THE ARCANE TEACHINGS/PART 5

 

Part V. The Astral Plane.

Lesson XIII. 

Lower Astral Planes. Lesson XIV. Astral “Black Keys.” Lesson XV. Higher Astral Planes.

 

 

 

 

 

Lesson XIII.

Lower Astral Planes.

There are three great planes of manifestation in the Cosmos—the Material Plane; the Astral Plane; and the Spiritual Plane. There is much confusion in the use of the term “plane” in the occult writings, for it is employed in various ways from necessity and in the absence of other words with which to express the unfamiliar facts of the case. For instance, many occultists very properly speak of “the physical plane; the mental plane;  and the spiritual  plane, of Thought,” meaning respectively thereby: (1) the plane of thought connected with the sensations of the body, the physical desires, etc.; (2) the plane of intellect, reason, etc.; and finally, (3) the plane of the higher mental activities and manifestations, familiarly known as the Spiritual Plane of Thought. The beginner in the study of occultism is apt to confuse the above usage of the term with that employed in speaking or writing of the Three Great Planes of the Cosmos, the Material Plane; the Astral Plane; and the Spiritual Plane; the second of which, the Astral Plane, will form the subject of consideration in the present lesson, and the two immediately following it in sequence.

The word “plane” has been appropriated by occult writers, from necessity, and given a meaning apparently at variance with the accepted usages. In ordinary language a “plane” is a “perfectly level, flat, and smooth surface.” In geometry and astronomy it is sometimes used in an abstract or ideal sense, to  indicate  “an  ideal  surface  supposed to cut  or pass through a solid body or in various directions; as the plane of an ecliptic, the plane of a planet’s orbit, etc.” It is also used in a figurative sense, implying “a level, or field” as “on the plane of reason; on the plane of common sense, etc.” Generally speaking, its figurative use implies a layer, strata, or  level, and it is used in occult phraseology in the figurative sense of a level, or strata of Cosmic activity or manifestation.

But the student is cautioned against confusing the term “plane” with any conception of “place.” A plane is not a place. A particular place may include several planes, and sub-planes; for the planes interpenetrate each other. A plane has no dimensions in space, and rather more resembles a state or condition. It cannot be measured in the three dimensions, and yet it is capable of measurement by degrees in the  Scale of Vibrations. These states or degrees of vibration interpenetrate each other, without interference, in which peculiarity they have  correspondences or analogies  in  physical  phenomena.  For instance, a dozen or more currents of electricity may pass along the same wire, at the same time without interfering with each other, and may then register each on its special instrument, providing that the rate of tension or vibration be different in each case. Or, again, light vibrations, heat vibrations, vibrations of electricity and magnetism of several degrees, vibrations of the X-Rays, sound vibrations, etc., may manifest and remain present in the space of a room, at the same time.

The various planes of manifestation blend into each other, and each of the three planes has seven sub-planes, which in turn are sub-divided into seven minor planes, and so on, until seven times seven acts of sub-division have been made.

On the Physical Plane of the Cosmos occurs the various manifestations of the physical world—the world of matter and energy. It is the plane best known to us, for all of our physical activities are performed on some of its sub-planes. On these planes there are manifestations of matter of degrees unrecognized by the senses of man, as well as the familiar forms and degrees. Likewise there are forces and energies of which man of today is totally ignorant, with the exception of a few advanced souls who have risen above the ordinary race limitations. It is not our purpose to enter into a consideration of the Physical Plane in  this  lesson.  Neither  is it our  purpose to enter into a consideration of  the Spiritual Plane,  the conception of which is beyond the comprehension of the ordinary human, and which the words of the ordinary plane of life would be utterly inadequate to express. Our subject for consideration here is simply the second plane of the Cosmos—the Astral Plane.

The term “astral” (from the Greek word meaning “a star”) is of ancient usage in the occult teachings. Astral  “regions”  and Astral “beings,” were held to be places and beings of a more ethereal and finer order and degree than our material world and beings—so far as the bodies of the latter were concerned, at least. In the Astral regions the disembodied entities and the supernatural beings were held to abide. The term was often used loosely and in a manner tending to confuse the student. In fact, even today the term is used with various shades of meanings, by  the  different  schools  of  occultism,  and  confusion  results  by reason thereof. Some schools use the term “Astral Plane” to designate only the  lower sub-planes of the Astral, using other terms to  designate the  higher  planes,  which  latter  they  often confuse  with  those  of  the  Spiritual  Plane.  Others  include  the entire series of above-the-Material planes, lower and higher Astral and Spiritual alike, under the general term of Astral Plane. The Arcane Teaching follows the most approved ancient  usage, and  applies  the  term  “Astral  Plane”  to  the  intermediate  plane of the Cosmos—the plane lying between the Material and the Spiritual—including, however, the higher as well as the lower Astral sub-planes. Such has always been the custom of the Arcane Teachers, and it is, moreover, in accordance with the most ancient and authoritative  practice.

There are many sub-planes on the Astral Plane, many of which bear close analogies to corresponding planes known to us on the Material Plane. There are also sub-planes containing life activities, which are different from the more familiar ones, and which bear the same relationship to  the latter  that  the black keys On the piano-board bear  to the white keys. On these “black key” sub-planes dwell entities strange to human sight and thought, but which, nevertheless, form  a  part  of  the  universal manifestation of life. These entities are non-human—never were human, and never will be human. Their evolution has been, and will continue, along totally different lines. Occultists group these entities under the general term of “elementaries,” or “elementals,” although their degrees and characteristics vary greatly, one from another. We shall consider these entities in the following lesson.

Beginning our consideration of the Astral Plane, we must not fail to take notice of one of the sub-planes nearest the material—the sub-plane in which the Thought Currents operate, and also in which the Astral Bodies of the embodied, and the Auric Colors are visible. On this sub-plane the phenomena of Mentalism manifest. This sub-plane is the one nearest to the ordinary Material Plane, and is often penetrated, unwittingly, by  persons  whose  psychic  faculties  have  become  sharpened and who have developed the qualities of Clairvoyance, Astral Sensing,  etc.

It is scarcely necessary to explain in detail the facts relating to the Astral Body of human beings, for the student is supposed to have had some preliminary acquaintance with the general subject of occultism. We shall merely note the general facts in passing. The Astral Body of the person is the finer body, or inner envelope, of the entity or soul. This Astral Body has long been known in the traditions of the race, and has been called by various names, such as “the ethereal body”; the “fluidic body”; the “double”; the “wraith”; the “doppelganger,” etc. It is composed of Astral substance, which is much finer than the matter with which we are familiar. It bears the same relation to ordinary matter that steam does to ice. The Astral Body leaves the material covering, or ordinary body of the person, at the death of the latter. It also often wanders far from the physical body when the latter is sleeping. Under certain conditions it may leave the physical body during waking hours, and project itself to distant points in space. The familiar “apparitions of the living” are instances of this travel in the Astral, and the phenomena of Clairvoyance is largely due to this form of Astral manifestation. The Astral Body is invisible to the ordinary physical senses, although those possessing Clairvoyant power, or well developed Astral Senses may see it plainly. It may also lower its vibrations and “materialize,” as above noted, at which times it becomes visible as a shadowy form apparent to the ordinary physical senses. During the life of the physical body, however, the Astral Body is always connected with the latter by a thin, slender filament, which if broken results in the death of the physical body. Contrary to the ordinary teaching, the Astral Body is composed of seven “sheaths” or “layers” of substance, the grosser of which disintegrate or “sloughs off” when the entity rises to higher Astral sub-planes, and which must be again “materialized” when it revisits the lower planes.

The Aura and Auric Colors of the Astral Body are in the nature of emanations or radiations from the Astral Body, which are manifested in some degree by every person, and which recent scientific investigation has proven conclusively, by means of photographs, etc. The Physical Body, even, has its aura of vitality vibrations, or “Vril,” which flow freely from it, particularly when the vitality of the person is strong. This “Vril” is the “human magnetism” of  the magnetic healers,  and others, and which serves to arouse strength and vigor to those to whom it is applied. The Astral aura, on the contrary, is rather an emanation of the mental states, feelings and emotions of the person’s mind. It is egg-shaped, and extends on all sides of the person to a distance of about three feet. It manifests various colors, particularly around the head, the colors corresponding to the character of the mental states being manifested, or those habitual to the person. For instance: Red indicates the animal passions, lust, anger, etc. Blue represents religious emotion, etc.—light blue denoting what is generally called “spirituality,” but which in reality is but an ethereal, refined form of religious feeling. Spirituality is more a matter of knowledge and life development, rather than feeling or emotion. Green denotes jealousy, and, in one of its shades, that which is generally called “tact,” “agreeableness,” “diplomacy,” or in its lower forms, “deceit.” Gray denotes selfishness. Yellow, intellectuality in its various degrees  and  forms.  Black  is  the  astral  color  of  hate,  malice and  vengeful  emotion.  Persons  in whom the faculty  of  Astral Sensing is well developed may see these auric colors plainly, and are thereby informed as to the mental characteristics of the person under observation.

On this lower sub-plane of the Astral are also manifested the thought waves, thought currents, thought-forms, etc., which are manifested in the phenomena of Mentalism. Thoughts and mental states manifest in objective form. The person manifesting active thought or feeling, emanates waves and  currents of  thought-force which spread around him in constantly widening circles in every direction. In this way great thought-clouds are formed which hover over and around places to which they are attracted. Thought-clouds of the same general character have a tendency to coalesce and mingle and blend with each other, and to move toward persons, places and localities in which similar thoughts or feelings are being manifested. The Law of Attraction operates in this direction of drawing thought influences toward those who are manifesting similar thought vibrations. Cities, towns and smaller places— even places of business, office-buildings, houses, and rooms have their own particular thought atmosphere, which may be felt by those sensitive to such influences, and seen by those possessing the faculty of Astral Sensing.

Akin to these thought-clouds are what are known as thought-forms, which are thought-clouds of great density and power of cohesion, which are also charged with the strong Will or ardent Desire of the persons emanating them—and which are  often  practically  vitalized  by  the “Vril,” or vitality of the person, which has been infused into them. Such thought-forms often exert nearly as great a psychic power over those with whom they come in contact as would the sender himself, in person. They are  akin to the desire-elementals mentioned in the following lesson.

These thought-clouds and thought-forms abide on the lower sub-planes of the Astral until they finally disintegrate. They tend to coalesce and gather around places in which the vibrations are harmonious to their own. Some places have their mental atmospheres of vice, others of greed, others of industry, others of the reverse. In short thought atmospheres exist everywhere on this lower Astral sub-plane, just as does the material atmosphere exist everywhere on the material plane. One is just as real as is the other. They have all the correspondences which one might expect. Those who are able to travel in the Astral Body find this thought atmospheric phenomena a source of never failing interest, although at times one is glad to will himself away from some of the scenes, so gross and base are the emotions and feelings manifesting in the dark, heavy suffocating clouds of thought force—so horrible some of the thought-forms. But even these may be driven away by an exercise of the Will, and thought-vibrations of a contrary nature tend to repel them and scatter them away from one’s vicinity.

On a sub-plane of a different class from that just mentioned, are found the manifestations of what has been called the “scrap pile  of  the  Astral,”  and, indeed, that term of the workshop very aptly expresses it. On this sub-plane are to be found the discarded Astral materials of the Astral Bodies which have been “sloughed off” by entities which have discarded them as they have moved up higher. Also, the disintegrating Astral  bodies of entities which have failed to survive and whose souls have been resolved into their original elements and become merged into the general principle of Consciousness, as described in a previous lesson. Remember, please, that these remnants of the Astral bodies so  discarded  and  disintegrating,  are  not  in any  way  related  to  the  souls  which formerly inhabited them. They are mere shells, without soul or mind, and yet preserving a slight degree of vitality, or “Vril.” They are  astral  corpses,  just as much a corpse as is the discarded physical body. But, just as the physical corpse may be aroused into apparent life activity by a strong galvanic current, and will roll its eyes, move its limbs, and even utter groans—so may these astral corpses be “galvanized” by the “Vril” of a medium (unconsciously by the latter), if the conditions be favorable, and may be materialized so as to appear as a shadowy form, acting, moving and even speaking, the only mind in it, however, being supplied by that of the medium or the persons present at the seance. These astral corpses also become visible under certain conditions, often around graveyards, battle-fields, etc., and are thought to be ghosts, or “spirits” of those who formerly inhabited them. They are, however, generally but the grossest astral covering of the Astral body—its “shell” so to speak, and are no more to be regarded as the deceased person himself than is the physical body lying in the grave—both are discarded coverings, or “corpses.”

A psychic who, by means of untrained or misdirected psychic development, happens to wander on to this plane of the Astral, experiences a most unpleasant sight. It is not pleasant to roam in this charnel house of the Astral—this tomb of the Earth. An old Egyptian sage thus recorded his impressions of it: “What manner of place is this I see. It hath no water. It hath no air. It hath no light. It hath no foundation. It is unfathomably deep. It is as black as the blackest night.” A modern investigator has said of  this  region—this  Golgotha of  the  Astral:  “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 encountered there are unusually undesirable.”

“And are there inhabitants of such a place?” one naturally asks. Alas, yes!  There  are  denizens  of  this  loathsome  place— inhabitants of this horrible abode. Entities, however, not placed there for punishment, for no Being would entail such a fate upon the meanest and most depraved—or invent such a Hell. They are there because of their own abnormal desires and tendencies, which unfit them for the planes of even the lowest of disembodied human entities, and which also render them unfit for association with the disembodied astral forms of the beasts, which latter persist for a short time after physical death. “Then, what manner of creatures must these be?” you ask. “Fit for neither man nor beasts. Were they human?” And, one is forced to answer, “Yes!” Subject to the laws of humankind they are not allowed the privilege of rapid annihilation bestowed upon the beasts—they must live out their peculiar life to the end. They are the pariahs, the ghoul-like scum of the human race, who have removed themselves from the race fate and have entailed upon themselves a fate of their own. Their fate is a Living Death—a conscious life in a corpse-like body, among corpses of the Astral. These creatures are the disembodied entities of those who degenerated along abnormal sex lines—who attempted to reverse the Cosmic Law of Sex Polarity, and thus brought upon themselves the Recoil of the Life Forces. They were the lowest of the human Satyrs. Nature finally casts over them the spell of a deep sleep, from  which they  never awaken, and from which they pass into disintegration and annihilation.

They polluted the Sacred Altar. They stole the Divine Fire for devilish  rites. They committed the Unpardonable Sin. They removed themselves from the trend of Cosmic Evolution. Their own Desire was their Fate.  We  wish it were possible to speak plainer—but the time has not yet come.

 

 

 

Lesson XIV.

Astral “Black-Keys.”

Before passing  on to the sub-planes higher in degree and scale, let us call your attention to some of the minor sub-planes—the “black-keys” of the Astral scale. On these sub-planes dwell the non-human, or semi-human creatures which are grouped together in the occult classification under the general name of “elementaries” or “elementals.” It is  impossible  for  us  to  enter  into  a  detailed  consideration  of this class of entities in a work of this general nature intended for popular reading.  The reasons therefor would involve explanations which would crowd out of the space intended for them certain other details of the Astral Planes, and would even then be most incomplete and unsatisfying. Enough to say that occultists know that this planet, the earth, is the field and theatre  for  three  distinct processes of evolution—that of the world that we know, human, animal, and vegetable; and two others of a different order. These two other fields of evolution have their own planes which are totally unrelated to ours. But these other evolutionary processes, although distinct from ours, nevertheless blend slightly with certain sub-planes of our Astral Planes—that is, the “edges overlap,” if such a clumsy term may be used. Consequently, on certain of the “black-key” planes of our Astral, there may be found elementaries of a scale of life different from our own. This is but a general statement, the faults of which will be obvious to every advanced occultist who reads it—and yet such  advanced student will see the necessity for the purposely imperfect statement in this place. Those who have read Bulwer’s occult stories—notably “Zanoni,” will recognize the nature of the entities of which we speak.

While the Arcane Teaching includes within its store of knowledge and information full details regarding these particular sub-planes which we  have designated as the “black-keys” on the scale of the Astral Plane, and its Initiates who have attained certain degrees are fully informed regarding the same, still we are unable to make public at this time, place, and through this particular channel, the inner Arcane Teaching regarding the same. Personally, we think the time is ripe for such information to be plainly stated, accompanied by the necessary warnings; but those higher in authority among the Custodians have said to us: “Nay!  Wait  in  patience! When the propitious hour is indicated by the planetary symbols—then may you open the sealed volume to those who would free its riddles! For the present, the vow of silence maintains!” So there is naught left for us but to bow to the superior authority in the matter.

However, while we are not permitted to state the inner Arcane Teaching in this particular detail, the prohibition does not extend to our using quotations from other authorities who have already reported concerning these sub-planes of the Astral. And, believing that the said reports would be interesting to those of our students who take a scientific interest in this phase of occultism, we have decided to give you, in this lesson, very liberal quotations from a leading authority of another school of occultism, who has paid much attention to the phenomena of certain phases and planes of the Astral Plane, both in the direction of studying older and more advanced authorities, and also in the direction of personal investigation and exploration of these sub-planes, of the Astral. The latter is a task surrounded with dangers and risks which but few even advanced occultists care to undertake, and although we doubt the wisdom of the task, nevertheless we must admire the scientific ardor of the investigator.

The remainder of this lesson, indicated by quotation marks, consists  of  quotations from the said authority, investigator and explorer of these dark regions of the “black-keys” of the Astral.

The elementaries may be grouped into several general classes, although the classification is more or less unsatisfactory and imperfect, at the best. One of these classes comprise the entities which some writers have called “Nature Spirits,” which term, however, is less accurate than poetical. These entities have been known in the legends by various names, prominent among which are the following: Earth-spirits, or gnomes; water-spirits, or undines; air-spirits, or sylphs; fire-spirits, or salamanders; fairies; pixies; elves; brownies; peris; djinns; trolls; fauns; kobolds; imps; goblins; little people; good people, etc., etc., of which the aforesaid authority says:

“Their forms are many and various, but most frequently human in shape, and somewhat diminutive in size. Like almost all inhabitants of the astral plane, they are able to assume any appearance at will, but they undoubtedly have definite forms of their own, or perhaps we should rather say favorite forms, which they wear when they have no special object in taking any other. Under ordinary conditions they are not visible  to physical sight at all, but they have the power of making themselves so by materialization when they wish to be seen. There are an immense number of subdivisions or races among them, and individuals of these subdivisions differ in intelligence and disposition precisely as human beings do. The great majority of  them  apparently  prefer  to  avoid  man  altogether; his habits and emanations are distasteful to them, and the constant rush of astral currents set up by his restless, ill-regulated desires, disturbs and annoys them. On the other hand, instances are not few in which nature-spirits have as it were made friends with human beings, and offered them such assistance as lay in their power, as in the well-known stories of the Scotch brownies or of the fire-lighting fairies. This helpful attitude, however, is comparatively rare, and in most cases when they come in contact with man they either show indifference or dislike, or else take an impish delight in deceiving him and playing  childish tricks upon him. Many a story illustrative of this curious characteristic may be found among the village gossip of the peasantry in almost any lonely mountainous district; and anyone who has been in the habit of attending seances for physical phenomena will recollect instances of practical joking and silly though usually good natured horse play, which almost always indicates the presence of some of these lower orders of astral spirits.

“The life periods of the different subdivisions vary greatly, some being quite short, others much longer than our human lifetime. We stand so completely outside such a life as theirs that it is impossible for us to understand much about its conditions; but it appears on the whole to be a simple, joyous, irresponsible kind of existence, much such as a party of happy children might lead among exceptionally physical surroundings. Though tricky and mischievous, they are rarely malicious unless provoked by some unwarrantable intrusion or annoyance; but as a body they also partake to some extent of the universal feeling of distrust for man, and they generally seem inclined to resent somewhat the first appearance of a neophyte on the astral plane, so that he usually makes their acquaintance under some unpleasant or terrifying form. If, however, he declines to be frightened by any of their freaks, they soon accept him as a necessary evil and take no further notice of him, while some among them may even after a time become friendly and manifest pleasure on meeting him.

“The Adept knows how to make use of the services of the nature spirits when he requires them, but the ordinary magician can obtain their assistance only by processes either of invocation or evocation; that is, either by attracting their attention  as  a suppliant and making some  kind  of bargain with them, or by endeavoring to set into motion influences which would compel their obedience. Both methods are extremely undesirable, and the latter is also excessively dangerous, as the operator would arouse a determined hostility which might prove fatal to him.  Needless to say, no one studying occultism under a qualified Master would ever be  permitted  to attempt anything of the kind at all.”

On other low planes of the Astral there  is  another  class  of elementaries, which have been called “artificial or man-created entities,”  of  which  the  aforesaid authority says:

“This, the largest class of Astral entities, is also much the most important to man. Being entirely his own creation, it is inter-related with him by the closest bonds, and its action upon him is direct and incessant. It is an enormous inchoate mass of semi-intelligent entities, differing among themselves as human thoughts differ, and practically incapable of anything like classification and arrangement. The only division which can be usefully made is that which distinguishes between the artificial elementals made by the majority of mankind unconsciously, and  those  made by magicians with definite intent; while we may relegate to a third class the very small number of artificially arranged entities which are not elementals at all.

“The elemental essence which surrounds us on every side is in all its numberless varieties singularly susceptible to the influence of human thought. The action of the mere casual wandering thought upon it, causing it to burst into a cloud of rapidly-moving evanescent forms, has already been described; we have now to note how it is affected when the human mind formulates a definite, purposeful thought or wish. The effect produced is of the most striking nature. The thought seizes upon the plastic essence, and moulds it instantly into a living being of an appropriate form—a being which when once thus created is in no way under the control of its creator, but lives out a  life  of  its  own,  the  length  of  which  is  proportionate to the intensity of the thoughts or wish which called it into existence. It lasts in fact just as long as the thought-force holds it together. Most persons’ thoughts are so fleeting that the elementals created by them last only a few minutes or a few hours, but an often-repeated thought or an earnest wish will form an elemental whose existence may extend to many days. Since the ordinary man’s thoughts refer very largely to himself, the elementals which they form remain hovering about, and constantly tend to provoke a repetition of the idea which they represent, since such repetitions, instead of forming new elementals, would strengthen the old one, and give it a fresh lease of life. A man, therefore, who frequently dwells upon one wish often forms for himself an astral attendant which, constantly fed by fresh thought, may haunt him for years, ever gaining more and more strength and influence over Him; and it will easily be seen that if the desire be an evil one the effect upon his moral nature may be of the most disastrous character.

“Still more pregnant for good or evil are a man’s thoughts about other people, for in that case they hover not about the thinker, but about the object of the thought. A kindly thought about any person, or an earnest wish for his good, will form and project towards him a friendly artificial elemental. If the wish be a definite one, as, for example, that he may recover from some sickness, then the elemental will be a force ever hovering over him to promote his recovery, or to ward off any influence that might tend to hinder it. In doing this it will display what appears like a very considerable amount of intelligence and adaptability, though  really  it  is  simply  a  force  acting  along  the  line  of  least resistance—pressing steadily in one direction all the time, and taking advantage of any channel that it can find, just as the water in a cistern would in a moment find the one open pipe among a dozen closed ones, and proceed to empty itself through that. If the wish be merely an indefinite one for his general good, the elemental essence in its wonderful plasticity will respond exactly to that less distinct idea also, and the creature  formed will expend its force In the direction of whatever action for the man’s advantage comes most readily to hand. In all cases, the amount of such force which it has to expend, and the length of time that it will live to expend it, depend entirely upon the strength of the original wish or  thought which gave it birth; though it must be remembered that it can be, as it were, fed and strengthened, and its life-period protracted by other good wishes or friendly thoughts projected in the same direction. Furthermore, it appears to be actuated, like most other beings, by an instinctive desire to prolong its life, and thus reacts on its creator as a  force constantly tending to provoke the renewal of the feelings which called it into existence. It also influences in a similar manner others with whom it comes into contact, though its rapport with them is naturally not so perfect.

“All that has been said as to the effect of good wishes and friendly thoughts is also true in the opposite direction of evil wishes and angry thoughts; and considering the amount of envy, hatred, malice and uncharitableness that exists in the world, it will be readily understood that among the artificial elementals many terrible creatures are to be seen. A man whose thoughts or desires are spiteful, brutal, sensual, avaricious, moves through the world carrying with him everywhere a pestiferous atmosphere of  his  own, peopled  with  the  loathsome beings which he has created to be his companions. Thus he is not only in sadly evil case himself, but is a dangerous nuisance to his fellow-men, subjecting all who have the misfortune to come in contact with him to the risk of moral contagion from the influence of the abominations with which he chooses to surround himself.

“It occasionally happens, however, that an artificial elemental of this  description is for various reasons unable to expend its force either upon  its object or its creator, and in such cases it becomes a kind of  wandering  demon, readily attracted by any person who indulges feelings similar to that which gave it birth, and equally prepared either to stimulate such feelings in him for the sake of the strength it may gain from them, or to  pour out its store of evil influences upon him through any opening which he may offer it. If it is sufficiently powerful to seize upon some passing shell (discarded astral body) it frequently does so, as the possession of such a temporary home enables it to husband its dreadful resources more carefully. In this form it may manifest through a medium, and by masquerading as some well-known friend may sometimes obtain an influence over people upon whom it would otherwise have little hold.… Many a well-meaning man, who is scrupulously careful to do his duty toward his neighbor in word and deed, is apt to consider that his thoughts at least are nobody’s business but his own, and so lets them run riot in various directions, utterly unconscious of the swarms of baleful creatures which he is launching upon the world. To such a man an accurate comprehension of the effect of thought and desire in producing artificial  elementals would come as a horrifying revelation.

“Since such results as have been described above have been achieved by the thought-force of men who were entirely in the dark as to what they were doing, it will readily be imagined that a magician who understands the subject, and can see exactly what effect he is producing, may wield immense power along these lines. As a matter of fact, occultists of both the white and dark schools frequently use artificial elementals in their work, and  few  tasks  are  beyond  the  powers  of  such  creatures  when scientifically prepared and directed with knowledge and skill; for one who knows how to do so can maintain a connection with his elemental and guide it, no matter at what distance it may be working, so that it will practically act as though endowed with the full intelligence of its master. “By some of the more advanced processes of Black Magic, also, artificial elementals of great power may be called into existence, and much evil has been worked in various ways by such entities. But it is true of them, as of the previous class, that if they are aimed at a person whom by reason of his purity of character they are unable to influence, they react with terrible force upon their creator; so that the mediæval story of the magician being torn to pieces by the fiends he himself had raised, is no mere fable, but may well have had an awful foundation in  fact.  Such  creatures occasionally, for various reasons, escape from the control of those who are trying to make use of  them, and become wandering and aimless demons, as do some of those mentioned under the previous heading under similar circumstances; but those that we are considering, having much more intelligence and power, and a much longer existence, are proportionately more dangerous. They invariably seek for means of prolonging their life, either by feeding like vampires upon the vitality of human beings, or by influencing them to make offerings to them; and among simple half savage tribes they have frequently succeeded in getting themselves recognized as village or family gods. By the vitality they draw from their devotees, they may continue to prolong their existence for many years, or even centuries, retaining sufficient strength to perform occasional phenomena of a mild type in order to stimulate the faith and zeal of their followers.”

While the above quoted authority has placed what we consider to be undue emphasis upon the power of the elementals—for the human Will  is sufficient to overcome their power, and they are prevented from coming to the mental atmosphere of all who do not attract them by virtue of the character of their own mental vibrations—nevertheless, we have thought it advisable to give you the  benefit  of  this  investigator’s  reports,  for  the purpose of warning you against dabbling  in  Evocations,  and certain so-called “magical” methods and practices. Black Magic in all of its forms result only in pain and evil to those indulging in them. He who invades planes of life foreign to his own, takes upon himself the risks inherent on such planes.

 

 

 

 

 

Lesson XV.

Higher Astral Planes.

We have now reached the point where we are called upon to consider the phases of the Astral Plane concerned with the state or condition of the disembodied  entities  of  human  beings.  We call these the higher Astral Planes, only by way of contrast with the lower planes mentioned  in  the  preceding  two  lessons,  for  some  of  these “higher” planes are quite low indeed as compared with the highest Astral Planes. Let us begin with the consideration of the lowest of these higher planes of the Astral, and then proceed  to consider the planes higher in the scale.

In the first place, we must remember that the disembodied human soul leaves the physical in a state or condition akin to sleep. It is carried by the attraction of its nature and character to the  highest  plane consistent  with its nature—that is, to a plane corresponding with the highest qualities existent within itself. And upon that plane it gradually awakens into the Astral life of that particular plane. The conditions of the Astral Life are so different from that of the Material Plane that it is difficult to intelligently describe it in terms of the latter. For instance, the souls on the higher planes are able to enter into conscious relationship with those on the lower planes, but those on the lower planes cannot enter into conscious relationship with those on the higher planes except through the act of those dwelling  on  the  higher.  Each  plane  has  planes  higher  and  lower than  itself,  the  above  law  being  operative  in  all  cases.  The  higher plane souls have access to the lower, but the lower may not invade  the  higher. And this access is not in the nature of a physical visit  from the higher to the lower, but is in the nature of a psychic consciousness, akin to Clairvoyance, in which the soul, while remaining on its own plane, still seems to have traveled to the others, there to converse with other souls on these planes. The soul  itself,  unless  very  advanced, does not  realize the nature of the connection but thinks that it actually travels to the scene of the lower planes. The analogy of Clairvoyance  on the Material Plane will give you the idea of the process.

When a soul awakens on its own plane of the Astral, it finds it difficult to realize that it is not alive in the flesh, and often much time is required before it realizes its true condition. Then it begins to manifest an interest in its surroundings, and pays many visits on its own and other planes (in the manner before mentioned) renewing old acquaintances and relationships, and manifesting the activities quite natural for a human being under such circumstances. But sooner or later this life begins to fall upon it, and it passes into the Idealistic State, which we shall describe a little further on. Enough for the moment to say that in the Idealistic State the soul begins to manifest its ideals—the things it has hoped for, dreamed of, and longed for in its earth-life. The greater the idealistic quality of the soul, the greater the extent and range of its Idealistic State. But before considering this interesting phase of Astral Life, let us see  what happens on the lower planes, to those who have but few ideals, and those of a most material nature.

On  the  very  lowest  of  these  planes  of  the  Astral  we  find  the “earth  bound”  entities,  or  souls,  of  many  degrees. These are the souls of those who are so material in their tastes, habits and trend of thought and desire that they can never rise to the higher states and conditions of the Astral. They stay close to the earth, mingling unseen in the scenes which they so loved during  their  life  in  the  body,  and  yet  being  unable  to  actually participate in the carnal manifestations, unless, indeed, some particularly attractive dweller in the flesh opens his physical organism to the obsession of some affinitive and congenial companion of the lower Astral Planes and allows the entity to manifest through his physical body. These entities are found in great numbers in the astral atmosphere of low resorts, and similar places, where they poison the psychic atmosphere to such an extent that their presence may be  felt, and often  seen by sensitive persons who happen to visit such places. We may add as a caution to those who are fond of dabbling in the psychic process of  Evocation, that  it  is  largely  from  this  class of entities that many of the “spirits” appearing at seances are drawn. It is this class of entities who so often impersonate your disembodied friends and relatives, and whose sneers and ribaldry are scarcely concealed behind  the  loving  messages  and “spirit wisdom” which they pass on to the wondering mortal in the flesh who would not dream of associating with their kind in earth life.

The life of these entities on the Astral Plane is not long. They find but little pleasure, and much torment, in life apart from the physical, for their desires are altogether along physical lines. They are filled with dissatisfaction, ennui, and weariness. As a writer has said: “The disembodied learn that the Hades of Immortality is the lack of a physical body.” Their dissatisfaction soon sets into operation the desire to be relieved of the burden, and the “Will-not-to Live” manifests itself. They drop into a dream-state, or somnambulistic condition, in which they dream out  their desires and tastes to the end—until they have exhausted every mental longing within their nature. There being nothing left of  them, when these mental states have been lived out, they weaken and pass into unconsciousness, which is followed by death on the Astral with consequent disintegration and annihilation as entities. Their dream state is, in a way, their Idealistic State—all the Idealistic State they are capable of, at any rate. This is not in any way a punishment—merely a natural consequence of their nature. As the old saying goes: “One cannot make a silk-purse out of a sow’s ear.” Nor can one get more than a pint out of a pint measure. Desire is the cause of their life, and of their death. Balance is manifested and preserved. Water cannot rise above the level of its own source. These entities receive “their own,” as much as do those on the higher planes. There is no injustice manifested here.

Rising in the scale we find souls who while attached to material things nevertheless have had ideals during their life— things for which they had hoped, and dreamt, prayed and longed. As the scale advances we find that the nature of the ideals advance from lower to higher—but the principle is the same. And for the lowest to the highest of these ideal  degrees, the Astral Life contains that peculiar and wonderful condition or state known as the “Idealistic State.” And this Idealistic State is the real Astral Life of the soul, into which it enters after it has tired of the  conditions it finds at first on the Astral Plane. It is composed of a condition or state, or series of such conditions or states, in which it lives out in vivid imagination, or realistic dream-like states all of its unrealized personal ideals, hopes, expectations, desires, ambitions, aspirations, longings, and inclinations of its nature.

It may be objected to that this is but a state of illusion or delusion, and not a  reality. But it must be remembered that even on the Material Plane: “Dreams are true while they last.” On the Astral Plane, in the Idealistic State, these dreams exceed in vividness and reality anything that the embodied mortal ever experiences. So far as the soul is concerned the experiences through which it lives in the Idealistic State are just as real  as anything that it ever experienced in physical life. Every element of reality is there. And there is a reality about it that all advanced occultists recognize. At the last, one’s experiences in physical life may be resolved to a “series of mental states”— and what less than this does the Astral dreamer experience? And what more than a Dream, after all is the experience of the earth-life of three-score-and-ten of the average person? “Like dreams they come, like dreams they go.” In its way, and on its plane, the Idealistic State is just as real as the physical life.

In this Idealistic State, the dreaming soul lives out countless lives, of infinite variety. Just as in an ordinary dream, Time is annihilated and one may live out a lifetime in the space of a second, so in the Idealistic State the soul lives out centuries of experiences in a moment. To all intents and purposes, the soul—every soul in fact—lives an Eternity in the Idealistic State, although the entire experience may occur in a few years (as we know time). Time is measured only by “happenings,” and the happenings of an Eternity may be crowded into a very short space of ordinary time, in the Idealistic State. Every possibility within its  personality  is  lived  out,  outlived,  and  exhausted  in interest, in the Idealistic State. Just as in the moment of physical death, the soul sees as in a flash its entire earth-life in one great panorama—past and present being at once—so in the Idealistic State the soul lives out every personal desire, aim, aspiration, hope, ambition, longing, and wish, in an infinite series of states or lives. It realizes every personal ideal inherent within it, to the utmost. Its fullest personal Heart’s Desire is attained. There is no unsatisfied personal longing, or unrealized ideal, left at the end of the Idealistic State of the soul on the Astral Plane. Think what this means, please. Think what it must mean to live out to the full “The Might Have Been,” which is in the life of every human being. Think what it must mean  to manifest one’s love to the utmost—to have every wish granted—every  ambition satisfied. Think what it must be to live out one’s life as one wishes it had been lived—with all the mistakes corrected, all the errors remedied, all the problems solved, all the atonements made, all the injustices rectified. The Idealistic State is the living over of your life As  You Wish It Could Have Been. Nay, more, living  it  over  countless  times,  each variation bringing out some new point and feature of unrealized ideals, desires, and wishes! It is a state in which the verse of Kipling comes true:

“And only the Master shall praise us,

And only the Master shall blame;

And no one shall work for money,

 And no one shall work for fame;

But each for the joy of the working,

And each in his separate star,

Shall draw the Thing as he sees it

For the God of Things as They are!”

 

But it is only a dream, you say. Nay, more than a dream as you understand the term. A dream it is, but a dream so real that naught but Omniscience could distinguish the difference. A dream so real that it equals the thing that we call Life, in every element of reality. In the end, one is as Real as the other—Earth Life and the Astral Idealistic State. And, also, in the end, one is as Unreal as the other.

But not only are the high personal desires, aspirations and ideals so lived out in the Idealistic State. The low personal desires, aspirations and ideals are also passed through this threshing-mill of the Idealistic State. One lives out to the utmost, in some of the series of these dream-lives, all the possibilities of his nature or character—good and bad alike. In fact, the lowest desires and ideals are the first to manifest, and the first to die out and be lived out. To those who have no others, the end then  comes.  But to those who have higher ideals and desires mingled with the lower, there then comes a stage of living out the higher part of their nature. And as time passes, the soul rises far above all the dross and grossness of  its nature, and lives in the higher regions of itself—enjoying to the fullest the satisfaction which comes only from those higher states. But, the soul must possess the higher in order to manifest it. Unless the higher be involved within the soul, it cannot be evolved. What does not exist cannot be manifested.

While  in  this  Idealistic  State,  the  soul  may  be  attracted  by those on earth who are related to it by the old ties or affection or  interest,  and  in such case it may manifest by communications. But these communications can contain only that which the soul knows and experiences at the time. It merely reports what it is experiencing—merely its own personal experiences of the Idealistic State. And even this it reports in a dazed, dreamy fashion. Thus the devout Christian soul will report that it is dwelling in a Heaven of orthodox surroundings—the golden streets, harps, and milk and honey being described in detail. A good Catholic soul will report a Catholic Heaven, with all the saints  present;  while  a  good  Baptist  soul  will  report  a  Heaven along strictly Baptist lines—close communion, and only immersed souls being in evidence. A Moslem will describe himself as enjoying all the delights of the Heaven promised by Mohammed. And the soul of the Unbeliever will inform you that “there is nothing in this Heaven business at all”; and that the “after life” is merely a life among congenial companions, thinking along the same lines as himself; and that he is of the opinion that the church people have  perished, instead of having gained immortality. And so on, each “painting the Thing as he sees it” as the world of “Things as They Are.” And each is telling the Truth, as he sees it, from his own viewpoint. Strange, but  true!

Those who complain of the absence of the qualities of Heaven  and  Hell  in  this  Idealistic  State  have  not  thought  deeply enough regarding it. In the attainment of the highest ideals and aspirations, there is contained all that men have pictured as the joys of Heaven—and infinitely more. And in the living out of the consequences of evil desire and low ideals, and all that goes with this state, there is all that the most fervent Calvinist could wish for in a Hell—and infinitely more.

But, remember always, that the Heaven and Hell of the Idealistic State is not a punishment or reward bestowed for good or evil deeds—it is but the working out of Cause and Effect— the fullest manifestation of Desire and one’s Character. And, in the adjustment acts restrained by Fear equal Acts performed. “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he” in the Idealistic State. In the working out of Cause and Effect in the Idealistic State of the Astral, it is indeed true that: “He who hates is an assassin; he who covets is a thief; he who lusts is an adulterer; that the gist of a crime is the desire behind it.” This Idealistic State of the Astral Plane is not Fate, not Providence, not Destiny, not Reward and Punishment—it  is  but  the  operation  of  natural laws of Cause and Effect, Orderly Trend, and Logical Sequence, on the Astral Plane. “From one, know All.”

And, in the working out of the Idealistic State of the Astral, the most unpleasant experiences are lived through first, and then the higher ideals begin to manifest themselves—the soul rising to higher and still higher flights, until at last it reaches the highest degree possible to it by reason  of its constitution, nature and character. And in that Life, if it be prepared to receive it, it may receive instruction from Beings higher in the scale, as well as from the more evolved souls of our own race who are attracted to it by reason of its desires and ideals. Many a soul has received the help which led it to Individuality, in this Idealistic State. Many an Individual soul has so received instruction which led to better conditions for growth in the next incarnation. “When the pupil is ready, the Master appears” on  the  Astral  Plane  as  on  the  Material Plane. If you  possess  the seed of the ideal, the blossom and the fruit will surely be yours.

When the impulses arising from the personal desires, aspirations, and ideals of the soul have expended themselves fully, and the “personality” of the soul has been “lived out and outlived” in the process—when there remain no further impulses of personality to exert themselves in the  Idealistic State—then the soul finds that it “has nothing more to live for” along the lines of personality. It feels aged, tired and weary, and the desire for rest creeps over it, and it gradually sinks into a dreamless sleep, which ends in the Death of the Personality. If Egohood has not  been attained by the soul, then it never awakens into a new life, for Personality being all that it possesses, and all personality being expended and exhausted, then there is nothing left to persist in a new  birth. But if Egohood has been attained, and the soul realizes that it is more than the “Me” of itself, then when the “Me” dies away, the “I” finds itself still existent and filled with the impulse of the Will-to-Live of the Cosmic Will, which urges it forward to re-birth in new bodies, to seek further and more advanced experience. Even  in  this  case the  soul  falls  into the deep Astral sleep, but awakens therefrom when it is reborn into a new body, under circumstances and environments in accordance with the Law of Attraction resulting from the essence of the past life, the latter inhering to it. The Ego then will be free from its lived-out desires and will no longer be hampered by them. It will be attracted toward new scenes and fields of activity. In its new body it will have to combat the inherited impulses and desires of its new “Me,” but it will always feel its superiority to the latter, and will feel the ability to stand aside and look at its personality.

The advanced  Ego,  in  time,  reaches  the  stage  of  conscious re-birth, in which the Ideal Life is consciously continuous with the old life, and which is consciously followed by the new birth. We have spoken of  these  things  in  our  lesson  on  “Survival of the Fittest,” which you should now re-read in the light of the present lesson.

There are many planes of the Astral much higher than even these which we have described, but a description of them would be impossible except to highly advanced occultists. Some of these higher Astral Planes transcend the imagination of the average person leading the personal life today, on earth. And yet, over and above the entire Astral Plane, there is the great Spiritual Plane, which we would lack words to even faintly designate. And yet, even these exalted Planes await your coming, O Neophyte, whose feet are now well set upon The Path!