Beginner's Guide To Astral/Soul Travel, with Exercises

Guest Submitted Article: Full credit for this very extensive article
on Soul Travel goes to Fedja, also known by the alias of Arcane.
He and I often collaborate on our magickal study efforts so I
support the following article 100%. If anyone would like to
contact Fedja after reading this article with questions in regard to
soul travel, he can be contacted at hekarcane@gmail.com. Thank
you Fedja for sharing this article!

The most basic idea in all of our magical operations is that there is something
more to this world then what our mundane senses can perceive and our
mundane hands can manipulate.And that if we attune ourselves to what is our
there,we might be able to control this non-physical side of our reality,to affect
this physical.This,is magic.

Upon first stumbling into the world of the occult,most magicians are
fascinated by the idea of leaving their physical bodies,and astral
projecting.They vehemently research methods,on the internet,in books,or
other places.They struggle with it,they reach some point and then soon they
give up.Either they simply cannot calm themselves enough to do it,they calm
themselves too much and cannot bear the vibrations they encounter
therein,they are not capable of seeing the world,their magical imagination is
tainted by their real imagination,or worse yet,they accomplish everything and
simply won't believe they've done it,or don't believe they can do it.

Nevertheless, Soul Travel,is in my opinion one of the most important magical

skills that can be learned,because through it,all other doors can be
opened.Instead of evoking a spirit into the physical world,you may travel to its
world,and meet it before its throne.Instead of casting a spell you may mold the
energy directly,or perform the rituals on the astral.Instead of divining for
answers,you can go look into the past and future.Instead of holding someone's
hand and draining their life force,you may devour them from the non-
physical.

There is far more to it than just spying on people in the shower.Not that I've
done that...
Before we discuss on how to leave our bodies,we will first discuss where we
are going,the nature of those worlds,as well as what is done upstairs.

For those who have experienced it,no explanation is needed.For those who
have not experienced it,no explanation will suffice.This saying,probably
summarizes most of what I'm about to say,until you actually journey out of
your body,your understanding of soul travel,and the worlds you are visiting
will be severely limited.Some of what I say won't even make sense.And that's
OK.Just know that this is just my personal experiences,and my methods,that I
am sharing.Once you have your own,mine will become more or less
irrelevant.They will serve either as validation of your own experiences,or
alternative viewpoints that highlight the subjectivity of magic in general.

The nucleus of this reality(as there are others) is the Eternal Source,known to
some as ''The All'',''God'',''Parasiva'',''Source'',and other names.It exists
beyond any duality,beyond anything else,and at its primal is the
interconnectedness of all things,and thus cannot be understood.The
differences between me and a tree are all based on attributes and qualities that
on that level of existence don't exist,and thus I am the tree,just as when one is
at one with Source,one is everything.There is no clear way of ''understanding''
Source,beyond experiencing it.

The Source acts much like the sun,though,instead of its rays fading,they
crystallize,and solidify.As they cross various borders,they crystallize by
acquiring new qualities.This is what people refer to when speaking of ''planes
of existence'',various borders and degrees of solidifcation of matter.
The Formative Plane exists right after Source.An endless pool of
light,sound,color,and energy.No shape,nothing,just these most basic things.At
this level,all things are connected.The magnificence of this universe is
shown,as is its irrelevance.Everything is irrelevant at a level where you know
you are small,transient,and weak,in a world that's big,eternal,and powerful.

Succeeding the formative plane we have the Mental Plane,where the idea of
''thought'' and ''form'' first appears.There is no causality,no duality,but at this
level,it is clear that an idea of ''creation'' starts.The light which was up until
this point homogenous light,sound,color and energy has more specific
forms,shapes,manifestations.

After the Mental Plane,we arrive at the Causal Plane,where the idea of Cause
and Effect first appears.Action has a reaction,cause has an effect.The world is
still ephemeral but causality exists.
And now,we arrive to the most important one in this article,the Astral
Plane.In the Astral,there is duality,much like in this fleshly world we live in.In
fact,there is everything,except for actual substance.This is the spirit world,or
rather the spirit worlds.Every astral kingdom,Infernal Empires,a myriad of
heavens and hells and everything in between,underworlds from every
mythology,worlds of the elements,the personal kingdom and house of almost
every entity,raw astral fields,worlds of the dead,and so many more,are located
here.

On the astral,thought and materialization begin to exist as different

things.What you imagine isn't automatically real.However,you can make it
more real by pushing it into the astral plane,thus creating thougthforms,or
entire worlds even.

On the astral,you can run without getting tired,fly,teleport,shapeshift,and

have access to a wide variety of ''superpowers'',because the laws of energy and
matter are much different there.Less energy is needed,simply because it is less
material,or less ''real'' by our human standards.Emphasis on real by our
human standards.
Another important thing to note is that on the astral grandiose
battles,incredible events,and the kind of weirdness that is encountered here
very seldom is commonplace up there.As such,if you find yourself conquering
entire empires,killing entire villages,or in any way going on adventures that
turn your astral lives into what can easily look like a videongame,take it all
with a grain of salt.

Write it down in your notebooks,it did happen.But try not to parade it

around,and announce it to the world.We've seen people lose it over that kind
of stuff,and the longer you do magic,the more weird your life is going to
get,including what spirits start telling you.Some of the things you hear from
time to time,can be veritable delusions in the eyes of the general
populations.As such,it is important to write them down,and separate them
into their own ''mental cabinet'',so that they do not contaminate your daily
existence.
My good friend Eva coined the term,''the kitty box'' and ''the Schrodinger
Compartment'',for this.Have a special folder in your notes for the craziest of
crazies.The idea is to have it there,and leave it in a state of superposition.It
could be real(the cat lives),or not(the cat dies),but it is both,until you open the
box,the idea of what is real and what is not doesn't exactly matter.Until it
becomes important to mention or talk about in which case you're opening the
kitty box,and talking about it.

The kitty box is a valuable tool for other magics,but as I've said,the astral is
where the genuinely weird stuff happen which is why I'm bringing it up here.

Now,let us actually address how to soul travel.

Engage a theta-gamma sync,or a trance,in any way that you know how.While
not a requirement for every single magical operation,a trance is one of the
most basic elements of most magics.There are quite a couple of methods of
attaining it.Raven has shared on this very blog a video which helps induce
such brainwaves,almost every meditation does this.You can attain it by gazing
into a corner,into a mirror,or into a candle.In this blog post I am not
instructing you how to enter a theta-gamma sync,this is something you must
accomplish yourself.

Once you have commanded yourself to rest,and engaged a trance,thus flipping

a switch in your mind to let you work on a level that transcends the
physical,you are ready to begin.Inhale,and pull the energy of the air around
you,into you,exhale,and see it being sealed into your body.Repeat this,several
times,until you've feel you've acquired a degree of power.Keep focusing on
your breath,being keenly aware of it.Don't try to breathe in as deeply as you
can,or anything,but simply turn your full attention to your breath.Perceive
it,and use it as a tool to strengthen yourself.

I know for a fact that a common problem in soul traveling is not having your
chakras opened,or cleared.Someone I used to help with soul travel simply
couldn't do it,until she decided to explore chakra working and unclog those,at
which point her abilities in this skyrocketed.It was not necessary for me,and
thus it varies from person to person.Once again,chakra work would require its
own post,and it is an extensive subject that can seldom be boiled down to a
couple of sentences.It is at this point that people usually do do it though.
Seeing as you have already strengthened your astral body within your
meatsuit,now would be the time to begin perceiving the world with it.As
though you are waking up from a dream,try seeing the room around you with
your eyes closed.

This is a part where people struggle,not being able to differentiate real

imagination from magical imagination.Do not try to ask yourself,''was my TV
there,or the bookshelf?'',don't try to think anything,just simply ''see'' the
room.Perceive it.You may feel a pressure in your forehead,where your third
eye is.Many people run away from this all at this point.Bear through with it.

With each inhalation,see the world around you solidify.With each

exhalation,see yourself moving out of your body.Push yourself out of your
body with each exhalatipon,and with each inhalation,solidify yourself outside
of your body.Turn to something,and zoom in on it.Zoom more and
more,seeing it become more and more real.This can be a clock in your
house,the candle you lit in front of you,or something else.When you feel that
the world is as real as it's gonna get,turn around. Gaze at your own body,the
vessel you just left behind.You have just left your body.

Now some important notes.

-If you see people in places that are deserted,or people where there should be
no people,that's OK.Keep in mind you are in the spirit world,the spiritual side
of your mundane reality,the side where the two intermingle.You're gonna see
people in deserted places.

-If people aren't wearing what you're seeing them wearing,if things don't look
the way they're supposed to look,if things look just different,it doesn't
matter.Time is a loose thing there.You might be seeing a past,or future version
of that person or thing you are perceiving.Embrace the vision,it will eventually
adjust to the present.

-You can go anywhere,teleport anywhere,simply by bringing your attention to

that place,seeing yourself closing your astral eyes,and then reopening them.In
a breath you will have traveled many leagues.

-If you cannot properly defend yourself up there,then don't mess with
dangerous things.

-If you meet a spirit,and don't have a reliable method like divination or energy
sensing to determine what it's like,it could always be an impostor.If it is a
well-known spirit,ask it for its symbol,sign,or some proof that it really is it.If it
isn't,ask your allies.

-Soul Travel differs from astral projection because astral projecting means
projecting your consciousness onto the astral plane,which does not include
mental projecting(projecting your consciousness to the mental plane) or any
other form of this,whereas soul travel is an all-emcompassing field that goes
far beyond merely exiting your body.
-Soul travel is a kind of Out-of-body experience.But what makes it different
from other OBEs,is that soul travel refers to OBEs where you are in control.

-The Silver Cord is the cord that connects the physical body to the astral
one.It's not going to get cut,but it's best not to play with it too much,and just
let it remain as it is.

-If you feel frightened by anything turn your attention to your body and you
will immediately be brought back to it.

Exercise I:
Look down,and gaze at your hands.Observe them.Try to look at your astral
body.
Then,visualize a different set of clothing on you,and watch as it
changes.Then,a different one.Try walking through walls,looking at other
things,other people.Never force the visualization,never put yourself as an
active imaginer,but a passive receiver and perceiver of the world around
you.Fly around,do what you want.

Exercise II:
Go somewhere and find an empty spot.Look around you and perceive the light
that's everywhere,the energy buzzing.The small strands of indigo or violet,blue
or red light.Breathe it in,pulling it into yourself,and push it from your right
hand.

Energy sensing and manipulation is an important art,and one that also

deserves its own article.For now,though,push it out of you,and see the dense
mass,and shape it.Make it into a stick,a sword,a statue.Make more and more
elaborate things.Structure it,which is to say,use your breath to control it and
make it more real to yourself and to the world.

If you need to use your physical hands to mold this,then by all means do so
and watch as your physical and astral body are in sync.

Make a fountain,somewhere outside.Preferably connect it to a leyline(more on

that in the next exercise) so that there's water flowing from it.In your waking
reality,observe as people passing through the fountain seem to have an odd
feeling,or animals seem to walk around it.After a time,disassemble it.Do not
fret if nothing reacted to it,what matters is that you made it and you saw it.

Exercise III:
Now that you know how to exit your body,go to a spot like a graveyard,a
crossroad,a haunted house,a place knwon for UFO sites,a church,a mosque,a
place that just ''feels powerful''.These places are holes that link this world to
another.Some of them are aligned in a line,called a leyline,whereas others are
simply just there,to link two places.They may manifest as actual
pits,doors,gateways,''flashes of light''.
When you feel you are comfortable outside of your body in this world,go
through one of those.Perceive the world on the other side,and its denizens.The
first world I journeyed to in this way was a place called the Garden of
Souls,linked through a grave in a Muslim cemetery.The people ther ewere
spirits of the dead,living prosperously,most of them people who died in the
war.

I also met the Cryptkeeper of that particular cemetery,who was my guide

through it.There were fields,and meadows,one mountain and a huge
lake.Pedestals for angels to stand on(as I summoned Michael later on one of
these),and portals leading to this world,to name just a few. Find your
world,and look for a guide there,to help you through it.Or call out to one of
your spirit allies.

Exercise IV:
Now that you know how to teleport yourself to someone,by bringing your
attention to them,turn your attention towards a particular entity.Not a well-
known spirit either.This entity is a muse of sorts,helping people with creative
projects.He is generally delighted to meet magicians,and is very
friendly,though some of his ideas can be weird and unhelpful.However,we are
all always looking for inspirationa,and he is filled with it.

His name,is Dorr .Pronounced ''door''.In fact,he oftentimes manifests as a

door,though to me he's a white humanoid frog.Go to Dorr.When you meet
Dorr,commune with him.Ask him a quesiton and hear his answer in your
head,as though you were talking to a spirit in evocation.Do not dismiss it as
your imagination.

Exercise V:
Soul travel out of your body and into the Northwest.With an astral
dagger,wand,or your finger,a labarum,or chi-ro.The chi-ro is a symbol of the
passage of time,which is crucial for this operation.Draw one that's as big as
you are.Surround it in a circle.

Then hover your right hand over it,and push your intent into it.Focus on a
time period,in the past or in the future,and then push it outwards,onto the
chi-ro,seeing it glow,as though you are opening a sigil.Push it more,until the
chi-ro cracks into a small hole.

Journey through it and you will find yourself time travelling into the past,or
future.Be wary of what you meet there,but also enjoy the experience of having
travelled through time.

Exercise VI:
Repeat the fifth exercise,and soul travel into the future.Your future.While
imbuing the chi-ro,focus on a specific intent.Maybe you want to be able to
pass a test,or you want to get some money.Journey to the point where you are
spending the money you wanted,or that moment after the test where you feel
confident you did well.
Then,pause time and watch that moment.Focus on it,feeling the emotions that
arise from it.Feel as though it is happening now and then.Merge with you
from the future,and invoke into yourself the full joy that comes from acquiring
this,the relief,the happiness,and the positive emotions that arise.

Solidify yourself in that moment,and when you feel your concentration

dwindling and your desire exhausted,return to your body.State and reaffirm
the intent of the ritual,record the experience and forget about it.Go about your
day,and do whatever is physically necessary for you to accomplish this.

Exercise VII:
Using the same methods of visualization and structuring that I outlined in the
second exercise,start making a building.Somewhere on the astral plane.It may
be in the clouds or in a plot of land given to you by one of your spirit allies,or
somewhere else.

Make an astral temple.This can be a humble sanctuary in a small hut,or an

extravagant palace.Depends on how well you can structure.Start molding
things,and as you do so stretch your metaphysical arms.As you do so push
your will into it.If you want a throne,the energy will mold itself into a throne.If
you want a mirror,it will mold itself into a mirror.

Your consciousness are the bricks,your will is the mortar.If you have any
spiritual allies,ask them to help you make this astral temple,or defend it
somehow.When the outline has been made,solidify it,add the details,and you
will have a temple.

Exercise VIII:
Look at something in the distance,through a window,while going about your
daily life.Calm yourself,close your eyes,and with your mere breath go there.If
you have mastered soul travel to the point where you can do this,then you may
try to soul travel,without engaging a theta-gamma sync in the first place.Not
calming yourself at all.If you cannot do this,train more and get back to this.

Realize that though it seems like fantasy,you are soul traveling.You are exiting
your body,as you have before,and you are doing the same things you have
before.If a trance comes naturally,embrace it.If not then no harm done.
Repeat this until you are certain completely that you don't need trances to soul
travel.

Exercise IX:

Learn to exist both within your body and outside of it at the same time.

a.Project out of your body while sitting in a chair.No trances,not even closing
your eyes,just go to your astral temple,and do something there.

b.Project while walking,and do something simple up there,like folding a piece

of astral paper.
c.Project while doing something with your hands,like cooking,and do
something more complex,like cutting the folded paper with astral scissors.

d.Project while reading,glue the paper to another piece of paper and make
something that actually makes sense.

e.Project while exercising,make a snowflake out of paper on the astral.

f.Project while doing a hard problem-solving type of task,like maths,and make

a complex origami like a crane.

g.Project while dreaming,if you have any mastery over your dreams,that is,and
make a drawing on the astral.

Change the complexity of both the physical task and the astral task until you
know you are bilocating,and know how to dwell on both ends at the same
time,while still functioning in both.

Exercise X:
Perform a ritual,both on the astral,and in the physical world,in perfect
synchronicity.If there are any symbolic actions in the physical world(like
wrapping a poppet in a red yarn),do those things literally on the astral(like
wrapping the person the poppet represents in a red chain).Take care in
designing the ritual if you are developing it,or in adapting the ritual if you are
borrowing it.This ritual shouldn't be an evocation,because of the nature of
evocation.

Exercise XI:
Journey to Master Sunham,in his temple.Sunham is an ascendant master,who
is more than happy to receive anyone willing to learn,with hopes that you may
choose someday to join their ranks.He will guide you into perfecting all of
these methods.

Now that you know how to soul travel and have a strong mastery over it,you
may want to learn how to shapeshift,or do other things on the astral plane.You
may explore making egregores and populating a kingdom with your astral
temple as the capital.

There is so much potential out there,to grow,to experiment,to learn and to do.
Soul Travel is a necessary skill,an extraordinary power,a wonderful tool,and
even a powerful weapon. I hope this article was helpful.