences of a few people, but this is available to all of us to experience for ourselves. 

How long does it take to astral project

Some people can have their first conscious OOBE within a few days or weeks, others take a few years, but the majority take a few months. 

It's not that astral projection takes great skill to achieve, but it depends on a number of factors including your beliefs, fear levels, and how surrendered you are. It's very much like driving a stick shift–there's a certain finesse between pressing down on the gas while releasing the clutch at the same time. 

You will lurch forward and stall many times, and this even goes for experienced projectors. Other times you will hit the gas too hard and wake your physical body up, ending the experience. 

It took me 4 months to have my first two conscious OOBE's, and several more months until I experienced it again. What I found was that there were no wasted attempts, because each one either taught me something or helped me adjust to new sensations.

7 tips for having an out of body experience 

There are many ways of getting out of body consciously. Refer to this page on William Buhlman's site for all the techniques there are for astral projection. 

For me, the simplest method is the target technique, where I just visualize my living room in full detail. It astounds me that this basic mind exercise can induce an out of body experience. 

While I used the target technique as my main exercise, I learned and realized a few important things along the way. Below are 7 tips I picked up that I feel really helped me in having my first out of body experiences. 

1. Get present 

One thing practicing astral projection really showed me was that my mind is LOUD. I day dream a lot, or I'm thinking about something all the time. Essentially, I found I'm not "awake" during most of my waking hours. 

Once I started practicing being present during the day, I was able to be super focused out of body. The Power of Now is an excellent guide on coming into the present moment in your everyday waking life.

A daily meditation practice also really assisted in helping me stretch my awareness, as well as completely relax my body. I meditated daily for months. From that, I learned that so many cool things can happen during meditation! 

I used the Gateway meditations often. These were created and patented by Robert Monroe to help create a whole brain state for expanded awareness. His books on astral projection are for sure a must read as well. 

You can often find these meditations (Focus 10 and Focus 12 being the main ones) on Youtube, or you can purchase them and keep them in your Google Drive, for example. 

No matter what meditations you use, the goal is to let yourself drift away from thoughts and completely relax the body. This will greatly aid and improve the quality of your astral projections.

2. Start a dream journal

Keeping a dream journal has so many benefits. For astral projection, it lets your subconscious know that remembering your sleep experiences are important to you. 

When I first started, I didn't even think I dreamed that often. It didn't take long before I was writing down long, elaborate dreams. When you wake in the morning, try to remain still and recall as much of your dreams as you can. Replay them in your mind and then record them in your dream journal.

Dreams, lucid dreams, and OOBE's are all equally helpful and important in your spiritual awakening. One is not more important than another. You only gain to record everything you remember upon awakening.

When you are used to remembering your dreams, it's going to make it much easier to remember your OOBE's. You'd think it'd be impossible to forget a conscious astral projection, but these experiences tend to be quickly swallowed by the subconscious if not recalled right away.

3. Intentions are everything

Intentions are everything! If you aren't setting intentions before astral projection attempts, you aren't making things easy for yourself. Intentions program the subconscious to work for you.

Here are a few that I use:

• I now remember all dreams & experiences (credit goes to Johnny! The admin of a very helpful AP group I joined and learned so much from)
• Now I am out of body
• I naturally move into my astral state
• I remain calm and remember everything 
• I am surrounded by love and light

4. Visualize it

Something I didn't do for months was any manifesting exercises for astral projection! I use it in every other area of my life, but it didn't dawn on me to use it for astral projecting.

The night before my most epic out of body experience, I visualized waking up in the morning and excitedly telling everyone I knew that I had the most amazing out of body experience.

I literally felt the happy energy welling up inside of me and I started giggling! I felt it as if it had already happened. 

The next day, I got to do just that. Start telling yourself that you astral project easily and naturally, and visualize how you'd feel and who'd you tell once you are back in body. 

This is a powerful and underrated tip! 

5. Release your fears

I didn't think I had any fears but realized soon enough I definitely had more than I thought.

The sensations that happen before projection can be alarming! The first time I felt vibrations, I felt like I was shot up into the air. I also thought I heard a loud popping sound in my room one morning, but it was just due to hypnogogia.  

Hypnogogia, as Healthline defines, "is the transitional state of consciousness between wakefulness and sleep." It's known as the vibrational stage in astral projection literature, and it's very common to experience vibrations, buzzing, ear popping, loud sounds, voices, and imagery behind the eye lids.

Each time I experienced these sensations, I got more and more used to it. I'm the kind of person who man screams when a wasp flies nearby, so this was definitely something I had to work through. 

I practiced being a calm observer in my waking life and less reactionary. Nothing can hurt us before, during, or after an astral projection, so when we can remain calm and in a loving state, it helps tremendously. 

I also realized that once you are out of body, your astral self isn't afraid. So just hang tight while you make the transition into your astral body, because the fear will dissipate. 

6. Wake back to bed 

I tried for many months to astral project using the direct method, but this is not recommended for beginners. The direct method is when you astral project through meditation or when you first lay down to sleep.

The best and easiest way to astral project when you are first starting out is after sleeping for 4-6 hours. Play around with the number and see which one fits you best. You may be too groggy after only 4 hours of sleep or you may not be able to get back to sleep after 6 hours, for example. 

All of my conscious out of body experiences have happened early in the morning after I had been asleep for several hours.

When I wake up, I like to listen to this meditation for about 15 minutes. I find it to be perfect for priming my subconscious for leaving the body and it helps me wake up enough to focus but not enough to stay awake. This is the perfect place to be. 

Do whatever technique is easiest for you, and then go back to sleep. If you have a conscious OOBE, you will be woken back up right before the exit or you'll find yourself in the astral awake and fully aware. 

7. Let it happen

Another thing that kept tripping me up was that when I would get vibrations or some other sensation, I'd start pulling a rope or trying to run, etc. I'd ruin the vibrational stage by trying to get out of body!

I finally learned this: if you remain calm, you will at some point just "know" that you can get up out of your body. This happens once your consciousness has shifted to your astral body. It's an instinctive knowing and you'll do it without thinking.

I was confused about this for so long when I was reading others' experiences. Advanced astral projectors are another story, but when you hear beginners using words like "I just stepped out of my body" they are referring to their astral selves, even if they don't know it. 

Your astral self is you, but with more awareness and knowledge of things the physical you isn't aware of. If the physical you tries to get out of body, it's a lot harder and usually futile for a beginner. 

If you remain calm and allow your consciousness to fully shift over to your astral self, you will then just find yourself stepping, floating or flipping out of body. 

So if I'm awoken to buzzing sensations, I remain calm, do nothing except possibly picture myself in my living room (part of the target technique I use), and wait until everything fully shifts over. 

Astral projection resources

Here are some of my favorite resources for learning more about astral projection:

• Adventures Beyond the Body (favorite AP book)
• The Treatise on AP (2nd favorite AP book)
• Astral Doorway (favorite AP podcast)

These are some of my favorite meditations:

• Leaving Your Body (perfect for WBTB)
• 74 Minute AP Course (track 5, set timer to turn off after 26 minutes & go to sleep)
• Guided Meditation for AP
• The Crystal Lake
• Pharaoh Mantra (I listen and chant for a few minutes, or even chant while in the shower–very powerful for inducing the vibrational stage later in the night or next morning)

Some of my favorite music and binaural beats for astral projection:

• Theta Binaural Beats
• Out of Body Experience 

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this article and found something to take away with you. I will definitely be writing more articles in the future on this topic. Please leave any questions you have below or share your experiences and tips with us as well!

To stay in touch and updated on new articles, you can sign up for the Dwell in Magic weekly newsletter. 

With love,

Jessica

The post Astral Projection: 7 Tips to Have An Out of Body Experience appeared first on Dwell in Magic®.

In this post, I'm going to share the best guided meditations on Youtube that are perfect for re-centering, exploring yourself and creating a more peaceful, joyful life.

The best guided meditations on Youtube

Guided meditations are an amazingly powerful way for recentering yourself and raising your vibration. They can help you de-stress, self-heal, manifest desires, start the day right, and get back on track mentally.

The benefits of meditation include everything from heightened immunity, lowered depression and anxiety levels, lowered blood pressure, higher self-esteem, improved breathing, and increased focus.

There is no wrong way to meditate and I recommend that everyone follow what feels best to them. I simply lie down with my headphones and put on a guided meditation that fits the mood.

If you're looking for a good set of headphones, I recently got these a few months ago and LOVE them. They're noise cancelling, wireless Bluetooth, and the battery lasts forever. I highly recommend them!

1. Morning Mindset Meditation

Length: 15 minutes

Why I love it: This guided meditation is from one of my favorite Youtube channels. Listen to her and you will see what I mean...her voice and visuals are the best.

When to listen: whenever your day begins for you! 

Related article: A Magical Morning Self-Care Routine

2. Powerful Manifesting Meditation

Length: 20 minutes

Why I love it: this 6 phase guided meditation is THE ultimate meditation in my opinion if you're wanting to reap the full benefits from meditating and the power of your mind.

When to listen: I listen to it at night because it's a powerful way to fall asleep, but it was actually created to listen to in the morning. Listen anytime of day!

Related Article: How to Use the Law of Attraction to Change Your Life

3. Feel Good Gratitude Meditation

Length: 20 minutes

Why I love it: I feel so good after listening to this meditation, which means it's raising my vibration significantly. You can focus on what's going right in your life and not feel good afterwards.

When to listen: when you want to raise your vibration, or when you want to be a manifesting machine bringing more awesome things into your life on a regular basis.

Related article: How Gratitude Will Quickly Transform Your Life

4. Feeling Abundant Meditation

Length: 20 minutes

Why I love it: this meditation is unique because it gives you something to visualize that creates feelings of abundance, not to mention how soothing and hypnotic the speaker's voice is.

When to listen: you could listen daily if you're wanting to manifest abundance, or simply listen whenever you want to dwell in the feelings of abundance. 

Related article: Manifesting Abundance When Surrounded by Lack

5. Complete Body Healing Meditation

Length: 1 hour and 15 minutes

Why I love it: this is an extremely peaceful, relaxing, and powerful meditation for body healing. 

When to listen: listen whenever you're desiring an improved or healed physical condition.

Related article: Using Tapping to Heal Your Mind, Body & Life

6. Physical Well-Being Meditation

Why I love it: this meditation focuses on reducing stress, which is the root cause of all physical pain and dis-ease. 

When to listen: listen daily for a powerful mindset shift in the area of physical well-being, or whenever you want a reminder of how natural your well-being is.

Related article: How to Heal the Mind Body Spirit Connection

7. Ho'oponopono for Self-Love and Radical Forgiveness

Length: 35 minutes

Why I love it: I love her voice (it's ASMR-y) and takes you through the ho'oponopono process, which is a super powerful forgiveness meditation that releases you and others.

When to listen: daily, or whenever you're really wanting to release something in your life.

Related article: How to Use Ho'oponopono to Uplevel Every Area of Your Life 

8. Healing Your Relationships Meditation

Length: 40 minutes

Why I love it: relationships in the physical are frequently the source of our greatest happiness and deepest pain.  This meditation gives you a beautiful visualization for healing connections with others in your life.

When to listen: anytime you're feeling hung up with another person or would like to heal a painful relationship in your reality (this person doesn't have to be in your life currently for this meditation to be healing).

Related article: Using the Law of Attraction to Transform Negative Relationships

9. Spirit Guide Meditation

Length: 30 minutes

Why I love it: this is probably one of the most deeply beautiful meditations I've listened to for connecting with your spirit guide. 

When to listen: whenever you're wanting to connect to higher spiritual aspects of yourself and your guide.

Related article: 5 Profound Ways to Connect With Your Spirit Guides

10. Favorite End of the Day Meditation

Length: 20 minutes

Why I love it: as you know, I love this channel because her voice and meditations are just beautiful. I love this meditation because I feel relaxed, centered, and surrendered after listening to it. 

When to listen: at the end of a long day.

Related article: A Nightly Self-Care Routine for Powerful Realigning

EXPLORE FURTHER

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this article and found something to take away with you. 

To receive my weekly, self-care focused email that inspires you to go deeper inside the magic that is you, sign up for the Dwell in Magic weekly newsletter.

If you’d like weekly digital resources, guidance, and community with me and others, join the Dwell in Magic Patreon. We have a book club too!

For self-paced inner work, visit the shop for transformational bundles and guides. 

With love,

Jessica

The post 11 Best Guided Meditations On Youtube appeared first on Dwell in Magic®.