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Dr Robert Crookall - More Astral projections

Case No. 179 Peter M. Urquhart

Mr Urquhart, of Rosedale, Toronto, Canada, sent me two experiences (in litt., Nov. 19, 1961).

Mr Urquhart was given The Study and Practice of Astral Projection and, having glanced at the Preface, sent his account before reading the text.

He relaxed on a sofa: "suddenly, and yet quite smoothly, I left my body. I was aware that all the natural processes-breathing, heartbeat-had stopped in my physical body, but I did not feel in the least worried since I knew that I was very much alive. After a time, I came back into my first body, but it felt a different shape-just in the way one notices by the feel if one puts on a different glove or hat than one usually wears.

"After this I went outside and found myself out of the body again. This time the sensation was like being in a balloon, attached by a cord somewhere in the region of the navel, like the umbilical cord. It was a bitterly cold day in February, yet though I had my coat open and could sense the cold striking my [physical] body, it had no effect on me ['double']. This latter fact struck me particularly, as I am usually sensitive to cold. There was a sense of exhilaration throughout the experience. Finally, a street-car came along which I had to take and the experience ended."

I wrote to Mr Urquhart and said, "On p. 3 of your letter you describe 'a cord somewhere near the navel, like the umbilical cord'. Did you see this 'cord' before or after you had read of it anywhere?" He replied (in litt., Dec. 6, 1961):

"I quite appreciate the significance of whether or not the person has heard or read of these matters before experiencing them. In my case, -I can say that after the first experience I realized what was meant in Ecclesiastes, by 'the silver cord'. At the same time, I had read that famous verse and it had remained in my mind, but until the experience I had not the slightest idea what it meant; it just seemed a poetic image. Certainly I had no idea that it referred to a link between body and soul, and I had no idea of this separation until I actually experienced it myself. As you know, these experiences bring their own authority and understanding with them, and when I had been out of the body I knew that if the 'cord' was ever 'loosed' , I would be cut off from physical life-or dead, as we call it. ...

Until I had some personal experience of such matters, I was rather a sceptic, regarded thoughts of personal immortality as 'wishful thinking', and although I valued the Bible for some of its ethics and the beauty of its language ,I had no idea that it contained a practical, inner meaning. In my case, theory came after practice ...It seems to me that your work-the building up of a large body of evidence to show that these are quite normal experiences-is of great value."