We generally talk about OBEs and astral projection as if something is leaving the body. As if the soul, or a part of it, is travelling through time and space. And this can feel absolutely real. The sensation that you are projecting, floating out of your body, can be a genuine, and real experience. But let's ask ourselves a deeper question: what does real actually mean?
Plato's Cave
Around 380 BCE, Plato wrote a metaphor about how we misunderstand reality. It is called "The Allegory of the Cave," and it describes a dark underground prison where prisoners are chained. They are bound in such a way that the only direction they can look is at the blank wall in front of them. Their vision is locked into a single, fixed perspective.
Behind the prisoners burns an open fire. Between the prisoners and the fire, people walk back and forth, carrying objects, casting shadows on the wall in front of the prisoners. The prisoners see nothing but these shadows. They don’t know anything else than these shadows, and believe these moving silhouettes are real. They believe these shadows represent the only true reality that exists.
From time to time, a prisoner escapes the cave. He ventures outside, sees the sun for the first time, and slowly comes to understand what existed before every shadow. He realizes that shadows never exist by themselves. In absolute awe, the freed prisoner returns to the cave, eager to free the others. But they mock him. They say he has been hallucinating. They reject him, refuse to take him seriously, and willingly remain imprisoned, safely chained to their paradigm.
The value of shadows
Many people believe that when we project or move beyond our physical reality, we can finally perceive behind the veil; as if we are finally stepping out of the cave. I wish it were true. But in reality, and in the vast majority of all OBEs and astral projections, we are still perceiving shadows. Different ones, yes. Useful and amazingly adventurous ones. Visions of past lives, feelings of freedom, experiences of "home," and all of that. But still, these are shadows.
In an expanded state of awareness, we are still seeing nothing but shadows. We are not perceiving that which comes before the shadows. We may think we have left the cave, but we have simply moved to a different cave, or we are perceiving a different angle of the same cave.
Let me be clear: I do not dismiss the value of various states of expanded awareness. We can learn so much about ourselves, our world, and our universe through them. I love to use them for my own growth and benefit, and for that of others. In fact, it was the sum total of my journeys and extraordinary experiences that eventually allowed me to realize what lies before the shadows.
The dream is real
The shadows on the wall are real for the prisoners, to the extent that shadows exist as real experiences. The same applies to us: everything we experience or perceive is real as an experience, but holds no reality in itself. As someone once said, "Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one."
I do not dismiss experiences as non-existent. On the contrary, I treasure them deeply. Our world, our reality, our existence is absolutely incredible and amazing. It is a true gift in various ways of the spectrum. But we have become so fixed and locked onto our perceptions that it is very difficult to invite ourselves to explore what lies before them. Most scientists take apart what they perceive, measuring smaller and smaller particles, yet they forget to ask the hard question: "How did this perception I am having come into being in the first place?"
Before the dream
Over the course of twenty years, I have had the opportunity to realize what lies before and after every perception. This realization has not been a philosophical or mental exercise, nor does it rely on borrowed information from others. It is based on self-lived, firsthand experiences. I am currently working on a book that explains in detail how I came to these insights and how to work with them, but for now, I will keep it short and sweet, and briefly describe the three pillars that exist before every perception.
The first and most obvious pillar is consciousness. The whole reason any experience can emerge is because of an observer. Because of consciousness itself.
The second pillar is the energetic blueprint; the forms that exist prior to, and independently of, the shadows on the wall. This blueprint exists for every experience we have and for any experience we could potentially perceive. It holds all experiences, perfectly and completely.
The third pillar is the program; the light that interacts with the energetic blueprint. The program dictates how a specific part of the blueprint must be decoded. It governs every possible perception one can have. Anything not present in the current program will not be perceived.
What we call "reality" is merely a manifestation of consciousness focusing on a specific location within the blueprint, which is then instantly translated into an actual experience by the human experience program.
This program contains two fundamental decoding aspects. First, it dictates the consensus reality – what you experience as "outside" of yourself, as well as the perception of a human body. This is why, when you jump, the same thing happens when I jump: we both go up and come back down in accordance with gravity. All laws of nature are part of the consensus program. Second, it dictates the individual reality; how I internally experience something. When you jump, it feels different from when I jump. The external event is shared; the internal meaning is unique.
Mastering the internal experience
Here lies one of the greatest powers readily available to us. Most people focus their energy on what they want to experience. Far fewer master how they internally experience life. Once you begin to master the individual part of the program, peace becomes the default setting, regardless of the external shadows appearing on the wall.
The door is always open
So where does this leave us? Still in the cave? Still dreaming? Yes. And no.
We are in the cave, we always were; from the moment duality started. The chains are our attachments and they have come over time. The projected dream is real, but it is still a dream, and not the full story.
The prisoner who has peeked outside does not destroy the cave, he simply stops mistaking the shadows for the world and smiles peacefully. I had my experiences outside the cave, and over the years, I have guided others to have similar experiences; not identical, but deeply recognizable. Experiences of formless Samadhi, timelessness, love in ecstasy, being all and nothing simultaneously, etc. Beautiful moments beyond the shadows, beyond the cave, and beyond the prisoner. Realizing the awareness in which the entire allegory unfolds with eternal perfection.
The moment you know this from direct experience, the cave becomes a playground. You can perceive the program, connect with consciousness, and enjoy the sensation of touching the energetic blueprint that exists in everything.
Life is a dream. But the dream is real. And you are ultimately the dreamer who is still awake. When you are curious to peek outside of the cave, just know that you don’t have to do this on your own, I am open to guide you to what is out there for you.