I'd like to bring up an interesting point.  Many helpers discuise themselves as other people to better help that particular person in their situation.  They will discuise themselves as the most influential person that the helpee knows to better their chances of making progress.  I have read reports of helpers discuising themselves as a family member, and even as Jesus.  So an interesting question would be, could it be that these appearances of Jesus are not simply helpers taking on the form of Jesus in order to maximize their efficiency of helping?

The documented early Christian teaching about soul retrievals fits nicely with their encouragement of OBEs.  The Corinthian Christians were reveling in their OBEs.  Paul's only complaint about this is their mistake of viewing their astral exploration as a badge of their true spirituality.  In correcting this pious pretense, Paul reveals his own astral exploration, but qualifies this in a way  that would make Robert Monroe proud.   Like Monroe, Paul would prefer the term "phasing" because he is not convinced that the spirit actually "leaves the body when it has such ecstatic experiences:

"Let me tell you about visions and revelations I received from the Lord.  I was caught up into the third Heaven 14 years ago, whether in the body or out of the body, I don't know; only God knows.   But I do know that I was caught up into Paradise and heard things so astounding I'm not permitted to share them with you (2 Corinthians 12:2-3--NLT)."

I could supplement Paul's report with astral explorations by the biblical prohets, Isaiah, Ezekiel, and John (the author of the Book of Revelation).  As late as 200 AD, the orthodox church in North Africa, encouraged church members to practice astral exploration in the midst of Sunday worship:

"We have a sister in our midst whose lot it has been to be favored with various revelatory gifts, which she experiences in the Spirit by ecstatic vision right in the middle of the sacred rites of the Lord's day in church.  She converses with angels and semetimes even with the Lord.  She both sees and hears mysterious communications.  She discerns some men's hearts.  And to those who are in need she distrubutes [astral] remedies...After the people are dismissed,...she is in the regular habit of reporting to us whatever things she may have seen in visions.  For all her visions are examined with the most scrupulous care to probe their truth.   For example, she reported, `Among other things,...a spirit [her guide?] has been in the habit of appearing to me--not a void and empty illusion, but one that would offer itself to be grasped by the hand, soft and transparent, and of an ethereal color, resembling the form of a human being in every respect (Tertullian, De Anima 9:4).'"

Recently a Vatican Catholic official was quoted as saying that it is quite permissible fur us to converse with the dead.  Of course, it depends on how one tries to communicate with them.  The Catholic church would not endorse channeling, but does not condemn astral exploration or ADCs.  In fact, Pope Pius XII heard the first EVP tape in history.  The tape of Gregorian chants was interrupted by the voice of a priest's deceased father.  Upon hearing this discarnate father's voice responding to his son's frustrations at the time, the Pope remarked that EVPs might be a divinely approved way to prove the reality of the afterlife to a skeptical world!  You can read about this in David Fontana's chapter on EVPs in his book, "Is There an Afterlife?"

Don

Continuing with the last thread I wrote, here are related words form Bruce's fourth book "Voyage to Curiosity's father."

pg. 185 (the story of a light being)
"...but the people I appeared to could feel Christ's love in the light they saw when I appeared to them.  It didn't occur to me that that's what was happening until a few of the people I appeared to that way started asking me if I was Jesus! I told them no, of course. Then I began to wonder if maybe somehow having the love of Christ within me was really that much different than actually being Christ. That led to my great revelation.

Great revelation? (Bruce asked)

There are many places in the Bible that talk about the Kingdom of God being within. It was a great revelation when I realized that Jesus was a part of me through the love of God I felt within myself, and that I was a part of Jesus for the same reason.  Then I understood that Jesus is a part of me.  In a sense I am, or at least part of me is, Jesus.  My great revelation was that I am in God and God is in me.  I am a finger on the hand of God.  Just a finger, but no less God than any of the least of them."

The above sort of reminds me of the below portions of the Gospel of John (King Jame version, words of Jesus).

15-4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

15-5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Albert, many of the things you mention here regarding your own experiences, Bruces, and also things Don talks about I can relate to as well.

You seeing lights that look like stars is one of these.  On what I call the 7th layer / level / frequency of our being this is exactly what we look like and the feeling of this "crown layer" is the purest love you can imagine.

This is from which I took my handle here on the board.  Lights_of_Love because that is exactly what we are.  We all are the most beautiful Lights of Love!

Love, Kathy