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The Tenth Lesson: The Astral World157
If people could see but for a few minutes the thought-atmosphere of
groggeries, gambling-rooms, and places of that kind, they would not care to
again visit them. Not only is the atmosphere fairly saturated with degrading
thoughts, but the lower class of disembodied souls flock in large numbers
around the congenial scene, striving to break the narrow bounds which
separate them from the physical plane in such places.
Perhaps the best way to make plain to you the general aspects and
phenomena of the Astral World, would be to describe to you an imaginary
trip made by yourself in that world, in charge of an experienced occultist.
We will send you, in imagination, on such a trip, in this lesson, in charge of a
competent guide—it being presupposed that you have made considerable
spiritual progress, as otherwise even the guide could not take you very far,
except by adopting heroic and very unusual methods, which he probably
would not see fit to do in your case. Are you ready for your trip? Well, here
is your guide.
You have gone into the silence, and suddenly become aware of having
passed out of your body, and to be now occupying only your astral body.
You stand beside your physical body, and see it sleeping on the couch, but
you realize that you are connected with it by a bright silvery thread, looking
something like a large bit of bright spider-web. You are conscious of the
presence of your guide, who is to conduct you on your journey. He also has
left his physical body, and is in his astral form, which reminds you of a vapory
something, the shape of the human body, but which can be seen through,
and which can move through solid objects at will. Your guide takes your
hand in his and says, “Come,” and in an instant you have left your room and
are over the city in which you dwell, floating along as does a summer cloud.
You begin to fear lest you may fall, and as soon as the thought enters your
mind you find yourself sinking. But your guide places a hand under you and
sustains you, saying, “Now just realize that you cannot sink unless you fear
to—hold the thought that you are buoyant and you will be so.” You do so,