IN REFLECTING ON THE USE OF THE WORDS "ASTRAL PLANE" IT'S IMPORTANT TO BE CLEAR WHAT USE OF THE WORD "PLANE" MEANS. It is easy to consider that a "plane" might be some layer around the earth in much the same way we see strata in layers of the earth when travelling through something like the Grand Canyon in the United States. Or we might consider it similar to diagrams of the earth's structure where we see in cutaway diagrams the earth with its inner and outer cores, the mantle, the crust, the atmosphere with its layers, the surrounding magnetic field, the Van Allen belts, and so on. It could be argued that we could observe different states of density of subtle bodies that would cause them to gravitate to different altitudes -- just as we have different states of physical matter such as solid, liquid, gas, plasma, etc. That may very well be. We might consider that there exist denser and less dense strata in the subtle world that are centered around the earth. But more important is the idea that subtle matter is another state of matter, or gradation of matter, and that it is all-pervasive throughout cosmos rather than just around the earth. In that sense then it would be a continuous state that does not end at the limit the earth's physical atmosphere.

I recently dealt with something in my personal life that was extremely difficult.  Honestly, it was the most difficult thing I’ve had to deal with in my life so far.

During this last year as I was dealing with it, I was not sleeping very well, or very much, and was dreaming even less.  The few times I did dream, the scenery therein was typically very dark (night time setting) and the person who was playing the major role in my stress/drama was always there in my dream to wake me up. 

That ordeal ended a month ago and I’ve noticed a very sharp increase in the vividness and quantity of dreams I’m having.  Not to mention that I’ve been sleeping wonderfully (a full, uninterrupted 8 hours last night!).

It seems like a no-brainer to say that stress affects sleep, but I had no idea the tremendous influence it can have over one’s dream life, too.  I didn’t directly link my lack of dream life to my stress.  I thought it was just part of a regular cycle one might go through in life.  My dream life has certainly been very active at sometimes and waned at others.  I never correlated it to anything that was happening in my life, but now it is undeniable.

When considering the state and quality of my life, it only makes sense now to consider my dream life as well.  It is about 33% of my life, after all.  As my waking life steadily improves, I fully expect my dream life will as well.

WELCOME TO ALL NEW VISITORS AND USERS OF THE SUBTLEREALM WEBSITE! Edgar, Michael and I intend this site to serve all those who are exploring ideas about extending consciousness beyond the confines of the human body. We expect the site to grow and evolve over time as the needs of seekers explorers and experimenters become better defined through dialog exchange and mutual support. We will be engaging peoples' participation in various ways:

1. No book, article, research paper or movie will be suggested without one of us first having read and written a review of it; see the Reviews page. Each of these resources will also be listed on the References page.

2. Since many sources either come from cultures and disciplines long pre-existing our own and since the terminology does not in many cases have equivalents in the English language we will be engaged in evolving a vocabulary; this can be found on the Glossary page. As in any discipline or science creating a terminology where each word has a specific meaning and usage will facilitate the clarity of our conversations with one another. This will help us deepen our understanding of each other and the topics we seek to explore.

3. A forum will facilitate discussion of various topics ideas and experiences. You can find this on the Forums page. Although you can read ongoing discussions there you will need to sign up for and be accepted as a participant before being able to submit questions comments and experiences. Be sure to read and signal your adherence to the Acceptable Use policy in order to submit your request for admittance. 

We look forward to meeting with others as we continue on this most interesting journey of discovery!

The first time I read Willam Buhlman's book, Adventures Beyond the Body: How to Experience Out-of-Body Travel, this "subtle realm" stuff was all absolutely new to me and I thought it was all theoretical or speculative.  I mean, he talks about being fully conscious and aware of being out of his physical body, of flying into space and changing forms, of seeing deceased relatives and having full conversations with them and with spirit guides.  

Since that reading, I have done several of the practices outlined in that book and have had 2 or 3 experiences of my own (related here and here).  

I am now re-reading this book and and it is helping me describe some of the things I've seen and experiences I've had.  It has a much more practical feel and is giving me even more ideas and inspiration.  It really can be done.  I have just barely scratched the surface of out of body exploration, but I know it's possible and am eager and ready to continue my explorations.  I have already begun putting the practices into place in my daily life, so I hope to have more to report soon.  A whole world of exploration awaits!