What are Catholic views on Astral Projection and Lucid Dreaming?

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Hi i am new to this forum and an active catholic, but i am interested in astral projection and lucid dreaming. I have had several lucid dreams and I know the act of becoming aware in a lucid dream is not a sin but i wanted to hear some of your views on the topic of lucid dreaming. My next interest is in astral projection which i have been attempting to accomplish for a month now and am getting very close to leaving my body and entering the astral plane. I would also like to hear your opinions on this topic of astral projection and how it might be considered dangerous by the catholic religion. Thank you in advance for anyone who chooses to reply to this post.
 
WITCHCRAFT!!!

It Is a practice of witchcraft and should be avoided at all cost. Any spiritual form is left to GOD and JESUS his son. This is the act of rebellion, the act of sorcery in basic form that as the old testament clearly defined as the…

**1 Samuel 15:23-28

King James Version (KJV)**

23* For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

24 And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.

25 Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the Lord.

26 And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord hath rejected thee from being king over Israel.*

**Deuteronomy 18:9-12 ESV / **

“When you come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord. And because of these abominations the Lord your God is driving them out before you.

**Exodus 22:18 ESV / 76 **

“*You shall not permit a sorceress to live. *

**Leviticus 20:27

English Standard Version (ESV**)

27 “A man or a woman who is a medium or a necromancer shall surely be put to death. They shall be stoned with stones; their blood shall be upon them.”

Avoid those practices like a plague. As we are warned how grievous witchcraft is. If there is anything you need and feel unfilled in your life, by all means in the name of JESUS the son of GOD; pray to the heavenly father for it. If he who created the earth and filled it with life and the living waters; how much more do you think he can fill your life with. Lean not on your own understanding child, but on the grace, strength and love of him and JESUS his son.

Praise be to GOD the heavenly father and his son lord JESUS CHRIST forever>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
 
That ^^^ there is the typical response you will get here and generally from all Catholics.
 
Hi desertwolf181,

I cant say much about lucid dreams but I have heard stories of people leaving their bodies some time back when I was in school. I never really thought about it at the time.

My opinion is that it is not a safe thing to attempt. Maybe what you experienced was actually a dream? Our imaginations are vastly powerful. I know that if I am exremely anxious about some work, a similar scenario appears in my dreams sometimes. Could it be that by lucid dreaming, you are creating that experience of projection?

But, why exactly would you want to leave your body? I ask this because it isnt really our natural state to be separated from our bodies. God created us with our bodies and they are unique to us. When we die our souls leave our bodies but at the final resurrection our souls are again united to their respective bodies. If the body and soul(I’m assuming here that astral projection involves the soul leaving the body) were always meant to be one why separate them?

I believe that the Catholic view is that the body(physical) and a soul(spiritual) are one. Astral projection sounds like something wholly in the spirit domain and thus not Catholic.
 
I agree with silver2soul about astral projection. I don’t think, though, that there’s anything inherently wrong with lucid dreaming.
 
You may find some good information at this LINK which addresses many “New Age” ideas from perspective of the Vatican.

I found this very helpful in understanding the Catholic perspective, and it addressed some things that I had not previously considered.

Personally, I would stay away from it. I have had friends in the past experiment with it, and they became very troubled people.

“Seek you first the Kingdom of God…” 🙂
 
I would recommend that you contact your parish priest and ask if you could talk to him. In the time between now and meeting with the priest, I would recommend:
  1. Having a good think about what you are doing, why and what you hope to achieve?
  2. How you think the above fits in with what you know about the Catholic faith.
  3. Think about the reactions on the forum.
  4. Pray to God for help and direction, a mind, heart, ears and eyes open to His truth.
    Please read the above with the gentle caring tone that is intended
When you meet with the priest, please remember, he isn’t judging you, he is only seeing a lost lamb who needs to be reunited with the flock. If at the end of the meeting you are not fully convinced, ask if you can meet the priest again in a few days, so that you can think about it and receive further spiritual guidance (if needed) or the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

I know that being told that something is wrong or against Church teachings isn’t easy to take. Heaven knows, after I discovered that I was doing something wrong, it took a few months before it seeped fully into my heart and mind, so that I genuinely accepted the fact that I was sinning. Then and only then, could I repent and move on.

I can’t speak for anyone else on the Forum, but I know that I make many mistakes and am (in the words of Pope Francis) a sinner. So chin up, take courage and speak to the priest.

In the meanwhile, I will pray for you.
 
I personally have yet to heart of an actual case of astral projection outside of near death experiences. With that, and by typical definition of what astral projection entails (separation of soul from body) along with theology on the nature of body and soul, I would say that I believe areal projection is impossible and the only way to separate body and soul is by death. That being said, if astral projection is possible, it should be avoided because real astral projection as it is defined would entail bodily death, because that is what happens when the soul is separated from the body. And if there was a way to do this outside of dying, it would involve witchcraft, which is condemned by the Church. And for your body to remain alive without your soul, that would require another spirit to be inhabiting your body, which is also bad.

I am also skeptical of lucid dreaming, having had a few of them myself, unintentionally. I feel that in a dream state your mind can make all kinds of things happen, and even trick you into believing you are controlling your dreams when you may just very well be subject to your subconscious. That being said, if lucid dreaming is real, then you are accountable for the sins you commit in the dream. However, if lucid dreams are not real, and it is really just part of your mind playing out the dream, then you are not accountable for the sins you commit in your dreams.

In summary:

Astral projection, to be avoided completely.

Lucid dreaming, not sinful in itself, but if it is real, then you will be held accountable for the sins you commit in the dream.
 
Avila123 said:
I would recommend that you contact your parish priest and ask if you could talk to him. In the time between now and meeting with the priest, I would recommend:
  1. Having a good think about what you are doing, why and what you hope to achieve?
  2. How you think the above fits in with what you know about the Catholic faith.
  3. Think about the reactions on the forum.
  4. Pray to God for help and direction, a mind, heart, ears and eyes open to His truth.
    Please read the above with the gentle caring tone that is intended
When you meet with the priest, please remember, he isn’t judging you, he is only seeing a lost lamb who needs to be reunited with the flock. If at the end of the meeting you are not fully convinced, ask if you can meet the priest again in a few days, so that you can think about it and receive further spiritual guidance (if needed) or the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

I know that being told that something is wrong or against Church teachings isn’t easy to take. Heaven knows, after I discovered that I was doing something wrong, it took a few months before it seeped fully into my heart and mind, so that I genuinely accepted the fact that I was sinning. Then and only then, could I repent and move on.

I can’t speak for anyone else on the Forum, but I know that I make many mistakes and am (in the words of Pope Francis) a sinner. So chin up, take courage and speak to the priest.

In the meanwhile, I will pray for you.
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That is a very good post. 👍

Thank you.
 
Lucid dreaming is simply the ability to recognize that you are in a dream while you are in the dream. I’ve done it twice in my life, and I’ve read a lot of stuff saying you can train yourself to. I don’t think there’s anything witch-crafty about it, it simply a natural phenomena.

Astral projection, on the other hand, is definitely dabbling into the occult, and should be avoided.
 
Welcome to CAF. I have to admit to being amused that the first word in the first reply to your first post was a real big “WITCHCRAFT,” but even so, attempting to mess around in the occult really is a bad idea.
  1. Astral Projection is probably fake or psychological confusion most of the time, and the “astral plane” isn’t a real thing. Remember that there are only 3 types of spiritual entities: God, angels, and demons, and the angels always work within God’s will. If you attempt astral projection, and think you succeed, there are 3 possibilities of what happened:
a) You’re wrong, and just put your mind in a really weird state.
b) You’re right, and it was helped by God, since we can’t do it ourselves.
c) You’re right, and it was demons.

I think a) is most likely. b) could theoretically happen, but given the prohibitions on attempting magic, this is unlikely to occur as a result of you trying to do anything (That would be God contradicting Himself). If you desire true mystical experiences, better to simply pray and see what God gives you (which may be no mystical experiences, and we must be ok with that).

That only leaves option c), and that is obviously bad.

I strongly suggest you stay away from astral projection and all similar new-agey things.
  1. Lucid dreams are just dreams where you are aware that you are dreaming, and in which you can do cool stuff because you can manipulate your dream world. I’ve pulled it off once or twice (usually about the time I explicitly realize I’m dreaming I wake up), and it seems cool. Lucid dreaming is morally neutral, in itself.
 
desertwolf181 said:
Hi i am new to this forum and an active catholic, but i am interested in astral projection and lucid dreaming. I have had several lucid dreams and I know the act of becoming aware in a lucid dream is not a sin but i wanted to hear some of your views on the topic of lucid dreaming. My next interest is in astral projection which i have been attempting to accomplish for a month now and am getting very close to leaving my body and entering the astral plane. I would also like to hear your opinions on this topic of astral projection and how it might be considered dangerous by the catholic religion. Thank you in advance for anyone who chooses to reply to this post.
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Nonesense, all condemned by the Church as Sorcery - no matter what George Noory says. Some of his stuff is fun but not when he gets into the Sorcery. That’s when I tune out.

Linus2nd
 
Linusthe2nd said:
Nonesense, all condemned by the Church as Sorcery - no matter what George Noory says. Some of his stuff is fun but not when he gets into the Sorcery. That’s when I tune out.

Linus2nd
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Astral Projection is, true; but lucid dreaming just means that you realize you’re in a dream. What’s wrong with that?
 
There are so many worthwhile things one can do with one’s time, why would someone want to spend time on such nebulous pursuits, esp. the astral projection, which is merely an illusion. Dabbling in occult practices is strictly forbidden by the Lord, not just the Catholic Church. Their teaching comes from the Bible.

How about spending this precious time in prayer, getting to know Jesus, and interceding for others? Or Bible study. Or volunteering in some way to help the poor, the sick, etc. Or reading spiritual material which will help you grow closer to God–all of which is far more rewarding and enlightening.
 
I think these New Age concern resources would give you pretty good insight as to what you are asking about and the potential pitfalls you are exposing yourself to.

Oprah: Televangelist Of The New Age Deception. A less expensive immediately-available version can be found in MP3 format here.


by Randy England.The Unicorn in the Sanctuary: The Impact of the New Age on the Catholic Church

by Fr. Mitch Pacwa S.J.Catholics and the New Age

And Sharon Lee Giganti has a list of helpful Catholic Magisterial documents at her website here.

You (or any other person dabbling in this) will NOT be able to “outsmart” these spirits that will present themselves as “good” things, “good guides”, “‘good’ interior aspects from ‘the real you’”, “good dreams” etc.

You also inadvertently give these spirits (even if they don’t call themselves “spirits”) access to your children and those around you putting them at risk too.

They ALWAYS lead people astray. Special grace is needed to overcome this once involved.

Relatively easy to stay out of trouble. Extremely difficult to “get out of trouble”. Their goal is harm of you and those around you (no matter how “benevolent” they will try to pass themselves off as).

I would avoid that type of stuff like “the plague”.
 
Luz_Maria said:
Amen to the two answers!
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You can ad my big AMEN! to those answers as well. To say this is a dangerous attempt is an understatement. Really playing with FIRE and setting things up for real diabolical problems.
 
Talk to a priest. In all honesty, you could be endangering your soul by these activities.
 
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