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, 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. Introduction to 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. Introduction to 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. OBE 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. 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.
