CHAPTER 23
OBEs
and
Psychic Protection
AWhat's today's lesson?@ I asked my inner voice.
AToday, stop every once in a while and imagine
your
vibrations are getting higher and higher, and with it,
feel
an intense love build inside for All That Is.@
There
are many books about Out-of-Body Experiences with many different approaches,
from scientific to the occult. Many of
these books give the readers stern warnings against trying it for fear of
death, disease, possession, insanity, heart attack and even the fear of being
mistaken for dead and buried alive!
These notions of what can go wrong usually serve to instill the reader
with fear, which in turn makes the problem worse. Since beliefs are more easily manifested in
the astral world, your own negative beliefs can influence OBEs
to be negative. Fear can attract malign
entities. So it's important to know the
facts and be able to protect yourself and not leave
yourself open to attack.
Are OBEs Dangerous?
Many things in life are dangerous. Driving a car is dangerous. Crossing the street is dangerous. We do those things anyway. Sometimes walking into a dangerous situation
is our best course of action. In her
book, Out-of-Body Experiences, Janet Mitchell presents the following
analogy:
My
parents did not keep me from walking or tell me that I couldn't, even though
they knew I might accidentally walk in front of a moving vehicle; they did
teach me how to cross the street safely.
(Pg. 84)
I'm not saying we should walk blindly into
the street; I am saying that if we look both ways, we can safely navigate the
out‑of‑body experience and add a whole new dimension to our
lives. In other words,
ANo guts, no glory.@
What are people afraid of?
Trying
to induce an OBE can be very frightening, especially
when you start getting results. You are
faced with two of mankind=s greatest fears:
Fear 1: Fear of the
unknown
Fear 2: Fear of death
Both
of these fears are driven by our instincts.
Because humans are mammals, we have a natural instinct to survive and
that instinct makes us respond with fear to situations where we are in totally
unfamiliar territory (OBEs qualify!) Once you realize that millions of people have
had OBEs without any problems, it=s easier to accept OBEs as
relatively safe, or at least not life-threatening.
Once
those fears are conquered, there are Apokes
and prods@ that may startle you during practice. I wrote about them in my first book, but I
left the issue unresolved. I discovered
that the pokes and prods were either fears of mine being manifested or astral
entities trying to help me out of my body (or possibly trying to discourage me
from leaving it.) In either case, I
worked through the fear, and since I did that, I no longer get poked during
practice. Well, maybe just on rare
occasions!
I
wanted to address a few more common fears that people have concerning OBEs:
Fear 3: Not being able to
get back in
Some
people are afraid that they might not be able to get back inside their body
once they=ve left
it. Obviously, there=s no way to prove this can=t happen because if it has happened to anyone, they=ve not lived to tell us about it. I can, however, speak from experience: I've never had a problem getting back into my
body. Usually I get sucked back in
automatically when my body wants attention.
The problem is not getting back in, but rather, how to prolong the
experience.
On a
related topic, many people have frequent episodes of an experience known as Afalse awakening@ that
makes it seem as though they can=t get
back inside their body.[1] False awakening experiences may be terrifying
until you understand what=s really happening: Your mind wakes up while your
physical body is still disabled by sleep paralysis, a natural mechanism that
keeps us from thrashing in our sleep.
Sometimes it can take several minutes before your physical body catches
up with the mind.
Fear 4: Death due to severing the silver cord
Throughout history, people from all cultures have
reported seeing a silver cord connecting the astral body to the physical
body. The most notable quote is from the
Bible (Ecclesiastes 12:6.) Some
authors warn against tampering with your silver cord during an OBE. They state that
tampering with the cord can result in disease, injury or even death. It=s understandable that people should be concerned about
keeping the silver cord safe from harm, but only if the silver cord is a Areal@ (objective) thing.
Some
habitual astral travelers have never seen their own silver cord, even when they
look for it. This fact leads some
researchers to conclude the cord is not an objective phenomenon but rather a
psychological one. Other researchers
insist the silver cord is Areal@ and point out that a silver cord has been reported
not only by out-of-body experiencers, but also by
people witnessing seances and deaths:
These Asilver cords@ were
not imagined: In the first place, some (namely, those of certain
materializations) have been photographed; in the second place, some were seen
collectively; in the third place, dozens of people in different circumstances
do not imagine the same thingsBor their occurrence in the same series of events. These Acords@ were objective phenomena, extensions between the
vacated physical body and the released, objective Adouble.@ (Out-of-the-Body Experiences: A Fourth
Analysis, Robert Crookall, Citadel Press, 1970,
p. 167)
I=ve experienced the silver cord first-hand. In my first book, I described some humorous OBEs where I played tug-of-war with my silver cord (and
lost.) Despite this, I tend to side with
the first camp in thinking that the silver cord is merely a psychological
phenomenon. In my own experiences, I
never came to any harm, no matter how roughly I handled the cord.
Even
if the cord is Areal,@ I don=t believe it can be harmed during an OBE because it seems to be made of purely astral
matter. People have flown through
high-voltage power lines which should have affected the silver cord as they
passed through, if it were made of physical or even semi-physical material.
The
silver cord doesn=t seem to have a distance limitation either. Sylvan Muldoon tried to test the limits of the
silver cord and concluded that its Aelasticity
is far beyond the imagination, and is not comparable to any material object in
its stretching qualities.@ (The
Projection of the Astral Body, p. 77)
Other OBEers have flown thousands of miles
across oceans and even into outer space, leading some to conclude the silver
cord has no limits to its elasticity.
Fear 5: Getting lost or
losing your body
When
you're out of your body, you can fly anywhere, even into outer space. You can also cross into different levels of
astral reality, where Adead@ people live.
Naturally some people worry if it's possible to get lost, and not be
able to find their body.
It
is possible to be Alost@ during an OBE, but it=s not a problem because you can always get back to
your body. I=ve had many OBEs where I found
myself in some strange house and had no idea where I was, but I don=t think it=s
possible to lose your body. I've been
doing this for twenty years now, and I've never had a problem getting back to
my body, no matter how Alost@ I was. I've
had the telephone ring while I was having an OBE, and
it brought me back to my body with a violent and unpleasant Aslam.@
Some
people think that the Asilver cord@ is used
to pull you back inside your body in case of an emergency. I don't subscribe to this theory, because I
think the silver cord is really a psychological device and is therefore not Areal.@ Regardless of
whether the silver cord is involved, there is a built-in mechanism that
will always pull you back to your body if the need arises. My theory is that some portion of your soulBmaybe your Oversoul or
Higher SelfBmonitors what's happening to your body while you're
away, and forces your return when it needs to.
Fear 6: Spirits harming
your body or soul
To
address the concern over spirits harming you, you must first examine the issue
of Aspirits@ in
general and whether they can be trusted. As I said in chapter 5, dying doesn=t necessarily make a person better than they were when
they were alive.
Some
spirits don't realize they've died, and some of them may desperately try to
contact you. They may try harder and
harder to get your attention because ordinary in-the-body people don=t see them and they don't
like being ignored. These people usually
hold onto their dense vibrations so tightly that they can't even see the spirit
helpers and guides who surround them, waiting to take them to the light, but
they can usually see another person who has density, someone who still has a
connection to the Earth and whose vibrations aren't quite so high‑‑like
someone having an OBE. Therefore, many OBE
adepts are employed as astral rescue workers to convince Earth-bound souls to
get the help they need to get on with their non‑physical life. Sometimes it=s enough
to simply tell them they've passed on and they should look for a spirit to help
them find their way.
Once
spirits realize they=re dead,
they won=t bother you because they are either (a) wrapped up in
non-physical worlds and therefore not interested in you or (b) guardian angels
who accepted the job of watching over the living. The number of negative entities out there is
extremely small. The trick is not to
attract their attention. Some religious
fanatics believe so strongly in their ASatan@ and Aevil@ that they attract negative entities. They believe in the power of evil, so they empower
evil to work. Also, their fear of these
evil powers causes them to have negative experiences. If they truly believed that they were protected
by God, and higher forces (which they are) such things would not happen to
them. Some of these fanatics successfully drive away negative entities by
invoking the name of Jesus Christ, even in cases where the spirit does not
share their Christian beliefs. Their
power is in their faith. Jesus knew that
faith was the key. A Buddhist, Taoist or
other religious devotee with as much faith could do the same. If you believe that an entity can hurt you,
then you empower it; however, if you believe that you are protected, then you
will be. If you have conflicting
beliefs, then usually good will win.
In
general, spirit entities can't really harm you physically. They can mess with your mind, but only by
using deception and illusions. They can
control you only through fear, so fearlessness is the best protection in the
world. AThe only thing you have to fear is fear itself.@ Most people
don't realize how much power they have; therefore they let themselves be
controlled by fear, but if you realize your power, you can wield it.
When
I have an OBE, I am fearless. I dare any astral entity to mess with
me! I'll kick its ass, and it knows
it! Call me naive, but I personally
think that ordinary in-the-body people should have that fearless attitude
toward attackers and rapists too. Most
rapists use fear to control their victims and if the victim reacts by fighting
and screaming, resisting and refusing to give up that control, the attacker will
usually flee.
Some
people believe that there are guardian angels that will watch over your body
while you=re away. You
probably won=t even notice them because their higher vibrations may
render them invisible, just as most people don=t see ultraviolet light.
I
also believe that some portion of our Higher Self watches over our body during
an OBE and keeps it from harm. Your Higher Self, which is more powerful than
you can imagine, has invested several years of your life creating your body for
a collection of life experiences and unless your life is through, it=s not about to give up your physical body.
Fear 7: Demonic Possession
Demonic possession has been reported throughout
written history. It's not surprising
that some people are concerned about it.
There are several reasons why you shouldn't be worried about
possession. I don't know if there are
any studies showing possession statistics, but I believe the majority of Apossessions@
reported in the last two thousand years were not demonic possession, but
rather, either a physiological problem such as Tourette's
Syndrome[2],
or even rabies, or else a psychological problem such as Dissociative
Identity Disorder (also known as Multiple Personality Disorder[3]
or MPD) or Schizophrenia. Until the 20th century, people with Tourette's and MPD were usually
thought of as demonically possessed.
Today, psychologists and doctors understand mental illnesses and brain
diseases a lot better, eliminating most of the superstition.
In
my first book, I mentioned that I don't believe in Aevil;@ therefore, I don't believe that Ademons@ are a force of organized evil, as most Christians
believe.
I
mentioned that I believe there are two kinds of demons. The first kind of Ademon@ is the kind we create in our own minds. They are usually a manifestation of a deeply
rooted belief that OBE is somehow wrong. These Ademons@ may be created subconsciously to deter you from
inducing the OBEs if you believe deep down that it is
wrong. A common variation of this
experience is when people hear voices ordering them to Astop@ or Ago back@ Others hear their
wife, mother or an authority figure calling them to Awake up@ during OBE attempts, but when they snap out of it, there is no one
there. The person who was calling was a
creation of their own subconscious mind.
The
second kind of demon is a spirit that is playing the roll of a demon. This kind of Ademon@ is really just an astral entity who is no different
from you or me, but they're impersonating a demon. Maybe they're trying to intimidate you or
frighten you, but they are imposters nonetheless. Like any stranger you meet on the street, the
entity might be benign or malign. They
may have good or bad intentions, but they can only possess your physical body
while you're away if you give them permission to, or if you're frightened
enough to give up control of your body.
As long as you remain fearless, they cannot harm your body and they
can't steal your body. Even if they
could control your body, they couldn't hold onto it for long. Once again, your body's automatic Apull-back@
mechanism comes into play. If some
entity disturbs your physical body while you are away, you will automatically
be pulled back inside before they can do any harm. Fortunately, most of these malign astral
entities are confined to their own private hells, far away from the places you=ll be visiting out of your body.
What are the real dangers?
What can a malicious entity do to you? Hurt you physically? Not good enough: If I were afraid of physical pain, I wouldn't drive my car every day. (And most women wouldn't have babies!) Can they invade your body? I don't believe so. Can they take away or imprison your soul? No way.
Most of the danger is from within. People who are unstable may just come unglued because of OBEs. People who are unwary or gullible may let some spirit with ill‑intent talk them or trick them into giving up control, inviting possession and so forth. If you are strong, spiritual and connected to God, then you have nothing to worry about. People who don't understand the rules of astral travel and can't control their fears may create their own Ademons@ to torment them. It's not for timid or foolish people.
Fears are detrimentalBdiscard them.
Anytime we face the unknown, it can be frightening. But approaching anything with fear is harmful. Early European sailors believed the Earth was flat and they could sail off the edge. Because of their fear of the unknown, they concluded it was dangerous to sail too far west. When they conquered their fear and went bravely ahead, not only did they discover a whole new world, they also made the transition from two-dimensional thinking to three-dimensional thinking about their reality. Likewise, if we can conquer our fears, we will also discover a whole new world, and we will make the transition from three-dimensional thinking to four-or-more-dimensional thinking about our reality.
All the great pioneers have set aside their fears, at least temporarily, and gone ahead despite the dangers. Courage is not the ability to walk into danger without fear. Courage is the ability to walk into a dangerous or frightening situation and think to yourself, AYes, I'm scared‑‑I'm scared to death‑‑but that's not going to stop me.@
How to handle malign entities
If you encounter negative entities during an OBE, there are several strategies you can use to safely handle the situation.
Strategy 1: Return to your body
The first strategy is also the simplest if you meet up with negative entities during an OBE: Simply drop back into your body. This is the safest and simplest way to escape bad OBE situations, but you also forfeit your chance to explore.
Strategy 2: Surround yourself with a protective light
One good strategy for dealing with danger is to imagine an opaque barrier or wall of protective white light surrounding you. This works to keep all entities from coming near you because powerful thoughts often become reality in the astral world. Also, imagine a Ado not disturb@ message that will be encountered by all who try to reach you. Although protecting yourself with the light seems like a short‑term temporary solution, it need not be. If you wield your power of protection well enough, and with enough consistency, you will eventually convince negative entities that they can no longer get to you. You can even inform the entity that it's no use trying to attack you, because you will always have a defense; therefore it's wasting its time.
Incidentally, this method of protection works to keep entities from bothering you while you=re inside your body too.
Strategy 3: Turn your power against the attacker
Since entities typically use fear as their weapon, one strategy is to turn the tables on your attacker. The best defense is a strong offense. You can get really pissed off and scream at the entity to leave you alone, or else you will kick its butt. Threaten to cause it more pain than it ever thought possible. Most entities are frightened by the power we possess as incarnates.
Strategy 4: Respond with Love
Try feeling as much love as you can for these misguided souls. The feelings of love will have multiple benefits. The love will drive away all fear, robbing the entity of its power over you. It will also raise your vibrations to a level where the entity can=t reach you and create a protective energy all around you.
Strategy 5: Ignore them (they hate that!)
If you see any demons, tell them to leave you alone and AGo bother Bob Peterson!@ I=ll deal with them in my own way!
[1]See chapter 20 for more information on False Awakening.
[2]Named after French doctor Georges Gilles de la Tourette, Tourette=s syndrome is a chronic, physical disorder of the brain which causes both motor tics and vocal tics (often with foul language), that typically begins before the age of eighteen.
[3]Sensationalized by movies like The Three Faces of Eve and books like Sybil, this psychiatric condition is a dissociative disorder where one person has two or more distinct personalities, each personality having a distinct and consistent pattern of relating to self and the environment. At least two of these personalities recurrently take full control of the person's behavior. MPD may occur in 1% of the population (Sidran Foundation, 1994).