The Life Beyond Death
Chapter XVII Astral Shells
We would be neglecting the task to which we have set ourselves
in this book, were we to omit all mention of a peculiar
phenomenon of the Astral Plane which causes much confusion to
all beginners in the investigation of psychic phenomena. We
allude to what have aptly been called “Astral Shells,” the
worn-out Astral bodies of the souls who have awakened from the
soul-slumber of the Astral Plane. These worn-out garments of the
soul are frequently mistaken for the soul itself, and much
confusion has arisen by reason of this mistake.
Each human entity on earth-life has, in addition to the
physical body, a finer and more subtle form of body, which is
called the Astral Body (sometimes called “the etheric double,”
is an exact counterpart of the physical body, and, in fact, is
the finer model upon which the physical body is moulded or
overlaid. Upon the departure of the soul from the physical body,
it carries the Astral body with it as its vehicle, and dwells in
it during the soul-sleep, discarding it only when it awakens
from the soul-slumber and passes on to the higher states or
conditions of the Astral. The Astral body, thus discarded by the
soul, then becomes what is known to occultists as an “Astral
shell.”
In a previous work, we have spoken as follows of the “Astral
shell,” after it has been discarded by the soul: “The Astral
body
exists for some time after the death of the person to whom it
belongs, and under certain circumstances, it is visible to
living persons, and is by them called a ‘ghost.’ The “Astral
shell,” which is sometimes seen after it has been sloughed off
by the
soul which has passed on, is in such cases nothing more than a
corpse of finer matter than its physical counterpart. In such
cases it is possessed of no life or intelligence, and is nothing
more than a cloud seen in the sky bearing a resemblance to the
human form. It is a shell, nothing more…. When discarded by the
soul it begins to slowly disintegrate…. It floats around in
the lower Astral atmosphere, until finally it is dissolved into
its original elements. It seems to have a peculiar attraction
toward
its late physical counterpart, and will often return to the
neighborhood of the discarded physical body, and disintegrate
with it. Persons of psychic sight, either normal or influenced
by fear or similar emotions, frequently see these “Astral
shells”
floating around graveyards, over battle-fields, etc., and
mistake them for the ‘spirits’ of departed persons, whereas they
are no
more the real souls of the persons than are the physical bodies
beneath the ground.”
“These ‘Astral shells’ may be ‘galvanized’ into a semblance of
life by coming in contact with the vitality of some ‘medium,’
the prana of the latter animating it, and the sub-conscious
mentality of the medium causing it to manifest signs of life and
partial intelligence. At some of the seances of the mediums,
these astral shells are materialized by means of the vitality of
the medium, and are made to talk in a stupid, disconnected way
with those around, but it is not the person himself talking,
but a mere shell animated by the life principle of the medium
and the ‘circle,’ and acting and talking like an automaton.
There
are, of course, other forms of ‘spirit return,’ but
investigators of spiritualistic phenomena should beware of
confounding these
‘Astral shells’ with the real soul of their departed friends.”
A leading authority on the subject. has written of the “Astral
shell,” as follows: “At death it is disembodied for a brief
period,
and, under some abnormal conditions, may even be temporarily
visible to the external sight of still living persons. Under
such
conditions it is taken of course for the ghost of the departed
persons. Spectral apparitions may sometimes be occasioned
in other ways, but the third principle (the Astral Body) when
that results in a visible phenomenon, is a mere aggregation of
molecules in a peculiar state, having no life or consciousness
of any kind whatever. It is no more than a cloud-wreath in the
sky which happens to settle into the semblance of some animal
form. Broadly speaking, the linga sharira never leaves the body
except at death, case. When seen at all, and this can but nor
migrates far from the body even in that rarely occur, it can
only
be seen near where the physical body lies.
“…It is a mistake to speak of consciousness, as we understand
the feeling in life, attaching to the ‘Astral shell’ or remnant;
but,
nevertheless, a certain spurious resemblance may be awakened in
that shell, and without having any connection with the real
consciousness all the while growing in strength and vitality in
the spiritual sphere. There is no power on the part of the shell
of taking on and assimilating new ideas and intiating courses of
action on the basis of those new ideas. But there is in the
shell a survival of volitional impulses imparted to it during
life. It is liable to be galvanized for a time in the
mediumistic
current into a state of consciousness and life which may be
suggested by the first condition of a person who, carried into a
strange room in a state of insensibility during illness, wakes
up feeble, confused in mind, gazing about with a blank feeling
of
bewilderment, taking in impressions, hearing words addressed to
him and answering vaguely. Such a state of consciousness
is unassociated with the notions of past and future. It is an
automatic consciousness, derived from the medium.”
Another writer on the subject says of these “Astral shells:”
“These remnants of the Astral bodies so discarded and
disintegrating are not in any way related to the souls which
formerly inhabited them. They are mere shells, without soul or
mind, and yet preserving a slight degree of vitality. They are
Astral corpses, just as much a corpse as is the discarded
physical body. But, just as the physical corpse may be aroused
into apparent life activity by a strong galvanic current, and
will roll its eyes, move its limbs, and even utter groans—so may
these Astral corpses be galvanized by the vitality of a medium
(unconsciously by the latter), if the conditions be favorable,
and may be materialized so as to appear as a shadowy form,
acting, moving, and even speaking, the only mind in it, however,
being supplied by that of the medium or the persons present at
the seance.”
The careful student of occultism will find in the works of all
of the best authorities many warnings against the confounding
of the phenomena related to these “Astral shells,” with that
referring to actual communication between disembodied souls and
those in the flesh. But the general public, not being informed,
is very apt to fall into the error of supposing that this class
of psychic phenomena is a manifestation of “spirit return,” and
the cause of rational spiritualism has been very much injured in
this way. It is a ghastly mockery to have these disintegrating
“Astral shells,” galvanized temporarily into life by the
vitality and minds of a medium (consciously or otherwise), and
to have them mistaken for the souls of departed friends and
relatives. And yet this terrible experience has been the lot of
many earnest investigators of psychic phenomena, and by many
persons whose love has prompted them to seek to communicate once
more with their loved ones. It would seem that there is much
need for true occult knowledge on the part of the public, in
these days when so many are dabbling in psychic research, and
producing psychic phenomena the nature and character of which
they do not understand.
We trust that nothing we have said in this, or the preceding
chapters, will be taken as an attack upon modern spiritualism
in the Western world. We have no such intention, and no such
feeling. We realize that through the channel of modern
spiritualism many earnest souls have been brought to a
realization of the higher spiritual truths, and have been led to
the door of the higher occult understanding. In fact, modern
spiritualism to-day is concerning itself comparatively little
with “phenomena,” but, instead, is striving to unfold the truths
of the life on the higher spheres of being and existence of the
soul. But following on the outskirts of the movement are many to
whom only phenomena of the most sensational character
appeals—it is for these that this warning is intended. And, in
the same manner, for those who are following idly after the
“psychic research” movement, being attracted thereto by love of
novelty and hope of excitement. We would warn both of
these classes of investigators that in opening the doors of the
minds and souls to lower Astral influences, they are running
great risks. There are swamps and quagmires of the Astral world
into which the unwary feet are apt to sink. Therefore we say
“Beware of the lower astral vibrations.” Keep the mind and soul
centered on the higher truths, and resist the temptation
to dabble in the phenomena of the lower states. There is no
satisfaction in the Moon phase of occultism, and great dangers
are often encountered—turn your face toward the sun! Live on the
spiritual Heights—beware of the miasmatic swamps
and malarial quagmires on the lowlands of psychism. These
warnings cannot be too often repeated by those having the
interest of the race at heart.
