I am not a monk tucked away in some quiet corner of the world where no one will disturb me, I am not someone who meditates every day, though I probably should. I usually manage to go to bed early and listen to some binaural beats, sometimes I even make it through to the end without falling asleep. I live in Italy, a pretty chaotic country for someone who was born and brought up in a quiet English village. I learnt to astral project when I had young kids so I needed techniques that I could do when I had time.

My kids used to start school around 8.00am and finish around 1.00pm and that includes Saturdays. If I was going to do any communing with my self in the realms of the present moment it had to be within those times, in between all the other things I had to do. This doesn’t include, of course, the 3-month summer holidays, during which quietly communing with my self was possible only at night.

I sometimes wonder how I ever managed to teach myself how to leave my body, little kids just don’t relate to ‘just sit there quietly for 20 minutes while I go and do my OBE training.’ Of course my kids grew up but the interruptions didn’t stop. I always look back at what I did, indeed what I continue to do, for astral projection is a work in progress. I continually work at it for there is always progress to be made and slacking off means fewer OBEs. I want to be brief and to the point because busy people with jobs and families need a simple, straightforward technique which can be practised anywhere and at any time. Basically, it is a system which uses normal dreams as a springboard to expand your consciousness.

In the past when I slept was the only time I could practise any Astral Projection techniques. It was the only time really when I was completely relaxed and not usually interrupted. We all sleep so we can all use this time. If you wake up several times during the night, each time is an opportunity to practise staying awake while you fall asleep. Your consciousness must be gently present through the whole process, don’t concentrate too hard or your body will never fall asleep. However, this isn’t the technique I wanted to discuss. When I was teaching myself to OBE often exhaustion would set in, and I would fall asleep. This problem led me to look at dreams.

This is fundamental. If you don’t remember your dreams the first thing you have to do is develop your dream recall. This OBE technique relies on something we all do every night whether you remember or not. Memory is important for dreams and out-of-body experiences alike. So, to remember your dreams and develop your recall ability, it is essential to start writing down your dreams and any feelings or sensations you have during the night. This gives the message to your subconscious that you want to remember what you do at night. You may also use affirmations before you go to sleep and each time you wake up, for example, ‘I remember my dreams,’ over and over again. Take a little time each morning, just after you wake up, to sink back a little to that zone between waking and sleeping, let your dreams come floating back into your mind. If you’re new to OBEs it may be a good idea to surround yourself with Light before you go to sleep. Many people recommend this to keep away unwanted entities. To tell the truth I don’t go through this process because it has become automatic. I am fairly confident when I’m out-of-body, I have had a quite a few scary moments and overcome them. After all the negative energy I’ve blasted with Love and Light most of the annoying entities probably run a mile when they see me coming!

Our consciousness is often lost in dreams, just as sometimes our consciousness is lost in life. Too often we get swept along by the chaos. Are we really consciously present in our lives 100% of the time. I know I’m not. How many times during the day do we drift off to the past or to the future, we play past events through our minds and sometimes worry about the future. How much time do we actually spend focused in the present? It is great practice to stay focused when all around us seems in chaos. Many people have said that our point of power is the present and how right they are. So, if we are not present in our lives how can we be present when we sleep, how can we be conscious in our dreams when we are not always conscious in life?

Often, we do things in an automated way because we are used to it, we have learnt how to do it so we don’t have to think about it anymore. So now we must teach ourselves to be conscious, to wake up while the body sleeps, to wake up within the chaotic life of our dreams. We must teach ourselves to be conscious within the chaos, the chaos of our physical life and our dream life. Training ourselves to be more aware in daily life will reflect in our dreams.

This is a short technique on paper, this does not mean it is ineffective, it just means it is simple, but it is not for the lazy of mind. It takes conscious effort to stop the mind from wandering. Astral Projection is a skill that requires work, just like any other, but with this technique your astral projection practice can be integrated into your everyday life.

There is one basic thing you should do throughout the day as often as you can. Be present in whatever you are doing, be present with your consciousness, concentrate and pay attention to exactly what you are doing in the present moment. If you are driving, be present, notice the car in front of you, what colour is it, what make is it. Instead of thinking about what’s for lunch or dinner or one of the million other things we think about when driving, concentrate and pay attention to what you are doing and to who, or what, is around you. If you are shopping, be present, look around you, take notice of things, the products, the people, be present in the present, concentrate and pay attention, really be in the moment. If you are doing housework, be present, pay attention to what you are doing, you don’t have to literally count the bubbles in the detergent, but notice them, be more aware. Concentrate. The list can go on and on, eating, getting dressed, washing, shaving… all the things we do automatically that we are not usually present in but off thinking about something else. Every so often choose an object and concentrate on it, look at it in detail, start with a minute or so, then increase the time. Our minds drift, so we drift away from the present moment. We don’t pay attention or concentrate. The key is concentration because in the end if we concentrate and pay attention in our lives this too will be reflected in our dreams. We need to go consciously into our lives so we can go consciously into our dreams. Be conscious in your life, be present.

With time you will start to become more aware, the more you remind yourself to concentrate in life the more it will be reflected in your dreams. You may well find yourself concentrating on something in a dream automatically, bingo, you’ve almost cracked it. It doesn’t matter what holds your attention, it could be someone’s voice, or an object, the important thing is not to get distracted. Don’t think about it, don’t wonder about it, just focus on it. The action is important, not the object, and it is the focusing, the concentrating that will get you from a dream to a state of expanded consciousness. This is not lucid dreaming, lucid dreaming is being awake or conscious in a dream, we are taking our attention away from the dream by focusing on one object, or one thing, ignoring all the rest of the activity. We are dissolving the dream and expanding our consciousness. Using this method, I have found myself in the mind awake/body asleep state ready to astral project. I have also found myself going through a tunnel, at the exit of the tunnel I have been in a state of pure consciousness, beyond form. This method of concentration can also be used if you are in your astral body. Just close down your astral vision and concentrate, focus inwards, try to empty your mind of thoughts. It takes effort but the result is amazing.

Take advantage of sleep time.

Train your memory.

Make chaos your ally.

Get Conscious in Life

Get Conscious in Dreams

The Dream Focus Technique will not work overnight because it involves developing your consciousness in the present moment. You will become more consciously present in what is happening around you in physical life and less involved in the crazy emotional side of human life. Remaining objective is important in the astral, controlling thoughts is essential in such a thought-sensitive reality.

The key words are:

Be Present

Focus

Pay Attention

Concentrate

Be Conscious