Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-05-02
(" Itseems strange that the astral body

eft seems strange that the astral body
should wear clothes
Should you expect it to appear naked
The next time you think of me 1t will be
as you see me now"
ayes, but when l think Of you it will
be mental image called up by memory"
"Quite true, and there is just the differ
ence; because your memory of me will be
purely subjective-will bear no necessary
relation TO my appearance at the time of
your thought-and will entirely lack the
appearance of outward objective reality,
externally which a true phantom presents"
HAS your own astral body ever been
witnessed apart from your physical one ?"
'On several occasions. The most recent
case was reported u few months ago in a
Chicago afternoon paper, and from this
very room in which we are now sitting.
The person who saw it was in Washington.
That phantom was both visible and audi
BILE, able to answer certain questions and
give accurate information of what was
occurring at the moment in Chicago, even
to the names of several persons who were
present with me-"
"This almost trauscends the bounds of
credibility"
sit Is nevertheless strictly true. One
business of the theosophy is to give persons
more Just ideas of the naturally possible"
"Where you at the time conscious that
your astral body was visible in Washing
TONI"
"Yes l was wide awake and in full
possession Of my senses. To answer your
question more fully would be to put you
in possession of the means of doing so
yourself, which | am by no means pre-
pared to do"
why not?"
| might give you a dozen reasons why
not The reason | select is one of the
rules of the Philosophical Society, which is
necessarily a secret organization"
+" Why necessarily secret p
Because the public is not prepared TO
fully understand or to fairly discuss
psychic science What we do give does
not always meet with proper considera-
ton"
Entertaining such belief, this may be
astrange world to you"
"To a Theosophist no one thing is
stranger than any other thing, and the
phenomena of the material world are so
closely linked to those of the astral world
that one may be said to shade insensibly
into the other Hence we speak of this
world as simply the material plane of ex-
istence, of which the astral world is but
little difierent-almost a counterpart"
" Is life in the astral world eternal ~
presume not Since the astral body
has form and substance it eventually per
ishes like the physical form-a fact alluded
to in the Bible under the name of the
second death. When Theosophist speaks
of the Immortality Of the soul he means
the survival of the astral body for longer
or shorter period after the dissolution OF
the natural body"
What, according to your philosophy, is
your conviction, if you have any, with
reference to the third stage?'
I" The third stage is the escape of the
spirit from its astral body into the condi-
ton known as that of Devachan, leaving
behind it an astral she'll Most of the
genuine materializations of the Spiritual
lists are these astral shells or astral corpses
drawn into the magnetic currents of living
persons, and, as it were, galvanized into a
semblance of life, during which they may
present fairly recognizable phantom of
the deceased person"
What would you recommend man TO
do by way of investigation ?"
" Study psychic science aud find out for
yourself how these things are. Take moth
ing on my authority or on any authority,
human or alleged divine. Investigate for
yourself"