| The term "astral projection" can be used in 2 senses. | | | | body is not a new phenomenon; the ancients knew |
| First, it can be used to talk about an out-of-body | | | | about it. According to Medieval, Classical, Renaissance, |
| experience (OOBE). Second, it can be used to explain | | | | Rosicrucian, and Theosophist philosophies, everybody |
| the weird phenomenon of consciousness leaving the | | | | has an astral body, a body of light that links the |
| physical body and viewing the world objectively, | | | | physical body to the soul. In ancient Egypt, the |
| impassively, and independently. | | | | phenomenon of "soul travel" was well known. Ancient |
| Most of the scientific world, of course, pooh-poohs the | | | | Egyptian texts contain ample information about the |
| very notion of leaving one's body. People with a | | | | soul's ability to leave the physical body and travel at |
| rational bent of mind claim that, since the experience | | | | will. |
| cannot be explained as per the currently known laws | | | | A large number of books on the subject were |
| of physics, it has to be dismissed as hallucination, | | | | published in the twentieth century; but the authors are |
| imagination, or dream. In other words, science claims | | | | no longer in the limelight. Some of these writers were |
| that there is no such thing as astral projection. | | | | Robert Munroe, Yram, Oliver Fox, and Sylvan Muldoon. |
| However, at least 14 percent of the human population | | | | Contemporary authors who have attracted a lot of |
| claims to have had an OOBE. Most OOBEs were | | | | media attention are William Buhlmann and Robert |
| reported by people who survived death. These people | | | | Bruce. They are also the most popular practitioners at |
| have commonly reported floating out of their bodies | | | | present. Michael Crichton speaks about the experience |
| toward the ceiling and objectively observing from | | | | in detail in his book "Travels." The dentist Waldo Vieira |
| above anxious relatives, doctors working feverishly to | | | | had his first OOBE when he was only 9 years old. |
| revive them, nurses helping out, and so on. Such cases | | | | Later he wrote more than 20 books and innumerable |
| are also called near-death experiences or NDEs. | | | | articles on the subject. |
| Consciousness can also leave the physical body when | | | | Although science cannot find an explanation for these |
| the person is in deep meditation or trance. Ordinary | | | | paranormal phenomenons, some scientists do make a |
| people can float out of their bodies when they are | | | | sincere attempt to study and analyze them. For |
| simply resting or sleeping. Usually, astral projection | | | | instance, The Archives of Scientist's Transcendent |
| leads to astral travelling. No longer content with | | | | Experiences (TASTE) was founded to provide a |
| hovering around their bodies, seasoned practitioners | | | | common platform for scientists to record their personal |
| travel all over the universe visiting dead as well as living | | | | astral projection experiences. Anybody can read these |
| loved ones, different phases of existence, and so on. | | | | experiences online. |
| The separation of consciousness from the physical | | | | |