Astral Projection, the Silver Cord and the Body of Light

Astral projection is the experience of consciousness seeming to travel outside the physical body. People describe floating above their bed, looking down at themselves, moving through walls or visiting faraway places, all while the body rests. Mystical traditions say you travel in a subtle body of light, often called the astral body, which remains connected to your physical body by a shimmering silver cord. This cord is said to keep you safely tethered, so you always return.

We first introduced the topic in An Introduction to Astral Projection. This teaching goes deeper into the body of light, the silver cord and the layers of the aura that astral travelers pass through.

The body of light

Nearly every culture has described a second body that can leave the physical one:

• The ancient Egyptians spoke of the ka and ba, aspects of the soul that could travel.
• In Hindu and yogic teaching, the sukshma sharira, or subtle body, carries the mind and senses beyond the physical form.
• Tibetan Buddhism speaks of the dream body and the bardo body.
• Western esoteric teachers in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries called it the astral body, made of a finer substance than flesh.

People who experience projection often describe this body as lighter than air, made of light, able to move by intention alone.

The silver cord

The idea of a silver cord comes partly from a line in the Bible, Ecclesiastes 12:6: "Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken." Over time, mystics linked this line to the thread connecting the soul to the body.

Astral travelers since the early twentieth century, including Sylvan Muldoon in his 1929 book The Projection of the Astral Body, described seeing a luminous, elastic cord stretching from the projected body back to the sleeping one, often attached at the navel, the solar plexus or the back of the head. It is said to stretch endlessly and to pull you back gently whenever the body needs you.

Many experienced travelers also report never seeing a cord at all. That is fine. The teaching is a comfort: you are always connected. You always come home.

The layers of the aura

Energy teachers often describe the aura as several layers, each a little finer than the one before. One widely used model, popularized by healer Barbara Brennan in the 1980s, names seven:

1. Etheric: closest to the body, the energetic template of the physical form.
2. Emotional: clouds of color carrying feelings.
3. Mental: thoughts and ideas, often seen as yellow light.
4. Astral: the bridge between the physical and spiritual layers, linked with love and relationships. This is the layer that gives astral projection its name.
5. Etheric template: a higher blueprint of the body.
6. Celestial: spiritual love and ecstatic connection.
7. Ketheric: the outer golden shell holding the whole field and the soul's higher mind.

In this model, astral travel happens as consciousness shifts from the physical into the fourth layer and beyond.

How people describe the process

Researcher Robert Monroe, whose 1971 book Journeys Out of the Body brought the subject to a wide audience, described common stages:

1. Deep relaxation, with the body asleep and the mind awake.
2. The vibrational state, a buzzing or humming through the whole body, sometimes with a rushing sound.
3. Separation, often by floating, rolling out, or sitting up in the light body.
4. Exploration, moving by intention, near the body at first.
5. Return, often sudden, sometimes with a gentle "snap" back into the body.

Gentle techniques to begin

1. Relax deeply. Lie on your back. Breathe slowly and relax each part of your body from feet to head.
2. Mind awake, body asleep. Keep a thread of awareness as the body drifts. Early morning, after a few hours of sleep, is often easiest.
3. The rope technique. Taught by author Robert Bruce: imagine an invisible rope hanging above you and imagine reaching up and climbing it hand over hand, feeling the motion without moving your physical arms.
4. Roll out. When you feel the vibrations, imagine rolling gently sideways out of your body, as if rolling over in bed.
5. Set a loving intention. Before you begin, say: "I travel only in love and light, and I return safely to my body."

Safety and grounding

Most people find these experiences fascinating rather than frightening. If fear arises, simply think of your physical body, wiggle a finger or toe, and you will return. After any practice, ground yourself with water, food and a few minutes outside. If out-of-body sensations happen when you do not want them, come with distress, or follow trauma, please rest from the practice and talk with a trusted practitioner.

For the dreaming side of this skill, read Lucid Dreaming, and to care for the layers of your field each day, see Aura Care Basics.

Read next

Companion readings chosen for this same theme.

An Introduction to Astral ProjectionLucid Dreaming: How to Wake Up Inside Your DreamsAura Care Basics for Sensitive Everyday Life

With love and light,
Infused Lights