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238 THE TREE OF LIFE
entities are in the astral vicinity. Since the souls of men and
angelic beings ascend to the divine Astral, the greater part of those
entities on the lower astral are the grosser elementals, the administrators
of natural phenomena, and the decaying Qliphos or averse
cortices. Hence the negative Spiritualistic trance fundamentally
implies obsession from the decaying remnants and filthy remains
inhering on that plane. The question may follow upon this : " Why,
if spirits who communicate with mediums are mere astral shells,
is it that occasionally there is a display of intelligence and reason "
The word " occasionally " is very gratifying. One of the facts
most always referred to by investigators is the absence of coherence
and intelligence in the messages obtained from " the other side."
In the event, however, that a faint glimmer of intelligence is seen
in the verbose nonsense usually given to mediums, the rationale
provided by Levi is clearly applicable. It will be remembered that
Levi defines the Astral Light as the magical agent, and that in its
substance are recorded every thought, emotion and deed. The
astral body, an aspect of the ATe$hesch, being composed of the subtle
matter of the Astral Light, partakes of Levi's definition. On a
previous page, I have indicated the connection between the formal
academic conception of the Unconscious and the Qabalistic conception
of the Nephesch, of which the astral body is one aspect. In this
vehicle, then, are recorded all the thoughts which an individual
thought during life, all the perceptions and sensations which he
received, and all the actions which he performed. When, after
death, this discarded Nephesch is galvanized into the activity of a
seeming living being, animated by intelligence, through the energy
displaced both by the medium in trance and the thoughts of the
sCance sitters, this astral corpse can display a replica of the intelligence
which in life used it.
This broad outline accounts for most of the communications
received through Spiritualistic sources, although it must be stated
in all fairness that to this, as to all other, generalizations there are
exceptions, though mediums able to penetrate to the higher planes
of the spirit are extremely rare. The medium, once she has opened
the door of her astral and psychic organization, is unable to control
herself. Nor is she able to exert discrinlination as to what shall or
shall not enter by the open door and take possession of her personality.
Naturally, these remarks have sole reference to those cases
where the phenomena are genuine. Inasmuch as there are so many