Introduction

by Robert Bruce

Welcome to Mastering Astral Projection!  This book is devoted to teaching you how to have a fully conscious astral projection (also called out-of-body experience or OBE).  It focuses on practical OBE exit training and advice, rather than on covering everything relating to the history, speculation and practice of astral travel.
 

My first book, Astral Dynamics: a NEW approach to OBE (Hampton Roads) covered not only projection training and OBE exit techniques, but also many related issues, phenomena and theory associated with astral travel.  During the latter stages of writing Astral Dynamics, it was clear that I needed to include a practical training program, to help readers apply the information I was giving in a step-by-step and goal-oriented way.  But given the eventual size of Astral Dynamics (560 pages), such a weighty addition was impractical.  A few chapters had already been cut to save space.


After Astral Dynamics was published, I received many requests for an OBE training program.  One of my readers, Brian Mercer, a computer programmer, writer and OBE aficionado in the USA, sent me the bones of such a program.  He had developed this for his personal use, offering me a copy out of courtesy.  After studying Brian’s 90-day program, I uploaded it to my website and made it available to the public online.  This quickly became popular and resulted in a lot of constructive feedback.  I passed the feedback along to Brian, plus my own ideas for improvements, and he revised and fine-tuned it accordingly.


It soon became obvious that we were building the foundations of a valuable OBE training manual.  Brian and I soon became good friends.  Following my instincts, I invited Brian to coauthor a book with me, the book you are now holding, Mastering Astral Projection.
 

In the months that followed we discussed the theme and content of Mastering Astral Projection at great length.  We recognized that an old hand like me and a keen novice like Brian teaming up as OBE teachers would create a winning combination of knowledge, experience, and priceless enthusiasm.  I am not really a fair test subject for any kind of OBE training program, as I have way too much firsthand experience.  Brian, however, was a well-read novice with little actual OBE experience.  He was not one of those fortunate few who can easily induce an OBE.  At this time Brian had tried for many years, but with only enough success to fire his continuing interest.
 

Brian road tested each section of the program repeatedly.  He put in time and enthusiastic effort, as I watched for problems and worked on solutions.  Together we fine-tuned the methodology of the program for optimal results.  During this process we gained a profound understanding of the numerous problems that beset novice projectors and came up with many new and innovative solutions.  We also began researching and experimenting with helpful technologies, such as light and sound machines and audio devices that help induce altered states of consciousness.  We wanted to include everything that could possibly help projectors.
 

The structure of this 90-day program is simple.  Information and instructions are given in bite-sized chunks, while readers follow a progressive series of OBE-related exercises.  Only enough instruction and theory are given at any one time to provide context to the work at hand.   Basic skills like deep relaxation, clearing the mind, concentration and energy body stimulation are taught first, and then a variety of OBE exit techniques are introduced, one at a time.  Advice and tips from Brian and me are given every day of the program, as students practice and develop their skills.  Common problems are identified and solved along the way.  Extensive problem solving sections are included.
 

Each week begins with a new case history to familiarize readers with OBE and to fire their expectations.  A chapter introducing the required information for that week’s activities follows.  Each chapter builds upon the previous chapter.  Summary and review sections are given at the end of each week.  By the end of the program, readers will know and will have practiced everything required to wake induce an OBE exit.  After that it is just a matter of patience and practice.
 

Projecting out of body requires a delicate balance of mind, body and spirit.  Everyone is different and the time it takes to achieve this balance varies greatly from person to person.  Some people take to OBE like a duck to water, whereas others have to practice harder to achieve results.  This program levels the playing field with structured training and experiential advice.  Everyone following it has an even chance of getting out of body.

Throughout the 90-day program we release new information that has been found to help induce the OBE exit.  An example of this is my Slight Discomfort theory.  In a nutshell, a very slight level of discomfort helps the physical body/mind stay more closely connected with itself, and with its projected double during an OBE.  This makes it easier to download and recall OBE memories.  After all, without the memory of an OBE after the fact, it might as well not have happened.  Everything that helps students retain their precious OBE memories must be recognized and used.
 

An unavoidable side effect of this program is that it can cause the development of psychic abilities.  This is understandable, as learning to induce an OBE requires training that can be applied to any other metaphysical pursuit.  Our program contains extensive energy body stimulation work and, combined with deep relaxation, mind taming, and induced altered states of consciousness, dormant psychic abilities will begin to manifest.

I wish you the very best luck as you begin our 90-day training program.  Astral projection might seem a giant leap for you now, but taken one step at a time it is not nearly as daunting as it appears.  I suppose this is a bit like eating an elephant.  If one looks at a whole elephant, the task of eating it all seems preposterous.  But once the elephant has been reduced to frozen TV-dinner-sized portions, such a task would seem far more achievable.  One might be eating elephant for a very long time, but success will always be in sight at the bottom of one’s proverbial freezer.