Students of occultism, Oriental and Occidental, find many
references in the works of the old authorities, to that great
series of planes, immediately above those of the material world,
which are loosely styled the 'Astral Plane.'
But they find the various authorities differing in their usage
of the term. Many of the older authorities use the term, as we
shall in this book, to designate the entire series of planes
lying between those of the material world and those very exalted
planes of existance, known as the gSpiritual Planesh the very
nature of which is beyond the comprehension of the mind of the
average man.
On the other hand, some of the modern Western writers on the
subject use the term the Astral Plane to indicate merely
the lower planes and sub-planes of the Astral series - those
planes which blend into the material planes on the one hand
and into the higher Astral planes on the other. This has caused
some confusion in the minds. of those beginning the study of the
planes above the material.
In this book, as in our previous volumes, we follow the example
of the ancient authorities, and apply the term, as
they did, to the entire great series of planes lying between the
material planes and the highest spiritual planes. We consider
this plan preferable, for the reason that it is more simple, and
tends to prevent the student from being confused by reason of
many technical distinctions.
The Astral Plane is composed of numberless planes and
sub-planes, and divisions of sub-planes, rising in a gradually
ascending scale from those which touch and blend in with the
higher material planes, to those which touch and blend into the
lower strata (if the term may be so used) of the great spiritual
planes. But between these two extremes is to be found the
greatest possible variety of phenomena and phases of existence.
On the lower planes of the Astral are manifested the psychic
activities which men know as clairvoyance, clairaudience,
telepathy, psychometry, etc. On other of the lower planes of the
Astral are to be found certain forms of the 'ghosts,' 'spooks,'
and other apparitions of disembodied souls which occasionally
are perceived and sensed by man and some of the lower animals.
On certain of these planes, also, the Astral bodies of men still
in the flesh travel and manifest activity, either during the
sleep of the owner of the body, or in certain trance conditions,
or else when the owner deliberately leaves the physical body for
the time being and projects his Astral Body on the Astral Plane.
The Astral colors are auras, which surround the physical bodies
of all human beings, also manifest on certain sub.planes
of the Astral. Certain other sub.planes may be called 'the
planes of psychic forces' by means of which various forms of
psychic phenomena are performed. On similar lower planes are to
be found the 'thought.forms,' 'thought.waves,' 'thought-clouds,'
etc., emanating from the minds of human beings, whichtravel
about affecting the thoughts and emotions of those who attract
them and who are attuned to their own psychic keynote. We
mention these only in passing, and for generalinformation,
rather than in detail, for these phenomena have been considered
in other volumes of these series of books.
Some of the lower sub.planes of the Astral are far from being
healthy or agreeable places to visit, or upon which to function,
for the untrained person. In fact the experienced occultist has
as little to do with them as possible, and advise all dabblers
in occultism to avoid these miasmatic psychic regions as he
would a swampy, fever.laden region on the material plane.
Many persons have wrought great injury to themselves from
attempting to penetrate these lower planes without a correct
knowledge of the nature thereof, many having wrecked their
bodies and minds by foolishly producing or inducing psychic
conditions which cause them to function on these lower psychic
planes. The old adage which informs us 'that fools rush in where
angels fear to tread,' applies in full force in this case.
Some of these lower Astral sub.planes are filled with Astral
forms of disembodied human beings, the higher principles of
whom are still attached to the Astral body, and which are held
earth.bound by reason of the attraction of the material world.
In this region also dwell for a time the very scum of
disembodied human life, having every attraction to hold them
down to the things of the material world, and nothing to draw
them upward.
It is pitiful to see persons, who would not think of associating
with this class of persons in the flesh, nevertheless welcoming
psychic intercourse and communication with the same class in the
Astral, accepting them as gblessed spiritsh and gbeautiful
souls.h The disgust which comes to many persons who dapple in
'spirit return' at a certain class of seances, is readily
understood when we understand the character of the entities
which inhabit these low planes. Some of these scoundrelly
dwellers on the lower Astral planes frequently counterfeit
friends and relations of the inquirer, much to the pained
surprise of the latter.
As the planes ascend in degree we leave this class of entities
behind, and enter the realms where abide the disembodied souls
of those of higher degrees of spirituality. Higher and higher
rise the scale of planes and sub.planes, until at last are
reached the realms of the blessed.the temporary abiding
plac of those who have attained a high degree of spiritual
development, the gheaven worldsh which the religions of the
race have sought to define according to their creeds and
traditions. And, just as in the creeds of the race have been
postulated the existence of 'hells' to oppose the idea of
'heaven,' so in the Astral world, as might be expected, are to
be found certain lower planes in which dwell the disembodied
souls of persons of brutal natures and tendencies, in which the
inevitable result of their earth-life is worked out. But these
hells of the Astral are not eternal.
The disembodied soul in turn may work out into a better
environment.may be given 'another chance.' The Catholic
conception of 'purgatory' also has its Astral existence, in the
form of certain sub.planes in which, as Hamlet's fathers ghost
has said: the foul crimes done in my days of nature are burned
and purged away, but not in the fire of materiality, the fires
of memory and imagination sufficing.
In short, on the great Astral plane are to be found conditions
corresponding with nearly, if not all, of the conceptions formed
by the mind of man in connection with the religions of all times
and places. These conceptions have not arisen by mere chance.
They are the result of the experience of certain of the race who
in some way established psychic connection with some of the many
Astral Planes, each of whom, according to his own nature and
inclinations, reported his experiences to his fellows, who
afterward incorporated them in the various religions of the
world. It will be remembered that every race of human beings has
had its traditions of the place of departed souls, the
description varying greatly and yet all agreeing in some
particulars. As we proceed, we will see how these reports were
obtained, and how the varying reports may be harmonized and
understood in connection with each other.
The term Astral of course means 'of or pertaining to the stars.'
It originally came into use in connection with occultism
by reason of the common idea of men that the other side is 'up
in the skies;' among the clouds, or in the regions of the stars.
Even in our own day, when the idea of heaven as a place has
passed from the minds of intelligent persons, it is quite
natural for us to raise the eyes in speaking of heaven, or to
point aloft when we wish to indicate the abode of the blessed.
It is difficult to shake off the habitual concepts of the race,
and while we know better than to suppose that there is any
special up or down in the Cosmos, still, we have the old
inherited race-habit of thought which causes us to think of the
higher realms of the soul as up toward the stars. And, in a
similar manner, the old term Astral has persisted in occult
terminology.
Once more we must caution the student against confounding the
idea of the Astral Plane with the idea of place or places.
There is no such place as the Astral Plane. The Astral Plane is
neither up nor down, neither north, south, east or west. It lies
in no special direction, and yet it lies in all directions. It
is, first, last, and always, a state or condition and not a
place. It is rather a phase or degree of vibration, rather than
a portion of space.
Its dimensions are those of Time.not those of Space. When we use
the words; region; realm; higher or lower; above or
below; we employ them merely figuratively, just as we speak of a
high rate of vibration, or a rate or vibration above that, etc.
We find it necessary to repeat this caution, for the reason that
the average student falls into the pitfall of error in
connecting the idea of plane with that of place, when there
should be no mental association between the two.
