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- (4588) Fri 21 May 93 12:53
- By: Glenda Stocks
- To: All Fido-New Age
- Re: Astral 1 of 4 [C]
- St:
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- star," and was originally used in describing the heavens of the Greeks -
- the abodes of their gods. From this sense and usage the term widened in
- application, until it was employed to indicate what might be called the
- "ghostland" of the ancient people. This ghostland was believed to be
- inhabited by beings of an etheral nature, not only disembodied spirits,
- but also angelic beings of a higher order.
- The ancient occultists of Greece, and other Western lands, thus
- naturally fell into the custom of using the familiar term to indicate that
- which we know as the Astral Plane in modern occultism. Of course, the
- Oriental occultists had their own terms for this plane of manifestation,
- which terms were derived from old Sanskrit roots, and which were much
- older than the Greek terms. But, as the use of Sanskrit terms has a
- tendency to confuse Western students, the best Oriental teachers, today,
- in teaching Western students, almost always use the old Greek occult
- terms.
- At this point, I must answer a question which usually presents itself
- to the mind of the intelligent student at about this particular stage of
- the teaching. It is probably in the mind of the student who is reading
- these words, at this particular moment. The Question may be stated as
- follows: "How is it possible for anyone to speak intelligently of the
- phenomena of the Astral Plane, if that plane is on a higher vibratory
- scale than the physical senses. How can one visit, and perceive things on,
- the Astral Plane, without his body being dematerialized?"
- This question is a natural and perfectly fair one, and evidences the
- inquiring mind which the true occultist always possesses. And no true
- occult teacher will hesitate for a moment in frankly answering it. For,
- remember this always, my students, the occult teaching is not based merely
- on the principles laid down as "gospel" by the old occultists. Respect,
- yes! Great respect is paid to these old teachings, of course, but every
- advanced occultist knows that he must actually experience the
- manifestation of occult phenomena before he can positively pronounce the
- same to be an occult truth. Such experience comes to every advanced
- occultist, when he reaches the necessary stage of development which alone
- renders such experience safe for him. Like the scientist, the true
- occultist learns by his own experience, built upon the recorded previous
- experience of others. To the advanced occultist the phenomena of the
- Astral Plane is just as real - just as readily sensed - as is the
- phenomena of the material plane to those functioning upon it.
- But, to answer the question: One does not have to disintegrate or
- dematerialize his physical body in order to visit or sense the Astral
- Plane and its phenomena. There are two avenues of approach to the Astral
- Plane, as follows: (1) by the employment of the astral senses; and (2) by
- visiting in the so-called "astral body." Let us consider each of these
- avenues in turn.
- By the term "the astral senses," occultists indicate that wonderful
- secondary set of senses, corresponding in office to the five physical
- senses, by means of which man is able to receive impressions on the Astral
- Plane.
- Each of the physical senses of man has its astral counterpart, which
- functions on the astral plane just as the physical senses do upon the
- material plane. Thus every man has, in latency, the power of seeing,
- hearing, feeling, smelling, and tasting, on the astral plane, by means of
- these five astral senses. Nay more, as all advanced occultists know, man
- really has seven physical senses instead of five, though these additional
- two senses are not sufficiently developed for use in the average person
- (though the occultist of fair attainment generally unfolds them into use).
- And even these two extra physical senses also have their astral
- counterparts.
- In the cases of persons who, accidentally or through cartful training,
- have developed the power of astral vision - perception through astral
- sight - the scenes of the Astral Plane are perceived just as clearly as
- are those of the material plane perceived by the physical sense of sight.
- The ordinary clairvoyant has flashes of this astral vision, as a rule,
- and is not able to sense astrally by an act of will. The trained
- occultist, on the other hand, is able to shift from one set of senses to
- another, by an act of will, whenever he wishes to do so. In fact, such
- occultists may function on both planes at the same time, in this way, if
- they so desire.
- In cases of clairvoyance, or astral visioning, the occultist remains in
- his physical body, and senses the phenomena of the Astral Plane quite
- naturally or easily. It is not necessary for him even to enter into a
- trance condition, or any abnormal mental state or condition. And still
- less is it necessary for him to leave his physical body in such cases. In
- the instance of the higher form of clairvoyance, he may even sense events
- both on the physical plane, as well as the astral planes, at a distance -
- though, strictly speaking, this belongs to a somewhat different order of
- occult phenomena. To vision astrally, the occultist has merely to shift
- his sensory mechanism, just as the operator of the typewriter shifts from
- the small letter type to the capitals by a shift-key. This, then, is the
- simplest and most common way of occult sensing on the Astral Plane. It is
- possible to many to whom the second method is impossible.
- The second avenue of approach to the Astral Plane is that in which the
- individual leaves his physical body, and actually travels on the Astral
- Plane in his astral body. The astral body is composed of an etheral
- substance of a very high degree of vibration. It is not mere matter, and
- yet is not mere force - it is composed of astral substance which resembles
- very fine matter, but which is far more tenuous than anything that is
- known as matter. Ordinarily the astral body can be sensed only by means of
- [Continues in next message...]
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