Reasons you (think you) fail at astral projection

Reasons you (think you) fail at projection (v. 1.01)
by Verdant

FOREWORD
this was written as a result of Karma wondering why people fail at projection, and my attempts
to diagnose why he could not understand that people could fail.

The following below has excerpts taken from "Control of the Astral Body" by Aleister Crowley,
anything in quotation marks is from that document.
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#0. You think that sensory immersion is astral projection

sensory immersion is not required for projection, you can experience both the astral and the physical at the same time, and doing so is a bizarre experience that looks to be more like daydreaming than projection.

you can read about how to achieve immersion here:
http://pastebin.com/rqEf188H

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#1. You are reacting to the physical

A. itches, urges to move.

it's very possible that you are subconsciously holding yourself back by listening to those urges to scratch an odd itch, to move. Try to practice your focus on your inner mind, ignore the sensations and they should eventually fade.

B. You are reacting to discomfort -- wrong position, heartburn, aching muscles.

this is a problem that has bothered me many times, random aches or heartburn because of eating dairy products.

avoid eating (dairy in particular needs to wait at least two hours) at least an hour before you attempt projection, it might be more due to the nature of how your body reacts to certain foods too, so try to remember what you ate or drank before you tried meditation, even if it's that one random can of soda or whatnot.

also, do work with your energetic system, clear blockages and such, do stretches before you get in position to do projection.

all else fails, ignore it. that's it, it sounds simple and yet hard in practice but that -may- be the solution.

"C. Dual consciousness problem -- consciousness split between the physical and astral bodies in a manner that is not evident to you."

In Karma's mental projection guide, there is a mentioning of split consciousness and how you are aware of both your astral body and your physical body, but when you first try it, it seems like one big  visualization. This is because your subconscious identifies your true self as the physical body, whereas it's in truth, the astral body.

get yourself in a trance state, and use your astral body as if it was your physical, in time this should allow you to develop your astral senses and increase your immersion.

"Cause the visualization of your astral body to walk or pass around you in a full circle. If you can get all the way around without having to move your physical eyes, you should be alright. The usual point of failure is at 180 to 270 degrees, based on a point before your physical eyes."

"D. Environmental problem." (physical noises breaking your immersion)

"First try a more quiet place, or one with less memories. Experiment at different locations, including a crowded, noisy place --- you may be a Zen natural!"

if you cannot avoid noise, use earplugs, I recommend foam earplugs as they are the best at sound dampening. to an extent it works on bass but if you're next to an obnoxious roommate with an expensive subwoofer, force the volume knob from their hand (or ask nicely).

the alternative to noise-blocking is to use noise-isolating headphones to dampen outer noise, and a noise to play through on the headphones to compensate, I recommend using a natural noise, like rain or wind which can be easily incorporated into a wonderland without loss of immersion.

To effectively block out a noise, be sure to use a noise that matches the frequency of one you're trying to block out, when frequencies match, the sound you're muting will seem like it sounds similar to the one you currently hear.

Interruptions from people (roommates, family) can be a pain as well- let them know when your meditating or taking a nap and hopefully you should get less distracted.

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#2. Subconscious thoughts and habits are holding you back  -- It's all in your head.

this has various incarnations, but the root of the problem is that it's likely habits, and subconscious thoughts being the problem. Literally talking to yourself about how you would rather have this stop can help as much as meditating and thinking about how these thoughts should stop.

A. Tyranny of step by step guides

you may stuck thinking that you -must- do things step by step, some magick requires preciseness, but astral projection can be (and is best) done home-brewed. try to make your own method of projection, or make your own method of meditation to help you project.

"B. Disbelief barrier -- 'I can't do it, therefore I can't do it'."

"Best cured by startling or scaring yourself."

"C. Weakness of intent." (no goals to focus on)

"Just wanting to get into the astral body isn't always enough. Try astral transfer for a definite purpose; e.g. wanting to pass through a wall and watch an attractive neighbor take a bath."

find a universe to travel to, go to your wonderland you created, go to a meetup area (example: Lethelos). yes, for you ponyfags, Equestria is indeed a valid goal

"D. Lust of results."

"Obvious. Relax first. Distract or occupy the mind by a simple rote exercise like mentally reciting the alphabet forwards and backwards. As proficiency with the exercise increases, you may have to complicate it. For example, mentally recite all the pairs of letters: AB AC AD ... AZ BC BD ... Then add reversed recitation of the pairs. In advanced form, visualize the shapes of one pair of letters while mentally hearing your voice recite the names of the others."

you're also probably stressing yourself out physically by wanting it so bad too, doing proper affirmations will help with confidence, and meditation helps to calm down thoughts.

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3. Energetic issues may be the problem

a. Energy system is out of balance

do energy work, draw energy to your chakras, unblock your meridians, do more research on the energetic system in general

"b. Threshold problem -- a visualization trick is needed to 'spring you.'" (exit method is needed)

"Typical tricks: Physical body laying down, astral standing. Physical body a different size from the astral body. Astral body coincident in space with physical body -- separate the two by moving the astral or the physical body (astral back flip through a hole in the ceiling often works.). Kundilini rush -- most effective, but very hard on the comfort factor."

"c. Already there problems -- In order to transfer to the astral body, you must first be soundly in the physical body. Otherwise, no clear transfer may be perceivable."

"Try projection and transference after resting and after vigorous physical exercise. If it goes better the second way, this is the problem. Cure it through Hatha Yoga and body awareness exercises."

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4. Miscellaneous stuff that doesn't fit its own section

A. Waiting for nothing to happen - Immerse yourself!

Interact with stuff in the astral or your wonderland, feel the textures, use the gadgets, cuddle with your tulpa if you have one, feel your astral body and use it as if it were physical, trying to feel your limbs as you move them, hear the sounds as they are, see the sights as they are.

"B. Misconception -- You may be expecting something that is not essential."

"Discuss your expectations with people who do astral projection."

fairly self explanatory, ask someone in chat about info and such,

"C. Multiple Astral working -- It is occasionally difficult for a person to monitor the visualized Astral body from another in use, but not visualized."

"Don't expect to be inside your astral body and still be able to see it. That can wait. You will be able to do it later if you cannot do it now."

D. Sleep problems

you should get at least a solid 8 hours of sleep every night, failing that, take a nap when you have free time. sleep naturally helps with health in all forms, and getting a full night's sleep will help you project easier.

dreams can help with projection assistance, they make you feel more rested, and keeping a dream journal will help you remember both dreams and sleep projection if you have them.

Lucid dreams can also be used as a gateway to sleep projection, but be advised -- sleep projection is typically uncontrolled, length of stay is usually short.