Astral travel gurus say the out of body experience of astral projection is when the consciousness acts independently from the physical body. It might sound like the babbling of a stoner, but for the true believers astral projection is the key element of an ancient and mystical experience.

It does seem farfetched, but wouldn’t it be a fantastic way to take free holidays to the bottom of the ocean, the peak of Mount Everest or even outer space. People who believe in astral travel claim it can do all of this and more by teaching you how to free your mind from the big fleshy anchor that is your body. Basically, it’s a technique that allows you to meditate yourself out of your irritating carcass, most likely through the nostrils, and go flying around the globe and beyond.

There’s plenty of evidence that out of body experiences do happen, but the idea of astral travel to worldly destinations is relatively new. For centuries, astral projections have almost always carried a religious or spiritual component. The idea of an astral body (your soul) is common to most early faiths. From the Jews to Christians to Indigenous cultures in Australia and America, they’re all known to have various incarnations of astral projections; sometimes helped by practices such as licking toads or eating special mushrooms.

there are unconfirmed reports that the Dalai Lama often pops out for an astral pizza

The famous poet Dante believed the popular destinations of heaven and hell both existed on an astral plane. Intellectual drug taker and ’60s counterculture icon Timothy Leary championed the cause too and today there are unconfirmed reports that the Dalai Lama often pops out for an astral pizza. The concept’s been around for ages, but can it really be used for recreational purposes?

There are people out there who claim that “with visualisation and concentration an astral traveller should be able to visit anywhere in the world.” Of course, to learn more you have to attend a course these same people offer, which cost hundreds of dollars.

Call us skeptical, but maybe the smarter option is still putting that cash toward a good old fashioned in-body experience and going on a regular holiday.