The astral plane, also called the astral world or desire world, is a plane of existence according to esoteric philosophies, some religious teachings and New Age thought. In metaphysics and esoteric cosmology, a plane of existence (sometimes called simply a plane, dimension, vibrating plane, or an inner, invisible, spiritual, supraphysical world, or egg) is conceived as a subtle region of space (and/or consciousness) beyond, but permeating, the known physical universe (or a portion of the physical... Look up Esotericism in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Religious is a term with both a technical definition and folk use. ... New Age describes a broad movement characterized by alternative approaches to traditional Western culture. ...

In the context of Unicode, astral planes refer to planes above the Basic Multilingual Plane. Unicode is an industry standard designed to allow text and symbols from all of the writing systems of the world to be consistently represented and manipulated by computers. ... Astral characters are Unicode characters that are not part of the Basic Multilingual Plane (that is, characters whose code point is above U+FFFF). ... Unicode reserves 1,114,112 (= 220 + 216) code points, and currently assigns characters to more than 96,000 of those code points. ...

Origin and history of the term

Although the word "astral" is often associated with New Age ideas, this term was also used historically by alchemists. In the late 19th and early 20th century the term was popularised by Theosophy, especially as developed by Annie Besant and C. W. Leadbeater, and later Alice Bailey. In this cosmology, the astral is the first metaphysical plane beyond the physical, but is "denser" than the mental plane. The astral plane is also sometimes termed the world of emotion or world of illusion, and corresponds to Blavatsky's Kamic Plane. New Age describes a broad movement characterized by alternative approaches to traditional Western culture. ... This article or section includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... Theosophy, literally god-wisdom (Greek: θεοσοφία theosophia), designates several bodies of ideas. ... Annie Besant Plaque on house in Colby Road, London SE19 where Annie Besant lived in 1874. ... C.W. Leadbeater (1847 or 1854-1934), English clergyman and Theosophical author, contributed to world thought mostly through his work as a clairvoyant. ... Alice A. Bailey Shown here on the cover of a Danish translation of her autobiography, her work has been translated into over 50 languages. ... Esoteric cosmology is cosmology that is an intrinsic part of an esoteric or occult system of thought. ... The Mental Plane in Hermeticism, Theosophical, Aurobindonian, and New Age thought refers to the macrocosmic or universal plane or reality that is made up purely of thought or mindstuff. ... Helena Blavatsky Helena Petrovna Hahn (also Hélène) (July 31, 1831 (O.S.) (August 12, 1831 (N.S.)) - May 8, 1891 London, England), better known as Helena Blavatsky or Madame Blavatsky was the founder of Theosophy. ...

It should be noted, however, that in original theosophical literature (such as those written by Blavatsky), the term "astral" does not have the same meaning as the term is used in later theosophical literature (such as C. W. Leadbeater). The astral body, in her works, does not refer to the emotional body but to the etheric double or linga sarira. The Emotional Body is one of the Subtle Bodies in Theosophy and New Age thought. ... Lińga Śarīra is the Sanskrit term for the invisible double of the human body. ...

Some equivalent concepts to the astral plane in various esoteric teachings are the Barzakh or Imaginal or Inter-world in Islamic Esotericism (Ishraqism, Sufism, etc), the World of Asiyah in Lurianic Kabbalah (although this sometimes includes the physical plane as well), or Yetzirah in some interpretations of Hermetic Kabbalah, the "spirit world" in Spiritualism, the "Nervous" State in Max Theon's teachings, and the "Vital" World in the philosophy of Sri Aurobindo and Mirra Alfassa. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Sufism is a mystic tradition within Islam and encompasses a diverse range of beliefs and practices dedicated to divine love and the cultivation of the heart. ... Asiyah (One who tends to the weak, One who heals) is considered to be one of four great, noble, and pious women in Islamic history. ... Rabbi Isaac Luria (1534–July 25, 1572) was a Jewish mystic in Safed. ... This article is about traditional Jewish Kabbalah. ... This article is about the religious attributes. ... The word hermetic is commonly applied to literary or graphical symbolism that is exceedingly obscure, convoluted, or esoteric. ... By 1853, when the popular song Spirit Rappings was published, Spiritualism was the object of intense curiosity. ... Max Theon (1848-1927) perhaps born Louis-Maximilian Bimstein, was a Polish Jewish Kabbalist and Occultist. ... The Vital or Life faculty or part of the being, in Sri Aurobindos philosophy, refers not simply to the life force as to the various passions, desires, feelings, emotions, affects, compulsions, and likes and dislikes that strongly determine human motivation and action through desire and enthusiasm. ... Sri Aurobindo (Bangla: শ্রী অরবিন্দ Sri Ôrobindo, Sanskrit: श्री अरविन्द Srī Aravinda) (August 15, 1872–December 5, 1950) was an Indian/Hindu nationalist, scholar, poet, mystic, evolutionary philosopher, yogi and guru [1]. After a short political career in which he became one of leaders of the early movement for the freedom of India from... This article is about the spiritual partner of Sri Aurobindo. ...

In his book Autobiography of a Yogi, Sri Sri Paramhansa Yogananda characterizes the difference between the physical, astral, and causal planes, as per traditional Hindu philosophy. In this conception, when one dies the soul moves to the astral plane. There the result of past actions or karma is reaped. Paramahansa Yogananda (Bengali: পরমহংস যোগানন্দ Pôromôhongsho Joganondo, Hindi: परमहंस योगानन्‍द; January 5, 1893–March 7, 1952), was an Indian yogi and guru. ... Hinduism (known as in modern Indian languages) is a religious tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent. ... For other uses, see Karma (disambiguation). ...

The term "astral plane" has also more recently come to mean a plane of existence where otherkin believe their souls reside. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Therianthropy. ...

The word "astral" (like celestial) means of or like the stars and is used in reference to the astral plane because astral matter does not require a light source to make it visible -astral matter gives off its own light, like stars do.

The astral plane and astral experience

According to Occult, Theosophical, and New Age teachings, the astral plane can be visited consciously with the astral body through means of meditation and mantra, lucid dreaming, or other forms of training and development. The common human being normally separates his or her consciousness and astral vehicle from the physical body every night as he or she sleeps. Clairvoyants can see the astral vehicle floating a few inches over the sleeping physical body. This separation of the astral vehicle from the physical body every night is necessary for the human being to receive and process energies coming from higher, spiritual or more subtle planes of existence allowing the individual to awake the following day with his or her energies renewed. Human individuals that are spiritually advanced or trained in the use of their astral vehicle, can separate their consciousness and astral vehicle from the physical body at will and remain fully aware of the circumstances, using this capability at night to perform altruistic services or receive esoteric knowledge and training while in the astral plane. The astral body refers to the concept of a subtle body which exists alongside the physical body, as a vehicle of the soul or consciousness. ... A large statue in Bangalore depicting Shiva meditating Meditation describes a state of concentrated attention on some object of thought or awareness. ... In Tibet, many Buddhists carve mantras into rocks as a form of devotion. ... Lucid dreams occur during REM sleep after the person becomes conscious and aware of dreaming within the dream. ...

The astral vehicle remains connected to the physical body during the separation through a so called “silver cord”, mentioned in Ecclesiastes 12:6. All physical things have astral and other more subtle or spiritual counterparts that interpenetrate them.

The desire world in the Western Wisdom Teachings

According to Max Heindel's Rosicrucian writings, in the desire world, contrary to the physical world, force and matter are almost indistinguishable from each other. The desire-stuff may be described as a type of force-matter, for it is in incessant motion, responsive to the slightest feeling of a vast multitude of beings which populate this world. He refers that a number of people and things may exist in the same place at the same time and be engaged in most diverse activities, regardless of what others are doing. The desire world is also said to be the abode of deceased persons, for some time subsequent to the event of death and, as it interpenetrates the physical world, these entities, the "dead", very often stay for a long time while among their still living friends. It is also the home, among other various classes of beings, of the archangels which are native beings of this world. Max Heindel (1865-1919) Max Heindel - born Carl Louis von Grasshoff in Aarhus, Denmark on July 23, 1865 - was a Christian occultist, astrologer, and mystic. ... The Temple of the Rose Cross, Teophilus Schweighardt Constantiens, 1618. ... In physics, force is an influence that may cause an object to accelerate. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... An archangel is a supernatural being of Zoroastrian Persian, Judaic, Christian, and Islamic theology, counted among the angels. ...

His writings, called Western Wisdom Teachings, describe that in the lower regions of the desire world the whole body of each being may be seen, but in the highest regions only the head seems to remain. In the lower regions of the desire world, there is the same diversity of tongues as on Earth, and the "dead" of one nation find it impossible to converse with those who lived in another country. In the higher regions of the desire world, the confusion of tongues gives place to a universal mode of expression which absolutely prevents misunderstandings of meaning: thoughts take a definite form and color perceptible to all, and this thought-symbol emits a certain tone, which conveys the meaning to the one to whom they are addressed. He states that in the desire world all is light and there is but one long day, and as the spirit is not fettered by a heavy physical body, it does not need sleep and existence is unbroken. Spiritual substances are not subject to contraction and expansion such as arise here from heat and cold, hence summer and winter are also non-existent. Thus there is nothing to differentiate one moment from another in respect of the conditions of light and darkness, summer and winter, which mark time in the physical world. Due to inexistence of these conditions, only students of the stellar science are able to calculate the passage of time in the desire world. The Rosicrucian Cosmo-Conception or Mystic Christianity is a Rosicrucian text, written by Max Heindel (ISBN 0-911274-34-0) // Western Wisdom Teachings The first edition was printed in November 1909, it has little changed since then and it is considered to be Max Heindels magnum opus. ... The astral body, also known as desire body or emotional body refers to a subtle body which exists alongside the physical body, as a vehicle of the soul or consciousness. ... Hand-coloured version of the anonymous Flammarion woodcut (1888). ...

The astral plane in popular culture

• In the standard Dungeons & Dragons RPG planar cosmology, the Astral Plane is a dimension coexistent with all others, used as a means of transportation between planes. Color pools on the plane lead to the other worlds it touches.

• The Astral Plane is also a location in the Marvel Universe. It is a metaphorical level of existence with ties to the physical world which only psychic entities can visit. In the Marvel Universe, Doctor Strange has practiced astral projection since his inception in 1963. Other Marvel characters with no psychic powers are capable of astral projection through other sources, such as by magic spells - for example, Illyana Rasputin [alias Magik] was able to astral project her own consciousness in New Mutants (Series 1) #15. Other mutants such as Professor X, Emma Frost, Jean Grey and other powerful psychics have access to the astral plane. As a means to prevent another powerful psychic from harming others, Professor X imprisons the Shadow King on the astral plane. There are beings who live in the astral plane of existence such as the mummudrai, of which Cassandra Nova is a member, who cannot exist on the physical plane without a body.

• It is a major part of the musical "The True Story of the Bridgewater Astral League" by The World/Inferno Friendship Society.

• The Astral Plane is the final level of the computer game Nethack, where the player must sacrifice the Amulet of Yendor to his/her deity in order to win.

• The Astral Plane is featured in the surreal 2000 comedy film The Nine Lives of Tomas Katz.

• The Astral Plane is featured in the television show Charmed, in which it is a plane traveled through when astral projecting, reached through orbing and described as a realm of "spirits and energies".^[1] Charmed describes there being eleven planes of existence,^[2] including a "ghostly plane" inhabited by the dead^[3] before they are escorted to the afterlife by the Angel of Death.^[4]

• Astral Plane is a song by The Modern Lovers.

Dungeons & Dragons (abbreviated as D&D or DnD) is a fantasy role-playing game (RPG) currently published by Wizards of the Coast. ... This article is about games in which one plays the role of a character. ... In the standard cosmology of the Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game, the planes of existence are alternate planes or alternate dimensions. ... This does not cite any references or sources. ... In language, a metaphor is a rhetorical trope where a comparison is made between two seemingly unrelated subjects. ... This does not cite any references or sources. ... Doctor Strange is a fictional character, a comic book sorcerer and superhero in the Marvel Comics Universe. ... Year 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Magik (Illyana Nikolievna Rasputina - typically anglicized to Rasputin) was a Marvel Comics character, associated with the X-Men. ... New Mutants may also refer to the genetically engineered superhumans of Mutant X (TV series). ... Charles Francis Xavier, also known as Professor X, is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero, known as the leader and founder of the X-Men. ... Emma Grace[1] Frost, also known as the White Queen, is a fictional character appearing in the Marvel Comics Universe. ... Jean Grey is a fictional superheroine who lives in the Marvel Comics Universe. ... Cassandra Nova is a fictional enemy of the X-Men in the Marvel Comics universe. ... // Track Listing A Night in the Woods The Evil Dance of Nosliw Pilf Lucky Interlude Incendiarism Lust for Timing Millicent Didnt Want to Wait for It to Get Better One for the Witches Sweetwater Interlude Tarot Americaine Joe Tennis Redeemed Society Members Active in this Project Include: Jack Terricloth... The World/Inferno Friendship Society (commonly referred to as World Inferno) is a Punk Cabaret group from Brooklyn. ... This article is about the role-playing game. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Charmed is an American television series that ran for eight seasons on The WB. It was produced by Aaron Spelling and is about three sisters who are the worlds most powerful good witches, known throughout the supernatural community as The Charmed Ones but known to everyone else as the... The orb and scepter are common symbols of rule: arms of the Grand Duchy of Poznan Orb is another name for a sphere. ... Death, as a skeleton carrying a scythe. ... Led by Jonathan Richman, the protopunk band The Modern Lovers came out of Massachusetts in the early 1970s. ...

See also

• Archangels
• Plane (cosmology)
• Esoteric cosmology
• Linga sarira
• Astral projection

Archangels are superior or higher-ranking angels. ... In metaphysics and esoteric cosmology, a plane of existence (sometimes called simply a plane, dimension, vibrating plane, or an inner, invisible, spiritual, supraphysical world, or egg) is conceived as a subtle region of space (and/or consciousness) beyond, but permeating, the known physical universe (or a portion of the physical... Esoteric cosmology is cosmology that is an intrinsic part of an esoteric or occult system of thought. ... Lińga Śarīra is the Sanskrit term for the invisible double of the human body. ... For the musical band of the same name, see Astral Projection (group). ...

References

• Heindel, Max, The Rosicrucian Mysteries (Chapter III: The Visible and the Invisible Worlds), 1911, ISBN 0-911274-86-3
• Powell, Arthur E. The Astral Body and other Astral Phenomena
• Steiner, Rudolph, Theosophy: An introduction to the supersensible knowledge of the world and the destination of man. London: Rudolf Steiner Press. (1904) 1970
• Twitchell, Paul, "ECKANKAR - The Key to Secret Worlds" Eckankar, 2nd Ed. 2001. ISBN 1-57043-154-X
• ----- Occult Science - An Outline. Trans. George and Mary Adams. London: Rudolf Steiner Press, 1909, 1969
• "Come sdoppiarsi e viaggiare nei mondi soprasensibili" - Tommaso Palamidessi (Archeosofia, Vol. III, Metodologie Archeosofiche e sperimentazioni pratiche, Roma: Archeosofica, 1989).

Eckankar. ...

Notes

1. ^ The Power of Three Blondes
2. ^ Apocalypse Not
3. ^ The Courtship of Wyatt's Father
4. ^ Styx Feet Under