Theos-Talk Archives (October 2001 Message tt00416)

<<<<Experience with astral projection does not necessarily legitimize
one's experience or deeper understanding of the seven planes. Astral
projection belongs on the astral plane, does it not? It is my
understanding that illumination does not occur at the level of the
astral plane but it does on the higher mental and buddhic levels.
When I was speaking of contemplative thinking, I also had in mind
that one would take the knowledge received from the higher mental and
buddhic planes and transform that knowledge into experience.>>>>>

Monica, the term "astral projection" or "astral traveling" is a generic term
for consciously traveling throughout the 7 planes. The "astral" was
originally used like the Eqyptian "Dwat" as a general term for inner planes.
Blavatsky changed this when she called the next plane up from the physical,
the astral plane. The astral plane is largely one of human emotions. When
you have a dream that is accompanied by emotioanl content, you are
unconsciously funtioning on the astral plane. A dream without any emotion
content is usually on the mental plane. Dreamless sleep takes place on the
causal plane. Remember, Blavatsky says that all one has to is to to close
their eyes and they are immediately functioning on the mental plane.


>>>>>>> Only a buddha can be conscious of all planes (samsara+nirvana=maya)
at the same time.

Here, I was referring to a Nirmanakaya. He has achieved the first
level of spatial mastery which occurs at the Physical Cosmic Plane.
Those beings are very, very few and far between.
Monica>>>>>>>>

The nirmanakya can function on any of the four upper planes, but is not
conscious of the lower planes - he/she is disembodied, according to
Blavatsky, and so has no physical body with which to function on the
physical plane. Only an embodied buddha can be conscious on all 7 planes
simultaneously (at least this is what Tibetan Buddhism teaches).

<<<<<<<Actually, I have visualized the seven planes as circular and
tree-like. Imagine if you will, a series of seven circular discs, one
bigger than the next disc. The smallest disc is at the bottom and
the biggest disc is at the top. The smallest disc would represent
the Physical Cosmic Plane and the biggest disc would represent the
Logoic Cosmic Plane. The whole depiction looks like an inverted tree
or more accurately, an inverted pyramid.>>>>>>

Imagining a structure is OK, but won't help in understanding what is really
going on. I have used a similar onion-skin-type structure to show the
Aethyrs of Enochian Magic, which is another story. In a sense, as we rise up
the planes, we do so outwardly in all directions like a spacial expansion,
but again, this is putting into words an ineffable experience, and space
itself disappears as such as consciousness rises into spirituality.

Jerry S.