Astral Projection, the new cool

“You find that you move from this conscious state, and it’s like something starts taking you. By the time you reach the subconscious state you feel like you are going,” Fatima Apel said on how she astral projects.

She was speaking in a late May interview that sparked discussions about new-age beliefs and witchcraft locally.

Generally, the phenomenon of astral projection suggests that the ‘soul’ of a person can leave the body and travel to wherever it likes.

“You feel a vibration, like your body can even shake at times. You can come out and you can even see your body from the outside,” Fatima added.

In the comment section of the clip uploaded on TikTok, more youth shared their thoughts on the matter, with some calling it witchcraft, others praising its benefits and some talking about the risks involved.

“Don’t astral project if you have negative energy like pain or sickness, or mental stress. You’ll see demons,” wrote one Emmanuel.

Another social media user wrote: “People want to explore those other realms without mastering themselves first. There is a reason why this knowledge was kept out of the public.”

As the topic continued to grip Kenyan youth, Fatima opened up about her dark experiences with the out-of-body experience, saying that she began to see demons and scary entities, leading her to stop exploring the phenomenon.

And even before Fatima, young Kenyans had been taking interest in esotericism.

When the popular content creator John Segera asked a young lady at an April event “what the cool people are into nowadays”, the interviewee, without batting an eyelid responded “Astral projection.”

The young lady, who introduced herself as Waruru described herself as a “vessel” and an “instrument of nature.”

“I’m into philosophy and esoteric knowledge, pre-history and history,” she added on the video which has now been viewed over 900,000 times.

What is astral projection?

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, astral projection is an awareness of one’s consciousness detaching from the physical body and can be spontaneous or induced. 

Science website Live Science describes it as the supposed act of leaving your body while sleeping while interrogating whether it is real or not.

The report lists various representations of astral projection in popular culture, like its feature in the 2016 blockbuster ‘Doctor Strange,’ and the sequel ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ “where the titular superhero can separate his physical body from his spiritual one and engage in fights.”

Live Science reports: “Netflix’s series ‘Behind Her Eyes’ utilized the technique as a major aspect of its plot, where multiple characters have mastered the art.”

The report adds that the phenomenon is not just another creation of Netflix producers, rather, it is a spiritual practice with a long history. 

“Surveys suggest that between 8 and 20 per cent of people claim to have had something like an out-of-body experience at some point in their lives — a sensation of the consciousness, spirit, or “astral body” leaving the physical body. While most experiences occur during sleep or under hypnosis, some people claim to do it while merely relaxing.”

The report adds that the concept has been used by countless people, from New Agers to Shamans around the world, who believe that it is possible to commune with cosmic intelligence through visions and vivid dreams experienced during astral projection.

“The idea comes from a 19th century mystical system called theosophy which claims that we have seven bodies from the lowest physical to the highest spiritual and mental bodies,” Dr Susan Blackmore told How Stuff Works.

Others believe that exploring esotericism, and particularly astral projection, will allow them to gain more knowledge about life as well as expanded consciousness, spiritual insight and personal growth.

Astral projection is one of the many concepts youth are taking an interest in nowadays.

There is more, like a particular fixation Gen Z have with astrology and zodiac signs, as reported by Harper’s Bazaar. There is also numerology, the idea that there is a relationship between numbers, dates and the things that happen in our lives.

“Maybe it is because we, as a generation, are conscious about ourselves and often insecure about the future. Astrology, Numerology, and Tarot have become a way of validating ourselves. It gives you the feeling of watching a happy movie and maybe even reminds us to be cautious,” the social media editor for Harper’s Bazaar India, Rishika Shah said in an interview.

“Vibe-check is a thing now. If the ‘vibe’ of a certain place or a person doesn’t go well with them, they tend to keep their distance,” the report adds. “Here’s where astrology and Zodiac signs come into the picture. It’s likely why many have started to associate and tap into their zodiac sign traits. Phrases like “I don’t usually like Scorpios” or “Cancerians are more emotional” have become a common topic of conversation at work, among friends, at social gatherings, and on the Internet.”

Last year, The Washington Post reported that “young people are flocking to astrology”. Before then, The Atlantic explored the popularity of astrology by 2018.

The magazine reported that many young people “find comfort and insight in the zodiac—even if they don’t exactly believe in it.”

Online Encyclopedia Britannica describes astrology as: “A type of divination that involves the forecasting of earthly and human events through the observation and interpretation of the fixed stars, the Sun, the Moon, and the planets.”

On the other hand, Instyle Magazine describes numerology as an ancient mystical science which attributes deeper meaning to numbers.

 “Its philosophy states that all things carry a unique vibration, including human beings. Modern numerology can be a powerful self-help tool that provides insight and direction,” master numerologist Josh Siegel, who has practised for over two decades told the magazine.

According to Siegel, you can take your name and birthdate and boil it down to a numeric code that will identify unique characteristics and even life lessons.

Even as New Age beliefs continue to rise in popularity locally, various religious leaders have warned youth against exploring phenomena they don’t know or understand well enough.

“Astral projection- it’s an out-of-body experience,” Pastor T Mwangi, who often uploads sermons and words of wisdom on social media said.

“And it looks like a cool thing. Nowadays people have made evil, demonic things sound cool,” he added. “Many demonic terminologies sound fun. Imagine someone telling you at around 12, I always go to the second heavens and meet with these spirits. They are not bad things, they are just some energies, we commune then I come back to my body and sleep.’ It is called witchcraft. Spirituality is not something to sample, you can sample it and lose your mind.”