A Basic Primer to Entities and Cleansing by MemoryandDream Introduction This article might read a little differently then others

I've written. Truly, it 's a collection of advice and experience in regards to ghosts, spirits and entit ies. It's Things You Should Know if you're planning on getting involved in such beings, or such beings have decided to get involved in you. Consider it a bit of a So You've A Ghost - Now What? 101 kind of guide. It's most certainly not allinclusive, nor is it the only approach or belief out there on the topic. My hope is that, given my experiences with the subject (being that I didn't have a choi ce in my interactions due to the fun genetic quirk of inherited "always-on" medi umistic ability) I can help give some general information to those who are facin g it for the first time. Ground Rules and Basics Here are some general things to know when dealing with entities of any kind. First off, there are a host of different types of entities. Trying to come up wi th a comprehensive list would be an article on it's own. But, in [extreme] brief , some of the more common include spirits/ghosts (the "soul" or essence of a per son who has passed or who is non-corporeal); residual energy/poltergeist (mere e nergy without a driving soul or thought that is left over like a stain or imprin t on a place or object); and demons/elementals/fae/etc. (non-human entities that come in all shapes, sizes, dispositions and intentions.) Secondly, because there is such a range out there, and because it can be hard to know which are helpful, which are harmful and which are merely curious, it's im portant to always be polite. No really. Asking nicely tends to get you much furt her than ordering, commanding or arguing. Try respect first. Third, no matter what type of entity it is, it needs your permission to physical ly interact with you. Stop and think about that for a moment. No matter what you fear might happen, you do have a level of control because of this basic rule of the universe. Entities can - and will - try to trick you into giving permission , and may physically interact with non-living things in an effort to obtain thei r desire, but unless you allow them, you do have a built-in level of safety. Whi ch brings me to.... Do not open doors you can't close. It's often easy to start something but extrem ely difficult to stop it. The easiest way to prevent problems is to keep them fr om happening to being with. So please, when you get the idea to summon up someth ing, just don't. If you find yourself in a situation where you're out of control, frightened or o therwise lost, the first step is to calm down and try to re-center. Take steps t o cleanse yourself and your surroundings. This too often goes further then you'd think if you approach it with strong intent and clear mind. So You've Got An Unwanted Visitor Whether you seek it out or not, sometimes entities can be drawn to us, or our su rroundings and they might not want to leave. Or you might just be uncomfortable with their presence and you'd really like to be left alone. So here are some ste ps to try in removing unwanted entities. First off, ask nicely if it will leave. You can literally just speak aloud and e xpress your request that they leave you alone. Yes, you may feel silly. But this should always be your first step. It honestly does work quite often.

Second step is to be a little more forceful. I don't mean rude. I don't mean nas ty. I mean, put a little more will into it. Be firm but don't cross the line int o hostile. Third step is to cleanse yourself and your home. *See below If you still can't get rid of it, you might need to seek other help. This can ge t difficult. You can look for resources such as mediums or psychics in your area who might be willing to help you push the entity out of your home for good. It' s rare that it would go so far. Most of the time asking or cleansing will remove the problem. How to Cleanse Yourself And Your Home Sometimes, you might have attracted the attention of an entity and you need to r emove lingering ties or attractions to yourself or your personal space. Here are some suggestions of things you can do to purify yourself and your home after su ch encounters. They're not bad to do in general now and then just to keep yourse lf and your home energetically and spiritually tidy. You keep your home clean in other ways, so why ignore it's energetic side? Cleanse Yourself A great way to cleanse your energy/aura is to take a ritual saltwater bath. Sea salt is best, but even regular table salt will work. Using a washcloth, slowly a nd with the focus of cleansing any negative energy or attachments, slowly wash y our body, visualizing that you are purifying and removing all bad energy. Breath slowly and deeply, and really take your time to truly see yourself disconnectin g anything that is dark, bad, or harmful from your body and your energy. Another alternative to salt is lavender. It's very calming and can help you reac h a mind state of relaxation and purity. Additionally, never underestimate the power of meditation. It need not be anythi ng formal. Merely taking some time to sit down, focus on your breathing can go a long way. As you breathe, pull in positive, clean and pure energy; as you exhal e, push out the dirty, negative and tainted energy. Find your center and try to connect with the rhythm of the earth. Even ten minutes of this will leave you fe eling refreshed and rejuvenated. Ease yourself back into your regular breathing and continue on with your day. Cleanse Your Home A simple way to cleanse a home or other living space is with the use of sage. Of ten called "smudge sticks" sage is usually wrapped into a bundle. You light the sage and walk the smoke purposefully through the space. Sage has been considered sacred in many cultures throughout the world for years. Again, visualize the sm oke removing any negative energy. Let it carry any impurity up and away. Another way to cleanse again involves salt. If you are burdened with bad dreams for example, make an unbroken circle in salt around your bed. Salt is a great pu rifier and can be used as a barrier against unwanted energies and entities. In Closing I know first-hand how daunting, frightening and confusing it can be to deal with entities and encounters. I know how lost and bothered you can feel by the invas ion. Just try to keep the basic rules in mind, never try to summon entities or g ive permissions if you aren't 100% fully prepared for the consequences. Many ent ities you will randomly encounter are not malicious; many are just curious or bo red. But that doesn't mean every one is nice or even truthful. So please, avoid provoking or initiating such encounters and use these steps to help finish rando

m encounters that may come to you. **** Too Many Spells For Stupid Reasons by Dennaveve Is it just me or has there been an influx of "Poor me I need a spell posts? I ha ve no problem with spells, ritual, meditation, what have you but this seems to b e a new trend. Instead of communicating people want a mystical magical way to go about finding the answers to a simple question, or the cure for a basic problem . The most common seem to be "Love Divination" spells or the "Cold Cures" at lea st on this community and the others I browse on a regular basis. Life is not an episode of Charmed or Sabrina the Teenage Witch, have people forgotten that some good rest and lots of fluids can clear up a cold in no time? Or that if it s trul y more serious and there s something like bronchitis involved a simple trip to the doctors office for some antibiotics will kick the illness in the butt? What abo ut asking someone out on a date, or suggesting a simple hang out with a girl or guy you have a thing for? The usual answers (to the love posts) seem to be: "Well I m scared they ll say no" "I m too shy" "I m worried it will affect the friendship" Personally I d be far more worried about the toxins in the air I am breathing or c ontracting some strange pathogen from the people at your work or school that don t wash their hands after going to the bathroom. Life is about taking chances and indulging in risks. Asking someone out isn t a very big risk in the book of Deadly Death Defying Feats of Risk Taking. The worst that can happen is the object of your affection would rather remain friends or just breaks off the friendship. Th at s not so bad is it? Ok yes losing a friend can be horrible but, if they were re ally your friend they wouldn t be so offended by wanting to go out on a date! If t hey were a good friend wouldn t alienate you because of it either. The only good thing I can say about the pop culture new age occult television sh ows is that whenever one of the characters tries to use one of those "simple" sp ells to get rid of a problem they end up in a big mess and realize that magic ju st like medications, alcohol and eating should not be overindulged. With magic t he result is usually a blow up, it all back fires and the character has to spend more time fixing the situation they created then if they just asked Mr. So and So out for coffee. With medication you usually end up over dosing and in the hos pital, or sick as a dog and puking your brains out. Alcohol, same deal. Eating, weight gain and other health problems can occur. All of these things aren t really harmful if used prudently and with real reason, like eating when you re hungry or having a casual drink with your friends. However when we scorn the basic rule i n life: "Waste not want not" and go for the excessive and frivolous things never work out the way we planned. The first thing to realize when trying to cast a spell to figure out if someone likes you is that everything has a reaction, equal at times but generally not. T he second thing to take into mind is that (as MemoryandDream [quoted] and many o thers have said): Quote: ...they (The powers that be) just have a hell of a lot of better shit to do then help some kid who can't even get the courage to ASK a simple question of someone who's so "special" to them and instead looks for shortcuts and cheats t o just have things handed to them on a silver platter. Translation: Begging a divine source for the answer to whether or not it s going t

o rain tomorrow could be easily figured out by checking the Weather Channel inst ead of lighting a candle and praying to ___ insert deity. Are we really so vain as to think that Gods, Goddesses, Spirits, what have you.. .have nothing better to do with their time than sit around like Mother Cleo on t he psychic hotline? "Answers to your mundane and banal problems answered for $3. 99 a minute! Just ask God! Lines are always open!" Maybe I m of a more Merlin-esque viewpoint, we should be prudent when using magic instead of lobbing around energy like one is playing a game of Kickball. Quote: To cause rain in a place where it is usually infrequent would be upsettin g the delicate balance of nature. There is a pattern to life and the reason it d oesn't rain a great deal in the desert is because the plants and animals there h ave adapted to not need a lot of rain. You could end up drowning the plants and animals which live there or upset the overall ecosystem by causing a "nice rains torm." In fact, if it worked too well you could cause harm in many different ways. Wish ing for some sunshine in Seattle could end up extending into a drought. Mother n ature really doesn't need help running her planet, she does a beautiful job on h er own. Just because you don t think there is going to be a reaction to your little experi ments in magic doesn t mean there won t be. Even though we don t think about all the g erms on our counters and toilet bowls doesn t mean they cease to exist just becaus e we aren t going to acknowledge them. Of course when people say something to this effect they are usually snubbed or considered to have no idea what they are tal king about. "Oh you mean you don t want to give me a spell because I could just ask them, well you know nothing about magic!" Really mature viewpoint. If you don t want our advice then go to your local occult crap vendor and buy some book by a man or woman with a name that sounds like it came out of Peter Pan. I m sure they have plenty of spells for you where all it t akes is a candle and some warm lavender oil to make the heavens split and rain f ire down upon your enemies. **** Magical Troubles by Slim the frequently possessed The potential dangers of incautious magick have been mentioned a number of times in previous articles, as well as the necessity for effective precautions. Despi te this, however, there will inevitably be a few people who skim to the function al details and dive headlong into magical reality. This is equivalent to picking a fight with Mike Tyson without having taken a day of training. And you would b e very lucky to come away with only an ear missing. This piece is written for th ose who have screwed up and got into trouble, whether by their own failure to ta ke proper care, or by having encountered some force they have not the skill to d eal with. Of course, magical practitioners are by nature people who confront the ir fears and face the dangers of the world. It is therefore inevitable that prob lems will occur eventually, and this can be useful, for it destroys complacent h abits. The dangers inherent in magical practice vary greatly. There is no way to cover all the potential problems that may come up. However, it is possible to draw up a few broad categories, which will afford us with a functional basis for discuss ion. The first is when a working produces results that are undesirable. The seco nd is when a spirit or other entity haunts one, causing various kinds of trouble. The third is when a spirit or other entity possesses one, taking control of the

body with or without any particular intentions. The fourth is when one becomes d eranged, which may be subtler than it sounds. These all have variants; sometimes a spirit is malicious and sometimes it is merely unintelligent. We will take a look at each and consider the methods available to deal with them. A magical operation can go bad in a number of ways. Besides simply failing to ha ve any noticeable result (usually due to vague intent or a lack of power), there is the possibility that the results will prove to be unpleasant. It may be that one learns too late that the pretty redhead has a drug habit. Or the course tak en by the magick to bring about the result may prove detrimental. For example, a procedure to obtain money may cause the death of an uncle or even a parent, pro viding a rich inheritance and a lifetime of guilt. The best way to avoid this ki nd of outcome is to be very specific about the desired goal, including a clause that disallows any kind of harmful side effects (to oneself and loved ones). It may be that this actually prevents any result, but that will only be the case wh en a working is ill-advised in the first place. Of course, if this has already h appened, such preventative measures are useless. It is usually a bad idea to per form operations that have conflicting aims, as this will tend to divide your per sonal energy and leave you drained. However, if calamity has struck, it is possi ble to set things straight. You can do this by either performing an operation wh ich is more focused and has greater energy than the original (and naturally has the objective of negating the first), or else by appealing to a higher power tha t has authority in the appropriate area. Thus, if you have messed up a romantic operation, Aphrodite is a logical choice to lodge your appeal. Now, by appeal I do not mean whining. You perform a damn good operation that communicates your de sire to have the god sort things out. Gods always know more than you in their ar ea of authority, so if you ask one to set things as they should be, you have a g ood chance of solving the problem. Being the target of a prankster spirit is most annoying. Little accidents will o ccur regularly, usually at the worst possible times. Far worse is to be faced wi th a vicious or even murderous entity. There are also beings that will attempt t o feed off your personal energy, often by inducing extreme emotional states. Eac h one is an individual, and as much information as is possible should be gathere d about the creature. It is useful to identify patterns, as spirits have forms o f recognizable behavioral habits. For example, does the spirit haunt a particular area? Does it follow you everywhere? Is it associated with a specific emotion or mental process? Does it cause physically dangerous events to take place? Map ou t all the information and draw your conclusions. It can be very helpful to work out what aspects of your life the being operates in; what is its ruling drive? I am assuming that you have tried banishing and it has proven ineffective. There are a number of procedures you could undertake at this point. I would recommend seeking the aid of a deity, as described above. Other ways include setting othe r spirits to hunt and destroy the troublemaker, or to try and trap it in a talis man. It is my opinion that one should take the course of action that has the hig hest probability of being successful first time, and I think that anything less than a god-working has an undesirable potential for failure. You must decide for yourself, and the other methods do not require too much ingenuity to fathom. Whether or not you know much about the spirit (it is at times quite difficult to learn anything substantial), there is always one god they will bow down to, and that is the King. In every pantheon there is one deity that controls all the re st. The classical example (to maintain consistency) is Zeus. For the Norse panth eon, it is Odin. In the fictional mythos of Amber, it would be Oberon. In my own system, it would be the Monad. From experience I can say it has proven effectiv e to perform a working with the objective of having tormenting spirits bound by th e Monad. If it is not sufficient to merely call on the god s aid, you may wish to invoke it. This is likely to have more immediate results, particularly if the sp irit is present. You should be prepared for a malignant entity to try to stop yo u from carrying out such a procedure. Unfortunately, if banishing has already fa

iled, you may need to soldier on . The greatest weapon at this point is your streng th of mind, your unity of purpose. Do what is necessary to summon the god, and i t should deal with your problem in a very effective fashion. Of course, you may o we the god after this, in which case it will be a good idea to make offerings to it. As you can see, it is easy to get caught up in a tangled prison if your earl y work is substandard. The third category is involuntary possession. This can be the worst problem trig gered by magick, as it involves a complete loss of self-control. The body does n ot respond to conscious desires, or does so in a very poor fashion. There are di fferent degrees of possession, and the actions that you may be forced to carry o ut will depend upon the character of the being that has intruded. A low-level sp irit may not know how to perform the simplest functions, so you may simply loll about. A spirit with a specific purpose or desire will be liable to direct you t o pursue its goal, be it bright colors, the taste of coffee or sexual release. T his results in a kind of compulsive behavior with a concomitant lack of compunct ion. Possession by a deity is a lot more complicated than the other kinds. A god understands the body and the mind; it knows how to use these as tools in the pu rsuit of its objectives, and it is well-integrated to the point at which it can displace your personality without causing unintentional damage to the body. Even so, this incurs such a degree of energy loss that the body will suffer greatly if the possession lasts indefinitely. There is not really any certain way to deal with possession by oneself when it i s underway. If has retained some degree of awareness (blackout and amnesia are c ommon), and the entity is of a fairly low order, it may be possible to drive it out by an act of will (something like screaming Fuck off outta here! ). This is obv iously impractical if it has complete control. However, it is rare for a spirit or other being to possess one constantly. Usually there are times when the body becomes too tired to sustain the presence, or the being needs to withdraw for it s own reasons. Thus, the time to get rid of it is when you are again in control, even if this is for but a short time. As with the earlier situations, my preferred solution is to summon the highest p ower known and have it destroy the being or mark oneself as off limits . However, i t is possible that a similar procedure was the cause of the present problem, and may compound it. If this is the case, then one must concentrate the whole of on e s mind and energy to the cause of annihilating the spirit. You could create a ma ntra with the words Kill [name] (if you do not know the name of the beast, just im agine its most characteristic quality or feeling and use that, so if it makes yo ur head swim with the scent of lemongrass, term it the Lemongrass Fiend , or some s uch). You might then light a bonfire and dance around it chanting Kill the Lemong rass Fiend! all night long. This is a spurious example, but it demonstrates the n ecessary features. The basis of the operation is to fill yourself with the total ly committed desire to utterly destroy the being in question, to drive it out of your personal universe permanently. Fire is a useful focus in this context, for it has the property of destruction and has a traditional role in cleansing. Wat er is also useful; standing beneath a waterfall is another age-old practice, alt hough one that is very dangerous and not to be recommended. What matters, and I make no apologies for repeating this, is that your entire mind and soul resound with the unconditional will to destroy your source of torment. The fourth category is that of insanity. Now I have spoken elsewhere about the v alue of induced short-term insanity, which is something I regard as a necessity in this field. However, I do not regard long-term, involuntary madness to be of any use. In fact, it is a terribly destructive phenomenon, and yet another reaso n for proper banishing. There are many forms of mental illness, and I am not qua lified to inform you as to their nature or methods of cure. All I can do in this context is warn you to maintain awareness of your behavior and thought processe s, and if you find these have altered radically following one or more magical op erations, it is a good idea to stop and evaluate the situation. It is unfortunat

e that magick is itself often regarded as nothing more than a symptom of madness , and it is true that many people would view the open practitioner of magick as a danger to the public for various reasons. Such facts are reason to keep ones w ork hidden from the world, but this necessity for secrecy can easily degenerate into paranoia. If you do suspect that you are suffering from some form of mental illness, do not panic. First write up an account of your views, and a list of a ll the things that appear to be wrong, and compare this with the record you have been keeping. You should be able to compare your present perspective with that of previous times, and see if there is any serious deviation. You should be awar e that everyone has minor obsessions and fantasies, many of which are sexual or violent in nature. It is not the existence of these things that qualifies as mad ness, but the acting out of such. If you are feeling overwhelmed by magical events, take a break from your practic e and get involved in social activities. See your friends and loosen up. Relax. If you remain with the feeling that the world is wrong, or that you are not able to deal with ordinary affairs, seek professional help. A Jungian psychotherapis t may be able to understand your magick rather better than others, and may be wo rth searching out. Do not hurt yourself, instead find a person who can help you. I realize here, at the end of this piece, that my advice is very limited and can only provide so much help to those who are in trouble. I am also aware just how easy it is to attract such trouble. Despite this, I remain certain in my opinio n that magick is worthwhile. It is in our nature to learn from our mistakes, and as long as we survive those mistakes, we tend to develop and become more than w e were before. **** Aura Scan and Repair by Volkdragon Here it is in its glory.. I understand however some of you have different and va rying opinions, discuss this as much as you want, however it is not subject to o pinionated debate. These are MY findings over a decade or two of healing, and en ergy working. This is a BASIC understanding for people who claim to have no abil ity. Person A mentioned that they had no such ability but as seen by this it was shown that with correct attitude and guidance, anyone can learn and display to a fair degree of efficiency the above mentioned ability. Aura Scan and Repair 101 The first thing you need to do is notice what, your body is doing. You need to k now whether you are tense or relaxed or other. Are your shoulders hunched up? If so let them down. Now take your off hand, the one you don't write with unless your ambidextrous. T hen in that case use a foot. (Joke) Now take your off hand and allow it to simply move in a slow motion above your b elly, about 5-6inches from you. You can do either a figure 8 or a circle, which ever feels comfortable for you. Go at a nice slow pace, what we are doing is all owing our hand and, arm to get into a rhythm. Now I want you to speed it up. Go pretty fast for about 20 seconds then slow it right down again. The reason for this is to stimulate your auric energy. Once yo u've done that, start slowly moving your hand in a to and fro movement towards a nd away from your belly. Again we are stimulating your auric energy but in a dif ferent way. Or in other words at a different vibrational rate. What we are attempting to do is find and identify your energy. Now start poundin g your energy with your hand as though you were pounding something flat. Almost like you are patting the air above your belly, but more of a pounding movement. Basically what we are doing now is stimulating the energy, so that we can percei ve it much better. We are also relaxing and tiring the arm, which in the early s

tages of this type of energy work makes it easier for us to discern our energy. Tired muscles tend to work better with energy in the beginning. Once that is ach ieved push your hand toward your belly, as though there was a big strong spring there. Visualize the spring, feel the tension as it slowly coils up and stores a ll that energy. As you pull your hand back do it as though all that pent up ener gy in the spring was pushing against your hand, and you are attempting to contro l it. You may feel a slight heat sensation or cold in or just away from your palm about now. It is ok if you feel nothing, not everyone does, and some people hear things instead. Again it is ok if nothing has happened yet. If that is the case , simply repeat the above a couple more times, until something is felt. If still nothing is felt, then try again on the morrow. Now do that a couple more times focusing on the heat only. Just let your mind ex amine the heat. Once you have a firm grasp on the heat that you were focusing on . Examine the sensation and, feel it. Is it gooey, warm, like liquid, cold, like i ce? That is what you are attempting to feel out. From here, try and find out what color the feeling represents. At this point it could be any color but mostly it will be one, or a mixture of the following colo rs. Red, Orange or Yellow. Red is the color of our first Chakra, Orange is the c olor of our second, and Yellow is the color of our third. Now someone mentioned once that in-between the color, was represented the color purplish. In that case , it was the quester s own energy being directed there. Purple usually represents the intellect. In this case the quester was seeing her own, probing energy displ ayed. It does not always happen, but when it does it is further proof of what yo u are doing, if proof is required. J Sometimes the energy you are feeling will feel wrong or plain odd. That is ok, b ecause if you aren t used to feeling energy in this way. Then it will take on an o dd effect within your mind. Now what we are going to do is a basic search and repair. What we are going to do is this, a basic self-check of our aura. To check for holes and or any cracks etc then repair them. What I want you to do this time is, with your off hand pound your aura again. Fa st then slow till you feel that heat or cold sensation you felt before. Now we a re going to associate that feeling of either heat or cold or other with connecti ng with your aura. Then we are going to see what defines a bad spot in your aura. Now pull your han d out to about half your arm length from your belly. Do the pounding again at th at point, until you feel the sensation that we have defined as connecting with y our energy. E.g. the heat or cold sensation. Now slowly, while keeping that heat feeling. Slowly move your hand up towards yo ur heart. Not in a straight line however but move it all about. As though a snak e were making its way up your torso. Now just let your mind relax. With your eyes closed keep moving your hand until a point of light appears, when it does, slowly go over that area until that poin t of light appears really bright. Then stop your hand. The light is a literal li ght and will either be seen as though it were just above your vision or, at the side in your peripheral vision. (Now from this point I am going to use part of a session from a few nights ago, I will omit the name of the person. In case they do not wish to be named.) volkdragon: Where can you see the point of light? Person A:: left ribs. volkdragon:: ok volkdragon:: what color was the light Person A:: kinda...rusty

volkdragon:: ok color is important Person A:: hazy red volkdragon:: Now say to your ribs, volkdragon:: Ribs, what does red mean? volkdragon:: I am serious, I want you to actually speak to your ribs in your min d. Person A:: my hand is now cold, in pain, and I am dizzy. volkdragon:: OK volkdragon:: that is a good sign Person A:: really volkdragon:: you have an old energy leakage at your ribs volkdragon:: rusty is old. volkdragon:: red usually means "bleeding out". volkdragon:: Person A:: so now what? volkdragon:: now we repair it volkdragon:: which is pretty easy again volkdragon:: we will use 3 types of color I will explain each all you need to do is visualize Person A:: ok volkdragon:: first volkdragon:: we will sterilize the area Person A:: O.o volkdragon:: Imagine bathing your rib area in a, you guessed it. A white light. volkdragon:: Bath it until it looks bright. volkdragon:: use your imagination, visualize this happening. (visualization is t he key) Person A:: a glowing bar of soap volkdragon:: now we need to seal it volkdragon:: imagine a pin point of gold light, right in the very center then im agine that light expanding outwards and creating a hollow enclosed shield. Gold is the color of Protection. volkdragon:: volkdragon:: it is ok if the white light hangs around, and does not leave immedi ately. volkdragon:: is it in place? Person A:: yes volkdragon:: Good now we are going to pour into that a nice sky blue light. That is the color of healing. volkdragon:: if you ever do Reiki that is the color you will see, or pretty much any kind of healing. volkdragon:: volkdragon:: really pump it in, as much as it will hold. Person A:: it's full volkdragon:: now I want you to make that shield really small. volkdragon:: about as big as a bottle cap. Then, place your hand on it, and imag ine a bronze colored energy flowing thru your hands and sealing it in place. Bro nze is the color usually associated with sealing. volkdragon:: once that is done, recheck it and see if you feel dizzy again if no t. It was a success and you can move on. Person A:: it feels warm and fuzzy there volkdragon:: excellent hot is the feeling of your aura Person A:: it lives!!! volkdragon:: warm is your aura under repair, if however it was still painful, an d you still felt dizzy. Then we would need to wash it again with white light . Then retest it. Person A:: ... volkdragon:: A rusty light will almost always be associated with an automated he aling. That is, the body attempted to heal something but the healing was not a c omplete success. If you look at the color of a scab, you will notice it is a rus

ty brown color. volkdragon:: volkdragon:: usually if there is red and, pain you have an energy hole. Person B:: Eehee. volkdragon:: and you are "bleeding out" volkdragon:: if it healed on the outside but not on the inside.. essentially you are bleeding into your own aura volkdragon:: not good Person B:: Internal bleeding. ;P volkdragon:: this bleeding out, or bleeding into your own aura. Is your auric en ergy. volkdragon:: yes exactly Person A:: is there anything in particular to look for (I.e. colors) volkdragon:: ok volkdragon:: if you see white, a bright flash of white. volkdragon:: it means there is damage to your aura Person A:: and how would that happen? volkdragon:: usually a hole, that had been slowly decaying. Holes are sometimes caused by unsuccessful attacks, or general wear and tear upon the Aura. Person A:: like...rot? volkdragon:: like tooth decay first goes yellow then bright white volkdragon:: that is when the hole appears Person A:: oooh volkdragon:: volkdragon:: colors are important volkdragon:: so too is sensation Person A:: is white the worst? volkdragon:: no but red is one of them. Person A:: ok volkdragon:: ok you felt dizzy and pain you also said, my hand is now cold. volkdragon:: So, what happens when you die? volkdragon:: are you still warm? Person A:: no volkdragon:: well that is the same, it says we have a problem there is no heat, meaning there is no vibrant energy no stimulation. Person A:: ooo volkdragon:: ok now you said you were in pain Person A:: yes volkdragon:: did the pain localize to your ribs? Person A:: it only happened round there, yes. volkdragon:: that tells you that your ribs are where the problem is situated. volkdragon:: so what we now know is this: volkdragon:: there was a problem and auto heal has attempted to fix but failed, it or is still in the process. volkdragon:: but it is cold so it failed, and it is painful so there is a proble m volkdragon:: you felt dizzy Person A:: yep volkdragon:: what happens when we are feint? Person A:: dizziness? volkdragon:: yes volkdragon:: why do we get dizzy, what is happening? Person C:: Lack of oxygen. Person D:: hyperventilating? Person A:: ... volkdragon:: yes and? Person E:: I feel like I am in back in my health class now LoL volkdragon:: what carries that oxygen?

Person A:: blood volkdragon:: where is the blood going? volkdragon:: ah if it were going to the head we wouldn't be all that dizzy would we? volkdragon:: if we are loosing blood supply to the brain what happens? Person A:: we get dizzy volkdragon:: exactly. volkdragon:: now we look at those signs and say. hmm volkdragon:: cold, pain, and dizziness. volkdragon:: could be many things but with the color and, sensations as well as the localization. We also know that brown is associated with old healing or scab s. volkdragon:: and that hazy red is associated with internal bleeding.. volkdragon:: energy bleeding. volkdragon:: Having that information we can effect a healing. Person A:: I see volkdragon:: a question have you been feeling "drained" at all lately Person A:: yes volkdragon:: volkdragon:: now didn't you say you had no talent and yet you just healed a pote ntial energy problem? And, performed an auric scan? Person A:: ... volkdragon:: everyone regardless of ability with proper guidance can reach great heights Person A:: ^.^ volkdragon:: you don't need any extra coaching volkdragon:: you have all you need to scan and repair yours and other peoples au ras. volkdragon:: bingo volkdragon:: aura scan and repair 101 volkdragon:: When you are sufficiently skilled you won't really need to touch an yone at all. volkdragon:: you just place a hand, and know what is wrong and where. volkdragon:: you should always inform the one you are working on of your intenti ons. volkdragon:: volkdragon:: ly. volkdragon:: Person A:: I ****** Psionic Vampires, Empaths, and the Human Energy Shield by Dennaveve Around 5,000 years ago in India people began to refer to an energy that was thou ght to be the universal source of all life, they believe that this energy permea tes all aspects of our environment and flows through every living being and is e ven created by our environment. They called this energy prana, in China it is ca lled Qi, in the Kabbalah it was referred to as Astral Light, by scientists and p hilosophers it has been called Orgone, Somatid, Bioplasma, Biofield, the Odic Fi eld, Aura, and much more. Throughout our history human beings have made over 97 cultural references, and given hundreds of different names to one thing, the ene rgy that flows through all beings and is the essence of life. In spiritual paint ings and drawings this energy is often seen as a glowing light that gathers arou nd the head and body of Gods and other enlightened beings. These cultures were a Personally I do not really need to place my hand near them anymore. I simply put a hand where I am directed and heal from that point on volk has been doing this for some yrs. assumed

ll making reference to what we now know scientifically as the Human Energy Field . The HEF is something that all individuals have, it is a shield around the body t hat is sustained by the output of energy waves from our individual beings and wh at we gather from other living organisms, it varies in size, color, shape, and e ven strength. Everything emits energy into the environment that is alive; this e nergy travels in waves and bounces off of objects and people. Along with being r ebounded off of material the energy waves that human beings emit into the enviro nment are also absorbed by objects and people. Since we know that these waves ca n be taken in by animal and plant it lends credence to those who have empathic abi lities. The reason being a person in any extreme emotional state would emit a di fferent kind of wave from their own body then they do in their normal or content s tate. The empathic person is merely an individual who is tuned toward receiving these waves more then your average person. As the energy is absorbed, it affects t he person receiving it and therefore gives the empath a physical response by cau sing altered vibrations of their own HEF. This is why an empath can feel emotions from other individuals so acutely, the waves that are being emitted by other ani mals around them causes their own HEF to react during absorption and creates a t angible response that they can categorize into a human feeling. So one kind of w ave would be associated with anger and another with depression, the empath isn t ta king the emotion from another being but they are, being highly sensitive to energ y vibrations, interpreting the energy that other organisms are emitting. However I am straying from the point of this little mental jaunt, and at the sam e point drawing closer to my purpose. If the empathic person is not a spiritually evolved individual but merely an anomaly, a deviation from the regular level of ab sorption that a human beings HEF indulges in, then what makes the Psi Vamp so sp ectacular and evolved? The Psi Vamp would merely be an individual who for one re ason or another has an HEF that is deficient, their body does not produce enough energy so they have to purposefully (or unconsciously) take from another s HEF or harvest the natural vibrations of energy they emit. Obviously the latter techni que would seem the more polite, instead of taking energy from a person, you mere ly gather in the energy waves that they are emitting, therefore not harming the individuals HEF or altering their body. Many times in life we end up doing somet hing without being fully aware of the fact that we are indeed performing an act, at times Psi Vamps are not aware that they are draining others but are still do ing so. Their conscious mind is not focused on the act of energy harvesting but their body is actually going through the process of garnering energy from their environment, be that human, plant, or other animal. So if we believe that the Psi Vamp is a person who happens to have a HEF deficie ncy, and since most Psi Vamps happen to also be very empathic (most likely due t o the fact that they practice and have an affinity for gathering the energy of o thers or were born with this sensitivity) it gives to the writer and probably th e reader several thoughts. You (the Psi Vamp) do not start out craving this ener gy, most people refer to the time where one begins to have these cravings as Awak ening , many Psi Vamps will testify to the fact that they have all of their lives been empathic people which leads me to believe that a Psi Vamp starts out as an empath, from birth they are affected by a sensitivity to the waves of energy in our environment. This skill can also be gained through meditation and energy man ipulating techniques, however there are people born with this skill and there is c ertainly nothing wrong with being more attuned to those around you and the energ y that fills our world. At some point, consciously or unconsciously an empathic person may begin to feed or rather harvest the energy around them adding it to the ir own HEF, causing a boost in personal energy that can be related to a high. When you start gathering energy from your environment and using this as a supple ment, your HEF would not need to be as active, it can safely rely on you pulling in the energy of others. This would mean that a Psi Vamp is not born that way,

because so far as I know there has never been a Psi Vamp who spent their entire life, from their earliest memory, craving these energies, experiencing the lull from not feeding, etcetera. So as the HEF stops being self sufficient we end up with the Psi Vamp a person who has a deficient HEF and needs to feed on the ener gy of others to maintain a healthy normal balance. Now if this affliction is cause d by the Psi Vamp relying on outside energy and not letting their HEF create ene rgy for itself (as feeding seems to increase in time instead of decrease) this w ould mean that a Psi Vamp can be cured of their malady by cutting themselves off, suffering through the withdrawal, and hypothetically the HEF would begin to heal itself and function normally once more. Unfortunately while there is a hypothetic al cure for Psi Vamps out there, the logical implications of cutting yourself off from everything that could provide the individual energy waves to feed on is not feasible. Many Psi Vamps would or already could, feed on the waves that a plant emits, or a small form of life. This means that though one could possible repai r their HEF and function as a normal human being, it would be like the quest for t he Holy Grail. As for those born as Psi Vamps, we all know that children are observant and learn to talk simply by being around people constantly speaking. We also know that chi ldren are extremely easy to influence and teach early on in life, if the parents of the child happen to be Psi Vamps what is to stop them from learning this tec hnique from their parents therefore being considered a born Psi Vamp. This would p resent complications; their HEF may have never learned how to function normally, since from such an early age it has been relying on gathering energy from outsi de sources. This would be possibly the only incurable Psi Vamp though with meditat ion and energy manipulation techniques they could possibly teach themselves, and their HEF to sustain itself. Summary: So a Psi Vamp is someone who started out as an Empath or through energy training learned to harvest energy from their environment and use it to supplement their own energies. The Psi Vamp s HEF then becomes dependant on this outside energy an d doesn t continue to produce this energy in the amount it once did, causing a nee d for the energy. Without feeding the Psi Vamp goes through the same symptoms of w ithdrawal as a Sanguinarian, experiencing cravings, general lowering of the stre ngth of the immune system, depression, irritability, etcetera. After time (depen dant on each individual) the HEF would possibly learn to renew itself once again , having started out functioning normally it is a temporary condition and they a t one point in time had no problem creating enough energy to sustain them. The born Psi Vamp would be a person who during childhood was around a person who P si Fed regularly and picking up on this technique began to use it as well, start ing at an extremely early age to depend on the energy of others making their HEF deficient so early they may never be able to cure themselves. ***** Secret Places, Secret Bodies: AP, OBE, and Lucid Dreams by Dennaveve Disclaimer: Though this article is to serve as an introduction, a stepping-stone to better understanding of out of body experiences and what they entail it shou ld not be a substitute for serious research. One could write a hundred books on this subject alone and not cover each and every aspect of the astral body, realm , techniques, and what it means to humanity historically, spiritually, and scien tifically. I am merely attempting to gather together into a single body of work the platform from which to spring into better understanding.

Just what is astral projection and out of body experiences? What is the astral b ody? Where is the astral realm or rather plane? How do I get there, what does it do for me, when can I astral project, and how do I leave the astral plane? Thes e are just some of the questions people unfamiliar with astral projection and ou t of body experiences constantly ask in the occult community, online or off. The answer to any of these queries is undoubtedly going to be of wide variation as; experiences and knowledge differ between individuals. While there may not be on e technique for astral projection that will work without fail for every curious individual there are some regular teachings meant to give aid. There even exist common truths that have been agreed on by general consensus in the realm of para normal scientists, spiritual entrepreneurs, and those who have experienced it fi rst hand while not knowing exactly what was going on. Many things in life are no t easily categorized and filed away; scientifically inexplicable occurrences per meate this world but this in no way means they do not transpire. To dismiss some thing because scientists cannot guilelessly elucidate it is nonsensical. Recondi te as astral projection may seem inherently it is an orthodox occurrence and doc umented phenomena . Laboratorial experiments have been conducted in the last 3 decades by American re searchers such as Dr. Charles Tart, Dr. Karlis Osis, Dr. Janet Lee Mitchell, and others The vast majority of those who have the experience exhibit positive behavi oral changes. They lose their fear of death, value life more, and achieve a high er quality of life In consequence of conscious out-of-body-experiences, whether sp ontaneous or generated at will. -The International Institute of Projectiology and Conscientiology To begin we must explain clearly what astral projection or an out of body experi ence is, and this can be more difficult then you would imagine. There are severa l valid places to start when describing astral projection but to be sure that so meone with possibly no working knowledge will understand the subject matter ther e has to be some form of clarity. The best place to start is probably the astral body, with what it is, what it does, and how it functions. Starting with the ba sics and working our way up to the more difficult concepts is generally a good i dea. You do not build a house from the roof down; you start with the foundations and make sure they are solid. Jumping right into the most difficult aspects of astral projection is like trying to describe the bottom of the ocean to someone who does not understand in the least what the different layers of the ocean are and how they interact. So we will begin with explanations, and we will start wit h the easiest most solid information and travel toward the hardest and least tan gible. What the Secret Body is and How it Functions: The astral body can be thought of most commonly as the energy comprised echo of your physical features that surrounds you, like an aura. This tenement is connec ted to your physical form by what has been described as a silver cord; think of this as an anchor that is commonly attached to the human naval. The heavy tip is secured to your gross material body and the light string is attached to the ast ral counterpart. With this metaphysical umbilical cord intact you can never be t ruly lost in the astral plane, it will always draw the nonmaterial back to the c orporeal form. When this bond is severed our astral body escapes and cannot resi de with our palpable manifestation any longer. Though this happens upon death so me believe that the link can be forcibly destroyed and the implications of such an act are not known. A person could possibly survive without an astral counterp art like they would function without their arm. Yet, since the astral body is th e place where our desires and emotions reside without it we may end up little mo re then comatose or at least severely apathetic. Even though the effect of losin g this connection to your astral body is unknown and only speculations can be pu t forth, it would still be wise to remember that this silver cord is very import ant and should be protected from harm, accidental or intentional. It is the thin

g that will help you funnel your consciousness into the astral body to project, as well as being the link between your two different but very real manifestation s. Just as you would not jump head first into a three-foot deep pool, you should not carelessly neglect the safety of your astral body because it is an essentia l part of you as a whole. Normally this energy merely encases you, mimicking your movements like a shadow and generally imperceptible. It should be duly noted that the astral body is not your shadow or what causes it to appear, this is a function of light and reflec tion. Though the presence of your energy form causes its own effect, since the n ormal human eye does not perceive the aura of a person regularly do not expect thi s form to appear as a shadow. The astral body is an energy duplication of the ph ysical body which is most often identical though some people (mostly Otherkin ) cla im that their astral body is a manifestation of their true form and very different . When saying identical it must be made clear that it (your astral body) does no t reside within you, it resides outside of the body as an energy replica of your tangible features. Like a bubble it encases us (generally thought to be an inch away from the body) and, being made of atoms aligning in more subtle means, the astral body can when needed contract around us further. This gives us the abili ty to not do harm when applying pressure to the keys in order to type a sentence for example. In either case it is tied very closely to the physical you and remai ns mostly motionless without command or rather input. Generally this direction c omes from our manipulating the muscles of our corporeal form to walk, dance, spe ak, or play which means that it is not moving of its own volition. The astral bo dy is also described as, The seat of higher consciousness meaning that this is whe re our mental desires and emotions are held but not where they are formed. If you are in a serious accident and unintentionally astral project (due to the trauma involved [This is not a Near Death Experience though they are very simila r]) it is generally agreed that you do not feel physical pain until you return f rom the astral realm to the concrete material world. The reason that these sensa tions of pain (or by the same token pleasure) are not felt when you project is b ecause you are pushing your entire mind into the astral form. Meaning that all y ou leave behind is a comatose shell that while remaining alive, with the neurons in the brain still firing out the signals for pain they cannot affect your cons ciousness which is now residing in the astral. The cause of pain is still eviden t, the processes for feeling physical discomfort are still present but as you ar e not within the body you do not have to bear the affects. Not all projections are unwilling, which is why there are techniques that have b een formed to help people learn about the astral body and how to interact with i t. You can see the corporeal when you begin astrally projecting; many people hav e had these out of body experiences (OBE s) without knowing what it was. More ofte n then not people will remember at least one time where they were looking down a t their body but not inside of it, or they were looking at their physical form f rom some other angle. However, due to the fact you can still see the material bo dy while in the earliest stage of projecting it would lend to the reader you may still feel pain if you were experiencing a situation like the above (accident). Truly the pain would be only mental since you are not transmitting the discomfo rts up through the cord into the astral form. Yet it still lends to the notion t hat just because you are not inside of the corporeal manifestation of self does not mean we do not feel emotional afflictions from the viewing of our physical m alaise. Funneling the mind into the astral form and fully animating it leaving behind a shell is one of the first steps to astral projection. Of course the true first s tep is to fully understand but in the process of projecting we must initially fu rnish the energy body with our psyche. As we are still attached to this husk (ou r emptied material manifestation) through the cord there is no need to worry abo ut not being able to refill it with our conscious mind. If the situation in whic

h you are placed when projecting is stable and safe to your physical form then t here is never a reason for worry. Questions about if, how, why, and when you can return to your anatomical structure safely should not cross the mind. Think of the cord as a tunnel, you can travel through it in either direction going into t he astral body from the physical, and back again. Further Explanation of the Secret Body: This energy echo is very much like an aura (though some claim they are the same and others believe they are different), which means that your astral body change s colors not unlike a mood ring. Regardless of whether or not the astral body is y our aura they share the common trait of changing colors, if that is where the co mparison between the two ends then so be it. The colors differentiate by emotion s, mental development, spiritual awareness and more basically your thoughts cause the energy that comprises the astral body to shift and mix and this is expressed in color. How we visually perceive color day to day is caused by wavelengths of light reflecting or being transmitted off of and by objects, color is merely a property of light which is made of energy. The color of a white object changes t one when different wavelengths of light reflect off of it. The color of a clear object changes when the wavelengths of light transmitted by it vary from one maj ority to another. A white object is white because it reflects all wavelengths of light; an object that transmits all wavelengths is black. Think of the changing color of the astral body as being caused by the way it shifts and mixes allowin g certain portions to transmit light and other areas to reflect light. This mean s that different wavelengths of light pressing against the astral form cause it to manifest a wide range of color at any given time. The possibility of an astral body is not that hard to accept when we acknowledge that all beings are made of energy, produce energy, and emit energy. There are many studies on the Human Energy Field (or HEF) and there have been mentions of it (under different names) in almost a hundred cultures through our history on t his planet. The concept that outside of our physical shell lies an almost imperc eptible sheath made up purely of such a substance, functioning in synchronous wi th the material form isn t something new age . It could with the recent influx of int erest in the occult and paranormal over the past few years be considered a trend y pattern of thought, however it was once something shared by a much smaller num ber. It is highly likely that most people who claim to believe in things like th e astral realm, otherkin, spirits, ghosts, demons, and angels are really only cl aiming. They have no true reason to believe and even when saying they accept the existence of such things it is merely to fit in with the path society is curren tly headed down. Yet, the fact that many studies have been made on the subject o f the HEF and how it functions lends a great deal of credence to the beliefs of astral entrepreneurs. In all honesty the current scientific understanding is tha t there are thousands of different waves of energy to be found even in empty spa ce. Each wave is found in a singular field and though similar none are the same, just like the comparison between aura and astral body. Every organism produces these waves simply by being alive; energy is expelled into our environment const antly. Since these waves are also found in fields it isn t hard to believe that a field could be found around a human being or animal, even plant. However to return to the original subject matter the astral body does not posses s intelligent life without your mind animating the energy; it is another part of you and while it is affected by emotions that it houses it does not create them . It does however possess a form of life though it is not sentient, it is able t o convey emotion and desire even thoughts. It communicates these things through changing the matter which it is made of and the result of that is varying colors , the changing of form also occurs when we discard one layer of the astral body not all at once but, in flakes. This expression is a different way of moving our hand to brush away a bug because it causes us discomfort. Think of this constan t color shift as another form of body language, it accompanies smiles, frowns, t

ears, and laughter. When referring to the astral body it is singular however, th ere are actually seven different layers or sheaths around the physical form. Eac h layer of the astral body is made up of finer and finer material, the first lay er being the grossest matter manifestation and the last almost imperceptible. Si nce there are seven different layers of the astral body there are also seven dif ferent layers of the astral realm but, that will be covered shortly and we will leave the knowledge, as is for now. You can easily understand the different layers of the astral body by comparing i t to something many children have done or will do in school. The first layer of the astral body is (figuratively) black, below this is dark red and descending t oward the final and finest layer we have, dark purple, dark green, dark blue, an d finally dark yellow. When we begin to scrape away the black we see the other c olors (or finer matter) emerge. Many young children take part in a similar proje ct with crayons and a paperclip or pencil in art classes. As each layer begins t o shed like old skin the finer material takes more and more hold leaving us in t he end with the perfect astral form or, one color. The shedding of this astral skin does not take place like it would on a human be ing; each sheath is also an anchor to a way of thought and looking at the world sometimes it can be associated with a prevalent emotion as well. A person who is constantly in a state of depression has to overcome this in order to aid the pr ocess of astral renewal. This is done through the use of HEF manipulation whethe r through conscious effort or subconscious means like religion, prayer, therapy, etc. Most serious astral travelers are trying to get rid of these dense layers and attain the finest possible astral body therefore experiencing something akin to nirvana (complete personal peace and harmony through understanding). This is not an easy battle, you cannot just get rid of a layer once and be done with it , like mold the different layers of the astral body creep back when you least ex pect them to just like bad habits. What does this mean? Simply put, you are desc ending back into the old thoughts and desires you once had and the astral body i s showing you through regenerating the layer that they represent. Now that we have a basic understanding of the astral body and the effect that it has on our physical form and psyche it is safe to progress to a discussion of t he astral realm. Remember that there is only one astral body but like our physic al forms it changes with time and experience. Consider the process a spiritual v ersion of growing up some mature at a faster rate then others but in the end we al l become adults or rather we all progress through the layers of astral awareness a nd growth. Even if we never reach the last plateau, the process of shedding does not stop instead it simply has a harder time battling to remove a layer. Since the astral body has six different layers that it must pass through before attain ing perfection at the seventh there are also seven different levels of the astral realm. Like the layers these levels are very different from each other and have very little in common except they all come from the same root. There is one astr al body and there is one astral realm in total, we just perceive them differentl y as our astral form changes. The Connection between Astral Projection, Lucid Dreaming, and Out of Body Experi ences: The astral realm has endless different appearances and functions, which can be u sed for spiritual and emotional growth as well as being used as an aid in physic al healing. It is a common belief that each and every person on the planet has b een to the astral realm at least once when sleeping. Many will ask, Why when we s leep? for thousands of years human beings of different religions have believed th at when sleeping we are closer to the nonphysical realms. People have used dream s for divination since the Egyptian era and before, many believe that dreams are actually experiences with other beings that can be interpreted with practice an d give us answers to many of life s mysteries. Our consistent fascination with dre

ams and how they function and affect our mind and body is as constant throughout history as the human energy field (HEF) and our many different names for it. So me religious groups, for example shamans will take ethenogenic hallucinogens in order to project themselves into a dream state and speak with beings that we can not normally perceive. Just the one practice of consuming a naturally occurring hallucinogen to communicate with other beings in controlled dream like states ha s been going on since the Paleolithic period. The consumption of these plants ma y or may not be a trigger for astral projection and in my opinion the use of a n aturally occurring hallucinogen (plants, animal excretions like frog mucus and m ore) can help us communicate with the spiritual realm, which is very different f rom the astral, and have almost nothing in common. Whatever the case may be it is thought that while sleeping our astral body is ab le to move with greater ease and the subconscious mind interprets our experience s in the astral realm as dreams. Often the mind adds or detracts to an encounter by placing similar faces or associating an unpleasant visit with something we c onsciously dislike. Our mind will relate a bad experience with another astral tr aveler to a fear of certain types of human beings or animals. Hence why we have nightmares that are often unexplainable or suddenly occur even though we (the in dividual) are in a perfectly contented state of mind with little stress. When we sleep we commonly enter a phase called REM sleep, the name coming from the iden tifiable rapid eye movement (REM) and the increase of blood pressure and heart r ate. When in REM state we dream, the amount of time we spend in REM usually decr eases with age. It is estimated that infants spend 50% of the time they sleep in the REM state whereas young adults only spend several hours a night experiencin g REM. If consistently deprived of REM people often suffer from irritability, sl ightly weakened immune systems, and physical damage like bruises or sunburns tak e longer to heal. Not all dreams occur while the individual is in the REM state and the average hu man being has over five dreams a night even if we do not remember any of them up on waking. Our most memorable dreams have been found to come from REM, though we do dream outside of REM. Not all dreams are linked to OBE s and it should be note d with great care that we have both regular dreams where our subconscious mind i s associating different portions of the brain which deal in memory and creativit y to create historical fiction dreams as well as those dreams which are part of the phenomena of out of body experiences. This can make it difficult to draw the line between what is a dream, and what is an uninitiated astral projection espe cially when you are unsure of how astral projection works and what it entails. O ne explanation that has helped people to make the distinction between an out of body experience and a regular dream is called a lucid dream. An interesting comm on bond lies between the REM state and out of body experiences; it is not likely that a dream outside of REM is going to be an astral projection. Nor is it like ly that each and every dream we have while in REM is an out of body experience. Scientific studies have been made on the phenomena known as lucid dreaming which is often associated or held in connotation with an out of body experience or as tral projection. A lucid dream occurs when an individual is aware that they are d reaming and is able to partially control the flow of the dream. Look at this as b eing aware when astrally projecting, instead of being asleep and merely floating through an area of the astral realm we are instead able to take a measure of co ntrol over the experience and move at our own volition. The term lucid dreaming describes the state where a person realizes that what is occurring around them i s actually a dream and begins to take a measure of control over the situation. T he awareness often is triggered by the dreamer viewing an improbable act occur, the brain rebels against the notion and forces a degree of consciousness into sl eep. Although one is not usually explicitly aware that one is dreaming while in a drea m, a remarkable exception sometimes occurs in which one possesses clear cognizan

ce that one is dreaming. During such "lucid" dreams, one can reason clearly, rem ember the conditions of waking life, and act upon reflection or in accordance wi th plans decided upon before sleep. These cognitive functions, commonly associat ed only with waking consciousness, occur while one remains soundly asleep and vi vidly experiencing a dream world that is often nearly indistinguishable from the "real world". -Stephen LaBerge of the Lucidity Institute Just like astral projection (the two are often thought to be one in the same) it is possible to not have complete control, you can spontaneously project and wit hout the comprehension of what is truly occurring and your ability to manipulate the situation varies. Even if you become aware that you are projecting, or drea ming it does not mean that the dreamer or projector will suddenly be able to con trol the situation or keep themselves from adverse emotional reactions. Lucid dr eams are considered to be a form of astral projection because they both cause th e same effects on the brain. The reactions (physical) are very similar to REM, t he state where our body is most able to unconsciously project the mind into the astral form and outward into the secret realm. Others believe they are both diff erent dream states as you can initiate a lucid dream while awake (commonly calle d WILD s, though you can initiate astral projection while awake as well) and the f eeling of disconnection from the body is prevalent in both out of body experienc es (or AP) and lucid dreaming. The feeling of disconnection from the physical body also occurs to people going into or out of REM state while mentally alert (where OBE/AP and DILD s [Dream init iated lucid dreams] occur) and is called sleep paralysis. Sleep paralysis just l ike deep dream states happens when the muscles of the body are relaxed and do no t immediately respond to the mental processes involved with sitting up, moving o ur mouth, or swallowing. Basically the body goes into power saver mode when enteri ng REM, throughout REM, and only when leaving REM do we begin to have regulated muscle control. Most lucid dreams, astral projections, and out of body experienc es (all one in the same in my opinion) occur without our desire to experience th em. According to scientists (Blackmoore, 1984) something close to 85% of OBE s occ ur when the subject is resting or otherwise in a relaxed state of mind close to sleep but still somewhat coherent and aware of their surroundings. Also many peo ple having out of body experiences, no matter what they call them claim to feel the same inability to move and disconnection that has been diagnosed as sleep pa ralysis. In conclusion it seems highly probable that a lucid dream, astral proje ction, and out of body experiences are one in the same, and as said above they g enerally start occurring when we are sleeping or in a relaxed state. People have WILD s or conscious astral projections with less frequency than DILD s or sleep ini tiated projections but it holds true that sleep paralysis seems to be tied very close to this phenomena in any case. Sleep paralysis in my eyes is merely the ph ysical reaction to an out of body experience, as covered in the section What the Secret Body is and How it Functions we fully animate the astral body when proje cting and leave behind merely a shell. Surely forcing the conscious mind into th e astral body could cause sleep paralysis or another form of paralysis (if consc iously initiating AP) as the mind is no longer fully controlling the functions o f our physical manifestation. The problem with this line of reasoning is plainly pointed out by lucid dreamers and astral projectors alike. During a lucid dream we are aware that we are in a dream state even though we still experience the sensation of leaving the body. However when having an out of body experience (projecting) we believe that it is real. Often we believe dreams to be real occurrences, because an uninitiated pr ojection during sleep is often distorted by the mind to be a dream there is no r eason that they couldn t be one in the same. When consciously projecting, or initi ating a lucid dream we start out in the same manner. You must be relaxed and in a peaceful state of mind, many meditate before consciously attempting either. Ea

ch causes the feeling of disconnection and movement away from the physical body, as well as the increase in heart rate and rapid eye movement. Basically we are putting ourselves into a trance to achieve either, the trance state initiates RE M that, due to the muscles relaxing causes mild paralysis. When leaving the body we lose more and more control over it, hence why this paralysis occurs. REM, sl eeping paralysis, and out of body experiences all go together. They are the diff erent ways that our body deals with the movement of the conscious mind away from the physical matter. We can manipulate the astral realm just as lucid dreamers mold and shape their dream experiences. The end result is so strikingly similar that it makes it hard to find the difference between the two (AP/OBE and LD) as anything other then different names for one experience. For many people OBE's and lucid dreams are practically indistinguishable. If you dream of leaving your body, the experience is much the same. Also recent researc h suggests that the same people tend to have both lucid dreams and OBE's -Dr. Susan Blackmoore The Secret Realms: There are seven different layers of the astral realm, understanding how they all interact with each other, the physical world, and the spiritual realm can be di fficult. To start, look at each different layer, where they originate, and what purpose they serve. Each number describes a realm, as the numbers increase so do the realms. This does not mean that realm one point two is above realm one. Num bers with a letter attached denote an area inside of (coexisting with) the parti cular realm; consider this a parallel area, which can be reached with different techniques. Due to the hundreds of different names used to describe the planes of the astral realm it seems foolish to ascribe any one of them to this tutorial. Since there are to be no specific names, each of the astral planes has been grouped into tw os except for the seventh and highest plane of the astral. The traveler easily s ees the difference between each level or plane of the astral during the experien ce, the label we attach to a singular plane does not matter in the grand scheme of things. It is whether or not we understand and comprehend the changes that as tral travel brings about in the individual, which is of real importance, not wha t the common or coined term is for each particular area. 1: The Physical World Reality.

This is where our gross material body resides, where you exist in tangible reali ty at this moment is the physical world. Though the physical world can be manipu lated by our perceptions (situations, placement, and regions viewed as good or b ad due to our belief and experience) like the astral realms; it (the physical wo rld) is where our mind most commonly resides. This is where we experience the hu mdrum of every day life. All space in the physical world, like all other planes of existence is filled with waves of energy contained in fields. These waves emi t vibrations that cause changes to our environment. The frequency of each differ ent wave inside of a field determines the manifestation of the astral body, and the appearance of physical objects. These waves can form light, sound, and matte r, when encased together they create objects, reflections, music, HEF s and more. 1.2: The Spiritual Realm The spiritual realm is a place of pure unhindered energy manifesting itself. Thi nk of this as the level of comprehension where you are constantly aware of the w aves and fields of energy in the physical world. This realm is the home for spir its of all shapes and sizes, beings made up completely of energy. The spiritual realm exists within the physical world it is constantly around us but we do not

always remain consciously aware of its presence. People who are constantly immer sed in both realms or experience flashes from the spiritual realm are called med iums and they come in many different flavors. For more information see the serie s of articles that begins with, Past Lives: Energy Recycling and How we all Conn ect. 1.3: The Astral Realm The astral realm is comprised of seven different planes; each plane contains inf inite variants of itself inside. We pass through a level at our own pace becomin g more aware of ourselves and the reality around us in both the physical world a nd the astral realm as a whole. The reason for the infinite variants of each sin gular plane within the realm as a whole is due to perception. The variants all e xist within the plane and are altered by the particular traveler that inhabits e ach one. Since each variant is identical in geography to the plane itself the re ason for their existence is human perception of reality. Even the physical world is changed because of our perception of it and the level of understanding we ha ve for the things within. When the anchor to a particular pattern of thought in the physical realm changes and grows toward a purer self truth our astral body m imics this by shedding layers of energy (seven in all) that represent the emotio ns and thought patterns held. The farther we travel into the astral realm the mo re fine and imperceptible the geography appears. We cease to notice the gross ma terial from the lower planes as we reach higher and higher on the ladder to perf ection. Due to this changing of our perception the astral realm as a whole chang es and we feel the need to divide the singular space into different planes or le vels. When in the astral realm we are always in the same place, but selectively we ignore things that no longer pertain to our needs that is why its appearance changes. 1.3 A: The Lower Astral Planes The lower astral planes are where we go when unintentionally astral projecting, they are considered by some to be similar to purgatory. Dream walking and DILD s o ften occur on this level of the astral realm where the line between physical rea lity and the planes is distorted and hard to tell apart. This is also the area o f the astral where we begin the process of shedding as our astral body is consta ntly manifested; in the lower planes, and only travels higher into the purer are as of the realm with conscious input and maintenance. The experiences in the low er planes occur most often during sleep, and are the first instances many have o f the astral when beginning to learn how to project. As we pass through the lowe r planes the line between the physical world and the astral eventually fades awa y allowing us to experience the true meaning of the astral and fully harness our capabilities. 1.3 B: The Middle Astral Planes As we progress through the astral realm many will manage to journey into the mid dle astral planes. These are the two places in the astral where we begin to jour ney farther from the physical world and into the ethereal land of boundless capa bilities. When we begin traveling through the astral realm we first enter the lo wer planes where the physical world is still visible though distorted by our eme rging perception of the astral matter inherent in our environments. When a trave ler begins to journey into the middle planes they will notice that the physical world becomes less and less noticeable until finally we move completely away fro m it into the higher planes. The middle planes are where the true path to spirit ual and physical healing is set upon by the traveler and a place where the manip ulation of energy in the HEF (or astral body) can be used with greater ease to a id in the curing of physical and mental malaise. This is where our perceptions o f life grow and expand by leaps and bounds freeing us from many of the stigmas o f society and its imposed morality.

1.3 C: The Higher Astral Planes When we begin our journey into the higher astral planes we move completely away from viewing the physical, everything is transmuted in energy and because the as tral realm exists within our physical world and we are always immersed in it eve n though not aware you aren t really going to the planes so much as seeing the planes. When we begin to fully accept this, we move through the planes and upon reachin g the higher astral planes the vibrations of energy in waves and fields become t he only apparent visual sensation. The higher astral planes are where we begin t o reach toward self-godhood, becoming fully aware and acknowledging that all lif e is symbiotic and connected for the good of all. We realize that each individual is an essential link in the chain of life and existence in the physical world af fects all of the other realities we do not perceive. This awareness often leads people into pantheism, the belief that all life is sacred and should be protecte d from the lowliest worm to the greatest killer. In other instances the traveler will not turn toward pantheism but in either case will become truly aware of th is fact (that all life is symbiotic) on a constant conscious level. 1.3 D: The Final Astral Plane The final astral plane is godhood; we become fully ourselves in spirit and mind, true freedom and the ability to see everything as it is. There are many specula tions about the final astral plane, and some of these encompass the gods of our current society and those of the past. The thought being that this is where our divine beings reside, whether mortal in the beginning or not it is believed that upon reaching this final plateau we are so fully entrenched in both realities t hat it is impossible to move through one without being in and seeing the other a t the same time. Final Thoughts: Astral Projection, whatever name you choose to place on it can be a spiritually fulfilling experience and a wonderful way to reach out toward the unknown. Studi es would suggest that individuals who have out of body experiences, either from near death experiences, lucid dreaming that can turn into astral projections or ot herwise, have a more positive outlook on life and a greater feeling of emotional fulfillment. Though this article does not include techniques for astral project ion, it has hopefully provided enough information to help one begin to form an o pinion on the subject as a whole. If you choose to attempt astral projection or any other occult technique for spiritual outreach into the unknown please rememb er to be patient. Like all of the good things in life, astral projection can be difficult to attain but the wait and effort makes it all the more worthwhile. Ev en more important then patience is to keep an open mind, try what you feel comfo rtable with and accept the things that ring true to you. This will take you fart her then any book or incantation; no spell will give you the peace of mind creat ed by knowing your own beliefs and being willing to expand them. ***** A Basic Primer to Entities and Cleansing by MemoryandDream Introduction This article might read a little differently then others I've written. Truly, it 's a collection of advice and experience in regards to ghosts, spirits and entit ies. It's Things You Should Know if you're planning on getting involved in such beings, or such beings have decided to get involved in you. Consider it a bit of a So You've A Ghost - Now What? 101 kind of guide. It's most certainly not allinclusive, nor is it the only approach or belief out there on the topic. My hope

is that, given my experiences with the subject (being that I didn't have a choi ce in my interactions due to the fun genetic quirk of inherited "always-on" medi umistic ability) I can help give some general information to those who are facin g it for the first time. Ground Rules and Basics Here are some general things to know when dealing with entities of any kind. First off, there are a host of different types of entities. Trying to come up wi th a comprehensive list would be an article on it's own. But, in [extreme] brief , some of the more common include spirits/ghosts (the "soul" or essence of a per son who has passed or who is non-corporeal); residual energy/poltergeist (mere e nergy without a driving soul or thought that is left over like a stain or imprin t on a place or object); and demons/elementals/fae/etc. (non-human entities that come in all shapes, sizes, dispositions and intentions.) Secondly, because there is such a range out there, and because it can be hard to know which are helpful, which are harmful and which are merely curious, it's im portant to always be polite. No really. Asking nicely tends to get you much furt her than ordering, commanding or arguing. Try respect first. Third, no matter what type of entity it is, it needs your permission to physical ly interact with you. Stop and think about that for a moment. No matter what you fear might happen, you do have a level of control because of this basic rule of the universe. Entities can - and will - try to trick you into giving permission , and may physically interact with non-living things in an effort to obtain thei r desire, but unless you allow them, you do have a built-in level of safety. Whi ch brings me to.... Do not open doors you can't close. It's often easy to start something but extrem ely difficult to stop it. The easiest way to prevent problems is to keep them fr om happening to being with. So please, when you get the idea to summon up someth ing, just don't. If you find yourself in a situation where you're out of control, frightened or o therwise lost, the first step is to calm down and try to re-center. Take steps t o cleanse yourself and your surroundings. This too often goes further then you'd think if you approach it with strong intent and clear mind. So You've Got An Unwanted Visitor Whether you seek it out or not, sometimes entities can be drawn to us, or our su rroundings and they might not want to leave. Or you might just be uncomfortable with their presence and you'd really like to be left alone. So here are some ste ps to try in removing unwanted entities. First off, ask nicely if it will leave. You can literally just speak aloud and e xpress your request that they leave you alone. Yes, you may feel silly. But this should always be your first step. It honestly does work quite often. Second step is to be a little more forceful. I don't mean rude. I don't mean nas ty. I mean, put a little more will into it. Be firm but don't cross the line int o hostile. Third step is to cleanse yourself and your home. *See below If you still can't get rid of it, you might need to seek other help. This can ge t difficult. You can look for resources such as mediums or psychics in your area who might be willing to help you push the entity out of your home for good. It' s rare that it would go so far. Most of the time asking or cleansing will remove

the problem. How to Cleanse Yourself And Your Home Sometimes, you might have attracted the attention of an entity and you need to r emove lingering ties or attractions to yourself or your personal space. Here are some suggestions of things you can do to purify yourself and your home after su ch encounters. They're not bad to do in general now and then just to keep yourse lf and your home energetically and spiritually tidy. You keep your home clean in other ways, so why ignore it's energetic side? Cleanse Yourself A great way to cleanse your energy/aura is to take a ritual saltwater bath. Sea salt is best, but even regular table salt will work. Using a washcloth, slowly a nd with the focus of cleansing any negative energy or attachments, slowly wash y our body, visualizing that you are purifying and removing all bad energy. Breath slowly and deeply, and really take your time to truly see yourself disconnectin g anything that is dark, bad, or harmful from your body and your energy. Another alternative to salt is lavender. It's very calming and can help you reac h a mind state of relaxation and purity. Additionally, never underestimate the power of meditation. It need not be anythi ng formal. Merely taking some time to sit down, focus on your breathing can go a long way. As you breathe, pull in positive, clean and pure energy; as you exhal e, push out the dirty, negative and tainted energy. Find your center and try to connect with the rhythm of the earth. Even ten minutes of this will leave you fe eling refreshed and rejuvenated. Ease yourself back into your regular breathing and continue on with your day. Cleanse Your Home A simple way to cleanse a home or other living space is with the use of sage. Of ten called "smudge sticks" sage is usually wrapped into a bundle. You light the sage and walk the smoke purposefully through the space. Sage has been considered sacred in many cultures throughout the world for years. Again, visualize the sm oke removing any negative energy. Let it carry any impurity up and away. Another way to cleanse again involves salt. If you are burdened with bad dreams for example, make an unbroken circle in salt around your bed. Salt is a great pu rifier and can be used as a barrier against unwanted energies and entities. In Closing I know first-hand how daunting, frightening and confusing it can be to deal with entities and encounters. I know how lost and bothered you can feel by the invas ion. Just try to keep the basic rules in mind, never try to summon entities or g ive permissions if you aren't 100% fully prepared for the consequences. Many ent ities you will randomly encounter are not malicious; many are just curious or bo red. But that doesn't mean every one is nice or even truthful. So please, avoid provoking or initiating such encounters and use these steps to help finish rando m encounters that may come to you. ****