Was I dreaming or Astral Projecting?

Recently, I've had some odd experiences as I lay down to sleep. As I lay there, I can feel myself falling asleep, its as if I am aware of my body is sleeping but my mind is awake. During this time, I "see" blackness around me but there's a slight tinge of purple to it as well. Almost as if I were looking at the darkness through purple pane of glass. Other than that I don't notice any sights or sounds.

Shortly, after I noticed this happening, I started to receive visits from animals while in this state. Rather than seeing or hearing them, its more like I sense them and know who they are. For the most part, there are two tigers who come by the most, one who is very old and another who is a young adult. Each has distinct way of speaking and thought patterns but they both like to call me cub.

So far they've just been giving me advice about life. Although sometimes what they say contradicts one another, it can actually get pretty amusing to hear them argue.

My old pet dog/wolf hybrid ThunderPaw who died about 10 years, also spoke to me once as well. Although he just stopped by once to say hi and let me know he was off having fun. He seemed to be aware of the tigers and commented on them, he didn't understand them really but didn't seem inclined to disrespect them either.

For those more experienced with AP does this sound anything like it or am I simply having dreams? It just strikes me as odd because since it started happening, it happens fairly regularily, like 4-5 times a week now. I've read a little on AP but this doesn't sound anything like what I've read.

I'm not sure if this is related in anyway but I've been trying to put this in perspective on my own and so far this is the only thing that's close that I can come up with. About a month ago, I had a dream about being a fish. I'm guessing I was a salmon, because I remember swimming upstream. I had jumped out of the water and landed on some rocks, when a bear came by and picked me up in his mouth. The bear told me not to worry, he just came to give me a message that I had a couple spirit guides who wanted to help me but didn't want to reveal themselves quite yet. One in particular because it was also helping someone else I know and it needed to do some work still. After that he pretty much threw back in the water, I don't remember anything after that.

I'd be glad to hear anyone's thoughts on what this might be. Thanks.

I don't know if you're astrally projecting as much as you may be communicating on an astral plane.

I would also say it depends on your ancestry. If you're native american, animal totems are very powerful and even are heavily mentioned in most tribal creator myths.

The tigers are of course Asian, but also powerful symbols.

I would say, if these are recurring visits and you are also communicating with other animals such as the bear and your deceased pet, that you are communing on another plane of existence, so it is and is not a dream but I don't know if I would classify it as typical astral projection.

You are very fortunate and should write down and enjoy your talks with these totems for as long as you can.

Happy traveling ya lucky bastard.

SpiderJ

Well, to my knowledge I don't have either Native American or any Asian ancestry. Mostly just Germanic/Prussian and Greek.

Ack, I should have thought to write down what they were saying before. It hadn't crossed my mind until you mentioned it, as it was all about my personal life and just kind of sunk in.

I am enjoying the chats very much, its not something I was actively seeking to accomplish so I was trying to make sense of it all. Your explanation is reasonable, although I'm trying to figure out why me and wondering what else it may lead to.

I wouldn't worry to much about the "why me" factor, just enjoy it.

Why me is kind of a waste of time unless it's a disturbing experience. Just enjoy it and see what happens.

SPiderj

Greetings.

Yes, it might be an astrally based experience, if not fully astral because you don't seem to have control over it.

The experience sounds shamanic in nature. Each person supposedly has an spirit guide/s, that are here to help us or better term guide us into our goals or "Destinies".

These spirits usually manifest in a form, that you feel yourselfs connected to. In a soul level, even if you are not aware of it. There is a disctinction between soul level and concius level.

One could say, that souls are memories of states experienced while in conciusness, and conciusness is the core you experiencing these things.

Hope this helps.

BF.