Beginner's Guide To Astral/Soul Travel, with Exercises
Guest Submitted Article: Full credit for this very extensive article on Soul Travel goes to Fedja, also known by the alias of Arcane. He and I often collaborate on our magickal study efforts so I support the following article 100%. If anyone would like to contact Fedja after reading this article with questions in regard to soul travel, he can be contacted at
[email protected]. Thank you Fedja for sharing this article!
The most basic idea in all of our magical operations is that there is something more to this world then what our mundane senses can perceive and our mundane hands can manipulate.And that if we attune ourselves to what is our there,we might be able to control this non-physical side of our reality,to affect this physical.This,is magic. Upon first stumbling into the world of the occult,most magicians are fascinated by the idea of leaving their physical bodies,and astral projecting.They vehemently research methods,on the internet,in books,or other places.They struggle with it,they reach some point and then soon they give up.Either they simply cannot calm themselves enough to do it,they calm themselves too much and cannot bear the vibrations they encounter therein,they are not capable of seeing the world,their magical imagination is tainted by their real imagination,or worse yet,they accomplish everything and simply won't believe they've done it,or don't believe they can do it. Nevertheless, Soul Travel,is in my opinion one of the most important magical skills that can be learned,because through it,all other doors can be opened.Instead of evoking a spirit into the physical world,you may travel to its
world,and meet it before its throne.Instead of casting a spell you may mold the energy directly,or perform the rituals on the astral.Instead of divining for answers,you can go look into the past and future.Instead of holding someone's hand and draining their life force,you may devour them from the nonphysical. There is far more to it than just spying on people in the shower.Not that I've done that... Before we discuss on how to leave our bodies,we will first discuss where we are going,the nature of those worlds,as well as what is done upstairs. For those who have experienced it,no explanation is needed.For those who have not experienced it,no explanation will suffice.This saying,probably summarizes most of what I'm about to say,until you actually journey out of your body,your understanding of soul travel,and the worlds you are visiting will be severely limited.Some of what I say won't even make sense.And that's OK.Just know that this is just my personal experiences,and my methods,that I am sharing.Once you have your own,mine will become more or less irrelevant.They will serve either as validation of your own experiences,or alternative viewpoints that highlight the subjectivity of magic in general. The nucleus of this reality(as there are others) is the Eternal Source,known to some as ''The All'',''God'',''Parasiva'',''Source'',and other names.It exists beyond any duality,beyond anything else,and at its primal is the interconnectedness of all things,and thus cannot be understood.The differences between me and a tree are all based on attributes and qualities that on that level of existence don't exist,and thus I am the tree,just as when one is at one with Source,one is everything.There is no clear way of ''understanding'' Source,beyond experiencing it. The Source acts much like the sun,though,instead of its rays fading,they crystallize,and solidify.As they cross various borders,they crystallize by acquiring new qualities.This is what people refer to when speaking of ''planes of existence'',various borders and degrees of solidifcation of matter. The Formative Plane exists right after Source.An endless pool of light,sound,color,and energy.No shape,nothing,just these most basic things.At this level,all things are connected.The magnificence of this universe is shown,as is its irrelevance.Everything is irrelevant at a level where you know you are small,transient,and weak,in a world that's big,eternal,and powerful. Succeeding the formative plane we have the Mental Plane,where the idea of ''thought'' and ''form'' first appears.There is no causality,no duality,but at this level,it is clear that an idea of ''creation'' starts.The light which was up until this point homogenous light,sound,color and energy has more specific forms,shapes,manifestations. After the Mental Plane,we arrive at the Causal Plane,where the idea of Cause and Effect first appears.Action has a reaction,cause has an effect.The world is still ephemeral but causality exists.
And now,we arrive to the most important one in this article,the Astral Plane.In the Astral,there is duality,much like in this fleshly world we live in.In fact,there is everything,except for actual substance.This is the spirit world,or rather the spirit worlds.Every astral kingdom,Infernal Empires,a myriad of heavens and hells and everything in between,underworlds from every mythology,worlds of the elements,the personal kingdom and house of almost every entity,raw astral fields,worlds of the dead,and so many more,are located here.
On the astral,thought and materialization begin to exist as different things.What you imagine isn't automatically real.However,you can make it more real by pushing it into the astral plane,thus creating thougthforms,or entire worlds even. On the astral,you can run without getting tired,fly,teleport,shapeshift,and have access to a wide variety of ''superpowers'',because the laws of energy and matter are much different there.Less energy is needed,simply because it is less material,or less ''real'' by our human standards.Emphasis on real by our human standards. Another important thing to note is that on the astral grandiose battles,incredible events,and the kind of weirdness that is encountered here very seldom is commonplace up there.As such,if you find yourself conquering entire empires,killing entire villages,or in any way going on adventures that turn your astral lives into what can easily look like a videongame,take it all with a grain of salt. Write it down in your notebooks,it did happen.But try not to parade it around,and announce it to the world.We've seen people lose it over that kind of stuff,and the longer you do magic,the more weird your life is going to get,including what spirits start telling you.Some of the things you hear from time to time,can be veritable delusions in the eyes of the general populations.As such,it is important to write them down,and separate them into their own ''mental cabinet'',so that they do not contaminate your daily existence.
My good friend Eva coined the term,''the kitty box'' and ''the Schrodinger Compartment'',for this.Have a special folder in your notes for the craziest of crazies.The idea is to have it there,and leave it in a state of superposition.It could be real(the cat lives),or not(the cat dies),but it is both,until you open the box,the idea of what is real and what is not doesn't exactly matter.Until it becomes important to mention or talk about in which case you're opening the kitty box,and talking about it. The kitty box is a valuable tool for other magics,but as I've said,the astral is where the genuinely weird stuff happen which is why I'm bringing it up here. Now,let us actually address how to soul travel. Engage a theta-gamma sync,or a trance,in any way that you know how.While not a requirement for every single magical operation,a trance is one of the most basic elements of most magics.There are quite a couple of methods of attaining it.Raven has shared on this very blog a video which helps induce such brainwaves,almost every meditation does this.You can attain it by gazing into a corner,into a mirror,or into a candle.In this blog post I am not instructing you how to enter a theta-gamma sync,this is something you must accomplish yourself.
Once you have commanded yourself to rest,and engaged a trance,thus flipping a switch in your mind to let you work on a level that transcends the physical,you are ready to begin.Inhale,and pull the energy of the air around you,into you,exhale,and see it being sealed into your body.Repeat this,several times,until you've feel you've acquired a degree of power.Keep focusing on your breath,being keenly aware of it.Don't try to breathe in as deeply as you can,or anything,but simply turn your full attention to your breath.Perceive it,and use it as a tool to strengthen yourself. I know for a fact that a common problem in soul traveling is not having your chakras opened,or cleared.Someone I used to help with soul travel simply couldn't do it,until she decided to explore chakra working and unclog those,at which point her abilities in this skyrocketed.It was not necessary for me,and thus it varies from person to person.Once again,chakra work would require its own post,and it is an extensive subject that can seldom be boiled down to a couple of sentences.It is at this point that people usually do do it though.
Seeing as you have already strengthened your astral body within your meatsuit,now would be the time to begin perceiving the world with it.As though you are waking up from a dream,try seeing the room around you with your eyes closed. This is a part where people struggle,not being able to differentiate real imagination from magical imagination.Do not try to ask yourself,''was my TV there,or the bookshelf?'',don't try to think anything,just simply ''see'' the room.Perceive it.You may feel a pressure in your forehead,where your third eye is.Many people run away from this all at this point.Bear through with it. With each inhalation,see the world around you solidify.With each exhalation,see yourself moving out of your body.Push yourself out of your body with each exhalatipon,and with each inhalation,solidify yourself outside of your body.Turn to something,and zoom in on it.Zoom more and more,seeing it become more and more real.This can be a clock in your house,the candle you lit in front of you,or something else.When you feel that the world is as real as it's gonna get,turn around. Gaze at your own body,the vessel you just left behind.You have just left your body. Now some important notes. -If you see people in places that are deserted,or people where there should be no people,that's OK.Keep in mind you are in the spirit world,the spiritual side of your mundane reality,the side where the two intermingle.You're gonna see people in deserted places. -If people aren't wearing what you're seeing them wearing,if things don't look the way they're supposed to look,if things look just different,it doesn't matter.Time is a loose thing there.You might be seeing a past,or future version of that person or thing you are perceiving.Embrace the vision,it will eventually adjust to the present. -You can go anywhere,teleport anywhere,simply by bringing your attention to that place,seeing yourself closing your astral eyes,and then reopening them.In a breath you will have traveled many leagues. -If you cannot properly defend yourself up there,then don't mess with dangerous things. -If you meet a spirit,and don't have a reliable method like divination or energy sensing to determine what it's like,it could always be an impostor.If it is a well-known spirit,ask it for its symbol,sign,or some proof that it really is it.If it isn't,ask your allies. -Soul Travel differs from astral projection because astral projecting means projecting your consciousness onto the astral plane,which does not include mental projecting(projecting your consciousness to the mental plane) or any other form of this,whereas soul travel is an all-emcompassing field that goes far beyond merely exiting your body.
-Soul travel is a kind of Out-of-body experience.But what makes it different from other OBEs,is that soul travel refers to OBEs where you are in control. -The Silver Cord is the cord that connects the physical body to the astral one.It's not going to get cut,but it's best not to play with it too much,and just let it remain as it is. -If you feel frightened by anything turn your attention to your body and you will immediately be brought back to it.
Exercise I: Look down,and gaze at your hands.Observe them.Try to look at your astral body. Then,visualize a different set of clothing on you,and watch as it changes.Then,a different one.Try walking through walls,looking at other things,other people.Never force the visualization,never put yourself as an active imaginer,but a passive receiver and perceiver of the world around you.Fly around,do what you want. Exercise II: Go somewhere and find an empty spot.Look around you and perceive the light that's everywhere,the energy buzzing.The small strands of indigo or violet,blue or red light.Breathe it in,pulling it into yourself,and push it from your right hand. Energy sensing and manipulation is an important art,and one that also deserves its own article.For now,though,push it out of you,and see the dense mass,and shape it.Make it into a stick,a sword,a statue.Make more and more elaborate things.Structure it,which is to say,use your breath to control it and make it more real to yourself and to the world. If you need to use your physical hands to mold this,then by all means do so and watch as your physical and astral body are in sync. Make a fountain,somewhere outside.Preferably connect it to a leyline(more on that in the next exercise) so that there's water flowing from it.In your waking reality,observe as people passing through the fountain seem to have an odd feeling,or animals seem to walk around it.After a time,disassemble it.Do not fret if nothing reacted to it,what matters is that you made it and you saw it. Exercise III: Now that you know how to exit your body,go to a spot like a graveyard,a crossroad,a haunted house,a place knwon for UFO sites,a church,a mosque,a place that just ''feels powerful''.These places are holes that link this world to another.Some of them are aligned in a line,called a leyline,whereas others are simply just there,to link two places.They may manifest as actual pits,doors,gateways,''flashes of light''.
When you feel you are comfortable outside of your body in this world,go through one of those.Perceive the world on the other side,and its denizens.The first world I journeyed to in this way was a place called the Garden of Souls,linked through a grave in a Muslim cemetery.The people ther ewere spirits of the dead,living prosperously,most of them people who died in the war. I also met the Cryptkeeper of that particular cemetery,who was my guide through it.There were fields,and meadows,one mountain and a huge lake.Pedestals for angels to stand on(as I summoned Michael later on one of these),and portals leading to this world,to name just a few. Find your world,and look for a guide there,to help you through it.Or call out to one of your spirit allies. Exercise IV: Now that you know how to teleport yourself to someone,by bringing your attention to them,turn your attention towards a particular entity.Not a wellknown spirit either.This entity is a muse of sorts,helping people with creative projects.He is generally delighted to meet magicians,and is very friendly,though some of his ideas can be weird and unhelpful.However,we are all always looking for inspirationa,and he is filled with it. His name,is Dorr .Pronounced ''door''.In fact,he oftentimes manifests as a door,though to me he's a white humanoid frog.Go to Dorr.When you meet Dorr,commune with him.Ask him a quesiton and hear his answer in your head,as though you were talking to a spirit in evocation.Do not dismiss it as your imagination. Exercise V: Soul travel out of your body and into the Northwest.With an astral dagger,wand,or your finger,a labarum,or chi-ro.The chi-ro is a symbol of the passage of time,which is crucial for this operation.Draw one that's as big as you are.Surround it in a circle. Then hover your right hand over it,and push your intent into it.Focus on a time period,in the past or in the future,and then push it outwards,onto the chi-ro,seeing it glow,as though you are opening a sigil.Push it more,until the chi-ro cracks into a small hole. Journey through it and you will find yourself time travelling into the past,or future.Be wary of what you meet there,but also enjoy the experience of having travelled through time. Exercise VI: Repeat the fifth exercise,and soul travel into the future.Your future.While imbuing the chi-ro,focus on a specific intent.Maybe you want to be able to pass a test,or you want to get some money.Journey to the point where you are spending the money you wanted,or that moment after the test where you feel confident you did well.
Then,pause time and watch that moment.Focus on it,feeling the emotions that arise from it.Feel as though it is happening now and then.Merge with you from the future,and invoke into yourself the full joy that comes from acquiring this,the relief,the happiness,and the positive emotions that arise. Solidify yourself in that moment,and when you feel your concentration dwindling and your desire exhausted,return to your body.State and reaffirm the intent of the ritual,record the experience and forget about it.Go about your day,and do whatever is physically necessary for you to accomplish this. Exercise VII: Using the same methods of visualization and structuring that I outlined in the second exercise,start making a building.Somewhere on the astral plane.It may be in the clouds or in a plot of land given to you by one of your spirit allies,or somewhere else. Make an astral temple.This can be a humble sanctuary in a small hut,or an extravagant palace.Depends on how well you can structure.Start molding things,and as you do so stretch your metaphysical arms.As you do so push your will into it.If you want a throne,the energy will mold itself into a throne.If you want a mirror,it will mold itself into a mirror. Your consciousness are the bricks,your will is the mortar.If you have any spiritual allies,ask them to help you make this astral temple,or defend it somehow.When the outline has been made,solidify it,add the details,and you will have a temple. Exercise VIII: Look at something in the distance,through a window,while going about your daily life.Calm yourself,close your eyes,and with your mere breath go there.If you have mastered soul travel to the point where you can do this,then you may try to soul travel,without engaging a theta-gamma sync in the first place.Not calming yourself at all.If you cannot do this,train more and get back to this. Realize that though it seems like fantasy,you are soul traveling.You are exiting your body,as you have before,and you are doing the same things you have before.If a trance comes naturally,embrace it.If not then no harm done. Repeat this until you are certain completely that you don't need trances to soul travel. Exercise IX: Learn to exist both within your body and outside of it at the same time. a.Project out of your body while sitting in a chair.No trances,not even closing your eyes,just go to your astral temple,and do something there. b.Project while walking,and do something simple up there,like folding a piece of astral paper.
c.Project while doing something with your hands,like cooking,and do something more complex,like cutting the folded paper with astral scissors. d.Project while reading,glue the paper to another piece of paper and make something that actually makes sense. e.Project while exercising,make a snowflake out of paper on the astral. f.Project while doing a hard problem-solving type of task,like maths,and make a complex origami like a crane. g.Project while dreaming,if you have any mastery over your dreams,that is,and make a drawing on the astral. Change the complexity of both the physical task and the astral task until you know you are bilocating,and know how to dwell on both ends at the same time,while still functioning in both. Exercise X: Perform a ritual,both on the astral,and in the physical world,in perfect synchronicity.If there are any symbolic actions in the physical world(like wrapping a poppet in a red yarn),do those things literally on the astral(like wrapping the person the poppet represents in a red chain).Take care in designing the ritual if you are developing it,or in adapting the ritual if you are borrowing it.This ritual shouldn't be an evocation,because of the nature of evocation. Exercise XI: Journey to Master Sunham,in his temple.Sunham is an ascendant master,who is more than happy to receive anyone willing to learn,with hopes that you may choose someday to join their ranks.He will guide you into perfecting all of these methods. Now that you know how to soul travel and have a strong mastery over it,you may want to learn how to shapeshift,or do other things on the astral plane.You may explore making egregores and populating a kingdom with your astral temple as the capital. There is so much potential out there,to grow,to experiment,to learn and to do. Soul Travel is a necessary skill,an extraordinary power,a wonderful tool,and even a powerful weapon. I hope this article was helpful.
