How to Astral Project #3 - Mind Awake Body Asleep

Phase Evolution on YouTube

I bet you thought I was done with this mind awake, body asleep stuff right? Well, so did I, until I reread some posts by a guy named Frank Kepple.  Frank spent years commenting on a forum called the Astral Pulse.  At some time, someone took all of his posts and compiled them into a single PDF which documents his progress and experiences over the years as he is learning to project.  As it so happens, one of the techniques he talks about, one which I have never personally had success with, takes advantage of this mind awake, body asleep state.

William Buhlman also talks about a similar technique in his book Adventures Beyond the Body. William has decades of experience and if he says that this is an effective technique for many folks out there, who am I to argue?  I will present this the way I understand it and will update my description later if by chance I am ever able to gain success using this method.

The idea of both William and Frank's accounts of this technique is that you need to disassociate yourself from your body.  You need to transfer your consciousness to another location, and this is done through creative visualization and engaging your five senses. William calls this his Target Technique.

To employ this technique, in the physical, go to a place you are very familiar with.  William uses his mother's living room.  Once in this room, take in everything, engaging as many senses as you can.  What color are the walls?  What is the texture of the ceiling or the floor beneath your feet? Are there any smells that are unique to this location? Are there any sounds that you associate with this location? Once you have a good grasp of this room and can really feel every aspect of it with your senses, locate three objects.  William recommends that you select objects that are meaningful to you.  Maybe they have sentimental value.  William uses the example I believe, of a figurine that he created in school as a child that his mother has kept on a shelf.  Walk up to this object and pick it up.  Scrutinize it from every angle.  Look at it up close. Feel every inch of it.  Memorize its texture and weight. Does it have any flaws?  Now put down that item, again, take inventory of everything in the room with your senses, then move on to item number two and repeat this process of scrutinizing every minute detail. Now repeat with object number three.  Repeat this entire process over and over until you are confident that you can rebuild this entire room and each object in your imagination.

Go to bed, put your body to sleep, and reach this void state that we have discussed previously.  Now begin walking through your selected physical location in your mind.  Reproduce each sensation you experienced earlier with your senses. Pick up each object and look closely at them.  Weigh them in your hands, feel every inch just as you did in the physical.  Repeat this process over and over again, making it as real as you possibly can.

At some point, you should experience a shift.  Your consciousness will transition to the location you have been imagining and you are out of body.

Frank's approach to this is very similar.  Frank does not emphasize the need for a location you are familiar with.  In fact, your location can be completely imagined.  In Frank's approach, the use of your five senses is paramount, but it doesn't matter specifically where you use them.  Frank recommends selecting a task that will engage each sense that is repetitive.  The example he provides is sitting at a wooden table and peeling potatoes. Imagine this.  You are sitting at a wooden table with a paring knife or potato peeler in front of you.  To your left is a bucket of unpeeled potatoes. To your right is a bucket of water where you will place each potato once it is peeled.

Now, in your mind, once you are in that void state, begin peeling potatoes.  Pick up a potato.  Notice any dirt. Notice the texture of the skin. Pick up the peeler and listen to the sound as you drag it across the potato. Feel the wet smooth potato in your hand once you have it peeled. Smell that starchy smell. Now drop it in the bucket of water and hear it splash.  Pick up another potato and repeat the process.

Take inventory of what is around you. What does the table look like? Is it old beat up wood? Is it new and glossy?  Are the peelings falling directly onto the table or are you peeling over a bowl or plate? Make this scene as real and convincing to your five senses as you possibly can.  As with William's target technique, at some point, you will make the shift and you will be the one peeling potatoes; your body left far behind.

This technique has some benefits for those that can't seem to get used to the jarring sensations associated with normal exit techniques.  From what I have read, this results in a much more controlled gradual phase shift.  No violent vibrations, noise in your head, and no feeling as though you have just been ejected from your body at full speed, landing who knows where.

I would imagine that like anything that requires visualization, this one is bound to take some practice. Give it a try, and please let me know how it goes for you.