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Chapter XVI: Earth Bound Souls2257
kind Nature wipes them out as independent entities, and resolves them
back to their original spiritual elements.
There are sub-planes of the Astral so low and degraded that we hesitate
to mention them. They are inhabited by the very lowest and most degraded
and degenerate souls—souls which are on the sure descent to annihilation,
being unfit to serve as carriers of the sacred plane. Of the details of these
sub-planes, we shall not speak at this place. Enough to quote the words of
two distinguished occultists, one of a former age, and one of to-day. The old
sage said of these sub-planes: “What manner of place is this I see. It hath no
water. It hath no air. It bath no light. It hath no foundation. It is unfathomably
deep. It is as black as the blackest night.” The latter-day investigator says:
“Most students find the investigation of this section an extremely unpleasant
task for there appears to be a sense of density and gross materiality about
it which is indescribably loathsome to the liberated Astral body, causing
the sense of pushing its way through some black viscous fluid, while the
inhabitants and influences there are unusually undesirable.”
It should scarcely be necessary to warn persons not to dabble in psychic
phenomena of a material character, which brings them more or less into
contact with these lower planes of the Astral. But, nevertheless, we do
wish to set forth this warning in this place, just as we have elsewhere in our
works. For there is always the temptation and fascination of the unknown
for many persons, usually those who are not familiar with the phenomena
of the Astral Plane. Such persons, like “fools, rush in where angels fear to
tread,” and attract to themselves all sorts of undesirable Astral entities and
conditions. Our general advice on this subject is: keep the mind fixed on the
higher truths of the spirit, and the higher life of the soul; and turn the face
resolutely away from the lower forms of psychic phenomena; in fact, do not
seek “phenomena” at all, but seek ever the Truth which, when known, makes
all other things clear. Seek ever the sunshine of Spirit, and avoid the baleful
glare of the psychic moon.