[Olphander]

Thanks so much for your thoughtful reply.
One issue this raises for me, and I know this might get thorny, is that there is a presumption that religions/spiritual paths are mostly dogmatic and archaic, and I've found this to be more often than not simplistic in my own experience. Especially in the mystical strands of the great religions, spiritual development is in full bloom, as it always has been.
One of my mentors once told me to be like a tree whos roots are firmly planted in your own tradition and culture, but with taproots branched out to all people.
To concretize this a little, I was born and raised Muslim, in a mutli racial and multi religious family. My father is Punjabi, my mother is Irish and in addition to Muslims I have many Christian and Sikh family members. I find the stories and traditions of Islam meaningful in my spiritual life. I learn from friends of all faiths and non faith perspectives.
The symbols I grew up with are more than a dogma, they are a way of naming and seeing, much like the language one speaks based on where they were born.
I grew up hearing about the Prophet's heavenly journey, and the many mystics who followed in his path and had their own spiritual journey, or Mir'aj into the multitude of heavenly relams and worlds.
I heard of the Latifs, or subtle energy points on the body that make up the energetic system of the human.
This personal example is only to illustrate the vast ocean available across the globe. When I began having OBE experiences it was difficult to take on a whole new vocabulary when I knew that there were terms of Arabic, Farsi, Urdu, Punjabi, Hindi and other languages close to me that described the same thing. I know the same can be applied to others who value Aramaic, Sanskrit, Bali, Chinese, Japanese, Hebrew etc etc etc.
I in no way think that the system we have is inadequate. I would not condemn it because it is important. People like Robert Monroe, Robert Bruce and their predecessors have done so much, and I am very grateful to them.
I don't know if I am the one to take on this task. If anything, I would like to do it with others deeply immersed in their own paths. Perhaps a compilation of OBE related vocabulary, annecdotes, stories and scriptural references from various traditions and cultures. I could see this becoming quite encyclopedic in length. I would appreciate any informaton you could share. Thanks and I look forward to seeing what others have to say.
Azeem