Most people will have heard at some point in time in their lives the term astral projection. It is possible they may have heard it there are a number of books, movies and people who have studied or follow a new age path. However, there are only a small number of people that understand that astral projection is both real and something that anyone and everyone can do. In fact, many people have actually experienced at least one astral projection in their lives and while some may be aware of this experience, many people are not.

First, it is a good idea to understand what astral projection is. In simple terms, astral projection is the ability to leave one?s body. Everyone has this ability, and everyone does this at night during sleep. When you are sleeping and your physical mind is at rest, your subconscious mind comes to the forefront. When this happens, a person is able to astral project. Many people just don?t remember doing it.

You can journey to any desired location when you astral project. You may even have done this as a child as you went to bed, as you grew into adulthood you just forgot how. No time or distance restrictions apply when astral projecting, which makes it possible to travel virtually anywhere. The astral body is what does the traveling when the person's physical body is sound asleep.

This brings up the next thing to talk about, what exactly the astral body is. The astral body actually is an invisible copy of your body, this is most commonly called the ethereal body. It is the center of our desires and feelings. Why is it that the astral body does not just leave and not return? Your astral body is actually connected to your physical body by a silver cord.

This cord was actually connected the first moment that your astral body went into your physical body and this cord cannot be cut until your astral body departs the physical body one last time at your death. This cord is what keeps your astral body from staying away when it leaves your physical body.

Often times the question of where the astral body actually travels will come up with discussing astral projection. The astral plane is the realm of the astral body and it is through this plane, which consists of many levels that the astral body travels. The astral plane has several different theories that surround it. The first is that the astral plane is an alternate dimension of reality which overlays the physical. Another is that it happens to come in contact with the physical world through vibrations, which puts the astral plane on another wavelength separating it from the physical world. No matter what particular description is used to explain the existence of an astral plane, experts in the field agree that there are multiple levels to this alternate plane.

After learning about astral projection and about this other plane of existence, the questions of safety and danger arise. The answer is both yes and no to both the questions of is there danger and is it safe. The astral plane is made up of a number of levels. Some of these levels are safe others are not and the mental clarity and focus of the person astral projecting often determines on which level they travel.

The dangerous part about astral projection is when an individual does this when their minds aren't right. A person should not do astral projection under the influence of drugs or alcohol because they may wind up in some very bad locations. These bad locations would be located on the astral plane's lower levels.

For this reason, it is important that you prepare ahead of time by knowing where you are going and what you plan to do. Your goal is to be a conscious participant in astral projection. You will want to have complete control over the actions of your astral body. This control is directed by your thoughts.

There are a number of different methods of preparation depending on whom or what you consult. Professionals all have different ways of preparing, that can provide you with the necessary information to be able to prepare and enjoy the benefit of learning how to control the experience and benefit from astral projection. Many people however prefer to practise astral projection in their own home.

There are several books on this subject and you can locate other aids to help you online. One type of aid is that of hypnosis recordings that are created for astral projections to get you into the desired state of mind. This helps you get totally relaxed along with taking you through that various levels. This is often the preferred method over a professional approach, because you can replay the recording as much as you need to get your subconscious mind to get the message about when it is alright to begin to astral project and leave your physical body.

There have been a number of recent advances in sound technologies, one of which is called 'binaural beats'. Binaural beats work by transmitting slightly varied sound frequencies in each of the listener?s ears. The effect of this is to foster quick entry into a deeply relaxed state of meditation, which is necessary for successful astral projection.

Do not be discouraged if you are unable to astral project in the beginning. It is important to keep in mind that you are simply remembering a skill that you already possess and have used at some point in your past.

Do you still not totally believe this is for real? Well have you ever had dreams that you were flying or had the sensation of falling? The flying was your astral body actually traveling through the various astral planes. The sensation of falling is the astral body coming back to the physical body after it traveling around. Astral projection really exists! Take time to tune your natural abilities and you will see that anyone has the abilities to perform this and reap the benefits from it.