The word astral projection can be a bit misleading. The common definition assumes the existence of an "astral body" separate from the physical body and capable of traveling outside it. The experience of leaving our physical body is really just an interpretation or metaphor that was developed in order to explain the phenomena. When we astral project we are experiencing pure consciousness and the larger consciousness system. We are not so much leaving our bodies; we do not have to go anywhere because we are already there. Our consciousness is already out of body. We are just letting our awareness flow into a different information set in the larger consciousness system. We are getting "into" our consciousness when we astral project.