In the works upon the subject of the Astral Plane,
particularly if the work be by one of the old authorities, there
will be found many references to what are called “earth-bound”
souls. As a rule, these references are to the lower order of
souls, which refuse to lift their mental gaze beyond the things
and scenes of earth, and which haunt their old scenes of
activity and life, finding therein the only pleasure that is
possible to them in their degraded condition. But, in this
consideration, we must not neglect a mention of a higher order
of souls who, unfortunately, are slow to break their earthly
bonds, and who cling closely to those who have been left behind
them. Let usconsider this last class for a moment.
It sometimes happens that a soul who is naturally fitted for the
normal life on the higher Astral Planes, is so tied and attached
to matters concerning earth-life, that after its awakening from
the soul-slumber it at first refuses to participate in the
normal Astral existence, but, instead, busies itself with the
affairs of earth-life which it should have left behind it. This
unfortunate condition arises generally from some sense of
unperformed duty, remorse, or anxiety about the welfare of some
loved one left behind. In such cases it actually hovers in space
around the presence of the person or place in which it is
interested, and, under extraordinary psychic conditions it may
actually make itself visible to the senses of persons in the
flesh.
To this class belong the poor afflicted souls which wander
about, haunting the scene of their earthly misdeeds, their
remorse causing them to make vain endeavors to undo or atone for
their misdeeds. Of course, these unfortunate souls are not fully
“wide-awake” on the Astral Plane, neither are they wide-awake on
the earth-life plane. Instead, they act like somnambulists, on
either plane, failing to partake of the normal life of either
phase of existence. Akin to these are those worried and
tormented souls who feel that they have left some duty or task
unfulfilled, and who in a somnambulistic condition hover around
their former scenes of life, endeavoring dreamily to set matters
right. A third class is composed of a few who are so attached
personally to souls left behind in the flesh, that they brood
over the loved persons, impotently striving to aid and guide
them.
In all of these cases, there is but one duty for those in the
flesh to perform—and that duty is plainly marked. This duty
consists in mentally advising the poor souls that their proper
scene of activity is on the Astral Plane; that their duty
demands that they cease brooding and hovering over earth scenes;
and that they yield themselves to the upward attraction, rise to
their proper plane of Astral existence, and enjoy the blessings
thereof.
Those who are conscious of the presence of disembodied souls of
this type should not shrink from this duty, no matter how much
it may pain them to instruct the disembodied soul in this way.
It is like talking to a young child, in the majority of cases,
(owing to the semi-sleep condition of the earth-bound soul of
this type). Although the soul may grieve and weep like a child,
like the child it should be bidden to do its duty and to go to
its spiritual abode. This advice will often be heeded by the
earthbound soul, and it will yield to the upward attraction, and
cease its troubled existence. However, in time, even without
such advice, the attraction of the higher spheres will prevail,
and the soul will rise to its rightful place on the Astral. We
caution everyone against encouraging the earth-bound soul to
remain. It is like encouraging the unborn child to remain in the
womb, or the unfolding butterfly to remain in the chrysallis
stage. No good comes from encouraging a violation of Nature’s
laws, on any plane of existence, including the Astral.
The lower class of earth-bound souls belong to an entirely
different category from those just mentioned. This lower class
is composed of souls of a very low degree of spiritual
development—those in which animality is predominant, and brutish
materiality the characteristic emotional attribute. These souls
are considered as “earth-bound” by reason of the fact that the
attraction of the material earth-plane so overbalances the urge
of the upward attraction that the latter is more than
neutralized, and the soul lives on a plane as near the material
plane as is possible to it. In fact, the lower planes of the
Astral inhabited by this class of souls is so little removed
from the material plane that it may be spoken of as almost a
transition stage between the material and the astral plane—a
blending of the two. It is as if a very thin veil were placed
between this plane and the scenes of material life—a
tantalizingly thin veil it is to these low souls—so that while
these souls may not actually participate in the earthly affairs,
they may yet be dimly conscious of them.
These low earth-bound souls, as a rule confine their earth
visitations and brooding to the actual scenes which have
attracted them in earth-life. And these souls take a fiendish
delight in trying to influence those of their own kind still in
the flesh, when in a muddled condition, urging them to fresh
infamies and often to actual crimes. In some extreme cases these
low souls have been known actually to seek their own discarded
Astral shell, or even that of another of their kind, and by a
great effort cause it to materialize for a short time in
objective form as a “ghost.” The nature of these entities
changes but little by their transition to the Astral, and they
take the same delight in “rough-house” performances, practical
jokes, etc., as in their days in the flesh. Many instances of
ghostly appearances, the throwing about of physical objects,
etc., have been due to this class of disembodied earth-bound
souls. They always may be dismissed and caused to disappear by
the person in the flesh showing them that he understands their
real nature, and bidding them begone. A bold front, and
authoritative command, coupled with words showing that their
pretenses are “seen through” will always rout these creatures,
and send them back where they belong, crestfallen and abashed.
Another favorite amusement of a certain class of this kind of
low disembodied souls, is that of appearing in Astral form, by
taking advantage of an Astral shell, in spiritualistic seances,
or other gatherings in which the psychic conditions are so
sufficiently strong and favorable as to aid in the
materialization.
In such cases these creatures often impudently strive to
impersonate other souls, either of some friend or relative of
some one present, or else of some historical character. Anyone
who has ever attended spiritualistic seances and seen “George
Washington,” or “Julius Caesar” appear and converse in the tone
and words of the Bowery, of Whitechapel, will readily
understand the reason thereof. A knowledge of this fact will
serve to throw light on many perplexing phases of psychic
phenomena.
These lower class souls, however, spend but a short term on the
Astral Plane, and very soon pass on to reincarnation in
surroundings corresponding with their natures, and to which they
are attracted by spiritual laws. Their whole attraction
being toward the physical and the material, there is nothing to
hold them on the Astral Plane, and their abode there is of
very brief duration, in the majority of cases. And, yet, even in
the very worst and most brutal person, then is always a little
of the good, and a spark of spiritual glow, which brightens a
little during each visit to the Astral Plane. And, in the course
of time,
this little spark is sufficiently kindled to manifest a tiny
blaze, which lights the way of the poor soul and illumines the
road toward higher things. So that even among these poor
entities there is at least a certain degree of hope and promise.
But the majority are degenerated and fallen souls—descended from
a once higher state—who, if they fail to profit by the pains of
the material life, are apt to tend still further downward until
kind Nature wipes them out as independent entities, and resolves
them back to their original spiritual elements.
There are sub-planes of the Astral so low and degraded that we
hesitate to mention them. They are inhabited by the very lowest
and most degraded and degenerate souls—souls which are on the
sure descent to annihilation, being unfit to serve as carriers
of the sacred plane. Of the details of these sub-planes, we
shall not speak at this place. Enough to quote the words of two
distinguished occultists, one of a former age, and one of
to-day. The old sage said of these sub-planes: “What manner of
place is this I see. It hath no water. It hath no air. It bath
no light. It hath no foundation. It is unfathomably deep. It is
as black as the blackest night.” The latter-day investigator
says: “Most students find the investigation of this section an
extremely unpleasant task for there appears to be a sense of
density and gross materiality about it which is indescribably
loathsome to the liberated Astral body, causing the sense of
pushing its way through some black viscous fluid, while the
inhabitants and influences there are unusually undesirable.”
It should scarcely be necessary to warn persons not to dabble in
psychic phenomena of a material character, which brings
them more or less into contact with these lower planes of the
Astral. But, nevertheless, we do wish to set forth this warning
in this place, just as we have elsewhere in our works. For there
is always the temptation and fascination of the unknown for many
persons, usually those who are not familiar with the phenomena
of the Astral Plane. Such persons, like “fools, rush in where
angels fear to tread,” and attract to themselves all sorts of
undesirable Astral entities and conditions. Our general advice
on this subject is: keep the mind fixed on the higher truths of
the spirit, and the higher life of the soul; and turn the face
resolutely away from the lower forms of psychic phenomena; in
fact, do not seek “phenomena” at all, but seek ever the Truth
which, when known, makes all other things clear.
Seek ever the sunshine of Spirit, and avoid the baleful glare of
the psychic moon.
