An expansion of consciousness is sometimes called an out-of-body-experience (OOBE).   An expansion is used to examine yourself or aspects of your mind, or thoughts, or your feelings.  It is a method you can use to go outside yourself and observe and learn about your true self.

As you expand outside the limits of your body, focus the bounds or limits, you focus them on an aspect you wish to examine.  This is not astral travel for the mind is still in control. Either the conscious or the subconscious mind is still controlling the experience..  Since the mind is in control you may control the meditation.

Once you feel the expansion, one may then direct the attention or focus of the thoughts.  If the conscious mind is in charge then you may direct consciously at the time.  If the subconscious is in charge then it will lead where will or you may program it before hand. 

Question:         How do you direct the mind during an expansion?
Answer:            After you become aware that you have gone beyond the bodily limits, note several things as points of interest.

The feeling of energy flow of the spirit i increases and note that feeling..

Next, note that you do not see your physical world if you have your eyes closed, but that you feel or experience your bounds by feelings of freedom or no constraints.  This is new, yet to your mind, they react by setting them.  With experience, as you relax in this state and grow accustomed, then allow your minds to look beyond the limits.  You will find eventually that there are no limits to the expansion; only those you choose.  So the concept is to focus the limits to the direction you wish to examine.

Question          What is the difference between astral travel and out of body experience? 
Answer            During an out-of-body experience the mind is alert.  During astral travel, the mind is subject to the soul. In traveling, the soul leaves the body. 

Question:         What do you do once you obtain an expansion?
Answer:            You enjoy it an experience the feelings.

Question:         Is there anything past the expansion?
Answer:            No.  Recall that an expansion is an expansion of the mind.  It is not travel, therefore, an expansion is limited only to the minds ability to generate thoughts, ideas, and feelings, but the conscious mind can not escape or go past itself.   Therefore, you experience only what the mind can imaging.  This is why travel is needed to gain further insight.

Question:         Then what good is an expansion?
Answer:            The mind needs to practice for travel and it is a pleasant, although unusual experience.

Question:         Do all people experience expansion in meditation?
Answer:            No.  Many try to obtain this experience and fail.  For some this is the highlight and culmination of their lives.  Many books have been written on the experience and many books are in error on the experience, for they are written without understanding. The ability to expand is a gift.

Question           During an expansion I had a very confining, heavy feeling.  What was that?  Why did I feel that way?
Answer:            The answer is that you expanded beyond your comfort limits and your mind lost control of the meditation.  This caused the heavy feeling or the lack of bodily control.  Because you passed beyond your minds accepted limits, the mind says this is too far.

Question:         Is this dangerous?
Answer:            No.  It will not cause you physical or mental harm.

Question:         Why and how does this happen?
Answer:            Energies were high an allowed you to expand beyond the minds comfort limits allowing the mind to become out-of-control of the meditation.

Question:         How do you then control an expansion?
Answer:            The conscious mind needs to realize the limits that the expansion is at.  Once its comfort limits are reached, then allow no further expansion.  At first, this may be done by withdrawing from the meditation, but with experience, you may learn to control the area or mass of expansion or the space enclosed by the expansion.  One technique to do this is by visualizing a path or road or perhaps a string, or a line, or something that connects with the beginning of the meditation.  Therefore, realizing that you may follow this back to the beginning and therefore not become lost; or expand beyond a set limit.  If a line or string or ribbon is used, a predetermined amount can be chosen and that will stop the expansion once the end is reached.  Or if a path or road or a visible object that you follow is used, then a landmark may be selected at which point you will return or not past beyond.  After each successive meditation, the length of line or landmark may be comfortably extended.  The basic concept is that your mind should control the situation.

If you expand beyond the mind, then it may become possible after many trials, to then examine the mind from beyond the mind.  The benefit of this type of meditation is that you obtain a true picture of yourself.  There are aspects of ourselves that we hide from ourselves, both good and bad.  The problem with this type of exercise is that the negative aspects of our personality generally have greater emphasis or focus that the positive and this may cause one to become discouraged.  But if you realize that negative thoughts are generally stronger than the positive, and balance the information received accordingly, there can be some benefit.

I should emphasize that you obtain the outside view of yourself through trial and error.  Because you are beyond your conscious mind, you have no control and therefore may seem to wander; by eventually you will stumble upon your conscious mind and examine it.  The way you extract yourself from this type of mediation is to have a partner who is watching you and able to awake you, or by consciously willing yourself to end the meditation.  The first two are somewhat easier, although more jolting.  The later is of course a fail safe method to return, but requires tremendous concentration and energy expenditure.  So it is generally good practice that if you desire such a meditation to have sufficient spiritual reserves to accomplish your pursuit. 

Meditation is a process used to get into a realm of quiet where thoughts, impressions, images can freely flow.  There are many different types of meditation.  Select a way which works for you.