In the summer of 2016 I downloaded a book written by Cyrus Kirkpatrick called Understanding Life After Death. To say that I couldn’t put the book down is an understatement, in fact I believe I read it in a couple of days (which is good going for me!). As well as having a life-long exploration of afterlife topics, Cyrus has experienced out of body experiences (OBE’s) and has been able to visit different planes that exist in the afterlife/spirit world. This being the basis of his book, as you can imagine, it was a truly fascinating read and so very informative for someone who enjoys researching on these topics.
As well as writing extensively on this subject, Cyrus is an explorer who has enjoyed visiting many countries as well as producing a documentary in North Korea. If you would like to find out more, here is a link to Cyrus’ website: www.cyruskirkpatrick.com
Cyrus has kindly taken the time to answer ten questions about the subject of OBE’s. You can download a copy of Understanding Life After Death from Amazon at this link.
- Please explain what an OBE is?
An out of body experience is the perception of leaving your body and appearing in a duplicate of your own body. This may occur before or immediately after falling asleep, upon meditation or other factors. This can include moving up and out of your body and appearing (sometimes floating) in your bedroom.
Astral projection is a state of being in this out of body condition within a parallel dimension. This may include a great number of styles and environments. A distinctive quality is the perception of real (not dream-like) people.
- Is an OBE the same as astral projection? What are the differences, if any?
The difference is that astral projection may not be preceded by the OBE phenomenon which occurs separately. Astral projection may happen during normal sleep and dreams, whereupon a lucid dream becomes an “astral” experience. However, the phenomenon of being in such a dimension may also begin with consciously leaving the body first. It all depends.
To understand this more completely, consider the concept that we are living parallel lives in another dimension, simultaneously to our own lives on Earth. Our brains pick up this life as a “signal” similar to a radio. When we sleep, we are in a subjective state created by the subconscious, and this is a particular station on the radio. However, as we sleep, we may experience a scrambled signal of real experiences coming from this other realm. This is why some dreams have a mixture of “junk” from our own minds, and unexplainable situations in unfamiliar environments with unfamiliar people.
Astral projection is literally just the state of the radio being focused temporarily with complete clarity. Suddenly, the mind and body of your dual-life in another plane are linked with the mind of your Earth body. This is accomplished through focused intention during a lucid dream state – to remove the dream “interference” and see what’s really occurring on another realm.
Understand that your astral life contains distinct memories (an entire life) that is separate from your Earth life. When you astral project, it’s almost like you are “possessing” your other body, hijacking it with your Earth-thoughts and memories. To the outsider’s perspective, perhaps it’s like you’ve briefly gone kooky or are suddenly suffering amnesia. From your perspective, you’ve landed in an unknown environment, with unknown people. Although, sometimes your astral memories carry over slightly but dissipate once you “wake up, e.g.: you may have a great familiarity with where you are and how you got there – but find it hard to remember the details when it ends.
- What was your first OBE experience like, was it by accident or something you had trained yourself to do?
Original OBEs included sensations of electrical tingling in my body as I lay on my bed. This led to the sensation of moving up out of my body and observing my “duplicate” limbs rising up out of my “physical” arms. These happened for a while until I had my first “astral projection” trip where I felt myself being taken from the OOB state into a new environment – and discovering myself in a kind of temple in nature. More about that first experience I recount in my book.
These experiences were all the result of practice and a sudden onset of increased occurrences around 2014. I never had a true OBE prior to early 2014.
- Do you believe anyone can have an OBE if they practice?
Yes, everyone is equipped with the mental abilities to shift consciousness between planes, but for some people it’s harder. If a person is unable to dream, for instance, this is a sign it may be a much longer, harder process. I’d even hypothesize such a person may not be connected so well to an astral parallel life. I notice those people with a tendency to lucid dream are more likely to gain the clarity needed to consciously leave the body, or become aware of an astral environment.
- What are your top tips on how to achieve an OBE?
First achieve lucid dream states. This can be done by habituating a phrase like “Am I dreaming?” until you, by habit, ask this out loud during a dream. This can kick your consciousness back into full-gear, putting you in control of a dream. Repeat this phrase 10-12 times a day until you begin repeating it during a dream state.
It’s then possible, while your body is asleep and paralyzed, to move your astral limbs out of the physical body, or look around the bedroom with your parallel eyes open (and physical eyes closed). You may also experience tingling or electrical sensations – and these must be fought past as it can be intimidating (it’s an energetic shift occurring as sensation and awareness shifts to your second body).
It’s also possible to gain awareness during dreams, creating lucid dreams. From that point, the “radio interference” will clear and you’ll discover you’re in a real parallel world. This is also an OBE / astral projection, just achieved in a different way.
- Are you also a psychic medium?
I’m not. But I’ve been told I have a built-in clairaudient mediumistic ability that is extremely powerful, yet hasn’t been unearthed – interesting.
- Why do you believe that spirit allow some people to have these experiences? What should we learn from them?
Do they allow us or do we just practice natural law? I think spirit people can facilitate the experiences. My best experiences were facilitated by other beings, when I am gently tugged out of my body. They’re excited when an Earth person makes that connection happen . . . because it’s rare.
- Are there lots of different levels of afterlife? How many have you visited?
Wise folk say there are innumerable levels and conditions in the universe. For me personally, the majority of experiences occur in an astral realm I call the Second Earth. This is where many people who cross over end up. It’s essentially the same planet we’re on right now, but existing on the astral spectrum. It has all the same geographic territories, but is also very different, with its own unique version of cities and places – populated by an entirely alternate civilization. If you’re wondering where you will end up when you die, I would put my money on the Second Earth. But there are countless other possibilities depending on the soul.
- Have you ever met up with someone that is also experiencing an OBE at the same time?
No, but I’ve seen people dreaming in their bedrooms, out of their bodies and hallucinating. They couldn’t become aware of me.
- Do you have any evidence that proves that you were having an OBE and saw something that you would have no-way of knowing whilst you were sleeping?
Yes, just corroborations. I spied on my roommate before meditating cross-legged in his bathrobe one morning (a practice I did not know he did until I questioned him that morning). I also encountered a young man in an astral state once whom I questioned. I learned about his life on Earth and he gave me his full name. I looked him up on Facebook and immediately found his memorial page.
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