The Bardo of Dreams: Navigating the Astral Plane

BY NICOLE LAU

Every Night You Leave Your Body—Do You Know Where You Go?

You're dreaming. But this dream is different. You're floating above your sleeping body. You can see yourself lying in bed. There's a silver cord connecting your astral body to your physical form. You think about flying—and instantly, you're soaring through the ceiling, through the sky, into dimensions beyond the physical.

This is not just a dream. This is astral projection—conscious navigation of the astral plane, the non-physical dimension that Tibetan Buddhists call the bardo of dreams.

According to Tibetan teachings, every night when you dream, you're actually traveling in the bardo—the intermediate state between waking and deep sleep, between life and death, between the physical and the formless. Most people do this unconsciously. But with training, you can navigate the astral plane consciously, exploring non-physical reality, meeting guides and teachers, and preparing for the ultimate journey: death itself.

Welcome to the eleventh article in our Dream Magic & Consciousness series. Today, we're exploring the bardo of dreams and astral plane navigation: Tibetan bardo teachings, the layers of the astral plane, how to consciously astral project, what you'll encounter, how to navigate safely, and why this practice is considered preparation for death.

The astral plane is waiting. Let's learn to navigate it consciously.

The Bardo of Dreams: Tibetan Teachings

What is a Bardo?

In Tibetan Buddhism, a bardo (བར་དོ) is an intermediate state, a transition, a gap between one state and another.

The Six Bardos:

1. Bardo of This Life (Kyenay Bardo): From birth to death
2. Bardo of Dreams (Milam Bardo): The dream state each night
3. Bardo of Meditation (Samten Bardo): Deep meditative absorption
4. Bardo of Dying (Chikhai Bardo): The moment of death
5. Bardo of Dharmata (Chönyi Bardo): After death, visions of deities
6. Bardo of Becoming (Sidpa Bardo): Seeking rebirth

Why the Dream Bardo Matters:

The bardo of dreams is training for the bardos of death. Every night, you "die" (fall asleep, leave your body) and are "reborn" (wake up, return to your body). If you can maintain consciousness through the dream bardo, you can maintain consciousness through the death bardos.

The Tibetan View:
Dreams are not random brain activity. They're actual experiences in the bardo—a real dimension where consciousness travels when freed from the physical body.

The Practice:
Dream yoga trains you to:
1. Recognize you're in the bardo (lucid dreaming)
2. Navigate the bardo consciously (astral projection)
3. Recognize the illusory nature of the bardo (all phenomena are mind-created)
4. Realize the clear light (pure awareness beyond form)

The Goal:
When you die, you'll recognize the death bardos as similar to the dream bardo. You'll maintain awareness, recognize the clear light, and achieve liberation instead of unconscious rebirth.

What is the Astral Plane?

The Definition:
The astral plane is a non-physical dimension of reality where consciousness can travel when freed from the physical body. It's the realm of dreams, thought-forms, spirits, and subtle energy.

Other Names:
- The Dream Realm (Tibetan Buddhism)
- The Otherworld (Celtic)
- The Spirit World (Shamanism)
- The Imaginal Realm (Sufism)
- The Fourth Dimension (Theosophy)
- The Collective Unconscious (Jungian psychology)

Is It Real?

The Materialist View: It's all in your head—hallucinations, dreams, imagination.
The Spiritual View: It's a real dimension, as real as the physical (maybe more so).
The Middle Way: It's real as experience. Whether it's "objective" or "subjective" may be the wrong question. Consciousness exploring non-physical dimensions is real, regardless of metaphysics.

The Layers of the Astral Plane

The astral plane is not uniform—it has layers, levels, or frequencies, each with different characteristics.

Lower Astral (Dense, Close to Physical)

Characteristics:
- Murky, grey, heavy atmosphere
- Thought-forms and emotional residue
- Fear-based entities (often projections of your own fear)
- Earthbound spirits (deceased who haven't moved on)
- Feels oppressive, sticky, uncomfortable

How You Get There:
Fear, anger, or low emotional states drop you into the lower astral. Nightmares often occur here.

What to Do:
Raise your vibration—think of love, light, or call on guides. You'll rise to higher levels.

Middle Astral (Dream Realms, Collective Unconscious)

Characteristics:
- Vibrant, colorful, fluid
- Dream landscapes and scenarios
- Archetypal domains (forests, cities, temples, oceans)
- Other dreamers and astral travelers
- Thought manifests instantly
- Time is non-linear

How You Get There:
Most lucid dreams and astral projections occur here. It's the "default" astral level.

What to Do:
Explore, create, meet other travelers, practice manifestation, visit archetypal realms.

Upper Astral (Spiritual Realms, Light Beings)

Characteristics:
- Brilliant light, crystalline clarity
- Temples, libraries, healing centers
- Spirit guides, teachers, ascended masters
- Deceased loved ones (who have moved on)
- Profound peace and love
- Timeless, formless qualities

How You Get There:
High emotional states (love, gratitude, devotion), spiritual practice, or invitation from guides.

What to Do:
Receive teachings, healing, guidance. Meet your higher self or spiritual teachers.

Causal Plane (Beyond Form)

Characteristics:
- Formless awareness
- Pure light, pure consciousness
- No objects, no beings, no separation
- The "clear light" of Tibetan Buddhism
- Union with the divine

How You Get There:
Deep meditation, spiritual realization, or the moment of death.

What to Do:
Rest in pure awareness. This is the goal of spiritual practice.

How to Consciously Astral Project

The Relationship to Lucid Dreaming:

Lucid dreaming and astral projection are closely related:
- Lucid Dream: You become conscious in a dream
- Astral Projection: You consciously leave your body and navigate the astral plane

Many practitioners believe they're the same phenomenon experienced differently. Others say astral projection is more "real" (you're actually out of body) while lucid dreams are mental constructs.

Practically: The techniques overlap. Master lucid dreaming, and astral projection becomes accessible.

Technique 1: The Vibrational State Method

The Process:
1. Lie down in a comfortable position (back or side)
2. Relax completely (progressive relaxation)
3. Enter the hypnagogic state (threshold between waking and sleeping)
4. You'll feel vibrations—your body buzzing, humming, or vibrating intensely
5. Don't panic—this is normal. It's your astral body beginning to separate
6. When vibrations peak, use an exit technique (see below)

The Vibrations:
Not everyone feels them, but they're common. They can be subtle or intense, pleasant or uncomfortable. They're a sign you're ready to project.

Technique 2: The Roll-Out Method

When: During vibrational state or sleep paralysis
Method: Imagine rolling out of your body like rolling out of bed. Don't use physical muscles—use your intention to roll. Your astral body will separate.

Technique 3: The Rope Technique

When: During vibrational state
Method: Visualize a rope hanging above you. Imagine your astral hands grabbing the rope and pulling yourself up and out of your body.

Technique 4: The Target Destination Method

When: As you're falling asleep
Method: Visualize a specific location (a friend's house, a temple, a beach). Intend to go there. As you drift off, you may find yourself there in your astral body.

Technique 5: Wake Back to Bed (WBTB) for Astral Projection

Method:
1. Sleep for 4-6 hours
2. Wake up and stay awake for 15-30 minutes
3. Return to bed with intention to astral project
4. Use one of the above techniques
5. Success rate is higher because you're entering REM sleep quickly

The Silver Cord: Your Lifeline

What It Is:
Many astral projectors report seeing a silver cord connecting their astral body to their physical body. It's usually attached at the solar plexus or crown.

Its Function:
The cord is your lifeline. It allows you to return to your body and ensures you don't get "lost" in the astral.

Can It Break?
According to esoteric teachings, the silver cord only breaks at death. During astral projection, it's indestructible. You cannot get stuck out of body.

Returning:
Think of your physical body, and you'll snap back instantly via the cord.

What You'll Encounter on the Astral Plane

1. Spirit Guides and Teachers

Who They Are: Benevolent beings who assist your spiritual development
How They Appear: Luminous figures, wise elders, angels, or familiar forms
What to Do: Ask for guidance, teachings, or healing. They're here to help.

2. Deceased Loved Ones

Who They Are: People who have died and moved to the astral
How They Appear: Usually healthy, younger, peaceful
What to Do: Communicate, receive messages, find closure

3. Other Astral Travelers

Who They Are: Living people also projecting
How They Appear: Like normal people, sometimes glowing
What to Do: You can interact, but they may not remember upon waking (unless they're also conscious)

4. Thought-Forms

What They Are: Entities created by collective belief or strong emotion
Examples: Deities, mythological creatures, cultural archetypes
What to Do: Recognize them as mind-created. They're real as thought-forms but not independent beings.

5. Astral Wildlife

What They Are: Energy beings native to the astral plane
Examples: Elemental spirits, nature beings, astral animals
What to Do: Observe with respect. Most are neutral or benevolent.

6. Lower Astral Entities

What They Are: Fear-based beings, often projections of your own shadow
How They Appear: Demons, monsters, threatening figures
What to Do: Don't engage with fear. Send love, call on guides, or raise your vibration to leave the lower astral.

How to Navigate the Astral Plane

Navigation Rule 1: Intention is Your Compass

On the astral plane, thought = movement. Think of a location, and you go there. Intend to meet your guide, and they appear.

Navigation Rule 2: Emotion Affects Altitude

Your emotional state determines which level of the astral you access:
- Fear, anger → Lower astral
- Neutral, curious → Middle astral
- Love, joy, devotion → Upper astral

Navigation Rule 3: Time is Non-Linear

Past, present, and future can overlap. You might visit a past life, see a future possibility, or exist in an eternal now.

Navigation Rule 4: You Can't Be Harmed

Your astral body cannot be injured. If something frightening happens, remember: it's not physical. You're safe. You can always return to your body.

Navigation Rule 5: Respect the Inhabitants

The astral plane has its own inhabitants. Treat them with respect, as you would in the physical world.

Protection and Safety

Protection Technique 1: White Light Shield

Before projecting, visualize yourself surrounded by brilliant white light. This is your energetic shield.

Protection Technique 2: Call on Guides

Invoke your spirit guides, angels, or higher self. Ask them to protect and guide you.

Protection Technique 3: Set Intention

Before projecting, state: "I travel in love and light. I am protected. I go only where I'm meant to go."

Protection Technique 4: Grounding Cord

Visualize a cord of light from your physical body to the center of the Earth. This keeps you grounded and makes return easier.

If You Encounter Something Frightening:
1. Remember: You're safe. It can't harm you.
2. Send love instead of fear
3. Call on your guides
4. Raise your vibration (think of something joyful)
5. Return to your body (think of your physical form)

How to Return to Your Body

Method 1: Think of Your Body
Simply think of your physical body lying in bed. You'll snap back instantly.

Method 2: Follow the Silver Cord
If you can see the cord, follow it back to your body.

Method 3: Set a Time Intention
Before projecting, set an intention: "I will return to my body in 30 minutes." Your consciousness will honor this.

Method 4: Natural Awakening
Often, you'll naturally return when your body is ready to wake up.

Re-entry:
You might feel a jolt or falling sensation as you re-enter. This is normal. Take a moment to ground before getting up.

Astral Projection as Death Preparation

The Tibetan Teaching:

Astral projection is practice for death. When you die:
1. Your consciousness separates from your body (like astral projection)
2. You travel through the bardos (like navigating the astral plane)
3. You encounter beings and visions (like astral entities)
4. You either recognize the clear light and achieve liberation, or you're reborn

The Practice:
If you can consciously astral project, you're training for death. You're learning to:
- Maintain awareness when separated from the body
- Navigate non-physical dimensions
- Recognize illusions as mind-created
- Not be frightened by strange beings or visions
- Find the clear light (pure awareness)

The Goal:
When you die, you'll recognize: "This is like astral projection. I know how to navigate this. I'm not afraid." This awareness can lead to liberation.

Your Astral Projection Practice

Month 1: Preparation
1. Master lucid dreaming (if you haven't already)
2. Practice relaxation and hypnagogic state entry
3. Study astral plane maps and teachings
4. Set protection and intention

Month 2: First Attempts
1. Try WBTB + vibrational state method
2. Don't get discouraged—it takes practice
3. Record all experiences, even partial successes
4. Build confidence

Month 3+: Exploration
1. Once you can project, start exploring
2. Visit specific locations
3. Meet guides and teachers
4. Practice navigation techniques

Conclusion: The Bardo is Your Training Ground

Every night, you enter the bardo of dreams. Most people do it unconsciously, lost in random dream narratives, unaware they're traveling in a real dimension.

But you—you're learning to navigate consciously. To recognize the bardo. To explore the astral plane with awareness. To meet guides, visit realms, and prepare for the ultimate journey.

Because death is coming. For all of us. And when it does, we'll enter the bardos—the same dimensions we visit every night in dreams.

The question is: Will you be conscious? Will you recognize where you are? Will you know how to navigate?

Or will you be lost, frightened, unconsciously pulled into rebirth?

The bardo of dreams is your training ground. Use it well.

In the final article of this series, we'll explore Dream Re-entry—how to continue unfinished dreams and complete the journeys you've begun.

Until then: Navigate the bardo. Explore the astral. Prepare for the journey. 🌌✨

As you begin to chart your own journeys through the liminal spaces between waking and dreaming, remember that every twilight vision is an invitation to deepen your connection with the unseen. To prepare your mind for these nocturnal explorations, consider grounding your intentions with the 40 manifestation rituals intention to reality to anchor your purpose before sleep, while the void whisper subconscious drift audio wav pdf can gently guide you into the threshold state where the astral plane feels closest. May the dreamscapes you wander hold the wisdom your soul is ready to receive, and may the shadow work tarot internal locus practice guide illuminate the messages that arise from the depths of your own luminous unconscious.