Have you ever woken up and felt paralysed? Or woken up suddenly to loud noises, bangs, bells, voices? Or felt your body sizzling and fizzing with energy? If so, you were probably either just about to leave your body or you had just re-entered. It can be frightening if you don't understand what is happening. The paralysis is due to the fact that it is your mind that is awake, your body is still sound asleep. You have woken up inside your sleeping body. The noises, bells, bangs, etc, occur as your consciousness expands, your astral hearing is more acute and all sorts of sounds can seep in. Noises and vibrations are also due to the process of leaving your body. The vibrations can feel like a high-speed train travelling through your body and is wonderfully exciting, or they can feel like a gentle fizz., or they may not even be present. The first time 'out' is unforgettable.

My first conscious out-of-body experience (OBE) was very simple but I'll always remember it for the joy it gave me. I use the term 'conscious' as we all leave our bodies at night, though we are not always aware of it. I had been studying my dreams for a while, I wanted to learn how to lucid dream at will and was practising techniques to achieve my goal. My desire at this time was to expand my inner knowledge, to contact the part of me that is not physical, a higher source.

One night I woke up inside my sleeping body, I felt slight vibrations which I would describe as fizzy. It was a marvellous sensation. I could see a little light coming through the blinds. As I focused on the window I suddenly found myself floating near the ceiling. I had read about OBEs so I was aware of what was happening to me and was not afraid. I felt wonderful, weightless and full of joy. I found movement difficult and soon found myself back in my fizzing body. The vibrations were like thousands of electric shocks though they were not painful. I managed to get out again and once more found myself floating near the ceiling. The same sensation of lightness and freedom filled me. I re-entered my body and woke up fully, both mind and body.

I went back to sleep again, excited for what had happened and when I finally woke up the following morning the feeling remained with me. I wanted to tell everyone, though I didn't, I wasn't sure if people would take me seriously. I felt so good, as if I had opened up a path to that part of my Self that I had been missing, that I had longed for.

I've been out on a regular basis ever since that first OBE. It was like riding a bike and I knew that I would never forget how to repeat the experience. I had found my inner button. We can all have conscious OBEs and by doing so expand our consciousness, it is, of course, not the only way to grow spiritually, but it is a way that works for me. We are all individuals and have our own paths. Since I began my inner journey synchronicities have increased, my ability to find lost objects and solve problems, meet the right people at the right time. Life becomes easier as being connected to an inner source, in-tuition, makes life flow more smoothly. That first time was the beginning of a wonderful adventure into Self.