At least one in ten people in this world claim to have had astral projection. Simultaneously, a sizable portion of the human population dismisses the idea that consciousness leaves the body and travels to distant places like the Moon, Mars, and Jupiter. Rationalists label the phenomenon “mind tricks”, “mind thing”, “hallucination”, “imagination”, “drug abuse”, “too many quick tricks”, etc.
The Skeptic’s Dictionary says (quite truthfully) that there is absolutely no evidence that anyone can get their consciousness, mind, soul, spirit, astral body, or whatever you want to call it, to leave their physical bodies and travel to distant places on Earth. . or the Universe. The entire body of “evidence” that astral travel has is in the form of testimonials, experiences, or accounts from people who claim to have had astral projection.
In recent days, scientists have dragged the phenomenon of astral travel into the laboratory and tried to find the truth about it. Two teams of scientists, hailing from University College London UK and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne, used virtual reality goggles to trick the brain into thinking the body was located somewhere else. These scientists have pointed to a neurological explanation for astral projection. They claim that some out-of-body experiences (OOBEs) could be due to a disconnection between brain circuits that process tactile and visual information.
And what do practitioners say? The best ones admit that some OOBE or astral travel are not really true. They are just figments of the imagination, generated by a brain drenched in alcohol or influenced by drugs. In other words, they are “dream” things that originate in the unknown recesses of the brain. These experiences can be had as a result of deep sleep, drug and alcohol abuse, exhaustion, or simply imagination running wild.
Simultaneously, experienced practitioners claim that certain OOBEs are genuine. Practitioners know they are real simply because these experiences produce knowledge that was not available before the projection. For example, in the case of certain near-death experiences (NDEs), subjects converse with family members who don’t even know they’re dead. Several recorded OBEs were then carefully analyzed and investigated by experts who concluded that the subject was indeed out of his body.
And how can you know about the truth of astral travel? You can, first of all, read about it. Accept it as the truth only if you can actually experience it firsthand. Many people who have experienced it feel that it is a “mind trick”. But there are many more who are convinced that it is real. You have to draw your own conclusions based on careful study, analysis, research and experience.
