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Episode 186: Astral Magic
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Welcome back, Witches! This week, we’re slipping beyond the veil and into the realm of astral magic—where consciousness travels, intention takes form, and the unseen becomes navigable. So get in, Loser, because we’re tracing the subtle threads between mind, spirit, and the liminal spaces where magic doesn’t just happen… it moves.
We would be forever thankful if you left our podcast a 5-Star review. If you really loved the show and want more Get in Loser content, check out our Patreon, Supercast, & Buy Me a Coffee links below. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @GetinWitches, on TikTok @weredoingwitchcraft, or email us at weredoingwitchcraft@gmail.com. You can support our show through our links below.
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Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio- The Witch
Resources
- Black, Bec. Exploring the Astral Plane. Witchcraft Spells Magick. https://witchcraftspellsmagick.com/blogs/witch-studies/exploring-the-astral-plane-witchcraft-spells-trance-work?srsltid=AfmBOoqTZvAaj17bJCwnSnVF1QGF21A40LiA3fn7IH8ZgO8CkkaGDOOi
- Astral Projection Basics. https://www.wicca.com/meditation/astral.html
- Youtube:Ivy Corvus- The Ins & Outs of Astral Work & Spirit Flight.https://youtu.be/FUnYrY-NpZo?si=a_xn0emWAqK1tkJ-
- Reddit- https://www.reddit.com/search/?q=astral+magic&cId=70c9487c-0a17-4ae8-9989-fa0c62c63ccb&iId=18de8f4b-233f-4d89-9279-f95038cabdd4
- Bry Wisteria (2023). Astral Travel & Astral Projection. Spells8. https://forum.spells8.com/t/astral-travel-astral-projection/33177
- Hearth & Home (n.d.). Dreamwork: An Astral Projection Ritual. Magick Makers. https://themagickmakers.com/blog/dreamwork-an-astral-projection-ritual?srsltid=AfmBOorowdDX_JenGQOlBqdmPoeQy69MRYI9YZfuKlma3Htg87Pltvtl
- Bec Black (n.d.). Exploring the Astral Plane: Witchcraft Practices, Spells, Trance Work and How to Astral Travel. Witchcraft Spells Magick. https://witchcraftspellsmagick.com/blogs/witch-studies/exploring-the-astral-plane-witchcraft-spells-trance-work?srsltid=AfmBOopBrYWYvfWAlV3wDdshKb-K7UQNdeez0GDs60ls-jnfNGFC9NpV
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Transcript
Introduction and Podcast Theme
00:00:00
Speaker
Do you feel drawn to learn more about witchcraft and the occult but feel lost on where to start? Then welcome to Get In Loser We're Doing Witchcraft, a podcast all about what it means to be a witch and where to get started on your journey.
00:00:11
Speaker
Join us as we navigate through various witchy topics and share what we've learned about the craft. So get in witches as we step beyond the physical and explore the mysteries of astral plane magi.
New Year's Eve Stories
00:00:47
Speaker
New year, new you. um New year, same me. i just aspire to be the same menace to society that I have been. yeah This whole time. As you should. Yeah. and I love it.
00:01:00
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. Everybody keeps doing the new year, new me, and I'm like, you're getting the same old feral me. Or worse. Maybe a little worse, probably. Let's be honest.
00:01:11
Speaker
yeah Oh, man. Oh, man. Yeah. it's I have been doing the 12 magical nights, and then the only thing, like I guess... I don't even know what to – Folklore-ish that I did was not doing my dishes or laundry yesterday, but I still had to stay up till midnight on New Year's Day so that I could start the dishwasher because i just couldn't take it any longer. Yeah.
00:01:37
Speaker
We did not get to go to sleep until 2 a.m. because Germans like to follow all the rules all the time. But for whatever reason, New Year's Eve from like midnight on the dot until about 2 a.m., m it's just anarchy in the streets. And it's like World War III with all the fireworks. remember vividly that.
00:02:05
Speaker
we the it was This was New Year's 2020. So yeah right before COVID kicked off, they like we were at Mike's mom's for Christmas and New Year's and they lived in this little German town, they lived on the main street. And so the same street with all of the little...
00:02:23
Speaker
cafes and shit and bakeries and stuff. And it was pretty foggy that night. And I just remember like, cause obviously they were doing it from like sparkle. You could hear like every once in a while and then it's literally midnight and it's like,
00:02:38
Speaker
Chaos. Going outside, it felt kind of like I stepped back in time because it was super foggy. So you couldn't see anybody's cars. No. All you could see were like you know these really old school German little houses yeah and fog and what sounded like gunshots everywhere. Yeah. I know it's just like, yeah is this what it felt like whenever World War II happened? Literally. This is a little bit scary. Yeah. Well, like it's like, i don't know It's just like a rule with the weather out here on New Year's Eve. It's always foggy. And then on top of it, all the smoke from everyone's fireworks. So it makes it even worse. That's how it was here. Popping off everywhere, just everywhere. Fireworks from like just right outside the houses. Like our front doors, ours isn't, but like most of the houses are right directly up on the street. So it's like your front door goes down to the sidewalk and then there's the street. There's no like cover.
00:03:36
Speaker
So people are just like right out their front door shooting fireworks off everywhere. Insane. It was insane. It reminded me of being in Germany on New Year's Eve here. Yeah. um Which, so listeners, that we're recording this on January 2nd, so that's why we're still talking about fucking New Year's. um When you're listening to this, it's like, I don't even know, like the end of January, beginning of January. January. End of January time.
00:04:00
Speaker
Yeah. um But we're recording this on January 2nd, so that's why we're still fucking talking about it. But- It's still fresh. Yeah, it was still fresh. It was very foggy here too, like really foggy. And so it reminded me of that New Year's in Germany, but like it was incredibly foggy. And then I couldn't see anybody outside, but I could just hear all of the fireworks. And then so because it was so foggy, some of the fireworks, it just wit, like it did this like white boom. Yeah. I didn't know, like I couldn't see anything in the sky. It was just like booms. And I'm just like, this, mean, we are in America. This could be fireworks. This could be guns. I don't know know. And then towards the end of like, as we got closer to actually midnight, we realized like, i think a lot of people on the, cause we're in this cul-de-sac
00:04:50
Speaker
But our house, the house beside us is technically their backyard. And the streets are set up. They're laid out a little bit weird here. And we could see, I guess, the street behind us. They were setting off a shit ton of fireworks. And so we were finally able to see them now that we realized which direction they were coming from. But like... I remember I was FaceTiming Mike's mom and I was showing her. I was like, it's so weird. Watch this. And I showed her our master bedroom window overlooks the cul-de-sac. And would just see, it would just be quiet, just foggy, and then white booms. But it's just a flash of light. And we're like, we don't know where this is coming from. we finally figured it out.
00:05:34
Speaker
But it was nice not having to leave your house. I have to send you the videos that I took because it was like... It didn't matter where you looked. They were just fireworks everywhere. was like a wall of fireworks all around us. Like back, front, sides, didn't matter. And poor Nick, she was doing so good.
00:05:53
Speaker
And then she went into panic mode just randomly. She stood up and grabbed me with her two front paws and was like trying to pull me as close to her as possible. And was like, oh my God. Sweet baby. I know. So I like took them to bed. i was like, okay, let's close the rollout ends. Like put the TV on She was in my lap. Rune is just passed out. Could care less. He's like right white noise. yeah And the whole time she's just like, oh God. Yeah. which is I can't even imagine how terrifying that must be for dogs. Gizmo is also kind of like freaking out. Yeah. Well, because they don't understand what it is. You know. There's like this loud, terrifying noise. Yeah.
00:06:34
Speaker
Over and over again. no rhyme or reason. Four hours on end. So yeah, we wrap until 2 a.m. m thanks to the lawlessness of German fireworks on New Year's Eve.
00:06:46
Speaker
It's like the purge, but just fireworks. Yeah. It's like, they're like, it's midnight. I'm allowed to do this. I'm going to do it for two hours. Right. That's how it was here. But it started like, as soon as it started getting dark. So like at four o'clock, they started setting them off. And then, but it wasn't that much. And then, so I wonder if it was like parents with little kids. They werere like, okay, well, that it's midnight. You know what I mean? Midnight somewhere.
00:07:10
Speaker
And then um as it got closer to midnight, it was just like constant. And then it went, I don't even know when it stopped because I was like, okay, I'm about to take some magnesium and try and pass the book out because like I cannot.
00:07:24
Speaker
But yeah. Yeah. Well, and we're not talking about New Year's and fireworks today. no we're not. What are we talking
Exploring Astral Plane Magic
00:07:34
Speaker
about? We're talking about astral plane magic.
00:07:37
Speaker
Yes. This was a topic that i knew of and knew what it was, but not in depth because it's not something that I don't want to say it's not something that doesn't interest me. It's just not something that I've ever had the like desire to practice.
00:07:57
Speaker
Right. I don't know if that's the good way to put it, but ah ah it is what it is. Right. So we are covering it. It's mostly like new information for me. probably for you too. Yeah. And i just wanted to start as somebody who just did this research with a little bit of a disclaimer. Because when you are doing your own research, like we tell you to do on any topic that we cover on astral magic after this episode, you're probably going to run into a ton of sources that are actually tied to Dungeons and Dragons.
00:08:30
Speaker
Did you run into that issue? Yes. Yeah. Yes. So I was like, oh, this one looks legitimate, opens it, Dungeons and Dragons. That's how it was with the electrokinesis episode too. It was like, oh yeah Dungeons and Dragons. And then both reminded me of Stranger Things. And I'm like, okay. What are we doing here? Yeah, a lot of these pages are even going to like, like I said, have titles that sound like completely legitimate. And then you click through and realize that you're like on a full D&D lore page. But, you know, just as a heads up, double check your sources, make sure you're looking at like magical or historical material and not like tabletop mechanics. And just to get you started, we do have a source that both of us used in our show notes that will be, you know, available to you guys. It's a super fantastic starting point. The author is Beck Black, and the title of it is Exploring the Astral Plane.
00:09:27
Speaker
witchcraft practices, spells, trance work, and how to astral travel. And the reason I'm sharing this one specifically is because the blog post itself had great content, but they also included a list of authors that have written extensively on the astral plane and astral projection from a witchcraft perspective. And some of these authors are like really well known names in the witchy community.
00:09:52
Speaker
So people like Raymond Buckland, Lori Cabot, and Silver Ravenwolf are in there. So definitely make sure that you check that link out just to, you know, help get you started. So for this episode, we are going to explore astral plane magic and astral work and witchcraft. what it is, where you can look for information, and some of the basics of astral magic. So as Tiffany said, neither one of us have really practiced this form of magic. So this episode is merely informational, not instructional practices. And as with everything we discuss on this podcast, do your own research and have discernment for what speaks to you and what is not for you.
00:10:27
Speaker
Astral work is advanced and not required for valid practice, so please don't listen to this episode and think that you have to involve astral work in your magical workings because that is not the case.
00:10:39
Speaker
So what is the astral plane? According to Beck Black, the astral plane is an energetic dimension beyond the physical world that is accessible through altered states of consciousness.
00:10:51
Speaker
To put it plainly, the astral plane is basically a non-physical space you can experience when your mind shifts out of its normal waking state like during deep meditation, trance, vivid dreams, or visualizations.
00:11:05
Speaker
You're not going anywhere with your body. You're tuning your awareness into a different layer of reality. So looking at the astral plane versus your imagination versus dream space, when we look at imagination, the imagination is consciously generated. You're directing the images, the scenes, and the emotions on purpose. And it's a tool that is very useful in spell work and visualization, but you're aware that you're creating it. So obviously completely different from the astral plane.
00:11:33
Speaker
With dreams, our dreams are subconscious and symbolic. They occur without your control, but often blend with your emotions and memories, which again, make it different from the astral plane. The astral plane is an experienced realm entered through altered states and is something you participate in. Many practitioners who work in the astral plane also experience a sense of presence beyond imagination So this is kind of the differences between the three because I think they can get a little bit confusing. And so looking at the astral plane concepts across traditions and Hermeticism, their views on the astral plane emphasize discipline, structure, and training rather than spontaneous or intuitive experiences.
00:12:16
Speaker
Aleister Crowley framed astral projection as a skill that requires practice, especially strong visualization, concentration, and ritual work. Crowley saw astral travel as a tool for communicating with the spirit world and as a way to access hidden or symbolic knowledge to help shape one's magical abilities.
00:12:35
Speaker
Dion Fortune described the astral plane as a layered reality where each layer reflects the different levels of consciousness and spiritual development of the traveler. According to Dion, the layer you access shapes what you experience, so your inner state directly affects your astral encounters. And she also cautioned that you need proper training because without it, the astral plane can be confusing, deceptive, or chaotic.
00:12:59
Speaker
In theosophy, the astral plane is a bridge between the material and spiritual world. It is a realm where thought and emotion don't just exist internally, but they actually shape the environment itself, meaning what you experience there is influenced by your own consciousness. This idea explains why astral experiences can feel so personal because they are shaped by the inner state of the traveler slash your own consciousness. And many people who believe in theosophy view the astral plane as a necessary step in spiritual evolution, acting as a kind of training ground for the soul before moving on higher states of awareness awareness or enlightenment.
00:13:37
Speaker
and If you're interested more in theosophy, you should check out the foundational text The Astral Plane by C.W. Ledbetter, Man and His Bodies by Annie Besant, or The Key to Theosophy by Helena Blavatsky.
00:13:51
Speaker
Folk and occult frameworks across many different folk traditions see the astral plane not as an abstract cosmic space, but a near world that we can access or step into through dreams, trance, ritual, or spirit flight. And there are many examples of this throughout many cultures, but here are just a few. So looking at dream worlds and spirit roads, within many folk traditions, dreams are viewed as real places a soul travels to and includes ancestral realms, spirit villages, or liminal crossroads that are only accessed during sleep or trance.
00:14:25
Speaker
Fairy worlds or the other world in Celtic folklore exists alongside the physical world, but on a different frequency. And it's accessible through liminal moments like dusk during Samhain or by accessing fairy mounts.
00:14:39
Speaker
And the dream time in Australian Aboriginal traditions is a timeless spirit dimension that can be accessed and it overlaps with the physical world and contains not just living forces, but also ancestral knowledge.
00:14:52
Speaker
Yeah, and when people talk about the astral plane, it is often described as layered or a multi-level space rather than a single location. Different traditions conceptualize this differently, but a common thread is that the astral exists between the purely physical and the purely spiritual.
00:15:11
Speaker
The Norse Witch on YouTube describes the astral realm as existing alongside our realm as another layer above the physical realm that has a higher vibration. They share that to attune yourself to the astral realm, you need to train your clairs to be able to perceive those vibrations. And I'd also just recommend watching the collaboration video on YouTube. It's on Ivy Corvus's channel and it's her and the Norse witch discussing astral work. And the two of them go back and forth on their own thoughts and experiences on the astral realm and practicing astral magic in a way that's like both interesting, but also makes it make a lot of sense. And I will say some of it too,
00:15:54
Speaker
was like far beyond my understanding because they both practice. I forget what they called it, but there's different like levels or realms to like your meditations and vibrations. And so they kind of talk a little bit about that. It has a lot of science to it and it's not something I've ever read into. So like unless you really know what that is, it might get a little confusing.
00:16:15
Speaker
But outside of like that part of the conversation, i feel like everything they talked about made this make so much more sense to me. Some people experience the astral as a like shared environment, while others experience it as something more personal or symbolic. Both interpretations can be valid. Astral experiences are filtered through the individual's beliefs, nervous system, and imagination. So this means that these experiences are subjective. And this is why two people can describe very different astral experiences and both be correct in what they're experiencing.
00:16:52
Speaker
And looking at astral magic versus astral projection, both refer to having an out-of-body experience. But the difference is with astral projection, there is an intentional out-of-body experience where the astral body or our consciousness can function separate from the physical body and travel throughout the astral plane.
00:17:11
Speaker
Astral work is often sensationalized, especially online. And a lot of fear gets wrapped up in the idea of astral projection. Stories about getting lost, being attacked, or not returning to the body tend to circulate without much context. And I don't know if you, I have been lately with topics that I don't really know a lot about. I've been like going down Reddit rabbit holes.
00:17:34
Speaker
And I was seeing so much of this where they're like, what if I can't get back to my body? And I'm like, this is like a real fear that people have. Something that I've never like thought about because this isn't something that I that i practice or have the want to practice. so I guess I've just never thought about it. But I was like down this rabbit hole of people talking about this. And i was like, well, now I'm never doing that. Just in case. Yeah.
00:17:58
Speaker
Astral magic does not require full projection. Many people engage with astral work through visualization, meditation, dream states, or symbolic journey without ever leaving conscious awareness.
00:18:10
Speaker
I think not understanding this is what can really make astral magic seem very intimidating, but just know that like there's layers to practicing astral magic.
Preparation and Ethics in Astral Work
00:18:21
Speaker
It's also important to emphasize consent and readiness. Just because astral work exists does not mean that it's something that everyone needs or should pursue. It's not a spiritual milestone or a measure of advancement.
00:18:36
Speaker
Many practitioners do believe that it is a key element within witchcraft, But as we always say, everyone's practice is going to look different and everyone is going to have specific things that they're drawn to. Like don't overwhelm yourself trying to master everything. And if astral magic is something that you don't resonate with, don't force it. Like I've said it like five times, I don't do this and I have no desire to. Like you don't have to do it to practice witchcraft. so Amen. Yeah.
00:19:06
Speaker
So looking at some foundations and preparation for astral work It's very important to ground your energy before and after any sort of astral workings to maintain balance and prevent disorientation. a lot of practitioners also use protective symbols, grounding crystals, et cetera, as an anchor when doing this kind of work.
00:19:25
Speaker
And it's important to really consider your energy hygiene before and after astral work and take care of that and make sure that you are taking care of yourself. Because if you energetically are not in the space to practice astral magic, then probably just take a break from it.
00:19:44
Speaker
There's also some mental health considerations that you should be aware of before you begin astral plane magic. Astral work often involves trance, disassociation, visualizations, and hypnagogic states. This can blur the line between imagination, symbolism, and lived reality when not approached correctly.
00:20:01
Speaker
And if these things are things that you haven't researched or looked at into like at all, again, I'm going to point you back to Beck Black's link in our show notes because they discuss the different types of trance work for what they refer to as an astral journey. And some of these techniques include meditation, breath work, and sensory deprivation as well. Oh, so like 11 from Stranger Things?
00:20:23
Speaker
Basically. Grounding, as we've mentioned already, will be really important here. You have to maintain strong grounding practices and making sure that you're eating, journaling, and moving your body to stay reconnected with the physical world and your physical body.
00:20:41
Speaker
And not everyone should practice astral work, and that's okay. If you have had struggles with disassociation, psychosis, severe anxiety, PTSD, or sleep disorders, this practice may be destabilizing rather than empowering for you. And if you have had bad sleep hygiene, you should also think again before engaging in astral play magic, because many astral workings disrupt normal sleep cycles, and chronic like sleep deprivation can worsen things like anxiety, depression, and mood regulation.
00:21:10
Speaker
And preparation is where a lot of people underestimate astral work. Like Sam said, grounding and energetic hygiene, are they're not really optional extras here. They're foundational Being mentally and emotionally stable, knowing how to return attention to the body, and recognize personal limits all matter more than the technique itself.
00:21:32
Speaker
Astral work can amplify what is already present, which is why self-awareness is so important here. It's also okay to decide that astral work is not appropriate for certain times in your life. Stress, burnout, and emotional overwhelm are valid reasons to put a pause on it or avoid this kind of practice altogether.
00:21:51
Speaker
Yeah. So looking at some forms of astral play magic and astral ritual construction, the first thing you'll need to do is cleanse your space and yourself before you begin. So you need to cleanse your environment and your own energy with whatever method feels right to you.
00:22:06
Speaker
Examples that practitioners often use for astral magic are ritual baths or showers, incense, or sounds from either bells or singing bowls. And i saw online that It's common to place a small bowl of water mixed with sea salt in the corner of your room. The water is to represent the connection to the spirit world while the salt is meant to absorb and protect from negative energy. And then again, as we've mentioned now, like thrice on this episode, having good sleep hygiene. So prepare for astral work.
00:22:36
Speaker
the night, or a few nights before by reducing your screen time, covering your mirrors, and keeping a consistent sleep schedule to make entering trance or dream work states easier. And then meditation, especially guided, is a suggested way to help you reach the deep trance-like state associated with connecting to your astral body. Many people reach this state through many different ways, but the bottom line here is to practice and be patient. A lot of practitioners report feeling sensations like falling or specific pressure on the body as signs that they've connected with their astral body. And during the journey, there are ritualizations that
00:23:14
Speaker
many practitioners use, like imagining their astral body sitting up, swinging their legs over the edge of a bed, etc. to help your awareness separate from the physical body. And it's also good to set an intention for when you're in the astral state, whether that be connecting with a spirit guide, seeking wisdom, exploration, whatever it is that you're wanting to so to accomplish during this astral state.
00:23:36
Speaker
And there are some suggested tools to use during astral plane magic. So obviously the bowl with water and salt, a pen and paper, and your bed or someplace comfortable to practice on. Crystals that can be used during astral plane magic are blue calcite, herkimer quartz, labradorite, clear quartz, rhodonite, opal, and sodalite.
00:23:59
Speaker
And then herbs that can be helpful are mugwort, blue lotus, passionflower, vervain, valerian root, and wormwood. Mugwort is number one on any workings in the dream world, in astral magic, like anything like that. It's like the – Mugwort is known even in like the herbalist war world to be like connected to like dreams and astral protection. so It's the goat. You heard it here. Yes. Yes.
00:24:26
Speaker
yeah Many astral practices focus on creating stable internal spaces, often referred to as astral temples or safe zones, and these act as points of return and containment, which is especially helpful for people who are more sensitive or imaginative.
00:24:44
Speaker
Astral work often overlaps with dream work. guided pathworking, and inner landscape exploration. In these cases, the value is not always in whether the experience was literally external, but in how it affects insight, healing, or clarity afterward.
00:25:01
Speaker
Astral magic is fantastic for things like setting intention, healing work, protection rituals, divination, enhancing spell work, and again, dream work or lucid dreaming. And this is also where discernment comes in. Astral symbolism can be powerful, but it does not always need to be taken at face value. Yeah, so what does the astral plane feel like? Beck Black has information on their website that highlight the experiences that are felt within the astral plane. And while experiences can vary, there are a lot of common experiences, and these are feeling weightless or detached from your physical body, encountering spirit guides, deities, or ancestors, experiencing colors, sounds, and shapes more vividly than in reality, hearing ethereal music or vibrations, Moving effortlessly, so this means like traveling instantly with just the intent of being somewhere else. And feeling an energetic pull or resistance, so having either a pull or a repelling sensation by certain places or beings, etc.
00:26:07
Speaker
The moving effortlessly, i was reading there was a whole thread on Reddit again where they were talking about how like someone had asked, how do you know the difference between a dream and between being in the astral plane? And someone was explaining how like, you know, when you're in a dream and you're fighting and you're trying to punch someone and you're like in your dream, you're just like trying so hard, but your arm's not moving. They were like, that's how you know it's not the astral plane. And I was like, oh, yeah.
00:26:35
Speaker
Thank God. yeah So I've never experienced that. Yeah. Good to know. With that.
00:26:46
Speaker
Most of these topics that we talk about, there's always concerns around like ethics, safety, and discernment. So ethics in astral work are just as important as ethics and physical world magic. Consent, boundaries, and respect still apply even in non-physical spaces.
00:27:02
Speaker
Another important piece is avoiding escapism. Astral work should support engagement with real life, not replace it. If a practice pulls someone away from responsibilities, relationships, or embodiment, that's a sign to put a pause on things. And then discernment means being able to hold experiences lightly. Not every vision is a message. Not every sensation is a sign.
00:27:27
Speaker
Staying grounded helps prevent spiritual inflation or unnecessary fear. And i I think this ties back to like making sure your mental health is So on point because with some of these things that we talk about, like whether it be astral play magic or mediumship or things like that, if you are not in the correct headspace and you're using it, I love that you put in there this information about escapism because that can be such a hindrance for some people because maybe they're...
00:27:58
Speaker
real life, their lived life is not, they're not where they want to be. They don't feel powerful. They don't feel strong. They don't feel supported, loved, whatever. and they're using these different things as a way, a means to escape, like that is not fucking healthy. So please, if you are interested in astral play magic because you're so unhappy with your physical life, go talk to somebody, go get a therapist. And yeah like, don't be like Dwight in that episode of The Office where he had like-
00:28:29
Speaker
What was that game? like i remember it used to be – they were making fun of an actual game. Do you remember what I about? was so unhappy in his physical life that like it was like a second life game or something like that.
00:28:42
Speaker
And he had second life for his second life. Yeah. He was so disassembled from reality. Don't be that person. Please. No. Therapy is great for everyone. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
00:28:54
Speaker
With this, as you guys have heard us say multiple times already this episode, we have zero personal experiences. So we cannot share. personal experiences or give you like lessons that we've learned. But there definitely were clear patterns that came up again and again in different articles, in research, in like the community discussions that I came across. So one of the most common challenges that people report is difficulty staying focused on
00:29:24
Speaker
which same is on everything in my life, right? A lot of people have that issue with meditation, yes in general. That's me. I'm like, meditate? I can't. What do you mean? But yeah, like the mind tends to wander. Imagery is going to shift or the experience can collapse as soon as awareness returns. Another common challenge is uncertainty.
00:29:50
Speaker
People often question whether what they experienced was real, if it was imagined, if it's symbolic. And that questioning is not a failure. It's actually pretty healthy. Like it's a healthy form of discernment. So, you know,
00:30:04
Speaker
Question away. Many practitioners also describe cycles in their astral work, so periods of curiosity and engagement, followed by long pauses. Astral skills tend to develop gradually, and stepping back is often just part of the process rather than a setback.
00:30:20
Speaker
Common sensations, as Sam has already mentioned, include... weightlessness, feeling detached from your physical form, encountering spirit guides and deities, experiencing things more vividly, moving effortlessly, and feeling like that energetic push or pull towards something or someone.
Experiences and Final Thoughts on Astral Magic
00:30:38
Speaker
There's also a chance that a person can spontaneously astral project without consciously attempting to. i saw this in one of the articles that I was reading about it, and then went down that Reddit rabbit hole. And apparently this happens more often than I thought would happen. That's kind scary. Right? So it's known as spontaneous astral projection or an out-of-body experience that's sometimes just written as OBE in forums like Reddit. So if you see OBE on a
00:31:10
Speaker
astral projection like reddit thread this is what they're talking about these are often described by the person as like finding themselves standing outside of their body or even like watching themselves from above and these types of experiences apparently are often pretty quick there's um an article on astral projection basics on wicca.com that mentions this as well and they say that the reason that this experience is so short-lived is because the person tends to like You know, you they look over and they see their themselves like they're like watching themselves and they go into a panic. And then it's like they're instantly pulled back into their physical bodies. So it's usually not something that lasts.
00:31:51
Speaker
Like, thank God. Could you imagine? like yeah that would know i So that's happened to me before. Now that I'm reading this and I'm like, oh my God, that's happened before when I was a kid. oh I have this distinct memory of my – and I was probably around four or five when this happened. I still remember this vividly. My dad – I had fallen asleep. My dad was carrying me upstairs and I was viewing myself like from the corner of like the ceiling watching my dad carrying me up the stairs And I'm just like what the fuck? like in
00:32:26
Speaker
You had an OBE. I did Yeah. Thankfully, think that was my only one. so Yeah. I mean, I don't think I've ever experienced it I mean, I feel like I would remember that, but I don't know. According to people on Reddit, this happens quite often.
00:32:41
Speaker
So it's also worth emphasizing here that not having astral experience does not make someone less intuitive, less powerful, or less legitimate as a practitioner. Astral work is one tool among many, and it's like we've said already, not a requirement. And just in some just in some closing thoughts here, astral magic is not about escape or superiority. It is an extension of inner work, imagination, and awareness. If this topic sparks curiosity, it can be helpful to ask, like, what is drawing that interest? Is it exploration? is it healing, understanding, or something else entirely?
00:33:21
Speaker
And you should move slowly, stay grounded, and respect personal limits. And this is always going to matter more than how far or how vividly someone can travel in the astral plane or the astral world.
00:33:34
Speaker
Yes. And if you have any experience with this, let us know. we would love to learn more about it. and yeah necessarily because we want to practice it ourselves. But I'm always curious to hear about other practitioners, what works for them, what they've tried, how they practice. So if you do have experience with astral plane magic... write in let us know because we yeah want to know about it.
00:33:56
Speaker
I'm always interested in people's like experiences. And like you said, like what works for them, what they enjoy doing, because I feel like with witchcraft, there's so many different paths and so many different ways. Like you could be on very similar paths and still have such a like vastly different practice. So I just, I find it interesting. Yeah.
00:34:17
Speaker
Yeah.
Conclusion and Listener Engagement
00:34:30
Speaker
That's a wrap on this episode of Get In Loser, We're Doing Witchcraft. We hope you had as much fun as we did. If you love this episode, we'd be eternally grateful if you left us a five-star review wherever you listen to your podcasts. It helps more witches, seekers, and magical misfits find our show.
00:34:46
Speaker
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00:35:06
Speaker
You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at getinwitches, or email us at we'redoingwitchcraft at gmail.com. Join us next week for part eight of our Magical Properties of Plants series.
00:35:18
Speaker
Until then, stay magical, stay curious, and as always, blessed be witches.