When Should You Start Your Astral Journey?

By Eleanora Voss, Master of Astral Cartography

Every seeker who arrives at my door carries with them the same longing—the sense that there is more to existence than what we can see and touch. They ask me when they should begin their journey beyond themselves. Some have been waiting for years; others seem ready on a whim. The truth, I tell them, is not so much about timing as it is about readiness.

When Should You Start Your Astral Journey?—the question that haunts every spiritual seeker. And my answer is this: when you feel the pull of something greater calling from beyond your body, even if you cannot yet see what lies on the other side. I have watched students who spent a decade studying esoteric texts wither in their minds while others, barely acquainted with books, stepped into realms they had never known existed. The preparation matters less than the willingness to let go of what is familiar.

Before anyone embarks upon astral travel, they must first understand what sleep truly is. Most people spend seven hours each night unconscious and unaware, yet their consciousness does not simply vanish—it merely changes its location. During REM cycles, when dreams come thick and fast, many have already begun brushing against the outer boundaries of their physical form. The curious mind notices these moments: those peculiar stretches where time seems to bend or where waking thoughts feel like they exist outside the skull itself. Those are the clues.

I recall a student named Julian who came to me at age twenty-two, anxious and restless. He had read everything—Aldous Huxley’s The Doors of Perception, Edgar Cayce on astral projection—and yet he could not cross into his own soul. I told him that reading was preparation but not practice. He spent three more years in careful study before attempting his first true journey, and when he finally did, something remarkable happened: the knowledge accumulated within his mind opened a door even as his body lay still upon the bed. When Should You Start Your Astral Journey?—I tell him now that I see this clearly—that preparation does not end once you begin; it continues through every journey, deepening with each return.

The optimal time for beginning astral travel is not measured in months or years but measured by one’s relationship to their own body and the world around them. Those who are physically grounded tend to find themselves drifting more easily into the astral realms. Practice this grounding: feel your feet upon the earth, know the texture of wood beneath your palms, watch water flow through cupped hands with full attention. When someone asks me when they should begin, I ask what they notice about their own lives. Have they begun to dream in ways that seem meaningful? Have they noticed moments between waking and sleeping where something outside themselves seems to whisper? These are the signs.

I have taught thousands of students over three decades now, and I can tell you this: there is no perfect moment, but there are many imperfect beginnings. Those who begin too early find their journeys shallow and fleeting; those who wait too long risk becoming spectators of their own lives. The middle ground—the best place to begin—is when curiosity has become stronger than fear. When your body feels like a comfortable house rather than an uncomfortable prison, when your mind seems ready to travel without leaving its home behind entirely—that is when you should begin.

When Should You Start Your Astral Journey?—I answer this question by observing the seeker’s eyes more than their words. Those who have been traveling within themselves for years know it immediately; those who are waiting for permission from someone else will wait until they grant themselves that permission. Begin not because everything is ready but because something inside you knows it is time to begin.

The journey itself begins with a gentle release of attention, a soft focusing inward and outward simultaneously. Your body remains here; your awareness moves somewhere beyond. The first journeys are short—mere moments stretched across an afternoon—but each one opens another door. Begin when curiosity calls. Begin when the pull becomes stronger than the comfort of staying put. Begin now.