AstralPlaneIt’sScenery,InhabitantsandPhenomena

BY

C.W.LeadbeaterAnandGholapTheosophicalInstitute

2009

PREFACE

Fewwordsareneededinsendingthislittlebookoutintotheworld.Itisthefifthof a series of Manuals designed to meet the public demand for a simpleexpositionofTheosophicalteachings.Somehavecomplainedthatourliteratureisatoncetooabstruse,tootechnical,andtooexpensivefortheordinaryreader,anditisourhopethatthepresentseriesmaysucceedinsupplyingwhatisaveryrealwant. Theosophy is not only for the learned; it is for all. Perhaps amongthosewho in these little books catch their first glimpse of its teachings, theremay be a few who will be led by them to penetrate more deeply into itsphilosophy, its science, and its religion, facing its abstruser problemswith thestudent’szealandtheneophyte’sardour.ButtheseManualsarenotwrittenonlyfortheeagerstudent,whomnoinitialdifficultiescandaunt;theyarewrittenforthebusy[v]menandwomenofthework-a-dayworld,andseektomakeplainsomeof thegreat truths that render lifeeasier tobearanddeatheasier toface.WrittenbyservantsoftheMasterswhoaretheElderBrothersofourrace,theycanhavenootherobjectthantoserveourfellow-men.

ANNIEBESANT[vi]

INTRODUCTION

IN the extensive literature ofTheosophy this littlework stands out for certainspeciallymarkedcharacteristics. It recordsanattempt todescribe the InvisibleWorldinthesamemannerthatabotanistwoulddescribesomenewterritoryonthisglobenotexploredbyanypreviousbotanist.

MostworksdealingwithMysticismandOccultismarecharacterisedbythelackof a scientific presentation, such as is exacted in everydepartment of science.Theygiveusfarmorethesignificanceofthings,ratherthandescriptionsofthethingsthemselves.In this littlebooktheauthorapproachestheInvisibleWorldfromthemodernstandpointofscience.

As I have a connection with this book, as the amanuensis who copied themanuscriptfor theprinter, Icandescribehowtheworkcametobewritten.Atthe period of its writing in 1894, C.W. Leadbeater was the secretary of theLondonLodgeoftheTheosophicalSociety;Mr.A.P.Sinnett[vii]waspresidentoftheLodge.TheLodgedidnopublicpropaganda,andhadnoopenmeetings;butthreeorfourtimesayearameetingwasheldatthehouseofMr.Sinnett,andcardsofinvitationweresentouttotheLodgemembersandtothosefewofthe“upper classes” whom Mr. Sinnett thought were likely to be interested inTheosophy.Mr.SinnettdesiredthatMr.LeadbeatershoulddeliveranaddresstotheLodge.

Ourauthorselectedashis topic“TheAstralPlane”.Here Icanwellquote thedescriptionwhich he himself has given of his training inClairvoyance,whichenabledhim tomakea scientific investigationof thephenomenaof theAstralPlane. In his bookHow Theosophy Came to Me he describes his training asfollows:

UnexpectedDevelopment

ItshouldbeunderstoodthatinthosedaysIpossessednoclairvoyantfaculty,norhadIeverregardedmyselfasatallsensitive.IrememberthatIhadaconvictionthat amanmustbebornwith somepsychicpowersandwitha sensitivebody

beforehecoulddoanything in thewayof thatkindofdevelopment, so that I[viii] had never thought of progress of that sort as possible for me in thisincarnation,buthadsomehopethatifIworkedaswellasIknewhowinthislifeImightbebornnext timewithvehiclesmoresuitable to thatparticular lineofadvancement.

One day, however, when the Master Kuthumi honoured me with a visit, Heaskedmewhether I had ever attempted a certain kindofmediation connectedwiththedevelopmentofthemysteriouspowercalledKundalini.Ihadofcourseheardofthatpower,butknewverylittleaboutit,andatanyratesupposedittobeabsolutelyoutofreachforWesternpeople.However,Herecommendedmetomakea feweffortsalongcertain lines,whichHepledgedmenot todivulge toanyone else except with His direct authorization, and told me that He wouldHimselfwatchoverthoseeffortstoseethatnodangershouldensue.

Naturally I took the hint, and worked away steadily, and I think I may sayintensely,atthatparticularkindofmeditationdayafterday.Imustadmitthatitwas very hard work and sometimes distinctly painful, but of course [ix] Ipersevered,andinduecoursebegantoachievetheresultsthatIhadbeenledtoexpect.Certainchannelshadtobeopenedandcertainpartitionsbrokendown;Iwas told that fortydayswasa fairestimateof theaverage timerequired if theeffortwasreallyenergeticandpersevering.Iworkedatitforforty-twodays,andseemed to myself to be on the brink of the final victory, when the MasterHimself intervened and performed the final act of breaking through whichcompleted theprocess,andenabledme thereafter touseastral sightwhile stillretainingfullconsciousnessinthephysicalbody—whichisequivalenttosayingthat the astral consciousness and memory became continuous whether thephysicalbodywasawakeorasleep.Iwasgiventounderstandthatmyowneffortwouldhaveenabledme tobreak through in twenty-fourhours longer,but thattheMasterinterferedbecauseHewishedtoemploymeatonceinacertainpieceofwork.

PsychicTraining

It must not for a moment be supposed, however, that the attainment of thisparticularpower[x]wastheendoftheocculttraining.Onthecontrary,itproved

tobeonlythebeginningofayearofthehardestworkthatIhaveeverknown.ItwillbeunderstoodthatIlivedthereintheoctagonalroombytheriver-sidealonefor many long hours every day, and practically secure from any interruptionexceptatmeal-times......SeveralMastersweresograciousastovisitmeduringthatperiodandtooffermevarioushints;butitwastheMasterDjwalKulwhogavemostofthenecessaryinstruction.ItmaybethatHewasmovedtothisactof kindness because ofmy close associationwithHim inmy last life,when IstudiedunderHim in thePythagorean schoolwhichHeestablished inAthens,andevenhadthehonourofmanagingitafterHisdeath.IknownothowtothankHimfortheenormousamountofcareandtroublewhichHetookinmypsychiceducation; patiently andover andover againHewouldmake a vivid thought-form,andsaytome:“Whatdoyousee?”AndwhenIdescribedittothebestofmyability,wouldcomeagainandagainthecomment:[xi]“No,no,youarenotseeing true; you are not seeing all; dig deeper into yourself, use yourmentalvisionaswellasyourastral;pressjustalittlefurther,alittlehigher.”

This process often had to be many times repeated before my mentor wassatisfied.Thepupilhastobetestedinallsortsofwaysandunderallconceivableconditions; indeed, towards the end of the tuition sportive nature-spirits areespeciallycalledinandorderedineverywaypossibletoendeavourtoconfuseor mislead the seer. Unquestionably it is hard work, and the strain which itimposesis,Isuppose,aboutasgreatasahumanbeingcansafelyendure;buttheresultachievedisassuredlyfarmorethanworthwhile,foritleadsdirectlyuptothe union of the lower and the higher self and produces an utter certainty ofknowledgebaseduponexperiencewhichnofuturehappeningscanevershake.1

At the time that the lecture for the London Lodgewas being prepared, Iwasresidingwith[xii]Mr.Leadbeater,andattendingclassesforexaminations.Itwasa habit of Mr. Leadbeater never to throw away the envelopes in which hereceivedletters.Hecutthemopenatthesides,andusedtheirinsidesforwritingmemoranda.Thishabitremainedwithhimeventothelastyearofhislife.Afterdelivering the lecture fromnotes onNovember 21, 1894, his next taskwas towrite it out for publication as Transaction No. 24 of the London Lodge. Hebegan writing a little at a time, on scraps of paper which were the openedenvelopes. It was my task then to write from these scraps into the unwrittenpages of an old foolscap-size diary. The manuscript therefore was in my

handwriting.Thewritingtookthreeorfourweeks,ashewasoccupiedinvariouskinds of work for his livelihood, and so could write only when time wasavailableforwriting.

When the printer’s proofs of the London Lodge Transaction came to BishopLeadbeater, the manuscript (which was in my handwriting) was of coursereturned also. As happens when a manuscript is returned by the printer, thismanuscriptshowedthethumbmarksofthecompositorandproof-reader,andthecleanwhitenessof thepageshad [xiii]disappeared in theprocessofhandling.Thiswouldnothavemattered,asonceamanuscriptisinprintitisthrownintothewastepaperbasket.

ButnowhappenedanunusualandunexpectedincidentwhichdistinctlyflusteredBishop Leadbeater. One morning he informed me that the Master K. H. hadaskedforthemanuscript,asHedesiredtodeposititintheMuseumofRecordsof theGreatWhite Brotherhood. TheMaster explained thatThe Astral Planewas an unusual production and a landmark in the intellectual history ofhumanity.TheMasterexplainedthathitherto,eveninsuchagreatcivilizationasthat of Atlantis, the sages of the occult schools had approached the facts ofNaturenotfromthemodernscientificstandpoint,butfromadifferentangle.Theoccultteachersofthepasthadsoughtmoretheinnersignificanceoffacts,whatmightbe termed the “life side”ofNature, and less the “formside”ofNature,such as characterizes the scientific method of today. While a great body ofknowledge concerningNature’smysteries hadbeengatheredby theAdepts ofpast civilizations, that knowledge had hitherto been synthesized not after adetailed[xiv]scientificanalysis,butfromthereactionsofconsciousnesstothe“life side”. On the other hand, for the first time among occultists, a detailedinvestigationhadbeenmadeoftheAstralPlaneasawhole,inamannersimilartothatinwhichabotanistinanAmazonianjunglewouldsettoworkinordertoclassifyitstrees,plantsandshrubs,andsowriteabotanicalhistoryofthejungle.

Forthisreasonthelittlebook,TheAstralPlane,wasdefinitelyalandmark,andtheMasterasKeeperoftheRecordsdesiredtoplaceitsmanuscriptinthegreatMuseum. This Museum contains a careful selection of various objects ofhistorical importance to theMasters andTheir pupils in connectionwith theirhigher studies, and it is especially a record of the progress of humanity in

variousfieldsofactivity.Itcontains,forinstance,globesmodelledtoshowtheconfigurationof theEarth at various epochsof time; itwas from theseglobesthat Bishop Leadbeater drew the maps which were published in anothertransaction of the London Lodge, that on Atlantis by W. Scott-Elliot. TheMuseum contains among other significant objects a piece of solid Mercury,which is an isotope. It contains various old texts relating to extinct and [xv]presentreligions,andothermaterialusefulforanunderstandingoftheworkofthe“LifeWave”onthisglobe,ourEarth.

About the only occasion that I can recall when one could describe BishopLeadbeaterasbeing“flustered”wasonreceivingthisrequestoftheMasterforthemanuscriptofhislittlebook,forthemanuscriptwassoiled-itcouldwellbedescribed as “grubby”—after the handling by the printer. Nevertheless, theMaster’s request had to be carried out. The question then arose how themanuscriptwas to be transported to Tibet. This, however, did not bother himbecauseBishopLeadbeaterhadcertainoccultpowerswhichhedidnotrevealtoothers,thoughIhaveobservedthemoncertainoccasions.

The manuscript was to be transported by dematerialization, and to berematerializedinTibet.

I happened to have a piece of a yellow silk ribbon three inches broad, andfoldingthemanuscriptintofourIputtheribbonroundit,andstitchedittomakeaband. Iwas excited, as herewas a remarkable opportunity to get proof of a“phenomenon”.Ifthemanuscriptwerelockedinsome[xvi]boxandthekeywaswith me all the time, and the manuscript were found to have disappeared, Ishouldhaveasplendidphenomenontonarrate.

Butstrangelyasithappened,amongBishopLeadbeater’spossessionsandmineatthetimewehadnothingthatwouldlockproperly.Therewasanoldcowhidetrunk but its lockwas broken.We had very few bags at the time, but all haddefectivelocks,andabsolutelytherewasnothingwithaserviceablelock.Therewasasmallwoodenboxwithinlaidtortoiseshell,whichwastheworkboxofhismother;butitskeyhadbeenlostlongago.

Thereremainednothingtobedoneexcepttoputthemanuscriptinsidethisbox

andpileaheapofbooksonitfautedemieux.Nextmorningonwaking,andonremovingthepileofbooksandlookinginsidetheworkbox,themanuscriptwasnotthere.Mychagrinatlosingtheopportunitytoproveaphenomenonwasnotconsoled by being told that I myself had taken astrally themanuscript to theMaster.

ItmayherebeinterestingtoquotewhatIwroteelsewhere,onthissubjectoftheimpossibilityoffindinganinstanceoftheactionofsuper-physical[xvii]powersthatthescepticalscientificmindcouldconsider“water-tight”againstcriticism.

Wheneverwemighthavegivenaninstanceofproof,withregardtooccultfacts,without any possible challenge, always something happened to prevent thefinality in the proof. It is well known that, in the early days of Spiritualism,manystrikingobjectswere transportedfromdistances,showing that thespiritswereable touseextraordinarypowers.But ineachinstancetherewasjustonefinallinkinthechainmissing.Therewasalwaysaloopholefordoubt.Similarly,in thephenomenadonebytheAdepts inconnectionwithMadameBlavatsky’sworkatSimla,itwouldhavebeentheeasiestthingforThemtohavetransportedtheLondonTimesofthedaytoSimla,aswasoncesuggested.Butinallcasesofphenomena,therewastheomission,throughoversight,orforsomeotherreason,ofsomeimportantevidentialfact.

When the Adepts were asked on this matter, we were informed that Theypurposelypreventedanyphenomenonwhichwouldbeabsolutely“water-tight”in the matter of proof. [xviii] It is Their plan that, while humanity is at thepresentstage,wherealargenumberofpowerfulmindslackanadequatemoraldevelopment,noopportunityshallbegiventotheseunscrupulousmindstohaveacompletetrustintheexistenceofoccultpowers.Solongasthereisscepticismonthematter,mankindisprotectedfromexploitationby theunscrupulous.Weknowalreadyhowmankindhasbeenexploitedeconomicallyandindustriallybyselfishminds,controlling theresourcesofNature.Howgreatacalamitymightoccur, if theseselfishmindswere touseoccultpowersalsoforexploitation, isnotdifficultforanyonewithalittleimaginationtoconceive.

BishopLeadbeaterfirstmetDr.AnnieBesantin1894.ThenextyearsheinvitedhimandmyselftoliveattheLondonTheosophicalHeadquartersat19Avenue

Road,Regents Park,whereH.P.B. passed away in 1891.This housewas hersandhenceherinvitationtous.FromthisperiodbeganaveryclosecollaborationbetweenDr.BesantandBishopLeadbeaterwhichcontinuedrighttotheendoftheir lives. In 1892 she had begun a series called “Theosophical Manuals”,consisting[xix]ofsmallbookssummarizinginbrieftheTheosophicalteachingon various subjects. The first four respectively, Seven Principles of Man,Reincarnation, Karma, Death–And After? had been issued when she askedBishop Leadbeater’s permission to issue the London Lodge Transaction as amanualintheseries.ItdulyappearedasManualNo.5.

It was in 1895 that the two made a joint investigation into the structure ofHydrogen. Oxygen and Nitrogen (and a fourth element christened by us“Occultum”hitherto not yet discovered).That sameyear bothmade extensiveinvestigations into the structure, conditions and inhabitants of the lower andhigherMental Planes. On themodel of the work done by Bishop LeadbeaterwheninvestigatingtheAstralPlane,Dr.Besantandheexaminedinstanceafterinstanceofegos in“Devachan”, in thatperiodof theirexistenceafterdeath inthe state of happiness called the Heaven World. As before, it was BishopLeadbeater who wrote out the investigations, for Dr. Besant had manyengagements; this was the origin of Theosophical Manual No. 6, TheDevachanicPlane.

These two works, The Astral Plane and The Devachanic Plane, embody acarefulresearch, inas[xx]objectiveandscientificamannerasDr.BesantandBishopLeadbeaterwere capable of, and the result is a very precious body offactsconcerningtheinvisibleworld.Acloseanalysisandstudyofthesefactsbyanyeagerstudentwhohasanunprejudicedandimpartialmind,cannotbutgivehim the feeling that, though he may be unable to believe in the statementsrecorded,yetneverthelessthereisonecharacteristicaboutthem,thattheyappearto be descriptions of objects and events seen objectively, as through amicroscope or telescope, and not subjectively, as is the case of a novelistspinningouttheincidentsofavividstory.

This,inbrief,isthestoryofthewritingofthissmallbutpreciousmanual,TheAstralPlane.

C.JINARAJADASA

CHAPTERI

AGENERALSURVEY

THOUGHforthemostpartentirelyunconsciousofit,manpassesthewholeofhis life in themidst of a vast and populous unseenworld.During sleep or intrance,whentheinsistentphysicalsensesareforthetimeinabeyance,thisotherworld is to some extent open to him, and hewill sometimes bring back fromthose conditionsmore or less vaguememories ofwhat he has seen and heardthere.When,atthechangewhichmencalldeath,helaysasidehisphysicalbodyaltogether,it isintothisunseenworldthathepasses,andinithelivesthroughthelongcenturiesthatintervenebetweenhisincarnationsintothisexistencethatweknow.By far thegreaterpart of these longperiods is spent in theheaven-world,towhichthesixthofthesemanualsisdevoted;butwhatwehavenowtoconsideristhelowerpartofthisunseenworld,thestateintowhichmanentersimmediately after [1] death—the Hades or underworld of the Greeks, thepurgatory or intermediate state of Christianity which was called bymediævalalchemiststheastralplane.

Theobjectofthismanualistocollectandarrangetheinformationwithregardtothis interesting region which is scattered through Theosophical literature, andalso to supplement it slightly in cases where new facts have come to ourknowledge.Itmustbeunderstoodthatanysuchadditionsareonlytheresultoftheinvestigationsofafewexplorers,andmustnot,therefore,betakenasinanywayauthoritative,butaregivensimplyforwhattheyareworth.

On the other hand every precaution in our power has been taken to ensureaccuracy,nofact,oldornew,beingadmitted to thismanualunless ithasbeenconfirmed by the testimony of at least two independent trained investigatorsamongourselves,andhasalsobeenpassedascorrectbyolder studentswhoseknowledge on these points is necessarilymuch greater than ours. It is hoped,therefore,thatthisaccountoftheastralplane,thoughitcannotbeconsideredasquitecomplete,mayyetbefoundreliableasfarasitgoes.[2]

[ThusIwrotesomefortyyearsagointhefirsteditionofthisbook;nowImay

add that daily experienceduring thewhole of that timehas but confirmed theaccuracy of last century’s investigations. Much that was then still somewhatstrange and novel has now become familiar through constant and intimateacquaintance,andamassofadditionalevidencehasbeenaccumulated;hereandtheretheremaybeafewwordstoadd;thereispracticallynothingtoalter.]

Thefirstpointwhichitisnecessarytomakeclearindescribingthisastralplaneis its absolute reality. In using that word I am not speaking from thatmetaphysical standpoint from which all but the One Unmanifested is unrealbecause impermanent; Iamusing theword in itsplain,every-daysense,and Imeanbyitthattheobjectsandinhabitantsoftheastralplanearerealinexactlythe sameway as our ownbodies, our furniture, our houses ormonuments arereal—as realasCharingCross, toquoteanexpressive remark fromoneof theearliestTheosophicalworks.Theywillnomoreendureforeverthanwillobjectsonthephysicalplane,buttheyareneverthelessrealitiesfromourpointofviewwhile they last—realitieswhichwe[3]cannotafford to ignoremerelybecausethemajorityofmankindisasyetunconscious,orbutvaguelyconscious,oftheirexistence.

Iknowhowdifficultitisfortheaveragemindtograsptherealityofthatwhichwecannotseewithourphysicaleyes.Itishardforustorealizehowpartialoursightis—tounderstandthatweareall thetimelivinginavastworldofwhichweseeonlyatinypart.Yetsciencetellsuswithnouncertainvoicethatthisisso,foritdescribestouswholeworldsofminutelifeofwhoseexistenceweareentirely ignorant as far as our senses are concerned. Nor are the creatures oftheseworlds unimportant becauseminute, for upon a knowledge of the habitsandconditionofsomeofthosemicrobesdependsourabilitytopreservehealth,andinmanycaseslifeitself.

Inanotherdirectionalsooursensesarelimited.Wecannotseetheveryairthatsurroundsus;oursensesgiveusnoindicationofitsexistence,exceptthatwhenitisinmotionweareawareofitbythesenseoftouch.Yetinitthereisaforcethat canwreck ourmightiest vessels and throw down our strongest buildings.Clearlyallaboutustherearepotentforceswhichyeteludeourpoorandpartial[4]senses;soobviouslywemustbewareoffallingintothefatallycommonerrorofsupposingthatwhatweseeisallthereistosee.

Weare,asitwere,shutupinatower,andoursensesaretinywindowsopeningout in certain directions. Inmany other directionswe are entirely shut in, butclairvoyanceorastralsightopensforusoneortwoadditionalwindows,andsoenlargesourprospect,andspreadsbeforeusanewandwiderworld,whichisyetpartoftheoldworld,thoughbeforewedidnotknowit.

NoonecangetaclearconceptionoftheteachingsoftheWisdom-Religionuntilhehasatanyrateanintellectualgraspofthefactthatinoursolarsystemthereexistperfectlydefiniteplanes,eachwith itsownmatterofdifferentdegreesofdensity.Someoftheseplanescanbevisitedandobservedbypersonswhohavequalifiedthemselvesforthework,exactlyasaforeigncountrymightbevisitedandobserved;and,bycomparing theobservationsof thosewhoareconstantlyworkingontheseplanes,evidencecanbeobtainedoftheirexistenceandnatureat least as satisfactory as that which most of us have for the existence ofGreenlandorSpitzbergen.Furthermore,justasanyman[5]whohasthemeansand chooses to take the trouble can go and see Greenland or Spitzbergen forhimself,soanymanwhochoosestotakethetroubletoqualifyhimselfbylivingthe necessary life, can in time come to see these higher planes on his ownaccount.

The names usually given to these planes, taking them in order ofmateriality,rising from the denser to the finer, are the Physical, theAstral, theMental orDevachanic,theBuddhic,andtheNirvanic.Higherthanthislastaretwoothers,but theyaresofaraboveourpresentpowerofconceptionthatfor themomenttheymaybeleftoutofconsideration.Itshouldbeunderstoodthatthematterofeachof theseplanesdiffers from thatof theonebelow it in the samewayas,thoughtoamuchgreaterdegreethan,vapourdiffersfromsolidmatter;infact,thestatesofmatterwhichwecallsolid,liquid,andgaseousaremerelythethreelowestsub-divisionsofthematterbelongingtothisonephysicalplane.

TheastralregionwhichIamtoattempttodescribeisthesecondofthesegreatPlanesofNature—thenextabove(orwithin)thatphysicalworldwithwhichweareall familiar. Ithasoftenbeencalledtherealmof illusion—not that it is [6]itself any more illusory than the physical world, but, because of the extremeunreliabilityoftheimpressionsbroughtbackfromitbytheuntrainedseer.

Why should this be so? We account for it mainly by two remarkablecharacteristics of the astral world—first, that many of its inhabitants have amarvellous power of changing their forms with Protean rapidity, and also ofcasting practically unlimited glamour over those with whom they choose tosport;andsecondly,thatsightonthatplaneisafacultyverydifferentfromandmuchmoreextendedthanphysicalvision.Anobjectisseen,asitwere,fromallsides at once, the inside of a solid being as plainly open to the view as theoutside; it is therefore obvious that an inexperiencedvisitor to this newworldmaywellfindconsiderabledifficultyinunderstandingwhathereallydoessee,and still more in translating his vision into the very inadequate language ofordinaryspeech.

A good example of the sort of mistake that is likely to occur is the frequentreversalofanynumberwhichtheseerhastoreadfromtheastrallight,sothathewouldbeliabletorender,say,139as931,andsoon.Inthecaseofastudent[7]of occultism trained by a capableMaster such amistakewould be impossibleexceptthroughgreathurryorcarelessness,sincesuchapupilhastogothroughalongandvariedcourseofinstructioninthisartofseeingcorrectly.TheMaster,or perhaps somemore advanced pupil, brings before him again and again allpossibleformsof illusion,andaskshim“Whatdoyousee?”Anyerrors inhisanswers are then corrected and their reasons explained, until by degrees theneophyteacquiresacertaintyandconfidenceindealingwiththephenomenaoftheastralplanewhichfarexceedsanythingpossibleinphysicallife.

He has to learn not only to see correctly but to translate accurately, fromoneplanetotheotherthememoryofwhathehasseen.Toassisthiminthishehaseventually to learn to carryhis consciousnesswithout break from thephysicalplanetotheastralormentalandbackagain,foruntil thatcanbedonethereisalways a possibility that his recollections may be partially lost or distortedduring the blank interval which separates his periods of consciousness on thevariousplanes.Whenthepowerofbringingovertheconsciousnessisperfectlyacquired the pupil will have the [8] advantage of the use of all the astralfaculties,notonlywhileoutofhisbodyduringsleepor trance,butalsowhilefullyawakeinordinaryphysicallife.

Ithasbeen thecustomof someTheosophists to speakwith scornof theastral

plane, and treat it as entirely unworthy of attention; but that seems to me amistakenview.Assuredly,thatatwhichwehavetoaimisthelifeofthespirit,and it would be most disastrous for any student to neglect that higherdevelopmentandrestsatisfiedwiththeattainmentofastralconsciousness.Therehavebeensomewhosekarmawassuchastoenablethemtodevelopthehighermentalfacultiesfirstofall—tooverleaptheastralplaneforthetime,asitwere;butthisisnottheordinarymethodadoptedbytheMastersofWisdomwiththeirpupils.

Whereitispossibleitnodoubtsavestrouble,forthehigherusuallyincludesthelower;butformostofussuchprogressbyleapsandboundshasbeenforbiddenbyourownfaultsorfolliesinthepast;allthatwecanhopeforistowinourwayslowlystepbystep,andsincethisastralplaneliesnext toourworldofdensermatter, it is usually in connection with it that our earliest super-physicalexperiencestakeplace.Itisthereforeofdeep[9]interesttothoseofuswhoarebutbeginners in thesestudies,andaclearcomprehensionof itsmysteriesmayoftenbeofthegreatestimportancetous,byenablingusnotonlytounderstandmany of the phenomena of the séance-room, of haunted houses, etc., whichwould otherwise be inexplicable, but also to guard ourselves and others frompossibledangers.

The first conscious introduction to this remarkable region comes to people invariousways.Someonlyonceintheirwholelivesundersomeunusualinfluencebecomesensitiveenoughtorecognizethepresenceofoneofitsinhabitants,andperhaps,becausetheexperiencedoesnotrepeatitself,theymaycomeintimetobelieve thaton thatoccasion theymusthavebeen thevictimsofhallucination.Othersfindthemselveswithincreasingfrequencyseeingandhearingsomethingtowhichthosearoundthemareblindanddeaf;othersagain—andperhapsthisisthe commonest experience of all—begin to recollect with greater and greaterclearnessthatwhichtheyhaveseenorheardonthatotherplaneduringsleep.

Itmustbeunderstoodthatthepowerofobjectiveperceptionuponalltheplanesundoubtedlylies[10]latentineveryman,butformostofusitwillbeamatteroflong and slow evolution before our consciousness can fully function in thosehighervehicles.Withregardtotheastralbodythematteris,however,somewhatdifferent, for in the case of all the cultured people belonging to the more

advancedracesoftheworld,theconsciousnessisalreadyperfectlycapablenotonlyofrespondingtoallvibrationscommunicatedtoitthroughastralmatter,butalsoofusingitsastralbodydefinitelyasavehicleandinstrument.

Mostofus,then,areawakeontheastralplaneduringthesleepofthephysicalbody, and yet we are generally very little awake to the plane, and areconsequentlyconsciousofoursurroundingsthereonlyvaguely,ifatall.Wearestillwrappedupinourwakingthoughtsandourphysical-planeaffairs,andwepayscarcelyanyattentiontotheworldofintenselyactivelifethatsurroundsus.Ourfirststep,then,istoshakeoffthishabitofthought,andlearntoseethatnewand beautiful world, so that wemay be able intelligently towork in it. Evenwhen that is achieved, it does not necessarily follow that we shall be able tobring over into ourwaking consciousness any recollection of those astral [11]experiences. But that question of physical-plane remembrance is an entirelydifferentmatter,anddoesnotinanywayaffectourpowertodoexcellentastralwork.

Amongthosewhomakeastudyofthesesubjects,sometrytodeveloptheastralsightbycrystal-gazingorothermethods,whilethosewhohavetheinestimableadvantageofthedirectguidanceofaqualifiedteacherwillprobablybearousedto full consciousness upon that plane for the first time under his specialprotection,whichwillbecontinueduntil,bytheapplicationofvarioustests,hehassatisfiedhimselfthateachpupilisproofagainstanydangerorterrorthatheislikelytoencounter.Buthoweveritmayoccur,thefirstactualrealizationthatwe are all thewhile in themidst of a greatworld full of active life, ofwhichmost of us are nevertheless entirely unconscious, cannot but be a memorableepochinaman’sexistence.

So abundant and so manifold is this life of the astral plane that at first it isabsolutely bewildering to the neophyte; and even for the more practisedinvestigator it is no easy task to attempt to classify and to catalogue it. If theexplorerofsomeunknowntropicalforestwereaskednotonlytogivea[12]fullaccountofthecountrythroughwhichhehaspassed,withaccuratedetailsofitsvegetable andmineral productions, but also to state the genus and species ofeveryoneofthemyriadinsects,birds,beasts,andreptileswhichhehadseen,hemightwell shrink appalled at themagnitude of the undertaking.Yet even this

affordsnoparallel to theembarrassmentsof thepsychic investigator,for inhiscase matters are further complicated, first by the difficulty of correctlytranslating from that plane to this the recollection of what he has seen, andsecondlybytheutterinadequacyofordinarylanguagetoexpressmuchofwhathehastoreport.

However,justastheexploreronthephysicalplanewouldprobablycommencehisaccountofacountrybysomesortofgeneraldescriptionof itssceneryandcharacteristics,soitwillbewelltobeginthisslightsketchoftheastralplanebyendeavouringtogivesomeideaof thescenerywhichformsthebackgroundofits marvelous and ever-changing activities. Yet here at the outset an almostinsuperabledifficultyconfrontsusintheextremecomplexityofthematter.Allwhoseefullyonthatplaneagreethattoattempttocallupavividpictureofthisastralscenerybeforethose[13]whoseeyesareasyetunopenedislikespeakingtoablindmanoftheexquisitevarietyoftintsinasunsetsky—howeverdetailedandelaboratethedescriptionmaybe,thereisnocertaintythattheideapresentedbeforethehearer’smindwillbeanadequaterepresentationofthetruth.[14]

CHAPTERII

SCENERY

FIRST of all, then, it must be understood that the astral plane has sevensubdivisions,eachofwhichhas itscorrespondingdegreeofmaterialityand itscorresponding condition ofmatter. Although the poverty of physical languageforcesustospeakofthesesub-planesashigherandlower,wemustnotfallintothemistakeof thinkingof them(or indeedof thegreaterplanesofwhich theyare only subdivisions) as separate localities in space—as lying above oneanotherliketheshelvesofabook-caseoroutsideoneanotherlikethecoatsofanonion. It must be understood that the matter of each plane or sub-planeinterpenetratesthatoftheplaneorsub-planebelowit,sothathereatthesurfaceoftheearthallexisttogetherinthesamespace,althoughitistruethatthehighervarietiesofmatterextend furtheraway from thephysicalearth than the lower.[15]

Sowhenwespeakofamanasrisingfromoneplaneorsub-planetoanother,wedo not think of him as necessarily moving in space at all, but rather astransferring his consciousness from one level to another—gradually becomingunresponsive to thevibrationsofoneorderofmatter,andbeginning instead toanswer to thoseofahigherandmore refinedorder; so thatoneworldwith itssceneryand inhabitantswouldseem to fadeslowlyaway fromhisview,whileanotherworldofamoreelevatedcharacterdawnsuponhiminitsstead.

Yetthereisapointofviewfromwhichthereisacertainjustificationfortheuseoftheterms“higher”and“lower”,andforthecomparisonoftheplanesandsub-planestoconcentricshells.Matterofallthesub-planesistobefoundhereonthesurface of the earth, but the astral plane ismuch larger than the physical, andextends some thousands of miles above its surface. The law of gravitationoperates on astral matter, and if it were possible for it to be left entirelyundisturbed itwould probably settle into concentric shells. But the earth is inperpetualmotion,bothofrotationandrevolution,andallkindsofinfluencesandforcesarecontinuallyrushingabout,sothisideal[16]conditionofrestisneverattained,and there ismuch intermingling.Nevertheless it remains true that the

higherwerisethelessofthedensermatterdowefind.

Wehaveafairanalogyonthephysicalplane.Earth,waterandair—thesolid,theliquidandthegaseous—allexisthereonthesurface,butbroadlyspeakingitistrue to say the solidmatter lies lowest, the liquid next to it, and the gaseousmatterhigherstill.Waterandairinterpenetratetheearthtoasmallextent;wateralso rises in the air in the shape of clouds, but only to a limited height; solidmatter may be thrown up into the air by violent convulsions, as in the greateruption of Krakatoa in 1883, when the volcanic dust reached the height ofseventeen miles, and took three years to settle down again; but it does settledowneventually,justasthewaterdrawnupintotheairbyevaporationreturnstous as rain.The higherwe rise themore rarefied does the air become; and thesameistruewithregardtoastralmatter.

The dimensions of our astral world are considerable, and we are able todetermine themwith some approach to accuracy from the fact that our astralworldtouchesthatofthemoonatperigee,[17]butdoesnotreachitatapogee;butnaturallythecontactisconfinedtothehighesttypeofastralmatter.

Returningtotheconsiderationofthesesub-planes,andnumberingthemfromthehighestandleastmaterialdownwards,wefindthattheynaturallyfallintothreeclasses, divisions 1, 2 and 3 forming one such class, and 4, 5 and 6 another,while the seventh and lowest of all stands alone. The difference between thematterofoneof theseclassesand thenextwouldbecommensurablewith thatbetween a solid and a liquid, while the difference between the matter of thesubdivisionsofaclasswould rather resemble thatbetween twokindsof solid,suchas,say,steelandsand.Puttingasideforthemomenttheseventh,wemaysay that divisions 4, 5 and6 of the astral planehave for their background thephysicalworldinwhichwelive,andallitsfamiliaraccessories.Lifeonthesixthdivisionisnotunlikeourordinarylifeonthisearth,minusthephysicalbodyandits necessities; while as it ascends through the fifth and fourth divisions itbecomeslessandlessmaterial,andismoreandmorewithdrawnfromourlowerworldanditsinterests.[18]

Thesceneryoftheselowerdivisions,then,isthatoftheearthasweknowit;butin reality it is also much more: for when we look at it from this different

standpoint,withtheassistanceoftheastralsenses,evenpurelyphysicalobjectspresentquiteadifferentappearance.Ashasalreadybeenmentioned,onewhoseeyesarefullyopenedseesthem,notasusualfromonepointofview,butfromallsidesatonce—anideainitselfsufficientlyconfusing.

Whenweaddtothisthateveryparticleintheinteriorofasolidbodyisasfullyandclearlyvisibleas thoseon theoutside, itwillbecomprehended thatundersuch conditions even the most familiar objects may at first be totallyunrecognizable.

Yet a moment’s consideration will show that such vision approximates muchmorecloselytotrueperceptionthandoesphysicalsight.Lookedatontheastralplane, for example, the sides of a glass cubewould all appear equal, as theyreallyare,whileonthephysicalplaneweseethefurthersideinperspective—thatis,itappearssmallerthanthenearerside,whichisamereillusion.Itisthischaracteristicofastralvisionwhichhasledsomewriterstodescribeitassightinthefourthdimension—asuggestiveandexpressivephrase.[19]

Inadditiontothesepossiblesourcesoferror,mattersarefurthercomplicatedbythefactthatthishighersightcognizesformsofmatterwhich,whilestillpurelyphysical, are nevertheless invisible under ordinary conditions. Such, forexample,aretheparticlescomposingtheatmosphere,allthevariousemanationswhich are always being given out by everything that has life, and also fourgradesofastillfinerorderofphysicalmatterwhich,forwantofmoredistinctivenames, are usually described as ‘etheric’.The latter forma kindof systembythemselves, freely interpenetrating all other physical matter; and theinvestigationof theirvibrationsand themanner inwhichvarioushigher forcesaffectthemwouldinitselfconstituteavastfieldofdeeplyinterestingstudyforanymanofsciencewhopossessedtherequisitesightforitsexamination.

Evenwhenourimaginationhasfullygraspedall that iscomprehendedinwhathas already been said, we do not yet understand half the complexity of theproblemforbesidesallthesenewformsofphysicalmatterwehavetodealwiththe stillmorenumerous andperplexing subdivisionsof astralmatter.Wemustnote first that every material object, every particle even, has its astralcounterpart;[20]and thiscounterpart is itselfnotasimplebody,but isusually

extremely complex, being composed of various kinds of astral matter. Inadditiontothiseachlivingcreatureissurroundedwithanatmosphereofitsown,usuallycalleditsaura,andinthecaseofhumanbeingsthisauraformsofitselfaveryfascinatingbranchofstudy.Itisseenasanovalmassofluminousmistofhighlycomplexstructure,andfromitsshapehassometimesbeencalledtheauricegg.

Theosophicalreaderswillhearwithpleasure thatevenat theearlystageofhisdevelopmentatwhichthepupilbeginstoacquirethisfullersight,heisabletoassure himself by direct observation of the accuracy of the teaching giventhroughourgreatfounder,MadameBlavatsky,onthesubjectofsomeatleastofthe “seven principles ofman.” In regarding his fellow-man he no longer seesonlyhisouterappearance;almostexactlyco-extensivewith thatphysicalbodyheclearlydistinguishestheethericdouble;whilethevitality(calledinSanskritprana) isalsoobviousas it isabsorbedandspecialized,as itcirculates inrosylightthroughoutthebody,asiteventuallyradiatesfromthehealthypersoninitsalteredform.[21]

Mostbrilliantandmosteasilyseenofall,perhaps,thoughbelongingtoamorerefinedorderofmatter—theastral—isthatpartoftheaurawhichexpressesbyitsvividandever-changingflashesofcolour thedifferentdesireswhichsweepacross theman’smind frommoment tomoment. This is the true astral body.Behind that,andconsistingofa finergradeofmatteragain—thatof the form-levels of the mental plane—lies the mental body or aura of the lower mind,whosecolours,changingonlybyslowdegreesasthemanliveshislife,showthetrendof his thoughts and the disposition and character of his personality. Stillhigherandinfinitelymorebeautiful,whereatallclearlydeveloped,isthelivinglightofthecausalbody,thevehicleofthehigherself,whichshowsthestageofdevelopmentoftherealegoitspassagefrombirthtobirth.Buttoseethesethepupil must, of course, have developed the vision of the levels to which theybelong.

Itwillsavethestudentmuchtroubleifhelearnsatoncetoregardtheseaurasnotasmereemanations,butastheactualmanifestationoftheegoontheirrespectiveplanes—ifheunderstandsthatitistheegowhichistherealman,notthevarious[22] bodies which on the lower planes represent him. So long as the

reincarnatingegoremainsupontheplanewhichishistruehomeintheformlesslevels, thevehiclewhichhe inhabits is thecausalbody,butwhenhedescendsinto the form-level hemust, in order to be able to functionupon them, clothehimself intheirmatter;andthematter thathethusattracts tohimselffurnisheshismind-body.

Similarly,descendingintotheastralplaneheformshisastralordesire-bodyoutof itsmatter, though still retainingall theotherbodies, andonhis still furtherdescenttothislowestplaneofallthephysicalbodyisformedaccordingtotheethericmould supplied by theLords ofKarma. Fuller accounts of these auraswillbefoundinmybookMan,VisibleandInvisible,butenoughhasbeensaidheretoshowthatastheyalloccupythesamespace,thefinerinterpenetratingthegrosser, it needs careful study and much practice to enable the neophyte todistinguishclearly at aglance theone from theother.Nevertheless thehumanaura,ormoreusuallysomeonepartofitonly,isnotinfrequentlyoneofthefirstpurelyastralobjectsseenbytheuntrained,thoughinsuchacaseitsindicationsarenaturallylikelytobemisunderstood.[23]

Thoughtheastralaurafromthebrilliancyofitsflashesofcolourmayoftenbemoreconspicuous, thenerve-etherand theethericdoubleare reallyofamuchdenser order of matter, being within the limits of the physical plane, thoughinvisible to ordinary sight. If we examine with psychic faculty the body of anewly-bornchild,weshallfinditpermeatednotonlybyastralmatterofeverydegreeofdensity,butalsobytheseveralgradesofethericmatter.Ifwetakethetroubletotracetheseinnerbodiesbackwardstotheirorigin,wefindthatitisofthe latter that the etheric double—themould uponwhich the physical body isbuiltup—isformedbytheagentsoftheLordsofKarma;whiletheastralmatterhas been gathered together by the descending ego, not consciously, butautomatically,ashepassesthroughtheastralplane.(SeeManualNo.IV.,p.44.)

Into the composition of the etheric double must enter something of all thedifferentgradesofethericmatter;buttheproportionsmayvarygreatly,andaredeterminedbyseveralfactors,suchastherace,sub-race,andtypeofaman,aswell as by his individual karma. When it is remembered that these foursubdivisions ofmatter aremadeup of [24] numerous combinations,which, intheirturn,formaggregationsthatenterintothecompositionofthe“atom”ofthe

so-called“element”of thechemist, itwillbeseenthat thissecondprincipleofman is highly complex, and the number of its possible variations practicallyinfinite.Sothat,howevercomplicatedandunusualaman’skarmamaybe,thoseinwhoseprovincesuchworkfallsareabletogiveamouldinaccordancewithwhichabodyexactlysuitingitcanbeformed.Butforinformationuponthisvastsubjectofkarmathepreviousmanualshouldbeconsulted.

Oneotherpointdeservesmentioninconnectionwiththeappearanceofphysicalmatterwhen lookedat from theastralplane,and that is that thehighervision,when fully developed, possesses the power ofmagnifying atwill theminutestphysical particle to any desired size, as though by a microscope, though itsmagnifyingpowerisenormouslygreaterthanthatofanymicroscopeevermadeoreverlikelytobemade.Thehypotheticalmoleculesandatomspostulatedbyscience are visible realities to the occult student, though the latter recognizesthem as much more complex in their nature than the scientific man has yetdiscovered them to be. Here [25] again is a vast field of study of absorbinginterest to which a whole volume might readily be devoted; and a scientificinvestigatorwho should acquire this astral sight in perfection,would not onlyfindhisexperimentswithordinaryandknownphenomenaimmenselyfacilitated,but would also see stretching before him entirely new vistas of knowledgeneedingmorethanalifetimefortheirthoroughexamination.

For example, one curious and beautiful novelty brought to his notice by thedevelopmentofthisvisionwouldbetheexistenceofotherandentirelydifferentcolours beyond the limits of the ordinarily visible spectrum, the ultra-red andultra-violet rays which science has discovered by other means being plainlyperceptibletoastralsight.Wemustnot,however,allowourselvestofollowthesefascinatingbye-paths,butmustresumeourendeavourtogiveageneralideaoftheappearanceoftheastralplane.

Itwillbythistimebeobviousthatthough,asabovestated,theordinaryobjectsofthephysicalworldformthebackgroundtolifeoncertainlevelsoftheastralplane,yetsomuchmoreisseenoftheirrealappearanceandcharacteristicsthatthe[26]generaleffectdifferswidelyfromthatwithwhichwearefamiliar.Forthesakeofillustrationtakearockasanexampleofthesimplerclassofobjects.Whenregardedwithtrainedsightitisnomereinertmassofstone.

First of all, thewhole of the physicalmatter of the rock is seen, instead of asmallpartofit;secondly,thevibrationsofitsphysicalparticlesareperceptible;thirdly,itisseentopossessanastralcounterpartcomposedofvariousgradesofastralmatter,whoseparticlesarealsoinconstantmotion;fourthly,theUniversalDivineLifeisclearlytobeseenworkinginitasitworksinthewholecreation,though naturally its manifestations differ greatly at successive stages of itsdescent into matter, and for the sake of convenience each stage has its ownname.Werecognizeitfirstinthethreeelementalkingdoms;whenitentersthemineral kingdomwecall it themineralmonad; in thevegetablekingdom it isdescribedasthevegetablemonad,andsoon.Sofarasweknow,thereisnosuchthingas“dead”matter.

Inaddition toall this anaurawillbe seen surrounding it, though this ismuchlessextendedandvaried than in thecaseof thehigherkingdoms; [27] and itsappropriate elemental inhabitants may be seen—though these should moreproperlybedescribedasgnomes,avarietyofnature-spirit.Thisisnottheplaceto treat fully the subject of the Indwelling Life; further explanations will befound inMan,Visibleand Invisible and otherTheosophicalworks.Also see alater chapter of this book. In the case of the vegetable, animal, and humankingdoms,thecomplicationsarenaturallymuchmorenumerous.

It may be objected by some readers that no such complexities as these aredescribedbymostofthepsychicswhooccasionallycatchglimpsesoftheastralworld,noraretheyreportedatséancesbytheentitiesthatmanifestthere;butwecanreadilyaccountforthis.Fewuntrainedpersonsonthatplane,whetherlivingordead,seethingsastheyreallyareuntilafterlongexperience;eventhosewhodosee fullyareoften toodazedandconfused tounderstandor remember;andamongthesmallminoritywhobothseeandremembertherearehardlyanywhocantranslatetherecollectionintolanguageonourlowerplane.Manyuntrainedpsychics never examine their visions scientifically at all; they just obtain animpressionwhichmaybe[28]quitecorrect,butmayalsobehalffalse,orevenwhollymisleading.

All the more probable does the latter hypothesis become when we take intoconsiderationthefrequenttricksplayedbysportivedenizensoftheotherworld,againstwhichtheuntrainedpersonisusuallyabsolutelydefenceless.Itmustalso

be remembered that the regular inhabitantof theastralplane isunderordinarycircumstancesconsciousonlyoftheobjectsofthatplane,physicalmatterbeingtohimasentirelyinvisibleasisastralmattertothemajorityofmankind.Since,as before remarked, every physical object has its astral counterpart, which isvisible to him, it may be thought that the distinction is trivial, yet it is anessentialpartofthesymmetricalconceptionofthesubject.

If, however, an astral entity constantly works through a medium, these finerastral senses may gradually be so coarsened as to become insensible to thehighergradesofmatterontheirownplane,andtoincludeintheirpurviewthephysicalworld aswe see it instead; but only the trainedvisitor from this life;whoisfullyconsciousonbothplanes,candependuponseeingbothclearlyandsimultaneously.Beitunderstood,then,thatthecomplexity[29]exists,andthatonly when it is fully perceived and scientifically unraveled is there perfectsecurityagainstdeceptionormistake.

Fortheseventhorlowestsubdivisionoftheastralplanealso,thisphysicalworldofoursmaybesaidtobethebackground,thoughwhatisseenisonlyadistortedand partial view of it, since all that is light and good and beautiful seemsinvisible.ItwasthusdescribedfourthousandyearsagointheEgyptianpapyrusoftheScribeAni:“WhatmannerofplaceisthisuntowhichIhavecome?Ithathnowater,ithathnoair;itisdeep,unfathomable;itisblackastheblackestnight,andmenwanderhelplesslyabouttherein;initamanmaynotliveinquietnessofheart.”For theunfortunatehumanbeingonthat level it is indeedtrue that“allthe earth is full of darkness and cruel habitations”, but it is darkness whichradiatesfromwithinhimselfandcauseshisexistencetobepassedinaperpetualnight of evil and horror—a real hell, though, like all other hells, entirely ofman’sowncreation.

I do notmean by this that the sub-plane is wholly imaginary—that it has noobjective existence. It lies partly on the surface of the earth, and partly [30](perhapsmostly)beneath thatsurface, interpenetratingthesolidcrust.ButIdomeanthatnomanwholivesanordinarilypureanddecentlifeneedevertouchthiseminentlyundesirableregion,orevenbecomeconsciousofitsexistence.Ifhedoescontactit,isentirelyduetohisowncoarseandevilaction,speechandthought.

Moststudentsfindtheinvestigationofthissectionanextremelyunpleasanttask,forthereappearstobeasenseofdensityandgrossmaterialityaboutitwhichisindescribably loathsome to the liberated astral body, causing it the feeling ofpushing its way through some black, viscous fluid, while the inhabitants andinfluencesencounteredtherearealsousuallyexceedinglyobjectionable.

Thefirst,secondandthirdsubdivisions, thoughoccupyingthesamespace,yetgive the impression of beingmuch further removed from this physicalworld,andcorrespondingly lessmaterial.Entities inhabiting these levels lose sightoftheearthanditsbelongings;theyareusuallydeeplyself-absorbed,andtoalargeextentcreate theirownsurroundings, though theseare sufficientlyobjective tobeperceptibletootherentitiesandalsotoclairvoyantvision.Thisregionisthe“summer-land” of which we [31] hear so much at spiritualistic séances, andthosewhodescendfromanddescribeitnodoubtspeakthetruthasfarastheirknowledgeextends.

It is on these planes that “spirits” call into temporary existence their houses,schools,andcities,fortheseobjectareoftenrealenoughforthetime,thoughtoa clearer sight they may sometimes be pitiably unlike what their delightedcreatorssupposethemtobe.Nevertheless,manyoftheimaginationswhichtakeform there are of real though temporary beauty, and a visitor who knew ofnothing higher might wander contentedly enough there among forests andmountains,lovelylakesandpleasantflowergardens,whichareatanyratemuchsuperior to anything in the physical world; or he might even construct suchsurroundingstosuithisownfancies.Thedetailsofthedifferencesbetweenthesethreehighersub-planeswillperhapsbemorereadilyexplicablewhenwecometodealwiththeirhumaninhabitants.

Anaccountofthesceneryoftheastralplanewouldbeincompletewithoutsomementionofwhathaveoften, thoughmistakenly,beencalledtheRecordsoftheAstralLight.Theserecords(whichareintruthasortofmaterialization[32]ofthe Divinememory—a living photographic representation of all that has everhappened)arereallyandpermanentlyimpresseduponaverymuchhigherlevel,andareonlyreflectedinamoreorlessspasmodicmannerontheastralplane,sothatonewhosepowerofvisiondoesnotriseabovethiswillbelikelytoobtainonly occasional and disconnected pictures of the past instead of a coherent

narrative.Butneverthelessthesereflectedpicturesofallkindsofpasteventsareconstantlybeing reproduced in theastralworld,and forman importantpartofthesurroundingsoftheinvestigatorthere.Ihavenotspacetodomorethanjustmentionthemhere,butafulleraccountofthemwillbefoundinChapterviiofmylittlebookonClairvoyance.[33]

CHAPTERIII

INHABITANTS

HAVINGsketchedin,howeverslightly,thebackgroundofourpicture,wemustnowattempttofillinthefigures—todescribetheinhabitantsoftheastralplane.The immensevariety of these beingsmakes it exceedingly difficult to arrangeandtabulate them.Perhaps themostconvenientmethodwillbe todivide themintothreegreatclasses,thehuman,thenon-human,andtheartificial.

I.HUMAN

Thehumandenizensoftheastralplanefallnaturallyintotwogroups,thelivingandthedead,or,tospeakmoreaccurately,thosewhohavestillaphysicalbody,andthosewhohavenot.[34]

1.Living

Themenwhomanifest themselvesontheastralplaneduringphysical lifemaybesubdividedintofourclasses:

1.TheAdeptandhisPupils:

Thosebelongingtothisclassusuallyemployasavehiclenottheastralbodyatall,butthemind-body,whichiscomposedofthematterofthefourlowerorrupalevelsoftheplanenextabove.Theadvantageofthisvehicleisthatitpermitsofinstantpassagefromthementalplaneto theastralandback,andallowsof theuseatalltimesofthegreaterpowerandkeenersenseofitsownplane.

Themind-bodyisnotnaturallyvisibletoastralsightatall,andconsequentlythepupilwhoworks in it learns togather roundhimselfa temporaryveilofastralmatterwhen in thecourseofhisworkhewishes tobecomeperceptible to theinhabitants of the lower plane in order to help them more efficiently. Thistemporarybody(called themayavirupa) isusually formedfor thepupilbyhis

Masteronthefirstoccasion,andheistheninstructedandassisteduntilhecanform it for himself easily and expeditiously. Such a vehicle, though an exactreproductionof themaninappearance,[35]containsnoneof thematterofhisown astral body, but corresponds to it in the same way as a materializationcorrespondstoaphysicalbody.

Atanearlierstageofhisdevelopmentthepupilmaybefoundfunctioningintheastralbody likeanyoneelse;butwhichevervehiclehe is employing, themanwhoisintroducedtotheastralplaneundertheguidanceofacompetentteacherhas always the fullest possible consciousness there, and is able to functionperfectly easily upon all its subdivisions.He is in fact himself, exactly as hisfriendsknowhimonearth,minusonlythephysicalbodyandtheethericdoublein the one case and the astral body in addition to the other, and plus theadditional powers and faculties of this higher condition, which enable him tocarryonfarmoreeasilyandfarmoreefficientlyonthatplaneduringsleeptheTheosophicalworkwhichoccupiessomuchofhisthoughtinhiswakinghours.Whetherhewill remember fully and accuratelyon thephysical planewhathehasdoneorlearntontheotherdependslargelyuponwhetherheisabletocarryhisconsciousnesswithoutintermissionfromtheonestatetotheother.[36]

Theinvestigatorwilloccasionallymeetintheastralworldstudentsofoccultismfrom all parts of the world (belonging to lodges quite unconnected with theMastersofwhomTheosophistsknowmost)whoareinmanycasesmostearnestand self-sacrificing seekers after truth. It is noteworthy, however, that all suchlodgesareat leastawareof theexistenceof thegreatHimalayanBrotherhood,and acknowledge it as containing among itsmembers the highestAdepts nowknownonearth.

2. The Psychically-developed Person who is not under theguidanceofaMaster.

Such a personmay ormay not be spiritually developed, for the two forms ofadvancementdonotnecessarilygo together.Whenamanisbornwithpsychicpowers it is simply the result of effortsmade during a previous incarnation—effortswhichmayhavebeenofthenoblestandmostunselfishcharacter,oronthe other hand may have been ignorant and ill-directed or even entirely

unworthy.

Suchamanisusuallyperfectlyconsciouswhenoutofthebody,butforwantofproper training is liable tobegreatlydeceivedas towhathe sees.He isoftenabletorangethroughthedifferentsubdivisionsoftheastralplanealmostasfullyas [37] persons belonging to the last class; but sometimes he is especiallyattracted to some one division and rarely travels beyond its influences. Hisrecollection of what he has seen may vary according to the degree of hisdevelopment throughall thestages fromperfectclearness toutterdistortionorblank oblivion.He always appears in his astral body, since he does not knowhowtofunctioninthementalvehicle.

3.TheOrdinaryPerson

that is, the personwithout any psychic development—who floats about in hisastral body during sleep in a more or less unconscious condition. In deepslumberthehigherprinciplesin theirastralvehiclealmost invariablywithdrawfrom the body, and hover in its immediate neighbourhood, though in quiteundevelopedpersonstheyarepracticallyalmostasmuchasleepasthebodyis.

Insomecases,however,thisastralvehicleislesslethargic,andfloatsdreamilyabouton thevariousastralcurrents,occasionallyrecognizingotherpeople inasimilar condition, and meeting with experiences of all sorts, pleasant andunpleasant,thememoryofwhich,hopelesslyconfusedandoftentravestiedintoagrotesquecaricatureofwhat[38]reallyhappened,willcausethemantothinknextmorningwhataremarkabledreamhehashad.

All cultured people, belonging to the higher races of the world, have at thepresent time their astral senses very fairly developed, so that, if they weresufficientlyarousedtoexaminetherealitieswhichsurroundthemduringsleep,theywouldbeabletoobservethemandlearnmuchfromthem.But,inthevastmajorityofcases,theyarenotsoaroused,andtheyspendmostoftheirnightsinakindofbrownstudy,ponderingdeeplyoverwhateverthoughtmayhavebeenuppermost in theirmindswhen they fellasleep.Theyhave theastral faculties,buttheyscarcelyusethem;theyarecertainlyawakeontheastralplane,andyettheyarenotintheleastawake to theplane,andareconsequentlyconsciousof

theirsurroundingsonlyveryvaguely,ifatall.

When such a man becomes a pupil of one of the Masters ofWisdom, he isusually at once shaken out of this somnolent condition, fully awakened to therealitiesaroundhimonthatplane,andsettolearnfromthemandtoworkamongthem,sothathishoursofsleeparenolongerablank,butarefilledwithactiveand useful occupation, without in [39] the least interfering with the healthy,reposeofthetiredphysicalbody.(SeeInvisibleHelpers.Chap.v.)

Theseextrudedastralbodiesarealmostshapelessandindefiniteinoutlineinthecase of themore backward races and individuals, but as theman develops inintellect and spirituality his floating astral becomes better defined, and moreclosely resembles his physical encasement. It is often asked how—since theundeveloped astral is so vague in outline, and since the great majority ofmankind comeunder the headof the undeveloped—how it is ever possible torecognise the ordinary man at all when he is in his astral body. In trying toanswer thatquestionwemustendeavour torealize that, to theclairvoyanteye,the physical body of man appears surrounded by what we call the aura—aluminouscolouredmist,roughlyovoidinshape,andextendingtoadistanceofsomeeighteeninchesfromthebodyinalldirections.Allstudentsareawarethatthisauraisexceedinglycomplex,andcontainsmatterofallthedifferentplanesonwhichman is at present providedwith vehicles; but for themoment let usthinkof itas itwouldappear toonewhopossessednohigherpowerofvisionthantheastral.[40]

For such a spectator the aura would contain only astral matter, and wouldtherefore be a simpler object of study.Hewould see, however, that this astralmatter not only surrounded the physical body, but interpenetrated it, and thatwithintheperipheryofthatbodyitwasmuchmoredenselyaggregatedthaninthatpartoftheaurawhichlayoutsideit.Thisseemstobeduetotheattractionofthe largeamountofdenseastralmatterwhich isgathered together thereas thecounterpartofthecellsofthephysicalbody;buthoweverthatmayhe,thefactisundoubted that thematterof theastralbodywhich lieswithin the limitsof thephysicalismanytimesdenserthanthatoutsideit.

When during sleep the astral body is withdrawn from the physical this

arrangement still persists, and any one looking at such an astral body withclairvoyantvisionwouldstillsee,justasbefore,aformresemblingthephysicalbodysurroundedbyanaura.That formwould isnowcomposedonlyofastralmatter, but still the difference in density between it and its surrounding mistwould be quite sufficient tomake it clearly distinguishable, even though it isitselfonlyaformofdensermist.[41]

Nowastothedifferenceinappearancebetweentheevolvedandtheunevolvedman.Eveninthecaseofthelatterthefeaturesandshapeoftheinnerformsarerecognizable always, though blurred and indistinct, but the surrounding eggscarcely deserve the name, for it is in fact a mere shapeless wreath of mist,havingneitherregularitynorpermanenceofoutline.

Inthemoredevelopedmanthechangewouldbeverymarked,bothintheauraand the formwithin it. This latterwould be farmore distinct and definite—acloser reproduction of the man’s physical appearance; while instead of thefloatingmist-wreathweseeasharplydefinedovoidshape,preservingthisformunaffectedamidstallthevariedcurrentswhicharealwaysswirlingarounditontheastralplane.

Since the psychical faculties of mankind are in course of evolution, andindividuals are at all stagesof their development, this classnaturallymelts byimperceptiblegradationsintotheformer.

4.TheBlackMagicianorhispupil.

This class corresponds somewhat to the first, except that the development hasbeenforevilinsteadofgood,andthepowersacquiredareusedforpurelyselfishpurposes instead of for the benefit of humanity. [42] Among its lower rankscomemembersofthenegroracewhopractisetheghastlyritesoftheObeahorVoodooschools,andthemedicine-menofmanyasavagetribe;whilehigherinintellect, and therefore the more blameworthy, stand the Tibetan blackmagicians,who are often, though incorrectly, called byEuropeansDugpas—atitle properly belonging, as is quite correctly explained by Surgeon-MajorWaddell in his book on The Buddhism of Tibet, only to the Bhotanesesubdivision of the greatKargyu sect,which is part ofwhatmaybe called the

semi-reformedschoolofTibetanBuddhism.

TheDugpasnodoubtdealinTantrikmagictoaconsiderableextent,buttherealred-hattedentirelyunreformedsectisthatoftheNin-ma-pa,thoughfarbeyondthemstilllowerdepthbetheBonpa—thevotariesoftheaboriginalreligion,whohave never accepted any form of Buddhism at all. It must not, however, besupposedthatallTibetansectsexcepttheGelugpaarenecessarilyandaltogetherevil;a truerviewwouldbe thatas the rulesofothersectspermitconsiderablygreaterlaxityoflifeandpractice, theproportionofself-seekersamongthemislikelytobemuchlargerthanamongthestricterreformers.[43]

2.Dead

Firstofall,thisveryword“dead”isanabsurdmisnomer,asmostoftheentitiesclassified under this heading are as fully alive as we are ourselves—oftendistinctlymoreso;sothetermmustbeunderstoodsimplyasmeaningthosewhoareforthetimeunattachedtoaphysicalbody.Theymaybesubdividedintotenprincipalclasses,asfollows:

1. The Nirmanakaya (one who, having earned the right to theperpetual enjoyment of Nirvana, renounces it in order to devotehimselftoworkforthegoodofmankind).

This class is justmentioned inorder tomake the cataloguecomplete,but it israrely indeed thatsoexaltedabeingmanifestshimselfuponso lowaplaneasthis.Whenforanyreasonconnectedwithhissublimeworkhefounditdesirabletodoso,hewouldprobablycreateatemporaryastralbodyforthepurposefromthe atomicmatter of the plane, just as theAdept in themind-bodywould do,simply because hismore refined vesturewould be invisible to astral sight. Inorder to be able to function without a moment’s hesitation on any plane, heretainsalwayswithinhimselfsomeatomsbelongingtoeach,roundwhichasanucleushecaninstantlyaggregateothermatter,[44]andsoprovidehimselfwithwhatevervehiclehedesires.FurtherinformationaboutthepositionandworkoftheNirmanakayamaybefoundinMadameBlavatsky’sVoiceoftheSilence,andinmyownlittlebook,InvisibleHelpers.

2.ThePupilawaitingreincarnation.

It has frequently been stated in Theosophical literature that when the pupilreachesacertainstageheisablewiththeassistanceofhisMastertoescapefromtheactionofwhatisinordinarycasesthelawofNaturewhichcarriesahumanbeingintotheheaven-worldattheendofhisastrallife.Inthatheaven-worldhewould,intheordinarycourseofevents,receivethedueresultofthefullworkingout of all the spiritual forceswhich his highest aspirations have set inmotionwhileonearth.

Asthepupilmustbythehypothesisbeamanofpurelifeandhighthought,itisprobablethatinhiscasethesespiritualforceswillbeofabnormalstrength,andthereforeifheentersuponthisheaven-life,itislikelytobeextremelylong;butifinsteadoftakingithechoosesthePathofRenunciation(thusevenathislowlevel and inhishumblewaybeginning to follow in the footstepsof theGreatMasterofRenunciation,theLordGAUTAMA[45]BuddhaHimself),heisableto expend that reserve of force in quite another direction—to use it for thebenefitofmankind,andso,infinitesimalthoughhisofferingmaybe,totakehistiny part in the greatwork of theNirmanakayas. By taking this course he nodoubt sacrifices centuries of intense bliss, but on the other hand he gains theenormous advantage of being able to continue his life of work and progresswithoutabreak.

Whenapupilwhohasdecidedtodothisdies,hesimplystepsoutofhisbody,ashe has often done before, and waits upon the astral plane until a suitablereincarnation can be arranged for him by his Master. This being a markeddeparture from the usual course of procedure, the permission of a very highauthorityhastobeobtainedbeforetheattemptcanbemade;yet,evenwhenthisisgranted,sostrongistheforceofnaturallaw,thatitissaidthepupilmustbecareful to confine himself strictly to the astral levelwhile thematter is beingarranged,lestifheonce,evenforamoment,touchedthementalplane,hemightbesweptasbyanirresistiblecurrentintothelineofnormalevolutionagain.[46]

Insomecases,thoughthesearerare,heisenabledtoavoidthetroubleofanewbirth by being placed directly in an adult bodywhose previous tenant has nofurtheruseforit,butnaturallyitisnotoftenthatasuitablebodyisavailable.Farmorefrequentlyhehastowaitontheastralplane,asmentionedbefore,untilthe

opportunityofafittingbirthpresentsitself.Meanwhile,however,heislosingnotime,forheisasfullyhimselfaseverhewas,andisabletogoonwiththeworkgiven him by hisMaster evenmore quickly and efficiently than when in thephysicalbody,sinceheisnolongerhamperedbythepossibilityoffatigue.Hisconsciousnessisquitecomplete,andheroamsatwillthroughallthedivisionsoftheplanewithequalfacility.

Thepupilawaitingreincarnationisbynomeansoneofthecommonobjectsoftheastralplane,butstillhemaybemetwithoccasionally,andthereforeheformsoneofourclasses.Nodoubtastheevolutionofhumanityproceeds,andanever-increasingproportion enters upon thePath ofHoliness, this classwill becomemorenumerous.

3.TheOrdinaryPersonafterdeath.

Needlesstosaythisclassismillionsoftimeslargerthanthose[47]ofwhichwehave spoken, and the character and condition of its members vary withinextremelywidelimits.Withinsimilarlywidelimitsmayvaryalsothelengthoftheir livesupontheastralplane,forwhile therearethosewhopassonlyafewdays or hours there, others remain upon this level for many years and evencenturies.

A man who has led a good and pure life, whose strongest feelings andaspirations have been unselfish and spiritual, will have no attraction to thisplane,andwill,ifentirelyleftalone,findlittletokeephimuponit,ortoawakenhim intoactivityevenduring thecomparativelyshortperiodofhis stay.For itmust be understood that after death the trueman iswithdrawing into himself,and just as at the first step of that process he casts off the physical body, andalmostdirectlyafterwardstheethericdouble,soitisintendedthatheshouldassoonaspossiblecastoffalsotheastralordesirebody,andpassintotheheaven-world,wherealonehisspiritualaspirationscanbeartheirperfectfruit.

Thenobleandpure-mindedmanwillbeabletodothis,forhehassubduedallearthlypassionsduring life; the forceofhiswillhasbeendirected intohigherchannels, and there is therefore but [48] little energy of lower desire to beworked out on the astral plane.His stay therewill consequently be short, andmost probably he will have little more than a dreamy half-consciousness of

existenceuntilhesinksintothesleepduringwhichhishigherprinciplesfinallyfree themselves fromtheastralenvelopeandenterupon theblissful lifeof theheaven-world.

Forthepersonwhohasnotasyetentereduponthepathofoccultdevelopment,whathasbeendescribedistheidealstateofaffairs,butnaturallyitnotattainedbyall,orevenbythemajority.Theaveragemanhasbynomeansfreedhimselffromall lowerdesiresbeforedeath, and it takesa longperiodofmoreor lessfullyconscious lifeon thevarioussubdivisionsof theastralplane toallowtheforceswhichhehasgeneratedtoworkthemselvesout,andthusreleasetheego.

Everyoneafterdeathhastopassthroughallthesubdivisionsoftheastralplaneonhisway to the heavenworld, though itmust not be inferred that hewill beconsciousuponall of them.Precisely as it is necessary that thephysicalbodyshouldcontainwithinitsconstitutionphysicalmatterinallitsconditions,solid,liquid, gaseous, and etheric, [49] so it is indispensable that the astral vehicleshouldcontainparticlesbelongingtoallthecorrespondingsubdivisionsofastralmatter,thoughtheproportionsmayvarygreatlyindifferentcases.

Itmustberememberedthatalongwiththematterofhisastralbodyamanpicksupthecorrespondingelementalessence,andthatduringhis life thisessence issegregatedfromtheoceanofsimilarmatteraround,andpracticallybecomesforthat time what may be described as a kind of artificial elemental. This hastemporarilyadefiniteseparateexistenceofitsown,andfollowsthecourseofitsownevolutiondownwards intomatterwithoutany reference to (or indeedanyknowledgeof)theconvenienceorinterestoftheegotowhomithappenstobeattached—thuscausingthatperpetualstrugglebetweenthewillofthefleshandthewillofthespirittowhichreligiouswriterssooftenrefer.

Yet though it is “a lawof thememberswarring against the lawof themind”,thoughifthemanobeysitinsteadofcontrollingithisevolutionwillbeseriouslyhindered,itmustnotbethoughtofasinanywayevilinitself,foritisstillaLaw—still an outpouring of the Divine Power going [50] on its orderly course,thoughthatcourseinthisinstancehappenstobedownwardsintomatterinsteadofupwardsandawayfromit,asoursis.

Whenthemanpassesawayatdeathfromthephysicalplane thedisintegratingforcesofNaturebegin tooperateuponhisastralbody,and thiselemental thusfindshisexistenceasaseparateentityendangered.Hesetstoworkthereforetodefendhimself,andtoholdtheastralbodytogetheraslongaspossible;andhismethodofdoingthisistorearrangethematterofwhichitiscomposedinasortofstratifiedseriesofshells,leavingthatofthelowest(andthereforecoarsestandgrossest)sub-planeontheoutside,sincethatwillofferthegreatestresistancetodisintegration.

A man has to stay upon this lowest subdivision until he has disentangled somuchasispossibleofhistrueselffromthematterofthatsub-plane;andwhenthatisdonehisconsciousnessisfocussedinthenextoftheseconcentricshells(that formedof thematterof thesixthsubdivision),or toput thesame idea inotherwords, he passes on to the next sub-plane.Wemight say thatwhen theastral body has exhausted its attractions to one level, the greater part of itsgrosser particles fall away, and it finds[51] itself in affinitywith a somewhathigherstateofexistence.Itsspecificgravity,asitwere,isconstantlydecreasing,andsoitsteadilyrisesfromthedensertothelighterstrata,pausingonlywhenitisexactlybalancedforatime.

This is evidently the explanationof a remark frequentlymadeby thedepartedwhoappearatséancestotheeffectthattheyareabouttorisetoahighersphere,from which it will be impossible, or not so easy, to communicate through amedium; and it is as a matter of fact true that a person upon the highestsubdivision of this plane would find it almost impossible to deal with anyordinarymedium.

Thuswe see that the length of aman’s detention upon any level of the astralplanewillbepreciselyinproportiontotheamountofitsmatterwhichisfoundinhisastralbody,andthatinturndependsuponthelifehehaslived,thedesireshe has indulged, and the class of matter which by so doing he has attractedtowardshimandbuiltintohimself.It is,therefore,possibleforaman,bypureliving and high thinking, tominimize the quantity ofmatter belonging to thelowerastrallevelswhichheattachestohimself,andtoraiseitineachcase[52]towhatmaybecalled itscriticalpoint, so that thefirst touchofdisintegratingforceshouldshatteritscohesionandresolveitintoitsoriginalcondition,leaving

himfreeatoncetopassontothenextsub-plane.

In the case of a thoroughly spiritually-minded person this condition has beenattainedwithreferencetoallthesubdivisionsofastralmatter,andtheresultisapractically instantaneous passage through that plane, so that he recoversconsciousness for the first time in theheaven-world.Aswasexplainedbefore,weneverthinkofthesub-planesasbeingdividedfromoneanotherinspace,butratherasinterpenetratingoneanother;sothatwhenwesaythatapersonpassesfromonesubdivision toanother,wedonotnecessarilymean thathemoves inspaceatall,butthatthefocusofhisconsciousnessshiftsfromtheoutershelltothatnextwithinit.

Theonlypersonswhonormallyawake toconsciousnesson the lowest levelofthe astral plane are those whose desires are gross and brutal—drunkards,sensualists, and such like. There they remain for a period proportioned to thestrength of their desires, often suffering terribly from the fact [53] that whilethese earthly lusts are still as strong as ever, they now find it impossible togratify them, except occasionally in a vicariousmannerwhen they are able toseizeuponsomelike-mindedperson,andobsesshim.

Theordinarilydecentmanhaslittletodetainhimonthatseventhsub-plane;butifhischiefdesiresandthoughtshadcentredinmoreworldlyaffairs,heislikelyto find himself in the sixth subdivision, still hovering about the places andpersonswithwhichhewasmostcloselyconnectedwhileonearth.Thefifthandthe fourth sub-planes are of similar character, except that as we rise throughthemmere earthly associations appear to become of less and less importance,and the departed tends more and more to mould his surroundings intoagreementswiththemorepersistentofhisthoughts.

By the timewe reach the third subdivisionwe find that this characteristic hasentirelysupersededthevisionoftherealitiesoftheplane;forherethepeopleareliving in imaginary cities of their own—not each evolved entirely by his ownthought, as in the heaven-world, but inheriting and adding to the structureserected by the thoughts of their predecessors.Here it is that the churches and[54] schools and “dwellings in the summerland,” so often described atspiritualisticséances,aretobefound;thoughtheyoftenseemmuchlessrealand

muchlessmagnificenttoanunprejudicedlivingobserverthantheyaretotheirdelightedcreators.

The second sub-plane seems especially thehabitat of the selfishor unspiritualreligionist; here he wears his golden crown and worships his own grosslymaterial representation of the particular deity of his country and time. Thehighestsubdivisionappearstobespeciallyappropriatetothosewhoduringlifehavedevotedthemselvestomaterialisticbutintellectualpursuits,followingthemnotforthesakeofbenefitingtheirfellowmenthereby,asfrommotivesofselfishambitionorforthesakeofintellectualexercise.Suchpersonswilloftenremainuponthislevelformanylongyears—happyenoughindeedinworkingouttheirintellectual problems, but doing no good to anyone, and making but littleprogressontheirwaytowardstheheaven-world.

Itmustbeclearlyunderstood,asbeforeexplained,thattheideaofspaceisnotinanyway to be associatedwith these sub-planes.A departed entity functioningupon any one of them might drift [55] with equal ease from England toAustralia,orwherever apassing thoughtmight takehim;buthewouldnotbeabletotransferhisconsciousnessfromthatsub-planetothenextaboveituntiltheprocessofdetachmentdescribedhadbeencompleted.

Tothisrule thereisnokindofexception,sofarasweareyetaware,althoughnaturallyaman’sactionswhenhe findshimselfconsciousuponanysub-planemaywithincertainlimitseithershortenorprolonghisconnectionwithit.

Buttheamountofconsciousnessthatapersonhasuponagivensub-planedoesnot invariably follow precisely the same law. Let us consider an extremeexampleofpossiblevariationinorderthatwemaygraspitsmethod.Supposeamanwho has brought over from his past incarnation tendencies requiring fortheirmanifestation avery large amount of thematter of the seventhor lowestsub-plane,buthasinhispresentlifebeenfortunateenoughtolearninhisveryearliestyears thepossibilityandnecessityofcontrolling these tendencies. It isscarcely probable that such a man’s efforts at control should be entirely anduniformlysuccessful;butiftheywere,thesubstitutionoffinerforgrosser[56]particlesinhisastralbodywouldprogresssteadily,thoughslowly.

Thisprocessisatbestgradual,anditmightwellhappenthatthemandiedbeforeitwashalfcompleted.Inthatcasetherewouldundoubtedlybeenoughmatterofthe lowest sub-plane left in his astral body to ensure him no inconsiderableresidence there; but it would be matter through which in this incarnation hisconsciousness had never been in the habit of functioning, and as it could notsuddenlyacquirethishabittheresultwouldbethatthemanwouldrestuponthatsub-plane until his share of its matter was disintegrated but would be all thewhile in a condition of unconsciousness—that is to say, he would practicallysleepthroughtheperiodofhissojournthere,andsowouldbeentirelyunaffectedbyitsmanydisagreeables.

Thestudentofoccultism,however,maymakeofhisastrallifesomethingquitedifferent from all this. The ordinary man, on awaking from the moment ofunconsciousnesswhichalwaysseemstooccuratdeath,findshimselfincertainconditionswhichthedesire-elementalhascreatedforhimbyhisrearrangementofthematteroftheastralbody.[57]Hecanreceivevibrationsfromwithoutonlythrough that type of matter which the elemental has left on the outside, andconsequentlyhisvisionislimitedtothatparticularsub-plane.Themanacceptsthis limitation as part of the conditions of his new life; indeed he is quiteunconsciousthatthereisanylimitation,andhesupposesthatwhatheseesisallthatthereistosee,sinceheknowsnothingoftheelementalorofitsaction.

TheTheosophicalstudent,however,understandsallthis,andthereforeheknowsthatthelimitationisnotnecessary.Knowingthishewillatoncesethimselftoresisttheactionofthedesire-elemental,andwillinsistuponretaininghisastralbody in the samecondition asduringhis earth-life—that is to say,with all itsparticlesintermingledandinfreemotion.Theconsequenceofthiswillbethathewillbeable to receive thevibrations fromthematterofeveryastral sub-planesimultaneously,andsothewholeastralworldwillbefullyopentohissight.Hewillbeabletomoveaboutinitjustasfreelyashecouldduringphysicalsleep,andhecanthereforefindandcommunicatewithanypersonintheastralplane,nomattertowhat[58]subdivisionthatpersonmayforthemomentbeconfined.

Theeffort to resist the rearrangement,and restore theastralbody to its formercondition,ispreciselysimilartothatwhichhastobemadeinresistingastrongdesireduringphysicallife.Theelementalisafraidinhiscurioussemi-conscious

way, and he endeavours to transfer his fear to the man; so that the latterconstantly finds a strong instinct creeping over him of some indescribabledangerwhichcanonlybeavoidedbypermittingtherearrangement.If,however,hesteadily resists thisunreasoningsenseofdreadby thecalmassertionofhisownknowledgethatthereisnocauseforfear,hewearsoutintimetheresistanceof the elemental, just as he has resisted the prompting of desiremany a timeduring his earthly life. Thus he becomes a living power during his astral life,abletocarryontheworkofhelpingothersasheusedtododuringhishoursofsleep.

Itmaybesaidinpassingthatcommunicationislimitedontheastralplanebytheknowledgeof theentity, just as it ishere.While apupil able tousehismind-body can communicate his thoughts to the human entities there present morereadily and [59] rapidly than on earth, by means of mental impressions, theinhabitantsoftheplanearenotusuallyabletoexercisethispower,butappeartoberestrictedbylimitationssimilartothosethatprevailonearth,thoughperhapsless rigid.The resultof this is that theyare foundassociating thereashere, ingroupsdrawntogetherbycommonsympathies,belief,andlanguage.

The poetic idea of death as a universal leveller is a mere absurdity born ofignorance, for, asamatterof fact, in thevastmajorityofcases the lossof thephysicalbodymakesnodifferencewhatever in thecharacteror intellectof theperson,andtherearethereforeasmanydifferentvarietiesofintelligenceamongthosewhomweusuallycallthedeadasamongtheliving.

ThepopularreligiousteachingoftheWestastoman’spost-mortemadventureshaslongbeensowildlyinaccuratethatevenintelligentpeopleareoftenterriblypuzzledwhen they recover consciousness in the astral world after death. Thecondition inwhich thenewarrival findshimselfdifferssoradicallyfromwhathehasbeenledtoexpectthatitisnouncommoncaseforhimtorefuseatfirsttobelievethathehaspassedthroughtheportalsof[60]deathatall;indeed,ofsolittle practical value is ourmuch-vaunted belief in the immortality of the soulthatmostpeopleconsidertheveryfactthattheyarestillconsciousanabsoluteproofthattheyhavenotdied.

Thehorribledoctrineofeternalpunishment,too,isresponsibleforavastamount

ofmostpitiableandentirelygroundlessterroramongthosenewlyarrivedinthishigher life. In many cases they spend long periods of acute mental sufferingbefore they can free themselves from the fatal influence of that hideousblasphemy,andrealizethattheworldisgovernednotaccordingtothecapriceofsomedemonwhogloatsoverhumananguish,butaccordingtoabenevolentandwonderfully patient law of evolution. Many members of the class we areconsidering do not really attain an intelligent appreciation of this fact ofevolution at all, but drift through their astral interlude in the same aimlessmanner inwhichtheyhavespent thephysicalportionof their lives.Thusafterdeath,exactlyasbeforeit,therearethefewwhocomprehendsomethingoftheirpositionandknowhowtomakethebestof it,andthemanywhohavenotyetacquiredthatknowledge;andthen,justasnow,theignorantare[61]rarelyreadytoprofitbytheadviceorexampleofthewise.

Butofwhatevergradetheentity’sintellectmaybe,itisalwaysafluctuatingandonthewholeagraduallydiminishingquantity,forthelowermindofthemanisbeingdrawninoppositedirectionsbythehigherspiritualnaturewhichactsonitfromaboveitslevelandthestrongdesire-forceswhichoperatefrombelow;andtherefore it oscillates between the two attractions, with an everincreasingtendencytowardstheformerastheforcesoflowerdesirewearthemselvesout.

Herecomesinoneoftheobjectionstothespiritualisticséance.Anexceedinglyignorantordegradedmanmaynodoubtlearnmuchbycomingintocontactafterhis death with a circle of earnest sitters under the control of some reliableperson, and somay be really helped and raised. But in the ordinaryman theconsciousness is steadily rising from the lower part of the nature towards thehigher; andobviously it cannotbehelpful tohis evolution that this lowerpartshould be reawakened from the natural and desirable unconsciousness intowhich it is passing, and dragged back into touch with earth in order tocommunicatethroughamedium.[62]

Thepeculiardangerofthiswillbeseenwhenitisrecollectedthatsincetherealmanisallthewhilesteadilywithdrawingintohimself,heisastimegoesonlessandlessabletoinfluenceorguidethislowerportion,whichnevertheless,untilthe separation is complete, has the power to generate karma, and under thecircumstancesisevidentlyfarmorelikelytoaddevilthangoodtoitsrecord.

Apartaltogetherfromanyquestionofdevelopmentthroughamedium,thereisanother and much more frequently exercised influence which may seriouslyretard a disembodied entity on his way to the heaven-world, and that is theintense and uncontrolled grief of his surviving friends or relatives. It is oneamongmanymelancholy resultsof the terribly inaccurate andeven irreligiousview thatwe in theWest have for centuries been takingof death, thatwenotonlycauseourselvesanimmenseamountofwhollyunnecessarypainoverthistemporaryparting fromour lovedones, butweoften alsodo serious injury tothoseforwhomwebearsodeepanaffectionbymeansofthisveryregretwhichwefeelsoacutely.

When our departed brother is sinking peacefully and naturally into theunconsciousness which [63] precedes his awakening amid the glories of theheaven-world,heistoofrequentlyarousedfromhisdreamyhappinessintovividremembranceoftheearth-lifewhichhehaslatelyleft,solelybytheactionofthepassionate sorrows and desires of his friends on earth, which awakencorresponding vibrations in his own desire-body, and so cause him acutediscomfort.

Itwould bewell if thosewhose comrades have passed on before themwouldlearn from these undoubted facts the duty of restraining for the sake of thosefriendsagriefwhich,howevernaturalitmaybe,isyetinitsessenceselfish.Notthatoccultteachingcounselsforgetfulnessofthedead—farfromit;butitdoessuggestthataman’saffectionateremembranceofhisdepartedfriendisaforcewhich, if properly directed into the channel of earnest good wishes for hisprogress towards the heaven-world and his quiet passage through theintermediate state, might be of real value to him, whereas when wasted inmourningforhimandlongingtohavehimbackagainitisnotonlyuselessbutharmful.ItiswithatrueinstinctthattheHindureligionprescribesitsShraddhaceremoniesandtheCatholicChurchitsprayersforthedead.[64]

It sometimeshappens, however, that thedesire for communication is from theother side, and that thedeadmanhas somethingwhichhe speciallydesires tosaytothosewhomhehasleftbehind.Occasionallythismessageisanimportantone, such as, for example, an indication of the place where amissingwill isconcealed;butmoreoftenitseemstousquitetrivial.Still,whateveritmaybe,if

it is firmly impressed upon the mind of the dead person, it is undoubtedlydesirablethatheshouldbeenabledtodeliverit,asotherwisetheanxietytodosowouldperpetuallydrawhis consciousnessback into theearth-life, andpreventhimfrompassingtohigherspheres.Insuchacaseapsychicwhocanunderstandhim,oramediumthroughwhomhecanwriteorspeak,isofrealservicetohim.

Whycannothewriteorspeakwithoutamedium?itmaybeasked.Thereasonisthatonestateofmattercanordinarilyactonlyuponthestatenextbelowit,and,as he has now no densermatter in his organism than that ofwhich the astralbody is composed, he finds it impossible to set up vibrations in the physicalsubstance of the air or to move the physical pencil without borrowing livingmatteroftheintermediateordercontainedintheetheric[65]double,bymeansofwhichanimpulsecanreadilybetransferredfromtheoneplanetotheother.He is unable to borrow thismaterial from an ordinary person, because such aman’s principles would be too closely linked together to be separated by anymeans likely tobeathiscommand,but theveryessenceofmediumship is theready separability of the principles, so from a medium he can draw withoutdifficultythematterheneedsforhismanifestation,whateveritmaybe.

When he cannot find a medium or does not understand how to use one hesometimes makes clumsy and blundering endeavours to communicate on hisown account, and by the strength of his will he sets elemental forces blindlyworking, perhaps producing such apparently aimless manifestations as stone-throwing,bell-ringing,etc.Itconsequentlyfrequentlyhappensthatapsychicormedium going to a housewhere suchmanifestations are taking placemay beabletodiscoverwhat theentitywhoproducesthemisattemptingtosayordo,andmaythusputanendtothedisturbance.Thiswouldnot,however,invariablybethecase,astheseelementalforcesareoccasionallysetinmotionbyentirelydifferentcauses.[66]

4.TheShade.

Whentheseparationoftheprinciplesiscomplete,theastrallifeofthepersonisover,and,asbeforestated,hepassesintothementalcondition.Butjustaswhenhediestothisplaneheleaveshisphysicalbodybehindhim,sowhenhediestothe astral plane he leaves a disintegrating astral body behind him. If he haspurgedhimselffromallearthlydesiresduringlife,anddirectedallhisenergies

intothechannelsofunselfishspiritualaspiration,thehigheregowillbeabletodraw back into itself the whole of the lower mind which he put forth intoincarnation;inthatcasethebodyleftbehindontheastralplanewillbeamerecorpseliketheabandonedphysicalbody,anditwillthencomenotintothisclassbutintothenext.

Eveninthecaseofamanofsomewhatlessperfect lifealmostthesameresultmaybeattainediftheforcesoflowerdesireareallowedtoworkthemselvesoutundisturbed in the astral plane.But themajority ofmankindmake but triflingand perfunctory efforts while on earth to rid themselves of the less elevatedimpulsesoftheirnature,andconsequentlydoomthemselvesnotonlytoagreatlyprolonged sojourn in the intermediate world, but [67] also to what cannot bedescribedotherwisethanasalossofaportionofthelowermind.

This is,nodoubt, amaterialmethodof expressing the reflectionof thehighermanasinthelower,butaveryfairlyaccurateideaofwhatactuallytakesplacewill be obtained by adopting the hypothesis that the manasic principle sendsdownaportionofitselfintothelowerworldofphysicallifeateachincarnation,andexpectstobeabletowithdrawitagainattheendofthelife,enrichedbyallitsvariedexperiences.Theordinaryman,however,usuallyallowshimselftobeso pitiably enslaved by all sorts of base desires that a certain portion of thislower mind becomes closely interwoven with the desire-body, and when theseparationtakesplaceatthecloseofhisastrallifethementalprinciplehas,asitwere,tobetornapart,thedegradedportionremainingwithinthedisintegratingastralbody.

This body then consists of the particles of astralmatter fromwhich the lowermindhasnotbeenabletodisengageitself,whichthereforeretainitcaptive;forwhenthemanpassesintotheheaven-worldtheseclingingfragmentsadheretoaportionofhismind,andas itwerewrench itaway.The[68]proportionof thematterofeachlevelpresentinthedecayingastralvehiclewillthereforedependon the extent to which the mind has become inextricably entangled with thelowerpassions.Itwillbeobviousthatasthemindinpassingfromleveltolevelisunabletofreeitselfcompletelyfromthematterofeach,theastralremnantwillshow the presence of each grosser kind which has succeeded in retaining itsconnectionwithit.

Thus comes into existence the class of entity which has been called “TheShade”—anentity,beitobserved,whichisnotinanysensetherealindividualatall,forhehaspassedaway into theheaven-world;butnevertheless, itnotonlybearshisexactpersonalappearance,butpossesseshismemoryandallhislittleidiosyncrasies, and may therefore readily be mistaken for him, as indeed itfrequentlyisatséances.Itisnotconsciousofanyactofimpersonation,forasfarasitsintellectgoesitmustnecessarilysupposeitselftobetheindividual,butonecanimaginethehorroranddisgustof thefriendsof thedeparted, if theycouldonlyrealizethattheyhadbeendeceivedintoacceptingastheircomradeameresoullessbundleofallhislowestqualities.[69]

Thelengthoflifeofashadevariesaccordingtotheamountofthelowermindwhichanimatesit,butasthisisallthewhileinprocessoffadingout,itsintellectisasteadilydiminishingquantity,thoughitmaypossessagreatdealofacertainsortofanimalcunning;andevenquitetowardstheendofitscareeritisstillabletocommunicatebyborrowingtemporaryintelligencefromthemedium.Fromitsnatureit isexceedinglyliabletobeswayedbyallkindsofevil influencesand,having separated from its ego, it has nothing in its constitution capable ofrespondingtoanythinghigher. It therefore lends itself readily tovariousminorpurposesofsomeofthebasersortofblackmagicians.Somuchofmentalmatterasitpossessesgraduallydisintegratesandreturnstoitsownplane,thoughnottoany individual mind, and thus the shade fades by almost imperceptiblegradationsintoamemberofournextclass.

TheShell.

Thisisabsolutelythemereastralcorpseinthelaterstagesofitsdisintegration,every particle of the mind having left it. It is entirely without any kind ofconsciousnessorintelligenceanddriftspassivelyaboutupontheastralcurrentsjustasacloudmightbesweptinanydirectionby[70]apassingbreeze;butevenyetitmaybegalvanizedforafewmomentsintoaghastlyburlesqueoflifeifithappenstocomewithinreachofamedium’saura.Undersuchcircumstancesitstill exactly resembles its departed personality in appearance, and may evenreproducetosomeextenthisfamiliarexpressionsorhandwriting,butitdoessomerelybytheautomaticactionofthecellsofwhichitiscomposed,whichtendunder stimulation to repeat the form of action to which they are most

accustomed. Whatever amount of intelligence may lie behind any suchmanifestationhasnoconnectionwiththeoriginalman,butislentbythemediumorhis“guides”fortheoccasion.

It is, however,more frequently temporarily vitalized in quite anothermanner,whichwillbedescribedunderthenexthead.Ithasalsothequalityofbeingstillblindly responsive to such vibrations—usually of the lowest order—as werefrequently set up in it during its last stage of existence as a shade, andconsequentlypersonsinwhomevildesiresorpassionsarepredominantwillbelikely, if they attend physicalséances, to find these intensified and as it werethrownbackuponthembytheunconsciousshells.[71]

There is alsoanothervarietyof corpsewhich it isnecessary tomentionunderthis head, though it belongs to a much earlier stage of man’s post-mortemhistory. It has been stated above that after the death of the physical body theastral vehicle is comparatively quickly rearranged, and the etheric double castoff—this latter body being destined to slow disintegration, precisely as is theastralshellatalaterstageoftheproceedings.

This etheric shell, however, doesnotdrift aimlessly about, asdoes thevarietywithwhichwehavehithertobeendealing;on thecontrary, it remainswithinafewyardsofthedecayingphysicalbody,andsinceitisreadilyvisibletoanyoneevenslightlysensitive,itaccountsformanyofthecommonlycurrentstoriesofchurch-yard ghosts. A psychically developed person passing one of our greatcemeteriesmayseemanyof thesebluish-white,mistyformshoveringover thegraveswherearelaidthephysicalvestureswhichtheyhaverecentlyleft;andasthey,liketheirlowercounterparts,areinstagesofdisintegration,thesightisbynomeanspleasant.

This also, like the other kind of shell, is entirely devoid of consciousness andintelligence;andthough[72] itmayundercertaincircumstancesbegalvanizedintoahorribleformoftemporarylife,thisispossibleonlybymeansofsomeofthemostloathsomeritesofoneoftheworstformsofblackmagic,aboutwhichthe less said thebetter. Itwill thusbe seen that in the successivestagesofhisprogress fromearth-life to theheaven-world,mancastsoffand leaves to slowdisintegration no less than three corpses—the dense physical body, the etheric

double, and the astral vehicle—all ofwhich arebydegrees resolved into theirconstituentelementsandtheirmatterutilizedanewontheirrespectiveplanesbythewonderfulchemistryofNature.

5.TheVitalizedShell.

Thisentityoughtnot,strictlyspeaking,tobeclassifiedunderthehead“human”atall,sinceitisonlyitsoutervesture,thepassive,senselessshell,thatwasoncean appanage of humanity; such life, intelligence, desire, and will as it maypossessarethoseoftheartificial-elementalanimatingit,andthat,thoughintruthacreationofman’sevilthoughtisnotitselfhuman.Itwillthereforeperhapsbebetter todealwith itmorefullyunder itsappropriateclassamongtheartificialentities, as itsnatureand[73]genesiswillbemore readily comprehensiblebythetimethatpartofoursubjectisreached.

Let it suffice here to mention that it is always a malevolent being—a truetemptingdemon,whoseevilinfluenceislimitedonlybytheextentofitspower.Like the shade, it is frequently used to further the horrible purposes of theVoodooandObeah formsofmagic.Somewritershave spokenof it under thename “elementary,” but as that title has at one time or another been used foralmost every variety of post-mortem entity, it has become so vague andmeaninglessthatitisperhapsbettertoavoidit.

6.TheSuicideandthevictimofsuddendeath.

Itwillbereadilyunderstoodthatamanwhoistornfromphysicallifehurriedlywhile in fullhealthandstrength,whetherbyaccidentorsuicide, findshimselfupontheastralplaneunderconditionsdifferingconsiderablyfromthosewhichsurroundonewhodieseitherfromoldageorfromdisease.Inthelattercasetheholdofearthlydesiresupontheentityissuretobemoreorlessweakened,andprobably the very grossest particles are already eliminated, so that theman islikely to find himself on the sixth or fifth subdivision of the astral world, orperhaps even [74] higher; the principles have been gradually prepared forseparation,andtheshockisthereforenotsogreat.

In the case of the accidental death or suicide none of these preparations havetakenplace,andthewithdrawaloftheprinciplesfromtheirphysicalencasement

hasbeenaptlycomparedtothetearingofthestoneoutofanunripefruit;muchofthegrossestkindofastralmattermaystillclingroundthepersonality,whichwillconsequentlybeheldintheseventhorlowestsubdivisionoftheplane.Thishasalreadybeendescribedasanythingbutapleasantabiding-place,yetitisbynomeansthesameforallthosewhoarecompelledforatimetoinhabitit.Thosevictims of sudden deathwhose earth-lives have been pure and noble have noaffinityforthisplane,andsothetimeoftheirsojournuponitispassed,toquotefromanearlyletteronthissubject,eitherin“happyignoranceandfulloblivion,orinastateofquietslumber,asleepfullofrosydreams.”

On the other hand, ifmen’s earth-lives have been low and brutal, selfish andsensual, theywill be conscious to the fullest extent in this undesirable region;and it is possible for them to develop into[75] terribly evil entities. Inflamedwithallkindsofhorribleappetiteswhichtheycallnolongersatisfydirectlynowthey are without a physical body, they gratify their loathsome passionsvicariously through amediumor any sensitive personwhom they can obsess;andtheytakeadevilishdelightinusingalltheartsofdelusionwhichtheastralplaneputs in theirpower inorder to leadothers into the sameexcesseswhichhaveprovedsofataltothemselves.

Quoting again from the same letter: “These are the Pisachas, the incubi andsuccubæofmediævalwriters—demonsofthirstandgluttony,oflustandavarice,ofintensifiedcraft,wickedness,andcruelty,provokingtheirvictimstohorriblecrimes,andrevelingintheircommission.”Fromthisclassandthelastaredrawnthetempters—thedevilsofecclesiasticalliterature;buttheirpowerfallsutterlybeforepurityofmindandpurpose;theycandonothingwithamanunlesshehasfirstencouragedinhimselfthevicesintowhichtheyseektodrawhim.

One whose psychic sight has been opened will often see crowds of theseunfortunate creatures hanging round butchers’ shops, public-houses, or othereven more disreputable places—wherever the [76] gross influences in whichtheydelightaretobefound,andwheretheyencountermenandwomenstillinthefleshwhoarelikemindedwiththemselves.Forsuchanentityasoneoftheseto meet with a medium with whom he is in affinity is indeed a terriblemisfortune;notonlydoesitenablehimtoprolongenormouslyhisdreadfulastrallife, but it renews for perhaps an indefinite period his power to generate evil

karma, and so prepare for himself a future incarnation of the most degradedcharacter,besidesrunningtheriskoflosingalargeportionofsuchmind-poweras he may happen to possess. If he is fortunate enough not to meet with asensitivethroughwhomhispassionscanbevicariouslygratified,theunfulfilleddesires will gradually burn themselves out, and the suffering caused in theprocesswillprobablygofartowardsworkingofftheevilkarmaofthepastlife.

Thepositionofthesuicideisfurthercomplicatedbythefactthathisrashacthasdiminished the power of the ego towithdraw its lower portion into itself, andtherefore has exposed him to various additional dangers; but it must beremembered that the guilt of suicide differs considerably according to itscircumstances, from the morally blameless act [77] of Seneca or Socratesthroughalldegreesdowntotheheinouscrimeofthewretchwhotakeshisownlife in order to escape from the entanglements into which his villainy hasbroughthim;andthepositionafterdeathvariesaccordingly.

Itshouldbenotedthatthisclass,aswellastheshadesandthevitalizedshellsareallwhatmaybecalledminorvampires; that is to say,whenever theyhave theopportunity they prolong their existence by draining away the vitality fromhumanbeingswhom they find themselves able to influence.This iswhybothmediumandsittersareoftensoweakandexhaustedafteraphysicalséance.Astudent of occultism is taught how to guard himself from their attempts, butwithout thatknowledge it isdifficult foronewhoputshimself in theirway toavoidbeingmoreorlesslaidundercontributionbythem.

7.TheVampireandWerewolf.

Thereremaintwoevenmorevilebuthappilyrarepossibilitiestobementionedbefore this part of our subject is completed, and though they differwidely inmanywayswemayyetperhapsgroupthemtogether,sincetheyhaveincommonthe qualities of unearthly horror and of extreme rarity—the latter arising [78]from the fact that they are really legacies from earlier races—hideousanachronisms,appallingrelicsofatimewhenmanandhissurroundingswereinmanywaysnotwhattheyarenow.

Weofthefifthrootraceoughttohaveevolvedbeyondthepossibilityofmeetingsuch a ghastly fate as is indicated by either of the two headings of this sub-

section, and we have so nearly done it that these creatures are commonlyregarded as mere mediaeval fables; yet there are examples to be foundoccasionallyevennow,thoughchieflyincountrieswherethereisaconsiderablestrain of fourth-race blood, such as Russia or Hungary. The popular legendsabout them are probably often considerably exaggerated, but there isneverthelessaterriblyserioussubstratumoftruthbeneaththeeeriestorieswhichpassfrommouthtomouthamongthepeasantryofEasternEurope.Thegeneralcharacteristics of such tales are too well known to needmore than a passingreference; a fairly typical specimen of the vampire story, though it does notprofesstobemorethanthemerestfiction,isSheridanleFanu’sCarmilla,whileaveryremarkableaccountofanunusualformofthis[79]creatureistobefoundinIsisUnveiledvol.i.,p.454.

ReadersofTheosophicalliteraturewillbeawarethatitisjustpossibleforamantolivealifesoabsolutelydegradedandselfish,soutterlywickedandbrutal,thatthewholeofhislowermindmaybecomeentirelyenmeshedinhisdesires,andfinallyseparatefromitsspiritualsource in thehigherself.Somestudentsevenseem tohave supposed that such anoccurrence is quite common, and thatwemaymeetscoresofsuch“soullessmen”,astheyhavebeencalled,inthestreeteverydayofour lives;but this,happily, isuntrue.Toattain theappallingpre-eminence in evil which thus involves the entire loss of a personality and theweakeningofthedevelopingindividualitybehind,amanmuststifleeverygleamof unselfishness or spirituality, and must have absolutely no redeeming pointwhatever;andwhenwerememberhowoften,evenintheworstofvillains,thereis to be found something notwholly bad,we shall realize that the abandonedpersonalities must always be a very small minority. Still, comparatively fewthough they be, they do exist, and it is from their ranks that the still rarervampireisdrawn.[80]

The lost entitywould very soon after death find himself unable to stay in theastralworld,andwouldbeirresistiblydrawninfullconsciousnessinto“hisownplace”, the mysterious eighth sphere, there slowly to disintegrate afterexperiencesbestleftundescribed.If,however,heperishesbysuicideorsuddendeath,hemayundercertaincircumstances,especiallyifheknowssomethingofblack magic, hold himself back from that appalling fate by a death in lifescarcelylessappalling—theghastlyexistenceofthevampire.

Since the eighth sphere cannot claimhimuntil after thedeathof thebody, hepreserves it in a kind of cataleptic trance by the horrible expedient of thetransfusion into it of blood drawn from other human beings by hissemimaterializedastral,andthuspostponeshisfinaldestinybythecommissionof wholesale murder. As popular “superstition” again rightly supposes, theeasiestandmosteffectualremedyinsuchacaseistoexhumeandburnthebody,thusdeprivingthecreatureofhispointd’appui.When thegrave isopened thebodyusuallyappearsquitefreshandhealthy,andthecoffin isnot infrequentlyfilledwithblood.Incountries[81]wherecremationisthecustom,vampirismofthissortisnaturallyimpossible.

TheWerewolf, thoughequallyhorrible, is theproductofa somewhatdifferentkarma,andindeedoughtperhapstohavefoundaplaceunderthefirstinsteadofthe second division of the human inhabitants of this plane, since it is alwaysduring a man’s lifetime that he first manifests under this form. It invariablyimplies some knowledge of magical arts—sufficient at any rate to be able toprojecttheastralbody.

Whenaperfectlycruelandbrutalmandoesthis,therearecertaincircumstancesunder which the body may be seized upon by other astral entities andmaterialized, not into the human form, but into that of some wild animal—usually the wolf; and in that condition it will range the surrounding countrykillingotheranimals,andevenhumanbeings, thussatisfyingnotonly itsowncravingforblood,butthatofthefiendswhodriveiton.

Inthiscase,assooftenwithordinarymaterialization,anywoundinflicteduponthat animal form will be reproduced upon the human physical body by theextraordinary phenomenon of repercussion; though after the death of thatphysical body, the [82] astral (which will probably continue to appear in thesameform)willbelessvulnerable.Itwillthen,however,bealsolessdangerous,asunlessitcanfindasuitablemediumitwillbeunabletomaterializefully.Insuchmanifestations there is probably a great deal of thematter of the ethericdouble,andperhapsalsoatollislevieduponthegaseousandliquidconstituentsof thephysicalbody,as in thecaseofsomematerializations. Inbothcases thefluidic body appears able to pass tomuch greater distances from the physicalthan is ever otherwise possible, so far as is yet known, for a vehicle, which

containsatleastacertainamountofethericmatter.

It has been the fashion of this age to scoff at what are called the foolishsuperstitions of the ignorant peasantry; but as in the above cases, so inmanyothers,theoccultstudentfindsoncarefulexaminationthatobscureorforgottentruths of Nature lie behindwhat at first sight appearsmere nonsense, and helearns to be cautious in rejecting as well as cautious in accepting. Intendingexplorers of the astral plane need have little fear of encountering the veryunpleasant creatures described under this head, for, as before stated, they areeven[83]now extremely rare, and as time goes on their numberwill happilysteadily diminish. In any case theirmanifestations are usually restricted to theimmediateneighbourhoodof theirphysicalbodies,asmightbesupposed fromtheirextremelymaterialnature.

8.TheManintheGreyWorld.

Ihavealreadyexplained that thevampire and thewerewolf are anachronisms,thattheybelongedtotheevolutionofanearlierroot-race.Butthoughwehavedevelopedbeyondthatparticularformofmanifestationofit,thetypeofpersonwhoclingsdesperatelytophysicallifebecausehehasnocertaintythatthereisanyotherstillpersistsamongus.Havingbeenintenselymaterial,havinghadnoideas, no conceptions of any sort beyond the physical during earth-life, hebecomescrazywithfearwhenhefindshimselfaltogethercutadriftfromit.

Sometimessuchmenmakefranticeffortstoreturnintosomesortoftouchwithphysicallife.Mostdonotsucceed,andgraduallygiveupthestruggle;assoonastheydo that, they slipoff atonce into thenaturalmomentofunconsciousnessandshortlyawakenintheastralworld.Butthose,whosewillisstrongenoughtoattainapartialand[84]temporarysuccessholdontenaciouslytoat leastsomefragmentsoftheirethericdouble,andsometimesevenmanagetodrawparticlesfromtheirphysicalbodies.

Wemaysaythattheactualdefinitionofdeathisthefullandfinalseparationoftheethericdoublefromthedensebody—or,toputitinotherwords,thebreakingupof thephysicalbodybywithdrawingitsethericpartfromits lowerpart.Solong as a link is maintained we may have conditions of catalepsy, trance oranaesthesia;whenthelinkisfinallybroken,deathhastakenplace.

Whenamanwithdrawsfromhisdensebodyatdeath, then,he takeswithhimtheethericpartofthatvehicle.Butthatethericmatterisnotinitselfacompletevehicle—onlypartofone.Thereforewhilethatethericmatterstillclingsroundhim, he is neither on one plane nor the other. He has lost the organs of hisphysical senses, and he cannot use those of the astral body because he is stillenvelopedinthiscloudofethericmatter.Helivesforawhile—fortunatelyonlyforawhile—inadimgreyworldofrestlessnessanddiscomfort,inwhichhecansee clearly neither physical nor astral happenings, but catches occasionalglimpsesofbothas[85]throughaworldofheavyfog,inwhichhewanders,lostandhelpless.

There is no reason whatever why any human being should suffer suchunpleasantnessatall;buthefearsthatinlettinggothatshredofconsciousnesshemayloseallconsciousnessforever—mayinfactbeannihilated;sohegraspsdesperatelyatthiswhichislefttohim.Intime,however,hemustletgo,fortheetheric double begins to disintegrate, and then he slips quite happily into thefullerandwiderlife.

Such people may sometimes be found drifting miserably and even wailinglyabouttheastralplane,anditisoneofthehardesttasksofthehelpertopersuadethemthattheyhavenothingtodobuttoforgettheirfear,torelaxtheirtenseness,andtoletthemselvessinkgentlyintothepeaceandoblivionwhichtheyneedsosorely.Theyseemtoregardsuchasuggestionasaship-wreckedmanfarawayfrom land might receive an order to abandon his supporting spar, and trusthimselftothestormysea.

9.TheBlackMagicianorhispupil.

Thispersoncorrespondsattheotherextremityofthescaletooursecondclassofdeparted entities, the pupil awaiting reincarnation, but in this case, instead of[86]obtainingpermission to adopt an unusualmethodof progress, theman isdefyingthenaturalprocessofevolutionbymaintaininghimselfinastrallifebymagicalarts—sometimesofthemosthorriblenature.

Itwouldbeeasy tomakevarious subdivisionsof this class, according to theirobjects,theirmethods,andthepossibledurationoftheirexistenceonthisplane,butas theyarebynomeans fascinatingobjectsofstudy,andall that inoccult

studentwishes to know about them is how to avoid them, itwill probably bemoreinterestingtopassontotheexaminationofanotherpartofoursubject.Itmay,however,be justmentionedthateverysuchhumanentitywhichprolongsitslifethusontheastralplanebeyonditsnaturallimitinvariablydoessoattheexpenseofothers,andbytheabsorptionoftheirlifeinsomeformoranother.

II.NON-HUMAN

Itmighthavebeenthoughtfairlyobvious,evento themostcasualglance, thatmanyoftheterrestrialarrangementsofNaturewhichaffectusmostnearlyhavenotbeendesignedexclusivelywithaviewtoourcomfort,toevenourultimateadvantage.[87]Yetitwasprobablyunavoidablethatthehumanrace,atleastinitschildhood,shouldimaginethatthisworldandeverythingitcontainsexistedsolelyforitsownuseandbenefit;butundoubtedlyweoughtbythistimetohavegrown out of that infantile delusion and realized our proper position and thedutiesthatattachtoit.

Thatmostofushavenotyetdonesoisshowninadozenwaysinourdailylife—notably by the atrocious cruelty habitually displayed towards the animalkingdomunder thenameof sport bymanywhoprobably consider themselveshighlycivilizedpeople.Theveriesttyrointheholyscienceofoccultismknowsthat all life is sacred and that without universal compassion there is no trueprogress; but it is only as he advances in his studies that he discovers howmanifoldevolutionis,andhowcomparativelysmallaplacehumanityreallyfillsintheeconomyofNature.

Itbecomescleartohimthatasearth,air,andwatersupportmyriadsofformsoflife which, though invisible to the ordinary eye, are revealed to us by themicroscope,sothehigherplanesconnectedwithourearthhaveanequallydensepopulation ofwhose existencewe are ordinarily [88] completelyunconscious.Ashisknowledgeincreaseshebecomesmoreandmorecertainthatinonewayor another theutmostuse isbeingmadeof everypossibilityof evolution, andthatwhereveritseemstousthatinNatureforceisbeingwastedoropportunityneglected,itisnottheschemeoftheuniversethatisinfault,butourignoranceofitsmethodandintention.

For thepurposesofourpresent considerationof thenon-human inhabitantsoftheastralplaneitwillbebesttoleavealtogetheroutofconsiderationthoseearlyformsoftheuniversallifewhichareevolving,inamannerofwhichwecanhavelittle comprehension, through the successive encasement of atoms,molecules,andcells.Ifwecommenceatthelowestofwhatareusuallycalledtheelementalkingdoms,weshalleventhenhavetogrouptogetherunderthisgeneralheadingan enormous number of inhabitants of the astral plane upon whom it will bepossibletotouchonlyslightly,asanythinglikeadetailedaccountofthemwouldswellthismanualtothedimensionsofanencyclopaedia.

Themostconvenientmethodofarranging thenon-humanentitieswillperhapsbeinfourclasses[89]—itbeingunderstoodthatinthiscasetheclassisnot,aspreviously, a comparatively small subdivision, but usually a great kingdomofNature at least as large and varied as, say, the animal or vegetable kingdom.Someof theseclassesrankconsiderablybelowhumanity,someareourequals,andothersagainrisefaraboveus ingoodnessandpower.Somebelongtoourschemeofevolution—that is to say, theyeitherhavebeenorwillbemen likeourselves; others are evolving on entirely distinct lines of their own. (See thediagramof“TheEvolutionofLife”inTheHiddenSideofThings,p.86.)

Beforeproceedingtoconsiderthemitisnecessaryinordertoavoidthechargeofincompleteness,tomentionthatinthisbranchofthesubjecttworeservationshave beenmade. First, no reference ismade to the occasional appearances ofhigh Adepts from other planets of the solar system and of evenmore augustVisitorsfromastillgreaterdistance,sincesuchmatterscannotfitlybedescribedin an essay for general reading; and besides it is practically inconceivable,though theoretically possible, that such glorified Beings should ever need tomanifestthemselvesonaplanesolowastheastral.Iffor[90]anyreasontheyshouldwish to do so, the body appropriate to the planewould be temporarilycreated out of astral matter belonging to this planet, as in the case of theNirmanakaya.

Secondly, quite outside of and entirely unconnectedwith the four classes intowhichwearedividingthissection,therearetwoothergreatevolutionswhichatpresentsharetheuseofthisplanetwithhumanity;butaboutthemitisforbiddento give any particulars at this stage of the proceedings, as it is not apparently

intended under ordinary circumstances either that they should be conscious ofman’sexistenceormanoftheirs.Ifweeverdocomeintocontactwiththemitwill most probably be on the purely physical plane, for in any case theirconnectionwithourastralplane isof theslightestsince theonlypossibilityoftheirappearancetheredependsuponanextremelyimprobableaccidentinanactof ceremonial magic, which fortunately only a few of the most advancedsorcerers know how to perform. Nevertheless, that improbable accident hashappened at least once, andmay happen again, so that but for the prohibitionabovementioneditwouldhavebeennecessarytoincludetheminourlist.[91]

1.TheElementalEssencebelongingtoourownevolution.

Asthename“elementary”hasbeengivenindiscriminatelybyvariouswriterstoanyor all ofman’spossiblepost-mortem conditions, so thisword “elemental”hasbeenusedatdifferenttimestomeananyorallnon-humanspirits,fromthemost god-like of theDevas down through every variety of nature-spirit to theformless essencewhichpervades thekingdoms lyingbehind themineral, untilafter reading several books the student becomes absolutely bewildered by thecontradictorystatementsmadeonthesubject.Forthepurposesofthistreatiseletitbeunderstoodthatelementalessenceismerelyanameappliedduringcertainstagesofitsevolutiontomonadicessence,whichinitsturnmaybedefinedastheoutpouringofSpiritorDivineForceintomatter.

Weareallfamiliarwiththeideathatbeforethisoutpouringarrivesatthestageof individualization at which it forms the causal body of man, it has passedthrough and ensouled in turn six lower phases of evolution—the animal,vegetable, mineral, and three elemental kingdoms. When energizing throughthose respective stages it has sometimes been called the animal, vegetable, ormineral[92]monad—thoughthistermisdistinctlymisleading,sincelongbeforeitarrivesatanyofthesekingdomsithasbecomenotone,butmanymonads.Thenamewas, however, adopted to convey the idea that, thoughdifferentiation inthemonadicessencehadalreadylongagoset in, ithadnotyetbeencarriedtotheextentofindividualization.

When this monadic essence is energizing through the three great elementalkingdoms which precede the mineral, it is called by the name of “elemental

essence.”Before,however,itsnatureandthemannerinwhichitmanifestscanbeunderstood,themethodinwhichspiritenfoldsitselfinitsdescentintomattermustberealized.

Be it remembered, then, that when spirit resting on any plane (it matters notwhich—letuscallitplaneNo.1)willstodescendtotheplanenextbelow(letuscallthatplaneNo.2)itmustenfolditselfinthematterofthatplane—thatistosay,itmustdrawrounditselfaveilofthematterofplaneNo.2.SimilarlywhenitcontinuesitsdescenttoplaneNo.3,itmustdrawrounditselfthematterofthatplane, and we shall then have, say, an atom whose body or outer coveringconsistsofthematterofplaneNo.3.Theforceenergizinginit—its[93]soul,sotospeak—willhowevernotbespirit in thecondition inwhich itwasonplaneNo.1,butwillbe thatdivine forceplus theveilof thematterofplaneNo.2.WhenastillfurtherdescentismadetoplaneNo.4,theatombecomesstillmorecomplex,foritwillthenhaveabodyofNo.4matter,ensouledbyspiritalreadytwice veiled—in thematter of planes 2 and 3. It will be seen that, since thisprocessrepeats itself foreverysub-planeofeachplaneof thesolarsystem,bythe time theoriginal forcereachesourphysical level it isso thoroughlyveiledthatitissmallwondermenoftenfailtorecognizeitasspiritatall.

Suppose that themonadic essence has carried on this process of veiling itselfdown to the atomic level of themental plane, and that, instead of descendingthroughthevarioussubdivisionsofthatplane,itplungesdowndirectlyintotheastralplane, ensouling,oraggregating round it abodyofatomicastralmatter;such a combination would be the elemental essence of the astral plane,belonging to the third of the great elemental kingdoms—that immediatelypreceding themineral. In the course of its 2,401 differentiations on the astralplaneitdrawstoitselfmanyandvariouscombinationsof[94]thematterofitsseveral sub-divisions; but these are only temporary, and it still remainsessentiallyonekingdom,whosecharacteristicismonadicessenceinvolveddowntotheatomiclevelofthementalplaneonly,butmanifestingthroughtheatomicmatteroftheastralplane.

The two higher elemental kingdoms exist and function respectively upon thehigherand the lower levelsof thementalplane;butwearenotat themomentconcernedwiththem.

Tospeak,aswesooftendo,ofanelementalinconnectionwiththegroupwearenowconsideringissomewhatmisleading,forstrictlyspeakingthere isnosuchthing.Whatwefindisavaststoreofelementalessence,wonderfullysensitivetothemostfleetinghumanthought,respondingwithinconceivabledelicacyinaninfinitesimalfractionofasecondtoavibrationsetupinitevenbyanentirelyunconsciousexerciseofhumanwillordesire.

But themoment that by the influenceof such thought or exercise ofwill it ismouldedintoalivingforce—intosomethingthatmaycorrectlybedescribedasanelemental—itatonceceasestobelongtothecategorywearediscussing,andbecomesamemberoftheartificialclass.Eventhen[95]itsseparateexistenceisusuallyofthemostevanescentcharacter,andassoonasitsimpulsehasworkeditself out it sinks back into the undifferentiated mass of that particularsubdivisionofelementalessencefromwhichitcame.

Itwouldbetedioustoattempttocataloguethesesubdivisions,andindeedevenifalistofthemweremadeitwouldbeunintelligibleexcepttothepracticalstudentwhocancall themupbeforehimandcomparethem.Someideaof theleadinglinesofclassificationcan,however,begraspedwithoutmuchtrouble,andmayproveofinterest.

Firstcomesthebroaddivisionwhichhasgiventheelementalstheirname—theclassificationaccordingtothekindofmatterwhichtheyinhabit.Here,asusual,the septenary character of our evolution shows itself, for there are seven suchchief groups, related respectively to the seven states of physical matter—to“earth,water,air,andfire,”ortotranslatefrommediævalsymbolismtomodernaccuracyofexpression,tothesolid,theliquid,thegaseous,andthefourethericconditions.

Ithaslongbeenthecustomtopityanddespisetheignoranceofthealchemistsofthemiddle ages, because they gave the title of “elements” to [96] substanceswhichmodern chemistry has discovered to be compounds; but in speaking ofthemthusslightinglywehavedonethemgreatinjustice,fortheirknowledgeonthissubjectwasreallywider,notnarrower,thanours.Theymayormaynothavecataloguedalltheeightyorninetysubstanceswhichwenowcallelements;buttheycertainlydidnotapplythatnametothem,fortheiroccultstudieshadtaught

them that in that senseof theword therewasbutone element,ofwhich theseandallotherformsofmatterwerebutmodifications—atruthwhichsomeofthegreatestchemistsofthepresentdayarejustbeginningtosuspect.

The fact is that in this particular case our despised forefathers’ analysis wentseveralstepsdeeperthanourown.Theyunderstoodandwereabletoobservetheether,whichmodern science can only postulate as a necessity for its theories;theywereawarethatitconsistsofphysicalmatterinfourentirelydistinctstatesabovethegaseous—afactwhichhasnotyetbeenre-discovered.Theyknewthatallphysicalobjectsconsistofmatter inoneorotherof thesesevenstates,andthat into the compositionof everyorganicbodyall sevenenter in agreaterorlesser degree; hence all their talk of [97] fiery and watery humours, or“elements,” which seems so grotesque to us. It is obvious that they used thelatter word as a synonym for “constituent parts,” without in the least degreeintending it to connote the idea of substances which could not be furtherreduced.Theyknewalsothateachoftheseordersofmatterservesasabasisofmanifestation for a great class of evolving monadic essence, and so theychristenedtheessence“elemental.”

Whatwehavetotrytorealize,then,isthatineveryparticleofsolidmatter,solong as it remains in that condition, there resides, to use the picturesquephraseologyofmediævalstudents,anearthelemental—thatis,acertainamountofthelivingelementalessenceappropriatetoit,whileequallyineveryparticleof matter in the liquid, gaseous, or etheric states, the water, air, and fire“elementals”respectivelyinhere.Itwillbeobservedthatthisfirstbroaddivisionofthethirdoftheelementalkingdomsis,sotospeak,horizontal—thatistosay,itsrespectiveclassesstandintherelationofsteps,eachsomewhatlessmaterialthanthatbelowit,whichascendsintoitbyalmostimperceptibledegrees;anditis easy to understand how each of these classes may again he dividedhorizontally[98]intoseven,sincethereareobviouslymanydegreesofdensityamongsolids,liquids,andgases.

Thereis,however,whatmaybedescribedasaperpendiculardivisionalso,andthis is somewhat more difficult to comprehend, especially as great reserve isalwaysmaintainedbyoccultistsastosomeofthefactswhichwouldbeinvolvedinafullerexplanationofit.Perhapstheclearestwaytoputwhatisknownonthe

subjectwillbetostatethatineachofthehorizontalclassesandsubclasseswillbefoundsevenperfectlydistincttypesofelemental,thedifferencebetweenthembeingno longeraquestionofdegreeofmateriality,but ratherofcharacterandaffinities.

Each of these types so reacts upon the others that, though it is impossible forthemevertointerchangetheiressence,ineachofthemsevensub-typeswillbefoundtoexist,distinguishedbythecolouringgiventotheiroriginalpeculiarityby the influence which sways them most readily. It will be seen that thisperpendiculardivisionandsubdivisiondiffersentirely in itscharacter fromthehorizontal, inthat it isfarmorepermanentandfundamental;forwhileit is theevolution of the elemental kingdom to pass with almost infinite slownessthrough [99] its various horizontal classes and sub-classes in succession, andthustobelongtothemallinturn,thisisnotsowithregardtothetypesandsub-types,whichremainunchangeableallthewaythrough.

Apointofwhichwemustnever lose sight inendeavouring tounderstand thiselemental evolution is that it is taking place onwhat is sometimes called thedownwardcurveofthearc;thatistosay,itisprogressingtowardsthecompleteentanglement in matter which we witness in the mineral kingdom, instead ofawayfromit,asismostotherevolutionofwhichweknowanything.Thusforitprogressmeansdescentintomatterinsteadofascenttowardshigherplanes;andthisfactsometimesgivesitacuriouslyinvertedappearanceinoureyesuntilwethoroughlygraspitsobject.Unlessthestudentbearsthisconstantlyandclearlyinmind,hewillagainandagainfindhimselfbesetbyperplexinganomalies.

In spite of thesemanifold subdivisions, there are certain propertieswhich arepossessed in common by all varieties of this strange living essence; but eventhese are so entirely different from any with which we are familiar on thephysicalplanethat[100]itisexceedinglydifficulttoexplainthemtothosewhocannotthemselvesseetheminaction.

Letitbepremised,then,thatwhenanyportionofthisessenceremainsforafewmomentsentirelyunaffectedbyanyoutsideinfluence(acondition,bytheway,which is hardly ever realized) it is absolutelywithout any definite formof itsown, though its motion is still rapid and ceaseless; but on the slightest

disturbance, set up perhaps by some passing thought-current, it flashes into abewilderingconfusionofrestless,ever-changingshapes,whichform,rushabout,anddisappearwiththerapidityofthebubblesonthesurfaceofboilingwater.

These evanescent shapes, though generally those of living creatures of somesort,humanorotherwise,nomoreexpress theexistenceofseparateentities intheessencethandotheequallychangefulandmultiformwavesraisedinafewmomentsonapreviouslysmoothlakebyasuddensquall.Theyseemtobemerereflectionsfromthevaststorehouseoftheastralplane,yet theyhaveusuallyacertain appropriateness to the character of the thoughtstreamwhich calls themintoexistence,thoughnearlyalwayswithsomegrotesque[101]distortion,someterrifyingorunpleasantaspectaboutthem.

Aquestionnaturallyarises in themindhereas towhat intelligence it is that isexerted in theselectionofanappropriateshapeor itsdistortionwhenselected.Wearenotdealingwiththemorepowerfulandlonger-livedartificialelementalcreatedbyastrongdefinitethought,butwiththeresultproducedbythestreamofhalfconscious, involuntary thoughtswhichthemajorityofmankindallowtoflow idly through their brains. The intelligence, therefore, is obviously notderived from the mind of the thinker; and we certainly cannot credit theelemental essence itself, which belongs to a kingdom further fromindividualization even than the mineral, with any sort of awakening of thementalquality.

Yetitdoespossessamarvellousadaptabilitywhichoftenseemstocomenearit,anditisnodoubtthispropertythatcausedelementalstobedescribedinoneofour earlybooks as “the semi-intelligent creaturesof the astral light.”We shallfind further evidenceof thispowerwhenwecome to consider the caseof theartificialclass.Whenwereadofagoodorevilelemental,itmustalways[102]beeitheranartificialentityoroneofthemanyvarietiesofnature-spiritsthatismeant,fortheelementalkingdomsproperdonotadmitofanysuchconceptionsasgoodandevil.

Thereis,however,undoubtedlyasortofbiasortendencypermeatingnearlyalltheir subdivisions which operates to render them rather hostile than friendlytowards man. Every neophyte knows this, for in most cases his very first

impressionoftheastralplaneisofthepresenceallaroundhimofvasthostsofproteanspectreswhoadvanceuponhiminthreateningguise,butalwaysretireordissipate harmlessly if boldly faced. It is to this curious tendency that thedistortedorunpleasantaspectabovementionedmustbereferred,andmediævalwriterstellusthatmanhasonlyhimselftothankforitsexistence.Inthegoldenage before this sordid present, men were on the whole less selfish and morespiritual, and then the “elementals”were friendly, though now they are so nolongerbecauseofman’sindifferenceto,andwantofsympathywith,otherlivingbeings.

From the wonderful delicacy with which the essence responds to the faintestactionofourmindsordesires,itseemsclearthatthiselemental[103]kingdomasawholeismuchwhatthecollectivethoughtofhumanitymakesit.Anyonewhowillthinkforamomenthowfarfromelevatingtheactionofthatcollectivethoughtislikelytobeatthepresenttime,willseelittlereasontowonderthatwereapaswehavesown,andthatthisessence,whichhasnopowerofperception,butonlyblindly receivesandreflectswhat isprojectedupon it, shouldusuallyexhibitunfriendlycharacteristics.

Therecanbenodoubt that in later racesor rounds,whenmankindasawholehasevolvedtoamuchhigherlevel,theelementalkingdomswillbeinfluencedby the changed thought which continually impinges upon them, andwe shallfindthemnolongerhostile,butdocileandhelpfulaswearetoldthattheanimalkingdomwillalsobe.Whatevermayhavehappenedinthepast,itisevidentthatwemaylookforwardtoapassable“goldenage”inthefuture,ifwecanarriveatatimewhenthemajorityofmenwillbenobleandunselfish,andtheforcesofnaturewillco-operatewillinglywiththem.

Thefactthatwearesoreadilyabletoinfluencetheelementalkingdomsshowsusthatwehavearesponsibilitytowardsthemforthemannerin[104]whichweuse that influence. Indeed,whenwe consider the conditions underwhich theyexist, it is obvious that the effect produced upon them by the thoughts anddesires of all intelligent creatures inhabiting the same world with them musthave been calculated upon in the scheme of our system as a factor in theirevolution.

Inspiteoftheconsistentteachingofallthegreatreligions,themassofmankindisstillutterlyregardlessofitsresponsibilityonthethought-plane;ifamancanflatterhimselfthathiswordsanddeedshavebeenharmlesstoothers,hebelievesthathehasdoneallthatcanberequiredofhim,quiteobliviousofthefactthathemayforyearshavebeenexercisinganarrowinganddebasinginfluenceontheminds of those about him, and filling surrounding space with the unlovelycreationsofasordidmind.Astillmoreseriousaspectofthisquestionwillcomebeforeuswhenwediscusstheartificialelemental;butinregardtotheessenceitwillbe sufficient to state thatweundoubtedlyhave thepower to accelerateordelayitsevolutionaccordingtotheusewhich,consciouslyorunconsciously,wearecontinuallymakingofit.[105]

It would be hopeless within the limits of such a treatise as this to attempt toexplainthedifferentusestowhichtheforcesinherentinthemanifoldvarietiesof this elemental essence can he put by one who has been trained in theirmanagement.Themajorityofmagicalceremoniesdependalmostentirelyuponitsmanipulation, either directly by thewill of themagician, or by somemoredefiniteastralentityevokedbyhimforthatpurpose.

By its means nearly all the physical phenomena of the séance-room areproduced,anditisalsotheagentinmostcasesofstone-throwingorbell-ringingin haunted houses, such results as these latter being brought about either byblunderingefforts toattractattentionmadebysomeearth-boundhumanentity,orbythemeremischievouspranksofsomeoftheminornature-spiritsbelongingtoourthirdclass.Butwemustneverthinkofthe“elemental”asitselfaprimemover; it is simply a latent force, which needs an external power to set it inmotion.

Althoughallclassesoftheessencehavethepowerofreflectingastralimagesasdescribed above, there are varieties which receive certain impressions muchmorereadilythanothers—whichhave,[106]asitwere,favouriteformsoftheirown intowhich upon disturbance theywould naturally flow unless absolutelyforcedintosomeother,andsuchshapestendtobeatriflelessevanescentthanusual.

Before leaving this branch of the subject it may be well to warn the student

againsttheconfusionofthoughtintowhichsomehavefallenthroughfailingtodistinguish this elemental essence which we have been considering from themonadicessencemanifestingthroughthemineralkingdom.Monadicessenceatone stage of its evolution towards humanity manifests through the elementalkingdom,whileatalaterstageitmanifeststhroughthemineralkingdom;butthefact that two bodies of monadic essence at these different stages are inmanifestation at the same moment, and that one of these manifestations (theearthelemental)occupiesthesamespaceasandinhabitstheother(sayarock),in noway interfereswith the evolution either of one or the other, nor does itimplyanyrelationbetweenthebodiesofmonadicessencelyingwithinboth.

2.TheAstralBodiesofAnimals.

Thisisanextremelylargeclass,yetitdoesnotoccupyaparticularlyimportantposition on the astral plane, [107] since its members usually stay there but ashort time. The vast majority of animals have not as yet acquired permanentindividualization, andwhen one of them dies themonadic essencewhich hasbeenmanifestingthroughitflowsbackagainintotheparticularstratumwhenceit came, bearingwith it such advancement or experience as has been attainedduringthat life. It isnot,however,able todothisquite immediately; theastralbodyoftheanimalrearrangesitselfjustasinman’scase,andtheanimalhasarealexistenceontheastralplane,thelengthofwhich,thoughnevergreat,variesaccording to the intelligencewhich ithasdeveloped. Inmostcases itdoesnotseemtobemorethandreamilyconscious,butappearsperfectlyhappy.

The comparatively few domestic animals who have already attainedindividuality,andwillthereforeberebornnomoreasanimalsinthisworld,havea much longer and much more vivid life on the astral plane than their lessadvancedfellows,andattheendofitsinkgraduallyintoasubjectivecondition,whichislikelytolastforaveryconsiderableperiod.Oneinterestingsubdivisionof this class consists of the astral bodies of those anthropoid apes [108]mentioned in The Secret Doctrine (vol. i., p. 184) who are alreadyindividualized,andwillbereadytotakehumanincarnationinthenextround,orperhapssomeofthemevensooner.

3.Nature-SpiritsofallKinds.

Somanyandsovariedarethesubdivisionsofthisclassthattodothemanythinglike justice onewould need to devote a separate treatise to this subject alone.Somecharacteristics,however,theyallhaveincommon,anditwillbesufficientheretotrytogivesomeideaofthose.

First we have to realize that we are here dealing with entities which differradically from all that we have hitherto considered. Though we may rightlyclassify the elemental essence and the animal astral bodies as non-human, themonadicessencewhichensoulsthemwill,nevertheless,inthefullnessoftime,evolve to the level of manifesting itself through some future humanitycomparabletoourown,andifwewereabletolookbackthroughcountlessagesonourownevolutioninpreviousworld-cycles,weshouldfindthatthatwhichisnowourcasualbodyhaspassedonitsupwardpaththroughsimilarstages.

That, however, is not the case with the vast kingdom of nature-spirits; theyneitherhavebeen,[109]noreverwillbe,membersofahumanitysuchasours;their line of evolution is entirely different, and their only connection with usconsistsinourtemporaryoccupancyofthesameplanet.Ofcoursesinceweareneighboursforthetimebeingweoweneighbourlykindnesstooneanotherwhenwehappentomeet,butourlinesofdevelopmentdiffersowidelythateachcandobutlittlefortheother.

Manywritershaveincludedthesespiritsamongtheelementals,andindeedtheyaretheelementals(orperhaps,tospeakmoreaccurately,theanimals)ofahigherevolution. Though much more highly developed than our elemental essence,theyhaveyetcertaincharacteristics incommonwith it; forexample, theyalsoaredividedintosevengreatclasses,inhabitingrespectivelythesamesevenstatesofmatteralreadymentionedaspermeatedbythecorrespondingvarietiesoftheessence.Thus,totakethosewhicharemostreadilycomprehensibletous,therearespiritsof theearth,water,air,andfire (orether)—definite intelligentastralentitiesresidingandfunctioningineachofthosemedia.

Itmaybeaskedhowit ispossibleforanykindofcreature to inhabit thesolidsubstanceofarock,or[110]ofthecrustoftheearth.Theansweris thatsincethe nature-spirits are formed of astral matter, the substance of the rock is nohindrancetotheirmotionortheirvision,andfurthermorephysicalmatterinits

solid state is their natural element—that towhich they are accustomed and inwhich they feel at home. The same is true of thosewho live inwater, air, orether.

In mediæval literature, these earth-spirits are often called gnomes, while thewater-spirits are spoken of as undines, the air-spirits as sylphs, and the ether-spirits as salamanders. Inpopular language they areknownbymanynames—fairies,pixies,elves,brownies,peris,djinns,trolls,satyrs,fauns,kobolds,imps,goblins, good people, etc.—some of these titles being applied only to onevariety,andothersindiscriminatelytoall.

Their forms are many and various, but most frequently human in shape andsomewhatdiminutiveinsize.Likealmostallinhabitantsoftheastralplane,theyare able to assumeanyappearance atwill, but theyundoubtedlyhavedefiniteformsoftheirown,orperhapsweshouldrathersayfavouriteforms,whichtheywearwhentheyhavenospecialobjectintakinganother.Under[111]ordinaryconditionstheyarenotvisibletophysicalsightatall,buttheyhavethepowerofmakingthemselvessobymaterializationwhentheywishtobeseen.

There are an immense number of subdivisions or races among them, andindividualsdiffer in intelligenceanddispositionpreciselyashumanbeingsdo.Thegreatmajorityofthemapparentlyprefertoavoidmanaltogether;hishabitsandemanationsaredistasteful to them,and theconstant rushofastralcurrentsset up by his restless, ill-regulated desires disturbs and annoys them. On theotherhand,instancesarenotwantinginwhichnaturespiritshaveasitweremadefriends with human beings and offered them such assistance as lay in theirpower,as in thewell-knownstories toldof theScotchbrowniesorof the fire-lighting fairiesmentioned in spiritualistic literature. (SeeSpiritWorkers in theHomeCircle,byMorellTheobald.)

This helpful attitude, however, is comparatively rare, and inmost caseswhentheycomeincontactwithmantheyeithershowindifferenceordislike,orelsetake an impishdelight in deceivinghimandplaying childish tricks uponhim.Manyastoryillustrativeofthiscuriouscharacteristicmay[112]befoundamongthevillagegossipofthepeasantryinalmostanylonelymountainousdistrict;andanyonewhohasbeeninthehabitofattendingséancesforphysicalphenomena

willrecollectinstancesofpracticaljokingandsillythoughusuallygood-naturedhorse-play, which almost always indicate the presence of some of the lowerordersofthenature-spirits.

They are greatly assisted in their tricks by the wonderful power which theypossessofcastingaglamouroverthosewhoyieldthemselvestotheirinfluence,so that such victims for the time see and hear onlywhat these fairies impressupon them, exactly as themesmerized subject sees, hears, feels, and believeswhatever the magnetizer wishes. The nature-spirits, however, have not themesmerizer’spowerofdominating thehumanwill, except in thecaseofquiteunusuallyweak-minded people, or of thosewho allow themselves to fall intosuch a condition of helpless terror that their will is temporarily in abeyance.They cannot go beyond deception of the senses, but of that art they areundoubted masters, and cases are not wanting in which they have cast theirglamouroveraconsiderablenumberofpeopleatonce. It isby[113] invokingtheiraidintheexerciseofthispeculiarpowerthatsomeofthemostwonderfulfeats of the Indian jugglers are performed—the entire audience being in facthallucinatedandmadetoimaginethattheyseeandhearawholeseriesofeventswhichhavenotreallytakenplaceatall.

Wemightalmost lookupon thenature-spiritsasakindofastralhumanity,butfor the fact that none of them—not even the highest—possesses a permanentreincarnatingindividuality.Apparently,therefore,onepointinwhichtheirlineofevolutiondiffers fromours is that amuchgreaterproportionof intelligence isdeveloped before permanent individualization takes place; but of the stagesthroughwhichtheyhavepassed,andthosethroughwhichtheyhaveyettopass,wecanknowlittle.

The life-periods of the different subdivisions vary greatly, some being quiteshort, others much longer than our human life-times. We stand so entirelyoutsidesuchalifeastheirsthatitisimpossibleforustounderstandmuchaboutitsconditions;but itappearsonthewholetobeasimple, joyous, irresponsiblekind of existence, such as a party of happy children might lead amongexceptionallyfavourablephysicalsurroundings.[114]

Though tricky andmischievous, they are rarelymalicious unless provoked by

someunwarrantable intrusionorannoyance;butasabodytheyalsopartaketosomeextentoftheuniversalfeelingofdistrustforman,andtheygenerallyseeminclined to resent somewhat the first appearance of a neophyte on the astralplane, so that he usually makes their acquaintance under some unpleasant orterrifyingform.If,however,hedeclinestobefrightenedbyanyoftheirfreaks,theysoonaccepthimasanecessaryevilandtakenofurthernoticeofhim,whilesomeamongthemmayevenafteratimebecomefriendlyandmanifestpleasureonmeetinghim.

Some among themany subdivisions of this class aremuch less childlike andmoredignifiedthanthosewehavebeendescribing,anditisfromthesesectionsthat the lower types among the entities who have been reverenced under thenameofwood-gods,orlocalvillage-gods,havebeendrawn.Suchentitieswouldbequitesensibleoftheflatteryinvolvedinthereverenceshowntothem,enjoyit,andareusuallyquite ready todoanysmallservice theycan in return. (Thevillage-godisalsooftenanartificialentity,butthatvarietywillbeconsideredinitsappropriateplace).[115]

TheAdeptknowshowtomakeuseoftheservicesofthenature-spiritswhenherequires them, but the ordinary magician can obtain their assistance only byprocesses either of invocation or evocation—that is, either by attracting theirattention as a suppliant and making some kind of bargain with them, or byendeavouringtoset inmotioninfluenceswhichwouldcompel theirobedience.Both methods are extremely undesirable, and the latter is also excessivelydangerous,astheoperatorarousesadeterminedhostilitywhichmayeasilyprovefataltohim.Needlesstosay,noonestudyingoccultismunderaqualifiedMasterwouldeverbepermittedtoattemptanythingofthekindatall.

4.TheDevas.

Thehighestsystemofevolutionconnectedwiththisearth,sofarasweknow,isthatofthebeingswhomHinduscalltheDevas,whoareelsewheredescribedasAngels, sons ofGod, etc.Theymay, in fact, be regarded as a kingdom, lyingnextabovehumanity, in thesamewayashumanity in turn liesnextabove theanimal kingdom, but with this important difference, that while for an animalthereisnopossibilityofevolution(sofarasweknow)throughanykingdombut

thehumanman,whenheattainsacertainhighlevel,finds[116]variouspathsofadvancementopeningbeforehimofwhichthisgreatDevaevolutionisonlyone.

IncomparisonwiththesublimerenunciationoftheNirmanakaya,theacceptanceofthislineofevolutionissometimesmentionedinthebooksas“yieldingtothetemptation tobecomeagod”, but itmust not be inferred from this expressionthatanyshadowofblameattachestothemanwhomakesthischoice.Thepathwhichheselectsisnottheshortest,butit isneverthelessverynoble,andifhisdevelopedintuitionimpelshimtowardsit,itiscertainlythatwhichisbestsuitedforhiscapacities.Wemustneverforgetthatinspiritualasinphysicalclimbingitisnoteveryonewhocanbearthestrainofthesteeperpath;theremaybemanyfor whom what seems the slower way is the only possiblity, and we shouldindeedbeunworthyfollowersofthegreatTeachersifweallowedourignoranceto betray us into the slightest thought of disposal towards thosewhose choicediffersfromourown.

However confident ignorance of the difficulties of the futuremay allow us tofeelnow,itisimpossibleforustotellatthisstagewhatweshallfindourselvesabletodowhen,aftermanylivesof[117]patientstriving,wehaveearnedtheright to choose our own future; and indeed, even those who “yield to thetemptationtobecomegods”haveasufficientlygloriouscareerbeforethem,aswillpresentlybeseen.Toavoidpossiblemisunderstandingitmaybementionedparparenthésethatthereisanotherandentirelyevilsensesometimesattachedinthebookstothisphraseof“becomingagod,”butinthatformitcertainlycouldneverbeanykindof“temptation” to thedevelopedman,and inanycase it isaltogetherforeigntoourpresentsubject.

Inorientalliteraturethisword“Deva”isfrequentlyusedvaguelytomeanalmostanykindofnon-humanentity,sothatitoftenincludesgreatdivinitiesontheonehand,andnature-spiritsandartificialelementalsontheother.Here,however,itsuse will be restricted to the magnificent evolution which we are nowconsidering.

Thoughconnectedwiththisearth,theAngelsarebynomeansconfinedtoit,forthewhole of our present chain of sevenworlds is as oneworld to them, theirevolution being through a grand system of seven chains. Their hosts have

hithertobeenrecruitedchieflyfromotherhumanitiesin[118]thesolarsystem,somelowerandsomehigherthanours,sincebutaverysmallportionofourownhas as yet reached the level atwhich for us it is possible to join them; but itseemscertainthatsomeoftheirverynumerousclasseshavenotpassedintheirupwardprogressthroughanyhumanityatallcomparabletoours.

Itisnotpossibleforusatpresenttounderstandmuchaboutthem,butitisclearthatwhatmaybedescribedastheaimoftheirevolutionisconsiderablyhigherthanours;thatistosay,whiletheobjectofourhumanevolutionistoraisethesuccessfulportionofhumanitytoacertaindegreeofoccultdevelopmentbytheend of the seventh round, the object of the angelic evolution is to bring theirforemostranktoamuchhigherlevelinthecorrespondingperiod.Forthem,asforus,asteeperbutshorterpathtostillmoresublimeheightsliesopentoearnestendeavour;butwhatthoseheightsmaybeintheircasewecanonlyconjecture.

It is only the lower fringe of this august body that need be mentioned inconnectionwithoursubjectoftheastralplane.Theirthreelowergreatdivisions(beginning from the bottom) are generally calledKamadevas,Rupadevas, andArupadevas[119]respectively.Justasourordinarybodyhere—thelowestbodypossible for us—is the physical, so the ordinary body of a Kamadeva is theastral;sothathestandsinsomewhatthesamepositionashumanitywilldowhenit reachesplanetF,andhe, livingordinarily inanastralbody,goesoutof it tohigherspheresinamentalvehiclejustaswedoinanastralbody,whiletoenterthecausalbodyistohim(whensufficientlydeveloped)nogreatereffortthantouseamindbodyistous.

InthesamewaytheRupadeva’sordinarybodyisthemental,sincehishabitatison thefour loweror rupa levelsof thatplane;while theArupadevabelongs tothethreehigherlevels,andownsnonearerapproachtoabodythanthecausal.ButforRupaandArupadevastomanifestontheastralplaneisanoccurrenceatleastasrareasitisforastralentitiestomaterializeonthisphysicalplane,soweneeddonomorethanmentionthemnow.

Asregardsthelowestdivision—theKamadevas—itwouldbeamistaketothinkofallof themas immeasurablysuperior toourselves, sincesomehaveenteredtheir ranks from humanity in some respects less advanced than our own. The

general[120]averageamongthemismuchhigherthanamongus,forallthatisactively orwillfully evil has long beenweeded out from their ranks; but theydifferwidelyindisposition,andareallynoble,unselfish,spiritually-mindedmanmaywellstandhigherinthescaleofevolutionthansomeofthem.

Their attention can be attracted by certain magical evocations, but the onlyhumanwillwhichcandominatetheirsisthatofacertainhighclassofAdepts.Asaruletheyseemscarcelyconsciousofusonourphysicalplane,butitdoesnowandthenhappenthatoneofthembecomesawareofsomehumandifficultywhichexciteshispity,andheperhapsrenderssomeassistance,justasanyofuswould try to help an animal thatwe saw in trouble.But it iswell understoodamongthemthatanyinterferenceinhumanaffairsatthepresentstageislikelytodofarmoreharmthangood.AbovetheArupadevastherearefourothergreatdivisions,andagain,aboveandbeyondtheangelickingdomaltogether,standthegreathostsofthePlanetarySpirits,buttheconsiderationofsuchglorifiedbeingswouldbeoutofplaceinanessayontheastralplane.

Thoughwecannotclaimthemasbelongingexactlytoanyofourclasses,thisisperhapsthe[121]bestplaceinwhichtomentionthosewonderfulandimportantbeings, the fourDevarajas. In thisname thewordDevamustnot,however,betaken in the sense inwhichwehavebeenusing it, for it isnotover theDevakingdom,butover the four,“elements”ofearth,water,air,and fire,with theirindwelling naturespirits and essences, that these four Kings rule. What theevolutionhasbeenthroughwhichtheyrosetotheirpresentheightofpowerandwisdomwecannottell,saveonlythat itdoesnotseemtohavepassedthroughanythingcorrespondingtoourownhumanity.

They are often described as the Regents of the Earth, or Angels of the fourcardinal points, and the Hindu books call them the ChaturMaharajas, givingtheir names as Dhritarashtra, Virudhaka, Virupaksha, and Vaishravana. In thesamebooks their elemental hosts are calledGandharvas,Kumbhandas,Nagas,andYakshasrespectively, thepointsofthecompassappropriatedtoeachbeingincorrespondingordereast,south,west,andnorth,andtheirsymbolicalcolours,white, blue, red, and gold. They are mentioned in The Secret Doctrine as“wingedglobes and fierywheels”; and in theChristian bibleEzekielmakes aremarkable attempt [122] at a description of them inwhich similarwords are

used.Referencestothemaretobefoundinthesymbologyofeveryreligion,andthey have always been held in the highest reverence as the protectors ofmankind.

It is theywhoare theagentsofman’skarmaduringhis lifeonearth,andtheythusplayanextremelyimportantpartinhumandestiny.Thegreatkarmicdeitiesof theKosmos (called inThe SecretDoctrine the Lipika)weigh the deeds ofeachpersonalitywhenthefinalseparationofitsprinciplestakesplaceattheendof its astral life, and give as it were the mould of an etheric double exactlysuitabletoitskarmaforthemansnextbirth;butitistheDevarajaswho,havingcommand of the “elements” of which that etheric double must be composed,arrangetheirproportionsoastofulfilaccuratelytheintentionoftheLipika.

It is they also who constantly watch all through life to counterbalance thechangesperpetuallybeingintroducedintoman’sconditionbyhisownfreewillandthatofthosearoundhim,sothatnoinjusticemaybedone,andkarmamaybe accurately worked out, if not in one way then in another. A learneddissertation upon these marvellous beings will be [123] found in The SecretDoctrine, vol. i., pp. 180-186. They are able to take humanmaterial forms atwill,andseveralcasesarerecordedwhentheyhavedoneso.

Allthehighernature-spiritsandhostsofartificialelementalsactastheiragentsinthestupendousworktheycarryout,yetallthethreadsareintheirhands,andthewholeresponsibilityrestsuponthemalone.Itisnotoftenthattheymanifestupontheastralplane,butwhentheydotheyarecertainlythemostremarkableofitsnon-humaninhabitants.Astudentofoccultismwillnotneedtobetoldthatasthereare sevengreatclassesbothofnature-spiritsandelementalessence theremustreallybesevenandnotfourDevarajas,butoutsidethecircleofInitiationlittleisknownandlessmaybesaidofthehigherthree.

III.ARTIFICIAL

This,thelargestclassofastralentities,isalsomuchthemostimportanttoman.Beingentirelyhisowncreation,itisinter-relatedwithhimbytheclosestkarmicbonds,anditsactionuponhimisdirectandincessant.Itisanenormousinchoate[124] mass of semi-intelligent entities, differing among themselves as human

thoughts differ, and practically incapable of anything like classification orarrangement. The only division which can be usefully made is that whichdistinguishesbetweentheartificialelementalsmadebythemajorityofmankindunconsciously,andthosemadebymagicianswithdefiniteintent;whilewemayrelegatetoathirdclassthesmallnumberofartificiallyarrangedentitieswhicharenotelementalsatall.

Elementalsformedunconsciously.

Ihaveexplainedthattheelementalessencewhichsurroundsusoneverysideisin all its numberlessvarieties singularly susceptible to the influenceof humanthought.Theactionofthemerecasualwanderingthoughtuponit,causingittoburstintoacloudofrapidly-moving,evanescentforms,hasbeendescribed;wehavenowtonotehowitisaffectedwhenthehumanmindformulatesadefinite,purposefulthoughtorwish.

Theeffectproducedisofthemoststrikingnature.Thethoughtseizesupontheplasticessence,andmouldsitinstantlyintoalivingbeingofappropriateform—a being which when once thus created is in no way under the control of itscreator,but[125]livesoutalifeofitsown,thelengthofwhichisproportionatetotheintensityofthethoughtorwishwhichcalleditintoexistence.Itlasts,infact, justas longas the thought-forceholds it together.Mostpeople’s thoughtsaresofleetingandindecisivethattheelementalscreatedbythemlastonlyafewminutes or a fewhours, but an often-repeated thought or an earnestwishwillformanelementalwhoseexistencemayextendtomanydays.

Sincetheordinaryman’sthoughtsreferlargelytohimself,theelementalswhichthey form remain hovering about him, and constantly tend to provoke arepetition of the idea which they represent, since such repetitions, instead offormingnewelementals,strengthenthatalreadyinexistence,andgiveitafreshleaseoflife.Aman,therefore,whofrequentlydwellsupononewishoftenformsforhimselfanastralattendantwhich,constantlyfedbyfreshthought,mayhaunthimforyears,evergainingmoreandmorestrengthandinfluenceoverhim;anditwilleasilybeseen that if thedesirebeevil theeffectuponhismoralnaturemaybeofadisastrouscharacter.

Stillmorepregnantof result forgoodorevilareaman’s thoughtsaboutotherpeople, for, in that [126] case they hover not about the thinker, but about theobjectofthethought.Akindlythoughtaboutanyperson,oranearnestwishforhisgood, formsandprojects towardshimafriendly,artificialelemental. If thewishbedefinite,as,forexample,thathemayrecoverfromsomesickness,thentheelementalwillbeaforceeverhoveringoverhimtopromotehisrecovery,orto ward off any influence that might tend to hinder it. In doing this it willdisplay, what appears like a very considerable amount of intelligence andadaptability,thoughreallyitisaforceactingalongthelineofleastresistance—pressing steadily in one direction all the time, and taking advantage of anychannelthatitcanfind,asthewaterinacisternwouldinamomentfindtheoneopenpipeamongadozenclosed,andproceedtoemptyitselfthroughthat.

Ifthewishbemerelyindefinite,forhisgeneralgood,theelementalessenceinitswonderfulplasticitywill respondexactly to that lessdistinct ideaalso,and thecreatureformedwillexpenditsforceinthedirectionofwhateveractionfortheman’s advantage comesmost readily to hand. In all cases the amount of suchforcewhichithastoexpend,andthelengthoftimethatitwilllivetoexpendit,[127]depend entirely upon the strength of the originalwish or thoughtwhichgave itbirth; though itmustbe remembered that itcanbe,as itwere, fedandstrengthened, and its life-period protracted by other good wishes or friendlythoughtsprojectedinthesamedirection.

Furthermore,itappearstobeactuated,likemostotherbeings,byaninstinctivedesire to prolong its life, and thus reacts on its creator as a force constantlytending toprovoke the renewalof the feelingwhichcalled it intoexistence. Italso influences in a similar manner others with whom it comes into contact,thoughitsrapportwiththemisnaturallynotsoperfect.

All thathasbeen saidas to theeffectofgoodwishes and friendly thoughts isalso true in the opposite direction of evil wishes and angry thoughts; andconsidering the amount of envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness thatexists in the world, it will be readily understood that among the artificialelementals many terrible creatures are to be seen. A man whose thoughts ordesiresarespiteful,brutal,sensual,avaricious,movesthroughtheworldcarryingwith him everywhere a pestiferous atmosphere of his own, peopled with the

loathsomebeingswhich[128]hehascreated tobehiscompanions.Thushe isnotonlyinsadlyevilcasehimself,butisadangerousnuisancetohisfellowmen,subjectingallwhohavethemisfortunetocomeintocontactwithhimtotheriskof moral contagion from the influence of the abominations with which hechoosestosurroundhimself.

A feeling of envious or jealous hatred towards another person sends an evilelemental to hover over him and seek for a weak point throughwhich it canoperate; and if the feeling be persistent, such a creature may be continuallynourishedbyitandtherebyenabledtoprotractitsundesirableactivityforalongperiod. Itcan,however,producenoeffectupontheperson towardswhomit isdirectedunlesshehashimselfsometendencywhichitcanfoster—somefulcrumforitslever,asitwere.Fromtheauraofamanofpurethoughtandgoodlifeallsuch influences at once rebound, finding nothing uponwhich they can fasten,andinthatcase,byacuriouslaw,theyreactinalltheirforceupontheiroriginalcreator.Inhimbythehypothesistheyfindacongenialsphereofaction,andthusthekarmaofhisevilwishworksitselfoutatoncebymeansoftheveryentitywhichhehimselfhascalledintoexistence.[129]

Itoccasionallyhappens,however,thatanartificialelementalofthisdescriptionis for various reasons unable to expend its force either upon its object or itscreator,and insuchcases itbecomesakindofwanderingdemon. It is readilyattracted by any personwho indulges in feelings similar to thatwhich gave itbirth,andequallypreparedeithertostimulatesuchfeelingsinhimforthesakeofthestrengthitmaygainfromthem,ortopouroutitsstoreofevil influenceupon him through any opening which he may offer it. If it is sufficientlypowerful toseizeuponandinhabitsomepassingshell itfrequentlydoesso,asthe possession of such a temporary home enables it to husband its dreadfulresourcesmorecarefully.Inthisformitmaymanifestthroughamedium,andbymasquerading as somewell-known friendmay sometimes obtain an influenceoverpeopleuponwhomitwouldotherwisehavelittlehold.

Whatiswrittenabovewillservetoenforcethestatementalreadymadeastotheimportance of maintaining a strict control over our thoughts. Many a well-meaningman,whoisscrupulouslycarefultodohisdutytowardshisneighbourinwordanddeed,isapttoconsiderthathisthoughts[130]atleastarenobody’s

business but his own, and so lets them run riot in various directions, utterlyunconsciousoftheswarmsofbalefulcreatureswhichheislaunchingupontheworld.

Tosuchamananaccuratecomprehensionoftheeffectofthoughtanddesireinproducing artificial elementals would come as a horrifying revelation; on theother hand, itwould be the greatest consolation tomany devoted and gratefulsoulswhoareoppressedwiththefeelingthattheyareunabletodoanythinginreturn for the kindness lavished upon them by their benefactors. For friendlythoughtsandearnestgoodwishesareaseasilyandaseffectuallyformulatedbythepoorestasbytherichest,anditiswithinthepowerofalmostanyman,ifhewilltakethetrouble,tomaintainwhatispracticallyagoodangelalwaysattheside of the brother or sister, the friend or the child, whom he loves best, nomatterinwhatpartoftheworldhemaybe.

Many a time amother’s loving thoughts and prayers have formed themselvesinto an angel guardian for the child, and except in the almost impossible casethat the child had in him no instinct responsive to a good influence, haveundoubtedly given him assistance and protection. [131] Such guardians mayoftenbeseenbyclairvoyantvision,andtherehaveevenbeencasesinwhichoneof themhashad sufficient strength tomaterialize andbecome for themomentvisibletophysicalsight.

Acuriousfactwhichdeservesmentionhereisthatevenafterthepassageofthemother into the heaven-world the lovewhich she pours out upon the childrenwhom she imagines as surrounding her,will react upon those children thoughtheyarestilllivinginthisworld,andwilloftensupporttheguardianelementalwhichshecreatedwhileonearth,until thosechildrenthemselvespassawayinturn. As Madame Blavatsky remarks, “her love will always be felt by thechildrenintheflesh;itwillmanifestintheirdreamsandofteninvariousevents,inprovidentialprotectionsandescapes—for love is a strong shield, and isnotlimited by space or time” (Key to Theosophy, 116). All the stories of theinterventionofguardianAngelsmustnot,however,beattributedtotheactionofartificialelementals,forinmanycasessuch“angels”havebeeneitherlivingorrecentlydepartedhumanbeings,andtheyhavealsooccasionally,thoughrarely,beenDevas.(SeeInvisibleHelpers,p.31).[132]

This powerof an earnest desire, especially if frequently repeated, to create anactive elemental which ever passes forcefully in the direction of its ownfulfillment, is the scientific explanation of what devout but unphilosophicalpeople describe as answers to prayer. There are occasions, though at presentthesearerare,whenthekarmaofthepersonsoprayingissuchastopermitofassistancebeingdirectlyrenderedtohimbyanAdeptorhispupil,andthereisalso the still rarer possibility of the intervention of a Deva or some friendlynature-spirit;but inall thesecases theeasiest andmostobvious formfor suchassistancetotakewouldbethestrengtheningandtheintelligentdirectionoftheelementalalreadyformedbythewish.

Acuriousand instructive instanceof theextremepersistenceof theseartificialelementalsunderfavourablecircumstancescamesometimeagounderthenoticeof one of our investigators. All readers of the literature of such subjects areaware thatmany of our ancient families are supposed to have associatedwiththematraditionaldeath-warning—aphenomenonofonekindoranotherwhichforetells,usuallysomedaysbeforehand,theapproachingdeceaseoftheheadofthehouse. [133]Apicturesque example of this is thewell-known story of thewhitebirdoftheOxenhams,whoseappearancehaseversincethetimeofQueenElizabethbeenrecognisedasasurepresageofthedeathofsomememberofthefamily;whileanother is thespectralcoachwhichisreportedtodriveupto thedoorofacertaincastleinthenorthwhenasimilarcalamityisimpending.

Aphenomenonofthisorderoccursinconnectionwiththefamilyofoneofourmembers,butitisofamuchcommonerandlessstrikingtypethaneitheroftheabove, consisting only of a solemn and impressive strain of dirgelike music,which is heard apparently floating in the air three days before the death takesplace.Ourmember, having himself twice heard thismystic sound, finding itswarninginbothcasesquiteaccurate,andknowingalsothataccordingtofamilytraditionthesamethinghadbeenhappeningforseveralcenturies,sethimselftoseekbyoccultmethodsforthecauseunderlyingsostrangeaphenomenon.

The result was unexpected but interesting. It appeared that somewhere in thetwelfthcentury theheadof thefamilywent to thecrusades, likemanyanothervaliantman, and tookwithhim towinhis [134]spurs in the sacred cause hisyoungest and favourite son, a promising youth whose success in life was the

dearestwishofhisfather’sheart.Unhappily,however,theyoungmanwaskilledinbattle, and the fatherwasplunged into thedepthsof despair, lamentingnotonlythelossofhisson,butstillmorethefactthathewascutoffsosuddenlyinthefullflushofcarelessandnotaltogetherblamelessyouth.

So poignant, indeed,were the oldman’s feelings that he cast off his knightlyarmour and joined one of the greatmonastic orders, vowing to devote all theremainder of his life to prayer, first for the soul of his son, and secondly thathenceforwardnodescendantofhismighteveragainencounterwhatseemedtohissimpleandpiousmindtheterribledangerofmeetingdeathunprepared.Dayafterdayformanyayearhepouredalltheenergyofhissoulintothechannelofthat one intensewish, firmlybelieving that somehoworother the result he soearnestlydesiredwouldbebroughtabout.

Astudentofoccultismwillhavelittledifficultyindecidingwhatwouldbetheeffect of such a definite and long-continued stream of thought; our knightlymonk created an artificial elemental of [135] immense power andresourcefulnessforitsownparticularobject,andaccumulatedwithinitastoreofforcewhichwouldenableittocarryouthiswishesforanindefiniteperiod.Anelementalisaperfectstorage-battery,fromwhichthereispracticallynoleakage;and when we remember what its original strength must have been, and howcomparatively rarely itwouldbe calledupon to put it forth,we shall scarcelywonder thatevennowitexhibitsunimpairedvitality,andstillwarns thedirectdescendantsoftheoldcrusaderoftheirapproachingdoombyrepeatingintheirears the strange walling music which was the dirge of a young and valiantsoldiereighthundredyearsagoinPalestine.

Elementalsformedconsciously.

Since such results as have been described above have been achieved by thethought-forceofmenwhowereentirelyinthedarkastowhattheyweredoing,itwillreadilybeimaginedthatamagicianwhounderstandsthesubject,andcanseeexactlywhateffectheisproducing,maywieldimmensepoweralongtheselines.Asamatteroffactoccultistsofboththewhiteanddarkschoolsfrequentlyuseartificialelementals in theirwork,andfewtasksarebeyond thepowersofsuchcreatureswhenscientifically [136]preparedanddirectedwithknowledge

andskill;foronewhoknowshowtodosocanmaintainaconnectionwithhiselementalandguideit,nomatteratwhatdistanceitmaybeworking,sothatitwillpracticallyactasthoughendowedwiththefullintelligenceofitsmaster.

Definite and efficient guardian Angels have sometimes been supplied in thisway,thoughitisprobablyrarelythatkarmapermitssuchadecidedinterferenceinaperson’slifeasthatwouldbe.Insuchacase,however,asthatofapupiloftheAdepts,whomighthaveinthecourseofhisworkforThemtoruntheriskofattackfromforceswithwhichhisunaidedstrengthwouldbeentirelyinsufficientto cope, guardians of this description have been given, and have fully provedtheirsleeplessvigilanceandtheirtremendouspower.

By some of the more advanced processes of black magic, also, artificialelementalsofgreatpowermaybecalledintoexistence,andmuchevilhasbeenworkedinvariouswaysbysuchentities.Butitistrueofthem,asofthepreviousclass, that if they are aimed at a person whom by reason of his purity ofcharactertheyareunabletoinfluence,they[137]reactwithterribleforceupontheircreator;sothatthemediævalstoryofthemagicianbeingtorntopiecesbythefiendshehimselfhadraisedisnomerefable,butmaywellhaveadefinitefoundation infact. Indeed,acase illustrativeof theactionof this lawoccurredsometimeagointhelifeofourlatePresident.

Suchcreaturesoccasionally,forvariousreasons,escapefromthecontrolofthosewho are trying to make use of them, and become wandering and aimlessdemons, asdo someof thosementionedunder thepreviousheading in similarcircumstances;butthosethatweareconsidering,havingmuchmoreintelligenceand power, and amuch longer existence, are proportionatelymore dangerous.Theyinvariablyseekformeansofprolongingtheirlives,eitherbyfeedinglikevampires upon the vitality of human beings, or by influencing them tomakeofferings to them; and among simple half-savage tribes they have frequentlysucceeded by judicious management in being recognized as village or familygods.

Any deity which demands sacrifices involving the shedding of blood mayalwaysbesetdownasbelongingtothelowestandmostloathsomeclassof[138]thisorder;otherlessobjectionabletypesaresometimescontentwithofferingsof

riceandcookedfoodofvariouskinds.TherearepartsofIndiawhereboththesevarietiesmaybefoundflourishingevenatthepresentday,andinAfricatheyareprobablycomparativelynumerous.

Bymeansofwhatevernourishmenttheycanobtainfromtheofferings,andstillmorebythevitalitytheydrawfromtheirdevotees,theymaycontinuetoprolongtheirexistenceformanyyears,orevencenturies,retainingsufficientstrengthtoperformoccasionalphenomenaofamildtypeinordertostimulatethefaithandzeal of their followers, and invariablymaking themselves unpleasant in someway or other if the accustomed sacrifices are neglected. For example, it isassertedthatinoneIndianvillagetheinhabitantshavefoundthatwheneverforany reason the local deity is not provided with his or her regular meals,spontaneous fires began to break out with alarming frequency among thecottages,sometimesthreeorfoursimultaneously,incaseswheretheydeclareitis impossible to suspect human agency; and other stories of a more or lesssimilarnaturewillnodoubtrecurtothememoryofanyreaderwhoknows[139]somethingoftheout-of-the-waycornersofthatmostwonderfulofallcountries.

The art ofmanufacturing artificial elementals of extreme virulence and powerseems to have been one of the specialties of the magicians of Atlantis—“thelordsofthedarkface.”OneexampleoftheircapabilitiesinthislineisgiveninTheSecretDoctrine(vol.iii.,p.425),wherewereadofthewonderfulspeakinganimalswhohadtobequietedbyanofferingofblood,lesttheyshouldawakentheirmastersandwarnthemoftheimpendingdestruction.Butapartfromthesestrange beasts they created other artificial entities of power and energy sotremendous, that it isdarklyhinted thatsomeof themhavekept themselves inexistenceeventothisday,thoughitismorethaneleventhousandyearssincethecataclysm which overwhelmed their original masters. The terrible Indiangoddesswhosedevoteeswereimpelledtocommitinhernametheawfulcrimesof Thuggee—the ghastly Kali, worshipped even to this day with rites tooabominabletobedescribed—mightwellbearelicofasystemwhichhadtobesweptawayevenatthecostofthesubmergenceofacontinent,andthelossofsixty-fivemillionhumanlives.[140]

HumanArtificials.

Wehavenow to consider a classof entitieswhich, though it containsbut fewindividuals, has acquired from its intimate connection with one of the greatmovements of modern times an importance entirely out of proportion to itsnumbers. It seemsdoubtfulwhether it shouldappearunder the firstor thirdofourmaindivisions;but, thoughcertainlyhuman, it is so far removedfromthecourseofordinaryevolution,soentirelytheproductofawilloutsideofitsown,thatitperhapsfallsmostnaturallyintoplaceamongtheartificialbeings.

Theeasiestwayofdescribingitwillbetocommencewithitshistory,andtodothatwemustoncemorelookbacktothegreatAtlanteanrace.InthinkingoftheAdepts and schools of occultism of that remarkable people our mindsinstinctivelyreverttotheevilpracticesofwhichwehearsomuchinconnectionwiththeirlatterdays;butwemustnotforgetthatbeforethatageofselfishnessanddegradation,themightycivilizationofAtlantishadbroughtforthmuchthatwasnobleandworthyofadmiration,andthatamongitsleadersweresomewhonowstandupontheloftiestpinnaclesasyetattainedbyman.[141]

Among the lodges for occult study preliminary to Initiation formed by theAdeptsof thegoodLawwasone inacertainpartofAmericawhichwas thentributary to one of the great Atlantean monarchs—“the Divine Rulers of theGoldenGate”;andthoughithaspassedthroughmanyandstrangevicissitudes,though ithashad tomove itsheadquarters fromcountry tocountryaseach inturnwasinvadedbythejarringelementsofalatercivilization,thatLodgestillexists even at the present day, observing still the sameold-world ritual—eventeachingasasacredandhiddenlanguagethesameAtlanteantonguewhichwasusedatitsfoundationsomanythousandsofyearsago.

It still remainswhat it was from the first—a Lodge of occultists of pure andphilanthropic aims, which can lead those students whom it finds worthy noinconsiderable distance on the road to knowledge, and confers such psychicpowersasareinitsgiftonlyafterthemostsearchingtestsastothefitnessofthecandidate. Its teachers do not stand upon the Adept level, yet hundreds havelearnt through it how to set their feet upon the Path which has led them toAdeptship in later lives; and [142] though it is not directly a part of theBrotherhood of the Himalayas, there are some among the latter who haveThemselvesbeenconnectedwithitinformerincarnations,andthereforeretaina

morethanordinarilyfriendlyinterestinitsproceedings.Indeed.Iwellrememberhow the present Leader of that Lodge, on seeing the portrait of one of theMastersofWisdom,atonceprostratedhimselfbeforeitindeepestreverence.

TheChiefs of thisLodge, though they have always kept themselves and theirsocietystrictlyinthebackground,haveneverthelessdonewhattheycouldfromtimetotimetoassisttheprogressoftruthintheworld.Nearlyacenturyago,indespairattherampantmaterialismwhichseemedtobestiflingallspiritualityinEurope and America, they determined to make an attempt to combat it bysomewhatnovelmethods—inpointoffact toofferopportunitiesbywhichanyreasonablemancouldacquireabsoluteproofofthatlifeapartfromthephysicalbodywhich itwas the tendencyof science to deny.The phenomena exhibitedwerenotinthemselvesabsolutelynew,sinceinsomeformorotherwemayhearof them all through history; but their definite organization—their [143]productionasitweretoorder—thesewerefeaturesdistinctlynewtothemodernworld.

Themovementwhichtheythussetonfootgraduallygrewintothevastfabricofmodern Spiritualism, and though it would perhaps be unfair to hold theoriginatorsoftheschemedirectlyresponsibleformanyoftheresultswhichhavefollowed,wemustadmitthattheyhaveachievedtheirpurposetotheextentofconvertingvastnumbersofpeoplefromabeliefinnothinginparticulartoafirmfaith inatanyratesomekindoffuture life.This isundoubtedlyamagnificentresult, though thereare thosewho think that ithasbeenattainedat toogreatacost.

Themethodadoptedwas to takesomeordinarypersonafterdeath,arousehimthoroughlyupontheastralplane, instructhimtoacertainextent in thepowersandpossibilities belonging to it, and thenput him in chargeof aSpiritualisticcircle.He in his turn “developed” other departed personalities along the sameline,theyallacteduponthosewhosatattheirséances,and“developed”themasmediums;andsospiritualismgrewandflourished.Nodoubtlivingmembersofthe original Lodge occasionallymanifested themselves in [144] astral form atsomeofthecircles—perhapstheymaydosoevennow;butinmostcasestheycontentedthemselveswithgivingsuchdirectionandguidanceastheyconsiderednecessary to the persons they had put in charge. There is little doubt that the

movement increasedsomuchmorerapidlythantheyhadexpectedthat itsoongot quite beyond their control, so that, as hasbeen said, formanyof the laterdevelopmentstheycanonlybeheldindirectlyresponsible.

Theintensificationoftheastral-planelifeinthosepersonswhowerethusputinchargeofcirclessome-whatdelayedtheirnaturalprogress;andthoughtheideahadbeenthatanythinglostinthiswaywouldbefullycompensatedbythegoodkarmagainedbyhelpingtoleadotherstothetruth,itwassoonfoundthatitwasimpossibletomakeuseofa“spirit-guide”foranylengthoftimewithoutdoinghimseriousandpermanent injury. Insomecasessuch“guides”were thereforewithdrawn, and others substituted for them; in others it was considered forvarious reasons undesirable make such a change, and then a remarkableexpedientwasadoptedwhichgaverisetothecuriousclassofcreatureswehavecalled“humanartificials.”[145]

Thehigherprinciplesoftheoriginal“guide”wereallowedtopassontheirlong-delayedevolutionintotheheaven-world,buttheshadewhichheleftbehindhimwasoccupied,sustained,andstrengthenedsothatitmightappeartoitsadmiringcircle practically just as before. This seems at first to have been done bymembersof theLodge themselves,but apparently that arrangementwas foundirksomeorunsuitable,orperhapswasconsideredawasteofforce,andthesameobjectionappliedtotheuseforthispurposeofanartificialelemental;soitwaseventuallydecidedthatthedepartedpersonwhowouldhavebeenappointedtosucceedthe late“spirit-guide”shouldstilldoso,butshould takepossessionofthelatter’sshadeorshell,andinfactsimplywearhisappearance.

It is said that somemembersof theLodgeobjected to thison theground thatthough thepurposemightbeentirelygood,acertainamountofdeceptionwasinvolved;butthegeneralopinionseemstohavebeenthatastheshadereallywasthesame,andcontainedsomethingatanyrateoftheoriginallowermind,therewas nothing that could be called deception in thematter. This, then, was thegenesis of the human artificial entity, and it is understood [146] that in somecasesmore than one such change has beenmade without arousing suspicion,thoughon theotherhand some investigatorsof spiritualismhave remarkedonthe fact that after a considerable lapse of time certain differences suddenlybecameobservableinthemanneranddispositionofa“spirit.”It isneedlessto

saythatnoneoftheAdeptBrotherhoodhaseverundertakentheformationofanartificial entityof this sort, thoughTheycouldnot interferewithanyonewhothought it right to takesuchacourse.Aweakpoint in thearrangement is thatmanyothersbesidestheoriginalLodgemayadoptthisplan,andthereisnothingwhatevertopreventblackmagiciansfromsupplyingcommunicating“spirits”—as,indeed,theyhavebeenknowntodo.

With this class we conclude our survey of the inhabitants of the astral plane.Withthereservationsspeciallymadesomefewpagesback,thecataloguemaybetakenasfairlycomplete;butitmustoncemorebeemphasizedthatthistreatiseclaims only to sketch the merest outline of a very vast subject, the detailedelaborationofwhichwouldneedalifetimeofstudyandhardwork.[147]

ChapterIV

PHENOMENA

FROMone point of view this should have been the first chapter of our bookinsteadofthelast,foritwasfromtheconsiderationofitssubject-matterthatalltherestarose.IowemyintroductiontoTheosophyinthisincarnationtoourthenVice-President,Mr.A.P.Sinnett,whowasalwaysexceptionallykindtome,andwhile I was staying with him we used to meet every Sunday morning in hislibrary to discuss Theosophical matters. On one such occasion he casuallyremarkedthathedidnotthinkthattheTheosophicalteachingsofargiventousadequatelycoveredoraccountedformanyofthespiritualisticphenomenawhichboth of us had repeatedly seen. Rather startled by this hypothesis I stoutlymaintained theopinion that theywere satisfactorily covered, andproceeded togiveexamples.

Mr.Sinnettseemedfavourablyimpressed,andaskedmetogivealecturetotheLondonLodge[148]expoundingmyviews.Iagreedtodothis,butwhenIcametoprepare that lecture I soon found that inorder tomakemyself intelligible Imust begin by a general description of the astral world as a whole, with itsconditionsandthepowersandpossibilitiesofitsinhabitants.IrealizedthatIhadundertakenalargercontract thanI intended;butclearlyitwasapieceofworkthat had to be done, so Imight aswell go ahead and do it to the best ofmyability. The eventual result was a lecture to the Lodge which appeared as itsTransactionNo.24.

Dr.Besant,whowasthenpublishingaseriesofTheosophicalManuals,waskindenoughtoincludethisessayasoneofthem;henceitsappearanceinitspresentform.

Though in the course of this manual various super-physical phenomena havebeenmentionedandtosomeextentexplained,itwillperhapsbeforeconcludingbedesirablesofartorecapitulateastogivealistofthosewithwhichthestudentof thesesubjectsmostfrequentlymeets,andtoshowbywhichof theagencieswe have attempted to describe they are usually caused. The resources of the

astral world, however, are so varied that almost [149] any phenomenon withwhichweareacquaintedcanbeproducedinseveraldifferentways,sothatitisonlypossibletolaydowngeneralrulesinthematter.

Apparitionsorghostsfurnishaverygoodinstanceoftheremarkjustmade,forintheloosemannerinwhichthewordsareordinarilyusedtheymaystandforalmost any inhabitant of the astral plane. Psychically developed people areconstantlyseeingsuchthings,butforanordinarypersonto“seeaghost”,asthecommonexpressionruns,oneoftwothingsmusthappen:eitherthatghostmustmaterialize, or that personmust have a temporary flashof psychicperception.But for the fact that neither of these events is common,we shouldmeetwithghostsinourstreetsasfrequentlyaslivingpeople.

CHURCHYARDGHOSTS

If theghost is seenhoveringaboutagrave it isprobably theethericshellofanewlyburiedperson,thoughitmaybetheastralbodyofalivingmanhauntinginsleepthetombofafriend;oragain,itmaybeamaterializedthoughtform—thatis,anartificialelementalcreatedbytheenergywith[150]whichamanthinksofhimself as present at that particular spot. These varieties would be easilydistinguishableonefromtheotherbyanyoneaccustomed touseastralvision,butanunpractisedpersonwouldbelikelytocallthemallvaguely“ghosts”.

APPARITIONSOFTHEDYING

Apparitionsatthetimeofdeatharebynomeansuncommon,andareoftenreallyvisitspaidbytheastralformofthedyingmanjustbeforewhatweelecttocallthe moment of dissolution; though here again they are just as likely to bethought-forms called into being by his earnest wish to see some friend oncemorebeforehepassesintoanunfamiliarcondition.Therearesomeinstancesinwhichthevisitispaidjustafterthemomentofdeathinsteadofjustbefore;andin sucha case thevisitor is really aghost; but forvarious causes this formofapparitionisfarlessfrequentthantheother.

HAUNTEDLOCALITIES

Apparitionsat the spotwhere somecrimewascommittedareusually thought-formsprojected[151]bythecriminal;fortheordinarycriminal,whetherlivingordead,butmostespeciallywhendead, isperpetually thinkingoveragainandagain the circumstances of his action. Since these thoughts are naturallyspeciallyvivid inhismindon theanniversaryof theoriginalcrime, it isoftenonlyonthatoccasionthatthethought-formswhichhecreatesarestrongenoughto materialize themselves to ordinary sight—a fact which accounts for theperiodicity of some manifestations of this class. Habitual criminals arefrequently too callous to be especially moved by the recollection of oneparticularcrime,butinthatcaseotherfactorsmightcomeintoplay.

Anotherpointinreferencetosuchphenomenaisthat,whereveranytremendousmentaldisturbancehastakenplace,whereveroverwhelmingterror,pain,sorrow,hatred,orindeedanykindofintensepassionhasbeenfelt,animpressionofsomarkedacharacterhasbeenmadeupontheastralmatterthatapersonwitheventhefaintestglimmerofpsychicfacultycannotbutbedeeplyimpressedbyit.Itwould need but a slight temporary increase of sensibility to enable him tovisualize the entire scene—to see the event in all its detail apparently [152]takingplacebeforehiseyes—andinsuchacasehewouldreportthattheplacewashaunted,andthathehadseenaghost.

People who are yet unable to see psychically under any circumstances arefrequently unpleasantly impressed when visiting such places as we havementioned.Therearemany,forexample,whofeeluncomfortablewhenpassingthe siteofTyburnTree, or cannot stay in theChamberofHorrors atMadameTussaud’s,thoughtheymaynotbeintheleastawarethattheirdiscomfortisdueto the dreadful impressions in the astral matter which surround places andobjectsredolentofhorrorandcrime,andtothepresenceoftheloathsomeastralentitieswhichalwaysswarmaboutsuchcentres.

FAMILYGHOSTS

The family ghost, whom we generally find in the stock stories of thesupernaturalasanappanageofthefeudalcastle,maybeeitherathought-formoran unusually vivid impression in astral matter, or again he may really be anearth-boundancestorstillhaunting thescenes inwhichhis thoughtsandhopes

centredduringlife.[153]

BELL-RINGING,STONE-THROWING,ETC.

Anotherclassofhauntings,whichtaketheformofbell-ringing,stonethrowing,or the breaking of crockery, has already been mentioned, and is almostinvariably the work of elemental forces, either set blindly in motion by theclumsyeffortsofanignorantpersontryingtoattracttheattentionofissurvivingfriends,orintentionallyemployedbysomechildishlymischievousnature-spirit.Tosuchmanifestationsthenamepoltergeistisusuallygiven.

FAIRIES

The nature-spirits are also responsible forwhatever of truthmay be in all thefairy stories which are so common in certain country places. Sometimes atemporaryaccessionofclairvoyance,whichisbynomeansuncommonamongtheinhabitantsoflonelymountainousregions,enablessomebelatedwayfarertowatch their joyous gambols; sometimes strange tricks are played upon someterrifiedvictim,andaglamour iscastoverhim,makinghim, forexample,seehousesandpeoplewhereheknowsnonereallyexist.Andthisisfrequentlynomeremomentary delusion, for amanwill sometimes go through quite a longseriesof [154] imaginarybutmost strikingadventures,and thensuddenly findthat all his brilliant surroundings have vanished in a moment, leaving himstandinginsomelonelyvalleyoronsomewind-sweptplain.Ontheotherhand,itisbynomeanssafetoacceptasfoundedonfactallthepopularlegendsonthesubject, for the grossest superstition is oftenmingledwith the theories of thepeasantryabout thesebeings,ashasbeenshownsometimesby terriblemurdercases.

Tothesameentitiesmustheattributedalargeportionofwhatarecalledphysicalphenomena at spiritualistic séances—indeed, many a séance has been givenentirely by these mischievous creatures. Such a performance might easilyinclude many very striking items, such as the answering of questions anddeliveryofpretendedmessages

by raps or tilts, the exhibition of “spirit lights,” the apport of objects from a

distance,thereadingofthoughtswhichwereinthemindofanypersonpresent,theprecipitationofwritingsordrawings,andevenmaterializations.

Infact,thenature-spiritsalone,ifanyofthemhappenedtohedisposedtotakethetrouble,couldgiveaséanceequaltothemostwonderful[155]ofwhichweread;for thoughtheremaybecertainphenomenawhichtheywouldnotfinditeasy to reproduce, their marvellous power of glamour would enable themwithout difficulty to persuade the entire circle that these phenomena also hadduly occurred—unless, indeed, there were present a trained observer whounderstoodtheirartsandknewhowtodefeatthem.Asageneralrule,wheneversillytricksorpracticaljokesareplayedataséance,wemayinfer thepresenceeitheroflowclassnature-spirits,orofhumanbeingswhowereofasufficientlydegradedtypetofindpleasureinsuchidioticperformancesduringlife.

COMMUNICATINGENTITIES

Astotheentitieswhomay“communicate”ataséanceormayobsessandspeakthrough an entranced medium, their name is simply legion; there is hardly asingleclassamongallthevariedinhabitantsoftheastralplanefromwhoserankstheymay not be drawn, though after the explanations given itwill be readilyunderstood that the chances are against their coming from an exalted level.Amanifesting “spirit” is often exactly what it professes to be, especially at aprivateséanceconductedbyeducated[156]andseriouspeople;butoftenalsoitis nothing of the kind; and for the ordinary sitter there is no means ofdistinguishingthetruefromthefalse,sincetheextent towhichabeinghavingalltheresourcesoftheastralplaneathiscommandcandeludeapersononthephysicalplaneissogreatthatnoreliancecanbeplacedevenonwhatseemsatfirstsighttobethemostconvincingproof.

If somethingmanifestswhichannounces itselfasaman’s long-lostbrother,hecanhavenocertaintythatitsclaimisjust.Ifittellshimofsomefactknownonlyto that brother and to himself, he remains unconvinced, for he knows that itmight easily have read the information from his own mind, or from hissurroundings in the astral world. Even if it goes still further and tells himsomethingconnectedwithhisbrother,ofwhichhehimselfisunaware,butwhichheafterwardsverifies,hestill realizes thateven thismayhavebeenread from

theastralrecord,orthatwhatheseesbeforehimmaybeonlytheshadeofhisbrother,andsopossesshismemorywithoutinanywaybeinghimself.Itisnotfor one moment denied that important communications have been made atséancesbyentitieswhoinsuchcaseshavebeenpreciselywhatthey[157]saidtheywere;allthatisclaimedisthatitisquiteimpossiblefortheordinarypersonwhovisitsaséance(especiallyapublicséance)evertobecertainthatheisnotbeingcruellydeceivedinoneorotherofhalfadozendifferentways.However,anyonewhowishestostudyacaseinwhichirrefutableevidenceislaboriouslygivenshouldreadLifeBeyondDeathwithEvidencebytheRev.C.D.Thomas.

There have been a few cases in which members of the Lodge of occultistsreferred to above as originating the spiritualistic movement have themselvesgiven, through amedium, a series of valuable teachings on deeply interestingsubjects, but this has invariably been at strictly private family séances, not atpublicperformancesforwhichmoneyhasbeenpaid.

ASTRALRESOURCES

To understand themethods bywhich a large class of physical phenomena areproduced, it isnecessarytohavesomecomprehensionof thevariousresourcesmentioned above, which a person functioning on the astral plane finds at hiscommand;andthisisabranchofthesubjectwhich[158]itisbynomeanseasytomakeclear,especiallyasitishedgedaboutwithcertainobviouslynecessaryrestrictions.Itmayperhapshelpusifwerememberthattheastralworldmayberegardedas inmanywaysonlyanextensionof thephysical, and the idea thatmattermayassumetheethericstate(inwhich,thoughintangibletous,itisyetpurelyphysical)mayservetoshowushowtheonemeltsintotheother.Infact,intheHinduconceptionofJagrat,or“thewakingstate,”thephysicalandastralplanesarecombined,itssevensubdivisionscorrespondingtothefourconditionsof physical matter, and the three broad divisions of astral matter which havepreviouslybeenexplained.

With this thought inourminds it iseasy tomoveastep further,andgrasp theideathatastralvision,orratherastralperception,mayfromonepointofviewbedefined as the capability of receiving an enormously increased number ofdifferentsetsofvibrations.Inourphysicalbodiesonesmallsetofvibrationsis

perceptible to us as sound; another small set of much more rapid vibrationsaffectsusaslight;andagainanothersetaselectricaction;butthereareimmensenumbers of intermediate vibrations which produce no result which our [159]physicalsensescancognizeatall.Itwillreadilybeseenthatifall,orevensomeonly,oftheseintermediates,withallthecomplicationsproduciblebydifferencesofwave-length,areperceptibleontheastralplane,ourcomprehensionofnaturemightbegreatlyincreasedonthatlevel,andwemightbeabletoacquiremuchinformationwhichisnowhiddenfromus.

CLAIRVOYANCE

Itisadmittedthatsomeofthesevibrationspassthroughsolidmatterwithperfectease, so that this enables us to account scientifically for the peculiarities ofethericvision,thoughforastralsightthetheoryofthefourthdimensiongivesaneaterandmorecompleteexplanation.Itisclearthatthemerepossessionofthisastralvisionbyabeingwouldatonceaccountforhiscapabilitytoproducemanyresults that seem wonderful to us—such, for example, as the reading of apassagefromaclosedbook.Whenweremember,furthermore,thatthisfacultyincludes the power of thought-reading (in so far as that thought affectsemotions), and also, when combinedwith the knowledge of the projection ofcurrentsintheastralcurrents,thatofobserving[160]adesiredobjectinalmostanypartof theworld,wesee thatmanyof thephenomenaofclairvoyanceareexplicable even without rising above this level. I would refer any one whodesires to study more closely this interesting subject to my little book,Clairvoyance, inwhichitsvarietiesare tabulatedandexplained,andnumerousexamplesgiven.

PREVISIONANDSECOND-SIGHT

True,trained,andabsolutelyreliableclairvoyancecallsintooperationanentirelydifferent set of faculties, but as these belong to a higher plane than the astral,theyformnopartofourpresentsubject.Thefacultyofaccurateprevision,again,appertains altogether to that higher plane, yet flashes or reflections of itfrequently show themselves to purely astral sight, more especially amongsimple-minded people who live under suitable conditions—what is called“secondsight”amongtheHighlandersofScotlandbeingawellknownexample.

Another factwhichwemustnot forget is that any intelligent inhabitantof theastralplaneisnotonlyabletoperceivetheseethericvibrations,butcanalso—ifhehaslearnthowit isdone—adapt[161]themtohisownends,orhimselfsettheminmotion.

ASTRALFORCES

Super-physicalforcesandthemethodsofmanagingthemarenotsubjectsaboutwhichmuchcanbewrittenforpublicationatpresent,thoughthereisreasontosupposethatitmaynotbelongbeforeatanyratesomeapplicationofoneortwoofthemcometobeknowntotheworldatlarge;butitmayperhapsbepossible,withouttransgressingthelimitsofthepermissible,togivesomuchofanideaofthem as shall be sufficient to show in outline how certain phenomena areperformed.

Allwhohavemuchexperienceofspiritualisticséancesatwhichphysicalresultsareproducedmustatonetimeoranotherhaveseenevidenceoftheemploymentof practically resistless force in, for example, the instantaneous movement ofenormous weights, and so on; and if of a scientific turn of mind, they mayperhaps have wondered whence this force was obtained, and what was theleverage employed. As usual in connection with astral phenomena, there areseveral ways in which such [162] work may have been done, but it will beenoughforthemomenttohintatfour.

ETHERICCURRENTS

First,therearegreatethericcurrentsconstantlysweepingoverthesurfaceoftheearthfrompoletopoleinvolumewhichmakestheirpowerasirresistibleasthatoftherisingtide,andtherearemethodsbywhichthisstupendousforcemaybesafely utilized, though unskillful attempts to control it would be fraught withfrightfuldanger.

ETHERICPRESSURE

Secondly, thereiswhatcanbestbedescribedasanethericpressure,somewhat

corresponding to, though immenselygreater than, theatmosphericpressure. Inordinarylifeweareaslittleconsciousofoneofthesepressuresasweareoftheother,butnevertheless theybothexist, and if sciencewereable toexhaust theether fromagivenspace,as itcanexhaust theair, theonecouldbeprovedasreadilyastheother.Thedifficultyofdoingthatliesinthefactthatmatterintheethericconditionfreelyinterpenetratesmatterinallstatesbelowit,sothatthereis [163]asyetnomeanswithin theknowledgeofourphysicistsbywhichanygivenbodyofethercanbeisolatedfromtherest.PracticalOccultism,however,teacheshowthiscanbedone,andthusthetremendousforceofethericpressurecanbebroughtintoplay.

LATENTENERGY

Thirdly, there isavast storeofpotentialenergywhichhasbecomedormant inmatter during the involution of the subtle into the gross, and by changing theconditionofthemattersomeofthismaybeliberatedandutilized,somewhataslatentenergyintheformofheatmaybeliberatedbyachangeintheconditionofvisiblematter.

SYMPATHETICVIBRATION

Fourthly,many striking results, both great and small,may be produced by anextensionofaprinciplewhichmaybedescribedasthatofsympatheticvibration.Illustrationstakenfromthephysicalplaneseemgenerallytomisrepresentratherthanelucidateastralphenomena,becausetheycanneverbemorethanpartiallyapplicable; but the recollection of two simple facts of ordinary lifemay [164]helptomakethisimportantbranchofoursubjectclearer,ifwearecarefulnottopushtheanalogyfurtherthanitwillholdgood.

Itiswellknownthatifoneofthewiresofaharpbemadetovibratevigorously,itsmovementwillcallforthsympatheticvibrationsinthecorrespondingstringsof any number of harps placed round it, if they are tuned to exactly the samepitch. It is also well known that when a large body of soldiers crosses asuspension bridge it is necessary for them to break step, since the perfectregularityoftheirordinarymarchwouldsetupavibrationinthebridgewhichwouldbeintensifiedbyeverysteptheytookuntilthepointofresistanceofthe

ironwaspassed,whenthewholestructurewouldflytopieces.

With these two analogies in our minds (never forgetting that they are onlypartial) itmayseemmorecomprehensiblethatonewhoknowsexactlyatwhatratetostarthisvibrations—knows,sotospeak,thekeynoteoftheclassofmatterhewishes to affect—should be able by sounding that keynote to call forth animmensenumberofsympatheticvibrations.When this isdoneon thephysicalplaneno additional energy is developed; but on [165] the astral plane there isthisdifference,thatthematterwithwhichwearedealingisfarlessinert,andsowhen called into action by these sympathetic vibrations it adds its own livingforcetotheoriginalimpulse,whichmaythusbemultipliedmanifold;andthenby further rhythmic repetition of the original impulse, as in the case of thesoldiersmarchingover thebridge, thevibrationsmaybesointensifiedthat theresult isoutofallapparentproportiontothecause.Indeed,itmaybesaidthatthere is scarcelyany limit to theconceivableachievementsof this force in thehands of a great Adept who fully comprehends its possibilities; for the verybuildingoftheUniverseitselfwasbuttheresultofthevibrationssetupbytheSpokenWord.

MANTRAS

Theclassofmantrasorspellswhichproducetheirresultnotbycontrollingsomeelemental,butmerelyby therepetitionofcertainsounds,alsodependfor theirefficacyuponthisactionofsympatheticvibration.

DISINTEGRATION

Thephenomenonofdisintegrationalsomaybebroughtaboutby theactionofextremelyrapid[166]vibrations,whichovercomethecohesionofthemoleculesof the object upon which we operate. A still higher rate of vibration of asomewhat different type will separate these molecules into their constituentatoms.Abodyreducedbythesemeanstotheethericconditioncanbemovedbyanastralcurrentfromoneplacetoanotherwithgreatrapidity;andthemomentthattheforcewhichhasbeenexertedtoputitintothatconditioniswithdrawnitwillbeforcedbytheethericpressuretoresumeitsoriginalcondition.

Studentsoftenatfirstfinditdifficult tounderstandhowinsuchanexperimenttheshapeofthearticledealtwithcanbepreserved.Ithasbeenremarkedthatifany metallic object—say, for example, a key—be melted and raised to avaporous state by heat, when the heat is withdrawn it will return to the solidstate,butitwillnolongerbeakey,butmerelyalumpofmetal.Thepointiswelltaken,thoughasamatteroffacttheapparentanalogydoesnotholdgood.Theelementalessencewhichinformsthekeywouldbedissipatedbythealterationinitscondition—notthattheessenceitselfcanbeaffectedbytheactionofheat,butthatwhen its temporarybody isdestroyed(asasolid) [167] itpoursback intothe great reservoir of such essence, much as the higher principles of a man,thoughentirelyunaffectedbyheatorcold,areyetforcedoutofaphysicalbodywhenitisdestroyedbyfire.

Consequently,whenwhathadbeenthekeycooleddownintothesolidconditionagain, the elemental essence (of the “earth”or solid class)whichpouredbackintoitwouldnotbethesameasthatwhichitcontainedbefore,andtherewouldbe no reason why the same shape should be retained. But a man whodisintegrated a key for the purposeof removing it by astral currents fromoneplacetoanotherwouldbecarefultoholdthesameelementalessenceinexactlythe same shapeuntil the transferwascompleted, and thenwhenhiswill-forcewasremoveditwouldactasamouldintowhichthesolidifyingparticleswouldflow, or rather round which they would be re-aggregated. Thus, unless theoperator’s power of concentration failed, the shape would be accuratelypreserved.

Itisinthiswaythatobjectsaresometimesbroughtalmostinstantaneouslyfromgreat distances at spiritualistic séances, and it is obvious that when [168]disintegratedtheycouldbepassedwithperfecteasethroughanysolidsubstance,such,forexample,asthewallofahouseorthesideofalockedbox,sothatwhatis commonly called “the passage of matter through matter” is seen, whenproperlyunderstood,tobeassimpleasthepassageofwaterthroughasieve,orofagasthroughaliquidinsomechemicalexperiment.

MATERIALIZATION

Sinceitispossiblebyanalterationofvibrationtochangematterfromthesolid

totheethericcondition,itwillbecomprehendedthatitisalsopossibletoreversetheprocessand tobringethericmatter into the solid state.As theoneprocessexplains the phenomenon of disintegration, so does the other that ofmaterialization; and just as in the former case a continued effort of will isnecessarytopreventtheobjectfromresumingitsoriginalstate,soinexactlythesameway in the latterphenomenon, a continuedeffort isnecessary topreventthematerializedmatterfromrelapsingintotheethericcondition.

In the materializations seen at an ordinary séance, such matter as may berequiredisborrowedasfar[169]aspossiblefromthemedium’sethericdouble—anoperationwhichisprejudicialtohishealth,andalsoundesirableinvariousother ways. Thus is explained the fact that the materialized form is usuallystrictlyconfinedtotheimmediateneighbourhoodofthemedium,andissubjecttoanattractionwhich is constantlydrawing itback to thebody fromwhich itcame,so that ifkeptawayfromthemediumtoo longthefigurecollapses,andthematter which composed it, returning to the etheric condition, rushes backinstantlytoitssource.

In some cases there is no doubt that dense and visible physicalmatter also istemporarilyremovedfromthebodyofthemedium,howeverdifficultitmaybeforustorealizethepossibilityofsuchatransfer.Ihavemyselfseeninstancesinwhich this phenomenon undoubtedly took place, and was evidenced by aconsiderable loss of weight in the medium’s physical body. Similar cases aredescribed inColonelOlcott’sPeople from theOtherWorld, and inUnCasdeDematerialisation,byM.A.Aksakow.AstillmoreremarkableexampleisgiveninMadamed’Esperance’sShadowland.[170]

WHYDARKNESSISREQUIRED

Thereasonwhythebeingsdirectingaséancefinditeasiertooperateindarknessor in subdued lightwill now bemanifest, since their powerwould usually beinsufficienttoholdtogetheramaterializedformorevena“spirithand”formorethanafewsecondsamidsttheintensevibrationssetupbybrilliantlight.

SPIRITPHOTOGRAPHS

Thehabituèsofséanceswillnodoubthavenoticedthatmaterializationsareofthreekinds:First,thosewhicharetangiblebutnotvisible;second,thosewhicharevisiblebutnottangible;andthird,thosewhicharebothvisibleandtangible.To the first kind,which ismuch themost common, belong the invisible spirithandswhichso frequentlystroke the facesof thesittersorcarrysmallobjectsabouttheroom,andthevocalorgansfromwhichthe“directvoice”proceeds.Inthiscase,anorderofmatterisbeingusedwhichcanneitherreflectnorobstructlight, but is capable under certain conditions of setting up vibrations in theatmospherewhich affect us as sound.A variation of this class is that kind ofpartialmaterializationwhich,[171]thoughincapableofreflectinganylightthatwecansee, isyetable toaffectsomeof theultraviolet rays,andcan thereforemakeamoreorlessdefiniteimpressionuponthecamera,andsoprovideuswithwhatareknownas“spiritphotographs”.

Whenthereisnotsufficientpoweravailabletoproduceaperfectmaterializationwesometimesseethevaporous-lookingformwhichconstitutesoursecondclass,and in suchacase the“spirits”usuallywarn their sitters that the formswhichappearmust not be touched. In the rarer caseof a fullmaterialization there issufficientpowertoholdtogether,atleastforafewmoments,aformwhichcanbebothseenandtouched.

When anAdept or pupil finds it necessary for any purpose tomaterialize hismentalorastralvehicle,hedoesnotdrawuponeitherhisownethericdoubleorthatofanyoneelse,sincehehasbeentaughthowtoextractthematterwhichherequiresdirectlyfromthesurroundingether.

REDUPLICATION

Another phenomenon closely connectedwith this part of the subject is that ofreduplication,whichisproducedbyformingaperfectmental[172]imageoftheobjecttobecopied,andthengatheringaboutthatmouldthenecessaryastralandphysicalmatter. For this purpose it is necessary that every particle, interior aswellasexterior,oftheobjecttobeduplicatedshouldbeheldaccuratelyinviewsimultaneously, and consequently the phenomenon is one which requiresconsiderable power of concentration to perform. Persons unable to extract thematterrequireddirectlyfromthesurroundingetherhavesometimesborrowedit

from the material of the original article, which in this case would becorrespondinglyreducedinweight.

PRECIPITATION

WereadagooddealinTheosophicalliteratureoftheprecipitationoflettersorpictures.Thisresult, likeeverythingelse,maybeobtainedinseveralways.AnAdept wishing to communicate with some one might place a sheet of paperbeforehim,formamentalimageofthewritingwhichhewishedtoappearuponit,anddrawfromtheetherthematterwherewithtoobjectifythatimage;orifhepreferred todoso itwouldbeequallyeasyforhimtoproduce thesameresultuponasheet[173]ofpaper lyingbeforehiscorrespondent,whatevermightbethedistancebetweenthem.

Athirdmethodwhich,sinceitsavestime,ismuchmorefrequentlyadopted,istoimpressthewholesubstanceoftheletteronthemindofsomepupil,andleavehimtodothemechanicalworkofprecipitation.Thatpupilwouldthentakehissheetofpaper,and, imagininghesawtheletterwrittenthereoninhisMaster’shand,wouldproceedtoobjectifythewritingasbeforedescribed.Ifhefounditdifficult to perform simultaneously the twooperations of drawinghismaterialfromthesurroundingetherandprecipitatingthewritingonthepaper,hemighthave either ordinary ink or a small quantity of coloured powder on the tablebeside him, which, being already dense matter, could be drawn upon morereadily.

Itisobviousthatthepossessionofthispowerwouldbeadangerousweaponinthe hands of an unscrupulous person, since it is as easy to imitate oneman’shandwritingasanother’s,anditwouldbeimpossible todetectbyanyordinarymeansaforgerycommittedinthismanner.ApupildefinitelyconnectedwithanyMaster has always an infallible test by which he knows whether any [174]messagereallyemanatesfromthatMasterornot,butforotherstheproofofitsoriginmustalwaysliesolelyinthecontentsoftheletterandthespiritbreathingthrough it, as the handwriting, however cleverly imitated, is of absolutely novalueasevidence.

Astospeed,apupilnewtotheworkofprecipitationwouldprobablybeableto

imageonlya fewwordsata time,andwould, therefore,progresshardlymorerapidly than ifhewrotehis letter in theordinaryway,butamoreexperiencedindividualwhocouldvisualizeawholepageorperhapstheentireletteratoncewoulddohisworkwithgreaterfacility.Itisinthismannerthatquitelonglettersareproducedinafewsecondsataséance.

Whenapicturehas tobeprecipitatedthemethodisprecisely thesame,exceptthathere it isabsolutelynecessarythat theentiresceneshouldbevisualizedatonce, and ifmany colours are required there is the additional complication ofmanufacturing them, keeping them separate, and reproducing accurately theexact tintsof thescene toberepresented.Evidently there isscopeherefor theexercise of the artistic faculty, and it must not [175] be supposed that everyinhabitant of the astral plane could by this method produce an equally goodpicture;amanwhohadbeenagreatartistinlife,andhadthereforelearnthowtoseeandforwhattolook,wouldcertainlybeverymuchmoresuccessfulthantheordinary person if he attempted precipitation when on the astral plane afterdeath.

SLATE-WRITING

Theslate-writing,fortheproductionofwhichundertestconditionssomeofthegreatestmediumshavebeensofamous,issometimesproducedbyprecipitation,thoughmore frequently the fragment of pencil enclosed between the slates isguidedbyaspirithand,ofwhichonlyjust thetinypointssufficient tograspitarematerialized.

LEVITATION

An occurrence which occasionally happens at séances, and more frequentlyamong Eastern Yogis, is what is called levitation—that is, the floating of ahumanbodyintheair.Nodoubtwhenthistakesplaceinthecaseofamedium,he is often merely upborne by “spirit hands”, but there is another and morescientificmethodofaccomplishing [176] this featwhich is alwaysused in theEast,andoccasionallyherealso.Occult science isacquaintedwithameansofneutralizingorevenentirelyreversingtheattractionofgravity,anditisobviousthatby the judicioususeof thispowerall thephenomenaof levitationmaybe

easilyproduced.ItwasnodoubtbyaknowledgeofthissecretthatsomeoftheairshipsofancientIndiaandAtlantiswereraisedfromtheearthandmadelightenough to be readily moved and directed; and not improbably the sameacquaintancewithNature’s finer forces greatly facilitated the labours of thosewho raised the enormous blocks of stone sometimes used in cyclopeanarchitecture,orinthebuildingofthePyramidsandStonehenge.

SPIRITLIGHTS

With the knowledge of the forces ofNaturewhich the resources of the astralplaneplaceatthecommandofitsinhabitants,theproductionofwhatarecalled“spiritlights”isaneasymatter,whethertheybeofthemildlyphosphorescentorthe dazzling electrical variety, or those curious dancing globules of light intowhichacertainclassof fireelementals so readily transform themselves.Sincealllight[177]consistsofvibrationsoftheether,itisobviousthatanyonewhoknowshowtosetupthesevibrationscanreadilyproduceanykindoflightthathewishes.

HANDLINGFIRE

Itisbytheaidoftheethericelementalessencealsothattheremarkablefeatofhandlingfireunharmedisgenerallyperformed, thoughthereareasusualotherwaysinwhichitcanbedone.Thethinnestlayerofethericsubstancecanbesomanipulated as to be absolutely impervious to heat, and when the hand of amediumorsitteriscoveredwiththishemaypickupburningcoalorred-hotironwithperfectsafety.

Inaddition to the special forcesabove-mentioned theprincipleof theordinaryleverisoftenusedtoproduceminorphenomena,suchasthetiltingoftablesorrappinguponthem,thefulcrumbeinginthiscasethebodyofthemedium,andtheleverabarofectoplasmprojectedfromit.(SeePsychicStructures,byDr.W.J.Crawford.)

TRANSMUTATION

Wehavenowreferredtomostoftheoccurrencesoftheséance-room,butthereareoneortwoofthe[178]rarerphenomenaoftheouterworldwhichmustnotheleftquitewithoutmentioninourlist.Thetransmutationofmetalswasoncesupposedtobeameredreamofthemediævalalchemists,andnodoubtinmanycasesthedescriptionofthephenomenonwasmerelyasymbolofthepurificationofthesoul;yetthereseemstobesomeevidencethatitwasreallyaccomplishedby them on several occasions, and there are pettymagicians in the East whoprofess to do it under test conditions even now. Modern science is nowexperimentingalongtheselines,andwillprobablysucceedincourseoftime.Itisevidentthatsincetheultimateatomisoneandthesameinallsubstances,anditisonlythemethodsofitscombinationthatdiffer,anyonewhopossessedthepowerofreducingapieceofmetaltotheatomicconditionandofre-arrangingitsatomsinsomeotherformwouldhavenodifficultyineffectingtransmutationtoanyextentthathewished.

REPERCUSSION

The principle of sympathetic vibration mentioned above also provides theexplanation of the strange and little-known phenomenon called repercussion,[179] by means of which any injury done to, or any mark made upon, thematerialized body in the course of its wanderings will be reproduced in thephysicalbody.Wefindtracesofthisinsomeoftheevidencegivenattrialsforwitchcraft in theMiddleAges, inwhich it isnot infrequently stated that somewoundgiventothewitchwhenintheformofadogorawolfwasfoundtohaveappearedinthecorrespondingpartofherhumanbody.Thesamestrangelawhassometimes led to an entirely unjust accusation of fraud against a medium,because, for example, some colouring matter rubbed upon the hand of amaterialized“spirit”wasafterwardsfounduponhishand—theexplanationbeingthat in that case, as so often happens, the “spirit” was simply the medium’sethericdouble,forcedbytheguidinginfluencestotakesomeformotherthanhisown.Infactthesetwopartsofthephysicalbodyaresointimatelyconnectedthatit is impossible to touch the keynote of one without immediately setting upexactlycorrespondingvibrationsintheother.[180]

CHAPTERV

CONCLUSION

IT ishoped that any readerwhohasbeen sufficiently interested to follow thistreatisethusfar,maybythistimehaveageneralideaoftheastralplaneanditspossibilities, such as will enable him to understand and fit into their properplacesinitsschemeanyfactsinconnectionwithitwhichhemaypickupinhisreading. Though only the roughest sketch has been given of a great subject,enough has perhaps been said to show the extreme importance of astralperceptioninthestudyofbiology,physics,chemistry,astronomy,medicine,andhistory,andthegreatimpulsewhichmightbegiventoallthesesciencesbyitsdevelopment.

Yetitsattainmentshouldneverberegardedasanendinitself,sinceanymeansadoptedwith thatobject inviewwould inevitably lead towhat iscalled in theEast the laukika method of development—a system by which certain psychicpowers[181]areindeedacquired,butonlyforthepresentpersonality;andsincetheiracquisitionissurroundedbynosafeguards,thestudentisextremelylikelytomisusethem.Tothisclassbelongallsystemswhichinvolvetheuseofdrugs,invocationofelementals,orthepracticesofHathaYoga.

The other method, which is called the lokottara, consists of Raja Yoga orspiritual progress, and though it may be somewhat slower than the other,whatever is acquired along this line is gained for the permanent individuality,andnever lostagain,while theguidingcareofaMasterensuresperfect safetyfrom misuse of power as long as His orders are scrupulously obeyed. Theopening of astral vision must be regarded then only as a stage in thedevelopmentofsomethinginfinitelynobler—merelyasastep,averysmallstep,onthatgreatUpwardPathwhichleadsmentothesublimeheightsofAdeptship,andbeyondeventhatthroughgloriousvistasofwisdomandpowersuchasourfinitemindscannotnowconceive.

Yetletnoonethinkitanunmixedblessingtohavethewidersightoftheastralplane, foruponone inwhomthatvision isopened, thesorrowandmisery, the

eviland thegreedof theworld [182]pressasanever-presentburden,untilheoftenfeelsinclinedtoechothepassionateadjurationofSchiller:“Whyhastthoucastme thus into the townof theever-blind, toproclaim thineoraclewith theopened sense? Take back this sad clear-sightedness; take frommine eyes thiscruellight!Givemebackmyblindness—thehappydarknessofmysenses;takebackthydreadfulgift!”ThisfeelingisperhapsnotunnaturalintheearlierstagesofthePath,yethighersightanddeeperknowledgesoonbringtothestudenttheperfectcertaintythatallthingsareworkingtogetherfortheeventualgoodofall—that

Hourafterhour,likeanopeningflower,Shalltruthaftertruthexpand;Forthesunmaypale,andthestarsmayfail,ButtheLAWofGOODshallstand.ItssplendourglowsanditsinfluencegrowsAsNature’sslowworkappears,FrontthezoophytesmalltotheLORDSofall,Throughkalpasandcroresofyears.

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Notes

[←1]*Adescriptionofa final test in this training isgivenby theauthor in “ATestofCourage”,inhisbookofstories,ThePerfumeofEgypt.-C.J.