[Haftdrarp]

I'm as certain that I can be that I astral project in my sleep, and have done so since I was a small child. I have memories of some "dreams" that I'm pretty sure were actually AP, and a couple of "dreams" that were intensely vivid and which I'm quite sure were actually AP.

Recently, I've been projecting again in my sleep, and I can tell because when I wake up I don't feel entirely rested and I can't remember ANY dreams (that's not usual for me; I've always been a dream rememberer ).

A couple of times I've had a spirit guide or ascended master come to me as I was trying to project and tell me to come with them (which I did; I recognised them, and yes, I do know to quiz them and make sure they're who they appear to be and to invoke the name of God to be sure, etc.), and I could feel the vibration, then see/feel the void and then.... I'm out like a light. Just totally out, suddenly, like being hit on the head or something, and the next day, no dream memories at all and the feeling that I haven't really rested well...

I do try to get out of my body voluntarily, but I usually have the same problem. The closest I've come to doing it voluntarily, I felt vibrations, I saw a sort of blue swirling light some distance from me (hard to describe that), and lost all awareness of my body and started to move toward the light, but was distracted by an external noise and sort of drifted back into my body, and when I started back out again, boom, out like a light, and no dream memories in the morning, along with the feeling of being tired.

I've been reading various writings on the subject and I feel certain that I CAN do this, I just can't work out the mechanics of how to do it without losing consciousness (and that's exactly what it feels like; it's like being put under anesthetic or something).

Thoughts, input, point me to information, etc., all would be appreciated. I really want to do this. I feel I'm ready and I feel that I'm actually supposed to learn to do it for spiritual growth, but I keep being quite frustrated that I can't keep consciousness while doing it (I know in my heart that I certainly AM leaving my body, though).

Do memories of OBEs sometimes come later? I think I read that somewhere... Is there some trick for keeping conscious? I do meditate regularly and have been working on this for a while. I'm patient, I'll keep at it, I just feel like I'm missing something vital...

Thanks.