7rcTIX1xP

Fourteen Lessons in Yogi Philosophy and Oriental Occultism172
state continues for some time (varying in individuals as we shall see) until
the astral shell falls from it, and floats off in the astral atmosphere, and until
the lower portions of that etherealized-matter which confines the lower
portions of the mind gradually dissolves and also drops from the soul,
leaving it possessed of only the higher portions of its mentality.
The man of low spiritual development, and consequently of a larger
degree of animal nature, will part with but little of his mind-body, and soon
reaches the highest of which he has been mentally and spiritually capable
in his earth-life. The man of high spiritual attainment, will gradually “shed”
much of his mental-body, until he has thrown off all except the highest
portions developed in his earth life. Those between the two mentioned
types will act according to their degree of spiritual attainment, of course.
Then, when the last possible remnant of the lower mentality has dropped
from the soul, it awakes, as it passes on to states which will be described a
little later on in this lesson. It will be seen that the man of gross mentality and
spiritual development will stay in the dream-like state but a short time, as
the process of casting off of sheaths is a comparatively simple one, requiring
but little time. And it likewise will be seen that the man who has reached a
high degree of spiritual development, will rest for a longer period, as he
has much more to get rid of, and this discarded material of the mind drops
from him like the leaves of a rose, one after the other, from the outer to the
inner. Each soul awakens when it has discarded all that it can (or rather all
that will drop from it) and when it has reached the highest state possible
to it. Those who have made material spiritual progress during the earthlife
just past, will have much useless and outgrown matter to discard, while
the one who has neglected his opportunities, and dies about as he was
born, will have but little to throw off, and will awaken in a very short time.
Each rests until the highest point of unfoldment has manifested itself. But
before going on further, let us stop a moment to say that both the sinking
into the restful state, and the soundness and continuance of it may be
interfered with by those left in the earth life. A soul which has “something