An out of body
experience is a subjective experience in
which one's consciousness seems to depart
from the body, enabling
him or her to perceive the physical world
from the outside. The term
out-of-body experience is often used
interchangeably with astral projection,
but the two phenomena, while similar, are
not synonymous at all. Astral
projection, by contrast, is the idea that a
person has an astral body, usually connected
to the physical body by a silver cord, that
can travel freely in the astral world.
The astral world is a subtle replica
of the physical world but may contain
elements that have no counterparts in the
physical world. Unlike an OBE, an
astral projection does not require one's
consciousness to travel through the physical
world and being able to perceive physical reality from outside the body.
Out-of-body experiences can be terrifying,
especially while one experiences it for the
first time. The sensation of
separating from the physical body may make a
person feel as if his or her soul is leaving
the body (i.e, dying). To experienced
practitioners, on the other hand, OBE can be
an exhilarating adventure, allowing them to
fly and walk through walls with their sense
perceptions largely intact . Owing to
its remarkable intensity and vividness,
out-of-body experiences can be
spiritually transforming, affirming the
existing of the soul and the afterlife.
NAVIGATION:
-
More about Out-of-Body Experiences (WikiBooks)
-
Jouni A. Smed's Out-of-Body Experience FAQ (An excellent, thorough introduction to OBE)
-
Out of Body Techniques (Learn to have OBEs!)
