How I Convert a Lucid Dream into an Astral Projection

I’ll explain here how I go about converting my Lucid Dreams into full Astral Projections.

How you become Lucid to begin with is outside the scope of this entry and I’ll provide that information later.  So, your first step, obviously, is to become Lucid within your dream.  This means that you have the basic knowledge, during the dream, that you are indeed dreaming.  You know that the environment you’re in now is not part of the physical world, and that your physical body is actually in your bed, sleeping.

The next step is to bring forth your full waking conscious awareness.  There are a few methods for doing this, but I’ll just mention the one that I use and know is doable.  First, stop what you’re doing and focus on one aspect of the environment or yourself (a flower pot, your hands, etc… ) then begin the process of questioning yourself.

I have four main questions I like to use.

“Where am I?”
“Where am I going?”
“How did I get here?”
and “What am I doing?”

This act of questioning yourself and your surroundings brings forth your critical faculties and opens your full waking conscious awareness.

Congratulations, you’re now Astral Projecting.  🙂

24 thoughts on “How I Convert a Lucid Dream into an Astral Projection

  1. Pingback: How To Have Lucid Dreams – by Summerlander « Unlimited Boundaries

  2. amy schoenfeld says:

    I’ve heard that the difference between lucid dream and astral projection is the ‘plane’ you’re in, such as dream plane (which exists in your mind) while astral projection relates to astral/spiritual plane, what do you think?

    • xanth18 says:

      I think that’s a concept based upon mystical, old world concepts which, through my own experiences, really don’t seem to hold even the smallest amounts of water.
      I’ve found absolutely no evidence that different planes exist “out there”. That’s not to say I’m correct… I’m just saying keep an open mind and base your opinions upon your own direct experiences.
      That’s all anyone can do… and my experiences have shown me that the “planes” concept isn’t true.

      What does your experiences say?

      • amy schoenfeld says:

        would say then that astral projection is really a form of dream which is made byyour mind instead of actual information objectively true without our influence? i have yet to experience astral projection but i’ve heard a lot that astral projection is a form of exploration to another ‘dimension’ or ‘realm’ if you will

        • xanth18 says:

          That’s definitely one possible way to look at it.

          I prefer to think that we humans have “dreaming” all wrong… to me, dreaming simply doesn’t exist. What a “dream” is, is a Projection in which you don’t realize you’re projecting. So using that basis, saying that “a projection is really a form of dreaming” is meaningless. Because dreaming doesn’t exist, everything is an experience in consciousness… including this physical reality experience.

          Any attempt to “narrow” the definition of “projection” really does no service to yourself. Keep your definition as open and wide as possible. Terms like “dimension” and “realm” are limiting the definition of Projection using other narrow definitions. I don’t subscribe to that line of thinking. 🙂

          This physical reality is a projection…
          ANY non-physical reality is a projection…

          • amy schoenfeld says:

            i have to say this discussion is getting really interesting and i would like to talk privately with you about this matter through email since it will get long if we do it here and the commenting layout doesnt help either, one of the problem i have with the definition of dream you have (while i respect your thoughtfulness into it) is that you believe that reality is defined by our mind and i think its problematic because our dream most of the times is related to our experience while reality is not affected by how our expectations, and our dream is very much generated by what we know and what we can imagine (which is why i think people prefer dreams to real life, since real life doesnt reflect on our imagination, it simply is) thank you email:klivia23@yahoo.com

    • Quad says:

      Actually the Astral plane is also the dream plane itself. It is the 5th dimension, you probably can astral project via lucid dreaming. However you can 5-D dreaming (visit parallel universes via dreaming) but for most people, it’s unpredictable

      • xanth18 says:

        Now to me, a lucid dream and an astral projection both describe the same thing: a consciously aware experience in the non-physical. I try not to subdivide things any further than they need to be.
        Which means that a lucid dream is a projection. A dream is a projection too. A dream is an unconsciously aware projection, in that you don’t realize you’re experiencing the non-physical.

        If you read my free eBook (downloadable from my main page), it’ll explain things much more clearly. 🙂

        • Quad says:

          Well we do enter the Astral plane when we sleep, so what’s the point of achieving astral projection if we can just sleep and dream and bam! We enter the 5th dimension (Astral, Dream, Probability etc).

  3. xanth18 says:

    Let’s see how skewed we can get this comment box to go! 😀

    See now I DO believe that this physical reality is every bit as reactive to our expectations and intentions as the non-physical is. I believe that, on a personal level, we create the reality we experience… be it physical or non-physical. If you’re a person who always looks at the negative side of things in that you think life sucks, your job sucks, you have no friends… well, then you really only have to look at your perspective on life to figure out why those things are true to you. That’s not to say that only good stuff happens to good people… that’s the randomness of life. How you handle those down times is what’s important.

    Actually, science is finally beginning to realize this simple fact too. Take this article for example from the National Post: http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/02/11/sex-selective-programs-and-the-belief-that-boys-will-be-boys-stigmatizes-students-study/

    Showing rather conclusively that the belief, expectations and intent of the educators was affecting and skewing the results of the students. There are also hundreds of thousands of personal experience stories where people have “made” things happen by positive thinking and using Intent properly. Tom Campbell relates more such stories in his books and online lectures.

    The evidence is quite conclusive that we are all gods helping to create this reality as we go along. We each create each second of our entire lives, be it physical or non-physical.

    From helping out many people on the Astral Pulse, I find that a lot of people who aim towards learning astral projection do so as a means to escape reality… this is a big error in my opinion, as it means that something is terribly wrong with their perception of THIS reality. This is important because I feel that you can actually make more headway in your spiritual growth by interacting with people here than you can in any other reality. That’s the entire reason I believe you and I are here. 🙂

    • amy schoenfeld says:

      hmm, for starters i do believe in how our expectations and understand shapes the world and ‘reality’ (in our sense of reality as in individuals define reality through their perspective’ but only to some extent. i believe that our expectations that lead to our actions affect outcomes of certain situations and our surroundings, but there are other people and other humans in our world that also greatly affect our situations, now in a way it is true that we shape reality, but we as individuals do not have control over that reality as our roles and significance are relatively the same as human beings (although there are people whose decisions influence the world more than others, say people with important positions) but nonetheless it is incomparable to how our minds generate dreams where we are usually the ‘main character’ where everything revolves around us most of the time, because maybe thats how we are brought up in this world, wanting to be significant, or making an impact. i believe that is a big difference between reality and dreams. it is probably one of the reasons we learn more about spirituality and ourselves in dreams more than learning about new facts is because nothing that is factual that we have never learnt before can be in our dreams, such as learning a new language or learning about history in dreams, because maybe our brains can only process what we already have taken in in our waking life. so this non-physical projection and physical projection have clear differences, and how ‘only in our mind’ is demonstrated by dreams. if we separate it that way, my previous quesion was does astral plane, a world where we can learn facts exist? and i’m sorry if this is offensive in anyway, but isnt it possible that what you call astral projection is infact what some others call lucid dream with high awareness? is it possible that you call lucid dreaming and astral projection the same because youve never experienced what other people claim as astral projection? now i’m sure youre very experienced in this field more than i am, but you could even say i’m in desperate need of answers to some questions that i think no human would know, or do you think what people call astral/spiritual realm a deceit or trick played on their minds?
      sorry for the trouble

      • xanth18 says:

        Now, the only reason I agree with you that “dreams” revolve around the individual is because the unconscious mind is completely at work. With that said, I believe that when consciously aware in the non-physical, it’s not just your mind at work creating that which you experience around you. What you experience is a conglomerate of every consciousness in the “area” (I put that in quotes because “location” doesn’t exist really, it’s just a loose definition used to provide scope). Lots of people assume there is this “personal” space and “collective” space… whereby, while I don’t know for certain, but I’m starting to learn towards there being ONLY a collective space. What people perceive as being “personal”, is an interpretation based upon their need for individuality.

        In the end, I still see absolutely no difference between physical reality and dreams… one is simply more stable due to the vast number of conscious entities experiencing and creating.
        And I also still maintain that the greatest spiritual growth you’ll ever achieve will be done while focused within this physical reality. The interactions between consciousness is the meat and potatoes of why we’re here.

        “does astral plane, a world where we can learn facts exist?” What kind of facts are you looking for?

        In response to your last statement, nobody has all the answers… I have *MY* answers, but that’s never going to help *YOU*. In the end, we all only have our own experiences and trying to fight about who is right and who is wrong is a complete waste of time in my eyes. I simply state what I have discovered to be truth for myself, and if someone wants to argue with me from the position of “they’re right” and “I’m wrong”… then I honestly have no time for them. Discussion, like what we’re having right now, is the spice of life and should be the driving factor in everything. 🙂

        You might never get your desperate questions answered. My question to you then is this: Are you okay with having them remain unanswered forever?
        Personally, I’m fine with never knowing… it’s part of learning to live gracefully with the unknown.

        I probably veered off course there for a bit, hopefully I touched on most of what you said. 🙂

  4. xanth18 says:

    What I’d actually suggest, and to get more opinions than just mine… is to head over to my forums (link at the top of the page or on the right hand side under Forums) and ask away there. I’ll jump in and reply as usual, but you’ll also get other opinions on the nature of reality.

    Together, I believe we can take the many perspectives we each have and attempt to meld them together into a working model. 🙂

  5. Flannigan says:

    Better late than never. How’d it go with you two? I have experienced astral projection as I’ve known it on a few occasions. More recently, after a long drought I’ve experienced what is exceedingly difficult to describe but I’ll make a layman’s effort. The last few weeks I’ve achieved an analytical consciousness in a light dream state; Ok, I know I’m dreaming, “don’t blow this or you’ll wake up”. “So I’m asleep and the environment I’m perceiving where I can feel the sheets on top of me and view and touch the texture on the walls, isn’t my bedroom.” Simply a dream state creation that I can investigate in detail through all of my conscious senses right down to the minutia. I feel a sense empowerment and there are questions of where I will go, what I will do and the ramifications of my actions. I could assault someone, anyone, on the street or pause briefly to give ten bucks to the homeless woman sitting on the curb and continue on. “I’m lucid dreaming…” Fact is I’m master of my own concious reality, a kid in a candy store and owner of my own private amusement park. My goal is to get out and it’s been so long I question if I’d immediately recognize it coming from this tack. I have a strong force of will and I know something of what to expect if I’m successful in the initiation, transition and arrival to a higher level of consciousness; this we’ll call the astral plane. Even having experienced both lucid dreaming and astral projection independent of each other, starting from dream state this is a new approach for me. I won’t even presume to speak in terms of absolutes but simply make reference to what I’ve experienced in the past prior to an out of body journey and in accordance to what I’ve read. So here I am sharp as a tack while dreaming and entertaining the idea that I can initiate the release of myself from what is clearly an abstract yet definable state to one that is all but inexplicable. Sure enough, while exhaustive, my body begins to vibrate aggressively in response to my intent. I think to myself if there is a momentary transition and calm after the storm I’ll open my eyes to see my bedroom in detail and know consciously that I hadn’t crashed back into a wakened state…I would have arrived at the astral plane. When I refocused what I perceived was not a conscious snapshot of my bedroom nor did I have the presence to take a weary look back at myself. I’m convinced I was close but, in reflection, It’s my belief if achieved no more than a round trip within a lucid dream.. I’m assuming it’s a practice, practice, road to success. I’ll say this, having gotten out and the knowing that came with it tells me we’re not talking two forms or qualities of a lucid dream; then again I believe I do create not only my own perception but also my own reality. Agree to it or not as you will.
    Provocative stuff.

  6. Flannaan says:

    “Real life doesn’t reflect on our immagination”??

    Forgive me but what you refer to as “real life” or my take on what is real has a profound impact on my imagination. I experience, imagine, act and create from a personal referense of reality radically disparate to yours . Newer discoveries in quatum physics would shake the foundation of anyone’s tenuous grasp on what is definable.

  7. Peter Maich says:

    I dont really understand the point of change. I can be lucid or aware and either from getting it within the dream or from entering by WILD and not losing any awareness. They are just entry techniques and depending on where I put awareness It will be in a dreamscape or in the room that I am sleeping in. With WILD I have full awareness of who I am and with the dream induced lucid state I recall a few facts, name, what I ate for tea, what I do for a living and any goals that I may have for dream. Be definition the WILD would be Astral projection and the dream induced entry would change from a lucid dream to an Astral projection but nothing has changed. They all look and feel the same.
    How do you define the change apart from a description as it appears there on Astral effect for want of a better word?

    • xanth18 says:

      The point of change in your awareness between a “Lucid Awareness” and an “Astral Awareness”?
      It’s quite identifiable really.

      First realize that your experience of your “room” in your above example is (for lack of a better term) still a dreamscape. In fact, this physical reality is really nothing more than a stable dreamscape… created by all of the minds experiencing and creating here. If all consciousnesses in this reality were to vanish, so too would this reality.

      Secondly, you’re 100% correct when you say that all a technique really defines is the HOW you ENTER the non-physical. It doesn’t determine how aware you are, or anything else regarding your experience.

      You state that when you do a WILD (again, you’re really only describing your entrance to the non-physical), you enter with a FULL awareness. I assume by that statement you mean you have an awareness as close to your waking awareness as you can. You allude to that when you say you can remember some facts/names/memories/etc… that means you’re projecting with an Astral Awareness. That’s the ultimate goal. So, congratulations. 🙂
      From there, you already have access to the whole of consciousness… so now you need to learn to place your intent to do whatever it is you want to do.

      Meaning that the change between a “lucid dream” and an “astral projection” is only a shift in your awareness from a Lucid Awareness to an Astral Awareness, the environment or everything else about the experience doesn’t change at all. One thing the increase of awareness COULD bring you is greatly clarity though. Usually the very things that people list as being the differentiating points between the two… the only thing that changes between a lucid dream and an astral projection is your awareness. Nothing more. It puts a more clear lens between you and your experience.

      Does that clarify anything for you? 🙂

      • Peter Maich says:

        I have learnt over a lot of years to use intent to do a lot so no beginner there. With WILD it is unbroken awareness from waking to in the dream so I watch it all happen and dont lose any waking awareness at all. Agree that the room if I choose to enter the dreamscape that way is a dreamscape, there are always small details that are incorrect so its pretty obvious that is a good reconstruction but thats all and interesting for the detail that is there but its not “real”

        I still do not understand the difference between Astral and lucid, to me its the same space, or place or dreamscape and the choice of words are driven by a belief system. This does not take anything away from the experience and the entries are only what I call the basic playground with a lot more to be discovered if we try and if we can accept or break barriers within the dream

        Thanks for the reply

        Cheers
        Peter

        • xanth18 says:

          Hi Peter,

          When I use the terms “lucid” and “astral” I’m referring specifically to our level of awareness during our experiences. I realize that the projection community have taken the terms and kind of run with them… I’m trying to re-purpose them. I go a bit further and try to not use those terms since, as we’ve all seen, they’re already pre-loaded with so much baggage. 🙂

          What I’ve found is that some people (especially new people who have only READ [heavily] on the subject) tend to have these neat boxes setup… “Astral Projection”, “OBE”, “Lucid Dreaming”, even just “Dream”. These are neat boxes with traditionally and strictly defined definitions of what each experience is and what you’re supposed to experience with each and what ends up happening is that if they have an experience which they can’t neatly file into one of those strictly defined boxes, then they throw out the entire experience. I’ve directly experienced people doing this with things they’ve told me an experience, then when I tell them “NO!! THAT WAS A PROJECTION!” they ignore it completely because it still doesn’t fit their neat little definitions. They don’t know how to reconcile it with the pseudo-knowledge they’ve already read about. LOL

          That’s what frustrates me greatly. hehe

          Anyway, hopefully you’ll pop back on the forums. We could use a hand in the Astral Academy. 🙂

  8. Peter Maich says:

    lol agree on all counts. some lucids are low level and a bit hazy and others like this morning I can be there and I just look around and if dont try for a reality check its not possible other that know to know that it is a lucid, astral or projection as decided by the dreamer. They are natural and often now and still fool me from time to time if I have not entered with full daytime awareness into the dreamscape.

    Yes about time I came back, I have busted a lot of barriers in the last couple of years and had an extremely busy 6 months prior to end of 2015 and so neglected the forums

    Cheers
    Peter “Majic”

    • xanth18 says:

      You’re misunderstanding (like most people) what these experiences are.
      It’s all “projecting”. A lucid dream, or an astral projection… it’s all just “projecting” with varying levels of awareness.
      So what you’re essentially asking is: “What if you project and meditate while projecting to access projection, what would happen?”

      See how strange that sounds?
      Does that make any sense?

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