Have you ever had an out-of-body experience that allowed you to see yourself through a different lens of consciousness? Now, imagine intentionally inviting your consciousness to leave your body in order to have new experiences and explore faraway places. Astral projection is the act of your spirit (AKA “astral body”  leaving your physical body while you are either sleeping or in a deeply meditative state. It has been recorded that during these experiences, people can astral project to different parts of the world, and based on some accounts, even different planes of existence. If you’re interested in astral projecting—or having an “out-of-body experience”, allow me to explain how it works.

Related Stories

Here’s the Flower That Captures Each Zodiac Sign’s Natural Beauty

11 Signs You Know Someone From a Past Life (& That You’re Picking Up Where You Left Off)

Astral projection has been documented in several cultures, dating back to ancient Egyptian times. They would refer to the astral body as “Ka”. In the Quran (or Koran), the Prophet Muhammad astral travels on the second leg of his journey from Mecca to Jerusalem, and then Jerusalem to the heavens. Humans have been practicing astral travel since the beginning of time, so how can we partake in this mystical experience in the modern world?

Less like an involuntary out-of-body experience that is sudden, unplanned and has recognition from the medical community, astral projection is considered a more intentional and spiritual experience for those who partake. Much like disassociation, it has been said by many spiritual healers that astral projecting without intention can lead to a sense of losing control. However, in order to astral project safely, aligning your energetic points and connecting with your chakras is the most sure fire way to prevent yourself from having a scary or out-of-control experience. If you are confronted with difficult situations during astral projection, you may feel like you are losing touch with yourself and reality at large.

In order to have a safe experience and get the most that you can from astral projection, approach this practice with openness, intention and an easeful mind. And although there is no recognition from the medical field about astral projection being “physically” possible, the profound and life-changing effects on the awareness of those who practice astral travel have shared may encourage you to entertain this ancient, mystical and spiritually-strengthening practice. 

You may be asking yourself “how can I do this with no experience?” or “how can I astral project if I have struggled with this in the past?”. With practice and depending on your own natural ability, this can happen from your first experience but may take several weeks to occur—either way, be patient! Now, let me give you an easy and beginner friendly step-by-step guide to astral projection:

How to Astral Project (7 Steps)

1. Set your intention: Call upon your spirit guides, angels or a higher power (depending on your belief system) to protect you and your energy on this journey. You can also envision a protective circle of white light if spiritual beings do not resonate with you. As noted above, you do not want to astral project without an intention.
2. Relax your body: If you have set your intentions, the next step is to lay down or sit in a comfortable position. Putting on white noise, binaural beats or any other sounds that allow you to dive deeply into a meditative state is recommended.
3. Meditate and align your energy points (chakras): Start to focus on each part of your body starting with your feet and ending with your head. Each part of your body is associated with a different energy point (or chakra). Each time you exhale, tell yourself “my body is relaxing”, and allow the sensation of vibration to cover your body.
4. Visualize the room that you are in with great detail: bring all of your awareness up to your third eye (the space in between your eyebrows in the center of your forehead). Picture where you are with as much detail as possible and fixate on one specific point. Allow the visual of yourself inside of the room to appear. If you cannot get out of your body and see yourself, you can use the rope method (visualizing a rope hanging from the ceiling and using this to pull yourself out of your body so you can see yourself beneath you). When you can see yourself, you are now having an out-of-body experience and beginning to astral project.
5. Explore the astral plane: Now that you have left your body, allow yourself to explore with curiosity and without any motive or plan. Wander and allow yourself to see where you are taken. Over time you can start to set plans on where you would like to travel before you drop into astral projection.
6. Return to your body: When you are ready to come back, bring your attention back to your body and notice the sensation of your sit bones, your fingers, your back laying on the surface beneath you or anything else in your physical body that can start to call your attention back. Thinking or saying “I call back my energy” can also help with this step.
7. Wake up & reflect: Once you are conscious again, you can either sit with what has just happened, what you learned or start to take notes.

If you don’t astral project on your first try, don’t give up! If you have fallen asleep, can’t bring clarity to your visuals or you simply feel frustrated with this process, know that astral travel comes more naturally to certain people than others. However, everyone is capable of doing it, so keep practicing.

There is no rush and no competition in the process of astral projection, and even setting aside time to relax or connect with yourself is something to be proud of! Eventually, your astral projections will become more vivid and open you up to deeper subconscious lessons that rewire your perspective. After all, practicing astral projection can help you to become an even more conscious and at-peace version of yourself in your waking life. And most importantly—make sure you’re having fun on your travels through the astral!