Of course, my friend, I could have chosen one of the existing terms, colored its definition with my views, and moved on in that fashion. But what would have been the result, given that all of the known terms have long been occupied by esoteric circles who have ascribed them far from simple or positive connotations? Mention "astral projection" to a passerby on the street, and he’ll tell you to seek help. Mention "out-of-body experiences", and he’ll say you’ve been reading too much science-fiction. Mention a "lucid dream", and he’ll say, "well, yeah, a dream – what’s lucid about one and why would you want it to be?" But the phenomenon has not the slightest relationship to dreaming, neither in substance nor in quality.

Mention "the astral plane", and he’ll ask, "What’s that?" And this is where you tell him in clear and pragmatic terms what exactly the phenomenon’s about. People don’t have preconceived notions or stereotypes regarding this term. This term has not been corrupted by strange people with strange views on life. And since we’re already talking about the mass propagation of the practice of the astral plane, such an untainted term is needed. Experience shows that if the phenomenon is presented, for example, as "astral projection", then less than 10% of the population will show interest. It’s a similar situation with the other terms. Yet if the phenomenon is presented as "the astral plane", then up to 80% of people start to become interested. And so, this is the approach that will enable humanity transition to another level of development, after having made this practice an everyday event. This would not have been possible using the old terminology.

Historical artifacts dating back to the Indus Valley Civilization (3300-1700 BCE) indicate that the main goal of yoga was raising one’s level of conscious awareness. The body has always been one of the auxiliary tools for achieving this goal. No matter which branch of ancient Eastern Civilizations you study, a single supreme practice always lies at the heart, one either locked behind seven seals or necessitating decades of preparation. Its goal is to release the conscious awareness from the confines of the physical body. It is sometimes referred to as the eighth and highest level of yoga – the state of samadhi, or dream yoga.

Why did ancient peoples pursue it, and why do modern high-level yogis practice still practice it? It may be shocking to learn, but they believe this practice to be a way to train for… the process of dying. They believe that before another senseless reincarnation after physical death, we find ourselves in a special intermediate state – sidqai bardo. However, we are usually unable to maintain conscious awareness during it, and this is the main reason why we find ourselves on Earth once again in a new incarnation. Thus, if over the course of a lifetime one practices consciously separating the mind from the body while still preserving full awareness of one’s surroundings, this will facilitate control of the process after death and finally stop the cycle of rebirth, allowing one to reunite with the universe.

Do not be afraid, my friend, it’s not all that scary. We live in the modern world, with modern worldviews and modern technologies. Honestly, I do not personally know what awaits beyond death or if, as ancient yoga maintained, this practice actually relates to it. But I do know how to do it without getting bogged down by theories or superstition, both ancient and modern. Years of apprenticeship are no longer a prerequisite. Neither is being devoutly religious. Separating conscious awareness from the body is now only a matter of technique.

And the important thing is not only that you will soon find yourself outside of your own body, but also that it turns out that all of this has incredible practical implications for the modern person. First, take it from here that you’ve never experienced anything this incredible thus far in your life, nor will anything match it again in the future. Second, this is a way to travel to any corner of the Universe or meet with any person, including those who have passed on. Third, this is a way to obtain information. Fourth, this opens up incredible possibilities for self-healing. Fifth, this is a way for the disabled, including those who are bedridden, to break down all barriers. They can now do everything! And everything briefly listed above is merely an insignificant portion of what we are about to discuss in detail.

Remember, this is not make-believe, reverie, or some flight of fancy. There is a good reason why ancient peoples associated this phenomenon with the moments before and after death. There was no other way to think of it – that’s how spectacular in nature it is. It’s not from some trick of the imagination that otherwise tough guys immediately try to get out of there, nearly wetting their pants in terror, enough though just before they had only dreamed about having the experience (obviously not quite understanding beforehand what they were getting into). One out of two experience terror during their first experiences, as it wrecks long-held views on what life is, and the instinct of self-preservation kicks in.

Furthermore, you’ve surely heard of near-death experiences on the operating table? Flying out of the body, seeing the hospital ward, and then a tunnel… O dear friend, this is just what we’re talking about, but without the ensuing death – and as a deliberate achievement.

By the way, it was not only the ancient yogis who took interest in this practice. In its modern form, it’s also the same thing as what is known as "out-of-body travel", "astral projection", and, even to some degree, "lucid dreaming". But no need to indulge in such delirium or idle talk.

May history forgive me, may you forgive me, my friend, but I will be using the modern terms "astral travel" and astral travel state", which unite all of those dissociative phenomena into a single whole, including all of the ancient concepts as well. We’ll deal with terminology a bit later on, but you should understand that I have no other choice on this matter. As we’re talking about a new epoch in human development, about a transformation to a new level of existence, we require modern concepts adapted for a wide spectrum of social strata, avoiding the stereotypes and superstitions that have dogged those used up until this point.

But most significantly, it is of no importance here whether you are a dyed-in-the-wool materialist or an orthodox esoteric. It’s up to you, not me, to decide how to explain the phenomenon to yourself and how it relates to your world. You may believe that the soul leaves the body. You may think that it’s all a super-realistic hallucination. That’s not important here. What’s important is that you get the hang of it as soon as possible. And the technique-based technologies that you will acquire in this book have been so finely honed and tested on thousands of my students that no matter what you may or may not believe, you will experience your conscious awareness leaving the physical body. Practical experience – in the end, it’s what unites us all. It’s the decisive factor. You just give it a try.

Friend, you might be quite surprised to hear this, but I always caution people who say enthusiastically that this is all so wonderful that they would be willing to spend at least a month on having their first experience, or even up to six months to a year on just trying to experience it once. I then caution them, as with the right actions you need only make several attempts, all of which you can do in one day…

Yes, this is not as easy as a imagining or picturing something, swallowing a pill, or smoking dope. Here, making attempts and performing techniques are necessary. Sometimes, a lot of attempts. But, having done everything right, you’ll get results quickly enough.

Just remember one simple thing: if you do indirect techniques every day over the course of a week and still get no results – then you’re doing something wrong. It is also necessary to read more in-depth about the techniques and try to figure out what your mistakes are. Believe me, even after you are already able to enter the astral plane, you will still make a large number of mistakes. On average, a novice will make 7 to 10 typical mistakes during each of his initial attempts… So study the techniques carefully, and analyze each one of your actions.

All in all, obtaining results using indirect techniques normally requires about 5 attempts, and up to 20 attempts when serious errors are being made. When it comes to dream consciousness, it can take from 1 to 20 days to get results. If you have mastered the indirect techniques, then direct techniques (those performed without first falling asleep) will begin to work after another 5 to 30 attempts. However, the direct techniques may be much harder to pull off. They may turn out to be impracticable if you do not understand the essence of the free-floating state of mind.

The main thing is to make regular attempts. It is only a question of making attempts and the quality of your attempts. Where there are attempts, there are results. It’s that simple, and always has been.

This psychological trait encountered in a deceased person in an astral projection is characterized by aggression caused by a wide variety of reasons. It may be expressed in attempts by the subject to physically harm, kill, severely frighten, or threaten. Each of these behaviors may take on a wide variety of forms – the astral plane space serves as very fertile soil in this regard, due to its unrestricted properties.

The causes for this kind of behavior may be quite varied. In no case should it be considered normal, and there is no reason to try to grow accustomed to it.

The most important thing when having come in contact with this psychological type of behavior in a subject is to avoid physically affecting him. It must be kept in mind that no matter what physical contact occurs, it may have an effect on subsequent interactions. Therefore, one should always stop the communication if it turns out that something is wrong. This applies all the more so if a relative is involved; it is psychologically difficult enough to suffer a family member’s death, let alone a subsequent physical altercation with him. If the subject actively attacks the practitioner, the latter should immediately employ the translocation technique in order to exit the situation. It is also possible to immediately try to re-summon the person being contacted.

This type of behavior cannot be described in precise detail, but it inherently includes the subject understanding that he was once alive, but no longer is. Moreover, the subject’s physical features and abilities may not correspond to those of his in the physical world, as there are no internal limitations in the astral plane.

This is the most frequent behavior exhibited by a deceased person to be encountered in the astral plane. Perhaps it is the most desirable type of behavior, as it creates the most true-to-life situation. In fact, the most complete communication occurs when the subject exhibits this type of behavior, as it is a true continuation of the communication that once occurred in the physical world. That is, there is no interruption to the logical flow of communication, nor any resulting silence on certain issues. One approaching the situation from the perspective of life after death should always strive to achieve exactly this type of behavior in the subject.

How does one interact with a deceased person in an astral projection who realizes that he is dead? There’s no need to spend too much time on this question. It is better to act in accordance with the context of the situation, trying not to offend or bring up anything painful that could evoke negative emotions. One ought talk about everything as it actually is.