No matter what I forget in life, I will never forget my very first memory. I was of the age to be sleeping in a crib but still old enough to be able to climb out of it from time to time. My twin sister and I shared the crib together. Our mother told us we used to have to sleep with the top of our heads touching each other�s no matter how many times she would try to rearrange us.  

My first memory began like this� I was hovering in my bedroom looking down from just under the ceiling as though I were near the surface of the ocean swimming around with the intent of exploration. I can remember the way the morning sun shined through the horizontal shutters of my bedroom window and the way our blue carpet looked underneath the furniture and scattered toys. As I was floating closer to my crib, I remember thinking �Who am I?� but not in words, rather in thought, because I didn�t know how to speak quite yet. As floating closer to the crib I then awoke abruptly. I recall climbing out of my crib and running out my bedroom terrified. I wasn�t sure where exactly I was going, but I knew I was searching for comfort. That�s when I crawled into my mother�s bed not even recognizing who she was, but I felt safe with her. That�s all that this memory entails. 

For many years I believed that memory was my soul finding the body or host that will become my home. I have argued time and time again to others that it wasn�t a dream. It was real. I even remembered that experience when I was a child too young to even contemplate what a soul was. For the longest time I questioned why would our souls come to us a year or more later than the time when we were actually born? After other similar incidents and much research of astral protection, astral travel, and out of body experiences (OBEs), I now have a new perspective of my first memory. I don�t believe that was my soul being born; I believe I have the ability to astral project intentionally and unintentionally.  

My second trip out wasn�t for quite some time later in life. Despite only having brief memories of astral projection as an adolescent, I recall the most concentrated occasions would occur if I was frequently analyzing life. Though, several months and years could go by without any trips at all. During my teenage years I began to obtain a fascination for metaphysical studies. Later within this time period I received several psychic dreams. I dreamt (previous to the event) of September 11^th, the death of the astronauts on board the Columbia Space Shuttle, my mother�s skin cancer, my sister�s almost fatal rare blood disorder, and other, yet minute, occurrences. Whether astral projection and prophecy are related still remains a mystery to me. 

When having an out of body experience I would feel these tingly sensations all over as if my energy was flowing all through me. As I forced my inner self to the edge of my body�s shell I would actually feel myself exiting from my body as if I were abandoning a vehicle or something. I would feel this sense of awareness and this universal connection with all living things. Sometimes I felt I was receiving messages from someone, possibly from a spiritual entity or perhaps even an extraterrestrial being. Regardless of my new certain attainment, I did not tell anyone I was doing these unusual things at bedtime until I was probably in my late teens or early twenties. 

As a projection takes place my body is in a deep sleep usually the result of meditation.  My mind, however, is wide awake. When projecting sometimes I only saw nothingness and I could only feel my way around. Sometimes I would be dreaming and I�d see things not truly how they were. My room wouldn�t look exactly the same. There would be something different reminding me that I am dreaming as well. I usually wouldn�t make it out of my room or house. I often would get stuck against the ceiling or walls trying to push myself out the window. Very few times I can actually remember I went outside but when I did for some reason I would instantly feel pulled back as if I was out too deep and needed to swim back to safer waters. As astral projection was starting to become more acceptable to me I would gain more control during each experience. 

Whenever I dreamt I was flying I would undergo such liberating bliss. I would often tell myself right before I go to bed that I wanted to fly tonight. Ordinarily I would just dream typical dreams. But on some occasions I would dream I�m flying or I would accidentally astral project. Regardless during both incidents I received quite exhilarant sensations, dreaming of flying completely differs from astral traveling and astral projection. After realizing I could now somehow request for these projections to take place I noticed I received more and more astral journeys. However, it required much meditation and still with no guarantee.  

There was one incident of a pre-planned projection I vividly recall. I used have a strong desire to physically fly. Aware of the impossibility, I found myself often day dreaming of the wonder of flight. I imagined that I was attracted to this envision possibly because of my new interest for reincarnation. Perhaps I once was a bird in a previous life and the recollections of flight were protruding in my freshly opened mind. Nonetheless, I found myself absolutely captivated and could not dismiss this fantasy from my head. During this episode I received my far most stimulating out of body experience. One night I woke up to go to the bathroom. When I got out of bed I felt as if I slipped from underneath myself.  But I didn�t fall to the ground; instead I was floating inches from the floor. I then started to drift upward in center of the room. I noticed my two parrots were on the top their cages staring at me shocked with amazement. I thought to myself �oh my God I didn�t mean it;� referring to the desire to physically fly. I collected myself and thought �alright� let�s go.� I knew the exact places I would go. I wanted to pass over tree tops to end up in downtown Tampa where I could see up close the city lights and night life beneath me. I also thought I should stop by my sister�s house on the way. But once I placed my hand on the door knob I thought �what if I can�t get back?� Then instantly I was sucked back into my body. I abruptly sat up in bed and said aloud �I flew;� then I clonked out and fell back to sleep.       

There are some benefits to astral projection. It�s not used just for fun and games now. One time I actually felt myself healing my back. I have had constant back pain for just under ten years now. One night in the middle of my projection I told myself �Oh yeah, I need to fix my back.� I woke up that morning with NO back pain whatsoever. It had been so long since I have felt no back pain. It lasted for about three or four days and then slowly the pain came back.  

Another time I remember I was lying in bed on the verge of waking up. I remember thinking I was so hot and wished the air conditioner would kick on. Of course I was still asleep and had no intention to get up out of bed to go turn it on. Suddenly cool wind was blowing against me and I heard the ceiling fan moving much faster from the lowest speed to the maximum speed. As I began to open my eyes I actually saw the fan moving at maximum speed. When I realized what had just happen I became afraid and the fan slowed back down to the minimum speed right before my eyes. I was just lying there stunned, staring at the ceiling fan wondering how that was possible. We had vaulted ceilings at that apartment and the only way anyone could adjust the fan�s speed was by standing on my bed and stretching to the chain to pull it twice. My sister and her boyfriend were asleep out in the living room. Finally when my sister and her boyfriend woke up I told them what happened. Of course they were looking at me like I was crazy and said I was just dreaming all that. But I know that wasn�t dream. Could have this been a projection and did I actually catch myself in the act? 

As I became more curious and tried to further my ability I would often partake in some extremely terrifying nightmares or waking/lucid dreams. It didn�t happen all the time but enough to persuade me to prefer to just sleep for a few nights without any adventures. I may have also given myself some unanticipated anxiety. I no longer explore this topic while sleeping or meditating. I need my rest now. Occasionally, I will get an unintentional projection, but I�m not as confident during it as I once was.   

I realize there could very well be a logical explanation for what I and many others have experienced. I have read plenty books and articles written by psychologist, scientists and doctors. Some will argue that astral projection or astral traveling is our mind�s vivid imagination convincing us that we have these abilities. Similar to the accusation of alien abductions, scientists believe we subconsciously create these memories. However many researchers are spending a great deal of their time exploring this phenomena more and more each year. Our society, as a whole, allows us to become much more open-minded this current generation.  

There have been reported cases of unexplained events which entail the individual�s� ability to identify objects and occurrences after having an out of body experience. One instance, a woman accurately described a surgical instrument she had not seen previously, as well as a conversation that occurred while she was understood to be clinically dead (Sabom, 1998). Recorded descriptions of near death experiences are profoundly similar to OBEs. Despite these reports, the general public still has a tough time admitting the possibility of astral projection. Perhaps this phenomenon is too far fetch for the scientific world or too controversial for the religious organizations; however there lies much science and spirituality within astral travel.  

Until declared proven, we must trust ourselves to resolve our own mysteries in our lives. Intuition is how man-kind survived. I wouldn�t be all that disappointed if I was proven wrong and told that it was just random brain farts while sleeping. I have had plenty of realistic dreams in my lifetime. The possibility of it being just my imagination is not so much out of the question. However, during these experiences, this great feeling of higher power would overcome me not like any other dream or really anything I�ve ever felt. Anyone who has ever felt this kind of certainty would understand that it is extremely difficult to just ignore or assume otherwise.  

My philosophy is that our souls are using our bodies as a student would use a book to learn and study various courses at the wonderful University of Life. Our souls are extremely gifted and do not posses the negative aspects of human beings, only positive. We truly know everything. We don�t tell ourselves all the time because that would be cheating and we would not be able to fulfill our chosen destinies. Time and time again our souls will become desperately in need of the search for knowledge and will reincarnate to a new diverse quest. All souls are good no matter which route an individual may choose. Our home is the Afterlife where only true enlightenment exists.  

In my opinion, I feel the explanation and ability for astral projection is ourselves merely reminding us of our potentials and spiritual goals. I believe at this state we have the ability to heal ourselves which therefore leads to the need of highly considering this subject, once fully analyzed, as an alternative therapy. I also think that we tend to want to escape this reality and its stresses so at times we are able to project, possibly in search for reassurance that we are on the right track. Furthermore, probably the true reason why we astral project could be the simple fact that we are such curious little beings.