Hi, welcome back to the Astro Gateway Podcast.
I'm Nurith Weiss Devicione. In the previous episode, we
talked about the second step of Astro projection, creating
focus. Before that, we looked at
relaxation and how allowing the body to settle while keeping the
mind gently aware creates the right conditions for the
experience to unfold. If you've been practicing those
two steps together, you might have started noticing something
interesting. Maybe your body begins to feel
distant or heavy. Maybe your breathing changes and
seems to take over by itself. Or maybe you simply find
yourself in a very quiet state where you're deeply relaxed, but
you're still aware of what's happening.
That's exactly where today's episodes begin.
Because after relaxation and after creating focus comes the
next part of the process. Know when it's time to leave the
body. This is the point where many
people either become excited and pull themselves out of the
experience, or they assume something unusual is happening
and stop the process before it has a chance to develop.
The truth is that what's happening is usually very
natural. Your body is moving towards
sleep. Your awareness is staying
present, and because you're remaining conscious through the
process that normally happens unconsciously every night, you
begin noticing things that most people simply sleep through.
That's why this stage can feel unfamiliar at first, not because
something strange is happening, but because you're awake to it.
One of the most common experiences people talk about at
this stage is vibrations. Now, not everyone will
experience them, and they don't always feel the same, but
they're common enough that it's worth understanding what they
are and how to work with them instead of reacting to them.
And that's what I'd like to spend some time talking about
today. Because once you understand the
stage, everything starts making a lot more sense.
OK, so let's talk about the vibrations themselves.
People describe them in all sorts of way.
Some people feel a gentle humming moving through the body.
Others describe it as buzzing, almost like standing near a
powerful electrical current. Some feel waves moving through
their feet toward the head, or from the head down through the
rest of the body. For some people, it's very
subtle. For others, it's incredibly
strong. You might even hear sounds.
A loud buzzing, a ringing, a rushing noise.
Some people hear what sounds like static.
Others hear voices or snippets of conversations that seem
completely random. If you've ever experienced
anything like that before, it could be surprising, but these
kinds of sensations have been reported by people for a very
long time, and they're a very natural part of the transition
for many people. The important thing to remember
is that not everyone experiences vibrations.
Sometimes the transition is so gentle that you simply find
yourself outside your body without noticing much
beforehand, and sometimes it's somewhere in between.
So don't use vibrations as a test to decide whether you're
making progress. There's simply one possible sign
that your body is deeply relaxed while your awareness remains
present. The other thing I'd like to
mention is that the vibrations themselves are not the goal.
Sometimes people become so focused on trying to make them
stronger that they forget what they're actually trying to do.
The vibrations are not the experience, they're simply part
of the process. For many people, it's a little
like sitting on a runway waiting for a plane to take off.
You don't bore the plane just to stay on the runway.
Eventually you want the journey to begin.
The same applies here. If vibrations come, notice them,
allow them, stay with them, but don't become attached to them.
Now, the biggest thing that interrupts this stage is usually
your own reaction. The first time it happens, it's
very common to think this is it, and the moment that excitement
comes in, everything stops. The heart rate changes, your
attention jumps back into the physical body and you're fully
awake again. The opposite can happen too.
Sometimes people feel the vibrations beginning and think
something is wrong. The sensations feel unfamiliar
and fear naturally comes up again.
The body wakes up completely and the experience ends.
So what's the answer, really? It's much simpler than people
think. Just let it happen.
You don't have to make the vibration stronger.
You don't have to analyze them. You don't have to wonder whether
they're real enough. You simply stay present.
Let them move through you without trying to control them.
Almost like listening to rain outside your window.
You're aware of it, but you're not doing anything with it.
The more relaxed you are, the more naturally the process
continues, and something interesting happens over time.
The first few times, the vibrations might feel intense,
maybe even overwhelming. But after you've experienced
them enough, they start feeling familiar.
You recognize them. You know where they're leading.
Instead of wondering what's happening, you simply settle
into them. For many people, including
myself, that strange stage eventually becomes deeply
peaceful, sometimes even blissful.
After you've gone through it a few times, it all starts to feel
familiar. And then instead of thinking
what's happening, you think, OK, here we go.
And you stay relaxed, stay aware, and let the experience
continue on its own. So when do you actually use an
exit technique? This is probably one of the
questions I get asked the most. People often ask when should I
try to roll out? Or when should I imagine
floating? Or should I wait for vibrations
first? The truth is, there isn't one
exact moment that's the same for everybody.
Over time, you start to recognize it it It's almost like
your awareness reaches a tipping point.
Your body feels very distant. Your mind is clear.
Sometimes the vibrations are there, sometimes they are not
there, but there's a feeling that something has shifted.
That's usually when it's time to begin.
And here's something I think is really important.
And exit technique isn't about forcing yourself out of the
body. You're not trying to pull
yourself out with effort. You're simply given your
awareness, a direction to move in.
That's all. Think of it like imagining
yourself walking. If I asked you right now to
imagine taking a few steps through your living room, you
could probably do it instantly. You're not moving your physical
legs, you're imagining movement. And that's exactly what we're
doing here. The only difference is that your
body is now deeply relaxed, and your awareness is much closer to
that threshold between waking and sleep.
So the imagine movement can begin to feel incredibly real,
and sometimes so real that it no longer feels imagined at all.
That's when the experience starts unfolding.
There are quite a few exit techniques, but they're all
built around the same idea. They simply give awareness
somewhere to go. One of the most well known is
the rolling technique. You imagine slowly rolling out
of bed. Not physically of course, just
mentally. Don't think about your muscles,
don't wonder if you're actually moving, simply imagine yourself
rolling onto the floor beside your bed.
At first it might feel like nothing is happening.
Then suddenly the movement starts to take on life on its
own. Another technique is sitting up.
Again, you're not using your physical body, you simply
imagine yourself sitting up naturally.
Some people find this easier because it's such a familiar
movement. You don't need to see yourself
doing it, just feel yourself sitting up.
Sometimes that's enough for the separation to happen almost
effortlessly. Another method is floating.
Imagine yourself becoming lighter and lighter, as though
gravity is slowly losing its grip.
You might imagine floating toward the ceiling or gently
lifting upward, almost like a balloon.
Don't force the sensation, just stay with the feeling of
becoming lighter. Sometimes you'll notice that the
floating begins on its own. You may even feel yourself
gently swaying or drifting. If that happens, simply go with
it. Another popular technique is the
rope technique. Imagine there's a rope hanging
above you. Without moving your physical
arms, imagine reaching up and climbing it.
Feel each hand moving. Feel yourself pulling upward.
The movement itself becomes the focus.
Sometimes, after only a few imagined pools, you'll notice
that your awareness feels like it's rising independently of
your physical body. Some people imagine walking
through a doorway. Others imagine moving through a
window or simply drifting forward into the room.
The exact image doesn't matter very much.
What matters is that it feels natural to you.
Remember what we talked about in the previous episode?
Different people connect with different kinds of imagination.
Some people are naturally visual, some connect more with
movement, some hardly visualize anything at all, but can
strongly feel imagined motion. There's no single right way.
Use whatever feels the most natural for your own mind.
And here's something else I've learnt over the years.
Sometimes you don't even need an exit technique.
Sometimes, once you're deeply relaxed and your awareness is
steady, separation simply happens.
You suddenly realize you're floating, or standing beside
your bed, or walking through your house.
It can happen so naturally that afterwards you wonder exactly
when it started. That's completely normal to the
techniques aren't creating the experience, they're simply
helping awareness make the final transition.
So don't become attached to one particular technique.
If rolling doesn't feel natural, try floating.
If floating doesn't work for you, maybe sitting up does.
Just experiment. Stay curious.
Over time, you'll discover which approach your mind responds to
most easily, and once you find one that clicks, you'll probably
find yourself returning to it again and again.
So let's just bring everything together.
The process really isn't as complicated as it sometimes
seems. First, you relax the body, then
you give the mind something simple to focus on.
As you stay with that focus, the body continues drifting towards
sleep while your awareness stays present.
At some point, you may begin to notice that something is
changing. Maybe it's vibrations, maybe
it's a feeling of floating, maybe your body suddenly feels
incredibly distant. Whatever it is, you don't have
to chase it. Just stay with it.
And when the moment feels right, simply allow your awareness to
move through one of the exit techniques we talked about
today. Some nights it will happen, some
nights it won't. And that's perfectly fine.
Every time you practice, you're becoming more familiar with the
process. You're learning how your own
mind works. You're learning what helps you
relax, what helps you stay aware, and what helps you make
that final transition. That familiarity is one of the
biggest teachers you can have. Now, before we finish, I just
want to thank you for joining me over these last few episodes.
We've now covered the three foundations of astral
projection, relaxation, creating focus, and the transition into
separation using exit techniques.
Everything else builds from here.
In the next episode, I'd like to answer some of the questions
that come up most often. Things like sleep paralysis,
fear, what to do if nothing seems to happen, and some of the
experiences you might have along the way.
So if you've been wondering about any of those things, we'll
explore them together next time. And if you'd like to continue
learning and connect with others exploring these experiences, I'd
love for you to join the Astral Gateway community on Facebook.
You'll also find some useful links in the episode description
if you'd like to explore these techniques in more depth.
Thank you so much for listening. Until next time, stay present,
stay curious, and keep exploring.
Take care.