Black figures

You know I experienced the same thing last 4months reading this I know that I was just projecting in my sleep but it happens random can't you from like a bubble over yourself mentally?

Maybe you shouldn't astral project, you might be in a location that has a portal, and you may be traveling into a dimension you don't need to be in. Pathways, dimensions, portals, can be anywhere, and it's is believed people have actually entered them and not returned. The swinging pendulum does not mean a curse, it's most likely a symbol of some kind, that your subconscious is projecting.

Now that being said, if these things are happing while you are awake, you may have a problem in your home, and may need a medium to help cleanse your home. Seeing black figures can mean lots of things, they could be shadow people (not good) or just a spirit wanting to scare you, (they will project what they think will scare you) It could be any number of astral nasty's out there.
Id make sure there is not a portal in your home before I tried to astral project again.