what is astral projection and how is it connected to shifting?
(sourced information)
astral projection
noun
a supernatural phenomenon in which a person’s astral body is said to separate from the physical body and travel to or in a different plane of existence.
(dictionary.com)
The term was first recorded between 1885 and 1890.
"The idea comes from a 19th century mystical system called theosophy which claims that we have seven bodies from the lowest physical to the highest spiritual and mental bodies," Dr Susan Blackmore told HowStuffWorks during an interview.
(Astral projection: Facts and theories, Callum McKelvie, Benjamin Radford, February 25, 2022)
According to Wikipedia, astral projection takes up some type of form in the following religions: Kemetism (Ancient Egyptian), Animism/Shamanism (Amazon, Inuit), Hinduism, Shinto (Japanse), Taoism (Taoist), Judaism, Christianity, and Western esotericism.
The idea of astral travel is ancient and occurs in multiple cultures. The term "astral projection" was coined and promoted by 19th-century Theosophists. It is sometimes associated with dreams and forms of meditation.
(Astral Projection, Wikipedia)
"what is western esotericism?"
(can skip)
Western esotericism is used as an umbrella term for a wide variety of historical traditions that were traditionally neglected in academic research but have been moved to the foreground in recent years. These include “gnostic,” Hermetic, or theurgical currents in late antiquity, the so-called “occult sciences” (astrology, alchemy, magic), Jewish and Christian kabbalah1, theosophy, Rosicrucianism2, illuminism3, occultism4, spiritualism5, and related trends in modern and contemporary culture such as new age and occulture.
(University of Amsterdam)
1 a form of Jewish mysticism that focuses on understanding the hidden, secret knowledge and meaning within Jewish tests and practices2 the belief that its members possess secret wisdom that was handed down to them from ancient times.
3 belief in or claim to a personal enlightenment not accessible to humankind in general
4 the study and pursuit of hidden knowledge, often aimed at achieving spiritual insight or personal power
5 a system of belief or religious practice based on supposed communication with the spirits of the dead, especially through mediums
"what is theosophy?"
theosophy, occult movement originating in the 19th century with roots that can be traced to ancient Gnosticism and Neoplatonism. The term theosophy, derived from the Greek theos (“god”) and sophia (“wisdom”), is generally understood to mean “divine wisdom.”
Theosophical writers hold that there is a deeper spiritual reality and that direct contact with that reality can be established through intuition, meditation, revelation, or some other state transcending normal human consciousness.
(theosophy, editors of Encyclopedia of Britannica, J. Gordan Melton, May 9, 2025)
In esotericism, astral projection (also known as astral travel, soul journey, soul wandering, spiritual journey, spiritual travel) is an intentional out-of-body experience (OBE) in which a subtle body, known as the astral body or body of light through which consciousness functions separately from the physical body, travels throughout the astral plane.
(Astral Projection, Wikipedia)
Most people see astral projection as a method to shift, there are countless posts about it on forums, some I will list below if you would like to read for yourself.
e1 e2 e3
There isn't much talk about astral projection, but it is the sister of shifting and can be used as a method of shifting. I've heard talk of waiting rooms, and astral projection can be used as a waiting room as well.
There are so many possibilities regarding shifting because shifting is limitless. Recently I've had an out of body experience right after shifting/manifesting, which I now believe to have been astral projection.
Update: I have learned something new, astral projection is when, "...your consciousness fully leaves your body and floats around this reality." (@callsigndio , commented).
So what I experiences was likely the void state, which I will be doing more research on tomorrow!
“Long exposure photograph of the Carina Nebula along with NGC 3324, taken from the Kalahari Desert in Namibia. North is up. Total exposure time was four hours; 24 frames at 10 minutes each with six frames each for luminosity, red, green and blue. Telescope was an Officina Stellare Riccardi-Honders Veloce RH 200 OTA, camera was an SBIG STL-11000M on an AP GTO1200 mount, guided with PHD.” - via Wikimedia Commons
