Soul Travel Archives

This Must Be Soul Travel!

By Suzie, Ontario

I was very curious about Soul Travel when I was new to Eckankar and wanted to experience it for myself.

So, with great anticipation, I practiced my nightly spiritual exercises, hoping I would leave my body and travel the inner worlds as Soul.

But most of the time, I just dozed off to sleep and woke up the next morning with little recollection of any experiences. Still, I patiently wrote down in my journal whatever I learned from my dreams. This went on for a long time.

Then one night, it happened!

I was lying in bed, feeling very relaxed. Quietly, I began to sing HU, an ancient love song to God. As usual, I started dozing off to sleep.

All of a sudden, I had the sensation of feeling feathery light, as if I was floating on air. I knew my body was in bed, and yet there I was—floating!

With my eyes closed, I looked around with my inner vision. There were trees everywhere. Then I knew I was out of the body.

Slowly I floated toward the kitchen, and I found I was in the middle of a forest. The wall that separated the bedroom from the kitchen was gone. I looked toward what was supposed to be the kitchen window.

Instead of seeing the street, I saw a river surrounded by shrubs and trees and heard the sound of rushing water.

Happily, I said to myself, This is fantastic! I’m out of my physical body. This must be Soul Travel!

Then I accidentally wiggled a toe on my right foot.

Immediately I was back in my body in bed. I remained awake for a while, trying to comprehend this incredible and awesome experience. It was so real!

As I lay there, I thought, So this is what Eckankar is all about. It is a teaching to realize and know one’s True Self!

I had proven that I am Soul, a spiritual being that is separate from the physical body. It was the beginning of my conscious spiritual journey back home to God.

A Spiritual Exercise to Try

Some of you want Soul Travel, which is usually an advanced state beyond the dream state. Again, sit on your bed or on the floor, shut your eyes, and look into your Spiritual Eye. This is located at a point just above and between the eyebrows. Don’t expect to see anything there; just chant HU, the holy name of God.

Then spell out Soul Travel, chanting each separate letter: S-O-U-L T-R-A-V-E-L. Do this about three times out loud and then three times quietly.

—Sri Harold Klemp, The Art of Spiritual Dreaming

Explore the God Worlds

Soul Travel

The Nirat Technique

In using this technique, you will find the path to the other worlds illuminated by Soul’s own light, much like the headlights of a car, cutting through the darkness of night, illuminate the road ahead. The Nirat technique utilizes the seeing power of Soul.

Sit in silence, with the attention fixed on the Spiritual Eye. Put your attention on the Light of God, the white light within the door of the Spiritual Eye. This is the subtle gateway to the Astral world, the first door you will pass through on the way to the higher worlds.

With your attention fixed on this door, look obliquely—not directly—at whatever appears on the screen of the mind. If you look at it directly, it will disappear. But if you look at it from an angle, the image of the light will stay.

Now very softly begin to practice the zikar, the repetition of the holy names of God. Sing the word for each plane that you must pass through in order to reach the Soul region. These are Alayi (Physical Plane), Kala (Astral Plane), Mana (Causal Plane), Aum (Mental Plane), Baju (Etheric Plane), and Sᴜɢᴍᴀᴅ (Soul Plane). By these sounds you are able to lift yourself up through the corresponding planes into the Soul world.

The Light of God appears on all planes, but the light that should interest you most is the Blue Star. It will come into focus after the technique has been practiced for a certain length of time. This star represents the Mᴀʜᴀɴᴛᴀ, the Living ECK Master, who will later appear in his radiant body.

Sometimes the Master appears as a Blue Star, sometimes as a misty, pale-blue light. The star or light will lead you gently through the various planes into the Soul region. You must trust It completely, never being doubtful or hesitant about following It, nor wondering where It may lead you.

As Soul gets collected and concentrates on the Spiritual Eye, you will have some preliminary experiences of the inner sounds and sights. These occur before Soul is settled down and actually traveling in the inner worlds. You may hear sounds similar to a moving train, whistles, or stringed instruments. Then you will hear sounds like the tinkling of small bells, progressing to the ringing notes of a large bell. Following this are lights similar to the glowing of charcoal, then lightning, and finally the gigantic star.

Then you are able to see a whole starry sky. You see the Lightning and Moon Worlds, and you are ready for the ascent. You may see forms as mist, smoke, suns, fire, winds, fireflies, lightning, crystals, and moons. Your attention may be scattered at this point, but bring it back and focus again on a single point.

Healing from Grief via Soul Travel

Soul Travel

By Sri Harold Klemp

A woman I’ll call Donna found Eckankar after her son Justin’s death in a motorcycle accident. She was very close to her son. Devastated by her loss, Donna was unable to find comfort at church. She regularly cried through the entire service. If only there was a way to feel closer to God, then maybe He would help her understand why the accident had occurred. More important, where was Justin now? Was he all right? She constantly prayed for help.

Five months later, while at her lowest ebb, she had an experience that changed her life. At first, she thought it was merely a dream, but it was actually Soul Travel.

Donna awoke in vivid consciousness in the other worlds. A bespectacled woman with grey streaks in her dark hair met her, and they talked for a few minutes. “Do you know my son Justin?” she finally asked the woman.

“Of course I know him,” said the woman. “He lives right over there in that white house.” The scene was a normal setting of cottages, such as near a lake resort.

Donna and Justin had a long conversation. He assured her his health was better than it had been on earth. Then looking closely at her, he said, “I know what you’re doing to yourself. Please stop. You’re only hurting yourself.” Before they parted, she asked to hold him in her arms, since she didn’t get a chance to do so before his death. Laughing, he said, “OK, Mom.”

Soul Travel had put her right there with her loved one. She could actually feel him in her arms. Then she awoke.

Justin’s scent still lingered with her, and a peaceful, happy feeling lasted for weeks before it began to fade. Donna was now determined to learn where he was. Somewhere on earth, she knew, somebody had the answer. That’s when her sister introduced her to Eckankar. The first book she read was The Spiritual Notebook by Paul Twitchell, the modern-day founder of Eckankar. It convinced her that here was the answer to her prayers. Here was an explanation that made sense.

Grief for her son still overtakes her on occasion. She wants the Mᴀʜᴀɴᴛᴀ, the Living ECK Master to help her regain the peace felt while with her son during Soul Travel. So she does the Spiritual Exercises of ECK daily. And she directs her efforts to seeing the Light and hearing the Sound—keys to the secret worlds of God.

—Excerpted from Spiritual Wisdom on Relationships

Spiritual Exercise: A Gateway to Soul Travel

Soul Travel

If you want to learn to Soul Travel, do this technique tonight. Before sleep, shut your eyes and place your attention on the Spiritual Eye. It’s right above and between the eyebrows.

Then sing HU. Fill your heart, mind, and body with warm love.

This feeling of love grants the confidence to venture into some new, unexplored area of your spiritual being. A way to fill yourself with love is to call up a warm, comfy memory, like a child’s hug or a mate’s kiss.

Just so the feeling warms your heart with deep love.

Now, eyes still shut, look into the Spiritual Eye for the holy person who is your ideal, whether Christ or an ECK Master. In a gentle voice say, “I give you permission to take me to the best place for my spiritual good.”

Then chant HU, God, or some other holy word.

Next, see yourself in a familiar place, like a special room in your home. Be assured that the guide who comes is a dear, longstanding friend.

Do this session five or six times over as many days. Record your experiences with this spiritual exercise in your dream notebook or journal.

The God Worlds of ECK

Soul Travel

The God Worlds can best be described as planes of reality. Each plane corresponds to a certain state of consciousness and vibration.

Inner Road Map

This is a road map to the inner planes or heavens. You can use this chart to plan your spiritual travels or to better understand where you have been or what you have experienced.

Lower and Higher Worlds

There is a bold line dividing the top half and lower half of the chart; this separates the lower worlds from the higher God Worlds of ECK.

The higher worlds are positive—of pure Spirit; the lower worlds are material—or negative—mixed with degrees of Spirit (this is noted on the left side of the chart). As you move upward through the worlds, each successive plane has a greater proportion of Spirit to matter. The right side of the chart shows that the lower worlds are the training ground for Self-Realization and the higher worlds are the training ground for God-Realization.

Planes, Chants, Sounds

The first column gives the names of the plane. Next to the name, in the second column, is the word to sing or chant to go to that plane. In the third column is the sound you might hear or recall if you have traveled there. There are also brief descriptions of what each lower plane is about.

Colors

The chart also shows the color associated with each plane—the color you may see or recall as predominating there.

Inner Temples

Each of these worlds, or planes, has one main Golden Wisdom Temple and many minor temples in which you can study. These temples and the ECK Masters who teach there can be found in ECK Wisdom Temples, Spiritual Cities, & Guides: A Brief History.

Navigating the Inner Regions

To understand a karmic pattern you’ve noticed or understand a past life, you might want to go to the Causal Plane; and to do that, you could chant the word Mana. If you’ve had dreams where you see orange items or were bathed in orange light, maybe it has something to do with the Causal Plane. Or maybe during a spiritual exercise, meditation, or prayer, you hear running water inwardly—an indication that you might be on the Mental Plane.

HU—Sound of All Sounds

Notice that HU is both the word to chant and the sound you’ll hear on the Anami Lok. This is because HU encompasses all the worlds and all the sounds of existence.

Direct Experience of the Light and Sound

Learning to recognize, understand, and work with the Light and Sound of God is one of the most unique and exciting aspects of Eckankar. Becoming attuned to the sounds, visual characteristics, and vibrational rates of the God Worlds via Soul Travel is an aid to achieving Self-Realization and even God-Realization in this lifetime.

Open to Your Full Potential

Today is a special time in the history of mankind. It is now possible to speak openly of past lives, dreams, and Soul Travel; explore the God Worlds; and pursue the fulfillment of Soul’s ultimate destiny. A window of opportunity is open. It has opened for you.