On these residues that remain floating in the Astral (the
Kama-Loka) after the soul ascends to the divine world, William Atkinson in his
book "Life beyond death" commented the following:
« We would be neglecting the task to which we have set ourselves in this
book, were we to omit all mention of a peculiar phenomenon of the Astral Plane
which causes much confusion to all beginners in the investigation of psychic
phenomena. We allude to what have aptly been called “Astral Shells,” the
worn-out Astral bodies of the souls who have awakened from the soul slumber of
the Astral Plane. These worn-out garments of the soul are frequently mistaken
for the soul itself, and much confusion has arisen by reason of this mistake.
Each human entity on earth life has, in addition
to the physical body, a finer and more subtle form of body, which is called the
Astral Body (sometimes called “the etheric double,” known to the Hindus as the Linga-Sharira). This Astral body is an
exact counterpart of the physical body, and, in fact, is the finer model upon
which the physical body is moulded or overlaid.
Upon the departure of the soul from the physical body, it carries the Astral
body with it as its vehicle, and dwells in it during the soul sleep, discarding
it only when it awakens from the soul slumber and passes on to the higher
states or conditions of the Astral. The Astral body, thus discarded by the
soul, then becomes what is known to occultists as an “Astral shell.”
1. In a previous work, we have spoken as follows of the “Astral shell,”
after it has been discarded by the soul:
« The Astral body exists for some time after the death of the person to
whom it belongs, and under certain circumstances, it is visible to living
persons, and is by them called a ‘ghost.’ The “Astral shell,” which is
sometimes seen after it has been sloughed off by the soul which has passed on,
is in such cases nothing more than a corpse of finer matter than its physical
counterpart. In such cases it is possessed of no life or intelligence, and is
nothing more than a cloud seen in the sky bearing a resemblance to the human
form. It is a shell, nothing more....
When discarded by the soul it begins to slowly disintegrate…. It floats
around in the lower Astral atmosphere, until finally it is dissolved into its
original elements. It seems to have a peculiar attraction toward its late
physical counterpart, and will often return to the neighborhood of the discarded
physical body, and disintegrate with it. Persons of psychic sight, either
normal or influenced by fear or similar emotions, frequently see these “Astral
shells” floating around graveyards, over battle-fields, etc.,
and mistake them for the ‘spirits’ of departed persons, whereas they are no
more the real souls of the persons than are the physical bodies beneath the
ground.”
. . .
These “Astral shells” may be ‘galvanized’ into a semblance of life by
coming in contact with the vitality of some ‘medium,’ the prana of the latter
animating it, and the sub‑conscious mentality
of the medium causing it to manifest signs of life and partial intelligence.
At some of the seances of the mediums, these astral shells are
materialized by means of the vitality of the medium, and are made to talk in a
stupid, disconnected way with those around, but it is not the person himself
talking, but a mere shell animated by the life principle of the medium and the
‘circle,’ and acting and talking like an automaton. There are, of course, other
forms of ‘spirit return,’ but investigators of spiritualistic phenomena should
beware of confounding these ‘Astral shells’ with the real soul of their departed
friends. »
2. A leading authority on the subject has written of the “Astral shell,”
as follows:
« At death it is disembodied for a brief period, and, under some abnormal
conditions, may even be temporarily visible to the external sight of still
living persons. Under such conditions it is taken of course for the ghost of
the departed persons.
Spectral apparitions may sometimes be occasioned in other ways, but the
third principle (the Astral Body) when that results in a visible phenomenon, is
a mere aggregation of molecules in a peculiar state, having no life or
consciousness of any kind whatever. It is no more than a cloud wreath in the
sky which happens to settle into the semblance of some animal form.
Broadly speaking, the linga-sharira never leaves the body except at
death, case. When seen at all, and this can but nor migrates far from the body
even in that rarely occur, it can only be seen near where the physical body
lies.
. . .
It is a mistake to speak of consciousness, as we understand the feeling
in life, attaching to the ‘Astral shell’ or remnant; but, nevertheless, a
certain spurious resemblance may be awakened in that shell, and without having
any connection with the real consciousness all the while growing in strength
and vitality in the spiritual sphere. There is no power on the part of the
shell of taking on and assimilating new ideas and intiating courses of action
on the basis of those new ideas. But there is in the shell a survival of
volitional impulses imparted to it during life….
It is liable to be galvanized for a time in the mediumistic current into
a state of consciousness and life which may be suggested by the first condition
of a person who, carried into a strange room in a state of insensibility during
illness, wakes up feeble, confused in mind, gazing about with a blank feeling
of bewilderment, taking in impressions, hearing words addressed to him and
answering vaguely. Such a state of consciousness is unassociated with the
notions of past and future. It is an automatic consciousness, derived from the
medium. »
(This second text form part of Alfred Sinnett book's "Esoteric Buddhism", chapters two and six, but William Atkinson did not read carefully this book, since he makes the
mistake of confusing the astral projection that sometimes a person does when she is dying, with the spectral waste that sometimes remains walking around
the area where the person died
after she has passed away, and with the astral shell
that remains floating in the Kama-Loka when the soul ascends to the divine
world.)
3. Another writer on the subject says of these “Astral shells”:
« 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. 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
vitality 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. »
_ _ _
The careful student of occultism will find in the works of all of the
best authorities many warnings against the confounding of the phenomena related
to these “Astral shells,” with that referring to actual communication between
disembodied souls and those in the flesh. But the general public, not being
informed, is very apt to fall into the error of supposing that this class of
psychic phenomena is a manifestation of “spirit return,” and the cause of
rational spiritualism has been very much injured in this way.
It is a ghastly mockery to have these disintegrating “Astral shells,”
galvanized temporarily into life by the vitality and minds of a medium
(consciously or otherwise), and to have them mistaken for the souls of departed
friends and relatives. And yet this terrible experience has been the lot of
many earnest investigators of psychic phenomena, and by many persons whose love
has prompted them to seek to communicate once more with their loved ones.
It would seem that there is much need for true occult knowledge on the
part of the public, in these days when so many are dabbling in psychic
research, and producing psychic phenomena the nature and character of which
they do not understand.
We trust that nothing we have said in this, or the preceding chapters,
will be taken as an attack upon modern spiritualism in the Western world. We
have no such intention, and no such feeling. We realize that through the
channel of modern spiritualism many earnest souls have been brought to a
realization of the higher spiritual truths, and have been led to the door of
the higher occult understanding. In fact, modern spiritualism today is
concerning itself comparatively little with “phenomena,” but, instead, is striving
to unfold the truths of the life on the higher spheres of being and existence
of the soul.
But following on the outskirts of the movement are many to whom only
phenomena of the most sensational character appeals — it is for these that this
warning is intended. And, in the same manner, for those who are following idly
after the “psychic research” movement, being attracted thereto by love of
novelty and hope of excitement. We would warn both of these classes of
investigators that in opening the doors of the minds and souls to lower Astral
influences, they are running great risks. There are swamps and quagmires of the
Astral world into which the unwary feet are apt to sink.
Therefore we say “Beware of the lower astral vibrations.” Keep the mind
and soul centered on the higher truths, and resist the temptation to dabble in
the phenomena of the lower states. There is no satisfaction in the Moon phase
of occultism, and great dangers are often encountered — turn your face toward
the sun! Live on the spiritual Heights — beware of the miasmatic swamps and
malarial quagmires on the lowlands of psychism. These warnings cannot be too
often repeated by those having the interest of the race at heart. »
(Chapter 17)
OBSERVATION
I agree with the latter that William Atkinson noted, and I perceive that
he relied on what theosophy teaches, but unfortunately he did not investigate
seriously enough, because his explanation is poorly done, incomplete and makes
a tremendous mess with the different principles that compose the human, since
he confuses the astral body (which is the linga-sharira) with the energy body
(which is "the etheric double") with the astral shell (which is the
kama-rupa). So if you want to understand this matter better, I recommend that
you read directly what the original theosophy taught.
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