Jerry
Gross is a leader in the field of out-of-body explorations.
As a well known out-of-body teacher and practitioner,
he holds workshops on astral projection in the United
States and abroad. Jerry began having spontaneous
out-of-body experiences in early childhood. As he
grew older, he developed ways to court these experiences,
to invite them with greater frequency. So powerful
was their impact on his life that he founded
Search and Prove
[www.searchandprove.org],
an organization dedicated to bringing the out-of-body
experience to mass consciousness. Jerry has proven
conclusively, under scientifically controlled conditions
that he has been able to astral project himself
to a distant location, observe a situation, move
an object, and then return to his body with total
recall of these events. Jerry teaches that astral
projection is a beautiful, fulfilling, enlightening
experience that anyone can learn. He believes the
out-of-body experience allows all of us to leave
our cumbersome bodies and travel in the spirit world
... our true home. Jerry feels that the ability
to leave the body is "one of the gifts we are all
given at birth, but most of us have forgotten about."
The following are some articles that describe his
research in out-of-body experiences.
1. Astral Projection
The concept of astral
projection has been around for a long time, but
until today, it has been hidden from most of humanity.
Now, with the aid of astral projection, new levels
of knowledge and power enable us to discover the
answer to Man's eternal question about life in the
physical body. Death takes on a new meaning as we
begin to realize that it is only a transition to
another dimension, or place of existence. By learning
to astral project, we can learn many things about
ourselves, and unlearn many things that were previously
thought to be true. This leads us to the realization
that our physical bodies are only a part of our
entire selves, and there is more to our existence
than meets the eye!
In our limited awareness,
the reality we live and breathe on Earth, with its
beautiful landscapes, mountains, rivers, streams,
animals and insects, can be compared with the petals
on a flower. What we see is not the whole flower,
but only a part. This is because man has lost touch
with the use of his own mind. He concludes, erroneously,
that the physical world is the only reality there
is. He believes that his life as an individual has
only to do with the flesh body of himself, and concludes
that the physical world is solid and real because
his senses tell him it "feels" solid and real. The
mind has abilities that go beyond the five senses
of the physical world. The petal of the flower that
we now experience is the material world or physical
realm of existence. It has a specific vibration,
just as all creatures on this level vibrate at the
same rate. Because of this, regardless of where
we go on this level, all things take on the appearance
of being solid, material objects. Just as the colors
of the rainbow show the effects of the different
vibrations of light, and the melodies on the piano
show the effect of the different notes, so, too,
does the entire universe contain various octaves,
or rates of vibration. These universal harmonics
comprise the different levels of existence.
So the Earth realm we
live on is only one of many realms. There are other
spheres that we describe as being above or below
us. Actually, they are not really above or below
us, but rather at all times around us, permeating
all things. Astral projection allows us to discover
that the people and objects existing on these other
realms can be just as solid and real as any object
on the Earth terrain. And if we happened to be in
another level, looking back "down" into this region,
we would view an Earth that was not solid. Right
now, at every instant, we are living, coexisting
with, and walking through people and objects of
another dimension! When a person astral projects,
he or she can see these other frontiers.
When we were born into
this physical world, we were provided with a physical
body to carry out our duties. Astral projection
allows us to project "out of the body" and into
the next realm of existence, which is the astral
realm. When we do this, we are in another body,
which is called the "astral body." We already possess
this astral body, just as all other people, animals,
creatures and everything on Earth possess an astral
body.
The astral body has some
amazing properties. Unlike the physical body, which
is held down by gravity, the astral body can overcome
this limitation by the effort of thought alone.
While out of the body, we can not only walk around
as if in the physical, but also soar above the trees,
or go out into space. Another property of the astral
body is that it cannot be injured. One of the greatest
fears while on Earth is pain or injury. While out
of the body, this normal human reaction can be unlearned,
because there is absolutely nothing that will cause
damage to the astral body! In the next dimension,
fire, knives, guns, falling from great heights,
electrical shocks, disease, wild animals or being
run over by a steam roller can do no harm. Many
people receive lessons about this in their dreams.
Watch for them, because you'll discover that you
always survive - don't you?
2.
The Astral Realm
In this next level of
existence, which all of us can visit, there are
many familiar things, such as cars, trains, planes,
and highways. Everything that is on this Earth right
now comes from the astral realm. Many people get
this backwards. They think the astral dimension
was molded from Earth. The truth is, the Earth was
fashioned from the ideas and discoveries which originated
on the astral.
When we are out of the
body, communication is accomplished by thought.
Another word for this is telepathy. In other words,
it is not necessary to move our lips in order to
be heard, although we can do this if we wish. Sometimes,
when we hear what we think is just a thought, this
could actually be someone communicating to us from
the astral.
This next realm of existence
has been sought after, researched, and argued about
by philosophers and religious people from time immemorial.
Until now, it has remained elusive and has evaded
discovery to all but the most diligent. The individual
who looks within instead of without, who looks to
correct his own imperfections, and who treats others
as he wishes to be treated will have the door of
discovery swing wide open for him.
When we begin to explore
this, we must first overcome the obstacle of fear,
which will present itself in many forms. The fear
of death, pain, injury, the unknown, evil, devils,
hell and Satan may loom up before us. We must conquer
our own fears head on, and they will rapidly disappear.
We are mental creators,
and out of the ether of the next dimension, we can
create that which we wish around us. If we are convinced
a devil is out there to trick or deceive us, and
if we have already pictured in our minds what this
devil looks like and what he plans on doing, we
should really not be surprised when our worst fears
are confirmed. The devils we create become real
and solid in the next dimension because we created
them.
In the astral realm,
we can meet those we love, or that which we fear.
If we have no fear, we won't meet fear. It's as
simple as that. So we can save ourselves trouble
by putting nonsense like that out of our mind. Remember
there is nothing that can harm us while we are out
of our bodies. This teaching of fear has held people
in mental bondage long enough! Its exposure is sure
to cause a fury in those who have become trapped
in the habit of their own thinking. We must release
ourselves from the death grip of fear and set ourselves
free.
In the astral realm,
we can also visit our loved ones who have passed
on before us. We can then ask them face-to-face
how they like their new surroundings. We can see
schools and universities, and may even find ourselves
in a classroom, listening to a lecture.
This is also where we
can discover the history of the world, and the history
of our lives. The "Hall of Records" contains our
present lives as well as our past. In it, are recorded
our accomplishments and our failures. We can meet
our spiritual teachers - which the churches have
termed our "guardian angels" - and we can ask them
for advice and guidance on our problems.
The astral realm is a
vast dimension of existence, and contains life in
abundance. It does not operate by the very same
laws of the Earth realm, and so many things that
are quite impossible on Earth, are quite commonplace
in the astral. Mind over matter is common. Colors
are more beautiful, and we may experience endless
fascination with new and exciting things that there
are to see and discover.
For many centuries, the
teachings of certain churches have been that some
things are mysteries and are not to be questioned.
Eve eating from the tree of knowledge and the subsequent
expulsion from the Garden of Eden was sighted as
proof. This erroneous interpretation was made by
those who were ignorant, or by those who wanted
to keep the masses of people in subjugation. Man's
redemption in the final analysis will come from
his knowledge of himself and his love of his neighbor,
not from his ignorance.
The astral realm contains
many things that are not on Earth at this time.
Some of them may appear in the future on Earth,
and some are from the Earth's past. Many different
types of animals that have become extinct on Earth
exist in the astral. Remember, there is no death.
Astral projection enables
us to use the part of our mind that has been dormant
or sleeping. We can wake up this part and put it
to work. It is called the subconscious, and it can
be used to give us the knowledge we need to find
out more about ourselves, our purpose on Earth,
and our relationship with God. Most people think
of their mind as only that portion they recognize
as their conscious mind, or waking mind. It has
been said that the mind is ten percent conscious,
and ninety percent subconscious. We can learn to
expand this ten percent.
Everyone goes to the
astral realm at night while they are asleep. Think
of this! Astral projection takes place without
a person even being aware of it! As strange
and hard to believe as this sounds, it is true.
To begin exploring astral projection, pay attention
to your dreams each night. Eventually, you will
come to the realization that you were in the astral
realm, but did not realize it.
When we take the first
step, of allowing for the possibility of multiple
realms and astral projection as realities, we can
then focus on ways to understand, explore, and actually
experience these things. In doing so, we can open
the door to an amazing and expansive existence that
was heretofore beyond our wildest imagination!
3.
Questions and Answers
When noted out-of-body
teacher and practitioner Jerry Gross wants to travel
long distances, he doesn't bother with the time
and expense of catching a plane. He just uses a
different kind of plane, and travels there astrally.
Unless, of course, he is teaching one of his many
classes and workshops on astral projection, also
known as OOBE or out-of-body experience.
According to Gross, the
ability to leave the body has been with him since
childhood. Yet, rather than regarding this as a
special gift, he believes that this is an inherent
ability that can be developed by anyone. In the
following article, Gross discusses the out-of-body
experience with freelance writer and former workshop
participant Sandy Jones.
Jones:
"What is astral projection? How would you
describe it?"
Gross:
"Astral projection is the ability to leave
your body. Everyone leaves their body at
night, but before they do leave, they have
to put the physical mind to sleep. Most
people don't remember this, but when the
physical mind is asleep, the subconscious
takes over, and this is usually when you
do your astral projection. In other words,
everybody does it, but they just don't remember
doing it."
Jones:
"What is your earliest recollection of doing
this? What was it like?"
Gross:
"I can remember doing this clear back to
when I was about four years old. I never
lost the ability to astral project, and
kept it throughout my whole life now. Everyone
is born with this ability. If you think
back, you can probably recall having dreams
of being somewhere: but as you got older,
you lost the ability. What I'm trying to
teach is that you can do this at will."
Jones:
"In those days, astral projection was almost
unheard of. Did you ever tell anyone about
it? How did they react?"
Gross:
"It was strange for me because at that age,
I thought everybody did it. I used to talk
about it, until it kind of got out of hand,
and when I started getting into trouble
with it, I went to my Grandmother, who could
do it too. She told me not everyone could
do it, so it would be best not to talk about
it, and to come to her if I wanted to talk
about it. So throughout all my life, most
of my experiences with astral projection
were kept a secret, except for her."
Jones:
"These days, with the many publications
on near-death experience and related topics,
the concept is not so unusual. Is this experience
the same as what is described in the near-death
experiences?"
Gross:
"It's not quite the same, because when you
astral project, you don't have to go through
the white light, or a tunnel. When you project,
you usually go right where you would like
to go, right away. Remember this, when you're
out of the body, there is no time or no
distance. Everything is right here, now.
Astral projecting is a little different
than the death experience, because in the
death experience, you are getting ready
to leave the body for the last time. During
the death experience, a person sees the
white light and there is usually someone
there that you know waiting for you. When
you astral project, you decide where you
want to go."
Jones:
"When you leave your body, what happens
to the physical body?"
Gross:
"When your physical body sleeps and the
astral body leaves, the physical body just
rests. No harm can come to you through this."
Jones:
"What do you do when you leave the body?"
Gross:
"I go to the astral realm and communicate
with my teachers, I visit other places and
other dimensions, and I visit my loved ones
who have left the Earth realm. There are
many things you can do once you develop
this skill."
Jones:
"It has been said that there is a silver
cord attached to the body, and that this
cord could be severed when you astrally
project, thereby making it impossible to
come back to your body. Is there a danger
of this happening?"
Gross:
"Absolutely not. The silver cord is connected
to you when you enter the physical body
for the first time, and it is not cut again
until you leave for the last time. If this
were possible, that you couldn't get back
to the body, it would happen to you at night
when you do leave the body. There is no
danger in this; it is a gift given to us
to learn how to use."
Jones:
"Are there any dangers people should be
aware of?"
Gross:
"When you do this consciously, there is
no danger in it. One thing I'll say, you
must develop your thinking skills and know
what you want and where you want to go.
The only dangerous part of it is if you
practice it while you are taking in drugs
or alcohol. Remember back in the sixties
when people were taking the drug called
LSD, and they had some bad trips? They ended
up in the lower astral. I'm trying to teach
that you can have full control of what you
are doing. I would suggest if you like to
drink or take drugs that you not try it."
Jones:
"What else can you do when you leave the
body?"
Gross:
"That is entirely up to you. You must know
where you are going. You cannot just leave
your body and have no destination because
you'll bounce around like a rubber ball.
Remember, you are controlling yourself with
your thoughts, so if you think of California,
you'll be there. One of the most important
things I like to teach people in my workshops
is how to use their minds to astral project.
The best thing I can say is to learn to
control yourself so you'll go where you
wanted to go. When you first start out this
might happen for awhile, but after you get
full control of it, you'll realize someone
else is watching you, a teacher or guide.
They'll contact you then and let you know
it's time for you go on and learn."
Jones:
"How would the average person know if this
is for real? Is there a way to prove it,
and have you ever been asked to prove it?"
Gross:
"In my workshops, I teach you to astral
project by having you sit in a chair and
go out and turn around and look at yourself.
If you are lying in bed, you can rise up,
turn around and look at yourself lying on
the bed. You'll have proof enough when you
are able to look at your physical body,
from outside of it. I've been asked to prove
this many times, in radio shows, and at
the Whole Life Expo at the Los Angeles Convention
Center where I traveled astrally from St.
Paul, Minnesota to Los Angeles and moved
a box they had set up on the stage for me.
Once you learn how to do this you'll have
proved this to yourself, and that's why
I call my little group, Search and Prove.
I want you to prove this to yourself for
that's the ultimate proof. Don't take my
word for it, prove it to yourself."
Jones:
"Are certain kinds of people more inclined
to develop this ability than others?"
Gross:
"I would say some learn faster than others.
I had one lady who took two years before
she finally succeeded. The most important
thing is to keep a positive mind and know
you can do this, because as soon as doubt
comes into your mind, you won't be able
to do it. The negative is taking over then.
So it's important to keep an open, positive
mind that you can do this. It might take
a little time, but it will happen. I like
to think about people going on a diet. They
get real enthused about it at first, when
they've lost a couple of pounds. All of
a sudden it gets hard to lose, and they
give up. It's the same way with astral projection.
If things don't happen right away, some
people give up."
Jones:
"Does daily lifestyle make a difference
in being able to project?"
Gross:
"No. If you have a normal lifestyle, you
shouldn't have any problem."
Jones:
"If people have the inherent ability to
do this, why is it that so few can actually
do it?"
Gross:
"As I said earlier, they lost it when they
were young. They must learn how to bring
the ability back again, because everyone
can do this. We all do it when the physical
is asleep. So you must learn to do it while
you are sitting in a chair, awake, or lying
on a bed. You must learn to allow the subconscious
to take over, and not let the physical mind
control you."
Jones:
"Some people have dreams of flying. Were
they actually out of their bodies? How can
you tell the difference between dreaming
and actually being out of the body?"
Gross:
"Usually when people dream of flying they
are out of the body because this is the
way you get around. If you ever wake up
in the middle of the night, or early in
the morning with a jolt, this is the astral
body returning to the physical. Usually
your dreams are in the beginning of your
sleep cycle at night, and those dreams are
nothing more than an accumulation of your
thoughts during the day. If you wake up
in the morning and remember your dream real
well, it is usually an astral body experience;
so keep track of these clear dreams for
they are lessons for you. It might not make
much sense at first, but later on down the
road, it will all come together for you."
Jones:
"If you could give one piece of advice to
people who are astral projecting, what would
it be?"
Gross:
"The main thing is to start remembering
your dreams and have a pencil and paper
next to your bed, or a tape recorder. Another
piece of advice I'll give you is, right
before you go to sleep at night, say to
yourself three times, "I will remember,
I will remember, I will remember." From
that point on, within about two to three
weeks, you are going to start remembering
everything that happens to you while the
physical is sleeping. Actually, the best
piece of advice I could give is to come
to a workshop, because we really do have
a lot of people who have good experiences
at them. The workshop is the best way I
know to teach anyone to do this because
I am able to spend a lot of time with the
participants. We practice different techniques
from 9:00 in the morning until sometimes
11:00 at night. By the end, they have good
experiences, and I find this with all my
workshops." |
4. An Example of
an Out-of-Body Experience
One of the
most moving experiences I had while out of the body
involved a teenager who drowned. About six months
later his mother called me and asked me to come
over and talk to her. When I arrived she wanted
me to find out whether her child was in heaven or
where he was. She showed me his room and I went
there to see all of his clothes, his drivers license,
his billfold and everything else he owned, all laid
out. There was a big picture of him with a candle
burning on a table below it.
I said to
her, "Well, you don't have to worry about where
he went because he's here."
So I went
out of the body and communicated with him to get
his feelings. He was so depressed that he went swimming
that day and drowned, and caused such sorrow for
his mother. He just couldn't leave her and took
it upon himself to feel all the guilt and blame
for what happened. He was very sad because of what
he was putting his mother through. So I told him
I'd talk to his mother and let her know what to
do. Maybe I could make her understand that he was
fine and wanted to move on.
He said
to me, "I sure would appreciate it."
I said to
him, "You have nothing to feel guilty about because
those days you were in the body that was given to
you. But it was time for you to leave."
The reason
he only lived to seventeen years was because he
took his life in the life before and had to come
back and finish those years that were cut off from
a previous life so he could continue on his way.
A day or
two later I returned to the mother's house to visit
with her again. I explained to her what her son
had told me. She cried and cried and asked me what
to do. I told her to get rid of all his things from
that room because this wouldn't do her any good.
She could keep a few things but to just give away
all the other things in that room. Another thing
I told her was that instead of feeling sorry for
herself because he was gone she should be feeling
joyfulness within herself. I said he was on his
way to a better life and that she had performed
her duty to him by allowing him a physical body
to be in, in this physical world. So I told her
that when she thinks of him to just think of love
and that this would bring her peace. That way she'd
find out just how much more peaceful her life on
Earth would be.
A few years
later I accidentally met this woman again and she
said things were just going wonderful for her. She
had cleaned out the room and when she did this immediately
a certain peace came over the whole house. She felt
such love and the guilty feelings all left her.
"Once in awhile," she
said, "I get a glimpse of him and know he comes
down to Earth to see how I am. I also know this,
when it is my time to leave this Earth he'll be
waiting for me to help me over to the next realm
of existence."
There are many such stories
such as this but somehow people are hesitant to
talk about them. But these things happen to many
people so the best thing to do when a loved one
must leave is to grieve for a moment and then wish
them well as they go on their way.
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