by Bryant Reeve

New age souls who desire a more cosmic view of life should not fail to gain at least some measure of understanding of the astral world. Those conventional thinkers who claim they wish only to deal with “one world at a time” have that very privilege, and can confine all their attention solely to the surface life of the planet. But the cosmic fact remains that the physical world is a projection of the astral world. From the cosmic viewpoint, consciousness descended first to the astral level, and then from the astral level to the physical level. How then can we really understand the physical level, unless we understand its astral counterpart? The two work together to produce physical life.

By the astral world is meant the abode of the “dead” – only they are not dead, because no one dies. Only bodies die, and Man is never a body. Sometimes it is called the “spirit” world. Both terms are inadequate as they both give a false idea of a “place”. From the cosmic viewpoint both the physical world and the astral world are states of consciousness. However, for brevity we will also use the term “astral world”.

For a long time, knowledge of the astral world has been under wraps. In the past when Man was bogged down with fears, superstitions, dogmas and taboos, it is easy to understand why he shunned all knowledge of the astral. But today in this age of science, freedom of inquiry, and the overcoming of superstitions, there is no reason why those who wish to cannot acquaint themselves with many pertinent facts regarding the astral phase of life. As for those who wish to understand life in “outer space”, this is practically a necessity. We all spend part of our existence in the astral world, only we do not remember it. Therefore we should understand just where astral life fits into the more spacious view of life. There should be nothing spooky or eerie or revolting or fearsome in acquiring such knowledge. Do we really wish to enlarge our views of life? All right, then let us try to improve our understanding of the astral phase of life, and Earthman’s relationship to it.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

Many sincere and earnest seekers of truth wish to know how it is possible for anyone to speak authoritatively of this “bourne from which no man returneth”. The answer is that it is not possible for just anyone to speak with authority concerning the astral world. The general ignorance of mankind on this subject arises from the fragmentation of truth on this planet. There is hidden and fragmented knowledge on Earth on practically every subject under the sun but few make the effort to find it and piece it together. This is largely the case with knowledge of the astral world. There is vast knowledge of the astral, for those who really want to know, and are willing to do what is necessary to find it.

Fortunately, throughout all history there have lived on Earth certain souls who could visit the astral regions – that is to say, enter the astral states of consciousness – by one or both of the following methods: (1) the method of astral projection of consciousness and (2) the method of traveling in their astral bodies. In either case the physical body was left at home during these activities.

Thus for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear, there is available much primary or first hand information relating to the astral regions from their dregs to their magnificent heights. There is also available a great mass of secondary information obtained through various psychic methods, especially clairvoyance and mediumship. A clairvoyant can sometimes catch glimpses of astral scenes and activities. A medium can transmit information received directly from astral dwellers.

The primary sources of information are usually considered superior to the secondary sources mainly because those who have been able to project into, or to visit the astral regions, can cover a greater range of astral existence, from the lowest phases to the highest aspects. Therefore they can give a more comprehensive account of the entire field of astral life. On the other hand, the secondary sources of information usually supply only limited glimpses of certain phases of astral life.

For example, when an individual “dies” from Earth, he finds himself in a sub-plane of the astral which is nearest to the level of his consciousness at the time of his passing. Thus his report of his surroundings given back to the Earth plane through an Earth sensitive is usually limited to the environment and the sub-plane in which he finds himself. He is not able to give a comprehensive view of the entire astral world. He can only report on a limited phase of it. To make a simple comparison, if a human being lived in the jungles of Africa he would give a very different view of Earth life from that of another human living in New York City. It should be noted that this is one of the major reasons for much of the apparently conflicting information regarding the astral regions observed in the reports of various sensitives and psychics.

NO DEATH

From the cosmic viewpoint the transition termed “death” is a complete misnomer because all that takes place is a change of consciousness, a shift of awareness, from physical awareness to astral awareness. This transition per se confers no particular spiritual or cosmic progress, although it does bring about certain changes. One simply dies into the astral equivalent of his own level of consciousness. As Henry Drummond put it “to get to heaven we must take it with us”. He could have added “to get to hell we must take a hellish consciousness with us also”. Our confirmed beliefs, our acceptances, become our astral realities. Thus everyone is “justified” in his views or beliefs. When will we learn that we establish our realities by our tune-in, our acceptances, our beliefs?

Many primary sources of information point out definite sub-planes of the astral worlds and many divisions of these sub-planes. There are plenty of different – shall we say “climates” – in the astral regions. They present a tremendous spectrum of life covering all degrees of both retrogression and of progress. Every conceivable condition that exists on earth has its counterpart in the astral, and there are experiences being created there which will not be known on the surface of Earth until souls from the astral incarnate on Earth and bring the seeds of these experiences with them. In fact, the astral world is, in a very cosmic sense, the “feed bag” of physical conditions and experiences. This is why the great space beings, who are beyond the astral level, know that a planet can never be improved unless the astral levels of the planet are improved along with the physical levels.

NOTEWORTHY ITEMS

Our purpose here is not to give an extensive treatise on the astral world, but more to alert new age souls to information that is available. However, we do wish to mention a few noteworthy points, as follows:

1. The physical world, as our scientists know, is composed of energy. Our five physical senses tune into this physical level of energy as “reality”. Cosmically viewed, however, the physical level of reality is only one of many, and interpenetrating it are many other realities – only we are not aware of them.

2. The astral worlds simply belong among these other realities. The astral level is also composed of energy, but of a slightly different order than the physical, so that astral substance is usually invisible and intangible to the physical senses. Astral dwellers have astral bodies and astral senses which tune into astral energy as solid reality. Astral substances are just as real and solid to astral beings as physical matter is to us. They have their scenery, their geography, their countries, buildings, institutions and objects just as we do. Their substance or energy, however, differs from ours and the laws governing the astral planes are different.

3. There are resting places and receiving wards for incoming souls, and astral doctors and nurses and helpers and spiritual healers, very much as there are on the Earth plane. There are endless levels of experiences available in the astral, depending on one’s level of consciousness.

4. One finds that which one seeks on the astral planes – that which one firmly believes to be true. The depraved find endless depravity. Religionists find their self-created heavens or hells. Primitive races find their customary practices. American Indians find their happy hunting grounds as long as they still seek or need such manifestations. They can go on killing astral buffalo, or catch astral fish in astral streams. Ancient warriors find their own self-created foes. Artists create their masterpieces. Inventors bring forth their inventions, and musicians their great compositions. Each soul works out portions of its “karmic” desires in the astral world.

5. A most interesting phenomena of the higher astral planes is the ability of imaginative minds to create anything they desire from astral energy or substance. The thought produces the thing, and these creations seem solid and real to them. Also travel is instantaneous by merely thinking one’s self to a locality.

6. The astral plane represents not only the level to which Earthman “dies”, it also represents the level from which he repeatedly reincarnates. The astral plane and the Earth plane taken together, serve the great cosmic purpose of permitting the soul consciousness of Man to experience astral-physical life repeatedly as long as he desires. How Earthman finally gets out of these levels of consciousness would be commonly referred to as the AWAKENING.

7. Often the astral dwellers complain that those in charge of education on  Earth fail to teach their students even the simplest cosmic facts about the astral world – which they should know – to save them from needless shock, grief and pain when loved ones “die”. They state that we fail to teach that Man’s beliefs, choices and acceptances produce his realities, here or hereafter, and that literally there is no such thing as death, because all is a matter of states of consciousness. They deplore such things as the needless grief expressed at funerals which the “dear departed” may themselves be watching. They are sad at the lack of instruction on Earth as to how to make the transition called “death” harmoniously, and the fact that many thus die and do not even know they are “dead”. In the astral they have to be instructed that they are dead, that they are in a different consciousness, and must adapt themselves to its laws. Because of our lack of instruction many needlessly become “Earth-bound”, suspended between two states of consciousness. They say Earthman pays a heavy price for his persistent ignorance of the astral phase of life.

8. It is possible on the higher astral planes to view a reflection of the great “akashic records” which contain, in minute detail, the cosmic record or history of all events that have ever taken place on Earth or beyond it – the maya record of eternity.

9. Great and wonderful as are many of the cosmic facts relating to the astral planes, it should be remembered that the great cosmic teachers always endeavor to train their students to transcend the astral realms, and to transcend the desire to reincarnate from the astral, back to the Earth plane. Some of their students, who are ready to graduate from three-dimensional life, actually skip the astral plane, and rise directly to even higher and more beautiful levels of life. It all depends on the student’s desires and evolvement.

The great advantage of knowing about the astral phase of Earth life and its laws before one lands there, is first that it prepares a person to make this adjustment harmoniously and to take maximum advantage of the change. Second, it grounds one in the knowledge and practices necessary either to make another successful entrance on the physical level, or to work toward graduation from the entire astral-physical complex consciousness.

Excerpt from The Advent Of The Cosmic Viewpoint