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- (4574) Fri 21 May 93 12:53
- By: Glenda Stocks
- To: All Fido-New Age
- Re: Astral 1 of 4 [D]
- St:
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- the astral vision, but under certain other conditions it takes on the
- semblance of a vapory form of matter, and is perceptible to the ordinary
- physical senses as a "ghost" or "apparition," even when the person is in
- physical life. The astral body is an exact counterpart of the physical
- body, but survives the latter by a number of years. It is not immortal,
- however, and finally disintegrates and is resolved into its original
- elements just as is the physical body.
- The advanced occultist, in his astral body, is able to leave his
- physical body (which remains in a state of sleep trance) and to visit at
- will on the Astral Plane, even at points in space far removed from his
- physical body.
- He, however, is always connected with the physical body by a thin,
- cobweb-like, filament of etheral substance, which extends or contracts as
- he travels away from, or toward, the sleeping physical body. l[f this
- filament is broken by an accident on the Astral Plane, his physical body
- "dies" and he is never able to return to it. Such accidents are rare, but
- occult history has records showing their occasional occurrence.
- Many persons are able to travel in the astral body, during ordinary
- sleep, but usually have no recollection of the same upon reawakening. The
- occultist, on the other hand, travels consciously, and with a purpose, and
- always is wide-awake on such journeys. He is as much at home on the
- Astral Plane as on the physical one.
- And so, student, you see how the occult teaching regarding the Astral
- Plane has been obtained; and how such teaching has as firm a basis in
- actual experience as have those based upon physical observation,
- experiment, and experience. Moreover, every occultist may verify the
- teaching for himself - in fact actually does so.
-
-
- CHAPTER III.
- REALITY OF THE ASTRAL.
-
- It is customary among occultists to speak of the Astral Plane, simply
- as "the Astral" as for instance "out in the Astral;" "visiting the
- Astral;" "phenomena of the Astral;" "inhabitants of the Astral," etc.,
- etc. The student may as well familiarize himself with this use of the
- term "the Astral," in order to understand, and be understood by, others
- interested in occult study. Accordingly, I shall from now on use this
- term, "the Astral," as indicating the Astral Regions, - the Astral Plane -
- without further explanation.
- One of the hardest things for the elementary student to realize is that
- the Astral is just as real, abiding, and fixed as is the material world.
- Just as steam is actually as real as water, or even as ice, so is the
- Astral just as real as the world of the physical senses. For that matter,
- if we could see our world of matter placed under a sufficiently strong
- magnifying glass, we should perceive it not as a great body of solid fixed
- matter, but rather as an aggregation of an infinite number of the tiniest
- particles themselves built into atoms; these built into molecules; and
- these built into solid masses.
- The space between the ions of the material atom is as comparatively
- great as the space between the planets of our solar system. And every
- ion, atom and molecule is in constant and intense motion. Under a glass
- of sufficient power, there would seem to be nothing solid in the material
- world. If the magnifying glass were to be raised to an infinite power,
- even the ions would melt into seething nothingness, and there would be
- nothing left but the ether which has no weight and which is imperceptible
- to the senses even when aided by the strongest instruments of the
- laboratory. So you see, the solidity of things is merely relative and
- comparative. The vibration of substance on the Astral is higher than
- those of the material plane; but even the Astral vibrations are far slower
- than those of the next higher plane, and so on.
- To the traveller on the Astral the scenery, and everything connected
- therewith, seems as solid as the most solid material does to the physical
- eye. It really is just as solid as is the astral body in which you visit
- it, for that matter. As for reality, the Astral is just as real as is the
- material, in every respect.
- The Forces of Nature are not perceptible to the physical eye, except as
- manifesting through matter - but they are very real as all of us know by
- experience. you cannot see electricity, but when you receive its shock
- you realize its reality. You cannot see the force of gravity, but you
- become painfully aware of its reality when it drops an apple on your head
- ; or causes you to fall suddenly when you make a misstep on the curb of
- the street. In fact, it is realized by all advanced occultists, that if
- there really can be said to be any degrees in reality between things, the
- balance is in favor of the finer forms of substance and forces, and
- against the less fine.
- So, student, never permit yourself to think of the Astral as something
- comparatively unreal, or as only relatively existent. I, of course, am
- not speaking of Reality in the metaphysical sense of the term, for in such
- sense the entire manifested universe, including all of its planes, is
- unreal as compared to the One Reality. And, again, do not permit yourself
- to think of the astral senses as being one whit less real, reliable and
- important than those of the physical body. Each class of sense perception
- has its own proper field in which it is king. Each is master in its own
- realm. And there should be no attempt to draw distinctions of reality
- between them At the last, they are all but the mechanism of consciousness,
- or "awareness" each adapted to the peculiar requirements of its
- environment.
- [Continues in next message...]
-
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