I would advise people to stay away from Astral Projection

[Martain]

Understood and I appreciate your response and perhaps I did just that. Perhaps I was speaking beyond my authority. Yet I feel my warning is indeed valid enough based on my own experiences that after praying over my submission I felt good enough about it to where I chose to submit it rather than delete it.

My understanding is that lucid dreaming weakens the bonds between the spirit body and the physical body. Death does this much more thoroughly and I wouldn't categorize death as a sin. We came here and fought a very terrible war to obtain these bodies and I feel any practice wherein we intentionally try to function outside of such bounds is quite unwise.

I know the Lord speaks through dreams and visions and lucid dreaming falls in those categories. There is nothing wrong if it is the Lord initiating the Lucid dream or vision but the danger comes in when we initiated it outside of his boundaries.

Does God use lucid dreams? Yes. Should we actively seek out the capacity to create our own? This is where I say leave such alone and let God speak thus if he chooses to.

You're right that you're not mocking in the least. Thanks for that.

@Loudmouth,

Your request does hold some danger. Let me first say that I do not astral project or even desire to try such a thing. Yet the devil can do false miracles and this one is not outside of his capacity. The devil and his angles surely know what you're wearing at night and could easily create a dream portraying your likeness at a given spot and then feed it to the receptive and susceptible individual who believes they are departing from their body and traveling.

Had such an individual come forth telling you then the color of your shirt, by your own declaration you would have completely turned your opinions on a dime. Even if they do tell you, that in of itself isn't sufficient to determine whether they projected themselves or not.

To me the better question would be, regardless as to if and how correction information is or isn't obtained, is the driving force behind it the Lord or the devil. If it is the devil, then D&C 50:31-34 seems applicable as to how we should and should not treat the subject.

Sincerely,

Martain

[Lakumi]

Understood and I appreciate your response and perhaps I did just that. Perhaps I was speaking beyond my authority. Yet I feel my warning is indeed valid enough based on my own experiences that after praying over my submission I felt good enough about it to where I chose to submit it rather than delete it.

I disagree, within neo paganism-for example- what the person did is perfectly fine

there is no law of chastity

yeah something that can easy cause the mind to "sin" when you're religion has sin, probably shouldn't be mixed in there.

[NeuroTypical]

The devil and his angles surely know what you're wearing at night and could easily create a dream portraying your likeness at a given spot and then feed it to the receptive and susceptible individual who believes they are departing from their body and traveling.

Had such an individual come forth telling you then the color of your shirt, by your own declaration you would have completely turned your opinions on a dime.

Well, that's the thing, Martain, I've encountered such folks on a handful of occasions. They've taken me up on my offer. I managed to dream that night of showing up at the reflecting pool. They came back the next day reporting they had done the same. Nobody yet has been able to accurately describe my shirt. Satan had a prime example to work one of his false miracles, but didn't.

I'm thinking that's becase the whole thing is a bunch of superstitious nonsense, overreacting to our own emotions and wierd dreams. The impact of vivid emotions isn't what I doubt. The relevance of such things, is.

(One clarification - it isn't the shirt I'm wearing, it's the shirt I'm 'astrally-projecting' myself in.)

[Cornelius]

hmm

[Cornelius]

So I have had an experience where my Dad's patriarch came to me when I was 2 years old through Astral Projection. My dad was receiving his blessing in 1980 when his Patriarch came to me in my living room in 1990. The Patriarch asked me if I'd like to know my future. My mother at the time ran a day care so having some stranger in the house wasn't uncommon for me. I accepted his offer and took his hand. My spirit would have traveled back in time to them to a Ward in Orville. This is where I showed them my life and what it was going to be like. I forgot completely about this incident for the time being until now at the age of 25. At the age of 12 my dad told me certain things that were gonna happen in my life. I accepted it but felt wary and forgot about them. At the age of 13 I left the church to go on about my life. I didn't feel like my dad was a good person, always angry about something so i wondered how could god be in this man's life if he was so angry. In those young years of life I had more memories of my dad being angry versus giving love. Periodically throughout my life after that he would take me places and tell me what I would be feeling there or the choices that I could make or would make. I accepted but truly never believed. Until in May this year he told me of a chat I would have with my Mom that he said I would have with her. Then things started coming back to me, sometimes before they would happen, most times after but it was only confirming what he said to me. Through the past couple of months I would try to do the right thing in what my dad would have said and then something would happen and I would mess up. I figured drinking away my problems would help, only to find that he had told me of the places I would be if I chose that way. I don't know what to make of this anymore and I'm struggling to make choices. I need to know that this is a common thing that happens in the Mormon religion. If anyone has any information on what exactly may have happened to me it would be very much appreciated.

[annewandering]

I lucid dream. It has saved my sanity at times. I suppose for every good thing there are people who can pervert it for evil. Lucid dreaming is NOT evil unless the dreamer is evil. When I was seven and being molested I had nightmares every night without fail. It took me awhile but I learned to control what I dreamed and was able to sleep again without nightmares. Now I only interrupt or change dreams that have gone off into areas that are too disturbing for me like extreme violence or someone I love being hurt or killed. I believe most dreams can teach us something we need to think about so its best to let them run their course but some just have to be stopped. God gave me a blessing as a child and showed me how to lucid dream. It was not from satan. Satan probably loved my nightmares.  

[ctrstandards]

On 9/9/2013 at 8:29 PM, Still_Small_Voice said:

I believe it is totally valid based on the Gifts of the Spirit that you are given.  It is not for everyone. If you participate in it have a bad experience, you have to determine why and what it is intended by it.

I also believe that if you are doing it out of curiosity and are not feeling the Holy Ghost and are not worthy of the Spirit, it can take away the test of faith because the reality of the post life is so vivid.  Your day of grace may be taken.

I have read two very good books.  I would recommend to anyone.  The first is:Salvia Divinorum: Dorway to Thought-Free Awareness  http://www.amazon.com/Salvia-Divinorum-Doorway-Thought-Free-Awareness/dp/1594773475 it is very short can be read in a few hours.

The second is the The Spiritual Diary of Emmanuel Swedenborg: http://www.amazon.com/Spiritual-Diary-Emanuel-Swedenborg-ebook/dp/B00NHCPVLQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1460476702&sr=8-1&keywords=the+spiritual+diary+of+emanuel+swedenborg This book will take hours and months to read.  Five volumes. It took me about a year.  I believe that Swedenborg was not granted to know and view everything regarding the doctrine. It was not yet to be revealed. I also believe had had to come to some of his on conclusion that do not line up with our doctrine.  e.g. when he visits other worlds he assumes some of these worlds are within our own planetary system and may other things.

Before you delve into the second, read up on Emmanuel.  He was scientist from the mid 1700s living in Sweden. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emanuel_Swedenborg

 

On 9/9/2013 at 8:29 PM, Still_Small_Voice said:

 

I have been reading on the subject of Astral Projection or Remote Viewing. Here is what I discovered and I believe their are elements of truth in it. These are not my words but another's advice:

Astral projection

This subject has come up on a few threads so I felt it needed to be address and clarified.

The practice of Astral projection is held in the deep occult.

Astral projection or travel denotes the astral body or double leaving the physical body to travel in the astral plane.

The common belief is that the subtle body is attached to the physical body by means of a psychic silver cord.

When you leave your body to Astral project you are leaving your body in a very similar form as when you are channeling spirits. The descriptions of the experiences are quite often very close to the same.

I have a dear friend that prior to his conversion as a Latter-Day Saint said he was Astral projecting regularly. I was friends with him at the time I was not Latter-Day Saint either. He could leave his body walk around his room, leave his house and visit places and witness things that later he could verify.

On one occasion he was doing this he came back to his body and found it nearly impossible to re-enter. He had to fight of another entity that was attempting to take over his body. He had to battle for control of his own body for quite a while hearing horrible growling sounds. He said it was one of the scariest things that every had happened to him. He at the time had no belief in demons and only thought he was using powers that he had in him self as many books he had read told him. He felt it was just a natural extention of his spiritual abilities. After this experience he never Astral projected again and he also started to check into Christianity. He later joined the Latter-Day Saint church when I testified to him the truth of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Astral projection is something that we are not to participate in. This is not something we gain any Divine knowledge from. It is done through mediation and leaves us open for demonic possession. This is not an approved practice for a Latter-Day Saint. It is part of the occult and not of our faith. I shared my friend’s story with a General Authority and they agreed that this was not a practice we were to dabble in. There are no spiritual references that support this as a accepted activity. If the Lord chooses to show us things or take our spirit somewhere it is by His will not ours. This activity has nothing to do with the Lord's will or His teachings but it is based just on our will. Its roots are completely away from the Gospel.

Another person advised:

I heard Art Bell talking about this practice but he called it "remote viewing". He said he got very good at it and then it turned bad. He said his spirit would without warning leave his body and he could not control it.

 

[NeedleinA]

What the bananas did I just read on this thread? The closest thing I read to gospel teachings was the whole "astro pops" taste good part.

[NeuroTypical]

Yay!  This thread again!

Well, if we're going to start talking about this nonsense again, I'll make the same invitation/challenge to whoever believes in this nonsense.

Open Offer: If anyone wants to take me up on a little experiment, let me know. I will astrally project myself that night, to the reflecting pool next to temple square. I will be wearing a certain kind of shirt. Please, meet me there, and come back here tomorrow and tell me about the shirt I'm wearing.

[ctrstandards]

I was just searching for some information on this subject and this string came up.  I was surprised to see posts in an LDS forum so I had to chime in. I just singed up today for this forum.

[ctrstandards]

I wish I had time to read ever single post in this thread.  But I will add one more piece here.  Here are my notes and review of the book in my early post regarding Salvia and it taking one to the other side.

4.0 out of 5 starsRead in one sitting

ByD Eldredgeon May 25, 2014

Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase

Points of interest to me:
1. Mr. Arthur was very cautious about keeping the tether to his body when on his journeys. At one point, he felt the tether was only a mere thread. He had the feeling that disconnecting the tether would be a point of no return.
2. What would happen if two individuals in the same room tried the salvia at the same time, would they interact on the journey and converse during and after and conclude the same observations? He mentions other beings present who were like him, not dead, doing the same thing. Could he have conversed with them on the journey and then after the journey meet in person, on the phone or online and discuss? If so, this would greatly support this realm, place or of a life-after-death and not just something happening in the dark corners of one's own mind.
3. It is interesting that most of the beings he sees and connects with (that are post mortal beings) are jovial and light hearted.
4. On one journey he sees a British family who had just arrived and he believes they had all just died and perished together and they seemed disoriented.
5. There is a recurring theme on these journeys that being dead is most desirable. He points out that it is inviting and he is actually invited to be dead with them. Makes me think of the song by BOC "Don't Fear The Reaper ...we can be like they are."
6. He seems to allude to the fact that this other realm was becoming more of a reality and mortality was becoming more of the the allusion and less desirable.
7. The concept of time is described in his experience just as I would believe. Google "Time only is measured unto man". or see Alma 40 and specifically vs. 8 in the Book of Mormon (It makes reference to relativity of time and the life after death).

Other Points of Interest:
On January 23, 2006 Delaware teenager Brett Chidester took his own life by climbing into a tent with a charcoal grill where he died of carbon monoxide poisoning. In an essay found after his death, he wrote "Salvia allows us to give up our senses and wander in the interdimensional time and space...Also, and this is probably hard for most to accept, our existence in general is pointless. Final point: Us earthly humans are nothing." From Wikipedia.
More reason for caution especially for teens.

I am of the belief that this life is a test of faith and to gain experience that can only be obtained and learned by having mortal bodies. We are purposely kept from knowledge of other realms which makes a better test case of our heart's intents and desire to do good and to learn and grow. If we have a perfect knowledge of what is out there in the eternities or maybe even a mere glimpse, our test would not be as valid. Mr. Arthur seems to allude to this in one of his journeys, a feeling of falling from grace in essence. (Maybe kind of peaking in on the answers to the test). He mentions this kind of feeling when seeing 4 or 5 Mexicans who died bravely and were given a ceremony and lead on to an even higher deeper realm.

In the case of the teenager, Brett Chidester, he may have missed this point or element of eternal progression which I believe leads one to a more full and complete sense of value, worth and a fullness of joy. Even still, those who where communicating with Mr. Arthur, were happy, light hearted and may have even been at the lower level of progression and that lower level all on its own maybe inviting.

Contacting Mr. Arthur:
At the end of the book, there is an address given which would indirectly put one in contact with Mr. J. D. Arthur. I was just starting to write to him, when I decided to read all of the reviews first and then I wrote my review just now.

The book states:
"To send correspondence to the author of this book, mail a first-class letter to the author c/o Inner Traditions - Bear & Company, One Park Street, Rochester, VT 05767 and we will forward the communication."

 

[NightSG]

34 minutes ago, NeuroTypical said:

Well, if we're going to start talking about this nonsense again, I'll make the same invitation/challenge to whoever believes in this nonsense.

Now, while I'm looking for some brain bleach, project back home and put some pants on.