does great visualization help to astral project?
what about tactile imagination?



thanks (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blush2.gif)

First, I have not had a successful astral projection that I consciously tried to do. I have had spontaneous projections and they involved my visual, tactile and auditory senses. I don't recall being able to smell and didn't try to taste anything though I suspect those senses could have been used. The times I have done mental projection I have put in both auditory and tactile stimulation by imagining what things would feel like and sound like. On the psychology level of things one of the techniques I have used to get myself and others into a deeper altered state is to have them imagine not just the visual aspect but all other senses when they are trying to deal with a particular issue such as a recurring dream. I also do this when attempting path work with the tarot.

On that subject dose anyone have any suggestions for getting deeper and true projection? I can't seem to get totally out of my body as much so as on the spontaneous projections I have.

Sadly the only answer is more practice.

I have successfully used the classic new age method, sort of Monroe and Bruce method, where you are either pulling in "vibrations" or pulling out via a rope or some such. They work, you go directly from no projection to full on projection but despite my best efforts I cannot make them consistent enough to warrant the time and attention to them. Perhaps I am doing it incorrectly but it always seemed to take me an hour of intense work to achieve either only a few minutes of projection or most times nothing at all.

The other method involves sort of the route most magical orders teach. Crowley goes into it in Liber E I believe but he is too vague to be very helpful, at least for myself. Denning & Phillips go much more into detail and my personal favorite that really clicked with me was Ophiel's material. Success is very quick but usually begins with mostly a mental projection that takes a lot of time and practice before it can develop into true full on astral projection.

Basically it boils down to forming an body image before you. Transferring your consciousness into it. Strive to see through it's eyes and feel with it arms and legs. Hold your hands up, look at them, flex the fingers. In a very short period of practice you will actually feel and see in this body of light, but you will have this odd switching back and forth between it and your "real" body. Once you reach this level you can either totally focus upon being in this body only, if you can maintain it for a minute or so you will suddenly pop and find yourself exactly where you had formed the astral body. Or you can take the long road and just constantly practice moving in the body of light and slowly the switching between bodies will happen less and less until it no longer happens and you are in the body fully.

I hope some of that makes some since...