Alora February, 2012

The Ethics of Astral Travel

As moderator of an online Out of Body group, many of the new members have the same questions, but every once in awhile we get a new question. A few years back, a man introduced himself, explained that his first experience had been unintentional; he woke up walking around his bedroom while seeing his sleeping body on the bed. He then explained that his current goal was to astral travel around someone else’s house to prove that he could and did leave his body. His question was, what was the best way of going about doing this?

I absolutely understand. Astral traveling is amazing, awe-inspiring, breath taking. Unworldly. Really stop to consider the heaviness of that word—unworldly—and what it takes to accomplish something that qualifies for that label. To want to share this phenomenon is natural, to want to prove to others that one has accomplished consciously leaving their body is expected. However…

However, is exploring another person’s home without their consent or knowing, to prove to them that you were there (in any state of being) really ethical? I don’t believe so, and I told this member as much, but that opened up a new question: what are our ethical duties in the astral plane?

In a quick informal poll in the group, I was fascinated to discover that the men who responded all felt that there shouldn’t be ethics in the astral at all, rather that ethics were for the physical plane only. The woman felt the opposite, that we should continue to treat others as we want to be treated.

Would you be happy to learn that someone was walking around your house without your consent? There are plenty of volunteers who welcome astral travelers into their home (myself included) so is canvasing the home of someone who doesn’t know you might show up morally correct? There are times when travelers cannot control where they show up, and there are travelers who ask to see a friend or loved one and arrive at their house. An OBE’er can’t exactly call ahead for permission, which is why there is no easy answer to the question of what is, and isn’t, ethical astral traveling.

Another topic that often surfaces is astral sex. Is it wrong to participate in astral sex if one is in a monogamous partnership in the physical world? Is it wrong to participate for any reason?

Many travelers find themselves in the act without any effort or initiation from themselves, and many more find that while in an out of body state, being intimate with others feel exactly right. No guilt, no drama, just a perfectly natural means of interacting with other souls.

I discussed it with my spouse and neither of us considers it wrong for our marriage, while I’ve spoken with others who do feel that astral sex is a form of infidelity.

Obviously different people will have different opinions on all of this and the other topics regarding the moral “right’s” and “wrong’s” of life outside the body. Let’s talk about it and open ourselves to such discussions with love and respect for each other. I recommend asking yourself first what is acceptable when traveling by starting with the Golden Rule, “Do onto others as you would have done unto you.” Would you want someone walking around your house without your consent? Is affection without a body something you want your partner engaging in?

Tags: astral travel, ethics

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Alora November, 2011

Through the Fog

Over the past week or so, every astral travel experience has been odd. I don’t use the word “odd” lightly because in my experience every trip into the astral is strange, weird, off, and unusual, but these past few trips have been odd in a whole new way.

From the moment I leave my body and begin walking around this other world, my movements become sluggish and my sight gets cloudy. Reaction time is slow and comprehension is even slower. “I’m stoned,” I hear myself say. “How did I get this way?”

It’s a fair question. In the physical world I’m clean and sober, so why does crossing over mean walking into a thick fog?

I’ve asked the question out loud but have yet to receive an answer. Not believing in “just because” I can’t help but to search for the meaning behind it. As I’ve mentioned in previous articles, and as you are probably aware, in the astral realm there is a voice. I generally call it The Voice of Truth because that has been my experience: ask a question, get a truthful answer. The downside is that the answer is hardly ever detailed, rarely ever full of explanation. Usually all I get is the minimal amount of information.

Such is the case with the faux stoned fog.

I ask what is happening and The Voice of Truth responds, “You got stoned.”

I ask, “How?”

VoT says, “You did.” Such answers make me doubt just how much truth is in that darn voice.

I ask why this is happening, the VoT answers, “Because you got stoned.”

I say, “I don’t like it,” and the VoT tells me, “You just have to wait for it to wear off.”

Seriously? I still don’t understand any of this, but the VoT is right, it does wear off as I continue on with my travels and move from place to place. But it takes awhile and I find myself aggravated by having my movements, eyesight, and thoughts all slowed dramatically by this fog.

I’d like an explanation: what is it, why has it happened for so many days in a row, and how does one get high in the astral plane? Without knowing it?

I’ll just have add this to my long list of “what the heck, astral world?” questions.

Tags: astral travel

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Alora October, 2011

Last month’s experiences had left me frightened. After recording an mp3 of my preferred astral traveling mediation, I discovered that listening to my own voice proved to be very effective and I was able to leave my body every time. The downside was that this created a split; while my astral body was wondering about, my physical body fought to wake up.

I struggled with finding a way to keep the good and get rid of the bad with this new method—finding a way to astral travel whenever I used the mp3 but not have to deal with the paralysis and nightmarish struggle.

Originally, I woke up from a 6 hour sleep, drank water, used the restroom, and went into the living room where I sat upright on the couch, covered in a blanket. Listening to the mp3, I meditated, eventually going out of body. This month I experimented with this to find a better way and eventually kept everything the same except lying on the couch instead of sitting upright. That seemed to work a little better, as the entire trip out wasn’t a constant back and forth between astral and physical and there was more blissful travel time, but I still struggled with splitting into two.

I decided to examine my script a little closer to see if there was something I was saying that triggered these results, but after a new read over, I didn’t see one. I tried it again and while I was out of body and my body fought to wake up my astral self tried to comfort my physical form , repeating “I understand, I understand” with true sincerity and love.

Ah, I thought. Is that what needs to be said? No harm in trying, so I re-edited the mp3 to include the phrase “I understand”, without giving it an explanation or further detail. No need to explain what I understand. My conscious, subconscious, and higher self will…well, will understand. I was careful to say it with the same level of love and sincerity that my

This worked! This first time I tried it, my body fought with the separation as usual. I listened to the phrase “I understand” and my astral form repeated it. My body calmed down, relaxed, and surrendered to the separation. The second night, my body fought for just a few seconds and after repeating the phrase, all was calm.

That was the last time I felt trapped inside a paralyzed form. Mission accomplished and now on to happy travels! Speaking of which…who is that person in my basement? The one I can only see when out of body?

Tags: astral travel

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Alora September, 2011

Astral Travel: Greatest Method with the Worst Consequences

Guided meditation and hypnosis. Same thing, in my opinion. I’ve wanted to become a certified hypnotist for a very long time but don’t have the thousands of dollars to spend on the classes so I’ve had to make do with library books and the internet for my hypnosis/guided meditation education, which is fine. I just don’t get the nifty certificate certifying my completion of lessons.

Up until recently I’ve used guided meditations from other people but found a great deal don’t really have an effect. Imaging myself walking through a forest and coming to a stream is neat, don’t get me wrong, but not something that I care to spend 20 minutes on.  I want a guided mediation that produces results! An astral experience, a meeting with my guide, a peek into universal wonders….something more than walking along a beach listening to the waves.

Another  problem I continued to encounter was that the majority of the guided meditations weren’t working for me. The Silva method was pleasant but only occasionally effective, and it was a struggle to work with the guide’s voice at times. I tried Quantum Jumping by Burt Goldman, and while it was an interesting concept I ended up asking for a refund because Mr. Goldman never changed his tone from teaching to mediating. I couldn’t tell when the lesson ended and the meditation began or where the meditation ended and the lesson began.

It has been suggested that one record their own guided meditations/hypnosis scripts before, but I always pushed such thoughts aside because I’ve heard my recorded voice and it sounds both silly and annoying. Do I really sound like that? There was no way I could relax listening to me speak. I would just be sitting there judging myself, my diction, pronunciations, timing, and that awful voice.

But then, at the peak of my “why can’t I find the right guided meditation?!” fit I came across another ‘how to make a hypnosis recording’ ebook and this one clicked. “I can do this. Oh yes I can!” I declared after reading the book….ok, most of the book.

The ebook reminded me that a good hypnosis script needs to sound dull, monotone, and many of the words need to be drawn out liiiiike thiiiiiis. Easy breezy! I can get over the sound of my own voice and I can make recordings that have only the stuff I want, none of the stuff I don’t. Why did I fight this so long, I asked with new hope.

I wrote out what I wanted to say so that I didn’t get lost as I was recording. “10…more and more relaxed…9…deeper and deeper….9….wait, 7…? Wait….” I also used first person point of view.  Hearing “you are very relaxed and only focusing on the sound of my voice” would cause my mind to wonder into “why am I talking to me like that?”

I used Audacity audio editing software (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/) not only because it’s free but because it works really well. Then I found a free theta sound waves recording and made that the background. After that I just did it. My own personal mediation that I’ve been using mentally for years is now an mp3.

On the first night I put my headphones in, hit “play” and closed my eyes. Wowza! Holy Mother Goddess this thing works with a great power! I woke up 6 hours later with the feeling that I’d just gotten of a fantastical universe ride. I remember walking around my astral house, looking for something. I remember having conversations with people in a white room. I remember being in a place that always reminds me of an airport terminal (it’s a place I visit often for some reason). I travel a lot on a normal night, but this night seems like I was going for some sort of universal record.

The second night was the same thing. Vivid memories of the places I had traveled to, people I had spoken with , and the things I had seen. The down side is that I woke up exhausted. Down to the bone tired.

So on the third night I rested. By ‘rested’ I mean I didn’t listen to the mp3 at all that night. Instead, I tried it sitting on the couch during daylight hours. Allow me to describe this experience as delicately as possible…

It sucked. Like waking nightmare sucked. Until that day I thought there was nothing worse than sleep paralysis and I was wrong. Being awake but in a meditative state and paralyzed is so much worse. I don’t know what went wrong; my conscious mind and my astral mind were locked in a duel, of sorts. I was astral traveling around my house, again looking for something (I don’t know what) and then my eyes would try to open and I’d be back in my body, struggling to move and get my eyelids open. Only my body no longer responds to commands, or pleas, or bribes. My eyes wouldn’t open, my arms wouldn’t move, my legs were concrete, and as hard as I tried I couldn’t scream. My astral mind would have to calm my body down and stop it from struggling while I was split into two: the nightmare of being trapped and the wise astral self. It went back and forth like this for what seemed like an hour.

The next attempt was during the day again with the exact same results: astral traveling but with my body fighting it. In my recording I mention several times that I am calm and safe. I don’t know what keeps going wrong, but I’m determined to fix it. Recording my own guided meditation/self-hypnosis script appears to be the key to something big, but obviously I don’t have it right yet. There is a large hiccup in this system that will be found and corrected. Where to begin, though, is the question of the day. Where, exactly, to change, correct, and fix seems to be the mystery.

For now.

Tags: astral travel

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Alora August, 2011

What’s the Difference?

Dreaming, lucid dreaming, sleep paralysis, and astral traveling. All, in my opinion, are in the same family. The same subconscious cluster that is hard to define, difficult to explain, and even harder to prove. So what is the difference between these four? As a OBE group moderator for the past 9 years and astral travel course teacher I’ve been asked this question many times, and the truth is that I still can’t fully explain how one can tell when they are out of body rather than lucid dreaming other than saying “you’ll know when you’re experiencing it.”

This is, of course, the worst possible answer for the questioner because it isn’t really an answer at all. I wish upon wish I could provide a clearer response, but to be honest, I’m still learning, too. We all are. And in the astral/dream realm, things aren’t always one or the other.

One night I found myself walking through a small amusement park type of village. The houses were about three feet tall and had fake snow over the roofs. I walked along plastic paths that had been painted to look like dirt and grass. There were a lot of people there, too, and we all seemed to be having a nice time, but I wasn’t entirely happy for some reason. Then my parents walked past me in the path. They were talking and smiling until they looked at me, then they looked startled and pretended not to see me. I got annoyed by this and decided I didn’t want to be part of this dream anymore and told myself to wake up. That voice of truth we often hear in dreams or astral traveling, the voice that is our own (our higher selves perhaps) said, “No.”

No? I’ve never been in a lucid dream before where I couldn’t end the dream. The voice replied, “You’re not dreaming and this needs to be done.” Right then I knew it to be true even though the specifics of what “needs to be done” were never revealed. In this state they don’t have to be because we somehow just know.

I walked further along the path and came to the end of the village, which now looked like a movie set. I understood that I had a choice to make so I said, “I don’t want to do this anymore,” and I walked off the village set. Looking back over my shoulder, my parents were smiling and talking to other people but now they looked like animatronics. “They’re never going to leave, are they?” I asked. My voice of truth replied, “No.”

“Can they, if they want to?”

“Yes.”

I felt sad and empowered at the same time. I said I wanted to go home, walked into darkness a few more steps then opened my physical eyes. I was in bed, back in my body.

I thought the experience was a dream until it was revealed otherwise, so how do I explain what the difference is between astral traveling and lucid dreaming with any other answer than “you’ll know when you get there.”?

Label this: False Awakenings

Ever experience a false awakening? For me, these are the oddest experiences. The alarm goes off, turn it off, get into the shower and physically feel the water, the heat, the soap, the shampoo. Get dressed, make coffee, turn on the television, physically feeling the remote control in hand. Physically smell and taste the coffee. Nothing is different, everything is how it normally is. Get in the car, hear the radio, feel the seat beneath the body, feel the steering wheel in hands and then the alarm goes off. Blink and you’re back in bed. Shut off the alarm and do it all again.

What is that? Why does that happen? What could possibly be the purpose? I’ve heard theories that it is a time hiccup, or an intentional time jump. Perhaps in the first timeline something happens, like a car accident, and the spirit or universe or whomever decides that this is not the preferred outcome so we are taken back in time for a redo.

Perhaps it was all just a dream and the mind is so familiar with the routine that one only thinks they are feeling and sensing everything? Perhaps it was a practice run? I honestly don’t know.

The Answers

Life would be so much simpler if everything was easily definable. But then what would be the fun of exploring? If it is answers you seek then I encourage you to find them. Don’t go to Google, don’t rely on the testimony of experts, and don’t take it from me. When you go to bed tonight, tell yourself what you want to learn. Or tell yourself that you will astral travel tonight and remember it all when you wake up. Tell yourself that you will experience a lucid dream tonight, if that is what you want. Don’t be shy about speaking up and telling the universe and your higher self what it is you want to experience, what you hope to find, and certainly don’t be shy about demanding answers.

The universe has probably been trying to talk to you for a long time and has been eagerly waiting the moment you decide to listen.

Happy travels!

Tags: astral travel

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Alora June, 2011

Space Ship

There are several different variations of this same traveling method. Most involve creating your own room/work space/ laboratory. I created this variation because it was easier for me to travel to and work with.

With your eye mask on, get into a meditative state using your preferred method. I think that this one will be easier if you lay down, but of course be in the position that works best for you. Once you are in your meditative state, and you are calm, quiet, and still, a bright light beams down upon you from above. This light is white with blue, red, orange hues. It is warm. You are glad to see this light.

The light covers your entire body and gently pulls you free of your body (practice this as a visualization exercise until it becomes an OBE). You slowly ascend up, up, up feeling safe, loved, and confident.

The light pulls you up through your room, then through your ceiling, up into the dark sky and all the while you know that you are safe and no matter what is going on in your life right now you are truly happy.

The light carries you up into a great spaceship. You immediately feel a sense of familiarity with this ship and you are happy to be there. A door in the floor closes behind you as you remain in the same position you started in. Now look around. The room you are in is very large. It is dark. There is at least one being with you, maybe more (this will change from time to time). They are here to help you. You understand this as soon as you see them. If, however, someone frightens you, simply tell them that you are scared and they will change themselves in a way that no longer frightens you. Sometimes you will be able to see their faces, sometimes you won’t.

For now the walls all appear to be metal. This may change from time to time or as you will it. For now, don’t put too much energy into changing the decorum. Stand up. The beings with you may speak with you, and you with them. Or not. Allow and accept whatever happens because in here you are always safe and happy.

Walk towards the large console. This is where all questions will be answered and all problems will be solved. A gigantic see-through screen is in front of the console. This screen is interactive: you can draw with it, build everything from structures to ideas to scenarios…anything you wish. Use this to problem solve, to use the Law of Attraction, to get answers to questions…the uses are endless. The beings around you will help whenever they can and when ever you ask them to.

Take your time. You can be in this ship for hours and hours. There is no time limit.

When you are finished, give thanks to the ship and to everyone who was there for you. Lay back down and you will be taken home.

Tags: astral travel, obe

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Alora May, 2011

May Astral Travel Lesson

Read over this several times until you know the lesson by heart.

Do this when you are in bed, preparing for sleep. However, don’t do it on a night when you are overly tired or overly stressed. If you feel stressed every single night when in bed, then please meditate before sleeping for a few nights before doing this assignment.

Lay on your back. Lights are out. Put your mask, or whatever you are using as a mask, over your eyes if you prefer. Breathe deep for a count of 20: in and out through your nose, if you can. Eyes closed. Visualize (or imagine) that you (not your body, not your astral body, just YOU) gently floats up to your ceiling, leaving your physical body on the bed. Don’t put any effort into actually astral projecting right now, we’ll get to that later. Just imagine these movements with a great sense of casualness.

You float up up up, and stop before you touch the ceiling. You are suspended in midair, feeling safe and warm, feeling relaxed and light. This is fun, this is easy, and this is something you deserve and are good at!

In your dark room, you are floating high in your bedroom. You are perfectly safe and enjoying the sensations. Your back is to the ceiling, you can see yourself and your bed, though because it is so dark you can’t make out any details. You just know that your body is slumbering safely. Your astral body is in there too, carefully untying itself from the physical body, getting ready because tonight is going to be a fun night.

If you find yourself giggling, then you are doing something right. Don’t stop. Giggle. Laugh if you need to. Nothing about this restricts your fun, your sense of adventure. Every moment is joy.

And you deserve that joy, because no matter what is going on during the physical day, right now you are in your truest and purest form. In this form you accept that all the hardships and stresses, uncertainties and instabilities are mere lessons, there for your benefit. All of that stuff is left to the physical day, you cannot –perfectly incapable—bring any of that with you now.

So, you’re floating high in the air. Legs together and hands across your chest– all muscles are loose and relaxed. Now your left shoulder begins to tingle in a pleasant fashion. That left shoulder pulls gently towards the bed, then to the wall, now the ceiling, now the opposite wall and you are once again facing your bed, back in the original position with your back to the ceiling. Spinning like that was fun! You go as fast or as slow as you want to. Get the hang of it– do it just once, or twice, or maybe three times.

Now stop, returning to the original position, looking down at your bed. You see the bed and it does not change. The floor beneath the bed however starts to glow ever so slightly. This makes you smile because the anticipation of a fun adventure gives you butterflies. Now the floor falls way. Completely away. Your bed remains where it has always been and doesn’t change. Where the floor once was is now the black sky, sprinkled with stars.

Smile, because you are about to enter that incredible vastness. There is no place you cannot go! Stars, planets, comets, solar systems– it is all RIGHT THERE IN FRONT OF YOU! And you know the way to get there. You always have!

Now spin again. Get the momentum going! Your left shoulder is pointing towards the bed, the wall, the ceiling, the other wall: bed, wall, ceiling, wall, bed, wall, ceiling, wall. Bedwallceilingwallbed faster and faster and faster. Will yourself to spin faster and faster. You instinctively know when you get to the right speed and those same instincts make it so that you don’t have to slow down to see when the time is right.

You shoot down with incredible speed into your body, arms reach out and hug your astral body, and ZOOM through the bed and into the black. Your astral body molds into you– you are one being now and because of this you feel a little more powerful, a little more solid.

You feel comfortably warm and safe. You breath easily. Don’t try to control where you go, just surrender to the journey. You may float for a while. Notice what you see. You may find yourself being steered towards a planet, or a star, or whatever. You may see words or numbers, you may hear beings talking. There is no concept of wrong during this experience. You will see, feel, and hear only things that are meant specifically for you.

If you feel that there is too much happening at once, simply say or think “it’s too much, slow it down” and the universe will comply.

Take your time and do this exercise as many times as you like. If you get tired of traveling, just say “home” or think returning to your body and you will go back right away.

Well done!

Tags: astral travel

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Alora April, 2011

April Astral Travel Assignment

Review Time!

Reflection is a very important part of this astral travel course. Please use April as the perfect excuse to look back at all that you’ve done in this class and consider where you’ve found your strengths and what areas were difficult. On the surface, this assignment may seem like an easy one, but really take the time to reflect back on all that you’ve done so far.

Submit one positive, one negative, and one projection:

1- What has been the easiest assignment or area of astral travel for you? Or what assignment do you feel you did the best at? (of course you’re always welcome to add more than just one!)

2- What has been the most difficult? Is there one (or more) specific area that you have felt most challenged at?

3- Is there something you would like to have covered in this class that hasn’t been already? Or is there one assignment you’d like to do again?

Tags: astral travel

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Alora March, 2011

The Mirror Exercise

You’ll need a mirror and a notebook (or journal) with pen.

You’ve probably heard of this one before, and may even have tried it. If so, I encourage you to try it again for this class. When you combine this exercise with all that you’ve done so far, you’ll find this mirror exercise to be very powerful.

Stand in front of a hanging mirror (we want the wall to be holding the mirror, not you). Stare into your own eyes. Unlike with meditations, don’t try to clear your mind. Allow all thoughts to flow freely. Don’t judge any thought, don’t quiet any thought. During this time, release any “right” and “wrong” boundaries.

For some, this exercise can get a little spooky. Things may start to look distorted. Give yourself permission to be frightened and know that it will pass. Just don’t look away. The same goes for all emotions. If you want to cry, then cry. If you want to laugh, laugh. If you feel shame or hurt or anger, or any negative emotion just let it happen and keep looking into the mirror until the emotion passes. This is important. Don’t break the stare until the emotion has passed.

Stare into your own eyes for as long as you can. It may be too powerful at first, and that is okay. Go as long as you can and work yourself up to at least half an hour. You have all month to build up so go at the pace that is comfortable for you.

Once you are able to go to 15 minutes or longer, project yourself into your reflection. Look back at yourself. Keep trying! Sometimes you’ll get snapped back immediately, sometimes you can linger. The more you do it the better you will get at it.

When you are done, write down anything that felt important to you, or any flashes or visions you may have had. Did you see someone else in the mirror? Did you hear other voices? What made you cry? What made you laugh? What scared you?

For many, this will be a taxing experience. Spoil yourself after each exercise. Rest, do something that makes you happy.

Tags: astral travel, mirror

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Alora February, 2011

February Assignment: Black and White Answers

This assignment is rather simple, but effective when done with dedication! At bedtime, go through your normal ritual with a few additions: cover your eyes when you are ready for sleep, even if it is dark out. If you have a phone in your room, unplug it or turn the ringer off. If you can, close the door. Lay on your back. Clear your mind. Silence your mind. Of course, this is always easier said than done so if you are out of practice silencing your mind, take a few nights to get the hang of it again. Don’t rush this assignment, remember that you have a full month to complete it.

Breathe calmly, slowly, steadily.

When your body is fully relaxed tell yourself (remember– don’t ask, rather announce what is going to happen) that tonight you are astral traveling to the Chalkboard Room. This room is as it sounds: one giant chalkboard along all four walls and ceiling.  Your room may have a chalkboard floor, but this usually comes and goes depending on why you are in the room. If you like furniture in your room, allow it to be there.

The first night you go to this room, don’t focus too hard on anything. Just allow yourself to be there. Enjoy the experience and be happy in the room.  There may or may not be stuff written on the boards. If there is, don’t focus on what is written there just yet. Simply acknowledge that you see it and shrug it off.

The second or third time you enter this room, ask a question. Just one. Know and expect that the answer will appear somewhere on one of the walls and that this answer is completely honest. You’ll know where the answer is the moment it appears.
Make your first question a simple one. Be satisfied with the first answer you receive. Ask something like “Which bill will I receive tomorrow?” or “Who will call before noon?” or another that you prefer.

At first, make the point of being in this room, enjoying the room. The Chalkboard Room is a  gift that is available to anyone and everyone who chooses to go inside. On the same note, The Chalkboard Room is personal, made just for you. Love it, connect with it, and again, enjoy it.

After you get the hang of it, ask a question that is less simple. Trust that the answer will be there, even if it is an answer that isn’t currently ideal.

Good luck and safe travels. I am always here if you need me!

Tags: astral travel

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