Astral projection is part of the occult. We are not to seek out leaving our bodies to gain greater spiritual truths, the Lord will show us things as He feels appropriate for our growth and righteousness. We are not to seek out spiritual experience outside of Father and the Holy Ghost.
The practice of Astral projection is held in the deep occult. The Theosophists that say Lucifer is the God of this planet are the primary teachers of this practice. They are the root or origin of the new age movement. Helena Blavatsky is called the mother of the New Age Movement; she is a Theosophist/Occultist.
This is an overview from Wikipedia under Astral projection and Akashic records showing that Astral projection is part of the occult doctrines. I have just quoted some of what they say. I have many other sources but this is a good quick explanation.
“In occult traditions, practices range from inducing trance states to the mental construction of a second body, called the Body of Light in Aleister Crowley's writings, through visualization and controlled breathing, followed by the transfer of consciousness to the secondary body by a mental act of will.
Astral projection (or astral travel) refers to episodes of out-of-body experiences perceived as unfolding in environments other than the physical world, by an astral counterpart of the physical body that separates from it and travels to one or more astral planes. Astral projection is experienced as being "out of the body". Unlike dreaming or near death experiences, astral projection may be practiced deliberately.
Astral projection or travel denotes the astral body or double leaving the physical body to travel in the astral plane. According to classical, medieval, renaissance Neoplatonist, later Theosophist and Rosicrucian philosophy, the astral body is an intermediate body of light linking the rational soul to the physical body, and the astral plane is an intermediate world of light between Heaven and Earth composed of the spheres of the planets and stars. These astral spheres were held to be populated by gods, angels, demons and spirits.
The common belief is that the subtle body is attached to the physical body by means of a psychic silver cord.
The akashic records (akasha is a Sanskrit word meaning "sky", "space" or "aether") is a term used in theosophy (and Anthroposophy) to describe a compendium of mystical knowledge encoded in a non-physical plane of existence. These records are described to contain all knowledge of human experience and the history of the cosmos. They are metaphorically described as a library and other analogues commonly found in discourse on the subject include a 'universal computer' and the 'Mind of God'. Descriptions of the records assert that they are constantly updated and that they can be accessed through astral projection. The concept originated in the theosophical movements of the 19th century, and remains prevalent in New Age discourse.
The records have been referred to by different names: the cosmic mind, the universal mind, the collective unconscious, or the collective subconscious. Others think the Akashic records make clairvoyance and psychic perception possible.
It is believed by philosophists, trained psychics, mystics, and Reiki practitioners that the events recorded upon that Akasha can be ascertained or read in certain states of consciousness. Such states of consciousness can be induced by certain stages of sleep, weakness, illness, drugs, and meditation so not only mystics but ordinary people can and do perceive the Akashic records. Some mystics claim to be able to reanimate their contents as if they were turning on a celestial television set. Yogis also believe that these records can be perceived in certain psychic states.”
Theosophy is one of the primary teachers of the Akashic records. It is the counterfeit of the Book of Life. Theosophists Annie Besant, Alice Bailey and Madam Helena Pertovna Blavatsky, all participated and believed in the Akashic records. Astral projection can be used just to take a tour of the world without your body, but the real reason it is used is to reach the Akashic Records for greater enlightenment.
When you leave your body to Astral project you are leaving you body in a very similar form as when you are channeling entities. The descriptions of the experiences are quite often very close to the same.
I have a dear friend, who prior to his conversion to the LDS faith Astral projected regularly. I was friends with him at the time and was not LDS either. He could leave his body, walk around his room, leave his house and visit places and witness things that could later be verified. On one occasion when he was doing this, he came back to his body and found it nearly impossible to re-enter. He had to fight off 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 possessed in himself as many books he had read told him. He felt it was just a natural extension of his spiritual abilities. After this experience he never Astral projected again and he also started to check into Christianity. He later joined the LDS church when I testified to him of the truth of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Astral projection is something that we are not to participate in. This is not something from which we gain any Divine knowledge. It is done through meditation and leaves us open for demonic possession. This is not an approved practice for LDS; it is part of the occult and not our faith. I shared my friend’s story with the GAs and they agreed that this was not a practice we were to dabble in. There are no spiritual references that support this as an 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 Lords will or His teachings but it is based solely on our own will. Its roots are completely in the Occult.
People take it very serious even though it sounds crazy to many. The world is embracing these ideas and our government even worked on it with a Remote viewing project. It is reported that it was tested and attempted to be used for spying. Remote viewing, astral projections and lucid dreaming all fall within pretty much the same category. Just with slight differences, but they all have similar experience, effects and processes to attain the same results. Unfortunately I have met quite a few members of our Church that practice one or all of these. If we track back the sources and promoters of these activities it always goes back to theosophy/occult. They are the founders of the new age movement and are the ones that clearly in all there writings are promoting a New World Order and say Lucifer is the God of the planet. These are encouraged practices of theirs.
This is a pretty good article that is pro-astral projection/remote viewing/Lucid dreaming. It gives some good history of the different ways and different theories the occultist authors believe. If you read it you see things like visualization or affirmations. It is easy for some to just focus on a topic without the history and think it in itself is ok to do. But when you put it into context you find what it really is.
http://www.crystalinks.com/astralprojection.html Again I stress this is not an accepted practice within our Church but is a large part of the occult.
