Astral projection (or
astral travel) is an interpretation of an
out-of-body experience (OBE) that assumes the existence of an "
astral body" separate from the
physical body and capable of travelling outside it. Astral projection or travel denotes the astral body leaving the
physical body to travel in an
astral plane. The idea of astral travel is rooted in common worldwide religious accounts of the
afterlife in which the consciousness' or soul's journey, or "ascent", is described in such terms as "an... out-of-body experience, wherein the spiritual traveller leaves the physical body and travels in his/her subtle body (or "dreambody", or "astral body") into ‘higher’ realms." It is frequently reported in association with dreams, and forms of meditation.