#finally done

The sixth step is one I see often, but I actually believe it isn't a step to be done the first time you try to connect and engage with the Astral, and it is the exploration of the unfamiliar: stepping outside of your known, familiar boundaries, and slowly exploring areas you do not know as well, until you find yourself in areas you do not know at all. This is safer the more you are able to interact with the Astral (however, then again, it can also be very good to be able to quickly disconnect from the Astral; I will go into that a bit in a moment). Ways you can do this slowly is to start with the next room in your house, exploring it room by room, item by item (and if you miss any objects, this is fine, do not worry). The more you feel like you are "in" the room you are exploring, the more connected you are to the Astral (and this will take some time and practice). Some people recommend to exit your house (or the area), but I think there is a better method for someone trying to practice in a safe manner: find a blank wall in your house within the Astral, and try to imagine the feeling of a door being there. A new room of the house that isn't truly there in the physical. Slowly step inside the empty room, and try to imagine things that are not there; very general objects, such as couches, a TV, a bookshelf, a desk, etc. Practice engaging with these objects. You can put anything you'd like in this room (or anywhere else in your house); and, practice trying to recreate it the same way when you return to the Astral (to help with both summoning, but also to help with growing comfortable in the Astral, engaging with it in a way that is understandable to your mind). As time goes on, you will grow more comfortable doing this, and the more attempts and engagement done, the more progress will be made. Misc Tips: I personally find I slip into the Aether/Astral often, even unintentialy, after exercise; however this may very well be due to the fact that I am a son of Ares (so my connection to physical labor is inof itself more spiritual than the average person). It might be worth seeing what helps you feel most connected to your divinity (if you are a Demigod/Divine Being/Monsterkind/etc, which I am assuming you are if you're here lol). You may also fall asleep while exploring the Astral while learning. This is completely fine and there is nothing wrong with it; as you have not yet fully integrated with the Astral, it is understandable that your physical body is still performing. You are, in the physical, shutting your eyes, getting comfortable, and doing nothing for a long period of time, and it's not surprising at all that your body and mind may process this as a time for rest. It is still practice, whether your body ends it by drifting off, or whether you end it consciously, or whether you snap out of it via being pulled back to your physical body/the physical world. Which brings me to returning to the physical. There are multiple ways to do this; on one hand, you can locate your body if you haven't gone far, and simply settle back into it, slowly adjusting to your bodily functions and movements again. You can set an alarm or otherwise experience a clear physical interruption, which will usually "jolt" your soul back into your body, making you become more actively conscious of the physical. If you are far from your body (or, if you are like me and do not even separate the soul from the body in your "visualization" at all), you can just try to let your thoughts turn back to the physical, whether you are feeling it or not; something like taking notice of the music (if it is there or if it has stopped), your bodily functions (gross but effective, especially if you've been ignoring your physical form for a while), any aches your body may be experiencing (I am a sloucher at heart), etc. The exact method will vary from person to person (as everything does).

‿‿ ⅲ。Are there any Good Places to Find Information on this Stuff?

This post is already very, very long, so I will try to make this section short: I do not have any resources currently for the Aether vs Astral since it is not a widely acknowledged thing; you can do research into the Aether, and you will see clearly why it has overlap, but since the Astral (as a term) developed separately from the Aether term, and the distance between the term Aether and modern witchcraft/spirituality spaces is very stark (since the replacement of Aether with Spirit as an element), there's not much to really look at in terms of modern neopagan/pop culture paganism/whatever resources about it. For Demigod stuff, I do have a directory/masterpost of resources coming soon, but that will have to wait. For astral projection, I (again) do not have much to offer, but something to look at is visualization, astral projection, and reality shifting; not because all of these are the same, but they all have overlap, and generally practicing one helps you practice the others. Seeing how different people and different groups have different methods of practicing can help you find and test various ways and see what works for you. Sorry I can't provide any direct links, but I also started writing this response at 10 at night (22:00) and it is now 2:30 in the morning. Puttin this shit in the queue, maybe I'll wake up in time to actually add my fun text colors and bold to this part or add real links but as it stands I fear I am going to just let Hypnos take me LMAO

Thank you for your curiosity, and I hope this answer has helped (or maybe even given you more questions). Ὑγίαινε (Hygíaine) !

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4 (You are Here)