Astral Projection might be real?

Astral projection (or astral travel) is an interpretation of an out-of-body experience (OBE) that assumes the existence of an "astral body" separate from the physical body and capable of travelling outside it.






We've all heard of out-of-body experiences. They usually come from individuals who have almost died, come back to life, or taken some form of psychedelic. Astral projection, though, proposes that one is able to allow the should to leave the body at any time given the right frame of mind and circumstance. 
I first heard of astral projection in high school. Our Psychology teacher, a loose term for what he actually taught us, told us about it. He told us about of a lot of crazy stuff. At the time, I thought it was crazy, but now I wish I could go back and pick his brain. He talked a lot about energies, chakras, positive and negative energy clouds, aliens, etc. I wish I could go back and take that class again with the wider lens I have now. It's not that I wrote it off at the time, I just wasn't able to fully believe it or get it. 
Skip a few years down the road to me right after college. I was at a used book store in my hometown. (I love used book stores). I saw a book on astral projection and immediately thought of my best friend Steven J. I bought the book as a gift for him and the idea we would try it together.
I'm gonna back up a little... In my early college years I tried mushrooms with my friends John and James. We got great advice and were told to do it when you had nothing else to do, could be outside, were not far from our dorms, and with people we trusted. It was a great experience. The world looked like a living painting, like in that movie What Dreams May Come. More happened with that, but this post isn't about that. Anyways, I enjoyed my mushroom trip. I told Steve about it. He was interested. We got  him some and I told him I would just take care of him that night. He also had a positive experience. Neither of us ever did anything harder than mushrooms, but we did them a couple times. 






Those experiences got us interested in other experiences that might be of the same type.... thus, astral projection. We decided to try it one night at Steve's apartment in Chicago with our friend HP. Steve, in his theater classes in college, had learned some very interesting warm ups for voices, for the mind, and for the spirit. These were things like humming at the same pitch, repeating syllables almost like monks, etc. We had used these before for fun. We decided that these might help us get to the right frame of mind to project astrally. We also had a bit to drink, which seemed like a good idea, but I now know was probably the opposite. 
We all three played on the floor, heads together in, in a circle and did the chants. we then really concentrated on helping our should leave our body. The frame of of mind stuff worked. I was in a very relaxed state. We stayed quiet and unmoving for a long time, until Steve rustled and decided that was enough. 
I remember visualizing the Earth from above as I lifted away from it. I remember seeing the Earth's aura. I didn't go to another dimension or see other astral beings, but I did visualize floating around all over the place far form the surface of earth. Now, I say that I "visualized" it because it could have just been half asleep in my relaxed state. Basically, I am not at all convinced I projected, but maybe I did.

Now, looking back after my floating session recently, I think that maybe I really did project and that it wasn't a dream. That state of being where you're not sure if you are asleep or awake seems to be where most people find these experiences. 
So, this subject matter came to my attention recently after listening to another The Human Experience Podcast. They had on the "world's foremost expert on astral projection", Robert Bruce. I really tried to keep a very open mind listening to this episode. A lot of what he said and talked about seemed like it could be very legitimate and real. I'm still not sure I believe in astral projection, but some what he was getting at with energies and there being a lot more to the universe....I could buy that. Then is got weird. He started talking about a lot of stuff that just seemed like he made it up on the spot. He might not have and I could be very wrong, but I became super skeptical of this guy. 






He discussed being attacked by astral beings and them sucking your energy out and how to combat it. One of the first things to do would be to get in the shower or leave your house because they can't follow you. Really? They can't follow you? These beings living on another plane of existence that supposedly exists will be thwarted by showers or leaving the house? That seems made it. Again, maybe its not, but......

Here's what the one that got me to almost turn off the podcast... then later wonder if he was right. 

He discussed that a bee came to him and was communicating with him... yes....a bee. Apparently bees have strong energy powers and astral abilities, according to Robert Bruce. This bee hovered right by the area between hi eyebrows and beckoned him o follow. He did for days, ending up at some weird commune or something, as crazy as that sounds. 

Here's the funny thing. The next day I was outside for morning duty at school thinking about this podcast and the crazy, trying to decide what I thought I believed and didn't. Then a bee came up to me and made its way around me. I don't freak out about bees. I just let them decide if I'm a flower or not and then they will move on. This bee stayed awhile, hovering around. Then spent a little time hovering right between my eyebrows, then buzzed away. I am not at all sure what to make of that. It could be 100% coincidence. Life is weird on its own without help. But maybe the bee wanted me to follow it......