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RE: Itchykitten's Bookshelf: Oneironautics, a Field Guide to Lucid Dreaming
Though I've usually leaned towards astral projection more than its cousin, lucid dreaming, I can say you've gained a follower in me by pointing this one out.
Nice to meet you Eric! What's astral projection? Not something that happens during sleeping?
Hiya Itchy. I don't have a cool word for it like Oneironautics, but Astral Projection is basically the art of controlled, deliberate out-of-body-experiences, usually by some meditative state resulting in a change of brainwave state. Generally, comas and such are when we think of OOBE's happening, but it can be deliberate with either some practice or lucky affinity.
Personally, I'm not claiming to have more than very limited success with either of the two topics, but they are both fascinating because of all the implications that come with them, plus the fun and value of actually practicing them.
Astral projection is so close to Lucid Dreaming because it usually does rely on the mind remaining awake while the body sleeps, though the experience itself may differ. Some do astral project during normal sleep and dreams, but it's not a conscious act. They may go observe actual events transpiring, interact with other phase ranges, and return to their body. This means the experience can be tested for validity, as well, by weighing the traveler's report against real-time events beyond what they would be normally aware of.
Anyway, I kind of flooded you, but I hope you benefit from learning a bit more about the subject.
Yeah!!! It's really interesting, I feel like there's so much we don't understand. Any good suggestions on places to start reading about it?
That's a tough one, actually. The majority of sources I've read tend to fluctuate back and forth between a scientific approach and the author's own spiritual interpretations, which may or may not resonate with the reader's own experience. There was one which I've been unsuccessful in finding again, an old book series covering many esoteric and paranormal topics with a professional attitude, which had one section detailing a method supposedly written by Einstein for his own meditations which goes into detail about the vibrational side of it. I was young when I read it over a decade ago and didn't realize how ahead of its time that method was.
I've bought a book or two on it, but the best of them, for all it's levelheaded instruction, was still very colored by the author's interpretation of spiritual matters. The best method for me has been studying multiple such authors, descriptions, and methods while keeping an eye on the common threads among them. The internet is, of course, the easiest place to look, but the same guidelines apply.
I can dig it, that's how I learned how to Brain Tan.
Thanks for the run down!