“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(Last night, Tuesday, I went to bed while Jane was holding ESP class in the living room. It was about 11:30. As I lay dozing I gave myself suggestions that I would recall my dreams in the morning and write them down. Oddly enough, I didn’t mention “astral projection.”

(I felt no panic, no fear. My astral eyes were functioning. A weak light came through a narrow open window to my right. The closed door was in deep shadow, but I knew I was before it. Although my body lay sleeping beside Jane in the bedroom “behind” me, I wasn’t concerned about it. I didn’t realize that I was projecting at first — I didn’t have the presence of mind, say, to order myself to burst through the door into the living room. But that I was out of my body, and in this very pleasant weightless state, did slowly make itself known to me. I had no memory of actually leaving my body and moving into the bathroom.

(This was the first time that no element of fear was present in any of my rather infrequent projections. I believe my ordinary conscious ideas that doors can’t be penetrated held me back, though. I fell asleep again briefly after encountering the impasse posed by the closed door. When I became aware again, evidently a few moments later, I found myself floating just above my physical body as it lay in bed.

(It happened that I lay sleeping flat on my back with my arms down at my sides. My astral body was in the same approximate position, perhaps six inches above. My state was remarkably steady and pleasant: I felt awake, aware of what I was up to, and quite free and weightless. I heard myself snoring, without paying much attention to that fact — yet. I knew I wasn’t dreaming. I even remembered reading at various times that when projecting one knows the difference between that state and a dreaming one. This I could now attest to at firsthand. I was very pleased.

(Since my projection state seemed to be so reliable, I began to think it offered great opportunities. I felt no fear, again, only confidence. I thought that this would be a great time to do something. Now was the time for a fine adventure. I told myself I was willing to try anything — a visit to some other reality, a plunge through the door into the living room, a trip down the street in front of the house….

(Without success, I made several quite conscious and deliberate attempts to “get going,” and travel away from my body. My efforts didn’t break the projection spell; I merely remained hovering where I was. Then I had an idea: I would use the sound of my snoring as an impetus to send myself soaring off into other dimensions, leaving my body far behind me on the bed.

(I felt as though I might project again, so I kept trying while Jane lay quietly beside me. I had no success, although the very pleasant aura surrounding the whole episode lingered most definitely. The projection, small as it was, had seemed so easy and natural that I wondered why it wasn’t a commonplace. I knew all the while that much more was possible than I was able to accomplish — that just beyond my abilities of the moment lay wonderful possibilities if I could just break that… barrier. I never did feel any alarm, and at no time did I see, or feel, the “astral silver cord.” Finally I slept.

(The experience gave rise to a couple of questions which I added to the list for Chapter Twenty: 1. My own projection was so enjoyable, but more importantly contained so many potentials, that I wonder why Western man isn’t more aware of these abilities. 2. Why doesn’t he cultivate them and put them to use? I hoped Seth would comment tonight.)

(It is Sunday, April 25, as I type up this session from my notes. Ever since April 21 I have been waiting expectantly, and in vain, for another projection. On a different occasion I had a rather small out-of-body that trailed behind it, for almost two weeks, a series of incomplete projections or dream experiences containing distorted elements of such phenomena. Strangely, an analogy might be the aftershocks following a quake….)

Now in answer to your questions: Western man has chosen to focus his energy outward and largely ignore inner realities. The social and cultural aspects, and even the religious ones, automatically inhibit such experiences from childhood on. There is no social benefit at all connected with projections in your society, and many taboos against it.

Projections occur of course in the sleep state constantly, whether or not they are remembered. They are recalled when there is some reason to do so, some merit or obvious achievement involved, as in societies where it is considered highly advantageous to use dreams and projections.