Astral plan

Although the word astral is often associated with new age ideas, the term has also been historically used by alchemists . In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the term was popularized by Theosophy , especially developed by Annie Besant and Charles Leadbeater , and later Alice Bailey . In this cosmology, the astral plane is the first metaphysical plane after the physical, but “denser” than the mental plane . The astral plane is also sometimes called the "world of desires" or the "world of illusions", and corresponds to the kamic plan of Helena Blavatsky . In agni yoga, the astral level is called the "subtle world" and is located between the Dense World and the Fiery World ^[1] .

In the original theosophical literature (eg, in Blavatsky), the term “astral” did not have the same meaning as in later literature (as in Leadbeater). The astral body in her works does not correspond to the emotional body , but to the etheric double or linga sarira .

In Kabbalah, the astral plane is considered in the " system of five worlds ", which are understood as the degree of concealment of the full volume of nature, the levels of consciousness of the subject. ^[2]

Other equivalent concepts: Barzakh or the imaginal or inter-world in Islamic esotericism ( Ishraqism , Sufism , etc.), the “spiritual world” in spiritualism , the “nervous state” in the teachings of Max Theon , and the “life” world in integral psychology of Sri Aurobindo and Mirra Alfassa .

In his book Autobiography of Yoga , Paramahansa Yogananda explains the difference between the astral, mental and causal planes in the tradition of Hindu philosophy. According to him, when someone dies, his soul goes to the astral plane. Here he reaps the fruits of his past deeds or karma and, accordingly, either re-inhabits the physical body or switches to a higher causal plane.

The term “astral plane” also later came to mean a plan of existence where, as others believe (“ Azerkins, ” otherkin ), their souls are found.

The astral plane can be contrasted with the physical plane, as a “higher reality”, or along with the dense world one of the elements of the hierarchy of planes, being only one of several “higher planes”. So, in agni yoga, the subtle world is an intermediate between the dense and fiery worlds ^[3] . The subtle world, in turn, can have an internal hierarchy, that is, is divided into layers.

According to occult teachings, the astral plane can be consciously visited in the astral body through meditation , mantras or other forms of training and development.

According to the writings of Max Handel on the Rosicrucians , in the World of desires (astral), opposite to the physical world, force and matter are almost indistinguishable from each other. The “substance of desire” can be described as a type of force-matter, which, due to its incessant movement, is responsible for the slightest feelings of the vast array of creatures that inhabit this world. He points out that several people and things can exist in the same place at the same time and can engage in completely diverse activities, regardless of what others do. It is also said that the World of Desires is the habitat of the astral bodies of the deceased for some time after their death and, since this plan intersects with the physical world, these entities, “dead”, very often remain long enough near their living friends. It is also the home, among other various classes of creatures, for archangels who are the “indigenous” inhabitants of this sphere.

In philosophy

From one point of view, the idea of ​​the astral plane can be considered as an extension of Descartes' dualism , where the physical world is completely separated from the world of thoughts and consciousness . The dualistic position has long been abandoned by neuroscientists and most philosophers who study consciousness.

In the emanational and esoteric perspective (which do not accept the paradigms of physicalism ), the astral plane is regarded as a genuine metaphysical and ontological reality, as a universe directly preceding the physical and giving rise to it.

In Psychology

In psychology, the astral plane is the sphere of the unconscious , hidden from ordinary consciousness , the perception of which is observed in altered states of consciousness .

In Theosophy

Charles Leadbeater claims that people who have been clairvoyant and have full vision on this plane agree that trying to portray a real picture of the astral setting in front of those who do not have such a vision is “like telling a blind person about the variety of shades of the sky on sunset. " However, in his book " Astral Plan " he describes the situation and the inhabitants of the astral plane ^[4] .

The human population of the astral plane, according to Ledbeater, is divided into two groups - those who still have a physical body (living), and those who no longer have it (dead). Among the inhuman inhabitants, Leadbeater refers to the astral bodies of animals and natural spirits of all kinds (for example, gnomes , undins , sylphs , imps ). He also writes:

Their forms are numerous and diverse, but most often they are found in the human image, and somewhat reduced. Like all the inhabitants of the astral plane, they are free to take any image of their own accord, but they undoubtedly have certain of their own, or rather, favorite forms that they wear when they do not need to accept any other for some reason. Under ordinary conditions, they are not at all visible to physical vision, but they are able to become visible through materialization if they want to.

- Leadbeater C. Astral Plan. - Ch. III.

This term is actively used in fantasy novels and role-playing games . For example, in Dungeons & Dragons , the astral plane is one of the planes of being a gaming multiverse. There are special creatures that live on this plane, spells using its energy, etc. The Astral is the main place for events in the films " Astral ", " Astral: Chapter 2 ", " Astral 3 " and " Astral 4: The Last Key ".

Also, in the youth subculture - the slang term "astral". The ironic "I have gone to the astral, I will be back soon" informs the listener about the speaker's desire to distance himself from the existing state of things or simply about tiredness.

• In 2006, an interview with the Major General Boris Ratnikov, presented as “curator of a special unit that worked on the secrets of the subconscious” in the structure of the Federal Security Service ( FSO ), was published in the official press organ of the Russian state - “ Rossiyskaya Gazeta ”. In an interview, he, among other things, says that the study of the so-called. higher plans have been conducted by the secret services of different countries for a very long time, but traditionally this work has been greatly classified. According to him, the special services of different countries still “in the first half of the last century” actively tried to use occult knowledge for their own purposes, in connection with which “sometimes real“ astral ”battles were waged” ^[5] .

• Thin bodies
  • Etheric body
  • Astral body
• Out of body experience
• Mental plan
• Thought Forms (book)
• Lucid dreaming

scientific

• Filonov S.V. Books from heaven of the highest purity and the cultural space of Taoist astral travels // Religious Studies . - 2004. - No. 1 . - S. 38-60 . - ISSN 2072-8662 . Archived on August 28, 2014.

occult

• Bruce R. Astral Dynamics: Theory and Practice of Out-of-Body Experience / Robert Bruce.
• Webster R. Astral Travel for Beginners / Richard Webster.
• Visible and invisible worlds // Handel M. The Mysteries of the Rosicrucians / Max Handel. - 1911. - Ch. III.
• Leadbeater Ch. W. Astral Plan , 1895. / Translation by A.V. Troyanovsky , 1908; translation by K. A. Zaitsev, 2002.
• Monroe R.A. Travels outside the body / Robert Allen Monroe.
• Monroe R. A. Distant travels / Robert Allen Monroe.
• Monroe R. A. The Final Journey / Robert Allen Monroe.
• Rainbow M. Phase. Hacking the illusion of reality / Mikhail Rainbow.
• Powell A.E. Astral body and other astral phenomena / Arthur E. Powell.
• Steiner R. Theosophy: An Introduction to Supersensory Knowledge of the World and the Purpose of Man / Rudolf Steiner. - London: Rudolf Steiner Press, 1904, 1970.
• Adams G., Adams M. Occult Science - An Outline. Trans / George and Mary Adams. - London: Rudolf Steiner Press, 1909, 1969.