Like anything else, astral travel is a natural ability that we can control with practice. A simple skill I had to learn because I once was incapable of remembering my dreams. All dreams are astral travel, the trick is to control this reflex we trigger every night. Every night, we naturally go to zones of the astral world known as "buffer zones", where we cast our inner challenges and subconscious concerns for us to explore (and resolve).

Visualization is the process, related to astral travel, of using buffer zones to cast, consciously, a scene we wish to explore or use as a training ground, for specific rituals (such as the ritual of the Shadow, which I will explain in another entry). Some also regard visualization as a means to reach any part of the universe at will.

As I said, I once was unable to travel consciously or remember my dreams, and that was only a few months ago. Everyone can learn to control the processes of astral projection and visualization; what helped me most was a daily 30-minute meditation routine, as follows.

1) Wear comfortable clothes, make sure the temperature is warm enough and you are in a comfortable context where noise, or physical sensations, won't disturb you.

2) Root.  Meaning : lay or sit with your spine as straight as possible. Head at the North or East is better, because it will help to automatically push the prana towards your 3rd eye. But this is not necessary - I can, now, astral travel while on the bus, or in any other setting (doing it while driving, though, is not advised).

3) Ground. : open up your chakras, and/or simply deeply relax your body.

So far, all steps are completely similar to a healing meditation.

4) Then, let your mind find silence through the inner eye tutorial and exercise (found here : http://www.lightworkers-federation.com/?q=node/9 )

That's it. There are a couple of extra tricks, but training this way will already lead you to sensations and visions from the astral. The next entry will be about training with visualization, e.g. the ability to remember dreams, and paint or change the astral (because thoughts are a creative act in the astral world - they instantly get a usable form).