Oh goodness, I didn’t really know what to expect when I picked up a copy of Astral Doorways by J.H. Brennan. It was originally written back in 1971 and is certainly a product of its time. There’s some language in there that certainly wouldn’t be acceptable in the modern day, but with that caveat in mind, I was able to focus on the techniques—which were fantastic and certainly worth exploring. 

The book teaches readers methods of entering the astral plane; practical and easily digestible techniques for separating one’s consciousness from their physical body. This isn’t generally the type of book I’d pick up for casual reading, but spirit flight (which I generally see as being the same as astral projection) is a regular part of my personal magical practice. The methods I use for inducing this experience have been gathered in bits and pieces from other resources, so to have an entire book dedicated to techniques was certainly welcomed. 

The elemental doorways method involves using visual aids to initiate astral travel. You paint the elemental tattwa symbols onto individual pieces of cardboard in their traditional colors. By intensely focusing on the colored symbols, you implant their image onto your vision. You then turn the card over and turn off the lights while staring at the backside of each card (or perhaps a blank wall) to see that the symbol remains visible in its complimentary color, serving as a focal point for entering the astral. This was incredibly fun to experiment with on its own, but I am still thinking about how I can incorporate this technique into a more structured ritual for myself and with others. 

He goes on to provide another method of entering the astral that utilizes the major arcana from tarot, where you meditate on the imagery of the cards, one at a time, then allow yourself to kind of “fall into” the image, experiencing the card as if you are actually in it. Following this we also have techniques utilizing dreams, the tree of life, and even techniques that involve hypnosis. This isn’t a very long book, coming in at 128 pages, but it is chock-full of usable information, not just theory.

Book Information

• Astral Doorways by J.H. Brennan
• Publisher: Thoth Publications
• Publication Date: August 11, 1996
• Dimensions: 5.5×8
• Page Count: 128
• Purchase here