p.

plane

111

Above these three are the causal, devachanic, buddhic, and

112

Each higher level is closer to divine perfection than the one below it." [AP, pp. 16-7]

"Esoteric teachings state that, preferably through the protection and guidance of a qualified teacher, almost anyone can ... consciously enter and utilize the invisible worlds."

{The teacher is so qualified if already in personal communication with a divine spirit-guide, who can thereupon introduce the disciple to another deity who will serve as that disciple’s own spirit-guide. One’s own spirit-guide can transport one into the invisible worlds. – Such is the procedure in achieving shamanhood.}

p.

divine denizens

113

"In the invisible worlds, ... According to esoteric literature, case studies, and my personal experience, a strange

114

mixture of entities inhabits the invisible worlds, existing in forms that appear as human, animal, and otherwise. ... Some appear as ordinary people, some as majestic beings of radiant matter clad in shimmering robes. ... Others are seen as benevolent deities in glorious heavens, expecting appeasement from humans and bestowing blessings in return."

115

"Nature spirits are individualized, intelligent astral entities known ... as gnomes (earth), undines (water), sylphs (air), and salamanders (fire/ether)." [AP, pp. 92-125]

116

"exalted celestial beings ... are capable of only good thoughts and actions".

117

thought-made worlds : The divine denizens within the higher "heavenly worlds create their own thought-like surroundings – beautiful cities with well-designed buildings and colorful gardens, and countrysides with forests, lakes, and mountains. Although created mentally ..., these environments are substantial enough to ... [be] perceptible to other entities on the upper astral plane, as well as those on the lower subdivisions who have developed sufficient clairvoyant vision." [AP, p. 32]

p.

invisible body

117

"Considered to be a part of the physical body, the etheric body is made up of various grades of

{It is not always considered to be a part of the material body, but often (akin to the silver cord) intermediary between the material and astral bodies.}

118

ether and serves as a mould for the physical body. [AP, p. 24]

{In The Second Ring of Power (1977) is described "losing "human form", human mould" ("CCBS2").}

The etheric body is also called the vital body, because it absorbs the life energy, prana [pran.a], from the environment.

Finer than either physical or etheric matter, astral matter forms the astral body. ... The astral body ... transforms emotions and desires into a form which we can experience ... . [AB, p. 23] Because of its role in the formation of emotions and desires, the astral body is often referred to as the desire body."

119

Still higher, on the upper mental plane, is the finest of all the forms, the causal body, which esoteric teachings consider to be the vehicle of the higher self." [AP, p. 22]

"The ego, which in esoteric terminology comprises the true individual,

{It is not the "ego" (Skt. /ahamkara/ ‘egotism’), which is the source of all delusion, that can be the "true individual"; rather, indeed, the true individual" is /atman/ ‘self’, which can be set free from the delusion of ahamkara.}

is expressed in all these forms".

{The atman is not so much "expressed in" these subtle/subliminal bodies, as much as, rather, such bodies are said, as kos`a-s (‘sheaths’) to surround and enclose the atman.}

p. 121

"Minor alterations are common, such as ... that an object may appear as a mirror image of its physical counterpart with right and left turned around. For example, during one astral adventure, my watch dial was reversed."

p. 122

"Finally, due to some astral entities’ extraordinary abilities and tendencies to deceive, we may be subjected to illusions." [AP, pp. 28-9]

{A writer ought beware of applying terms such as "deceive" and "illusions" to activities of divine beings, who on account of any perceived slight or insult might condemn one’s soul so some awful fate after death. The purposes of divine beings may well be beyond mortal ken.}

p. 122

"Another explanation ... may be that astral consciousness is perceiving a past or future aspect of the physical environment."

{About the only way that someone could witness scenes of past events would be by visiting a "virtual environment" display in the Hall of Akas`ik Records. No actual visits to future or past are, of course, possible.}

p. 123

"perhaps some trips to unfamiliar locations are visits to the past or future."

p. 123

"Throughout the ages and throughout the material world, people have journeyed to the invisible worlds ... .

p. 124

Researchers estimate that about one in five to ten normal adults will experience the sensation of leaving their bodies at least once in a lifetime. Based upon analysis of over 70 different cultures throughout the world, studies approximate that 05 percent of them consider OBEs a valid supernormal experience." ["TL"]

"Although extremely rare, there are documented cases of astral forms moving physical objects." [AJ, pp. 56-65]

p. 127

"The astral body seems to have the same external senses the physical body has".

p. 129

"Some astral projectors ... while exterior[i]zed ... experience synesthesia, or transensate phenomena, in which their astral senses have multiple functions, such as the ability to feel a color, see a musical tone, or hear a light.

Others say their astral vision functions from any part of the astral body, has a visual field of 360 degrees, or can detect an object from all sides, inside as well as outside."

p. 127

"Some projectors report that their astral forms consist of a ball of light, and a few say they have no astral body at all, only a point of consciousness.

p. 128

The astral body probably acquired the name "body-of-light" because often it appears luminescent, usually either brilliant gold or white, but occasionally other colors. At times, it looks like a glowing silhouette of a human body ..., while at other times it looks like a three-dimensional, glowing, ghostly humanoid abstract ... . The luminous form is much more elastic than the physical body, with the ability to stretch and bend in maneuvers that are impossible for organic structures. ... Regardless of how the astral body looks, its weight and density can change; sometimes it is heavy and dense, other times misty and light."

p. 128

"Occasionally the astral body is covered with long, flowing robes, conforming to images common in spiritualism."

p. 129

"During a few projections, my astral body was cloaked in beautiful diaphanous gowns that shimmered with astral luminosity".

I have also heard ordinary sounds distorted with a strange, eerie, off-key resonance; my voice and my piano sounded tinny and out of tune.

During several projections I noticed an acute sense of smell, such as when I went through ceilings and entered attics. ...

The astral body can experience tactile sensations just as the physical body can. ... My astral nerves are sensitive to cold and heat".

"When passing slowly through objects, my astral body experiences a peculiar sensation that I can best describe as molecular tingling, as if I can feel each molecule of my astral flesh vibrating and brushing against the particles of whatever I am passing through. When passing through quickly, I feel nothing at all".

"It appears as if an instinctual part of the astral body is always aware of the condition of the physical body, with this information possibly being transmitted through the silver cord. Apparently, if anything disturbs the physical body or requires consciousness to return to it, the inner senses are immediately alerted and the astral body automatically returns, no matter how vast the distance between the two."

p.

locomotion

131

If walking is too slow, but a normal perspective is desired, the astral body can maintain an upright position and glide along a few inches above the surface. ...

132

When conditions are favorable, all that is necessary to initiate flying is to think about it, and the astral body will soar upward effortlessly. ... The astral body can go much higher than an airplane; it can attain altitudes so high that the earth’s surface looks like a living geographical map. ... .

{I have experienced this nigh the beginning of a wake-induced lucid-dream.}

... the astral double can accelerate to incredible speeds that obliterate the distinction of objects, with everything rushing by in a blur of subdued color.

Sometimes it looks and feels as if a powerful outer force propels the astral body through a narrow tunnel composed of a cloudy atmosphere. ...

133

It is possible to reach a destination just by thinking about it; the thought of a place or person occurs and the astral body can be instantaneously placed there, without any sensation of travel."

"During another OBE, upon returning to my bedroom from an astral journey, I encountered a young man (a stranger), standing near my bed as if watching over my physical body. I assumed that he was a guardian angel of mine".

{"appearing beside [the dreamer]’s head (a widespread literary topos in message dream accounts), the god" ("D&DIM", p. 46).} {"e.g., Agamemnon’s dream in Iliad 2:6ff." ("D&DIM", p. 61, n. 3:14)}

"When, from the astral double, an individual’s own physical form is viewed, ... it certainly looks like the actual physical body lying there ..., and ... really ... people ... see themselves this way."

"Anesthetized surgical patients often leave their physical bodies and watch their operations from above, and afterward shock doctors and nurses with accurate accounts of what was done during and said the procedure."

"These were the two monstrosities with human bodies and furry animal faces, who tried to abduct me."

"Four or five glowing golden spheres, each about four inches in diameter, floated through my window into my room. ... they behaved as though they had intelligence, purpose, and will. ... They gracefully danced in the air around me, lightly landing upon my arms, then slowly bouncing away and back again. After a few minutes, the shining globes disappeared out the window".

{"Golden orbs are sometimes seen guarding the wheat fields" ("US").} {"golden orbs and crop circles have often occurred in close proximity to each other." ("BGO")} {"Golden orbs are healing" ("O").} {"Our merkabah ships of light are now appearing as translucent shimmering golden orbs. ... Now visualize yourself stepping into a golden translucent iridescent sphere of light." ("S&SDT")}

p. 140

He "lying on his back in bed. He looked up and saw above him, floating only inches away, his face, neck, and shoulders ... . He could clearly see his astral body, because it shined with "ethereal light," a steel blue luminescence which emitted from an indeterminable source and cast an eerie glow upon and within the levitated form. ...

p. 141

Then, instantaneously, he was in the glowing image! [He] looked down at his sleeping physical face on the pillow. ...

As he looked down at his sleeping face, a teardrop fell out of his astral eye onto his closed physical eyelid. He felt a teardrop splash on his eye".

{According to the Gospels, Iesous "wept" when about to be arrested; and according to gnosis, he exteriorized out of his physical body when crucified.}

"risk – ridicule and ostracism if OBEs are mentioned to narrow-minded people ... . Similar to such misfortune ... is a case discussed by Herbert Greenhouse in The Astral Journey[, pp. 308-10]. A young college student mentioned her OBE to an ignorant resident physician, who immediately had her taken by police to a mental institution."

p. 143

"Some writers disclose exotic {esoteric} magical rituals used to manifest the astral form." [fn. 6 : "For more on exotic {esoteric} magical rituals, read these books : Ophiel, The Art and Practice of Astral Projection; and Melita Denning and Osborne Phillips, The Llewellyn Practical Guide to Astral Projection."]

p. 144

I have had some success this way, and so have others I have talked with and read about. One time, when I was lying in bed, at the balance point between sleeping and waking, attempting to project, I felt astral hands push against my back and move my astral body forward, into a sitting position, out of my physical form. On this particular occasion, I had requested help from "spirit guides,"

but such assistance may be unsolicited!"

{The experiences by, e.g., Vieira were apparently unsolicited ones.}

"It could be possible that the astral body can leave the physical form through the solar plexus, head, feet, or separate from all points at once."

"the astral body can leave the physical form in any direction. One of the things that surprised me most during my first conscious separation was [that] my astral body dropped straight down through the bed and floor and landed on the ground underneath my bedroom."

p.

effects

147

"Unusual sounds may be present, such as ringing in the ears, buzzing, rushing, humming, or even musical tones ... . At a certain

148

The most dramatic separation phenomenon I have experienced is the vibrations. They literally feel as though an electric current is flowing through the body. I have found that I can easily control them with mental effort – smooth them out, move them to different parts of my body, slow them down, or speed them up. I have had many OBEs start out with these vibrations, and others in which this curious phenomenon was absent. Although they feel definite and powerful, ... they feel rather soothing".

There are also many descriptions concerning the attachment of the sliver cord. One writer may insist that it emanates from the physical solar plexus to some point on the astral body, while another says the astral and physical heads are connected.

The only time I studied the silver cord subjectively, I felt behind my neck, a commonly described point of attachment, to see {feel} if it was there. Sure enough, it was! It felt cylindrical, smooth, firm, with a diameter of an inch or so. Before it connected to my astral body, it branched into many finer segments and entered at numerous points on my neck and upper back."

p.

return

150

The projector may feel a tug on the back, or some other place on the exteriorized double, and then has the sensation of moving through a hazy, tunnel-like structure, back to the location of the physical body. This method of return can occur at incredible speeds across vast distances, or take place swiftly from one end of the house to another, with the double pulled painlessly through

151

It is also possible to go from an OBE into a dream state, and then wake up normally or experience a false awakening."

p.

procedure

152

1^st Procedure : "While inhaling, I imagine prana, or psychic energy, flowing into and permeating my entire body ... . ... I slowly count backwards from 10 or 20 ... . ...

153

I imagine vibrations emitting from a point six feet away from the top of my head and at an angle of about 30 degrees ... away from the head ... . The point is six feet away from the vertex ... . I imagine the vibrations entering my head and spreading to the rest of my body. [fn. 9 : "I read about this technique in Journeys Out of the Body by Robert Monroe".] Usually, I fall asleep ... . However, when I begin to awaken, ... vibrations are surging through my body. ... When the vibrations are strong, it is possible to separate in astral form from my physical body."

2^nd Procedure : "works well in the hypnopompic state. Upon waking, before consciousness has returned entirely to the physical world, ...

154

I imagine the feeling of my inner self rocking back and forth, forward and backward, while holding my physical body still. I "rock" faster and faster, and soon the feeling of inner movement automatically changes into the same vibrations as produced in Procedure One. Then I am in the effective state of consciousness to have an OBE."

3^rd Procedure : "I take several deep breaths, count backwards from 10 or 20, ... have a lucid dream and project astrally upon attainment of lucidity."

4^th Procedure : "Bu monitoring mental phenomena during the hypnagogic state, I have automatically encountered the correct state of consciousness for an OBE ... . ...

155

When it has been successful, I either have effortlessly separated in my astral form, or gotten up thinking I was in my physical form when actually I was in astral form."

5^th Procedure : "To increase the success of any of these procedures, it is beneficial to saturate the conscious and subconscious minds with the topic of astral projection as much as possible by reading, talking, and thinking about it at all convenient times during waking hours, as well as concentrating on it in the hypnagogic and hypnopompic states."