Question about astral projection. (changed surroundings)
Whats up my fellow dream fanatics!?
I have a puzzler for ya. Some of you might jump the gun and suggest that none of this was necessary to explain, and that things are simply 'this way' or 'that way' from the very beginning. Still, please read the entire post before replying.
...
Anyways,
I've recently had this question simmer in my mind due to a history of dreams that seem to occur in this fashion.
Quite a few times in my life, I've dreamed about plenty of alternate versions of my waking reality. For example: I dreamed that I was standing outside my house, and every object around me (the house, cars, trees/treelines, other buildings) was present at their exact locations as in reality, but the actual surroundings/atmosphere was extremely different. It was all a dark, sickly green, gigantic swamp, and I was running away from British soldiers in red coats (for what reason, I don't know). I jumped into one of the trees which had a gaping hole in it (which isnt there in reality), and slid down its trunk into an underground cave (also, obviously, not there ... Hmm. I don't think so anyways *strokes chin*.) ...
Now, I understand completely that these kind of dreams are normal. Its a dream, as a dream, as a dream should be, right? The only difference is that the subconscious in invoking a radical, and sometimes adventurous twist on what is actually there. ... Like in some dreams, if I travel away form my 'house' to the north, I will always come across some crazy, bustling town that is different each time. In reality, this 'town' is a representation of the nearest town I live near, which is to the north. I get it! Its all subconscious, right? ^_^
Well, here's where my confusion sets in. ... A FEW of these dreams, whether it be the outside world, or the interior of my house that is changed in one or many odd ways (sometimes to an extent where I barely recognize it, or don't recognize it till later on) ... have ended in me mysteriously floating back to where my bedroom is located,... the place where I am sleeping,... as if, either theoretically or literally, my dream body is returning to my physical body.
No pain or anything is felt. It just happens.
...
Now, for the most part, I would say that the subconscious is winning this (Dream vs OBE) battle, and that for the most part, this is a dream and nothing more.
Mostly because I had always figured that if one is OBEing, they would be seeing the world around them in its exact form,... and not some dream induced alternate reality. (then again, I know little about OBEs and Astral Projection)
Then, I wonder if the dreaming mind ever mistranslates or distorts what could be seen in an OBE, and instead of seeing my lawn in its actual form, its a WWII battlefield instead, with motar-fire, and soldiers in trenches. House is there, trees are there, buildings are there. Everything else is different. ... Perhaps this could mean a very literal Subconscious vs OBE battle, where my subconscious dreaming is distorting what the OBE is seeing.
... or there could be no OBE at all, and I'm just a nut-case. Its always possible. =)
...
Instead of analyzing my dreams any further, since it yields no answers to this obscure question. Let me ask you (for those of you who are well versed in OBEs and astral projecting.... if anybody here, and have more consciousness in the area):
"Do you ever experience an 'alternate reality' form of OBEing? Or is distinguishing OBE not that simple?"
... and for the rest of you:
"What is your take on this phenomena? Is it all subconscious, or could it be a distorted OBE? Is there even a such thing as a 'distorted OBE', or am I just making that term up? ...
Thoughts? Comments? Ridicule?"
Yes, alternate reality is possible.
"Do you ever experience an 'alternate reality' form of OBEing? Or is distinguishing OBE not that simple?"
There are several different "astral planes" of reality when astral projecting. A list of the planes and descriptions can be found here: http://www.lucidcrossroads.co.uk/astral.htm#planes
It sounds like what you are experiencing to me is somewhere between either the lower astral plane or the middle astral plane. In our dream state, most of us enter a lower astral plane that may seem similar to our physical world.
In my personal experience, I have visited both of these planes, as well as higher planes. In one instance I can distinctly remember, my world was similar, but different. A more heavenly aspect of the Earth realm.
I will post an excerpt from one of my experiences for your personal reference:
I closed my eyes and I was then uplifted out of my body entirely and floating above the ground. At first it seemed as though I traveled into my roommate's room and over his bed. I then passed through his bedroom wall into our living room. (In reality, this wall faces another apartment.) My eyes were closed and everything was dark and I thought, "But, I want to see." My spirit guide said "then open your eyes." I figured that when I opened my eyes, I would return to the same spot as I was in my bed.
When I opened my eyes, I was in my living room which was seemingly the same except my front door was facing south rather than east (the direction it faces in reality). I almost felt as if I were a ghost or a spirit being with my sense of floating so I wasn't sure if I could pass through walls or not. I felt the door and the wall and pressed against it to make sure. I opened the door and the outside world was completely different from our reality.
I saw a neighbor, an old man, (not a neighbor in reality) he was upstairs and remember either wondering or asking my spirit guide if he could see me. I had the feeling he could not but still am not sure.
My clothes were different, I was wearing a nightgown-like dress instead of the pj's I normally wear. The outside was green and lush, and it had just recently rained. It was almost like a tropical rain forest where there was many exotic plants but few trees. The ground was also swampy but beautiful in the sense that lots of pretty plants grew on it, but it would not be traveling ground. (I live in the desert, just to side note the contrast of this experience from my reality.)
I continued floating above the beautiful landscape trying to flap my arms to go higher with no avail. I asked how I could go higher and I got an idea of pushing myself off of the ground and forcing myself higher. Since I often fly in my dreams, most of the time I have success with this method of flying, but this time and in my conscious state of mind, I would go higher but then slowly descend back down to my hovering place.
I then wondered where I could go in this new world. Although things were different in this new reality, they were very familiar, and much more beautiful. I then changed scenes and I was in Long Beach, near my old apartment on ocean blvd. I was still questioning if people could see me and how they would react to see that I was flying (floating). I wanted to fly higher than I was going and over the tops of buildings so I managed to push myself off of these buildings to get higher. I saw a girl that worked for the maintenance man of my old apartment in Long beach (not a person in reality). She seemed to look at me but didn't acknowledge that I was there and had an unfriendly aura about her so I moved on.
It was like someone asked me where I wanted to go and I responded "the beach" so we moved down the coast to Long Beach. I then said "not this beach." And it abruptly changed scenes to my favorite spot in laguna beach. I was alone watching the ocean and meditating in this beautiful place until I woke myself up.
I have several different theories developing about what happens when we astral project. One of the first ones I developed, is that we simply experience this phenomena of OOBE, and then go into a lucid dream state, entering one of the seven astral planes described above. However, the more that I experience this phenomena, and the more research I do about it, the closer I am to developing a theory that we are actually travelling through a wormhole to a different dimension or time. But, that is a whole other discussion. ;)
