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When I was a spiritual seeker and came across the path of light and sound, I was most intrigued by the idea of being able to leave my body. I thought it would be very exciting to project myself to other places on earth; to visit other planets and stars in the universe; and to rise to higher planes of existence. It sounded like the opportunity for many great adventures, and I was eager to find out what it was like.
I immediately plunged into trying out the various techniques listed in the books and discourses of the path, but I found before I could get anywhere with spiritual travel I had to learn a few things. For one, I had to learn about Soul.
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More than just through book knowledge, I needed to really understand that Soul is my
true self -- not my mind, or my body, or my human personality. Soul incarnated in a
physical body often identifies so strongly with the human personality that a lot of fear
surrounds the idea of leaving the body behind. To overcome this fear, I had to know
at a very deep level who I truly am. I needed to realize that I am Soul, an individual
unit of consciousness that is one with the essence of God. I had to comprehend that
as Soul I am neither male nor female; that I am eternal; that I cannot be harmed; and
that I exist above the boundaries of space, time, and duality.
This was important for me to understand because the travel I was attempting is different from astral projection, which is movement in the astral body on the astral plane. In astral projection, one is tethered to the body by the silver cord.
Soul projection, in contrast, is the ability to expand one's consciousness beyond the limitations of the physical body, as well as the astral, causal and mental bodies by using the Sound Current. (The Sound Current is another name for Divine Spirit, which is visible as light and audible as sound. See Sound Current.)
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Over time, as I gained some experience in spiritual travel, I came to realize Soul
projection isn't traveling at all because Soul, being one with the essence of God, is
everywhere, in all places, at all times. Soul isn't conscious of Its omni-presence due to
Its identification with the human self, but in Its true state of being It really is
everywhere. It follows that for Soul projection to work I had to inhabit my true state of
being and awaken my awareness in another place where I, as Soul, already was.
This said, I did notice that while Soul projection was sometimes instantaneous to a
location a billion miles away, I often perceived it as travel through space and time even
though as Soul I was already there. My take on this phenomenon is that the act of
expanding one's consciousness is interpreted by the human mind as movement, or
travel, whereupon we form a memory of having traveled from one place to another. I
think maybe this illusion of travel gives the mind a chance to catch up and make sense
of the experience without getting overwhelmed.
Among other things I had to learn for spiritual travel were discipline, patience, and
sincerity. On the latter the teachings were very clear about not misusing Soul
projection for selfish gains, such as spying on people or finding out what tomorrow's
stock quotes would be. They also said it wouldn't necessarily be easy.
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Many weeks and months went by during which I practiced the techniques without much happening. What kept me going was that I did see some light and hear several of the sounds. Finally, I was able to overcome my fears and leave the body through what looked like a tunnel overhead.
The image of a tunnel or passageway turned out to be fairly common for me at the start of various spiritual travel experiences. I think it is a symbol meant to signal to my mind that a transition is happening, and that I am about to expand into a different and higher state of consciousness.
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There are many other such symbols that I've encountered in my spiritual journeys,
several of which are mentioned on the other pages of this site.
After years of practicing the techniques and trying to raise my consciousness through contemplation, I was at last granted my wish to visit the planets of the solar system. It had been so long I had actually forgotten this was what I had originally wanted. The technique I used to leave the body for these journeys is given on this page: How I Visited the Planets. Other pages linked from it have accounts of my trips to each of the planets and the sun.
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An interesting facet of Soul projection I found is that sometimes during travel I feel like
a pinpoint of consciousness, like a camera lens, watching what's going on; other times
I have the sensation of actually being in a body. This is somewhat of a paradox
because if Soul is above time, space, and matter, It shouldn't really have a body. In my
opinion the sensation of being in a body -- a Soul body -- during spiritual travel is
another symbol to help my mind process the experience in a way I can understand and
better relate to it.
This "body" that is mocked up during Soul projection is a common experience for
people involved in spiritual travel. It actually has various names -- Soul body, Light
body, Atma Sarup, or Nuri Sarup. When traveling in the lower worlds it may appear
very similar to our physical body, only very bright and much more beautiful. In my
case, I often seem to be dressed in a white suit, but this can vary between individuals.
In the higher worlds, the Soul body appears more like a swirling cloak of light.
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One of the problems I had with traveling to the higher planes was coming to grips with the subtlety of the perceptions there. We have no senses in the higher worlds like we are used to in the lower worlds. Everything is perceived directly.
Descriptions of each of the different planes and details of my visits to them can be found on the Other Planes page and the subsequent pages linked to it.
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On the Other Planes page I also talk a little bit about the purpose of imagination and
creativity in successfully practicing Soul projection.
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Learn more about the soul projection in "Warriors of the Sound Current." If you're interested in purchasing the book at a 57% discount, please click: Discount Book Order
email Steve DeWitt
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