One of the most common questions people have about astral projection is: will I meet something? The answer is yes — almost certainly. The astral plane is populated. The more interesting questions are: what are these beings, what determines which ones you encounter, and how should you interact with them?
The nature of what you encounter varies enormously depending on your state of mind, the depth of your projection, and the region of the astral you're in. Based on hundreds of firsthand accounts across the literature, here are the most commonly reported categories of astral entities.
1. Other Projectors
You're not the only one exploring. Many projectors report encountering other conscious beings who seem to be human — either people they know or complete strangers. These encounters often have a distinctive quality: mutual recognition, communication through thought (telepathy), and a sense of meeting someone who is clearly an independent consciousness. Robert Monroe called these "fellow travelers." Some researchers speculate that many of the people you encounter in the astral are other humans projecting unconsciously during sleep — which is to say, you're meeting people in their dreams.
2. Autonomous Entities
The most debated category. These are beings that appear to be independent, non-human consciousnesses — not reflections of your mind, not other humans, but distinct entities with their own agenda and personality. Descriptions vary wildly: humanoid figures of light, tall shadowy forms, animal-human hybrids, geometric or crystalline beings, and beings of pure energy or sound. Some projectors report deep interactions with these entities, including receiving teachings or guidance. Others report completely neutral encounters. Hostile encounters are rare but get the most attention. C.W. Leadbeater's The Astral Plane: Its Scenery, Inhabitants and Phenomena offers a detailed traditional taxonomy of astral beings that still informs how many practitioners understand these encounters.
There is no consensus on what these entities actually are. Possible explanations include: independent non-physical beings (the esoteric view), personified aspects of the projector's own psyche (the psychological view), or culturally-shaped hallucinations in a state of heightened suggestibility (the skeptical view). Your interpretation will depend on your worldview — which is fine. What matters is how you handle the encounter.
3. Thought-Forms and Constructs
The astral plane responds to thought. Strong emotions, expectations, and visualizations can create semi-stable forms that appear and behave as if they were independent entities. If you expect to see a guardian at a threshold, you'll likely see one. If you're afraid of demons, you may encounter fear-shaped beings. If you're expecting helpful guides, they tend to show up.
This doesn't mean all entities are your own creation. But it does mean that the astral has a "mirroring" quality — your state of mind strongly shapes what you encounter. The most common advice from experienced projectors is: approach every entity with calm curiosity, assess its quality by how it feels rather than how it looks, and trust your intuition about whether to engage or disengage.
4. Sleep Paralysis Figures
Many people who attempt projection through the WILD method encounter figures during the hypnagogic or sleep paralysis stage. These are the famous (or infamous) "hag" or "intruder" figures — the old woman sitting on the chest, the shadowy man in the corner, the sense of a presence in the room. These are generally understood in the lucid dreaming literature as hypnagogic imagery generated by the brain during the transition to REM. They feel intensely real — more real than ordinary imagination — but they tend to dissolve if you confront them or ignore them.
5. Elementals and Nature Spirits
In traditions ranging from Theosophy to indigenous shamanism to Western folk magic, the astral plane is said to be home to non-human beings associated with natural forces — elementals (connected to earth, air, fire, water), devas, nature spirits, and the like. Projectors who spend time in natural astral environments (forests, oceans, mountains) sometimes report encountering these beings. They typically seem indifferent to humans unless approached with respect.
6. Guides and Guardians
Many projectors report encounters with beings that appear to be helpers — offering guidance, protection, or information. These may take the form of human teachers, animal spirits, geometric beings of light, or religious figures depending on the projector's background. The skeptic says these are self-generated guides, useful but not objectively real. The esotericist says they are real beings who help humans navigate the astral. Functionally, the difference doesn't matter much — if a guide gives you useful information, treat it with respect but verify it against your own experience.
How to Interact with Entities
Regardless of what entities are or where they come from, the same practical advice appears across every tradition:
- Stay calm. Fear attracts fear-shaped experiences. If you feel afraid, center yourself, breathe, and remember you're in control.
- Be polite but discerning. Treat every entity with basic respect. You don't need to trust everything you encounter, but approaching with hostility is rarely productive.
- Trust your gut. If an entity feels off or makes you uncomfortable, you can disengage instantly by intending to move away or return to your body.
- Don't follow instructions blindly. Some entities will test your discernment by giving advice. Listen, consider, and decide for yourself.
- Use your own judgment. The astral is a domain of direct experience, not external authority. Your own discernment is your best guide.