Astral Projection
"Understand that your soul is not bound by three-dimensional earthly existence."
The CIA has explored the concept of astral projection, though not under that specific term. The agency has been involved in numerous secret projects relating to psychic phenomena, such as remote viewing, a practice that overlaps with the idea of astral projection. One of the most notable programs was Project Stargate, which was established during the Cold War to investigate the potential use of psychic abilities for military and intelligence purposes.
Remote Viewing
Remote viewing is often considered a form of astral projection in that it involves perceiving information beyond normal sensory capabilities, sometimes outside the physical body. Remote viewers, trained under the program, were tasked with gathering intelligence on foreign military operations, secret installations, and other sensitive topics by "viewing" them from a distance using their minds. In some instances, these individuals claimed to have been able to mentally travel to distant locations, much like in astral projection, though it did not necessarily require leaving the physical body.
Declassified Documents
The CIA declassified several documents in the 1990s related to these experiments, revealing that they had spent considerable resources studying the phenomenon. These reports provide evidence that the government took astral projection and related psychic phenomena seriously for their potential applications in espionage and intelligence gathering, even though mainstream science still does not widely accept these abilities as genuine.
Summary
In summary, the CIA's involvement in astral projection-like phenomena was part of broader efforts to understand and exploit human consciousness for intelligence purposes, though much of the documentation remains classified or only partially declassified.
