As I have noted previously, approximately five percent of the population calling the Occident their home (I presume it is the same in the Orient) are fantasy prone. Such persons can relax, close their eyes, and easily fall into a trance state (they are highly susceptible to self-hypnosis and suggestion) in which their nocturnal imago operators fabricate am imagined world which feels as real as the waking state.
Such trance states can be dangerous as the dreamer is not in an “awakened state of sleep” and so is not in charge of his or her experience. They become absorbed into their dreamscape and enter into the personal unconscious and the deeper realms of the collective human mind. The lack of a “ship’s captain at the wheel”means the normal barriers to dream intrusion are absent and they become rather easy prey for the various “hungry” entities residing within the empyreal worlds.
Unconsciously and automatically, the fantasy prone allow foreign personas, jivas, ego states, to assume residence within their minds. It is a psychiatric fact that fantasy prone persons suffer an much higher prevalence of psychological disturbances than the rest of mankind.
Based upon my psychiatric expertise, I strongly recommend against astral travel by fantasy prone persons unless such is done via highly structured hypnosis in which the doctor goes into hypnosis with the traveler so to direct the journey and protect him or her.
Another five percent of the population is afraid of getting involved in any state in which they believe (though it is false belief) they will lose personal control, which is an illusion for most of us most of the time. Such persons are in denial as to their unconscious mind and so are poor subjects for any trance work, self or facilitated.
The good news is that some ninety percent of the population are mentally and emotionally able to participate in trance work, occultism, hypnosis, and astral travel (by themselves or even more easily when facilitated). So the remainder of the article discusses pragmatic exercises for a beginning astral traveler.
I have insufficient data to generalize as to the actual distribution curve of the ratio of malefic to propitious psychic experiences when astral traveling, though, I posit that the shape of this histogram is highly skewed to the right, i.e., more experiences are malefic than propitious.
The reason being that much astral travel is conducted by persons: [1] ignorant of the dangers in casual interactions with the entities of the empyreal worlds, [2] failure to properly protect the integrity of his or her empyreal form, and [3] failure to initiate and maintain an “awakened dream” so to loose control.
Such malefic experiences are easily preventable using the information being presented. So listen up, explorers. I have explored the astral worlds for over five decades and have never had an ill experience. I have utilized many different techniques, including the one taught by AMORC, and my preferred methodologies are outlined below.