The Astral Planes

The spirit realms are generally described as dimensions or planes distinguishable by the different densities and vibratory rates (or frequencies) of the substances they contain. The various dimensions are said to interpenetrate, existing in the same space. Different people have divided these infinite realms into a number of vibratory “regions”.

The Physical Plane
This is the world around us, our conscious reality. It is composed of comparatively dense, slowly vibrating matter.

The Astral Planes
Divided into lower, middle, and higher, each division contains multiple divisions of varying vibratory rates.

The Lower Astral Planes These are described as a darker more primal realms. Some have described them as the place of Dante’s Inferno while others think of them as purgatory. They are where the lost children go and where the souls of the lost reside. It is the realm nearest to the Astral Planes. There is no gravity, sense of time or space in the worlds of spirit.

The Middle Astral Planes/The Mental Causal Planes These are the realms of divine inspiration free of earthly desires and conflict. The beings in these dimensions cause many of the artistic and technical breakthroughs on Earth by sending silent messages to its inhabitants. This is the place where many of us journey for guidance and healing.

Here we find ourselves without the physical body. The need for food, clothing, shelter and sleep no longer exist. We have true freedom. It is our will that sustains and heals us, and our will that creates the realm in our image. The astral planes are mental energy focused while the Earthly ones are physical. In spirit worlds thoughts create reality, and we frequently create what we are familiar with. These realms are frequently a reflection of the world we live in now. They contain the same vegetation, animals, and even our own created structures. This place is purer in its formation. The needs and the strife associated with the physical world have been left behind – one might go as far as to compare it to the Garden of Eden

While the ultimate destiny of every soul lies in the "higher" or subtler planes in and beyond the celestial frequencies, a typical lifetime on Earth as a non-spiritual or moderately spiritual person pulls our soul down to low frequencies. When we pass on, our Earthified soul are not yet ready to pass onto the higher planes – the astral planes act as a way station for us to understand. They are between the dense Earth with all its’ physical needs and demands, and the higher, subtle realms of light and energy. A newly released soul who arrives in these spirit worlds may initially be lost and bewildered. Our Earthly time makes the transition difficult especially for those of us raised by Western traditions. This realm offers almost unimaginable series of new and strange experiences.

The Higher Astral Planes/Celestial Planes These are the realms called Heaven by Christians, the Summerland by spiritualists. This place is beyond the comprehension of most people, as they are said to be the home of the Christian God, the Buddha, and other great beings.

The Time Stream and River of Eternity
Inhabitants of the mid-Astral planes are assisted by higher beings in creating landscapes they are familiar with. Eastern mystics believe that the "solid" world of our day-to-day reality is "fabricated" and illusory. The only true reality is in the godhead, cosmic Source.

The time stream is a flowing mercury-like river that contains all of time. If entered while journeying, it can sweep you away into far lands in the past or yet to be. It is not to be journeyed into by the novice as finding your way back to your present is a challenge. After all, in the time stream all things flow together and exist at once. There is no true “now” – that is a fabrication of the Physical Plane.

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