The Nature of Astral Forms, the Astral Plane, and Telepathy (Marvel Comics)

== Astral Forms and the Astral Plane==
Astral Forms are, first off, the incarnations of one's soul, being referred to as one's ectoplasmic form (also referred to as such twice here), their "spirit identity", their psi-bodies, and their metaphysical spiritStrange Tales (1951) #110. They are also defined as abstractions of sentient minds represented as loci of informational potential within the infinite psychic matrix of the Astral PlaneLegion of X #3. All magic projections, including Astral Projections, come from one's self-esteem, empathy, and faithStrange Academy: Moon Knight. Psylocke also states that in the Astral Plane, one's astral form is powered by their emotions and their willpower. Even beings as powerful as the Beyonder (who is an infinite-dimensional being) are shown to have Astral Forms, as shown hereDaredevil; Vol 1; #223; 1985 and hereSecret Wars II Vol 1 #1 , as well as higher-dimensional mystic beings such as Clea, a Faltine, have souls of a similar nature to normal humans, as seen here, and even the demon lord known as Mephisto has a spirit that exists on the Astral PlaneSilver Surfer #136.
All souls, human or otherwise (such as that of Clea, a higher-dimensional being known as a Faltine), also contain their life force, which is a power described as "pure life itself, an infinite totality beautiful beyond comprehension-a power capable of shaping or shaking a universe". Mind and Soul are equals, within your soul/consciousness you find the realm of pure thought, which is boundless and formless, and which takes shape according to ourselves. Each soul/consciousness is also stated to harbor an entire universe of devils and angels, with said universe having layers and an infinite number of both demons and angelsSilver Surfer Vol. 3 #133. All memories of all human beings exist in interconnected realms of collective consciousness. There are worlds beyond worlds and worlds between worlds in every man's mind, with each mind being an entire universeGiant-Size Man-Thing #4, and entire sub-realities may exist within a person's psycheAvengers Vol. 1 #63.
Astral Forms do not just represent one's soul, however, they also represent one's mind, and whenever two beings telepathically battle or interact, they do so on the Astral plane, as it is a "realm of pure thought". This has been shown constantly, such as between Charles Xavier and MagnetoUncanny X-Men 1963 #150, between Scarlet Witch and the Serpent Crown, between Psylocke and Shadow King (twice), Shadow King trapping the minds of Storm and Black Panther in the Astral Plane, a young Xavier battling the Shadow King in a fight which takes place "on a thousand different levels" (meaning dimensions) at once, and Xavier once again mentally battling Shadow King on the Astral Plane. Also, when Jessica Drew's Astral Form was separated from her physical body, Doctor Strange stated that her physical body was entirely missing its mind, a notion supported by Magnus stating that Morgan Le Fay was keeping Jessica's Astral Form from reunited with her body via a psychic barrier. Furthermore, the human mind, soul, and "essential life-force" are stated to be one and the same. 
The Astral Plane is also stated to be the realm of Idea, Thought, and Narrative, as well as a substrate of Earth-616, and is stated to be "The edge of reality. The shores of oblivion. The realm of mind and spirit that exists between being and non-being"X-Factor Vol. 1 Annual #9, May 1994. Doctor Strange also states that doing direct surgery on Eternity is to "operate on the astral plane"Strange Vol. 2 #4, February 2010 in the same way one would say they will "operate on a patient". Both of these statements indicate that the Astral Plane stands in the outermost layer of Earth-616, likely in what would be Eternity's "skin" or body, going by Doctor Strange's comment. Because of the Astral Plane being on the very edge of Universal Eternity, who is Low 1-A in nature, this would make the Astral Plane a Low 1-A realm, which in turn would apply to all Astral Forms in regards to their very nature/potency. Also, the above statement of the Astral Plane being the realm of "Idea, Thought, and Narrative" is supported by Xavier stating that, when he fought the Shadow King in a telepathic battle on the Astral Plane, the two telepaths fought each other using emotions, mathematics, sensations, and especially stories/narratives, creating "sagas and songs and ages and massacres".
Furthermore, the Astral Plane being a higher dimension (which in turn would naturally apply to the nature of Astral forms) is supported by further statements such as it being described as:
*A different order of reality, beyond space and timeUncanny X-Men Vol. 1 #278, July 1991.
*A higher frequency of reality unbound by time, space or formDark Angel #12, July 1993.
*The Astral Plane has a "bedrock layer," and then seemingly infinite levels of reality extending upwards from itMarvel Team-Up Vol. 1 #77, October 1978.
*Xavier had a mental battle with the Phoenix in all the infinite levels of reality within the Astral PlaneUncanny X-Men Vol. 1 #136, May 1980.
*It contains multiverses in potentia, as well as whole timelines and futuresLegion of X #6, October 2022. This scans statement of a different flow of time within the Astral Plane compared to our world (millennia in the Astral World occurring in seconds of our universe's real-time) is further explored in a battle between Psylocke and the Shadow King, which lasts years in the Astral Plane but seconds in our time, and in a mental battle between Xavier and the Shadow King that Xavier said felt like it lasted a thousand years.
*It is described as a "shifting netherworld of endless dimensions".
*The Shadow King states that to fight on the Astral Plane means that he can fight on "a thousand different levels" (meaning dimensions) at once.
*Dreamqueen, a being who is the child of two inhabitants of the Astral Plane but resides in a lesser plane below the Astral Plane, viewed the laws of the normal universe as "too restraining" for her, which in turn greatly limited her powers in the standard universe.
*Doctor Strange battled a group of 6-dimensional soul eaters on the ectoplasmic plane within the boy's very soulscape.
*It is a metaphysical dimension layered on top of the mortal plane.Avengers Vol 1 #503
*There are as many universes as there are thoughts: An infinite number of holograms folded within each other.
The Astral Plane is also stated to be "an unreal place" and a "cosmic in-between", and is the source of the energy source known as the Power Cosmic. This connection between souls/astral forms and the Power Cosmic is supported by how Galactus is capable of reconstituting himself even after having his physical form annihilated and reduced to cosmic energyDoctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #45Infinity War #4, which is described as a life force that basically serves as one's soulAnnihilation #3. It is also the collective psyche as well as the twilight zone between physical reality and the archetypal plane. 
The inner space is the lower realm of the astral plane and is the twilight world of the unconscious, an ideo-plastic reality where the denied thought and feelings of humanity take gruesome shapeHell's Angel Vol 1 #2 - August, 1992, as well as the place where the ideas and dreams of humans are connected in every abstract way, call it the Psychosphere, call it Idea-Space, call it the MassMind.X-Men: Legacy Vol 2 #21 - December 4, 2013
At the level of the astral plane, physics don't matter, this planes is beyond geography and beneath thought, the fight here is just a line between the real to the fiction, from the solid to the spirit, the level of the demigods. There also worlds without shape.
==Powers & Abilities of Astral Forms and Astral Projection== 
*Incorporeality: An astral form is one's ectoplasmic form (also called as such here, with the second panel describing an astral form as "lacking substance") and their metaphysical spirit. They are also described as being made of infinite psychic energy and of pure energy. Astral forms can also easily phase through physical objects, such as metal doors.
*Immortality: Types 1 & 7. Souls are referred to as immortal, and Doctor Strange's astral form was unaffected by a magic globe that absorbed all living things in its vicinity.
*Abstract Existence (Type 1)
**Information (Type 2): Astral Forms are abstractions of sentient minds represented as loci of informational potential within the infinite psychic matrix of the Astral Plane.
**Concept (Type 3): Loki referred to his Astral form as his Ethereal Ego, which, asides from being likely in reference to the Freudian concept of the psychological ego, is described in a later comic as being one's conception of self. Silver Surfer referred to his soul as his metaphysical essence, or rather "the essence of what is [him]"Silver Surfer #48. A soul contains one's memories, personality, and all aspects of who they are. An astral form is one's "spirit identity".
*Higher speed (Astral forms are faster than their owner's physical speed), up to Immeasurable speed (Astral forms are "not bound to ordinary natural laws of time or motion", and can "shatter the fabric of distance". Upon drinking a potion to release his astral form, Loki could "pierce the veil of time", "shatter the fabric of distance", and was unfettered by space and time. Baron Mordo and Doctor Strange in their Astral Forms could race through time and space. In the astral realm, space is a byproduct of the imagination, so someone properly trained could choose to ignore distance and be in an instant wherever they want to be)
*Acausality (Type 4), Higher-Dimensional Existence, Beyond-Dimensional Existence (Type 1), and Resistance to Space-Time Manipulation, Vector Manipulation, Law Manipulation/Physics Manipulation, and Gravity Manipulation: Astral forms exist on the Astral Plane, a substrate of Earth-616Legion of X #3 described as "a higher frequency of reality not limited by time, space or form" and A different order of reality, beyond space and time. A sorcerer travelling in their astral form "is not bound to ordinary natural laws of time or motion"Strange Tales (1951) Vol 1 #124, and "to those adept in the mystic arts, time and space are meaningless when they are in their ectoplasmic form"Strange Tales (1951) Vol 1 #125. When Doctor Strange in his spirit form, the boundaries of time and gravity are meaninglessJourney into Mystery (1952) Vol. 1 #108. Upon drinking a potion to release his astral form, Loki could "pierce the veil of time", "shatter the fabric of distance", and was unfettered by space and time. The Astral Plane is a "place without distance or time or physical law". When souls die, they unite with the universe, like diamonds sparkling in the landscape of the space-time, and souls exist in a higher dimensional frequency. Furthermore, to reach/see/affect the souls of the dead, one must interfere with a higher dimensional frequency.
*Memory Manipulation: Galactus altered Silver Surfer's soul to modify his memories, meaning that an Astral Form also contains one's memories. A soul contains one's memories, personality, and all aspects of who they are.
*Mind Manipulation: The Astral Form is the realm of mind and spirit, and as described above, the astral plane is where telepathic battles take place.
*Nonduality (Type 2) & Nonexistent Physiology (Nature Type 2; Aspect Types 1, 2 [Type 3 Concept], & 3): The Astral Realm, where all Astral Forms reside, is described as "The edge of reality. The shores of oblivion. The realm of mind and spirit that exists between being and non-being", and because Astral Forms are composed of not just one's soul, but also one's mind and the very essence of who they are, they thus exist between "being" and "not being" in regard to their minds, souls, and personal concepts.
*Dimensional Travel (High Hyperversal Range) and Time Travel: Astral forms can travel to the Infinite Embassy, which resides at the top of Earth-616's cluster of dimensions, of which there are an infinite amount. Even basic magicians can use Astral Projection to shift between realms and time. Doctor Strange also used astral projection to travel to a dimension that an unenlightened human mind couldn't imagine. When Doctor Doom's Astral Form was sent to Hell, he managed to escape it and return to his Astral Body not long afterDark Avengers #177. The Molecule Man astral projected with the Beyonder and looked at his life on Earth by travelling back in timeSecret Wars II Vol 1 8 . Baron Mordo and Doctor Strange in their Astral Forms could race through time and space.
*The stronger one's physical body is, the stronger their astral form will be.
*Invisibility: Most Astral Forms in Marvel cannot be seen or sensed by those who lack the magic and/or training to detect them, though skilled enough users can choose who can or can't see them.
*Possession: Magnus was able to possess David Ishima, and both Magnus and Spider-Woman were able to possess a woman's body in their astral forms. Bats, the spirit of a dog, possessed Doctor Strange's demonically-corrupted body.
*Subjective Reality, Information Manipulation (Type 2), Law Manipulation, Physics Manipulation, & Reality Warping: Consciousness is the blueprint by which all worlds and times were born, to control one's own consciousness is to control everything, is to become everything. Reality exists through consciousness, it is always changing, being shaped by our thoughts, the Weaver is a technology that creates realities coming from our consciousness, these realities created by consciousness are no less real than the primary realities from which they originateSilver Surfer Vol. 3 #140. Mind and Soul are equals, within your soul/consciousness you find the realm of pure thought, which is boundless and formless, and which takes shape according to ourselves. There is no difference in the truthfulness of the worlds of the unconscious or the concrete reality, there are those who claim that all the universe is no more than a holographic projectionSilver Surfer Vol. 3 #126. Consciousness is shaping the universe, minds are expanding the universe itself and building physics and mathematicsNew Avengers Vol. 4 #2. The Astral Plane is the realm of the mind as well as an abstract dimension shaped by the minds of those present.
==Powers Gained from Affecting an Astral Form== 
*Soul Manipulation*
*Memory Manipulation* - Galactus was able to alter the Silver Surfer's memories by tampering with his soul.
*Mind Manipulation*
*Non-Physical Interaction* (Soul - Energy, Intangibility - Incorporeality - Abstract Minds, Emotions/Personality, Memory, Ideas, Narrative, Thoughts, Life Force - Concept Type 3 - Information Type 2 - Nonexistent Nature Type 2, Aspect 1, 2, & 3)
*Empathic Manipulation*
*Limited Causality Manipulation/Limited Plot Manipulation* - Since the Astral Plane is the realm of narrative, to affect one's Astral Form is to affect their personal narrative.
*Limited Information Manipulation (Type 2)*: Astral Forms are abstractions of sentient minds represented as loci of informational potential within the infinite psychic matrix of the Astral Plane, so to affect one's Astral Form is to affect their personal informational potential.
*Life Manipulation*: All souls, human or otherwise (such as that of Clea, a higher-dimensional being known as a Faltine), also contain their life force, which is a power described as "pure life itself, an infinite totality beautiful beyond comprehension-a power capable of shaping or shaking a universe". Furthermore, the human mind, soul, and "essential life-force" are stated to be one and the same.
* - Scales in potency to the higher-dimensional nature of Astral Forms, so Low 1-A.
==Potency of Telepathy==
As repeatedly noted above, the Astral Plane is the realm of mind and thought, and is where all telepathic battles are shown to take place. As it is a higher dimension (Low 1-A) in nature, the potency/range of telepathy-based mind manipulation in Marvel would scale to the higher dimensional nature of the Astral Plane itself, aka Low 1-A. 
==Weaknesses of Astral Forms/Projection==
First off, if an astral form is split from its physical body for more than 24 hours, the owner's physical body dies, and an empty body can be possessed by another astral form or spiritual being. Also, any Astral Projection (telepathic or otherwise) will leave the body unconscious and thus vulnerable to attack.
Also, only skilled sorcerers can use their magic powers while using Astral Projection, and while the astral form is outside of the body, the body itself is lifeless and immobile.
==References==
Category:Marvel Comics
Category:Verse-specific Powers and Abilities