Astral Projection
Astral projection is the intentional extension of consciousness beyond the physical body, allowing the practitioner to explore subtle realms sometimes called the astral plane. This out-of-body state is described in mystical traditions across the world: shamanic journeying, yogic accounts of subtle bodies, ceremonial visions of the Western esoteric tradition, and countless personal reports. It is an art of movement between layers of reality, where the traveler steps outside the boundaries of flesh to encounter landscapes, forces, and beings of the unseen.
Though often spoken of as a single practice, astral projection unfolds more like a path — a series of thresholds that gradually train the mind and spirit for safe travel. Many begin with dreams, where the first hints of projection arise. Lucid dreaming, or dream magic more broadly, allows the practitioner to rehearse awareness in liminal states, learning to navigate shifting worlds while holding memory intact. From here, the step into pathworking or guided journeying comes naturally: entering symbolic landscapes through trance and visualization, practicing movement and interaction in carefully structured visions. These are rehearsals of a kind, safe cousins of projection that teach orientation and focus.
As skill deepens, some experiment with “partial extension”: stretching the astral body just beyond the physical, reaching outward in meditation or in ritual space. It is here that one learns what it feels like to move beyond the skin while still remaining tethered. Only after these stages, with clarity and confidence, does the practitioner attempt full projection — the deliberate separation, often accompanied by sensations of floating, rising, or stepping out. In such work, apotropaic and protection rites are indispensable, for the body must remain guarded while the spirit wanders. A tether may be set in the form of a consecrated cord, a ritual candle, or a crystal anchor, ensuring that return is as steady as departure.
For the Coven of the Veiled Moon, astral projection is not a common rite but a personal path, pursued only by those who feel called. A few members have successfully walked this road, yet such journeys remain rare and never undertaken lightly. When one returns bearing vision or insight from beyond, it is received as a gift to the coven as a whole. We regard astral projection as a demanding and advanced practice, requiring discipline, discernment, and deep respect.
Astral travel also connects naturally with other magical arts. Dream magic often bleeds into astral states, as lucid dreaming or sleep-trance becomes a gateway to conscious travel. Pathworking and guided journeying provide symbolic training grounds, while mediumship and spirit channeling may cross into encounters that unfold more vividly in astral form. Even divination can be strengthened, as projection allows the practitioner to seek symbols or answers in realms not bound by physical circumstance. And always, apotropaic and protection magic are essential companions, ensuring the traveler does not journey unshielded through landscapes where the benign and the perilous mingle freely.
Through astral projection, the practitioner becomes both explorer and emissary — moving beyond themselves, yet carrying back the knowledge and impressions of subtle worlds. Done with intention, it is a way to widen the scope of the Craft; done carelessly, it risks disorientation, intrusion, or exhaustion.
Examples
- Entering trance through steady breath and visualization, rising gently from the body to a chosen astral destination.
- Visiting an ancestral or spirit guide on the astral plane to receive counsel, healing, or symbolic teaching.
- Using ritual cues — such as prayer beads or a dedicated candle — to create a stable gateway for departure and safe return.
Note: Astral projection can be exhilarating, profound, and transformative, but it is never without risk. The astral is not empty space; it is populated by shifting landscapes, archetypal forces, and intelligences of many kinds. Not all encountered there have the traveler’s best interests at heart. A practitioner without clear intention or protective measures may find themselves unmoored, drained, or entangled in forces they cannot control.
For this reason, astral projection should never be treated casually. Overexertion, poor preparation, or neglecting to ground upon return can leave one disoriented, scattered, or spiritually depleted. The wisest practitioners build their skill step by step: first learning in dreams, then in guided visions, then through small extensions of awareness, before attempting full departure. Each stage strengthens clarity, focus, and the ability to return whole.
Travelers must always set protections, know their method of return, and ground themselves upon arrival. Like all forms of spirit work, astral projection demands humility and care. Done wisely, it offers insight, communion, and expanded awareness; done recklessly, it can leave doors open that are better left closed.
