by F. Homer Curtiss

The astral influences are invisible, but they act upon man, unless he knows how to protect himself against them. Heat and light are intangible and incorporeal; nevertheless, they act upon man, and the same takes place with other invisible influences.” ~Paracelsus.

Student: “What IS the astral plane? Is it a place or locality in any sense at all? With all the evidence of the substantiality of the astral plane, when we try to prove things it at once becomes unsubstantial. I can find no landmarks; I cannot even prove whether the beings are external to ourselves or are creations of our own brain, made of the same stuff as are our thoughts – dramatizations of our thoughts – yet this solution does not seem true when checked up by all the facts. What then is real?”

Teacher: The astral plane is not a place or locality, but a state or condition. To quote from one author: “It cannot be measured in three dimensions, and yet it is capable of measurement by degrees in the scale of vibrations. These states or degrees of vibrations interpenetrate each other without interference, in which peculiarity they have correspondence or analogies in physical phenomena. For instance, a dozen or more currents of electricity may pass along the same wire, at the same time, without interfering with each other, and may then register each on its special instrument, providing that the rate of tension or vibration be different in each case.”

The only reality is spiritual consciousness, the One Life; all else is but varying degrees of expression of the One Life. These expressions are cognizable through vibrations affecting organs attuned to receive them. Hence the densest matter or slowest vibration is the physical expression of consciousness, and we are apt to call this REALITY when in fact it is the least real, because least permanent, of all. Try to realize that what appears to you as real is but the greatly slowed down vibrations of the One Life, matter being but retarded motion and in truth ever changing, transitory and evanescent. This is easily proven, for if the experience of merely holding a little paper of a certain drug to your head, as you describe, could so change the rate of vibration of the molecules of your sense organs that they not longer responded to the vibrations of physical matter (for you it no longer existed), but quickened their rate until you were responding to the vibrations of a different world just as real to you then as the physical was, you have proved the matter in your own experience. If you will think this simple example over we feel sure you will understand, in a way that no number of words could tell you, just where the astral world is, and also who and what are its denizens. It is simply the next higher note in the scale of vibration, and its entities are those whose bodies vibrate in harmony with that note. Their senses respond to those rates as readily as yours do to those of this plane, and hence it is just as real to them as this is to you. Therefore, the astral world is around and within you, interpenetrating the physical. The different parts of you – astral, mental, spiritual bodies etc. – each function upon its own plane. That is, your astral body is now and all the time functioning upon the astral plane, while the higher principles, which connect you with the key-note of your existence and vibrate to its rate, are in the spiritual realm. Your experiences vary with the plane or state of consciousness in which the Ego is functioning. The dense particles of your physical brain vibrate to the rates of the physical and ordinarily confine your consciousness to that plane. But you, your self, have proven how easy it is to transfer your consciousness and respond to the vibrations of other planes. The path is not a public highway, but is, nevertheless, a well trodden one and easily found by those who know.

All that exists is substance, but in different rates of vibration. One is no more real than the other; for with whatever rate your consciousness is vibrating that rate is real as long as the consciousness functions there. Persons who function consciously in the astral – such functioning being possible because they have dropped their denser instruments – taken off their overcoats, as it were – are just men and women using bodies and senses attuned to that state of matter instead of to the slower, denser, physical matter. Hence, since their range of response to vibration is wider, their limitations are less binding and less hampering. This accounts, too, for their limited knowledge, although to those still on the earth plane it may seem great. It is unlawful to pass the barrier because the Law of Vibration forbids. Even those upon the astral reach a point where they cannot respond to a still higher rate of vibration and they are limited unless they can receive teachings from those who have reached into still more spiritual vibrations and have gained deeper knowledge. All this, however, can lawfully be accomplished by the true disciple, even while still upon the earth plane. The astral is but the Hall of Learning. Being the nearest to the earth it is the easiest to reach; but man, being essentially a Divine Being, has the power, by uniting his lower mind to his spiritual consciousness – becoming one with his Father-in-Heaven – to raise his lower vibrations until they are attuned to those of the One Mind or God, and bring back His wisdom through all the realms. This is what we are here to learn, i. e. the powers and possibilities of vibration. “Man know thyself.”

All states are real and exist as long as the consciousness holds you there. The Soul, as we have already said, being an expression of the one Great Reality, is always real, and through the real vibrations of mind-substance creates a reality out of whatever it believes, i. e. heaven, hell, etc. That is what your Soul is doing now, in regard to the physical plane. From the standpoint of any higher plane, physical existence is the most stupid kind of sleep, trance or stupor, i. e. limitation of your Divine powers.

The adjustment of Karma is brought about consciously through spiritual attainment. The Soul in some one life reaches the outermost rim of the Spiral of Life and meets the Saturn force – immobility, stability – and conquers it. Then, in full willingness, desires to go back and pay up all its debts, even those which have remained over from many lives. But while such an one is reaping all sorts of things belonging to his old karmic conditions he, nevertheless, has with him the power of the Conqueror. That is, he KNOWS that these things cannot overcome him; he is above them; he is in them but is not overcome by them; he has become a philosopher and can, like Epictetus, be dragged through the streets in chains and still maintain his peaceful calm.

It is always wrong to force any growth. All steps are necessary. Until you have found the spiritual perfection of each step you cannot pass it; and if you skip one you must come back and take it up later.

Student: “What, if anything, of comfort can you offer for the losses to the living of the dead? I am so weary of not KNOWING that it is better with those who are gone beyond. What can you say of it?”

Teacher: This short period of limitation, miscalled life, is but a veil hiding the Real Life from you. It is as though you tied a bandage over your eyes during a journey and then denied the sunlight and the beautiful landscape. Life is continuous; the consciousness only recedes within. Periodically the outer covering (the physical body) is slipped off just as you would slip off an old garment. The Soul, the Immortal Ego, is the Real Self which clothes itself with various garments suitable to contact the different spheres and states of consciousness. It does this just as you would don different garments for different occasions; a fur coat for winter, a thin one for summer. Slipping off the fur coat does not in any way alter your individuality, even though it does reveal your true appearance more perfectly. You are the same woman whether dressed in a single garment or wrapped in many. So it is with the Real Self. At the time of the so-called death the grossest and most hampering garment, comparable to the fur coat, is slipped off and the consciousness is expanded and freer just as you are freer with your fur coat off. You, when wrapped in your fleshly garments, are perhaps blind to the more etheric and radiant garment, because of the thickness of the outer; but your loved ones know you as you are. Every effort you make to advance spiritually helps them more than it does you, and they in turn help you. For instance, a truth that might be very hard for you to grasp would be quickly grasped by one who was near you yet unhampered by a fleshly body. He in turn would bring all his loving force to bear to help you to understand.

When persons pass from the earth life their character is in no way different. They know just as much as they did before and no more. The chief difference is that they are in a different environment where their faculties of perception are keener. For instance, they can sense thought, while those on earth have to wait for words. They can see within as well as without, and can transport themselves from place to place by the power of thought. Therefore you can well understand that, passing into this new phase of life with all the love of their hearts concentrated on a loved one still on earth, they would not desire to pass farther on into higher spheres, but would stay close to the one they loved. And on the astral plane there are Masters whose pleasure it is to teach all who desire to learn, just as They teach those who still remain on earth.

Student: “I rejoice that admission and instruction in the Order is a possibility for me. It is a matter of joy to me to come in touch with an organization which is conducted on purely impersonal lines. The necessity for this has been impressing itself upon me for many years. How can we protect ourselves on the astral plane?”

Teacher: You must now understand, thoroughly and practically, that nothing can enter your aura, either asleep or awake, without your consent. Therefore, impress it firmly upon your subconscious mind that whenever ANY entity, on any plane, comes to you you are ALWAYS to challenge it. Ask, Who are you? Are you black or white? What do you want with me? If you are not here for my good I will have nothing to do with you. If they hesitate or do not reply to any of your questions INSIST that they do. Demand reply “In the name of The Christ.” It is a law on the astral that all such fearless questions must be answered truthfully; but you must DEMAND the truth. Anyone connected with The Great White Lodge will be glad to respond to such challenges and you will feel a thrill of joy and confidence at the reply. Any others must show their real natures or disappear.

Student: “It appears to me that I have an accumulated inheritance of secret devils, among which stand out prominently a hasty temper, a sharp tongue, intellectual pride, and last but not least, lascivious thoughts.”

Teacher: Hold the thought persistently in mind that the devils you speak of are the children of your own creation; not mere characteristics, but really created entities upon the mental and astral planes, entities which you through many lives have created. Being your very own you must master them. But mastery does not mean annihilation; for all that is has within it a germ of good as well as evil, and this germ is expressed according to the use that is made of it. In fact evil is but the shadow of good. It is the work, and the first step, of every earnest seeker after freedom to take stock, as you have done, of just what he has created out of the God-power of creative force given him “in the beginning” as his most precious possession.

When you have taken such stock, realize that these things are yours to use, the weapons with which you must fight, the forces and materials out of which you must build up your immortal habitation. Realize that nothing once created can ever thereafter cease to be; also that the redemption of all through the power of The Christ must be accomplished. It is this that gives true individuality to each one; for while all are one, yet each makes an individual expression of the One Life by creating through the power of his life-force. Since all your creations must be redeemed by their creator all sorts of experiences are garnered and stored up for the One Life.

A hasty temper is like a fire; put it in a furnace and it will generate steam or force that will run machinery and accomplish a great work for the world. A sharp tongue, controlled, will be a weapon that can fearlessly cut the evil from the good; its ruler is love. Intellectual pride is a dangerous master, but a wonderfully efficient servant. Wed it to humility and let love bless the union. Lascivious thoughts are astral lust-bodies created by the misapplication of the physical creative fluid; for remember that that fluid always creates, if not upon the physical plane (physical bodies) then upon the astral, following out the desires and lusts of the creator. Learn the holiness and the sacredness of the sex forces, and send out thoughts of love and purity that will conquer and transmute these creatures of lust, and take their place as helpers rather than hinderers.

Student: “My psychic experiences lately have been quite frequent. My father-in-law who has been called out of the body seems to come back and he and I always seem to have a lot of trouble. He seems bound to push his way into my presence causing trouble. This happens at night and my brother-in-law that was called to pass on in February last comes and plays the same kind of pranks to scare children that he did when on earth. What shall I do?”

Teacher: You must learn to protect yourself on the astral plane. This is quite as necessary, or more so, than on the earth plane. Think of yourself as one with a glorious Father-in-heaven who is constantly shedding over you a radiant light. This light is a force or flame coming from above, or rather from within your own heart (the lamp). But there must be the oil of love and the wick of truth and confidence and trust, so the light may shine forth in the darkness and make a ring of light and force around you. As far as the light can send forth its rays you are surrounded by a protective aura, and no entity can penetrate within this ring unless you open a door. Keep your doors diligently; open them only to go forth carrying blessing and help to all who need, but shut them tight against any who would enter to desecrate the Holy Temple. Hold fast to the idea that you desire nothing but Divine Wisdom and will admit nothing but Spiritual Light.

Student: “Something attacked me in three different houses. Herein I would feel a weight on my chest as of a large animal. With a sense of distrust I tried to mentally oppose it, only to find that my brain power was clogged, nor could I open my eyes. After a struggle lasting apparently several minutes I was able to clearly formulate my thought. Then the ill presence would disappear. This had happened a number of times, when one morning I had barely closed my eyes when the animal pounced upon me. I decided instead of resisting to lie still and see what it would do. According to its feel I judged it to be a cross between a Newfoundland, a bear and a wolf. It wriggled its paws under my back and lifted me clear off the bed. I thought it was then time to resist, and a terrific mental encounter followed. Finally it uttered a horrible growl of disappointment, USING MY VOCAL ORGANS, relaxed its hold and I dropped to the bed with a heavy thud. Before that I several times woke to find my body and arms covered with cuts and scratches which would soon scab over and scale off. What is the explanation of these attacks?”

Teacher: The beast you mention is directly connected with your old Atlantean incarnation. In those days the Race, having their psychic faculties fully developed (these faculties came first and only later, through misuse, hardened into the present limited physical faculties), used them to enslave all forms of life below them. They had beasts larger and quite different from any now known on the earth plane. These beasts were controlled by hypnotic power and were forced to act as servants and slaves. As the mind of the human being was imposed upon the animal consciousness, the animal became an anomaly, neither beast nor man. On this account they could not proceed normally with their evolution through the animal kingdom, but must wait, outside as it were, attached to the person who was responsible for their unnatural state until, through the power of awakened Will on the part of their sponsor, such beasts are released.

Such astral beasts from time to time send out emanations as it were, which incarnate on the physical plane as animals. These animals would, of course, be of extraordinary sagacity; for, unlike normal animals, they would have something akin to a Higher Self in the astral beast from which they emanated, and they would naturally attach themselves to the human being who was responsible for the astral beast. That is, through these animal expressions the astral beast is able to gain the evolution of its purely animal instincts; but it must remain in the astral and wait for the man to evolve its more than animal wisdom. Much depends upon the treatment you give such animal emanations. No doubt you have had many attach themselves closely to you on earth.

The beasts upon the astral are either ferocious and vindictive or loving and protecting according to the manner in which they were treated in the past. One of the sins for which the ancient Atlantean Race was destroyed was cohabiting with beasts and denying and preventing their normal evolution.

Student: “Mediums claim to see and talk with those who have been gone as long as 40 years. They are not happy, claim to be ‘learning.’ Why do not THEY incarnate again?”

Teacher: Those whom mediums contact who say they have been on the astral plane for a period of forty earth years (a very short period of astral existence) are persons who passed out with no knowledge of the astral plane and with great fear or intense regret at having to leave the earth plane. Moreover, their earth life was probably such that there is now nothing in them to attract them to the Teachers of the astral plane, hence, like so many on the earth plane, they go on and on in ignorance, in spite of the many sources of enlightenment all around them, just as they passed by similar sources while on the earth plane. They are generally those who have centered all their interests on the petty things of earth and who had no realization of a future life. Hence when they find themselves minus a physical body, their interests being wrapped up in earthly concerns, they cannot separate themselves from earth conditions or find interest in anything higher. They hover around their old earth friends and interest themselves in their old earth pursuits. Being able to perceive their earth friends, they are deeply grieved and unhappy because their earth friends do not recognize them, and because their place on earth seems to have been filled and themselves forgotten.

They do not reincarnate because before they can do so they have a considerable period to pass on the astral and higher planes assimilating the results of the last earth life, and then a period of rest analogous to sleep before they are ready to reincarnate. The best way to help such persons is to impress them with the reality of the plane on which they find themselves and to urge them to seek out those Teachers and Guides who can teach them how to make the best use of their time while there and thus prepare for still higher planes. There are some who refuse to go on until they die to that plane as they did to the earth plane, because there is nothing in them that attracts them toward higher things.

Excerpt from Letters From The Teachers, Vol. I