The Astral Senses-----

The Astral Senses-----

This week we will start to take a look at our "inner-senses", that
is to say those senses that do not rely on our physical eyes, ears,
nose, taste or touch.

Our inner senses are based in our Astral body; otherwise known as
the Soul. The Astral senses correspond very closely to the
equivalent physical senses, but are vastly more acute and far
ranging due to the fact they are not restricted by the density and
low vibration of physical matter.

In most people the Astral senses are, during normal waking
consciousness completely overwhelmed by the physical senses during
the sensory overload known as "physical existence". Everywhere we
go the physical senses are bombarded whenever we walk into a store,
watch the TV, walk down the high street and so on. This assault on
the physical senses almost guarantees that the inner Astral senses
have little chance to exert any meaningful influence.

Therefore, over the course of thousands of years, humans have
progressively lost the use of many inner abilities that make use of
the inner senses as well as other natural inner abilities such as
telepathy.

However, it is possible to experience the Astral senses under the
right conditions, as well as to consciously develop them with the
right exercises.

This week we will take a look at some of the situations where we
experience our Astral senses due to natural conditions.

There are a very wide variety of beings inhabiting the Astral
worlds at all levels in addition to humans and other advanced forms
of Universal life. These beings exhibit a very wide variety of
characteristics and purpose in accordance with their position in
the grand scheme of the Universe, often existing as members of a
single element of Fire, Air, Water and Earth.

There are particular classes of these inner beings of the single
elements that are actually extremely well-known to everyone, and in
particular to children who enjoy hearing stories about them;
stories often known as "fairy-tales". The beings featuring in these
"fairy tales" are actually very real indeed, but live in the Astral
worlds rather than in the physical world as most people suppose.

There is a very large array of these "fairytale creatures" of the
Astral worlds, some of the most well-known ones being:

Salamanders: beings of the pure element of Fire.

Sylphs: beings of the pure element of Air.

Undines: also known as mermaids, beings of the pure element of
Water.

Gnomes: beings of the pure element of Earth.

In addition, other beings instantly recognisable to most people
include fairies, often also known as faeries or fay folk, satyrs,
wood nymphs, water sprites and numerous other such delightful
beings. All of these creatures have their own place in the grand
Universal scheme of things, often being involved with aspects of
nature in the physical world.

Fairy stories originally came about because throughout the ages
people with no natural psychic ability to perceive the inner realms
of life have experienced a spontaneous "vision", where the psychic
senses which are latent in most people have suddenly and
temporarily become activated.

This can happen much more easily and more often than most people
might believe. If a person is "mesmerised" by a scene, it might for
example be a scene in a forest clearing, a beautiful meadow, a view
by the sea, a mountain vista or a sparkling lake, it becomes
possible to see these wonderful Astral creatures. This happens when
the physical senses including vision become "paralysed" by the
scene while focusing intently on the scene, causing an altered
state of Consciousness often known as a "trance" condition,
characterised by a slowing down of brainwave frequencies. When this
situation occurs a person can then "see" beyond the "veil"
separating the material world from the Astral worlds and into the
realms inhabited by these "fairytale creatures".

Another, condition that allows the viewing of these beings is
called the "Ganzfeld" effect. A "Ganzfeld" effect occurs due to
either natural or deliberate sensory deprivation, during which, due
to "paralysis" of the corresponding physical senses, the Astral
senses are able to take over for a time.

For example, a person standing on the deck of a cruise liner might
be staring intently out to sea at the seemingly endless expanse of
shimmering water, and then all of a sudden see a mermaid.

This person might well later doubt what they saw, and would most
probably be afraid to tell other people about the experience, but
there is no doubting at all what they actually saw, albeit only
transiently, was a very real mermaid going about its usual
activities in the Astral worlds but close to water in the physical
world with which they are associated through the element of Water.

What has occurred here in fact is that the act of staring out over
an endless expanse of featureless open water has caused "paralysis"
of the physical sight allowing the Astral site to take over, thus
allowing the viewing of beings and scenes of the inner worlds.

Undines, or mermaids, are beings of the Universal element
of Water and therefore tend to be "seen" in the regions of the
earthly counterpart in accordance with the Universal Law of
Correspondence. The same might happen in a woodland setting, where
fairies or faeries or fay folk as they are known from more ancient
sources can be seen flitting around a winding stream. In a forest
wood nymphs might be seen, or even a unicorn standing in a
clearing. Around hillsides and other such "earthy" areas gnomes
might be seen going about their busy lives.

Although all of this might seem like something from one of the
great fairy story books with which we are all familiar as children,
these stories have a very real origin indeed, the results of people
from cultures all over the world over the millennia actually seeing
these beings for themselves, writing about them, eventually
becoming the fairy tales so fondly told today to the great delight
of children everywhere.

These creatures abound in folklore all over the world, and what is
known to some people as a "fairy", "mermaid" or a "gnome" in one
part of the world is known by a completely different name
elsewhere.

As with all Astral beings these are "Etheric" creatures which, like
everything else in the Astral worlds, have no material or solid
form and are therefore "seen" in accordance with the psychic
perceptions of the observer. These beings can take on any size and
shape they desire at any time. Over the ages people have formed
very detailed perceptions as to what these fairy tale beings look
like, probably based on the first written accounts and the many
sightings related by word of mouth. Undines, or mermaids, will
therefore be seen as human type beings with fins and flippers
instead of legs. Fairies will be seen as small, human type
creatures with small wings with which they flit around and hover
over flowers, water and other features in nature. Gnomes are
usually seen as small men and women busily going about their work,
sometimes carrying a lantern or other working implements, wearing a
tall cap on the head. Male gnomes will often be perceived with a
long beard, and wearing the familiar tunic as pictured in fairy
tales. Much more could be said about the existence and work of
these wonderful Astral beings, but suffice it to say they are very
real indeed and have their own position in the grand Universal
scheme.

Children, often until the age of five years old or so are still
very tuned into the Astral and Spirit worlds and also have a much
higher degree of natural clairvoyant and psychic ability than older
children and adults. From the moment of birth children are
indoctrinated constantly by parents, relatives and others to make
full use of their five physical senses, and are often discouraged
from playing with "imaginary friends". The fact of the matter is,
these friends far from being "imaginary" are very real indeed to
the children who really can "see" and interact with them; another
reason why children enjoy hearing "fairy tales" about their little
friends so much.

Another situation where the Astral worlds can be viewed, almost as
if watching a movie in a cinema, is just before sleep.

During the process of drifting off to sleep we go through a state
where the physical senses "switch-off" and the Astral senses
take-over.

Often this process occurs so quickly that it is not noticed.
However, if the sleep entry process is slowed down, very often a
"window" appears at the position of the "brow chakra" or "third
eye", that is like a movie screen upon which vivid, colorful moving
images can be seen of scenes, people, locales such as vast cities
and much more that often defies description.

These are very real images of the Astral worlds, and practice it is
possible to project into these scenes and become part of them; a
process known as "phasing"; a type of Astral projection.