Wind of the Soul

Update: March 8th–The Journeys Out of the Body Giveaway has closed. Congratulations to Goldie of California and Leah Moore of Grayson, Kentucky–they each won a copy of Journeys Out of the Body. I’d also like to thank everyone for entering. Please sign up for e-mail updates (on the left side of the page under “Subscribe”) or keep checking back, as a new giveaway will be posted very soon.

Though I still haven’t been working on writing any new spiritual or self-help blog entries for Wind of the Soul, I’ve desperately wanted to get back to hosting uplifting and consciousness expanding giveaways. And, in the coming months, that’s exactly what I’ll be doing. I have some ideas for a Wind of the Soul – “Pay It Forward” type project in 2010, with the uplifting giveaways being a major part of that project. So, to kick this first giveaway off for ‘10, I’m giving away two, brand new copies of Robert Monroe’s seminal work on astral projection: “Journeys Out of the Body.”

While the book isn’t necessarily a how-to on OBE, it does provide fascinating details into Mr. Monroe’s early excursions along the astral plane. And, it gives great insight into his mindset during those initial experiences; back when he was a stranger in a very foreign land.

Journeys Out of the Body provided an enormous amount of education and comfort for me during my initial out-of-body experiences and I can’t recommend it enough.

If you plan on entering this giveaway (and I hope you do), I only ask one thing – here’s where the pay it forward part comes into play. I’m asking that you find at least one person in need of some assistance, and you provide it for them.

Sounds simple enough right? If you’re interested in the type of subjects I’ve written and podcasted about, then you probably already help others on a regular basis anyway. However, I’m presenting this more as a challenge than a request for doing what you’re already accustomed to doing.

The “challenge” is for you to get outside the box of your normal good deeds and do something very different. Naturally, I’m not suggesting you put yourself in harm’s way or do anything crazy, but I am saying it should be something beyond what you usually do. For example, I usually do nice things for people whenever I’m out in public, such as holding doors, smiling, giving someone my grocery cart, letting someone go ahead of me in line, lifting something heavy for a person, etc.

Yet, in doing that, I’ve grown very comfortable in my routine and I rarely challenge myself to do a radically different kind of good deed. Basically, I’m talking about doing something that takes more than thirty seconds of our time. I’m talking about getting involved in something that may take ten, twenty or even ninety minutes, and possibly even days.

Now granted, this may seem like a lot to ask just for entering a giveaway, but wait until you see what I’m going to ask the winners to do! Just kidding.

But seriously, if more of us would start putting this concept into practice, I believe a single good deed (especially a “big one”) has the potential to change our world for the better. It’s like a reverse domino effect; instead of knocking them over, we’re picking them back up.
(Read the rest of Journeys Out of the Body Giveaway)

So far, I’ve written twelve articles and recorded two podcasts pertaining to out of body experiences. By far and away, I receive more questions and consistent feedback on this subject matter than any other. Many of you may also know I post all of my podcasts as You Tube videos. As it turns out, the Out of Body Experience Techniques video (link takes you to the You Tube video) has become my most frequently viewed to date.

Due to the growing amount of interest in my work on astral projection, I wrote this entry to share a few more of my thoughts on the subject. The following ten tips are a combination of topics I’ve yet to address and frequent questions I receive via email and messages. This list isn’t meant to be exhaustive:

1. OBE shortcuts? Just like any other form of achievement, experiencing astral projection consciously and soberly (minus the aid of any drug) takes consistent practice and work. There are no OBE shortcuts. Though I fell into astral projection “accidentally”, the experience is rarely (if ever) automatically there for the asking. The only exception to this is when I’m occasionally awakened by the vibrational state during a dream.

I still have to consistently practice if I want to have a fully conscious experience and even then, I may not encounter a projection. In roughly 99 out of 100 attempts, I only get as far as the pre-projection symptom stage. I don’t believe there is any strategy which will substitute for consistent practice of commonly known techniques. Astral projection techniques need to be routinely explored and tailored to fit the individual.
(Read the rest of Out of Body Experiences: Ten Tips)

Following in the footsteps of my seventh and eighth recordings, this ninth episode features a narration of one of my earlier posts, Techniques For Achieving an OBE. The episode runs 20 minutes, 38 seconds and the file size is 18.8 MB (for downloading).

This recording can be streamed in the player in the podcast section or played here directly: Out of Body Experience Techniques.
(Read the rest of Podcast #9: Out of Body Experience Techniques…)

Question: My question pertains to the comatose state. Could you give your opinion on comas and whether or not you believe there’s a connection between the consciousness of a coma patient and the astral plane? Despite the fact most patients appear unresponsive, is their consciousness fully aware and possibly traveling outside the body? – Sheena

Answer: I absolutely believe comas provide the means for a patient’s awareness to pursue nonphysical realms. However, I can’t say for certain they are actually spending time on the astral plane. I feel the term astral plane has become a sort of catch all for anything deemed nonphysical, but I do believe the coma patient’s consciousness is extremely busy exploring other avenues of existence.
(Read the rest of Q & A: Comas & the Astral Plane…)

Question: During out of body experiences I’ve encountered many sounds and sensations in my room, around my bed, and near my body. If our astral bodies are pure energy, then why would they create or make sounds we normally associate with our physical bodies? If these sounds and sensations are not related to our astral energy, then what do you think causes them? –Cynthia S.

Answer: The subject of astral “symptoms” is one that I’ve spent a lot of time experiencing, pondering, and writing about. There are many possibilities for answering your question.

Most of the out of body literature points to the fact the majority of sounds and sensations occur just prior to full projection. It seems to me there is an incredible amount of energy being built up during the pre-projection phase.
(Read the rest of Q & A: Out of Body Noises & Sensations…)