About this subtle region, William Atkinson in his book "Life beyond death" mentioned the
following:
« Students
of occultism, Oriental and Occidental, find many references in the works of the
old authorities, to that great series of planes, immediately above those of the
material world, which are loosely styled the “Astral Plane”.
But they find the
various authorities differing in their usage of the term. Many of the older
authorities use the term, as we shall in this book, to designate the entire
series of planes lying between those of the material world and those very
exalted planes of existance, known
as the “Spiritual
Planes” the very
nature of which
is beyond the comprehension of the mind of the average man.
On the other hand,
some of the modern Western writers on the subject use the term the “Astral
Plane” to indicate merely the lower planes and sub-planes
of the Astral series — those planes which blend into the material planes on the
one hand and into the higher Astral planes on the other. This has caused some
confusion in the minds of those beginning the study of the planes above the
material.
In this book, as in
our previous volumes, we follow the example of the ancient authorities, and
apply the term, as they did, to the entire great series of planes lying between
the material planes and the highest spiritual planes. We consider this plan
preferable, for the reason that it is more simple, and tends to prevent the
student from being confused by reason of many technical distinctions.
The Astral Plane is
composed of numberless planes and sub-planes, and divisions of sub-planes,
rising in a gradually ascending scale from those which touch and blend in with
the higher material planes, to those which touch and blend into the lower
strata (if the term may be so used) of the great spiritual planes. But between
these two extremes is to be found the greatest possible variety of phenomena
and phases of existence.
On the lower planes
of the Astral are manifested the psychic activities which men know as
clairvoyance, clairaudience, telepathy, psychometry, etc. On other of the lower
planes of the Astral are to be found certain forms of the “ghosts,” “spooks,”
and other apparitions of disembodied souls which occasionally are perceived and
sensed by man and some of the lower animals.
On certain of these
planes, also, the Astral bodies of men still in the flesh travel and manifest
activity, either during the sleep of the owner of the body, or in certain
trance conditions, or else when the owner deliberately leaves the physical body
for the time being and projects his Astral Body on the Astral Plane.
The Astral colors are
auras, which surround the physical bodies of all human beings, also manifest on
certain sub-planes of the Astral. Certain other sub-planes may be called “the
planes of psychic forces” by means of which various forms of psychic phenomena
are performed.
On similar lower
planes are to be found the “thought-forms,” “thought-waves,” “thought-clouds,”
etc., emanating from the minds of human beings, which travel about affecting
the thoughts and emotions of those who attract them and who are attuned to
their own psychic keynote. We mention these only in passing, and for general
information, rather than in detail, for these phenomena have been considered in
other volumes of these series of books.
Some of the lower sub-planes
of the Astral are far from being healthy or agreeable places to visit, or upon
which to function, for the untrained person. In fact the experienced occultist
has as little to do with them as possible, and advise all dabblers in occultism
to avoid these miasmatic psychic regions as he would a swampy, fever-laden
region on the material plane.
Many persons have
wrought great injury to themselves from attempting to penetrate these lower
planes without a correct knowledge of the nature thereof, many having wrecked
their bodies and minds by foolishly producing or inducing psychic conditions
which cause them to function on these lower psychic planes. The old adage which
informs us “that fools rush in where angels fear to tread,” applies in full
force in this case.
Some of these lower
Astral sub-planes are filled with Astral forms of disembodied human beings, the
higher principles of whom are still attached to the Astral body, and which are
held earth‑bound by
reason of the attraction of the material world. In this region also dwell for a
time the very scum of disembodied human life, having every attraction to hold
them down to the things of the material world, and nothing to draw them upward.
It is pitiful to see
persons, who would not think of associating with this class of persons in the
flesh, nevertheless welcoming psychic intercourse and communication with the
same class in the Astral, accepting them as “blessed spirits” and “beautiful
souls.” The disgust which comes to many persons who dapple in “spirit return”
at a certain class of seances, is readily understood when we understand the
character of the entities which inhabit these low planes. Some of these
scoundrelly dwellers on the lower Astral planes frequently counterfeit friends
and relations of the inquirer, much to the pained surprise of the latter.
As the planes ascend
in degree we leave this class of entities behind, and enter the realms where
abide the disembodied souls of those of higher degrees of spirituality. Higher
and higher rise the scale of planes and sub-planes, until at last are reached
the realms of the blessed — the temporary abiding place of those who have
attained a high degree of spiritual development, the “heaven worlds” which the
religions of the race have sought to define according to their creeds and
traditions.
And, just as in the
creeds of the race have been postulated the existence of “hells” to oppose the
idea of “heaven,” so in the Astral world, as might be expected, are to be found
certain lower planes in which dwell the disembodied souls of persons of brutal
natures and tendencies, in which the inevitable result of their earth-life is
worked out.
But these hells of
the Astral are not eternal — the disembodied soul in turn may work out into a
better environment — may be given “another chance.” The Catholic conception of
“purgatory” also has its Astral existence, in the form of certain sub-planes in
which, as Hamlet’s fathers ghost has said: “the foul crimes done in my days of
nature are burned and purged away” — but not in the fire of materiality, the
fires of memory and imagination sufficing.
In short, on the
great Astral plane are to be found conditions corresponding with nearly, if not
all, of the conceptions formed by the mind of man in connection with the religions
of all times and places.
These conceptions
have not arisen by mere chance — they are the result of the experience of
certain of the race who in some way established psychic connection with some of
the many Astral Planes, each of whom, according to his own nature and
inclinations, reported his experiences to his fellows, who afterward
incorporated them in the various religions of the world.
It will be remembered
that every race of human beings has had its traditions of the “place” of
departed souls, the description varying greatly and yet all agreeing in some
particulars. As we proceed, we will see how these reports were obtained, and
how the varying reports may be harmonized and understood in connection with each
other.
The term “Astral” of
course means “of or pertaining to the stars.” It originally came into use in
connection with occultism by reason of the common idea of men that “the other
side” is “up in the skies;” among the clouds, or in the regions of the stars.
Even in our own day, when the idea of heaven as a place has passed from the
minds of intelligent persons, it is quite natural for us to raise the eyes in
speaking of “heaven,” or to point aloft when we wish to indicate the abode of
the blessed.
It is difficult to
shake off the habitual concepts of the race, and while we know better than to
suppose that there is any special “up or down” in the Cosmos, still, we have
the old inherited race-habit of thought which causes us to think of the higher
realms of the soul as “up” toward the stars. And, in a similar manner, the old
term “Astral” has persisted in occult terminology.
Once more we must
caution the student against confounding the idea of the Astral Plane with the
idea of place or places. There is no such place as the Astral Plane. The Astral
Plane is neither up nor down, neither north, south, east or west. It lies in no
special direction — and yet it lies in all directions. It is, first, last, and
always, a state or condition and not a place. It is rather a phase or degree of
vibration, rather than a portion of space. Its dimensions are those of Time — not
those of Space.
When we use the
words; “region;” “realm;” “higher or lower;” “above or below;” we employ them
merely figuratively, just as we speak of “a high rate of vibration,” or “a rate
or vibration above that, etc.” We find it necessary to repeat this caution, for
the reason that the average student falls into the pitfall of error in
connecting the idea of plane with that of place, when there should be no mental
association between the two. »
(Chapter 4)
OBSERVATION
The explanation that
William Atkinson gave about the Astral is very incomplete and to some extent
confused and erroneous, and shows that he had little knowledge about this
subtle region, and even in some aspects he was tremendously wrong as shown the
description he made of the Astral in his other book "The Kybalion",
which he published only a year before this (in 1908) and where he does not call
this subtle region “the Astral,” but calls it "the Great Mental Plane,"
and the way he divides it is truly disastrous (see link).
[Later I will put it.]
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