THE

MENTALIST'S

HANDBOOK

"TheHumanSoulpossesses,fromthefactofitsbeingofthesameessenceasallcreation,amarvellouspower.Onewhopossessesthesecretisenabledtoriseashighashisimaginationwillcarryhim;buthedoesthatonlyontheconditionof

becomingcloselyunitedtothisuniversalforce."

-HEINRICHCORNELIUSAGRIPPA,

deOccultaPhilosophia

(trans.H.P.Blavatsky,IsisUnveiled)

CONTENTS

Illustrations.....................................xi

ForewordbyJeffHoke...........................xiii

Introduction....................................xvii

TheCamelopard................................xxi

InstructionsforRecordingExperiments.............xxiii

LessonOne.TheNatureofAether..................3

TheBasicsofMeditationandVisualization-TheBasicsofMeditation-AnInitialMeditationThe Basics of VisualizationA Simple Visualization-The Importanceoflmagination-A Description of the Aetheric Plane-Imagining the AethericPlaneTheLocationofThisPlace-"WhatGoodIstheAethericPlane?"TheNatureofAetherAetherasaSubstance-TheScuptor'sStudio-SomeQuestionsabouttheSculptor'sStudioAetherandtheSupernaturalWorld-TwoBodiesinOnePerson-Visualizing the Aetheric Body-Visualization and Memory-Observation andMemory-Memory of the Commonplace-The Mentalism Connection-PsychismsAstral Projection-Spiritism-Mind Is Matter, Matter Is Mind-LettersfromAspirants

LessonTwo.AethericBeings......................33

TheAethericPlane, ItsWorldsandVibrations-TheAstralWorldTheElementalWorldTheElysianWorld,orElysium-AnIntroductiontoVibrationalTheoryAllIs Aether-Below and above the Material-Elemental Vibration-Perception andReality in the Aether-Inky Flares-An Aetheric Bestiary-Animal Spirits-AstralHounds-Departed Spirits-Devas-The Dweller on the Threshold Elementals(Nature Spirits-Elementals ThoughtForms-False Gods-Gestalts-Ghosts-GhostStars-Lost Souls-Manfested Spirits-Phantoms (Plant and Object Doubles-PoltergeistsProjected Astral Bodies ofMentalists-Revenants-Secret MastersStar

Guides-Vapors-Wraiths

LessonThree.AethericExercises....................69

Entering the LowerAstral Vibration-The Body'sAetheric LinksThe ForeheadLink-TheEyeLinksTheChestLink-TheNavelLink-TheSexOrganLink-TheHand LinksThe Foot LinksActivating the Aetheric Links-Daily Exercises forMentalistsThe Aetheric Dozen-Starter PsychismsAn Initial Exercise inClairvoyance-An Initial Exercise in Telepathy--An Initial Exercise inTelekinesis-AdjustingYourDailyRoutineHealthyMaterialism

LessonFour.Ascension............................99

Internal Aether-Strengthening InternalAether-Common Questions aboutInternalAether-Many Bodies, One SelfThe Sublime Bodies-InitialExercisesAwakearoundtheBlockGettingtoKnowYou-4MaterialDissolution-A Separate SelfProjecting the Astral BodyAscension-YourAstralNeighborhoodGoingHigher-PsychicResidueAethericHousekeepingDissolutionofEveryday Objects-The Dweller on the Threshold-Crossing the Threshold-GoingOn

LessonFive.TheSpiritWorld.....................129

TheLivingandtheDead-CenturiesofSpiritism-SpiritismToday-QuestionsfromReaders-Aetherand theAfterlfe-WhereDoWeGoWhenWeDie?AWord forBelieversAnotherforNonbelievers-TheNatureofSpiritsHumanSpiritsAnimalSpirits-Phantoms-Mediums among Us-The New New WorldStrengthen ingAttention-ThePowerofPhantomsAPhantomCompanion-ReachingOut-SensingSpiritsSpiritisminEverydayLife-SpiritsSurroundUsEvenYou

LessonSix.MentalInfluence.......................167

VisualizingtheInvisible-ACompletePicture-TheShapeofThoughtsEmotionsIllustrated-The Nature of ThoughtForm Elementals-Clairvoyance andAethericGradation-AClairvoyantExploration-Telekinetic InfluenceandEmotion-BowlsofEmotion-FurtherTelekineticExperiments-TheThought-CloudsofTelepathy-TelepathicConversation-TheUnspokenMessage-TheEthicsofMentalism

IndexofExercisesbyNumberandTitle..............191

IndexofExercisesbyTopic........................193

Acknowledgments................................197

AbouttheAuthor................................199

AethericBeingsIdentificationChart.......insidedustjacket

ILLUSTRATIONS

TheCamelopard................................xxi

TheManifestationofAether........................1

ASimpleFigureforInitialVisualizationWork.........7

AnAethericLandscape............................10

TheSculptor'sStudio..............................16

VisualizingtheAethericBody......................21

TestingObservationandMemory...................22

ElementalsfromtheFourKingdoms.................31

AVibrationalMapoftheAethericPlane.............39

VisualizingtheElementalBody.....................41

AethericBeings...............................45-64

PosturesfromtheAethericDozen...................67

TheTenAethericLinks...........................75

ActivatingtheAethericLinks.......................78

TheAethericDozen............................80-87

TelekineticManipulationofaCoin..................93

AstralFlightaboveaTown........................97

StrengtheningPersonalAether.....................102

AwakearoundtheBlock.........................107

DissolutionofSugar.............................109

SeparationoftheAstralBody......................113

DissolutionofEverydayObjects...................120

FacingtheDwellerontheThreshold................123

InhabitantsoftheSpiritWorld....................127

EmanuelSwedenborg............................131

MeetingaSpirit.................................161

AetherisAllaroundUs..........................165

VisualizingtheInvisible..........................170

SampleThoughtFormSketches...................172

AetherinaCommonPen.........................176

AnAethericBowl...............................183

TheUnspokenMessage..........................187

AethericBeingsIdentificationChart......insidedustjacket

FOREWORD

CLINTANDISHAREASECRET.It'sasecretthat'sdifficulttodescribe,evento ourselves. It comes froma hiddendesire to believe in the unknown,mixedwith a particular skepticism. We believe there's more out there than whatreasonablepeoplehaveanswers for,but the realitiesofeveryday life reinforceourpragmatism.Weexperiencethingsinlifethatmystifyus,weread,wetalkitover, andwe try tomake sense of it all throughwhatwe create.Belief spurscreativity.CreativitybeckonsbeliefIt'dbeaprettydrearyworldwithouteither.

IfirstmetClintattheAlternativePressExpoinSanJose,California,in1999.Iwas there exhibiting the first physicalmanifestation of theMuseum of LostWonder,avelvet-curtainedfacadehoveringovera fewofmyearlypamphlets.The showsurroundedmewithadizzyingarrayofyoungartists spewing forththeircartooncharacters.Ididn'tquitefitin.

SomehowmyownbrandofquirkinessattractedClint.Heintroducedhimselfandsharedafewjokes.Hedidn'tseemtofitineither.Clintexudedwarmthanda peculiar sense of humor (one immediately recognizable to fellowMidwesterners).Twoweekslaterheshoweduponmydoorstep,ahundredmilesaway,totalktomeaboutmywork.Webecamefastfriends.

Clintwas,andstill is,anamazingmixtureofmagicandcommonsense.Heand I share a sense of wonder inherited from metaphysical books, Forteanmagazines,andadventurecomicsthatinfectedourmindsaskids.It'sabugwenever shook as we passed into adulthood. The enchantment has never goneaway.Walking the thin line between reason and belief is what has drawn ustogether.Themystery, thework,hasalwaysbeen in reconciling theseeminglycontradictoryworldsofimaginationandday-to-daylife.Toaccomplishthiswehadtomakeworldsofourownwhereitallworkedtogether.Icreatedaworldcontainedwithinamuseumthat,althoughitisafantasy,isaveryrealplaceforme. Clint was able to materialize his world in the aether. Where I created aspecificplaceintheimagination,Clintexploresanentireregion-onethatisveryrealtomanypeople-andgivesusakindofroadmapofhowtogetthere.Ithinkmymuseumliessomewhereonthatplane.

Clint'swork is a personal exploration into the unknown, onewhere all he's

read, experienced, and wondered about makes sense.We had a heart-to-hearttalkonce,tryingtofigureoutifthispersonalkindofinvestigationhasanyvalueforothers.Itwasoneofthose"Whydowedothis?","Whocares?",and"Whydoes itmatter?" conversations.We talked about finding our inspiration in thewritingsandideasofesotericthinkersthroughouthistory.Thinkingaboutthosewho came beforewith their meandering, obfuscated, sometimes enlightening,oftentimesfrustratingtexts-madeusrealizeourlinktothepast.

From theNeo-Platonists andRenaissance thinkers to the turn-of-the-centuryvisionarieswhocombinedEasternandWesternthought,intrepidpioneersoftheimagination have always mixed personal fact and fancy in their philosophies(despitewhat theymightwantus tobelieve).They tried tomake senseof thewritingsthatinspiredthem.Theymixedwhatthesebookstaughtthemwiththeirownpersonal experience, and theymade their passionsmeaningful by sharingand expressing their ideas in terms of their own time. They syncretized andmanifestedesotericthoughtintosomethingmeaningful,somethinguseful.Theydid,intheirowneras,thesamethingwearedoingnow.

Clinthasemulatedastylethatnodstothepast,buthispragmaticapproachistotallymodern.Ifourworkhasanyvalue,it'sinourbeingpartofthiscontinuumof idealistswhohave reached into thepast, embraced thepresent, and tried tocarrytheirinspirationintotheworldtheylivedin.

ClintwasthefirsteditorofmywritingsforTheMuseumofLostWonder,and

hecontinues tohelpmakesenseofmycreations. I'mproud tohavedrawnthepicturesthathelpgivelifetotheverypractical,butuncommon,senseyou'llfindinthebookyou'rereadingnow.

ThesecretClintandIshare remainsdifficult todescribe,butat itsheart it'sthat we believe everyone has the ability to suspend disbelief, explore theimagination,andapplywhattheyfindtoeverydaylife.Thesecretisoutthereforeveryone to discover and make their own. Here is a guidebook. Enjoy theadventure.

JeffHoke

INTRODUCTION

WHENIBEGANWORKONTHEESSAYSthatwouldeventuallybecollectedin TheMenta/ist's Handbook, my intention was to create a starting point fordiscussion and investigation into the world's more inexplicable phenomena,those things we ponder but can't explain through thinking alone. I'd beenfascinatedwiththepowerofthehumanmindanditspurportedabilityforastralprojection,communicationwiththespiritworld,andpsychicfeatsforaslongasIcouldremember, readinganyrelatedbooksIgotmyhandsonand talking towhomever would share with me stories of their own experiences. I was suretherewasareasonforsuchphenomenatoexist,andIhadasensethatitwasallrelatedsomehow.Butnoonecouldexplainanyof it tomysatisfaction.Couldthisallbetrue?Iwasinsecure,too,aboutbeingcalledafoolforquestioningthelimitsofhumanknowledgeintherationalworldthatweliveintoday.

Eventuallymy frustration got the upper hand, and I took it uponmyself tobuildahomeforallthingsunexplainable.Usingacombinationofvisualizationtechniques,artclassexercises, ideas fromesotericbooks,andhealthydosesofintuitionandimagination,Iforgedaplacecalledtheaethericplane,arealmthatcould be explored through the contemplative practice known as mentalism.Strange as it may seem, I wasn't the first person to visit the aether. TheTheosophistsoftheVictorianeraandotherthinkersthroughouthistoryhadbeentherebeforeme,sowhenIbeganpublishingaseriesofpamphletsaboutmyowntake on the aether,mywriting and production styleswere in homage to thosewhohadgonebefore.EachissueofTheCamelopardexploredadifferentaspectof this fantastic realm. My love of the authoritative voice of secret societypublications,combinedwithmyownanxietiesaboutmyinterestinthesestrangetopics, ledme to write in the grandiose style of amastermentalist, one whoalreadyhadalltheanswers.Tomysurpriseanddelight,lettersfromaroundtheworldbegan to come tome in response to thepamphlets. It seemed Iwas farfromaloneinmysearchforanswers.

Throughout this project's decadelongdevelopment, I'vegoneback and forth

constantly in my mind about what I really think about mentalism and the

aethericplane.Justliketheaetheritself,myownapproachtothismaterialisanungraspableblendof theconcreteand the imaginary.Myexplorationstylehasbeen thatof theenthusiasticamateur,aself-madescholar takingperilous leapsbetweenotherpeople'sinvestigationsandmyownexperienceandinstincts.Mythesishasbeenbuiltupthroughaccretion,osmosis,andtheweirdalchemythatgoesonineachofourimaginations.I'vemaintainedmyskepticismeverystepoftheway,yetwheneverItryanyoftheexperimentsinthisbook,Igainrealandvaluableinsightintothepowerandworkingsofthehumanmindand,indoingso,oftheaetheritself.IsupposetheWizardofOzhasdayslikethis,too.

Ifattemptedwithdedicationandopenness,thiscourseworkwillleavenooneunchanged.Someofyouwillperceivetheworldoftheaetherexactlythewayitisdescribedinthisbook,inallitsfantasticstrangeness.Othersofyouwillgainadeeperunderstandingofyourcapacityformemoryandvisualization.Theaethermanifestsitselfinsubtlewaysandneverexactlyhowweexpect.

Iamsincerelyinterestedinreadingaccountsofyourownexperienceswiththevariousaspectsoftheaethericplane,eitherthroughthetechniquespresentedinThe Mentalist 's Handbook or using other methods. Please feel free to sendwrittencorrespondence tomeat thepostaladdressbeloworviamyWebsite,www.wonderella.org,whichhascurrentinformationaboutTheCamelopardandotherpublications.Thankyouverymuchforyour interest in theaether.Iwishyouthebestofluckinyourexplorations.

THECAMELOPARD

AT THE HEIGHT OF THEIR GLORY, the ancient Romans controlled vastamountsofEurope,Asia,andAfrica.MerchantsbroughtwondersfromthefarreachesoftheempiretoRometobedisplayedfortheenjoymentoftheemperorandthepublicalike.

Oneofthesewonderstheycalledthecamelopard-acreaturewiththeheadofacamel and the spots of a leopard. Now known as the giraffe, this graceful,elevatedanimalevokedasenseofmysteryandwonderinitsday.Thisfinebeastservesasthemascotforaspiringmentalists.

Bybringingfar-flungknowledgebeforethepublic,thisbook'sauthorhopestoinform and enlighten in the manner of the merchants of ancient Rome. TheMentalist'sHandbookendeavors toexplain to thecommonmanthenatureandpractice of mentalism and of the aetheric plane, which makes possibleextraordinary feats including astral projection, spirit communication, andpsychicpowers.

Asyoustudy thisbookyouwillgain insight into theaethericplane throughgeneral theory, historical examples, everyday comparisons, and easy-to-followexercises.Itishopedthat,asanaspiringmentalist,youwillattempttheexercisestothebestofyourabilityandcontacttheauthortotelloftheresults.

INSTRUCTIONSFORRECORDINGEXPERIMENTS

ASYOULEARNABOUTAETHER, it is important to keep a record of theexactmethodsandresultsofyourexperiments inmentalism.Outlinedhereareinstructions for recording such experiments.Aspiringmentalists should followtheinstructionsascloselyaspossibleandsendacopyoftheresultstotheauthor.

Justasacarpentercannotbuildahousewithoutahammerandnails, so thementalist cannot faithfully record his or her experiments without the propertools.Perhapsthemostimportanttoolintherecordingofaethericexperiments-beyondpenandpaper-isthesecretary.Thesecretaryneednotbeinyouremploy,perse.Heorshemaybeafriendofyours,ideallyonewhosharesyourinterestinmentalism.Thesecretary'sroleistositnearbyandfaithfullyrecordtheexactgoings-onduringyourexperiments.

If no secretary is forthcoming, and your funds allow, you might considerplacing an advertisement for one in the classifieds section of your localnewspaper.Oryoucouldbuyataperecorder.

Itiscrucialthatyourearlyexperimentsberecordedasfaithfullyaspossible.Communicatetheneedforclarityandthoroughnesstoyoursecretarybeforethetwoofyoucommencerecording.

Each record should include a brief synopsis of your general state of mind(calm, agitated, etc.), your diet for the past twentyfour hours, any thoughtsweighingheavilyonyourmind,andanyabnormalexternalconditionsthatmayaffect your session, such as a thunderstorm, a change in venue for yourmeditations,oranythingelselikethis.

Whenthisisdoneandyouareready,signaltoyoursecretary(orturnonyour

taperecorder)andbeginyouraethericsessionthewayyouwouldanyother.Ifyouareusingpenandpapertorecord,trynottobreakfromyourexperimentto

jot down your thoughts; rather, wait until the experiment is over. If you arerecording via tape or secretary, youmaymake commentary aloud for a betteraccount of the session. The secretary should take note of any shift intemperature,weather,orotheratmosphericconditionsas theyoccur.Relaxandgo throughyour session as youwould normally, but bearing inmind that youmustclearlyrememberwhathappenssoastobettercompareyourimpressionstotherecordedaccount.

Whenyouare through,mentallyreviewyourrecordedaccountforaccuracy.Add asmuch detail as you can andwhatever conclusions you draw from theexperiment.

Theauthorisgladtoreceivecopiesofyourrecordedexperiments,aswellasgeneral questions or commentary on the material in this course of study.Correspondentsshouldincludetheirfullnameandaddress.Mailallmanuscriptsvia post or electronic mail using the contact information given in this book'sintroduction.

IMAGINATION-VISUALIZATION-REALIZATIONREMEMBER!ALLIS

AETHERMENTALISM=WILLOVERAETHER

THE

MENTALIST'S

HANDBOOK

LESSONONE.

THENATUREOFAETHER

TheBasicsofMeditationandVisualization-TheBasicsofMeditationAnInitialMeditationTheBasicsofVisualizationASimpleVisualization-TheImportanceoflmaginationADescriptionoftheAethericPlane-ImaginingtheAetheric

PlaneTheLocationofThisPlace-"WhatGoodIstheAethericPlane?"TheNatureofAetherAetherasaSubstance-TheSculptor'sStudio-SomeQuestionsabouttheSculptor'sStudioAetherandtheSupernaturalWorld-TwoBodiesinOnePerson-

VisualizingtheAethericBody-VisualizationandMemory-ObservationandMemory-MemoryoftheCommonplace-TheMentalismConnection-

PsychismsAstralProjection-Spiritism-MindIsMatter,MatterIsMind-LettersfromAspirants

"Littlebrother,givemethyhand;forthefirststepishard."

-ALEISTERCROWLEY

ABOVE,BELOW,ANDTHROUGHOUT theworldyouand I callhome, theaethericplanedwellsalso.Everythingwesee,hear,touch,think,andfeelhasacounterpartinthisplace,andwhenyouvisittheaethericplane,youwillseehowthematerialandmentalqualitiesof these thingsbegin toblurand intermingle."Aether" is theword used to signify the substance thatmakes up the aethericplane.

Inthislesson,thequalitiesofaetherandtheaethericplaneareset,toforma

foundation for exploration into this vast and fascinating realm.Youwill learnmuchmore than you thought you would and think more than you knew youcould. Your curiosity will be set alight, and you will dare to pierce the veilbetweenthisworldandtheothers.

Usingthesimpleexercisesdescribedinthislesson,yourfacultyformentalismwillincrease.Don'tbediscouragedifatfirstyouarenotassuccessfulasyoulikewiththelessons.Allwillbeyoursthroughpracticeanddiligence.

And now, let us proceedwith our worthy goal, informing theworld of thefactssurroundingthenatureofaether.

THEBASICSOFMEDITATIONANDVISUALIZATION

Meditationandvisualizationaretwoimportantpracticesusedintheexercisesintherestofthisbook.Theyarethefirstskillsanyoneaspiringtomentalismmustlearn. These pages will introduce you to the concepts behind meditation andvisualizationandwillleadyouthroughpreliminarytrialsofboth.

TheBasicsofMeditation

Meditationistherootskilloftheaspiringmentalist.Byrelaxingusandshiftingourattentionfromtheeveryday,meditationisthetoolthatallowsustoconnecttotheaethericplane.Inorderformeditationtobeeffective,itmustbepracticeddaily.Thesedirectionswillhelpyouwithyourfirstsimplemeditations.Asyouraethericstudiesprogress,youwilllearnmuchmoreaboutthisskill.

If thiswere a book for bodybuilders, it would include exercises for you to

repeat to strengthen your physical muscles. We are going to strengthen our"mentalmuscles"thesamewayweightliftersbuildtheirbiceps-throughpractice!Youwill find that frequentmeditationonacertain thing (in thisexercisewe'llfocus on the breath) will help you concentrate your thoughts and relax yourbody.Acalmmindandbodyareessentialtomentalism.

Exercise1:AnInitialMeditation

Findaquietspacewhereyoucangoandnotbedisturbedbynoiseorothers.Sitinachairoronthefloor,inacomfortablepositionbutwithyourbackstraight.Meditation is about breathing, andwith a straight back, you allow your lungsoptimalexpansion.Ifyouareinachair,youcanresistthetemptationtoslouchbysittingonitsfrontedge.

Relax. Concentrate on your breath. Breathe slowly and deliberately, lettingyourselfrelaxmoreandmore.Trytothinkonlyofyourbreathasitenters,fills,andexitsyourbody.Itmayhelptocloseyoureyes.

Althoughitisnotnecessarytotimeyourmeditation,youshouldconcentrateonyourbreathingforaboutfiveminutes.Thiswillgrantyouadeeperattentiontoyourbodyandthephysicalactofbreathing.

If you find your attention wavering from your breath, gently return yourthoughtstothesimplerhythmoftheairflowinginandoutofyourbody.Don'tbefrustratedifyougetdistractedagainandagain,especiallyifyouarenewtomeditation.Thistakespractice.Withtime,meditationwillcomemoreandmorenaturally to you. Continue to breathe slowly-with yourmind focused on yourbreath-foranotherfiveminutes,tenifyou'reenjoyingit.

Whenyouarethrough,standupfromyoursittingpositionandstretch,lettingyour attention come back to the world around you. Repeat this type ofmeditation for fifteen minutes at least once every day. If you do, you willdevelopyourabilitytoconcentrateonsomethingveryintently(inthiscaseyourbreath)whileenteringarelaxedstateofbeing.Justas important,youwill findyourself happier and more relaxed in general. All these traits are essential tomentalism.

TheBasicsofVisualization

Perhapsthemostversatileskillofthementalistisvisualization,theabilitytoseewiththemind'seyethingsnotreadilyvisibletothephysicaleye.Visualizationsareusedbymentaliststohelpthempicturetheaethericplane.Thisishowyouwill use visualization at first, seeing the aetheric plane in your imagination.Later,itwillbethetoolyouusetoseeaetherforwhatittrulyis.

Takenatfacevalue,visualizationiswrittenoffbymanyaspureimagination.Atfirstthisistrue.Visualization,forbeginners,islittlemorethanconcentrationoncertain thoughts to thepoint that those thoughtsare integrated into the realscene before the mentalist. In mentalism and aetheric studies in general,visualization isan importantskill topractice,because it is thefirststepon theroadtotruesensingandinteractionwithaether.

Exercise2:ASimpleVisualization

Hereisanelementaryvisualizationthatyoucanperformevenifyouarenewtothediscipline.Thisexerciseworksinpartbecauseofcertainphysicalprinciplesthatgoverntheeye.Itisbasedonanopticalillusion.

Sitinaroomwithawhiteorlight-coloredwall.Stareatthesimplegeometricfigureofthehandwhilecountingslowlytothirty,thenquicklyshiftyourgazetotheaforementionedwall.Itmayhelpifyoublinkrapidlywhenyoudo.

Doyousee theafterimageof thefigureuponthewall, thewhitepartsblackand the black parts white? The effect is caused by a physical afterimage leftuponyoureyesfromstaringsolongattheimageandisanexampleofyourmindinterpretingtheafterimageasapicturethatisreallybeforeyoureyes.Thisisashadowystarttoyourvisualizationsbutastartnonetheless.

Dothisafewmoretimes,thentakethislittleleap:Trytovisualizethesame

imageuponthewall.Canyouseeitwithoutstaringattheillustrationfirst?Tryitnow. It's all right if you can't at first, but you should keep practicing this todevelopyourvisualizationabilities.

Thedifferencebetween the firstandsecondwayof seeing the image is thatthesecondtimeyouareseeingwithouttheaidofanyphysicalstimulus.Youare

usingyourmind.Comparethetwostylesofseeingbypracticingboth,thenseeifyou can play with your visualizations. Can you visualize the shape againstdifferentwalls?Canyouvisualizeitsuspendedoutfromthewallabit?Canyouadd parts to the image,maybe extra fingers, for example, and then take themaway? If so, good for you! You are well on your way to more complexvisualizations.

TheImportanceofImagination

Asyou practice the visualization exercises in this lesson, youwill realize justhowcrucial imaginationis to thework.Don't thinkof imaginationasacrutch,somethingyouhave toovercometoget to"real"visualizations. Imagination isless like a roadblock to visualization and more like a map. You've beenimagining things all your life, and visualization is an ability very akin toimagination.

ADESCRIPTIONOFTHEAETHERICPLANE

To the question I am often asked-"What is the aetheric plane like?"-I respondwithaquestionofmyown:"Howcanonedescribesuchaplace?"Theanswertothesecondquestionis,"Notnearlyenough."

Thesimplestwaytoputitisthis:Thereisanotherworldbeyond,yetinside,thematerialworldyouand Iknowand inhabit.Thisplace is atoncedifferentfromandthesameasours.Everythinginthisotherworldlooksasthoughitismadeof light. In fact, all thingson theaethericplanearemadeofa superfinesubstanceknownasaether.

Giventhenewnessofyour interestandstudies,wereyoutosee theaethericplanenow,putplainly,youwouldgomad.Itisbesttostartwithavisualizationofthisplace.Asyouprogressthroughtheexercisesinthisandfurtherlessons,you will find that visualizations are second only to realizations, so heed thisexercisecarefully.

Exercise3:ImaginingtheAethericPlane

Here is an exercise to help you envision the aetheric plane in relation to thematerialworldweinhabit.Itinvolvescreatinganaethericscenethatcorrespondswith the landscape you are already in. The first few times you perform thisexercise, simply use your imagination to picture the scenes. Once you feelcomfortablewithyourvisualizationskills,youshouldtrythisexerciseagainforaheightenedsenseoftheomnipresenceoftheaethericplane.

Whenyouareanaccomplishedmentalist,youwillbeabletoseeandinteract

withaethericlandscapes.Thetoolsyouwillusewillbethoseofthementalist-visualization,clairvoyance,andastralprojection.Fornow,however,youwillbeinstructedinthisexerciseusingatoolyoualreadypossess:imagination.Itmightbe helpful for a friend to read the following text to youwhile you do this, asmostofitisdonewithyoureyesclosed.

Takealookoutyourwindowor,ifyouarefortunateenoughtobereadingthisoutdoors,acrossthefurthestlandscapeavailabletoyou.Thisplacethatyouseebeforeyouexistsintandemontheaethericplane.Examineitindetail.Notethedimensions of the scene before you-the height, breadth, and depth of thelandscape.What are themain featuresof the scene?Whatare the littledetailsthattakesometimetonotice?

Whenyouaresatisfiedthatyouhaveagoodideaofthelayoftheland,takeadeepbreath.Letitoutslowlyandcloseyoureyes.Picturethescenethatyoujusttook in through your sense of vision. Think about the dimensions of height,

breadth, and depth. Remember the features you noted and fit them into thelandscapeinyourmind.

Thismentallandscapeisnotthesameasthescenebeforeyou-itisaproductof your imagination. Continue to breathe deeply. Keep your eyes closed andscrutinize your mental visualization, adding as many objects as you canrememberfromthe"real"landscapeintoyourimaginaryone.

Whenyouthinkyourmentallandscapeisascompleteasyoucanmakeit,youwillneedtomakeonefinalchangetoit.Thesceneyouhavebuiltinyourmindis a section of the aetheric plane, aworld thatmirrors our own. In this place,everythingseemstobemadeoflight.Coloreverythinginyourmentallandscapealightblue,orayellow,orwhatevercoloryoufancy,sothat it looksas if thewholescenehasatranslucentglowtoit.

Now, holding your glowing mental landscape at the forefront of your

thoughts,openyoureyesandsuperimposeitovertheactualscene,asifitwereatranslucent shell that wraps around all you see. If you can do this, you havealreadybeguntodevelopyourcapacityforvisualization.

The"doublevision"youhavecreatedisimaginary,butthereismoretowhatyouareseeingthanpureimagination.Inreality,beyondthegrossmaterialofourworldexistsanotherworldofwonderandpossibility-theaethericplane. It isaplaceandafeeling,athoughtandanemotion,andallofthesethingsatonce.ItisthesumtotalofrealityandoflifeitselfItisthepurest-andatthesametimethemostpracticalandrealincarnationofthestuffwecallimagination.

TheLocationofThisPlace

Another question I often field in regards to the aetheric plane concerns itspreciselocation."Wherecouldthisfantasticrealmbe?"aspirantswonderaloud.Theansweratfirstseemsoverlyenigmatic:"Theaethericplaneexistsinmanyplacesatonce."

It is important to realize that the "floating" location where we placed the

aethericplaneinourvisualizationisjustoneofaninfinitenumberofplacestovisualize theplane.Asyoulearnmoreabout theaethericplane,youwillmoreeasilyunderstandtheomnipresenceofthisplace.

Technicallyspeaking,theaethericplaneisabove,below,beside,andbeyondour world, existing in all places at once, boundless and invisible, or at leastinvisible to you for now. The aetheric plane is experienced through a shift inconsciousnessbrought onbymeditation andvisualization, and it is right here,withinus,now.Withpractice,youwillcatchaglimpseoftheaethericplane,andbeforeyouknowit,youwillseeitclearly.

"WhatGoodIstheAethericPlane?"

This is a valid question, especially today,when time is a valuable commodityandsomuchofitisrequiredforthestudyofaetherandmentalism.

Here isyouranswer:Thinkback toeveryextraordinarystoryyouhaveeverheard,everyanecdoteorlegendthatinvolvedunusualbeingsorabilities.Recallevery example of haunting, supernatural strength, deja vu, or extrasensoryperception.Doyouknowwhatcommonelement issharedbyall thosestories,what factor lies behind the fantastic feats or occurrences described? If youhaven'tguessedityet,knowthis:Itistheaethericplane.

All things tangible and intangible in this world-beings, objects, forces,thoughts, and emotions-are manifest on the aetheric plane in very substantialways.There,a thoughtcanbeasmightyasahurricanewind,destroyingcitiesand ruining ecosystems. One person's emotion can profoundly affect anotherperson'smovement.Asoundcanbuildacivilization.Animagecanstartafire.All thingsarepartof a commonsystem, shared languageunderstoodby thosetappedintothepoweroftheaethericplane.

Thatsaid,theaethericplaneisnotaplacethatcanbeknowneasily.Yearsof

practice and study are required of aspirants tomentalism. The payoffs of thisstudy are extraordinary. For if aether and the aetheric plane are part of alanguage,thenthosewhospeakthatlanguagefluentlyarenolessthanmastersofreality.

Nowcanyouseethegoodinlearningofsuchaplace?

THENATUREOFAETHER

Somewell-meaningaspirants tomentalismaskme,"What isaethermadeof?"Better for them to ask, "What isn't made of aether?" Answering the secondquestionismucheasierthanansweringthefirst.

Aether is all around us andwithin us aswell. It surrounds and imbues ourbodies,ouratmospheres,andeverythinginbetween.Beneaththesurfaceofourthoughts,ourfeelings,andourmovements,aetherlies.Itisasaliveasanythingintheworld,forinfactitconstituteseverythinginthisworldandbeyond.

Toexplainsomethingtoamaterialperson,onemustusematerialterms.Withthis inmind, it isbest to thinkofaetherasa fluid,one that inhabitsall space.Thisfluidisinfinitelymalleableandcanchangeitscoloranddensity,sothatitmay look and feel like anything imaginable.Furthermore, thewayonepersonperceivesaetherisquiteoftenverydifferentfromthewayanotherpersondoes.Aslipperysubstanceindeed.

Butaetherismorethanjustasubstance.Itisalsoaforce,likewindoroceancurrents, likemagnetismor infatuation. It is a force that canbegentler thanalovingthoughtormorepowerfulthananapocalypticstorm,dependingonhowitisused.

In its natural state-or perhaps I should say in our natural state-aether is

invisibleandintangible.Istressthatitisournaturalstate,thestateofbodyandmindmostpeopleare ineverydayof their lives, thatpreventsusfromseeing,touching,andotherwiseactivelyexperiencingaether.

The natural state of mankind is so called because of its connection to the"natural" material world and material awareness. The practice of mentalismelevatesthephysicalandmentalstatesofmantoahigherlevel,fromanaturalstatetoasupernaturalstate,asitwere,ofaethericawareness.Mentalismcreatesashiftinconsciousnessthatopensourmindtotheaethericplane.

Ifyouareatall familiarwith the tenetsofscience,Iamsureseveralalarmsarenowringinginyourmind.Thistalkofaethersurelysoundstoofantasticandunbelievable to be real. Everything we are taught about science refutes the

theoryof theaethericplane,yet it isnotscientistswhobringusknowledgeofaether,butmentalists.Thesemenandwomenarepioneersinthenewestandyetmostancientscience:mentalism.

Whereasscientistsand theirhangers-oncannotseeaether, trainedmentalistsseethestuffeasily.Asamentalist,theworldisyourworkshopaswellasyourplayground. As a trained manipulator of aether-and hence of reality itself-thementalist is one of the custodians of theworld.To thementalist, aether is theonlythingofimportance,becauseitisthebasicsubstanceofallsubstances.

Throughstrictpracticeofmeditationandvisualization,mentalistsareabletomanipulateaether to theirwill, eachaccording tohisorher levelofexpertise.Beginning mentalists are capable only of small feats of aether manipulation;those that continue their training eventually master marvels undreamed of bymodern man. As you advance in your studies of aether and mentalism, yourexpertisewillgrowaswell.

Everyoneonearthhasthepotentialtobecomeamentalist,butfewfollowthe

path. In matters of consciousness, mankind is a sleeping, dreaming bunch.Mentalism offers an awakening, an opening of eyes. Unfortunately, thisawakening is aprocess that takes timeandgreat effort, given thematerialisticworldviewweareborninto.

Whenyoufinallyseeaetherclearlyandaccept itsplace inyourviewof thecosmos, youwill see the interconnectedness of all things. This is the goal ofmentalism.

AetherasaSubstance

Aether isamaterial thatcanassumeanyshape, texture,color,ordensity.Asasubstance,itismuchfinerthantheairwebreathe,finerthananyelementontheperiodictable,finereventhananythoughtevertopassthroughourminds.

Travelers to the aetheric plane find that this other world is composed of"doubles"oftheplacesandbeingsfoundinourworld.Thethingsontheaethericplaneareghostlyinnature.Itisasifthefinestsheetofspidersilksettledonallthings on this earth, took the shape of what it touched, and floated away, allformsintact.

Thisisnottosaythataetherisastaticmaterial.No,itisconstantlychangingaccordingtothewillofmentalistspracticingtheirskills.Tothementalist,aetheris like a clay that can be sculpted by sheer willpower. Through intenseconcentrationonasegmentof theaethericplane,amentalistcontrols theformand feeling of the aether. And because aether embodies all things-objects,feelings,thoughts,actions-thementalistwhocanmanipulateaetherthuscontrolsthesethingsaswell.

Exercise4:TheSculptor'sStudio

This visualization exercise illustrates the richness and depth of the aethericplane. First, just read the following description so you can understand thepotentialofaetherandaethericmanipulation.Later,youmaywant tovisualizethe sceneandmanipulate the aether inotherways.Whenyouare ready to trythis exercise as a true visualization, beginwith at least tenminutes of breathmeditationtorelaxyouandclearyourmindofjumbledthoughtsoftheeverydayworld.Aswiththeotherexercisesinthisbook,youcanhaveafriendreadyouthefollowingdescriptionofthesculptor'sstudiowhileyouvisualizeit.

Ifaethercanbedescribedasasubstancemuchlikeclay,thementalistcanbe

describedasasculptor.Thinkofabusysculptor'sstudio,onewithhugemassesofwet,malleableclayplacedontablesthroughout.Trytopicturethestudioasfullyasyoucan,withmanydetails.Takeawhiletoconnectwiththisimaginaryplaceyouarevisualizing.

Withthisimagesetinyourmind'seye,begintochangeobjectsinthestudio,one by one, to clay.The table the sculptorworks at, for instance, changes, inyourvisualization,fromwoodandmetaltoclay.Thestudiofloorbecomesslickandpermeable,readytobemolded.Thewalls, thewindows,andtheceilingallclay.

Now imagine the clothes of the sculptor changing to clay.The sculptor canformthemintowhatevercostumehedesires.

Hisfleshandbonesandskin,hisentirebody,alsoshifts,toclay.Justasaethermakes thewhole of the aetheric plane, so clay composes all in this sculptor'sstudio.

Allthesethingsthatarenowclaycanbeapproachedbythesculptor,andeachcanbemoldedaccordingtohisdesires.Hemaymoldoneofhishandsintotheformofabird,detachit,andcauseittoflyaway.Hisotherhandmaybemoldedintotheshapeofaknife,and,withoutkilnorsunlightorevenheat,thesculptorcanhardenthisshapetothedensityofaknifemuchlikeoneyouorIwouldusetochopvegetables.With thisknifehecanslice throughotherpiecesofaether,which, if your imaginationhas continued in theveinwebeganat theonsetofthisexercise,comprisesnownotonlythephysicalobjectsinthestudio.butalsotheair,theshaftsofsunlightcominginthroughthewindowsandallthedustinthoseshafts,theflightpathofthehand/bird,andthethoughtsandemotionsofallsentientbeingswithinthestudio.

Spendsome time in thesculptor'sstudioandhavehimalter theclayaround

himself.Hecanchangeitwithease,asiftherewerenothingtoit.Anythingcanhappeninhisstudio.Letyourimaginationrunwildwiththepossibilities.

Whenyou'rereadytoleavethestudio,bringyourthoughtsbacktoyourbreathandmeditateforat leastfiveminutesbeforeopeningyoureyes.Thiswillgive

youtimetointernalizethepossibilitiesinherentinaethericmanipulation.

SomeQuestionsabouttheSculptor'sStudio

Howcouldthesculptormoldhissecondhand,whenhisfirsthasalreadyflownaway?

Theanswertothatquestiongetsatthecruxoftheideaofaether.Themaninthis visualization is not actually a sculptorworkingwith clay, but amentalistexercisinghiswilloveraether.Materialthings,likehandsandknivesandbirds,aremanipulatedbyothermaterialthings.Butbecausethesculptorwasworkingnot with clay but with aether, he is able to shape his second hand usingmentalism,whichbydefinitionis"willoveraether."

Letme clarify the question: Ifmaterial objects needmaterialmanipulation,andaethericobjectsneedaethericmanipulation,howcouldthesculptormoldhissecond (aetheric) hand if his first (aetheric) hand ismissing? Surely he needsaetherictoolsinordertoshapeaether.

Theonly"aetheric tool" thesculptor (mentalist) requires is thepowerofhisown mind, which he has developed through the practice of visualization.Remember that in addition to all visible things in the studio turning to clay(aether), all invisible things were turned as well. This includes the air, thethoughts of the sculptor, his emotions, and so on. Any of these "intangible"thingscouldbemanipulatedjustaseasilyasthe"physical"objectsintheroom.Toamentalist,itmakesnodifference.

So did the sculptor need to change his second hand to a knife, or could he

haveusedhismentalabilitytochopupaetherinstead?

This isagoodpoint. Itwasn'tnecessaryfor thesculptor toactuallyhaveanaethericknifetouseforaethericmanipulation.Sometimes,however,mentalistsfinditeasiertovisualizetoolsthattheycanuse.Thisisathrowbacktoeverydaymaterialisticperceptionof reality,butasweall live in thematerialworld, thatworldcarriesoverandinfluencesthewaywevisualizetheaethericworld.

AetherandtheSupernaturalWorld

Aether (and its malleability) is at the root of every so-called supernaturalphenomenon.Thinkaboutit.Withyournewunderstandingofaether,itiseasyto

explaintheexistenceofshape-shifterssuchasvampiresandwerewolves.Thesecreaturesaremerelymentalists,oneswhohavespecializedtheirabilitytoallowthemtochangetheirshapeaswellastheirpersona.

Doesthismakeyoumorecuriousyet?Allwillcometobeknownintime.Fornow,knowthisaboutaether:

1.Tothevastmajorityofpeople,aetherisinvisible,intangible,andimaginary.Tomentalists,itistheonlyrealthinginexistence.

2.Aetheristhewholeoftheaethericplane.Ontheaethericplane,allthings-betheythoughts,things,energy,people,orwhathaveyou-aremadeofessentiallythesamestuff.

3.Aetherisasubstancethatcanbemanipulatedmentally.

4.Thestrongerthementalabilitiesofthementalist,thestrongerthatmentalist'sinfluenceontheaethericplane.

Youtoowillbeabletomanipulatethissubstance,thislifeforce,asyoulearn

moreofthepowerofmentalism.

TWOBODIESINONEPERSON

Whenyouvisittheaethericplane,youwillbeinadifferentplace,andyetyouwill remain in thisworld.Thedual natureof each individual is that heor shepossessesamaterialbody(thefleshandblood)andanaethericbody(themind).Eachofthesebodiesiscapableofeasymovementinitsownworld(thematerialandtheaetheric,respectively)andcanmoveintheotherworldaswell.

Whatfollowsisanexercisetohelpyouimagineyouraethericbody.Youwillusethisbodytotraveltosomeofyourfavoriteplacesintheworld,withoutyourphysicalselfleavingtheplaceyouarerightnow.Don'tdiscountthisexerciseas"justimagination,"foritisimaginationthatfuelsmentalism.

Ifyou findyourselfgettingoverwhelmed,goback to the initialpractices in"TheBasicsofMeditationandVisualization."Aswiththepreviousexercise,youmaywanttoaskafriendtoguideyouthrough,havingthemreadthetextaloudslowlywhileyoucloseyoureyesandvisualize.

Exercise5:VisualizingtheAethericBody

Gotoaquietplacewhereyoucanmeditate.Closeyoureyes,relax,andbreathe,focusing on your breath. Do this for tenminutes or until you are completelyrelaxed.Breathing and relaxing.When you are completely relaxed, begin thisexerciseforyourimagination:

Pictureapersonstandinginabig,openfield.Thatpersonisyourmind.Thatpersonisyouraethericbody.Thatpersonisyou.

Youfindthatyoucanmoveyouraethericbodyaroundquiteeasily.It'saseasy

asimaginingyouaresomewhereelse,andthereyouare.

Letthefieldaroundyoufadeawayandthinkofoneofyourfavoriteplacestobe.Maybeitisavacationspot.Maybeitisyourhomeorthehomeofafriend.Pictureyourselfthere,inaspecificroomorsecludedspot.Howclearlycanyouseeeverything?Canyourecallmuchofthisplaceclearly,oristhescenehazy?Lookaround,checkingthingsoutabit.

(Ifyouarereadingthis toyourfriend,pausehereforaminuteorsoandletthemwanderaroundintheirvisualization,thenresumewiththenextparagraph.)

Afteryou've spent some timehere lookingaround, thinkofanother favoriteplaceofyours.Thistimechooseapublicplace,aspecialshoporrestaurantyouliketovisit.Takealittlewhiletoletthevisionofyourfirstplacefade,whilethenewvisioncomestotheforefrontofyourthoughts.Pictureyourselfinthisnewplace-constructitusingyourimagination-andtakealookaround.

Spendsometimehere,inthissecondplace.Ifyouareinashop,lookatallthedisplays,allthoseobjects.Ifyouareinarestaurant,lookatthetablesettings,thefood on the tables. Even though you are visiting this place in yourmind, thethingsaroundyouseemveryreal.

Stayhere as longasyou like.Whenyouare ready to leave, let the sceneryaroundyoufade,andreturntothebigfieldwhereyoubegan.Imaginethegrassandtreesaroundyou.Feelthesunonyourskin.Relaxhere.Relax.

Whenyouaretotallyrelaxed,returnyourattentiontoyourbreathing.Slowlybringyourconsciousnessbacktoyourphysicalbody.Itissittinghere,breathing.Think of the place where you are sitting, and carefully bring your consciousthoughtstothisplace,rememberingwhatitisliketoseeit.Continuetobreatheslowly, and when you are ready, open your eyes and return yourself to thematerialworld.

Congratulations,youhavejusttakenyourfirsttripusingyouraethericbody!

VISUALIZATIONANDMEMORY

Agoodmemory is essential tomentalism.Themoreyoucan remember aboutplacesandthings,thebetteryourvisualizationswillbe.Herearesomeexercisestohelpyoudevelopyourmemoryandvisualizationskills.

Exercise6:ObservationandMemory

Trythisexperimenttotestyourpowersofobservation.Sitatatablethatisclearbut for one object. The object you choose should be simple, without movingpartsifpossible.Aball,aknife,oradishallworkwellforthisexperiment.Seehowlongyoucanexamine theobjectbeforeyourmindbegins towander.Notlong? Take a breather, a few minutes, and try again. Do this until you canexaminetheobjectforatleastthreeminutes.Useatimertokeeptime.

Afteryouhaveexaminedtheobjectforthislong,putitoutofyoursightbutkeep it in your mind. Write as many notes as you can about the object,observationsthatpointoutthephysicalcharacteristicsofit.Youhaveobservedthis object, examined it for three minutes. How many observations can youmake?Canyoufillapagewithobservations?

Whenyouaresatisfiedwithyourobservations-thatis,whenyouhavefinishedcataloging your recollections about the object-bring it back onto the table andexamine it somemore.Examine it for threemoreminutes, then return toyourpage,turnitover,andfillthebacksidewithmoreobservations.

Exercise7:MemoryoftheCommonplace

Inmentalism, it is oftennecessary tovisualize commonplace items, thingswesee every day but often take for granted. Test your ability by conducting thissimple experiment.Takeapencil andapieceofpaper and, sitting insideyourhouse,drawapictureofyourfrontdoorasviewedfromtheoutside.(Drawyourbackdoorifitistheoneyouusemostoften.)Don'tsitinviewofthedoororgooutsidetohavealookorevenpeekoutthewindow.Justsitanddrawthedoorasbestyoucan,includingeverydetail,frommemory.

Itshouldbeeasy,right?Afterall,youusethisdooreachdaywhenyouleave

homeandagainwhenyoureturn.Youprobablytakeatleastaquickglanceatitonyourwayintoyourhouse.Butwhatamindlesslotismankind!Forchancesarevery likely thatwhenyouhave finishedyourdiagramandgoneoutside tocompareitagainsttherealthing,therewillbemanyerrorsinthedrawing-somemoregravethanothers-thatyoucannotbelievefoundtheirwayin.

Nowmakeaseconddrawingofthedoor,thistimesittinginfrontofthedoorandlookingatitforreference.Makethedrawingasdetailedasyoucanandpaycloseattentiontothethingsyouleftoutorbungledinthefirstdrawing.Fixtheminthisdrawing.

Thenextday,sitinsideagainanddrawyourdoorlookingneitheratthedoornoryourpreviousdrawings.Stopfrequentlyasyoudraw,closingyoureyesandpicturingthedoorinyourmind.Trytopicturethedooritself,notthetechnicallinesofyourpreviousdrawings.Nowcompareyourdrawingtothefirstoneyoumade yesterday. Did you make any of the same mistakes? Were there newmistakes?Comparethedrawingwiththeactualdoor,thendrawthedoorwhilesittingbeforeit,likeyoudidyesterday.

Ifyoucontinuemakingthesesetsofdrawingseachdayfortwoweeks,yourpowerofvisualizationwilldevelopimmenselyandbewellonitswaytohelpingyouachieveflighttotheaethericplane.

THEMENTALISMCONNECTION

If you have read this far, you know that aether is a substance permeating allthingsinreality,amaterialthatcanbemanipulatedmentally,byforceofwill,tovarious ends, the practice of which is called mentalism. The types of featsdescribedinthe"Sculptor'sStudio"visualizationcouldbedefinedastelekineticinnature(as in telekinesis, theability tomovematerialobjectsusingthought).Buttelekinesisisonlyoneofthemanyabilitiesatthementalist'sdisposal.

Thisbookwillinstructaspirantsinthreeofthementalist'smostcommonusesofaether,namelypsychisms,astralprojection,andspiritism.Anintroductiontoeachof thesedisciplines isofferedhere.Throughout thisbookwewillexploreeachindetail.

Psychisms

Humansperceivetheworldaroundthemwithfivesenses:sight,hearing,touch,smell, and taste. Mentalists share these senses with untrained (also called"mundane")humans,butwhereasmundanesarelimitedtotheireverydayrangeofsenseseeingonlythethingsinfrontofthem,hearingonlythesoundswithinearshot-mentalistscanperceiveatamuchgreaterdistance,dependingupontheirlevel of mastery. Clairvoyance (remote viewing) and clairaudience (remotehearing) are the most common types of remote sensing, but many mentalistsdevelopremotesensesoftaste,touch,andsmell.

Haveyouever tried toguess thenumberof fingersa friendwasconcealingbehind his or her back? Chances are that you could not correctly guess thenumber,becauseyoucouldn'tseeyourfriend'shand.Wouldn'titamazebothyouand your friend if you could guess the number not once, but ten consecutive

times?Awell-developedsenseofclairvoyancemakesthisfeatnotonlypossible,butlikely.

Byusingaether invariousways,mentalistscanperformastonishingpsychic

feats.MentalistsdeveloptheirpsychismsthroughpracticewithZenercardsanddailyworkwithmeditationandvisualization.Mentalpowers like extrasensoryperception(ESP),telekinesis,andmindreadingallcomefromtheaethericplane.

AstralProjection

Theaethericplane isnot amere static,duplicateuniverseofourown. It is anactive, changing place of great possibility. Things impossible in the materialworldarecommonplaceintheaether.

Byexpellingandcondensingaportionofhisorherownaether,amentalistcreates an aetheric, or astral, body that can move about independent of thephysicalselfThisbodyismuchliketheaethericbodythatyouvisualizedintheearlierexercise.Usinganastralbody,thementalistcantraveltoplacesthatareinaccessible or dangerous to the physical body.Who needs a spaceshipwhenyoucantraveltothemoonwithouthelpfromanythingbutyourownmind?

Astral projection is perhaps themost dynamic use of aether.Mentalists canuseastralprojectiontodivetothebottomoftheoceanortoflytothenextstar.Practicing astral projection takes much work and involves complexvisualizations,butthefreedomthatcomeswithmasteryofthisstudyiswithoutequal.

Other uses of astral projection combine with psychisms, enabling

clairvoyance,telekinesis,teleportation,andotherstupendousfeats.

Spiritism

Haveyoueverwonderedwhatitwouldbeliketotalktothespiritsofthosewhohavedied?PerhapsyouhaveattendedaseanceorusedaOuijaboardtoattemptsuchacommunication.Whathappenedwhenyoudid?

It is possible to contact the spirits of the dead via the aetheric plane.Mentalists tap into the realmof thedeadduring individualandgroupseances.This study is called spiritism and is a highly controversial topic amongmentalistsandmundanesalike.

Thebeingsyoucontactinthespiritworldaremadeofthesamematerialthatmoves theplanchetteacrossyourOuijaboardor that settlesyour tea leavesatthe bottom of your cup. That material is aether. The belief held by manymentalists-that asour souls,whendisembodied, subsequently inhabit the spiritworldandcanbecontactedbymeansofmentalism,sothenoursoulsthemselvesareconstructedofaether-hascausednoendofdebate.

But the disembodied spirits of the dead are not the only aetheric beingsavailableforconversationbymeansofspiritism.Otheraethericsdwellortravelontheaethericplaneaswell,betheytheaethericaspectsofmentalistspracticingastral projection, ormanifestationsof powerful thought and emotion that havetakenon an independent, rudimentary existence (such as poltergeists), or eventhesecret,invisiblemasterswhohavedweltexclusivelyontheaethericplaneforalleternity,guidingandmentoringaspirantsandaccomplishedmentalistsalike.Youwilllearntocommunicatewiththemall.

Eachof thesedisciplineshasadistinct setof regimens tobe followedforbestresults. Future lessons will be devoted to astral projection, spiritism, andpsychism.

MINDISMATTER,MATTERISMIND

Ifthediscussionsinthislessonhaveplantedbuttwothoughtsinyourmind,theauthorhopestheyarethatallofcreationismadeofamaterialcalledaetherandthat practitioners of mentalism may hope to manipulate aether at will. Theseconceptsformthefoundationofmentalism.

Meditatefrequently,rememberingtofocusonyourbreath.Thispracticewillhelpyourelaxandthinkmoredeeplyaboutthenatureofaetherandtheaethericplane. If you spend a small amount of time eachday-as little as half anhour-pondering the ramifications of your knowledge of aether, you will strengthenyourcapacityformentalisminwhatseemslikenotimeatall.

LETTERSFROMASPIRANTS

DearEditor,

Whydoyouinsistontheae"spellingofaether?Isn'tthatabitantiquated?

-D.A.,SanFrancisco,Calif.

Ichosethe"ae"beginningforthewordbecauseIwantedtodifferentiatethese

lessons from other theories and for the substance to be recognizably differentfromthevaporether,whichnodoubtdeservesitsowncourseofstudy,judgingfromtheresponseI'vereceivedfrometherenthusiasts.Thespellingisalsoanodtomypredecessorsfromthenineteenthandeighteenthcenturies,whowroteinatimethatencouragedligaturesliketheecombination.

DearEditor,

I have a concern. If truly everyone has the potential for mentalism, thenperhaps this powermight be used by bad people. Is mentalism used to harmothers?

-0.S.,IowaCity,Iowa

Mentalismcanbeusedtoharmothers,buthappily,itrarelyis.Likeallstudiesandpractices,ourethics inmentalismmirroroureverydayethics.So if Iamabasically "good"person,onewho spends timehelpingothers andnotharmingthem, thenmy use ofmentalismwill reflect that. On the other hand, if I am"bad," Iwill likely usementalism to the detriment ofmankind.Consider this,though:Therearesomanywaystohurtsomeoneelsethattakelittleornoeffortat all, unlike mentalism. If someone studies mentalism for his own personaldevelopment, he is taking time and energy away from all the other things hecould be doing. Spiteful or vengeful thought detracts from the learning. Theskilledmentalistisonewhocanclearhismindofallotherthoughts,goodorill,andfocusonaether.

DearEditor,

Cananimalsmanipulateaether?Canplants?

-N.H.,ClevelandHeights,Ohio

Thethoughtprocessesofmostanimalsaretoobasicforaethericwork,whichis not to say there aren't instances of mentalism in animals. Bouts of strongemotioncantriggermentalisminanimalsjustasinhumans.Plants,byandlarge,thinktooslowlyforhumanstomeasure.Theyareundoubtedlymanipulatorsofaether,buttheeffectsaretoosubtleforustonotice.Ancientmaterialbeingslikethe redwood tree and the Galapagos tortoise are potent mentalists in theirkingdomsofVegetableandAnimal.

DearEditor,

Whathappenstooldthoughtsandemotionsontheaethericplane?

-D.I.,Boston,Mass.

Thoughtsintheaetherageastheydoinyourmind,eventuallydissipatinganddisappearing.Strongerthoughtslastlongerintheaether,though,asisevidencedbytheexistenceofvapors(abeingdescribedinthisbook'saethericbestiary).Allmoments in history, including the aetheric counterparts to emotions, thoughts,andobjects, are cataloged in theAkashicRecord, akindof libraryof aetherichistory.TheRecord is accessible from theastralworldand is averypowerfultoolinmentalism,albeitonethatcanbeusedforirreparableharm.

DearEditor,

Whathappenstoanaethericdoublewhenitsmaterialcounterpartdies?

-TR.,Portland,Oreg.

I'llmakenoattempt toskirt the issueof theafterlife-it'saspricklyasubjectamongmentalists as it is among the restofhumanity.Theoriesof theafterlifevaryfromplacetoplaceandreligiontoreligion.Thesoulandtheaethericbodycanbethoughtofasoneandthesame.Theaethericbodylivesontheaethericplaneduringthelifetimeofitsmaterialbodyandremainsthereafterdeath.This"aetheric survival" is the benefit of consciousness of our nature as sentientbeings.Thesamecan'tbesaidofthechairyou'resittinginorthecaryoudrive.They'rebothhas-beensintheaetherassoonasthey'redestroyedinthematerialworld. Souls in the aether wait around for a time after death, until their nextmaterialformisreadyforinhabitation.Atthatpointtheyjoinwiththematerial

worldonceagainandresumetheirdualnatureinthematerialandtheaetheric.

LESSONTWO.

AETHERICBEINGS

TheAethericPlane,ItsWorldsandVibrations-TheAstralWorldTheElementalWorldTheElysianWorld,orElysium-AnIntroductiontoVibrationalTheoryAlIsAether-BelowandabovetheMaterial-ElementalVibration-PerceptionandRealityintheAether-InkyFlares-AnAethericBestiary-AnimalSpirits-stralHounds-DepartedSpirits-Devas-TheDwellerontheThresholdElementals

(NatureSpirits)-Elementals(ThoughtForms)FalseGods-Gestalts-Ghosts-GhostStars-LostSoulsManifestedSpirits-Phantoms(PlantandObject

Doubles)PoltergeistsProjectedAstralBodiesofMentalistsRevenants-SecretMastersStarGuides-Vapors-Wraiths

"Itisabsurdaskingmetobehavemyself,"heanswered,lookingroundinastonishmentattheprettylittlegirlwhohadventuredtoaddresshim,"quiteabsurd.Imustrattlemychains,andgroanthroughkeyholes,andwalkaboutat

night,ifthatiswhatyoumean.Itismyonlyreasonforexisting."

-OSCARWILDE,TheCantervilleGhost

IN YOUR TRAVELS IN THE AETHER, you will encounter a number ofinteresting intelligences. These creatures will help or hinder your cause, eachaccordingtoitsnature.

Presentedhereinfieldguideformarelistingsfortwentyonebeingsthatmay

beencountered in theastral, elemental, andelysianworlds.Althoughwehavenotyetdevoted individual lessons to theserealms,abriefnoteoneachcanbefoundintheessaydirectlyfollowingthisintroduction.

Noaethericbestiarycaneverbecomprehensive,duetotheinfinitenumberofrealitiescreatedbymentalists theworldover.Keepinmindthat the listingsofaethericbeingsinthislessonaremerelycompositeaccountsofthecreaturesand

forcesastheyhavebeenencounteredinthepast.Yourownexperienceswiththesamebeingsmaybemarkedlydifferent.Itishopedthatthisguidewillgiveyouaglimpseofsomeofthemostcommonintelligencesyoumayencounterinyourexperienceswithaetherandprovideyouwithaframeworkfortheclassificationofaethericbeingsnoonehasyetencountered.

THEAETHERICPLANE,ITSWORLDSANDVIBRATIONS

Theaethericplaneencompassesallofreality.Formostpeopleonearth,realityseemstobeboundbythelimitsoftheirmaterialsurroundings.Thisneednotbethecase.Forwithknowledgeofaether, therearemanyworlds todiscoverandexplore.Aswehavealreadydiscussedtheaethericplaneindetail,outliningitsfunctionsandqualities,younodoubtbynowunderstandthattheaethericworldisaseparateplacefromtheworldwecallhome,andyetitistheonlytrueworldthereis.

Whenyouvisualizedyouraethericbodyinthepreviouslesson,youwentonajourneyinyourimagination.Soonyouwillbeabletotakesimilartripsinworldsnot far removed from thematerialworld, realms linked tousbyaether.Theseworldswill be referred to throughout your aetheric training, so it is importantthat you are able to tell the difference between them. Here is a set of briefdescriptionsofeachoftheworldswewilldiscuss.Thefactsbelowshouldgiveyou an idea of how the planes differ and of the native environments of theintelligencesdescribedintheaethericbestiarypresentedlaterinthislesson.

TheAstralWorld

Like the aetheric plane itself, the astralworld appears at times to bemade oflight.Othertimesitseemsverysimilartothematerialworld.Theastralworldisaconduit,afour-dimensionalhighwaythatallowsusfreepassagetootherpartsof the material world and also to Elysium. Vibrationally, the astral world isclosesttoourownworldandisthemosteasilyaccessible.

Throughaslightshiftinconsciousness,usuallyattainedthroughmeditation,aperson can alter thevibrational frequencyof his or her body and travel to theastralworld.Thisiscalledastralprojection.

People sometimes visit the astral world unintentionally, spontaneouslyprojecting their astral body. This happens most often during sleep or in the

hypnagogic state between wakefulness and sleep. Some theorists believe thatdreams are actually astral travels.While a trip to the astral world may seemdreamlike, your author does not endorse the idea that dreams and astralprojectionareoneandthesame.

TheElementalWorld

Onearth,thesubstanceswewillcall"elemental"fallundertheclassificationofphilosopherEmpedoclesofAgrigentum,Sicily(495-435BCE),whopostulatedthat all material things were combinations of four basic substances-fire, air,water,andearth-whichhecalledelements.

Empedocles's elements are crucial to many belief systems, includingHermeticismandearthreligions.Perhapsthecombinedbeliefsofthesesystems'practitioners created the elementalworld,orperhaps it has alwaysexisted andcreatedearthlyfaithtosustainitselfSuchisthepowerofbelief.

As you progress in your aetheric studies, you may want to travel to the

elementalworld.Itisdividedintofourkingdomsofequalsize,oneforeachoftheelements.Tosaythekingdomsareharshenvironmentsistheunderstatementofalifetime.Majorportionsofeachelementalkingdomarecomposedsolelyofthepurestformofitselement.Atriptotheearthplane,forexample,couldrevealnothing but solid, stonelikematerial extending as far as one's imagination caninterpret. This singularity quickly disorients the mind and makes movementdifficult. Other areas within each kingdom are made of simple elementalcombinations, resulting in realms of steam, for example, or of dust. Whileadvancedstudentsofmentalismareencouragedtovisittheelementalkingdoms,beginnersshouldkeeptheirdistance.Theexerciseprovidedlater in this lessonwillgiveyouatasteofthevibrationoftheelementofearthwithoutputtingyouinharm'sway.

The elementalworld is home to the elementals, nature spiritswho visit thematerialplanetocarryoutdutiesinthenameoffire,air,water,orearth.

TheElysianWorld,orElysium

The elysian world, also called Elysium, is the most unknowable of all theaethericworlds,foritisthefurthestremovedfromourownmaterialhome.Itisthe resting place of those spirits finally free, the hallowed realm of souls

unboundfromobligationstothematerialworld,ortoanyother,forthatmatter.Forthisandotherreasons,traveltoElysiumismostdangerousandthereforetheleastdocumented.

The spirits of the forever dead inhabit Elysium.No onewho "lives" in thisplaceawaitsreincarnation,resurrection,orthelike.Theireternalcyclesareatanend.ElysiumisalsohometotheGreekpantheonandallofthesylvancreaturesbelowthegodscentaurs,fauns,nymphs,andtherest.Inthisplace,thesebeingsaresimilar inappearanceandfunctionto thecharactersdescribedin theGreekmyths. If you are fortunate enough tomeet them, youwill recognize them atonce,butyoumayfindthemsubtlydifferentfromwhatyou'dexpect.

Even the most carefully plotted trip to Elysium is subject to the powerful

forcesthatguardtheplace.ALetheanfieldexistsonthenearsideoftheelysianfrequency. This vibration, named after the River Lethe in Dante's DivineComedy,causesrapiddecayintheshort-andlong-termmemoryfunctionsofthehumanbrain,oftentothepointwherepeopleremembernothingoftheirtimeinElysium.Intensestudyofthenatureoftheelysianworldis,intheopinionofthisauthor, a foolhardy undertaking for mentalists of less than two decades'experience.

ANINTRODUCTIONTOVIBRATIONALTHEORYAllIsAether

The differences between thematerial, astral, elemental, and elysian planes arechieflyvibrational.Eachoftheworldsismadeofaether,albeitaethervibratingwithin a frequency unique to that world.When you contact any of the otherworlds,youraethericbodyisvibratingwithinarangedistinctfromitsusualrate,theone thatkeepsus rooted in thematerialworld.These subtledifferences invibrationallowustoseebeyondthematerialworldandintotheaether.

As you can see from the title of this lesson, you are about to learn of theintelligences youwill encounter in your studies ofmentalism. It is a bit of amisleading term, "aetheric beings," because no matter where you go, in thisworldoranother,youarealwaysintheaether.Truthbetold,weareallaethericbeings. The difference between us is in which vibrational rangewe primarilydwell.

You are familiar with the beings to be found within the materialworld

vibration, as you yourself are such a creature. Plants, animals, insects, andmicrobes share this world, too. The intelligences that exist in the astral,elemental, and elysianworlds do so at the specific frequencies unique to thatplane. In thisway, beings indigenous to the astralworldwill never encounterbeings in the elemental world without the use of mentalism, and vice versa.Mentalists,however, trulyhave thebestofallworlds, as theycan"tune" theirbodiestothefrequenciesofanyoftheotherworlds,ifonlyforashortwhile.

Despite the inability of most aetheric beings to shift vibrational frequencyfromoneworldtothenext,someaethericsvisitthematerialworld.Thematerialplaneactsasasortof interplanarmeetinghouse,andhereelementals,elysians,andastralitescanfindoneanother.Certainhigh-levelintelligences,suchastheselectbeingsknownasthesecretmasters,areexemptfromsuchrestrictionsandcanmoveamongalltheworldseffortlessly.

Thechartprovidedheresimplifiesandcomparesthevibrationalrangeswithintheaether,showinghowtheycorrespondwitheachworld.Thinkofitasamapoftheaethericplanethatshowsnotnecessarilythedistancebutrathertheterrain

one must traverse to get from one place to another. Notice that the materialworld,theplacewhereweliveoureverydaylives,issituatedbetweenthelowerastral and the elemental worlds. In our day-to-day life, each of us vibratesphysicallyatafrequencywithintherangeforthematerialworld.Ifwedidn't,wewouldceasetoexisthere.

No frequencies are listed on this chart, as mankind has no instruments tomeasure thevibrationsoutside thematerialworldand thusnoway toquantifythem.Untilwedo,wemustbecontenttosaythatthehigheraworldisplacedonthechart,thehigher(orfaster)thefrequencyassociatedwiththatworld.Thinkofeachworldasa stateofconsciousness,ora stateofmind, ifyouwill.Thiswillhelpyouunderstandnotonlytherelationshipbetweenthoughtandplacebutalsotherelationshipbetweenstateofmindandstateofbeing.

BelowandabovetheMaterial

Lookatthechart.You'llnoticerightawaythattheelementalworldresidesbelowthematerial,vibratingata lowerfrequency thanyouor Ido.Justas theastralworld isexperiencedatahigher, finervibration, theelementalworld isvisitedbytuningthemindandbodydown(toalowervibration).

Theborderbetweenthematerialandlowerastralfrequenciesistheonemostoftenexploredbyhumans.Thebarrierbetweenthesetwoworldsismoreporousthantheboundariesbetweenotherworldsintheaether.Thelowerastralworldiswhere rudimentary astral projection takes place and matches the vibration ofhypnosissubjects.Itisthegatewaytothehigherworldsoftheastralandelysian.

The lower astral frequency is home to spirits of the human deadwho have

unfinished business on earth. Spirits still connected to their possessions or tomortallifeonearthdwellwithinthisfrequencyrangeandarecalledrevenants.Wecancommunicatemoreeffectivelywithrevenantsandotherspiritswhenwevibrateatafrequencysimilartotheirown.Thisiscommonlyachievedthroughmeditation.

Somehumansinthematerialworldvibratenaturallynearthehighorlowendofthematerialfrequencyrange.Theirexistenceisdistinctfromthatofthoseinthemiddle,andtheyareoftenrecognizablydifferent.Earlyculturesrecognizedsuchmenandwomenasshamansandwenttothemforspiritualadvice.Today,high-andlow-vibrationhumanshavegreatpotentialformentalism.Inthebestofcases,highorlowvibratorsareblessedwithsuperiorlevelsofintelligenceandintuition,sensingthingsothersdonot.Intheworstcases,thesamearealsosadlypronetoconditionsakintoschizophreniaanddementia.

Exercise8:ElementalVibration

In nature, we are surrounded by rocks, soil, wind, and water. It is ourpreoccupation with the material representation of the elements that keeps usfrom experiencing their subliminal antecedents in the elemental world. If youcanusemeditationandvisualizationtomovefromamaterialunderstandingof

an elemental substance such as soil to an aetheric understanding of the samematerial, you will be that much closer to your preliminary travels from thematerialworld.

Gathersomesoilonaplateandsit in frontof itat the table,as ifyouwereabouttoeatitfordinner.Withouttouchingthestuff,doathoroughexaminationofthesoil.Useonlyyoursensesofsightandsmelland,whereyoursensesfailyou,letyourimaginationfillintheblanks.

What do you know about soil? What are its properties? What are itslimitations?Whatissoilmadeof?Whatseparatesitfromtherestoftheworld?Ifsoilrepresentstheelementofearth,howisitdifferentfromaflame,aglassofwater,orabreeze,eacha representativeofanotherelement?Spendsome timeaskingyourselftheseandotherquestionsthatcometomind.

Once you have stared intently at the soil and pondered these questions formore than five minutes, you will no doubt have already entered a sort ofmeditative state. Notice your breathing and let your mind focus on the soilbefore you.Continue your examination as youmeditate, and try not tomove.Soilisimmobile.Itrests,supportsthelivingthingsabove,below,andwithinit.Takeslow,deepbreathsandfeelyourconsciousnesscomingclosertothenatureofthesoil.

Now close your eyes and meditate upon the new discoveries you've made

aboutsoil.Whatwoulditbeliketobemadeofthisstuff?Breathe,andasyoudo,focusyourconsciousnessonyourbreath.Witheachbreathyoumentallygainmoreoftherich,earthy,solidqualitiesofthesoil.Yourconsciousnessisslowingdown,comingcloser to the submaterialvibrationof theelementalkingdomofearth.Canyoufeelit?

Of course you can. Remain at this reduced vibrational frequency for a few

minutes before slowly bringing your consciousness back to a normalmaterialvibration.Itisbesttoeasebackintomaterialconsciousness,slowlyenvisioningyour limbs and internal organs changing from rock and soil back to flesh andblood.

Onceyouhavereturnedtoyourregularbodyandframeofmind,writedownyourthoughtsregardingyourelementalvibrationalexperience.Ifyoulike,youmaysendacopyofyournotestotheauthor.Trythisexerciseagainlaterandseeifyounoticeanythingnew.

PERCEPTIONANDREALITYINTHEAETHER

Becauseallthingsontheaethericplane-objects,actions,thoughts,emotions,andsoon-aremadeofaether,relativeperceptionofrealityisprofoundlyimportant,asthethoughtsofonebeingalterthenatureofrealityforallthosearoundit.

The consensual nature of reality is valid in thematerialworld aswell, to acertainextent.Socialconstructslikethosesurroundingwork,relationships,andday-to-daylifecorralouractionsand,whetherwelikeitornot,ourthoughtsandfeelings.Oneperson'swordscanaffectouremotions,andanotherperson'slooksmightputcertainthoughtsinyourheadormine.

Ifprovokedbyexternalmeans,somethoughtsareinevitable.IfIsay,"Don'tthinkofpinkelephantswalkingtightropes!"you'reboundtodojusttheopposite.Into your thoughts sway the pachyderms on the high wire. You can't help it,becauseyou'vebeengivenaveryspecificinstructionnottodosomething.Yourthoughtsgotothetopicofthesentence.Thereisnowaytogetaroundthinkingof pink elephantswalking a tightrope, or at least it is inevitable that youwillthink of the elephants before you think of something else. Even the act ofconsciouslynotthinkingofpinkelephantswalkingatightropefailsyou,becauseatleastinitiallyyouwillthinkofthethingyouarenotsupposedtothinkof.

Just as the pink elephants are best kept out of yourmind if you don't ever

thinkofnotthinkingofthem,soyouraethericrealityisprotectedifyougointotheaetherwithoutpreconceivednotionsofwhatyou'llfindthere.Despitealltheinstructiongiveninthisbook,individualinterpretationiskingintheaether.Thisbook canonly give you a frameof reference.Nothing ismore important thanyourownexperience.

Straythoughtsintheaetherareakintostraydogs.Theycanrunwildjustlikedogs, to good and ill effect. In the aether, where appearances can maskintentions,whatyouseeismostcertainlynotwhatyouget.

"Whythenanaethericbestiary?"youmightask.It'sagoodquestion,becauseat first glance, this lesson looks like a natural history of the creatures of theaethericplane.Infact,it'snosuchthingatall.Theentrieshereinareprovidedasaframeworkforyou,theaetherictraveler,tousetounderstandtherolesplayedby the dwellers of the elemental, astral, and elysian worlds. It is not aprescriptive text that should overrule your own judgmentwhen you encounterthesecreatures.

Beginning mentalists must exercise extreme caution around more powerfulaetheric beings. A creaturewith a better grasp on aetheric theorywill alwayshave the upper hand in ameetingwith a lessermentalist. The aether is not aplaceforbravadoandtherecklessapproachingofhigherintelligences.

There is an initial mental shock all lesser aetheric beings experience whentheycomeincontactwithahigheraetheric.Theshockfeelslikethesensationofthinkingyou'realoneandsuddenlyfindingsomeonequiteclosetoyou.Anotherfeeling people have compared to aetheric shock is the sensation of beingawakenedwhile in the hypnagogic state betweenwakefulness and dreams. Inmuchthesamewayasthistypeofdisturbance,anaethericshockoftensnapsthementalistbacktohisorhermaterialbody.Alessershockisfeltuponsettlingatanonmaterial frequency, but this shock doesn't usually snap your consciousnessbacktoearth.

Scale plays a dominant role in the aether. Things can never be assumed to

havethesamemagnitudetheyholdonearth.Thisistruebecausethepowersofthought,emotion,andperceptionaresocrucial tohowscalemanifestsitself in

the aether. Just as time can be distorted there, so can space. Something thatseemstotoweroveronevisitorintheaethermayappearminisculetothenext.Aswithall thingsaetheric,scaleisall inthemindofandtoagreatdegree, themindsaround-thementalist.

Exercise9:InkyFlares

Trythisexperiment,whichillustrateshowconsciousnessrepresentsitselfontheaethericplane.Fillabasinorlargebowlwithwater.Letasingledropofblueinkfallintothewater.Doyouseehowtheinkexplodesoutfromitsinitialcontactpointwith thewater, droppingdownand sendingblue flares in all directions?Yourconsciousnessribbonsoutsimilarlyasyoutravelintheaether,influencingotherconsciousnessesitencounters.

Nowaddasingledropofredinktothebowl,neartheblue.Streamsofblueand red ink now intermingle in the water, each drop exploding and arcingribbonsoverandundertheother.Insomeplacesthetwocolorsofinkmeetandformathird.Eventually,astheinkdissipates,thewaterinthebasintakesonaverypaleshadeofthecombinedcolorofthetwoinks.Soitisasyourthoughtsmeetandareexchangedontheplanes.

When two beings meet on any of the planes, they partake in a consensualreality, one formed by the combination of their mental abilities. This gestaltrealityaffectstheshapesandpropertiesofthings,aswellassound,color,light,andatmosphericmood.Therealityofaweakermentalistvisitingtheaetherwillalwaysyieldtothepowerofabeingwithstrongercommandoveraether.Inthisway, it is very easy for a greatermentalist to control the reality of the lessermentalists around him or her. Beginning mentalists should exercise extremecautionaroundallaethericbeings,as therearemanywhodesirenothingmorethanyourutterdestruction.

ANAETHERICBESTIARY

Inthefollowingpages,youwillbeintroducedtoanumberofintelligencesthatdwellintheaether.Thisbriefbestiaryisbynomeanscomprehensive,butitdoesdetail some of the more prominent inhabitants of the astral, elemental, andelysian worlds. The descriptions and illustrations given here are the result ofinterviewswithmentalistswhohaveencounteredsaidbeingsand,as such,arecompositeviews.Usetheselistingsasareferenceforyourencounterswiththesecreatures,butlookfortheuniquequalitiesofindividualspiritsandentities.Allarelivingbeings,andallhaveidiosyncrasiesjustlikeyouandIdo.

AnimalSpirits

Animals have aetheric doubles just as naturally as any other thing on earth.Whenananimaldies, itsdoublecontinues to live in theaether,manifesting tothematerialworldwhennecessary.

Unlikehumanspirits,whichmayhauntsitesfromtheirlifeonearthinorderto fulfill karmic duties, animal spirits existmostly to aid humans, performingany of a number of functions. An animal spirit may serve as a guardian, aretriever,oramessenger.Thesefunctionsareinnatedutiesoftheanimal'ssoul,nottricks,sonotrainingisnecessary.Infact,moreoftenthannot,animalspiritsaidhumanswithoutpromptingfromamentalist.

Thespiritsofdepartedanimalsmaybecontactedthroughaformalseanceor

may appear spontaneously in the vision of people familiar with the animalsduring their lives. In the case of pets, owners are often the only mundane(nonmentalist)humansabletoseetheanimalafterdeath.

Visually,ananimalspiritkeepsthesamesizeandshapetheanimalhadwhenliving, albeit with a translucent, pale-colored body. Like other ghosts, animalspiritsglowslightlyandaremorevisibleinthedarkthaninsunlight.Whenananimalspiritentersaroom,thevibrationalfrequencyoftheaetherintheroomraises slightly, increasing staticelectricity.Livinganimals in thevicinityof ananimalspirit reactmuch thesameas theywould if theanimalwerephysicallypresent(e.g.,catswilloftenexhibitfeararounddogspirits).

Animal spirits rarely continue on to Elysium after death. Those that do areoftenthespiritsof"eternalanimals"-suchasthephoenix,manticore,orgryphon-thattookalesseranimal'sformforaperiodoftimeinthematerialworld.OtheranimalspiritsinElysiumactasservantstothemastersandotherhighlyevolvedhumanspirits.

AstralHounds

Dwelling primarily in the deep-space wildernesses of the astral world, astralhounds are highly evolved intelligences.They are solitary creatures, not at allpronetopackslikematerialworlddogs.

Anastralhoundmanifestsitselfinthematerialworldasalargeblackdogthesize of a small horse. Itmay appear as any breed of large dog, but is alwaysmale.Onearth,anastralhoundspeaksfluentlyinthelanguageofanyhumanheencounters.

Astralhoundsdonotcometoearthunlesssummoned.Mentalistscansummon

anastralhoundthroughatorturousregimenofmeditationandfastingthatlaststhreedays.Thesummoningritualdepletesthementalistphysicallyandmentally,so that when the hound arrives thementalist poses little threat. A summonedhoundwillmanifest in the formof a largeblackdogand sit calmlybefore its

newmaster.

Oncecalled,thehoundmaybeassignedatasktoperforminexchangeforaportionof thesummoningmentalist'spersonalaether.Astralhoundsarehighlyefficient guardians, messengers, detectives, advisors, and killers and will notbetraytheirsummoningmasterevenifofferedabetterbargain.

An astral hound can move very quickly and can dematerialize its physicalbodywith ease to accomplish its task. This shift to its astral body allows thehoundtheabilitytofly,teleport,orpassthroughwalls.

Thearrivalofanastralhoundisprecededbyachillintheimmediatearea,aswellasasharpmetallicscent,bothofwhichprovideabitofwarning to thosedestinedtomeetthismysteriousanddangerouscreature.

DepartedSpirits

Humanafterlifeiscarriedoutintheotherworlds.Theexactqualificationsforanassignment to the astral, elemental, or elysian world are so intricate andconvolutedthatnoscholarcouldeverlaythemdowninprintedform.Onetheorycontradictsanother,andallarefaulty.Thisiswhywehavereligion.Letitsufficetosaythatafterdeath,aperson'saethericbodyleavesthematerialworldforanexistenceononeof theothers.Until it returns to inhabit amaterial formoncemore, by means of resurrection or reincarnation, this body is known as adepartedspirit.

Asyoumovethroughtheworlds inyourprojectedbody,youwillencounter

soulswhooncelivedinthematerialworld.Theyarequitesimilarinappearancetoastrallyprojectedbodies,andareusuallydullgrayincolor.Forthemostpartthesespiritswillpayyounomind.Theafterlifeismorelikeawaitingroomthanacocktailparty,afterall.

There have been cases of soulswho imprison astral bodies in exchange fortheir freedom, so mentalists must be very cautious when they encounter astrange new soul.When this happens, the projected body is detached from itsmaterialformonearth,andthelostsoulreturnstoearthtoinhabititsnewform.This type of swapping maybe the basis for changeling phenomena in somecultures.

Devas

Immortalandunfathomable,devas(alsocalledangels)aretheguardiansoftheaether. They are ranked directly under the secret masters in the aetherichierarchy, and they work in harmony with one another to carry out theunknowable plan of the universe. Human contact with devas is uncommon,althoughrecentlytherehasbeenagreatresurgenceofpopularinterestinangels.

Althoughthedevahasnotruevisualform,itusuallyconformstothebeliefsof its viewer. A common form is that of a beautiful, androgynous humanstanding twelve feet tall.When no form is necessary, devas are invisible andundetectable.Otherwise,formfollowsfunction,andthedevacanbeabstractorflatlymundane,accordingtotheneed.

All is possible for the deva. Reality bends and stretches at its will. Whennecessary,devas cancreate life-forms (plant,mineral, animal, orhuman) fromtheaethertofulfilltheneedsoftheoverarchingplan,includingthespeedingofanindividualhumanthroughhisorherpastkarma.

Devascanbe invoked throughconcentratedmeditationandvisualization (in

theformofprayer,ifthesummonerisinvokingthedevathroughreligiousfaith)andwillarriveifthesummoner'sneedisgenuine.Themostcommonrequestsofdevas are those of protection and guidance. Devas will not partake in pettyvengeful schemes ofmortals.Allworks they perform are for the good of theuniverse.

TheDwellerontheThreshold

Early on in your astral travels, you will come to a place in the aether that,althoughitlooksnew,feelsveryfamiliar.ThisistheThreshold.

Inourearthlylives,eachofusaccumulatesagreatdealofpsychicbaggage.Thiskarmaweighsusdownandpreventsusfromachievingfurtherstudyoftheaether. As do all things, this burden exists in a tangible form on the aethericplane.Inthisform,yourpastexistsastheDweller,anaethericbeingthathauntstheThresholdandstopsyoudeadinyourtracks.

The Dweller on the Threshold exists for a sole purpose-to keep mentalistsfromprogressingintheirstudiesuntiltheyhaveresolvedthebaggagetheybringwith them.There isonlyoneDweller,but it looksdifferent toeach traveler. Itappears as a fearsome monster to some. To others it is an insurmountablelandscapeorwall.

Timedoesnotexistat theThreshold.Thepastandthepresentarethesame,and the travelermust face and reconcile both before continuing on his or herpathofmentalism.Inoneencounterorseveral,thetravelerconfrontshisorherlifeuptothatpointandbeginstounderstandhisorhernewlifeonthepathofmentalism.Itisadifficultprocessforeveryone,butknowthatoncetheDwellerisovercome,yourunderstandingofaetherwilldeependramatically.

Nomorewillbesaidhere,soasnot to taintyourmeetingwiththeDweller,

whichwillbeasindividualasyouare.

Elementals(NatureSpirits)

True elementals are nature spirits personifying the four material elements,manifestingintheformofsalamanders(elementoffire),sylphs(elementofair),undines(elementofwater),orgnomes(elementofearth).

Whentheyshowthemselvesinthematerialvibration,itisasshapelessmassesoftheirelement.Sometimestheyappearhuge,othertimestheyareinfinitesimal.Elementals do not speak humanor earthly languages, and elemental speech isincomprehensible. That said, telepathic communication with an elemental isquiteeffective,ifthementalistisattunedtothebeing'slowfrequencyvibration.

Elementalsprotectsitesofwildnature,movingbetweentheelementalworldandthematerialasnecessary.Elementalsareneverencounteredintheelysianorastralworlds.Theirworkinthematerialworldiscarriedoutnotfromemotionor intellect, for elementals have neither. Instead they are directed by theoverarching need of their element and carry out their role in the plan of theuniversewithasingle-mindedefficiency.

Thekingdomsof the elementalworld are unimaginably harsh environmentsforhumantravelers.There,anyforeignobjectorbeingisdestroyedimmediately,muchasourbodydestroysdisease.Mentaliststravelingtotheelementalworldpreventtheirowndemisebyvibratingattheexactfrequencyforthatelement.Iftheyfalter,theywilleitherskiptoanadjacentworldorfalloutofvibrationandperish.

Smaller versions of the elementals can be called upon at a seance-type

gathering or ceremony. They can be ordered telepathically to carry out smalltasks,buttheyareunstableandunpredictable,nottomentiondestructiveifleftunattended.Nature-spirit elementals should not be confusedwith thoughtformelementals(seetheentryfollowing).

Elementals(ThoughtForms)

Ifthereisonelessontobelearnedfrommentalism,itisthatthehumanmindhasphenomenalpoweroveritsmaterialsurroundings.Thethoughtformelementalisthemanifestationofthistenet.Althoughdifferentthanspiritsfromtheelementalworld,thethoughtformelementalcarriesoutitstaskswithanequalefficiency.

Thoughtformelementalsarecreatedwithanintenseconcentrationsessionthatlastsafullday.Oneormorementalistsfocustheireveryattentiononaparticularthoughtoremotion.Oncematerialized,usuallyinanabstractform,theelementalneedsattentiontomaintainitsexistence.Thismaintenanceattentionneednotbeasstrongastheconcentrationneededtocreatetheelemental.Onementalistmaytradeoffwithanothertomaintaintheelemental,thetwomeditatinginshifts.

Althoughelementalsaremuteanddonotunderstandspeech,theyarehighlyattuned to telepathic command. The mentalist who has created the elementalmayputittoworkattaskstoodangerousordifficultforthementalist'smaterialbodytoperform.

The elemental grows with more thought power and shrinks and becomes

unpredictablewithneglect.Ifconcentrationisbroken,theelementalrunsastrayand causes ill effects. Stray elementals will slowly shrink in power, but theyshouldbeactivelydissipated throughvisualizationby thecreatingmentalistsoasnottocausemajorharm.

Thoughtformelementalsarenotalwayscreatedintentionally.Often,theyaretheproductofanobsessivemindfocusedonastrongemotionsuchasjealousy,love,orhate.Thoughtformelementalssometimesappearwhentwonewloversmeet,spreadingoverwhelminggoodwill,oron thefrontlinesofwar,spreadingfear.Someprisonershavespontaneouslyformedelementals,ashaveparaplegics.

FalseGods

Howutterlyeasy it is topleasemosthumans!Money,materialgoods,and theattentionsofothersarechild'splayforaskilledaethericbeing.Thusevenminorspirits can grantmany of ourmaterialwishes easily. This iswhy the genie issuchapowerfulfigureinArabianmythologybutisnotviewedasagod.

To put it quite frankly, the gods do not visit earth on a regular basis. Theyhave avatars and devas to carry their messages and choose to use them theoverwhelmingmajority of the time. This being the case,mentalists should bewaryofanyvisitfromanaethericormaterialintelligencepurportingtobeagod,asfalsegodscaninrealitybeanynumberofaethericbeingsbentondeceivingman. As the vast majority of humanity has no regular interaction with thesupernatural, even lesser aetheric beings can fool people by using theirseeminglyamazingabilitiesasproofoftheirdivinity.

A specific type of false god is the Trickster. The Trickster archetype iscommon tomanyearthlymythologies. It arises in theChristian context as thedevil, in Norsemyths as Loki, and as Coyote in NativeAmerican belief. Allthree are separate and distinct entities, but all draw from the same primevalenergy.Withsuchauniversalpresence,itshouldcomeasnosurprisethatyouraethericpathwillprobablycrossthatoftheTrickstersoonerorlater.

Meetingswith theTrickstermayhappen in thematerialworldorelsewhere.

WhilethereisnogoodplacepersetomeettheTrickster,onecanusuallyhandleanencountera littlebetter inone'sownworld.True to itsnature, theTricksterwillappearassomeoneorsomethingyouthinkyourecognize,thebettertotakeadvantageofyou.HowyoudealwiththeTricksterisuptoyou.Ifmythologiesworldwidehavetaughtusanything,it'sthathonestyusuallypaysoffintheend.

Gestalts

Whenoneaethericbeing'swillcomesincontactwithanotherwillvibratingatasimilar frequency, each one shapes the other's reality to a certain extent. Theways inwhich reality bends to fit the conflictingwills in a given area of theaetheric plane are innumerable, but one of the most fascinating results is thecreationofagestalt.

Theaethericintelligenceknownasthegestaltisasentientmassofaetherthat

breaks away from the reality formedby twoormore aethericbeings'wills. Inessence, the gestalt is the illegitimate child of an unintentional aetheric union,anditcombinesseveralof thelesssavoryattributesof thoughtformelementalsandpoltergeists(seeindividualentries).Liketheelemental,thegestaltrequiresconcentrationtobecontrolled.Likethepoltergeist,itisjuvenileandoftenquitedestructiveinitstendencies.

Fortunately, theaverage lifespanofagestalt isusuallyonlya fewseconds.Thosethatlastlongerrapidlybegintopullaethertowardthemfromotherpartsof the plane and in time will develop their own personalities, intellects, andemotionsdistinctfromthoseoftheiraetheric"parents."Themoredevelopedthegestalt,theharderitistocontrolthroughmentalism.

Amorescattered-butheartier-versionofthegestaltisthevapor(seeentry).

Ghosts

The term"ghost" encompasses severalof thebeingsyouwill encounter in theaether. Into this category fall manifested spirits, revenants, wraiths, and lostsouls,tonameafew.Individualentriesareprovidedelsewhereforeachofthesecreatures.

Generally speaking, a ghost is composed of the barely noticeable aethericremains of a material being after its soul or spirit (also called the "aethericbody") has left it. The portion of the aetheric body remaining after deathsometimes becomes visible in thematerialworld and is identified as a ghost.Even though the most famous examples of ghost encounters occur in thematerialworld,ghostsdwellintheastral,elemental,andelysianworldsaswell.

Inhumanliteratureandmythology,ghostsareremindersofdeath,andwhileoftenfrightening,theirexistenceassuresusofaworldbeyondthatwhichwecanseeandtouch.

GhostStars

The doubles found on the aetheric plane are by nomeans limited to the solarsystem you and I call home. Across the galaxies, billions of stars are goingthrough the various stages of birth, life, and death. All their actions, powers,histories, and (some argue) intelligences are mirrored on the aetheric plane,whichisboundlessandtimeless.

Ghoststarsaretheremainingaetherictracesofstarsthathaveplayedouttheir

lives. They remain near the site the stars held during their life cycles andcommunicatewithotheraethericbeingsinthevicinity.

Somementalistshavereportedsuccessincommunicatingwithghoststarsoratleastinsensingthethoughtsoftheseunfathomablespecters.Ghoststarscanbeusedasakindofdatabank,astheirmemoriesincludetheentirehistoryofthesolarsystemtheyoncecommanded.Mentalistswhohavetraveledtoaghoststarmay also use it to draw energy for further travels in the aether. Although norecordexistsofamentalistusingghoststarenergytojourneytotheedgeoftheuniverse,suchatripistheoreticallypossible.

Yourfirstencounterwithaghoststarwillnodoubtbeoverwhelming,asthisaccountfromTerryK.,amentalistinPhiladelphia,attests:

My first encounterwith theaetheric remnantsofa star cameduringanastralsessioninwhichIintendedtotraveltoancientRussia.Asmyastralandphysicalbodies separated, I could sense that somethingwaswrong. Ifelt a "tugging" of my astral body, as if something were pulling meskyward.

Mymemories are hazy, but I saw the earth vanish like a coin droppedinto awell as I departed thisworld and hurtled, blindly, into space. In aflashIpassedthemoon,aplaceIhadtraveledtoastrallyinthepast.Mars

andJupiterspedbywithalarmingalacrity.

I'm not an astronomer, so I have no ideawhich part of space Iwas inwhenIfinallystoppednearlyanhourlater.SomehowIknewIwasneartherestingplaceof a dead star.Therewasno light around, but therewasnoblack hole either, just an unimaginable material emptiness filled with amassive shrieking sound. I stayed there for about twenty minues, justfloatinginspaceandexperiencingthesound.

Thetuggingsensationbeganagain,onlythistimeitwastuggingmeback

toward earth. I let it happen, and I snapped backmuch faster than I hadcome.Thetriphometookabouthalfanhour.EventhoughIwastravelingfast,therewasn'tanyjarringreturnintomyphysicalbody.

LostSouls

Alostsoulisanaethericbodythathasdepartedcompletelyornearlycompletelyfromthematerialbodywithoutkillingit.Thematerialbodycontinuestolivebutismarkedly impaired. In somecases theperson falls intoa coma.Other casesfind the person sleeping most of the time, reacting dully or mechanically tostimuluswhenawake.

Itisunclearwhyanaethericbodywouldleaveitsmaterialhostandwhetheror not it is a voluntary action. Sometimes the split can be traced to a seriousinjury,anear-deathexperience,oratraumaticpsychicshock.Inthesecases,itisfeasible to conclude that the aetheric body leapt to soon, thinking death wasinevitable.

Lost souls can be foundwandering the aether without purpose and are notveryusefulformuchofanything.Theyareusuallyjustasimpairedandconfused

as their material counterparts. Lost souls can be coaxed back to the materialworld by a skilled spiritist, but sometimes the soul holds to the idea that it issupposedtobedeadandputsupresistancetothereintegration.

Itisimportanttoreturnalostsoultoitsmaterialbodyassoonaspossible,as

theinertphysicalbodymaybemistakenfordeadanddestroyed.

ManifestedSpirits

Spiritism is the art of contacting and communicating with the dead-morespecifically, the departed aetheric bodies (or spirits) of the once living.Individuallyorinagroup,mentalistsattunetheirconsciousnesstothevibrationofoneoftheotherworldsandprojectasenseofwarmthandopenness,hopingtoattract theattentionsofoneormorespirits.Thispracticeisknownasaseanceand is a useful tool for discovering information about the aether orcommunicatingwithlovedoneslostfromthematerialworld.

Thebeingswhoanswerthecalloftheseanceandmanifestthemselvesinthematerialworlddonotalwayshave thebest interestsof thementalists atheart.Even though a loving feeling is required to attract the attention of spirits, thespiritswhoarrivearen'tnecessarilythespiritsyou'dhopefor.

Infact,thespiritsmostlikelytoanswerthecallarethosestillattachedtothematerial world in some way. The lower astral world-which is nearest to thematerialisthehomeofallsortsofspiritswithunfinishedbusinessonearth.Thesoulsofmurderersandtheirvictims,thegreedy,thevengeful,andthespitefulallfall into this category. Their karma has not been resolved properly, and theyresidenearthematerialvibrationinhopesthatsomeonewillcometotheiraid.Donotfallvictimtothemanipulationsofthesespirits.

Just as a shout reaches those nearest us first, even if we are shouting to afriend much farther away, calls into the aether reach our nearest, but notnecessarilyourdearest, aethericneighbors.All the same, theseance remainsavaluable tool for information gathering and communion. It is best left in thehandsoftrainedindividuals.

Phantoms(PlantandObjectDoubles)

Aetheric doubles are not limited to living beings-not in the slightest. Theaethericcounterpartsofinanimateobjectsarecalledphantoms.

TheEgyptiansandotherearlycivilizationsbelievedinphantomstothepointof burying food and toolswith thedead, in hopes that the aetheric doubles ofeverydayitemswouldaidthespiritsinthenextworld.Itmakessenseforusall,really. Think of the material objects that define your existence. We all formbondswithnonlivingthingsataveryearlyage,thetoysofchildhoodbeingthefirst.

Objectsgiveuscomfortandfocusinour livesandhelpusdefineourselves.Doyouhaveahobby?Ifyourhobbyiswoodworking, forexample,youknowthatthetoolsyouuseareessentialtotheart.Couldyouimaginealifeonthisoranyotherplanewithoutsuchobjects?Theyaretoolsforimaginationandbringmeaningtoourlives.

Mentalismteachesusthatallthingsexistessentiallyinourownperceptionofreality. Material objects (be they tools or toys) ground us and focus ourattentionsinthematerial.Thesameobjectsexistintheaetherandcanbeusedtocomparativeeffectthere.

Phantomsofnaturalobjects like rocksand treesareverypotent touchstoneson the aetheric plane. Ancient sacred sites like Stonehenge have an aethericcounterpart,aplaceontheaethericplanewhereenergyisgatheredandfocused.The druids of Britain worked their "magic" more in Stonehenge's aethericcounterpartthanamongthecruderocksandgrass-nomatterhowsplendid-ofthisearth.

Poltergeists

The aetheric phenomenon known as the poltergeist is a parasitic spirit thatattachesitselftoaperson,takingpersonalaetherandusingitforitsownchaoticends.

Poltergeistsareusually found in thehomesof familieswithprepubescentoradolescent children. Children of these ages can be uncontrollable anddestructive, and their aetheric selves mirror this behavior, attracting thepoltergeist.Throughoutadolescence,ourbodieschangeinwaysthatarenewandstrangetous.Ouraethericbodiesarechangingtoo,andasmuchaswewishto,wecannotcontrolthem.

The poltergeist attaches itself to a member of the family and inducesunintentional telekinesis, flingingobjectsandsometimesothermembersof thefamilyaroundthehouse.Emotionallyspeaking,thepoltergeistismoreimmaturethan other spirits. It cannot be reasoned with most of the time, but, like ahystericalsuicidecase,canbe"talkeddown"byaskilledmentalist.Poltergeistshave no physical or visible form. They are "seen" by their actions-flinginghousehold objects around like a miniature tornado. Poltergeist episodes areusually sporadic and spread out over a number of years. If a "host" (a familymember) is identifiedasmanifestingapoltergeist, it is importantnot toblamehimorherforthedestruction,asitwillonlyincreasethefrequencyandseverityoftheepisodes.

Another theory of the poltergeist phenomenon posits that the familyundergoesamasshallucination,awarpingoftheaetherinthehousehold,whileone or more familymembers physically wreak havoc in the house. Once theflurryofdestruction iscomplete, the familysnapsoutof thehallucinationandremembers nothing of what happened, only that something came through thehouseinsucharage.Evenimpartialobserverscalledtothehousetoobservethephenomenon fall into the fugue, remembering little about the cause of the

destruction.Thistheorysuggestsapossession,perhapsbyamalignantspiritorstraythoughtformelemental.

ProjectedAstralBodiesofMentalists

Didyouknowthatyouareamongthenumberofcreaturesknownas"aethericbeings"? Well, part of you is, at least. When you project aether from yourmaterialbody,yourformjoinstheranksofthedeadandlivingspiritshauntingtheplanes.Thisknowledgeshouldmakeeveryastraltravelerfeelmoreathomeonhisorherjourney.

While you are in the aether, you will no doubt come across the projectedbodies of othermentalists. Seeing these bodies is nomore jarring than seeinganother person as you walk down the street. Although faces and forms areslightly different on the aetheric plane than they are in their materialmanifestations,whenyouencounterafriend'sastralbody,youwillrecognizeitatonceasbelongingtoyourfriend,justasyoucantellyourfriendsapartfromotherpeopleyouseeonthestreet.

Because these aetherics are manifestations of human consciousness, theyfollowhumancodesofconduct,forbetterorworse.Therefore,trustordistrusttheseaethericmentalistsasyouwouldanyotherperson.

Revenants

Revenantsarethemostcommontypeof"ghost"describedbyspiritists.Theyarethe spirits (aetheric bodies) of humans that remain attached to some place orobject after death. They flicker in the space between the material and astralworlds,hoveringinthelowerastralfrequency,occasionallybobbingdownintothematerialvibratoryrangeandcomingintoviewastranslucent,smokyfigures.Revenants are sometimes the spirits of murderers tormented by their crimes.Otherrevenantsarethesoulsofthejealousorthevengeful,beingsthatenvyandhatethelivingand,assuch,areverydangerous.Arevenantthatissospitefulitpreysonlivingbeingsiscalledawraith(seeindividualentry).

Thesehelplessaethericsoftenwanttoleavetheirplaceinthematerialworld,buttheycan'tbecauseofakarmicdebttheymustresolve.Theycanbeassistedbyothersinthisresolution.Asrevenantsareoftendriveninnatureandsingle-mindedtoafault,mentalistsshouldindulgetheirghostlypleasandhelpthemifthey wish aid from the revenant in return. Revenants are useful sources ofinformationabouttheaethericplaneandthehistoryoftheplacetheyhaunt.Inexchange for their release, revenantsmayalsobe "hired" tohaunt apersonorgatherinformationinaccessibletothementalist.

Revenantsarethemostpopulartypeofaethericbeinginliterature.Nearlyallghost stories are about revenants and their plights. Oscar Wilde's story "TheCanterville Ghost" takes a humorous look at one such being who requires aprayerfromayounggirlbeforehissoulmaybelaidtorest.

SecretMasters

Mysterious, remote, aloof, supreme. All these adjectives have been used todescribe the ultimate aetheric beings known as the secret masters. Rumorsaboundastotheirtruenature,butconjectureisfutile.Themastersexist,andthatisasmuchaswemayeverreallyknowaboutthem.

Themasterscommandthedevas(seeentry)and, indoingso, thefateof theuniverse.Theydispatch theirdevas tocorrect imbalances in theaether,delivermessagestootherbeings,andinterveneinthekarmicresolutionofsouls.Whenamaster deems amessage or other task too important to be trusted to one oftheseangelicservants,itundertakesthejobitself.

Mastershaveappearedtohumansoverthecourseofhistory,oftendictatingtothemnewdoctrinesfor lifeonearthandspawningnewmovements inaethericthoughtasaresult.TheGreatWhiteBrotherhoodandAleisterCrowley'sA.'.A.'.bothowetheirexistencetosuchaethericdictations.

Themastersareanexceptiontotheruleofvibrationalinterplanartravel.Likethemostskilledmentalist,amastermoveseasilyfromplacetoplaceandworldtoworldaccordingtoitsownwill.Whilethemastersaremostoftenencounteredinthematerialandastralworlds,theymayappearanywhereintheaether.

StarGuides

Evendevas(seeentry)arenotinfallible.Orrather,despitetheirdevotiontothemasters,devasdohavemindsoftheirown."Willful"devas,astheyareknownintheparlance,areusuallyrewardedwithobliterationbytheirpeers.Thosethatescapethisfategoonalone,foreverbanishedfromthecompanyoftheirformerleague.

These disenfranchised angels are known as star guides. Freed from the

strictures of themasters and theoverarchingplanof theuniverse, they followtheirownpathandassistmortalswhose intentionsarealignedwith theirown.Even though the Bible's Lucifer falls into this category, star guides are notnecessarily evil. In fact, as a class theyhaveneverbeennotedas such.A starguide's ethics are often not far removed from those of themortals it contacts,however.Theytendtoconcernthemselveswiththementalandaethericprogressofhumans,ratherthantheprogressoftheplanoftheuniverse.

Whenspeakingwithastarguide,itiseasytobefooledintothinkingyouarecommunicatingwithadevaorevenwithoneofthemasters.Infact,starguidesare responsible formanyof theholydoctrinesofman, and theirmessagesareoftenwrongfullyinterpretedasthewordofagod.Useyourjudgment(seeentryfor"falsegods")andhopeforthebest.

Starguidesarehighlymysteriouscreatures,appearingonlytothosewhocanhelp their cause. They can appear in different forms: animals, humans, lesserdeities, creatures from mythology, and ghosts and spirits are all common.Sometimes star guides make themselves known through automatic writing,precipitatedletters,andothermeans.

Mentalistsenterintoarelationshipwithstarguidesattheirownperil.Historyisfullof"heretics"killedbytheirfellowmaninthenameofagod.Thosewhofollowtheadviceofastarguideriskretributionfromevengreaterpowers.

Vapors

Asyouknowbynow,allofourthoughts,emotions,andactionsaremirroredontheaethericplane.Whenwestopthinkingsomethingorloseafeelingweoncehad,itstaysforaperiodoftimeintheaetherbeforedissipating.Thismakestheaethericplanerichwithmemories,emotions,andforgottenthoughts.

Crossroadsoftheseoldnotionsarelegionontheaethericplane.Sometimes,

when two or more of these stray thoughts meet, they combine in a strangealchemy. A new personality is born, blind and stumbling, but sentient. Thesepersonalitiesarethevapors.

Whereasgestalts(seeentry)areformedfromtheactivewillsoftwoormoreaetherics, vapors can form spontaneously at any time. A long-dead man'sthoughts can combine with those of a living child. Napoleon's dying wordsmightjoinwiththeemotionsofAristotle.

Forthemostpart,vaporsareharmless.Theymaymanifestthemselvesinthematerialworldasafog,ahazyvision,asoftsound,oraslightwind.Ifinfusedwithstrongfeelings,vaporscanbeharmful.Thepresenceofwrathorhateinavapor can cause it to seek out mortals and suffocate them, for instance.Fortunately,vaporsareeasilycontrolledanddispersedbytrainedmentalists.

Wraiths

Wraithsareacertainstrainofrevenant,intentonkillinganymortalsthatcomenear their homes. Like all revenants, wraiths are attached to thematerial andaethericspacetheyinhabitedinlife.Wraithsarevengefulandspitefulbecauseofillfortuneduringtheirmateriallife,andtheycannotrestuntiltheirkarmicdebtsarepaid.Thewraithphenomenonis likelyresponsiblefor thevampire legendscommontoculturesworldwide.

Itisimpossibletosettletheiraffairsforthemwithoutsupremeeffort,anditisfoolishtotryunlessabsolutelynecessary.Whilerevenantsseekassistancefromhumans to be freed from their bonds to thematerial world, thewraith wouldratherworkthingsoutitself,usingaetherfromamaterialbeing.

Wraiths despise the living and kill humans and other material beings

trespassing into their domain by draining the aether from their bodies. Thisgathering of aether weakens the victim and increases the tangibility of thewraith.Ifawraithcollectsalltheaetherfromavictim(enoughtokillthebeing),itmaterializesonthematerialplaneto thepointwhere itmaymoveaboutandinteractwithmaterialobjectsaseasilyasanyperson.Thewraithholdsitsstolenaethernearitsformandmaydisperseorcollectitatwill,allowingfeatssuchasflight,invisibility,andmovementthroughsmallspacessuchaskeyholesandthenarrow spaces under doors. It is in this form that the wraith is the mostdangerous.

The best defense against a wraith is to remove yourself from its vicinityimmediately. Ifyouencounterawraith in theastralworld, stopprojectingandreturntoyourmaterialbodyatonce.Strongcounter-mentalismwillhelpagainstanaetherdrain,andisbestperformedwhileinyourmaterialbody.

LESSONTHREE.

AETHERICEXERCISES

EnteringtheLowerAstralVibration-TheBody'sAethericLinksTheForeheadLink-TheEyeLinksTheChestLink-TheNavelLink-TheSexOrganLink-TheHandLinksTheFootLinksActivatingtheAethericLinks-DailyExercisesfor

MentalistsTheAethericDozen-StarterPsychismsAnInitialExerciseinClairvoyance-AnInitialExerciseinTelepathy-AnInitialExerciseinTelekinesis

AdjustingYourDailyRoutineHealthyMaterialism

"Everymantakesthelimitsofhisownfieldofvisionforthelimitsoftheworld.Thisisanerroroftheintellectasinevitableasthaterroroftheeyewhichletsus

fancythatonthehorizonheavenandearthmeet."

-ARTHURSCHOPENHAUER,StudiesinPessimism

SO FAR WE HAVE EXPLORED the nature of the aetheric plane and itsinhabitants. "Aetheric Exercises" takes a look inward, explaining the way inwhichaetherandthementalistinteract.

Thislessonoffersstep-by-stepinstructionforthosewhowishtoperformtheirfirstfeatsofmentalismintheaether.Thelowerastralworldservesasthestagingarea for these feats, and the initial exercise in this lesson explains how to getthereandback.

Ourownbodiescontainthetoolsweneedtostepintotheaether.Eachofus

possesses ten distinct centers of psychic energy. These centers are called"aetheric links" and correspond with parts of our physical bodies, includinghands,eyes,andfeet.Justasweinteractwiththematerialworldusingthepartsofourmaterialbodies,sodoweexperienceandmoveaboutintheaetherusingouraethericlinks.Theportionofthislessontitled"TheBody'sAethericLinks"introducesyoutothesepointsinyourownbody,outliningthepurposeofeach.

The centerpiece of this lesson is a very important section outlining twelvedaily exercises for the aspiring mentalist. Dubbed "the aetheric dozen," theseexercisesstrengthenthebody'stiesbetweentheaethericandthematerialworlds.With regular practice of these simple techniques your understanding of theaetherwillincreaseexponentially.

Also introduced in this lesson are rudimentary experiments in psychisms,thosementalfeatsskilledmentalistsperformassecondnature.Throughpracticeand concentration, you will learn to perform simple feats of clairvoyance(sensing faraway places), telepathy (speaking and hearing using thought), andtelekinesis(movingobjectswiththought).

Exercise10:EnteringtheLowerAstralVibration

Hereisanexercisethatisabsolutelyvitaltoyourprogressioninmentalism.Thistechniquebrings thevibrationofyourconsciousness to thatof the lowerastralworld,whichisthetheaterforbasicfeatsofmentalism.Itistheinitialexerciseyoumust performbefore any others in this lesson. If you have performed theexerciseinelementalvibrationoutlinedin"AethericBeings,"thenthisexerciseinastralvibrationshouldcomeeasilytoyou,becausethetwopracticesareverysimilar.

Liketheelementalvibrationexercise,theastralvibrationexercisealtersyour

mind'svibrationtoafrequencyzoneadjacenttoyournaturalvibratoryrangeinthematerial world. The elemental world exists in a lower frequency than thematerialworld, sowhen youwere in the elementalworld you decreased yourmind'svibration to reacha frequency somewhere in theelemental range.Withtheexerciseoutlinedhere,youwillincreaseyourmind'svibrationconsiderably,raisingittothehigherfrequencyrangeofthelowerastralworld.

Thisexerciseshouldbeperformedinthesameplaceyou'vebeenmeditatingsincebeginningyouraethericstudies.Ifyoucan,youshouldopenawindowintheroomtoletinaslightbreeze.Ifthisisimpossible,useafan.Anyfanwilldo,butthequieterthebetter,asyoudon'twanttobedistractedbymechanicalnoisesduringyourmeditation.

Yourmeditationsthusfarhavefocusedmainlyonyourbreath.Thisisnotbychance.Breathandair itselfareperfectmetaphorsforaether.Air issomething

thatcannotbeseen,butitcanconveyscentsandlightgassessuchassmoke.Inthesameway,aethercanbeimbuedwithproperties.Inthisexerciseyouwilluseyour breath and the air around you to achieve a nonmaterial vibration, tuningyourconsciousness toafrequencywithin therange justabove the thresholdofthematerialworld,therealmofthelowerastral.

Standinapartoftheroomthatisreceivingadirectbreeze.Closeyoureyesandbeginyourmeditation, focusingonyourbreath.Relax,breatheslowlyanddeliberately,andletyourthoughtssettleontheinhalationandexhalationofair.Do this until you are completely relaxed and find that your mind stays fullyfocusedonyourbreath.

Nowletyourattentionwandertothebreezethat'smovingthroughtheroom.Intheastralworld,everythingyouencounterappearstobeinastatesomewherebetween a solid and a gas. The forms and consistencies of things changedependingonhowyou(andothersaroundyou)thinkofthem.

Notice the breeze as in touches your skin or moves your clothing. Do not

thinkof thebreezeasabreezebut ratherasacontinuouswaveofblue liquid.Don'tworry,youwillnotdrown-youcanbreathethisliquid.Thingslikethisarepossibleintheaether.Thewavewashesaroundyou,aboveyou,andbelowyou.Youarefloatingstillinthecenterofaseaofthisliquid.Asyoubreathe,itentersandexitsyourlungs.Itisaspecialfluid.Itmakesyoumorealertandenergeticthanyouusuallyare.

Continuetobreatheatanormalrate,eventhoughthefeelingyougetfromthewave is exhilarating.The liquid iswashing over you and entering your lungs,andyourbodylovesthesensation.Younoticethatnotonlyisyourskintingling,but the insidesofyour lungsare tingling tooas they soak in theenergy. It's afeeling that slowly but steadily spreads both inward from the surface of yourskin and outward from the insides of your lungs, until your whole body ispositivelyaliveandglowingwithenergy.

Thissensationistheresultofasubtleshiftinvibration.Thewaveyouareinismadeofpureaether.Itistheaetherofthelowerastralworld,andthemomenttheenergeticfeelingfinallytakesoveryourentirebodyisthesamemomentthatyou step mentally into the astral world. This realization can sometimes beshocking-somuchsothatyoumightbejoltedoutofyourmeditation.Donotletthishappen.Instead,rememberthatyouarealwaysincompletecontrolofyour

mindandyourbodyandthatyoucancomebacktothematerialworldanytimeyouplease.

Restinthisnewvibrationforatleastaminute.Noticehowthisnewsensationmakesyoufeel.Fromhereyoumaygoontoperformanyoftheotherexercisesin this lesson. You should also try this vibration as a starting point forexperimentationwithotherexercisesfromthisbook.Dowhateveryouplease-itisyourmindandyourbody,afterall.

Unlessforsomereasonyouareshockedoutoftheastralworldandbackinto

thematerial(whichis jarringandneveradvised,althoughmost timesitcannotbe helped), you should try to ease your consciousness back to its normalvibration.Comingdownfromthelowerastralvibrationisnomoredifficultthangoingup; it ismerelyamatterof revertingyourattentionback to thematerialside of the astral border. Do this slowly.With each inhalation, visualize yourbodycollectingaportionofyourastralenergyinyourlungs.Asyouexhale,thisportionexits throughyourmouthand flowsback into thewaveofblue liquid.Keepinhaling(collectingenergyfromyourbody)andexhaling(sendingitforth)untilyourmindreturnstoitsfamiliarmaterialworldvibratoryfrequency.Letthewaveofblueliquidshiftslowlybackintoanearthlybreeze,andletyourmindcomebacktoearthlythoughts.

Allthiswillbecomemucheasierwithpractice.

THEBODY'SAETHERICLINKS

Withoutcompleteuseofourhands,feet,eyes,andotherpartsofourbodies,lifeinthematerialworldcanbechallenging.Thisisalsotrueoflifeontheaethericplane.Concentratedvorticesofenergyinvitalpartsofouraethericbodyserveasouraetherichands,feet,eyes,andsoon,andtheyallowustomoveandinteractwithothers in theaether.Thesevorticesarecalled"aetheric links,"and in thisessaywewillexploreeachofthem.

The aetheric links are in many ways similar to the chakras described inEastern mysticism. In fact, some of the links exist in the same place in ourbodiesasthechakras.Likethechakras,thelinksarecentersofvitalenergythatservetocollectanddistributeaethericenergy.Inmentalism,thefunctionsofthelinks can be very dynamic, freeing our aetheric bodies for astral flight andallowingustoperformpsychismssuchasmindreadingandtelekinesis.

Therearetenaethericlinksinthehumanbody.Theuppermostlinkislocated

inthecenteroftheforehead.Therearetwomoreaethericlinksinthehead,oneineacheye.Threeaethericlinksareinthehumantorso-oneinthecenterofthechest,anotherjustbehindthenavel,andanotherwithinthesexorgans.Thefinalfouraethericlinksarelocatedinthehandsandfeet.

Eachaetheric link is infinitesimally small,occupyinga spaceno larger thanthe tiniest point imaginable.But as youknow, sizematters little in the aether,and,infact,sometimesthesmallestthingshavethemostpotentialforpower.

Inthinkingofeachaethericlink,imagineanarrowconewithitsflatpartflushtothesurfaceofyourskinandtaperingtoapointwithinyourbody.Thishelpsyoutovisualizetheaetherflowingbetweeneachlinkandtheoutsideworld.Inreality,though,eachaethericlinkisanexactpointofaetherinsideyou,withaninfluenceradiatingoutwardinalldirections.

Justasyourmaterialbodyusesitsdifferentpartstoperformdifferenttasks,soyour aetheric body uses each link for a specific set of purposes. Here is abreakdownoftheaptitudesofeachaethericlink.Usethediagramtopinpointthelocationoftheaethericlinksonyourownbody.

TheForeheadLink

The forehead link is theoneused toprojectyourwillupon theaetherdirectlyaround you and is used in shor-range (also called "local") feats of telekinesis,telepathy,andotherpsychisms.Itisalsothelinkbywhichweleadouraethericbodiesthroughtheaether,muchasweleadananimalonaleash.Otherpsychicsystemshavecalledthislink"thethirdeye."

TheEyeLinks

The aetheric links in our eyes are arguably themost useful when performingmentalism,astheyarethelinksthroughwhichalloursenses-notjustsightbutall the others aswell-operate. The eye links are used to visualize the aethericplane and provide help with all related visualization techniques, such as thesolidificationandtransformationofaether.

TheChestLink

Astral projection is oneof themostmarvelous featsof thementalist, and it isperformedbyusingtheaethericchestlink.Personalaetherisexpelledfromthislink-whichisnestledbehindthecenterofthesternum-toformastralbodiesthatmay travel independently in theaether.Thechest linkdraws these formsbackintotheaethericbodywhentheirjourneysareattheirend.

TheNavelLink

Restingjustbehindthenavel, thisaethericlinkservesasimilarfunctiontothestomach, taking aether of one sort and dividing and transforming it intosomethingmoreusefulfortheaethericbody.Thenavelreceivesthementalist'spersonalaetherfromthesexorganlink.Italsocollectsexternalaetherfromthehandlinks.

TheSexOrganLink

Thesexorganlinkconcernsitselfchieflywiththecollectionandconcentrationofpersonalaetherfromwithinthebody.Itgathersaetherandpreparesitforuseby all the other links. This link is located just above the testes of the malementalistandwithintheuterusofthefemale.

TheHandLinks

The hand links are the points from which mental influence can extend thefurthest into the aether. They are located just inside the flesh of the center ofeachpalmandareusedinlong-range(or"distant")featsofpsychism,muchasthe forehead link is used formore localized feats.Hand links are alsoused todrawexternalaethertothementalistforusebytheotheraethericlinks.

TheFootLinks

Theselinksarelocatedjustundertheskinofthecenterofthesolesofeachfoot.Theirfunctionistogroundtheaethericbodypartiallyinthematerialworld,suchthatnomatterwhatmayhappenduringanaethericsession,theaethericbodycanalwaysfinditswayhome.

Exercise11:ActivatingtheAethericLinks

Hereisanexperimentthathelpsyouattuneyourconsciousnesstoyouraethericlinks.Beginwithaten-minutebreathingmeditationtorelaxyourself.Onceyouhave relaxed completely, focus your thoughts on your forehead. Breathe inslowly,andasyoudo,visualizearapidlyswirlingsphereofbluelightfloatinginsideyourhead,justbehindyourforehead,likeatinyballofbluefireinyourbrain.Itglowsbrighterwhenyoubreathein,asifyouweredrawingairacrossawoodfire.Betweenbreathsthesphereglowssteadilyandcontinuestoswirl.Asyoubreatheout,itburnsbrighterstill.

After concentrating on your forehead link for a minute or so, move yourconcentration to your chest, imagining another blue sphere behind yourbreastbone.Concentrateonitasyoudidonyourforeheadlink,rememberingtovisualizeitsurgingwithlightwitheachbreath,beitinorout.

Continuesuchvisualizationswiththenavelandsexorganlinks.Whenyouarethrough,returnyourthoughtstobreathingforafewminutes.

Nowit'stimetoactivatethepairedlinksintheeyes,feet,andhands.Youcanusethefollowingtechniquestoincreasetheflowofphysicalandmentalenergytotheselinks.Stillstanding,liftuponefootand,usingyourthumb,massagethecenterofitssoleforabouttwentyseconds.Thiswillcauseastimulatedsensationinyourfoot.Dothesamefortheotherfootandforeachhand.Thehandlinksshouldbevisualizedasroiling,fierybluespheresthatexisthalf-insideandhalf-outside your hands. The feet links are similar, burning half-inside and half-outsidethecenterofthesoleofeachfoot.Concentrateoneachpairforaminuteorso,justlikeyouhavefortheothers.

Now close your eyes and place your index fingers on the sides of youreyeballs. Push the eyes in just a little, gently but firmly. This exercise will

physicallystimulatetheeyesand,ifdonelongenough,willproducepsychedelicpatternsthatresembletheaetherinallitsotherworldlybrilliance.Dothisforlessthan a minute, as prolonged pushing can damage your eyes. Once you havestimulated the eye links physically, it is time to visualize them in the aether.Picturethemasballsofblueflamethatexistinthesameplaceasyoureyes.Thiswillprobablybealittleoverwhelmingatfirst,buttakeyourtimeandsoonyou'llhaveagoodgrasponit.

It canbe tricky, but it's vital that you're able tovisualize each set of pairedlinksasaunityinitself.Whenyouvisualizeyourhandlinks,forexample,don'tattempt to splityourconcentrationbetween the twospecificpoints. Just think,"hands." It's the same thingyoudowhenusingyourmaterialhands-whenyouwanttodosomethingwiththem,youcanconcentrateontheircombinedactions.Inthesameway,weshouldn'tbelimitedtotheuseofonlyoneaetherichandatatime.

As you become more comfortable and skilled with your hand links, you'll

cometopossessacertainamountofambidexterity.That'ssomethingmostofusdon'thaveeveninourmaterialbodies!

DAILYEXERCISESFORMENTALISTS

You are already performing daily meditation and visualization sessions tosharpenyourmentalability.Theseexercisesarevitalpleasecontinuewiththem-butthereissomuchsmoretolearnaboutmentalism.

To become proficient with even the simplest feats of mentalism, you mustpractice some basic aetheric skills every day. This essay outlines twelveexercises-the aetheric dozen-aspiring mentalists should perform as a dailyregimen.Alltheseaethericsessionsshouldbeginwiththelowerastralvibrationexercise toputyou into theproper stateofmind, attuningyourmindwith theaetherofthelowerastralworld.

Asyouadvanceinyourstudies,spendmoretime-uptohalfanhour-vibratingin the lower astral before beginning the aetheric dozen. As you become evenmoreskilled,yourmeditationtimewilldrop,asyouwillbeabletoputyourselfintheproperstateofmindmorequickly.Therearemanytheoriesastowhythemost talented mentalists require little to no meditation before performingastonishingfeatsofmentalism.Perhaps theyaresoused to thealteredstateofmind produced bymeditation that they are able to slip into it immediately, orperhaps their natural vibration has shifted toward the border of regularmaterialworldfrequency.

Exercise12:TheAethericDozen

Use your regular meditation space for the aetheric dozen. This exercise willshowthebest results ifperformedat thesame timeeveryday. Illustrations foreachofthestepsintheaethericdozenaccompanytheinstructions.

Step1.GroundingtheAethericBody

Thefirststepinvolvesthefootlinks.Itisagroundingtokeepyouraethericbodytiedtothematerialbody.Ofallthestepsyouareabouttolearn,thisisthemostimportant one to perform properly. If the aetheric grounding is not achievedsufficiently, your aetheric body runs the risk of being permanently separated

fromyourmaterialbody.

Standwith your feet apart at shoulder'swidth, per the illustration.Let yourarms rest atyour sides.Spreadyour fingers and faceyourpalmsout. Imagineenergy radiating from the soles of your feet.Visualize a sharp sphere of lightaroundeachof thesolesofyour feetanda lesserglowon the floororgroundaroundthem.Thisenergyis thepartofyouraethericbodythat livesclosest tothematerialworld,groundingyouinit.Aslongasyoucanvisualizethisstrongenergybeingemitted fromthesolesofyour feet,youwill remaingrounded inthematerialworldandshouldhavenofearofbeinglostintheaether.

GLOWINGLIGHTSURROUNDSTHESOLESOFYOURFEET.

Focus on this energy for at least aminute before continuing on to thenextstep.

Step2.VisualizingtheAethericPlane

In this stepyouuseyour eye links tovisualize the aethericplane aroundyou.Thisstepisverysimilartothe"ImaginingtheAethericPlane"exerciseinlessonone.Usingyourmaterialsight,examinethespaceinwhichyouarestanding,beitaroom,apark,oranywhereelse.Studyyoursurroundingswellenoughtoseethe same scene in your mind's eye, or with your aetheric eyes, to be moreprecise.

THEHIDDENWORLDAROUNDYOUISNOWSEEN.

Nowcloseyoureyesandvisualizeyoursurroundings,knowing thatyouareseeingtheaethericdoubleofyourenvironment.Itmaybehelpfultokeepyoureyesclosedasyouperformtherestoftheaethericdozen.Remainfocusedontheaetheric representation of your surroundings until you are comfortable in thisscene,untilitfeelsasnaturalornearlyasnaturalasthematerialsurroundingsofyoureverydaylife.Whenyouareready,moveontothenextstep.

Step3.VisualizingtheAethericBody

Once you've visualized your portion of the aetheric plane, you'll need tovisualizeyourownaethericbodybeforeyoucanworkwithin theaether.Formyouraethericbodybyusingthetechniquesdescribedearlierinthislesson.Focuson your forehead link beforemoving down the body to eye, chest, navel, sexorgan,hand,andfootlinks.Visualizeawebworkofenergyconnectingthelinksandformyouraethericbodyaroundthisframe.

YOURBODYISAWEBWORKOFENERGYCONNECTEDBYAETHERICLINKS.

Youraethericbodyoccupies theexact spaceoccupiedbyyourmaterialbody.Performedwiththerightamountofconcentration,thisstepwillmakeyou fully aware of your aetheric body. Rest for a minute or so beforemovingontothenextstep.

Step4.GatheringPersonalAether

Using thesexorgan link,collectanamountofpersonalaetheralready inyouraethericbody.Thispersonalaethercomesfrombelow(fromthefootlinks)andabove(theotherlinksinyourtorsoandhead).Wispsofaetherwillflowfreelyfromtheseplaces,gatheringaroundyouraethericsexorganlink.

PERSONALAPT!IERCOLLECTSAROUNDYOURSEXORGANLINK.

Picturethemassingaetherasapinkcloud,aboutthesizeofyourfistandroughlyspherical.Thisisonlyasmallportionofyourpersonalaether,butitbelongs to you and no one else.With it, you can performterrific feats ofmentalism. We will use this small quantity of aether to conduct theremainingstepsintheaethericdozen.

Step5.TransferringPersonalAethertotheAbdomen

Nowtransferthecloudtothenavellink.Imagineitfloatingupacordbetweenyour sexorganandnavel links.Try tokeep thecloudascohesiveasyoucan;don'tletitstretchouttoomuchasittravelstoyourabdomen.Whenithasrisenupthroughyourintestinesandstomachtothespaceinyourbodydirectlybehindyournavel,letitstop.Restthespherehereforatleastaminuteandcontinuetoconcentrateonitsform,color,andconsistency.Whenyouareready,goontothenextstep.

ITMOVESUPANINVISIBLECORDTOYOURABDOMENLINK.

Step6.TransformingPersonalAether

This step reminds us that all aether ismutable and that ourminds can shapeaetherintoanythingwecanimagine.Focusontheaethericspherenowrestinginyour aetheric abdomen. Like your material stomach, the abdomen link cantransformsubstances.Inthisstepwewillperformasimpletransformation,oneof shape and color.Meditate on the pink cloud for a fewmoments and thenvisualizeitcondensingtoalightbluepyramidshape.Thisnewshapeshouldbeofaslightly lesservolume(totalmass) than thepreviousshape,as ithasbeenconcentratedalittleforbetteruse.

ITBECOMESABLUEPYRAMIDOFLIGHT.

Step7.TransferringPersonalAethertotheChest

Using the same technique as before, float yourmass of personal aether up toyour chest link. The chest link is just behind the center of your breastbone.Visualize thebluepyramidofaether risingslowlyfromyourabdomen toyourchest.Makesurethepyramidmaintainsitsshapeasittravels.Whenitisrestingaroundyourchestlink,concentrateonitforafewbreathsbeforemovingtothenextstep,whichwillmovetheaetheroutofyourbody.

ITRISESONCEAGAIN,THISTIMETOYOURCHESTLINK.

Step8.EjectingPersonalAether

Here is the first step in which youmanipulate aether outside your body. Thetransitionfromcontrollinginneraethertocontrollingouteraethercanbejarring,but itdoesn'thave tobe,because theouteraetheryouwillbeworkingwith isreallyjustthesamepersonalaetheryou'vebeenusingallalong.

THEPYRAMIDSTREAMSFORTHFROMYOURCHEST.

Atthispointintheaethericdozen,youhaveraisedthebluepyramidofpersonal aether to your chest link. Feel the shape in your body. It surgeswithlightasyouinhaleenergyintothepyramid,glowssteadyattheheightofyourbreath,andthenglowsbrighterstillasyouexhale.

Atoneofyourexhales,visualizeastreamofaethercomingfromyourchest.Itlookslikethesmokeofacigarettebeingblownfromatinyholeinthecenterofyour breastbone.This smoke comes out on each of your exhalations, and youemititofyourownaccord.Youhavecompletecontroloverthisaether.

Don't let the smoke dissipate. Instead, collect it one to two feet from yourchestintothesamepyramidshapeaswasrestinginsideyourchest.Astheshapebefore you grows, the shape inside you dissipates. This can be the mostfrighteningstep in theaethericdozenandwithgood reason:noone isused tocasuallyseparatingpartsof theirbodyfromthegreaterwhole.Whyshouldweremaincomposed,inaword,aswedecomposeouraethericselves?Staycalm.Thissplithappensatacrucialpointinourprogressasmentalists,forasweallowabitofourselvestoseparatefromouraethericbodies,wetakeourfirsthesitantstepsintotheaetheritself.

Step9.ManipulatingLocalAether

Atthispointyouraethericpyramidshouldbefloatingfullyformedinthespace

infrontofyourchest.Keepitthereforalittlewhilesoyoucangetusedtoit.Itisapartofyou,yetitisapartfromyou.Eventhoughthisrealizationmaycomeasashock,don'tallowittobreakyourconcentration.

MOVEANDSHAPETHEAETHERWITHYOURFOREHEADLINK.

You canmanipulate the aether usingyour forehead aetheric link.Try it.Bysendingconcentratedthoughtsfromyourforeheadtothepyramidyoucanmakeitchangeitsshape,color,oranyotherpropertiesthatyoucanimagine.Dothisalittlebitifyoucan,butkeepitsimpleatfirst.Asyourepeattheaethericdozeneachday,youwillbecomemoreconfidentinyourmentalabilitiesandwill trymorecomplextransformations.

Yourforeheadlinkcanalsobeusedtopushthe

aetherawayfromyourbody.Dothisnow,movingthebluepyramidtoadistanceabout tenor fifteen feetaway fromyourbody.Youshouldalsouseyourhandlinkstomovetheaetherasitgetsfurtherfromyourbody.Ifyouareperformingthisexercise indoors,youmayhave to imagine thepyramidmoving throughawall to get it this far away. The aetherwillmove throughwalls-and anythingelse-easily if you are focusing your concentration on it.When the pyramid issufficiently far away, rest it there for a fewmomentsbeforemovingon to thenextstep.

Step10.ManipulatingAetherataDistance

Onceyou'vemoved theaetheragooddistance fromyourbody, let ithover inspacearoundthe levelof thechest linkfromwhich itprojected.Thisaether isyourenvoy,anditcanactonyourbehalfanywhereonearth-andbeyondforthatmatter.Fornow,let'strysomesimpleexperimentswithitclosetohome.

You are free tomanipulate your aetheric envoy however you like, giving itabilitieslikehearingorsight.Ifithasgonethroughawallintothenextroominyourhouse,trytolistentoconversationsorambientnoiseinthatroom.

Perhaps you would like to use your envoy as an independent "third eye"throughwhichyou can see theworld. If so, it is only amatter of transferringyoureyesighttothismassofaetherseparatedfromyourbodyandfloatingfreelyin space.Aswith all aetheric experiments, the only thingholdingyouback isyourownimagination.

Use your hand links tomove your aetheric envoy fromplace to place.Useyourforeheadlinktoimbueyouraethericenvoywithpowersofsight,hearing,or speech.Playwithyour aetheric envoy, instructing it to doyourwill.Whenyouareready,bringitbacktoadistancenomorethantenfeetfromyourbodyandfloatitthereforatleastaminutebeforecontinuing.

Step11.DrawingAethertotheBody

Now,usingyourhandlinksintheaethericworld,drawyouraethericenvoybacktoyourbody.Donotletitputupanyresistance.Thisaetherisapartofyou,anditperformsonyourbehalf.Itisnotasentientbeing,andshoulditactlikeone,itis your duty to put it back in line.Bring your envoy closer as you breathe. Itpulsesbrighteranddrawsnearerwitheachbreath.

Whenthepyramid(orwhatevershapeyourenvoyisafteritsjourneys)drawsneartoyourbody,restitafootorsoawayfromyourchest.Youwilluseyourchest linktodrawtheaetherbackintoyourbody,areverseof theprocessyouused to emit it. Take your time in order to avoid shock. Bring your aetherictravelerbackintoyourbodyslowly,inhalingitdirectlyintoyourchestalittlebitat a time. As the aetheric shape before you diminishes, you should feel acomplementaryshapegrowingwithinyou,insideyourchest.

Continuetodrawintheaethericenvoyuntilthereisnomoreofitoutsideyou,

andallthatisinsideyouisgatheredasacohesivewhole.Reacquaintthisaetherwithyourbody,lettingitglowandburnwitheachinhalationasyoucontinuethemeditation that keeps your consciousness on the aetheric plane. It's acomplicatedprocedure,tobesure,butit'sthetypeofthingyouneedtolearnasabasisforevenmorecomplexfeats.

Step12.DistributingPersonalAether

EACHOFYOURAE'I'IIERICLINKSRECEIVESITSSHARE.

This final step assures that the aether you've drawn into you is redistributedevenly throughout your body.The aetheric pyramidyoudrew in throughyourchestlinkshouldbefloatinginthesameplaceitwasbeforeyouejectedit,justbehindyourbreastbone.Makesureit'sthereandthatyouareconcentratingonitas intently as ever before continuing with this step-this is no time to breakconcentration.

MOVEANDSHAPETHEAET}IERUSINGYOURHANDLINKS.

BRINGTHEAETIIERBACKUSINGYOURHANDLINKS.

Whenyouformedtheaethericcloudinyoursexorganlinkearlier,youdidso

bydrawingpersonalaetherfromaboveandbelow.Nowisthetimetodissipatethe pyramid and redistribute its aether to the whole body, concentratingespeciallyonthebody'saethericlinks.Startwiththefootlinks.Letsomeoftheaetherfloatawayfromthepyramid,likesmokeoffdryice,andfloatdowntothesolesofyourfeet.Letitstopwhenitgetsthere.

Because you have ten aetheric links in your body, each link should receiveabout a one-tenth portion of the pyramid's aether. Let two such portions falldown toyour feet, reducing the sizeof thepyramid inyourchest.Whenyourfeet receive the portions, rest.Visualize your feet glowingwith a bright light.Theaetherbelongingtoyourfeethasbeenredistributed.

Letanotherportionfalldowntoyoursexorganlink,stoppingitwhenitgetsthere.When the proper amount of aether has dropped to your sex organ link,visualizeabrightlightaroundit.

Continuetodistributeportionsofaethertoyourhands,yournavel,yourchest,youreyes,andyourforehead.Aethermovesfromthechestlinktotheeyesandforeheadlinklikesteamrisingoffabowlofhotsoup.Aseachlinkreceivesitsaether, that linkradiatesabrightglow.Whenall the linksarere-energized, the

lightspreadsouttofillyourbody.

Soonyourwholebodyisglowingwithabrightlightastheaetheremitsfromeachlinktothesurroundingtissues.Letthelightglowbrightlyforaminuteandthen let it fade, slowly, as you return your consciousness to your breath andbegintoreturnfromyourastralvibrationtoamaterialworldvibration,followingthetechniqueyoulearnedinthebeginningofthislesson.Giveyourselfaslongasyouneed to reduceyourvibration, and let yourmindcomeback to earthlythoughtsandearthlysurroundingsslowly.

Whenyourvibration reaches itsnaturalmaterial frequency,openyoureyes.

Youarebackathomeinthematerialworld.Goodjob!

STARTERPSYCHISMS

Yourworkwiththeaethericdozenprovidesanexcellentfoundationonwhichtobuild your psychic abilities. Supernatural feats achieved using the aether areknownaspsychisms.

Psychismscanbedividedintotwoclasses-passiveandactive.Don'tbefooledinto thinking that the word "passive" in this sense means "weak." Passivepsychisms include many powerful phenomena you have no doubt heard ofbefore, including clairvoyance (seeing things not physically visible),clairaudience (hearing things not physically audible), astral projection (out-of-bodyexperiences thatcan includeotherpsychicphenomena),precognitionandpostcognition (mental sensingof events before and after theyhavehappened),thoughtreception,andmediumship(communicationwithaethericbeings).

Active psychisms are equally fantastic and include among their numberthoughttransmission,telekinesis(movingobjectsusingmentalenergy),psychichealing,teleportation,levitation,invisibility,andtimetravel.

Numeroustheoriesexistastothetruemechanicsofeachofthesepsychisms.Obviously,giventhenatureofaether,therearemanywaystoperformasimplepsychism.For the purposes of consistency,wewill touchonmany techniquesbutinstructinonlyafew.

Herearethreeexercisesyoushouldpracticeregularlytoincreaseyourpsychicabilities. These exercises provide basic instruction in clairvoyance, thoughttransferenceandreception(alsoknownastelepathy),andtelekinesis.

Exercise13:AnInitialExerciseinClairvoyance

Clairvoyance is also known as remote sensing. Specifically, clairvoyancepertains to the phenomenon of seeing things hidden from our direct line ofphysical sight. Using clairvoyance, a mentalist can see the face of a personstanding behind a closed door, look around a corner in the house withoutphysicallymoving, or take a (very) private tour of a closedmuseum or otherbuilding. These are just three examples of how clairvoyance can be used, of

course.Thelimitsyoufacewiththisandanyotherpsychismaretheexactlimitsofyourownimagination.

You can perform some psychisms using the aetheric envoy formed in theeighth step of the aetheric dozen, "Ejecting Personal Aether." In fact, theexerciseoutlinedhere isanexcellentone to incorporate into thedailyregimenyou'vejustlearned,asaretheexercisesintelepathyandtelekinesistofollow.

Try this the next time you perform the aetheric dozen: Once your aethericenvoyisformedandfloatinginfrontofyourchest,itcanperformsimpleactionsinyourstead.Byextendingcertainsensesandabilitiestotheenvoy,youenableit to do things you wouldn't normally be able to do. To make a clairvoyantenvoy, youmust transfer a portion of your sight to it. This is simple and yetamazing.Floattheenvoyuptoeye-levelandthenbringitcloseenoughtoyourfacethatitcomesincontactwithyoureyelinks.Onceitisthere,lookthroughthe envoy to "see things from its point of view."At this point, visualize yoursight transferring to the envoy. Allow the envoy to take on sight for yourconsciousness.Thismay takemore thanoneattempt.Once it isdone, though,youwill gain sight via the envoy nomatterwhere you send it. If at first thisexercisedoesnotproducesatisfyingresults,tryitagainandagainuntilyoucanat least achieve rudimentary remote viewing. Sight can be transferred back toyou by bringing the envoyback in contactwith your eyes.Don'tworry aboutlosing theenvoy. Itwill snapback toyou immediately ifyouare joltedoutofyourmeditation.

Usetheenvoytoexploreplacesfarfromyourmeditationspace.Tolessenthe

shockofthisdualexistence,imaginethattheenvoyis,infact,youandthatyouare traveling to these faraway places. For all intents and purposes, it is you.Practice thisallslowlyatfirst.There isnorush.Infact, ifyoudohastenyourclairvoyant progress you will no doubt falter. Expect failure at first, just astoddlers should expect failure at their first attempts atwalking.But like thosetoddlers,besuretoexpectwonderaswell.

Exercise14:AnInitialExerciseinTelepathy

Telepathy-thereadingofthoughts-isnotfarremovedfromclairvoyance.Justasallthingsinthematerialworldcanbeseenwithmaterialsenses,socanthingsin

theaetherbeseenwithaethericsenses.Ridewithmeadistanceonthistrainofthought:If,infact,allthingstangibleandintangiblearerepresentedinpalpableforms on the aetheric plane, then it is nothing at all for a person exercisingaethericsightto"see"athoughtasitemanatesfromaperson'shead!Thisisonemethodof telepathy, andyoumust agree that it is themost straightforward. Ifthoughts can take shape on the aetheric plane, then they can be seen usingaethericeyes.

Developyour telepathicabilitybypracticing thisexercise,which involvesafriend.Thetwoofyoushouldsitacrossfromoneanotheratatable.Oneofyoushould enter the lower astral vibration-perhaps your friend could help you byreading aloud the astral exercise from the beginning of this lesson while youperformthemeditation.Onceyouarevibrating in theastral range,youshouldnotifyyourfriendbysomesortofpresetsignal,bydroppingahandtothetable,forexample,orbyutteringasecretwordthetwoofyouagreedonbeforehand.

Now you are aetherically awake and ready to read the aether like a book.Haveyour friend thinka thoughtand think it strongly. It is important tostressthatthisthoughtshouldbeonewitharelativelypowerfulemotionbehindit,asthiswillmakethemessagemuchmorecleartoyouraethericeyes.Onlyyouandyourfriendknowwhereeachother'spassionslie,sonoexampleisgivenforthisportionoftheexercise.

It's difficult to say exactly how the thought will appear when your friend

thinksit.Itcouldbeseenlikeapicture,itcouldreadlikethefrontpageofthenewspaper,itmightevenbeheardlikeavoice.Whatmattersisnotthethought'sform,it'sthatyoucanperceiveitusingyouraethericsenses.

Togetabettersenseofthoughthavingshapeandmass,thinkofitasbeingastangibleontheaethericplaneasacoffeecuporashoeisinthematerialworld.Onceyouseethethoughtfloatingintheaether,makeagoodefforttorememberevery detail about it. When you return to your material vibration, record theentireexperienceandcomparenoteswithyourfriend.

Exercise15:AnInitialExerciseinTelekinesis

Telekinetic experiments follow the same basic premises as techniques forclairvoyance and telepathy, but there is a crucial difference between those

exercisesandthisone.Thatis,telekinesiscrossesoverfromtheaethericworldtothematerialworld,visiblyaffectingbothatonce.Thepracticeoftelekinesisisa difficult one, because it requires thementalist to concentrate dually on tworealities-theaethericandthematerial.

In a successful telekinetic trial, you will use your mental energy to affectphysicalphenomenainthematerialworld.It'sanincrediblethingtowitness,tobesure,andcompetentpractitionersoftelekinesisarefewandfarbetween.

Sit at a tabledevoidof allobjects saveapieceofwhite typingpaper andacoin.Itisbesttouseapenny,asitscolorismuchdifferentthanthatofthepaper.Itisalsolightweight.Tracetheoutlineofthecoinontothepaperwithapencil.This circle you have drawn represents the space the coin fills, and if yourexperimentissuccessful,thecoinwillmovefromitscurrentspace,leavingthecirclebehindonthepaper.Ifyouhaveanothercoinofadarkcoloryouwouldliketouse,makesureitisasdarkasordarkerthanapenny.Dimesaretoolightin color for this experiment (your aetheric eye might confuse them for thepaper),andquartersordollarpiecesareoutofthequestion,astheyaremuchtooheavyforbeginningtelekinesis.

Closeyoureyesandusetheexercisefromthebeginningofthislessontoenter

the lower astral vibration. Once there, activate (visualize) your forehead andhand links-these are the points of your aetheric body you will be using intelekinesis.Concentrateoneach linkasyoudo.Picture the linksassourcesoflight,eachoneofthemaglowingorbofaethericenergy.

Onceyouhaveactivatedyouraethericlinks,openyoureyes.(Youmaykeepyourphysicaleyesclosed ifyoupreferandopenyouraethericeyesonly.Anytelekineticforceonthecoinwillbeapparentbythecircleyoudrewonthepaper,soyouneednot"see"thecoinmovewithyourmaterialworldeyes.)Focusyourattention on the coin. Your hands are glowingwith a supernatural light, as isyourforehead.Thesepointsarethetoolsyouwillusetomovethecoin.

Thecoinisanobjectinmaterialspace.Butitexistsintheaetheraswell,andyouareintheaethernowmorethaneverbefore.Movingthephysicalcoinwithyouraethericskillsisverydifficultatthispointinyourtraining.Striveinsteadtomovetheaethericcointhatisalsotherebeforeyou.Thiswillbedifficultatfirst,because the psychological barrier between thematerial and aethericworlds isverystrong.

Now,usingaethericforcefromyourhandsoryourforehead,movethecoin.If

at first thisdoesnotwork, remember to focuson theaethericcoinbeforeyou.Youaremadeofaether,thecoinismadeofaether,andthespacebetweenyouandthecoinismadeofaether.Whenyoumoveyouraetherichand,alltheaetherarounditmoves,includingtheaetherofthecoin.Trythisandseewhathappens.

Amazing,no?Itisnothingcomparedtowhatyouhaveyettolearn.

ADJUSTINGYOURDAILYROUTINE

Makenomistake:At first youwill struggle topractice these exercises severaltimes a week, let alone daily. It is important that you not let this strugglediscourage you from your practice ofmentalism. The goal is to slowlymakementalismandtheaetherapartofyourconsciousdailylife.

In making a daily habit of the aetheric dozen, it can help tremendously toalwaysperformtheexercisesatthesametimeofday.Morningworksbetterforsome,nightfallforothers.Someprefertovisittheaethericplaneontheirlunchbreak. Still others report that an aetheric excursion brings them closer to thetwilightrealmofsleep,andsotheyperformtheexercisesjustbeforeretiringtobed.

Haveyougotanyregulardailyhabits?Mostpeopledo,andyouwouldbeanexceptiontotheruleifyoudidnot.Aneasywaytointegratetheaethericdozenintoyourlifeistotietheexercisestoanotherdailyhabit.Mostofusshowerortake a bath at the same time every day. What if you were to perform youraethericexercisesafteryourbath?

There ismore time in theday thanyou think.Eachofus isgiven the same

twentyfourhours eachday todowithwhatwewish.Before starting thedailyaetheric dozen program, youmaywant to take amental inventory of a usualday'sactivities.Takealookatyourself.Aretherethingsyoudoeverydaythataren't really thatproductiveor things thatareevendestructive?Bycuttingoutsomehabitsorpointlessdailyactivities,youwillfreeuptimeandenergyforanewroutine,liketheaethericexercisesyouhavejustlearned.Itisuptoyoutodecidewhatisandisn'thealthyinyourlifeandmakeadjustmentsaccordingly.

Evenwhenyouhavemadetheaethericdozenpartofyourdailyroutine,youwill likelystillstrugglewiththepractice.Atfirst theexerciseswillbedifficultand time consuming, and theymight seem likemore of a bother than a help,especially if you are not seeing results right away. Don't be discouraged.Continueyourpracticeandslowlyyouwillseeresults.Just likeyoucan'trushphysicaltrainingwhenyouaretryingforacertainphysiqueoradiettoachieveacertainbodyweight,youcan'trushmentaldevelopment.Itisaslowprocess,butonethateachdaybuildsonthepreviousday'ssuccesses.Keepitup!

HEALTHYMATERIALISM

If this lesson has achieved its goal, you are now aware that the only way tomental mastery is through a daily regimen of aetheric exercises. Aspiringmentalists should know, however, that the aetheric dozen outlined herein areonlyhalfofaregularprogramthatexercisesboththemindandthebody.

Inadditiontoyourdailyexcursionsintheaether,youshouldalsoremember

thatphysicalexercise isan immensehelp toyourgrowingmentalismskills.Ahealthy body feeds a healthy mind. If you do not already follow a regularworkout,consultyourdoctorandaskthatheorsheprescribephysicalactivitiesatleastasstrenuousasthementalregimenyouarenowengagingin.

Theintensityofyourphysicalroutinewillbeuniquetoyou.Forsomepeopleitwill be as simple as adailywalkaroundyourneighborhood.Otherswill beprescribed a vigorous workout requiring modern gymnastic equipment. Theauthorof thisbook isnotqualified to tellyouwhat isor isnotgood foryourphysicalbody.Yourphysician'sadviceisimportant.Heeditanddonotoverexertyourself.

Asidefromyourworkout,anotherkeyelementincultivatingahealthybodyisdiet.Reviewyoureatinghabitswithaprofessionalnutritionist,explaining thatyouare involved inaprogram that emphasizesbothbodilyandmentalhealth.Ask for a diet outline that will give you the proper amount of vitamins andnutrientstobringyourbodytoitspeakpotential.Avoidfaddietsandsticktoamixed intake that includes lots of fruits and vegetables, which are excellentsourcesofphysicalandmentalnutrition.

Ifyoudothesethings,youwillfindthatyouhavemoreenergytoperformtheaethericdozenoutlinedinthislesson.Yourdaywillstretchoutbeforeyou,andyouwillwonderhowyoueverwhileditawaysoeffortlessly.Beforeyouknowit,youwillbeeatingwellandexercisingas if itweresecondnature,andeventhoughitseemslikeachoreat first,soonyouwon'tmind theeffort it takes toleadahealthylife.

LESSONFOUR.

ASCENSION

InternalAether-StrengtheningInternalAether-CommonQuestionsaboutInternalAether-ManyBodies,OneSelfTheSublimeBodiesInitial

ExercisesAwakearoundtheBlockGettingtoKnowYou-4MaterialDissolution-ASeparateSelfProjectingtheAstralBodyAscension-YourAstral

NeighborhoodGoingHigher-PsychicResidueAethericHousekeepingDissolutionofEverydayObjects-TheDwellerontheThreshold-CrossingtheThreshold-

GoingOn

"It'snotfar,bybird,fromacloudtoaman...everythingistransmutableintoeverything."

-PAULELUARD,ATouteEpreuve

OFALLMANKIND'SFANCIES,thedreamofflightisonethathasdiminishedlittle since the days of Icarus. The advent of air travel in the early twentiethcentury brought people to the skies, but still the dream lives on in everyone'smind,including,nodoubt,yours.Anditisthemindthatwillserveasthevehicleforyourfirsttrueexperienceofflight.

As a practitioner of the exercises described in these pages, you are alreadywell versed in the basics of aether, the universal substance that ties all thingstogether.Nowyouareabout to learnhowyoucanuse theaether toperformasingularlyspectacularfeat-astralprojection.

Buildingon theaethericdozen, the setofexercisesyou've just learned,you

will use memory and visualization techniques that will open your eyes to anentirelynewworld,onemadeofamuchfinergradeofaetherthantheworldwenormally inhabit. By forming and then separating your astral body from yourmaterial form, you will achieve free movement-including flight-in this other

realm,aplaceknownastheastralworld.

INTERNALAETHER

Sofaryouhavelearnedmuchaboutatypeofaethercalledinternalaether.Inthissectionwewillexplorethefunctionsandlimitationsofthissubstance.Keepinmindthatinternalaethergoesbymanynames.Allthesenamesmeanessentiallythesamething:

internalaether

personalaether

themind

theconsciousness

theaethericbody

Internalaetherisdifferentiatedfromexternalaetherinthatitistheaetherthatcomposes what you think of as your selfthat is to say, your personality orconsciousness.Internalaethercomposesyourphysicalandaethericbodies,yourthoughts,yourfeelings,yourmemories,andyourpersonality.Inaword:you.

Yourinternalaetheriscontrolledinmuchthesamemannerasyourphysicalbody.Thinkofthis:Someofyourmaterialbody'sfunctionsaresubconsciousorinvoluntary. These functions include breathing, blinking, reflexes, and otherreactions and essential life processes. Other functions of your body comenaturally to a grown person but are voluntary, such as walking, talking, andperformingcomplextaskslikedrivingacarorcooking.Justasyoucontrolyourbody to do these things, so you control your internal aether to perform itsfunctions. In fact, as you are cooking or sleeping or breathing in thematerialworld,youraethericbodyisdoingthesameintheaethericworld.

Externalaether, incontrast, isdefinedasall theaether thatcomposes things

thatarenotyou.Youcannodoubtnameacountlessnumberofthingsthatarenotyou.Rightnow,thethingsclosesttoyouthataremadeofexternalaetheraretheclothesyou'rewearing,theairyou'rebreathing,andtheplaceinwhichyou'rereadingthisbook.Infact,thisbookitselfismadeofexternalaether.

Exercise16:StrengtheningInternalAether

Inordertouseyourinternalaethertoitsfullestpotential,anaspiringmentalistmustexercisehisorheraethericbody(composedof internalaether) justasanathletewouldexercisehisorherphysicalbody.Here is a simpleexerciseyoucanperformaspartoftheaethericdozensetofexercisesyoulearnedinthelastlesson.

Thenexttimeyoucompletetheaethericdozen-thatistosay,whenyouhaveperformedalltheexercisesandarestandingwithyourreplenishedaethericbodyinyourpracticespace-dosomethingtotallymundanewhileyourconsciousnessremainsintheastralfrequency.Whataretheobjectsinyourpracticespacethatyou could pick up or use? If you have properly visualized the aetheric planearoundyou,thentheyshouldalllooklikefaintlyglowingdoublesoftheactualmaterial objects.Keeping yourmental vibration high,walk over to one of theobjects and use it theway youwould normally.Keep this simple at first-it isbettertopickupaballandtossitfromonehandtotheotherthantoreadabook,as reading takesmoreof the focused concentration and reflectionyouneed inordertokeepyourconsciousnessintheastralfrequency.

Tossing a ball, folding some laundry, eating a cracker-all these things areperfectlygoodtodoforthepurposesofthisexercise.What'simportanttothinkaboutasyoudoitisnotsomuchtheactivityitselfbutthemotionsyourbodyismakingtoperformtheactivity.Yourhandsaremoving,nodoubt.Maybeyour

legsaretoo.Whataboutyourhead?Ifyou'vechosenamundanetasklikethoselistedabove,youwillbeabletothinkabouthowyourbodyismovingandhowwhat you think translates directly into what you do-or rather, what is done.Becauseyourinternalaetherisyourconsciousness,themoreconsciousyouareof your body-its movements and functions-the stronger your internal aetherbecomes.

Do thisexerciseafteryourdailydozenfora fewdaysandsee ifyounoticeanythingaboutyourselfthatyoudidn'tknowbefore.Itisnotnecessarytokeepdoingthisexerciseeverydayafterthat,butrememberthatitisthereforyouifyouneedtostrengthenyourconsciousnessofyourbody.

CommonQuestionsaboutInternalAether

Under what circumstances does external (or personal aether become internalaether,andviceversa?

Theanswertothisquestionismorecomplicatedthanitappearsatfirstglance,and,infact,therearenohardandfastrulesgoverningwhatisandisnotinternalaether.What are some examples of the external becoming the internal in thematerialworld?Drinkingaglassofwater,smokingacigarette,eventhesimpleactofbreathingall takeoutsidematerialandincorporate it intoourbodies.Asaethericbeingswecantaketheexternalintoourselvesinmuchthesameway.Infact, we do it as amatter of course, for when you eat a piece of fruit in thematerial world, you take the fruit's aether just as you take its flesh, and bothprovidenourishmenttoyourrespectivebodies.

Thinkaboutthepenultimateexerciseintheaethericdozen,"DrawingAethertotheBody."Inthatexercise,youbringyouraethericenvoy(internalaethersentforth from the body) back into your aetheric body. With practice, you canconsciouslybringexternalaetherintoyouraethericbody.

Doesinternalaetherhaveapersonalityofitsown?

Yes, itdoes,but thatpersonality is thesameasyourown. In rarecases, thepersonalityofanindividual'saetherissignificantlydifferentthanthatofhisorher materialworld personality. This is usually caused by mental illness orpossession by a poltergeist or an even more powerful aetheric being thatcommands the personality. In those instances, the internal aether is still the

victim'sown,eventhoughitisnolongerunderhisorhercontrol.

Atwhatratedoesinternalaethervibrate?

I'msogladyouaskedthatquestion,becauseitbringsustoournextsubject.

ManyBodies,OneSelf

Dependingonitsvibrationalfrequency,yourinternalaethercomposesoneofanumberofsublimebodiesthatexistsintandemwithyourmaterialself.Mostofthetimeyourinternalaetherisvibratingataratewithinthematerialrange,albeitontheaethericplane.Ourmaterialandaethericselvescanexistsimultaneouslydue to the existenceof the aethericplane.Asyoumeditate and raiseor loweryour internal aether to other worlds within the aether, your consciousnesschanges from its normalmaterialaetheric form to onemore suited to the newworlditinhabits.

Ifyou'vebeenpracticingtheaethericdozen,thenyoumayhavealreadymadeanastonishingrealization:each timeyouhaveraisedyourmind's frequency tothe astralworld, your personal aether has done likewise and formed an astralbody.Whileyoupracticetheexercises,theastralbodyinhabitsthesamespaceasyourphysicalbody.Inthislessonyouwilllearntechniquesformovingyourastralbodytootherplaceswhileyourphysicalbodyremainsstill.

TheSublimeBodies

TheElementalBody:Theaethericformknownas theelementalbodyexistsatthelowestaethericvibrationandisthemostdynamicofallthesublimebodies,due to the variegated naturewithin the elemental vibrational frequency range.Depending on where in the elemental world your travels take you, yourelementalbodywillbecomefiery,airy,watery,earthy,oracombinationof thefour.Insomeinstances,theelementalbodycanexistinthematerialworld.

The MaterialAetheric Body: This body is known as the "materialaetheric"bodyinsteadofjustthe"materialbody"tohelpyoukeepfromconfusingitwiththephysicalbodyyouuseeverydayinthematerialworld.Yourconsciousnessisinitsmaterialaethericformwhenyougoaboutyourmundane,dailyaffairs,notpracticing mentalism or altering your mind's vibration through meditation orothermeans.Youuseyourmaterialaethericbodywhenyoudaydream,putting

yourselfinplacesorsituationsthataretotallyimaginary.

The Astral Body: Most of the feats and techniques you will learn as a

mentalist will use the astral body. The astral body is an ideal vehicle formentalism and aether manipulation for a number of reasons. Firstly, theheightenedawarenessachievedthroughastral-vibrationmeditationfocusesyourmindsufficiently foraethericwork.Secondly, theastralworld isa remarkablypliable place, so you will find it a welcoming venue for your experiments.Thirdly, thevarietyofbeingsandenergies existing in theastralworldprovidetherangeofexperienceessentialtoyourprogressasamentalist.Thereareother,lesser reasonswhy theastralworld is ideal formentalism,andasyouperformyourownstudiesthere,youwillnodoubtcomeupwithalistofyourown.

TheElysianBody:TheelysianbodyistheaethericformyourconsciousnesstakesononceitsvibrationisraisedpasttheupperlimitsoftheastralworldandtheLethean field separating theastralandelysian frequencies.At thispoint inyour studies, Elysium is nothing but the remotest of destinations reachable inyour aetheric travels, so for now we will not dwell on the functions of thissublimebody.

INITIALEXERCISES

The activities we take part in every day can also be performed in the astralworld.Infact,asimplethinglikeawalkaroundyourneighborhoodcanserveastheperfectintroductiontoastralprojection.Thematerialworldoffersmanysuchillustrationstohelpyouunderstandtheaethermorefully.Inthissectionyouwilllearn threematerialworldexercises thatwillprepareyouforyour initial foraysintotheastralworld.

Exercise17:AwakearoundtheBlock

Haveyougot a short route youwalk on a regular basis?Perhaps yougo to astoreorabusstopafewblocksfromyourhouseseveraltimesaweek,ormaybeyouhaveincorporatedashortstroll intoyourexerciseprogram.Regularwalkssuch as this improve your physical health.Whenyou practicementalism, youcan perform similar walks in the astral world to improve your aetheric well-being!

Make sure the route you choose is a short one,with your farthest point nomorethanthreeblocksfromyourhouse,andtrythis:thenextseveraltimesyougooutonyourwalkgiveyourselfextra timetonotice thedetailsof theworldaroundyou.Set asideaweek inwhichyou'll takeyourwalka few times inamuchmoreconsciousmannerthanusual.Takehalfagainortwiceasmuchtimeonyourwalk,soyoucanobserveasmuchaspossible.Look, listen,andsmellthethingsaroundyouonyourway,payingextraattentiontosensationsyoudon'tnormallynotice.Breathedeeply,gettingarealfeelfortheairoftheplace.Isitsunny?Aretherelotsofbuildings?Howmanytreesorotherplantsdoyoupassonyourwalk?Aretheremanypeoplearound?

Whenyoureturnfromyourwalk,takesometimetorememberwhatyoucan

of it. Retrace your steps in your mind, ideally spending as much time inrecollectionasyoudidonyourstroll.Memorycanbeveryselective.Wetendtorememberonlycertainobviousorremarkablethingsweseeorhear.Asastudentofmentalism,youmustrememberwhatallyoursensesare tellingyouandthedetails of everything you perceive. At first you may find that you arerememberingyourjourneyasaseriesofmorepowerfulsensationsconnectedby

less memorable ones. As you practice your recollections, your memory willimprove,thusimprovingyourvisualizationsofthistrip.

Exercise18:GettingtoKnowYou

Hereisanexercisethatwillhelpyouvisualizeyourprojectedastralbody.Standnakedinthebathroomoranyotherwell-litroomthathasafull-lengthmirrorinit.Examineyourreflectionstandingaboutanarm'slengthfromthemirror.Youalreadyknowyourbodysowell,becauseyouinhabititanduseitconstantly,butnowyouarelookingatitthewayyou'vebeenlookingatyourneighborhoodinthe previous exercise.Get a good sense for the proportions of your body andhowyoulookfromthesideandfront.Lookoveryourshoulderoruseanothermirrortogetalookatyourselffrombehind.Thencloseyoureyesandtakeafewminutestopictureyourreflectionfromeachangle.Openyoureyesandcompareyourmentalimagetotherealityinthemirror.Dothisafewtimes.Remember:youaretryingtobuildastrongmentalvisualizationofyourbody.Thisisnotthe

time to attach any negative or positive thoughts to your body image. Try toremainasobjectiveaspossible.

Nowstandveryclosetothemirror,almosttothepointwhereyou'resocloseyou can't focus. Look at your face. Study its details just as you studied yourbody's details. A mental picture of your face is vital to beginning astralprojection,sopaycloseattention.Nowcloseyoureyesandvisualizeyourface.Canyouseeit?Concentrateonitsimageforaminuteorsoandthenopenyoureyestoyourreflection.Howcloseisyourmentalpicturetotherealthing?Keepstudyingyourfaceandpicturingitinyourminduntilyouknowitwell.

Step back from themirror and see yourwhole body again.Begin to noticeyour breath. Take a few deep breaths, and on one of your inhales, close youreyes and picture your body.When you exhale, open your eyes and see yourreflection.Do this several times to increase yourmental familiaritywith yourbody,andthenrepeattheexercisefocusingonyourface.

When you are through with this exercise, take a break from such

introspection.Readabookorgooutside.Bearoundotherpeople.Itwilldoyougoodandwillletthethingsyou'vejustlearnedsinkintoyoursubconsciousforrecalllater.

Exercise19:,4MaterialDissolution

Asyoulearnedin the"InkyFlares"exercise,water isanexcellentmediumforillustratingthepropertiesoftheaether.Intheexercisedescribedhere,youwillneed a (preferably transparent glass) bowl of water filled nearly to the top, asharpenedpencil,andasmallboxofsugarcubes.

Imagine that thebowlofwater represents the roomyouare in.The roomisfilledwithaether,asitalwaysis,andyouareinit.Withyourfingers,carefullysetasugarcubeinthebottomofthebowl.Nowlookcloselyatthesugar.Afteramomentor twoyouwillsee thesugarbeginning todissolve.Watchas itdoes.Noticehowthesolidcubeslowlycomesapartandmeldswiththewateraroundit.Makenoteofhowthisparticularsugarcubedissolves.Putanothercubeinthebowlandnoticeifitbehavesthesameway.

After you'vewatched these two dissolve on their own for a bit, put a third

cube in thebowl.Stir thewateraroundwithyourpencil,creatingawhirlpool.Paycloseattention.Howdoesthismovementaffectthedissolutionofthesugarcube?Try other thingswith the pencil. Flake awaybits from the edges of thecube,pokedirectlyintoitscenter,twiddlethepenciljusttotheleftorrightofthecubeandnoticehowthesugarcomesapartwhenyoudo.

Perform these experiments again the next day, always noting how differentconditions affect the dissolving sugar cube.Write down your perceptions anddon'tforgettokeeptrackofthemmentallyaswell.Trytorememberthewaythesugarcubesdissolvedduringyournextmeditationsession.

ASEPARATESELF

Thissectionwillguideyouthroughtheformationandseparationofyourastralbody from your material body. Because of the importance of this exercise,aspirantsareadvisedtoreadthissectionthroughatleastoncebeforefollowinganyofitsinstructions.

Thisexercise shouldbeperformedat theendofyourdailyaetheric session,whileyouarestillvibratingintheastralworld,andonedayafterperformingthe"GettingtoKnowYou"exercisepresentedpreviously.It'sokaytogobackandrepeat themirrorexercise if it'sbeenmorethanaday.Remember towaituntilthenextdaytotrythisexercise,though,togiveyourmindsomerestandtobesureyoucantrulyrecallthememories.

Exercise20:ProjectingtheAstralBody

Laydownonyourbedoronthefloornearawall,facingtheceiling.Whenyouare more accomplished with this technique, you can try it while standing orsitting,butfornow,it'ssafertotryastralprojectiononyourback,soyoudon'thavetoworryaboutkeepingyourphysicalbody'sbalance.

The aetheric-material groundingyouperform in the aetheric dozen involvesyourfootlinks.Yourfootlinkscontinuetoprovideyourfirmestgroundingwhileyouareonyourback.Putyourbarefeetagainstawall,ifpossible,whileyouarelyingdown, tokeepphysical contactbetween the solesofyour feet (and theirrespectiveaethericlinks)andthematerialworld.

Ifyouhavejustcompletedtheaethericdozen,yourconsciousnessisalreadyvibratinginthelowerastralrange.Yourinitialastraltripswilltakeplaceinthisvibration.At this point your astral body occupies precisely the same space asyour physical body.What we must do is transfer your consciousness outsideyourmaterialform.Thefirststepinaccomplishingthisistoformaveryclear,veryprecisementalpictureofyourbody.

Continue thedeepmeditationusedforyouraethericexercises-focusonyourbreath. If it helps, think of the astral world as a deep blue wave of energy

washingoveryou,asyouhavedonebefore.Remaininthisstateforaminuteortwobeforecontinuing.

Whenyouareready,shiftyourfocusfromyourbreathtothememoryofyourfaceinthemirrorthenightbefore.Allowyourselfplentyoftimetoformaclearmentalpictureofyourface,withallitsdetails.Thinkdeeplyonit.Imaginethisfacefloatingdirectlyaboveyourownface,sothatyouarelookingintoamirrorimageofyourownvisage,justlikelastnight.Thedifferenceisthatthistimeitisreal.

Once you've established a good representation of your own face floating

directlyaboveyourown,moveyourattentiondowntoyourchestlink.Fromthismicroscopicportalinyoursolarplexusyoumustnowemitagooddealofyourpersonalaether.

Donotbefrightenedbythisprospect.Atalltimesduringyourastraltravels,youwill be in complete control of your aetheric body. There is no danger inemittingthisinternalaether.Startslowly,lettingtheaethercomefromyourchestlink likeasteadystreamofsmokeorsteam.Itshouldcoalesce justaboveyouintoacloudofvaguelyhumanform.Letyourawarenessgraduallyshiftwiththisemission, your consciousness expanding to include the space above yourphysicalbody.

Emit enough aether tomake a cloud about the size of your body, even if itseemsabitvapory.Nowrestinthismodeforaminuteorso,yourconsciousnesssplitbetweenyourmaterialbodyandthecloudofaetheraboveit.

Nowstare into thecloudofaetherand lookat the faceyou've formed in it.Takesometimetomakesurethefaceremainsascloseaspossibletoyourown,asteady vision with all the features there. The eyes are the same; the facialstructure,thelips,nose,andhairareallthesame.Thisisanimportantstep,sotakeyourtime.Thereisnohurry.

Once your visualization is strong, hold it in your mind and feel yourconsciousness filling thecloud.Thevisualizationofyour face,and theeyes inparticular,anchorsyourshiftingconsciousnessasitmovesfromthespacewithinyourmaterialbodytothespacejustaboveit.Blinkwhenyouneedto,keepingthe face right above yours with those eyes blinking right back. Once you'vebroughtyourconsciousnesscompletelyuptothefloatingspace,blinkagainand

realizethatthefaceyouseeisnolongerthefaceofyourastralcounterpart,thatfloatingdoublemadeofsomuchofthestuffthatis,essentially,you.No,thefaceyouseeisthatofyourmaterialbody,andyouarelookingdownatitfromabove.Yourconsciousnessisnowfloatingfreelyaboveyourphysicalform.

Yourinitialmovementinyourastralbodyshouldn'tbetoodifficultifyoutake

it slowly.Floathigher into the roomuntilyourastralbody isabout fiveorsixfeet above you. Continue to focus on your face below so you don't getdisoriented.Onceyou'rehighenough,loweryourastralfeettothefloorsothatyourastralbodyisstandingupright.Whenthisisdone,takeadeepbreathortwoandlookaroundtheroom.Whatdoyousee?Iseverythingasyourememberit?

Youwillfindthatwalkingisn'treallynecessarywhileyourconsciousnessisin

thisform.Simplythinkofwhereyouwanttomoveto,andyougoglidingalong,yourfeetjustabovethefloor.Tryit.Spendsometimemovingabouttheroomoreven the house in your astral form. Don't leave the house during this trip,though-the exercise following this one will guide you through your first"outdoor"astraltrip.

Although it's unlikely, youmay run into one ormore spirits, elementals, orotheraethericbeingsonyourinitialjourney.Donotbealarmed.Nearlyallthese

beings are harmless, and most won't even notice you as they go about theirotherworldly business. If you are ever frightened by them and do notwish toremain in their company, simply leave the area. If you feel safer nearer yourphysicalbody,movethere.

When you're ready, begin to reintegrate your personal aether. Do thisgradually, as aquick reconnectionofyour two selves cancauseanunpleasantmental shock. Successful reintegration can be done by merely reversing theprocessbywhichyouprojectedinthefirstplace.Floatyourastralbodyaboveyourpronematerialworldform,ideallynomorethantwelveinchesaway.Alignyour astral face with your material counterpart, and focus on your breathing.Allow yourself to remember what everyday physicality is like, the way yourmaterial body feels.Let this feeling grow slowly in you, a gradual realizationthroughoutyourentirebodyasyoushiftyourconsciousnessbacktoitsearthlystate.

Nowcloseyoureyes,breathedeeply,holdthebreath,andasyouexhale,openyour eyes to see the ceilingof the room.Youareback inyourphysical body.Gradually bring your vibration back to thematerialworld.There's no need torush.Relaxandbreatheforaminuteorsointhematerialvibration.Itisnodoubtquiteexhilarating.

You'vejustmadeyourfirstastraljourneyawayfromyourphysicalbody.Waytogo!

ASCENSION

Thisisaveryexcitingtimeinyouraethericdevelopment.You'vejustcompletedyour first astral trip, and, although it was very brief, it was astoundinglyimportant. This section will instruct you in your first astral excursion of anyconsiderable length.You'rewellpreparedfor this trip,because itwill takeyouonthesamerouteyou'vebeentravelingonyourwalksaroundtheneighborhood.Thistime,however,youwilltakeyourwalkusingyourastralbody.

Exercise21:YourAstralNeighborhood

This exercise is best performed on a day when you've gone on yourneighborhood walk, followed by a session of the aetheric dozen. Like thepreviousexercise,thisoneshouldbedonelyingdownwiththesolesofyourfeettouchingthewall.Gothroughtheprocedureofformingtheastralbody,floatingitjustaboveyourproneform.

Onceyourconsciousnesshasbeentransferredtothissuspendedbodyandyoufeelrelaxedinit,bringyourfeettothefloorandlookaroundtheroom.Youhavebeen outside your body at least once before.Do you notice that anything haschangedfrombefore?Lookatyourmaterialform,breathinginunisonwithyou.Itwill be finewhile you are away. If you are ever in danger, your astral andmaterialbodieswillrejoininaninstant.Donotbeafraid.

Nowmovefromthis roomto thedoorofyourhouse.Canyousee thedoorplainly?Reachoutandopenit."Walk"throughandclosethedoorbehindyou.Pausehere.Remembertobreathe.

Floatseveralfeetawayfromthedoorandlookaround.Takeintheview-whatdoyousee?Breathedeeplyandsavortheair.Theairouthereisdifferentthanthatinyourhouse.Giveyourselfafewsecondstogetaccustomedtothisscene,andthenbeginyourtriparoundtheblock.

Moveatanormalpacealongyourpath,ifnotalittleslowerthanusual.There

isa lot tosee,a lot tohear.Whatdoyounotice?Does theskyseemfamiliar?Look at the buildings and the ground around you. Are there trees? Are there

people?Keepmovingbutretainanactiveawarenessofwhat'shappeningaroundyou.

Continueyourroutetoitsfarthestpoint,ifyoucan,andthenturnaroundandhead for home. Aside from the floating, gliding attitude your body takes onduringastralflight,remembertomoveasyounormallywould,usingyourhandstoopenandclosethedoorwhenyoureturn.Returntoyourpracticespace.You'llreintegrateyourpersonalaetherintoyourmaterialbodyjustasyoudidbefore,floating above and staring face-to-face into your own eyes. Keep breathing.Closeyoureyesandvisualizeyourbodygrowingmoresolid,moreheavy,moreanchoredinthematerialworld.

Whenyouarebackinyourphysicalform-andwhenyouareready-openyoureyes.It'snaturaltofeelabitdisorientedafteranastralprojectionsession.Allowyourself time to regain your bearings once you've come back to the materialvibration.Liestillandthinkaboutyourtrip.Ifyou'vemaintainedaslow,steadyreductioninvibrationonthewaybackdowntothematerialworld,youshouldn'thave any adverse reaction to your projection. Take things slowly. You mighteven feel invigoratedandexcitedonceyou'reback.Afterall,you've justdonesomethingamazing!

GoingHigher

If you've closely followed the directions given so far in this lesson, all yourastral travels to this point have covered the same ground you've tread duringyournormal,materialworldwalks aroundyourhouse and theneighborhood inwhich you live. No doubt you're hungering for something a little morespectacular in your astral projections. Perhaps you're thinking about flight tohigherandmoreinaccessibleplaces.

Even thoughhumans are earthbound creatures bynature,we've all dreamed

(whileawakeor asleep)of flyinghighabove theearthatone timeoranother,hopingperhapstoescapefromsomedrearyrealitybeloworjusttofeelthethrillofunencumberedmovementamongtheclouds.

This being the case, the barrier the aspiring mentalist has to surmount toachievetrueastralflight(thatistosay,astralflightunlimitedbygravity)isn'ttheimaginingoftheactofflight-it'sthevisualization.Asyouknowfromyourworkso far, the imagination is the starting point for all mentalism, but before any

imagined ideacanhaveanyvalidity in thematerialorastralworld, itmustbevisualizedwithagreatdealofconcentration.

Everydayexperiencescanhelpyouvisualizeastralflight.Withinreason,youshouldhaveamaterialworldexperienceascloseaspossibletoyourastralflight.

I say "within reason" because I don't want to encourage you to put yourphysical body in danger as part of your aetheric studies. In fact, one of thegreatestadvantagesofmentalismisthattheaspirantcanusehisorhermindtodothingsthatareimpossibleforthebodytoachieve.

Sopleasedon'tgooutand jumpoff acliff in searchof the feelingof flightnecessaryforthisexercise.Theaetherintheastralworldbehaveslikewaterattimes, so if you are to excel at astral flight, it's good to have a workingknowledgeofhowyourbodymovesunderwater.Swimoften,takingcarefulnoteofhowthewaterfeelsaroundyourbody.Scubadivingisalsorecommended,astheprolongeddivesbeneaththesurfacewillaccustomyoutofloatingmovementinanotherworld.

Equally important to the senseof flight isavisualpictureofwhat theearth

lookslikefromabove.Doyouevertravelbyplane?Thenexttimeyoudo,payspecialattentiontothegroundbelowyou.Howdoesitlook?Canyouseeyourhouse from the air? Studymaps of your hometown, paying close attention toyourneighborhood.Thengooutsideandcomparewhatyouseeonthemapstotheactualhousesandgeographical features there.Standonyourroofand lookaround.Howdoes your neighborhood look fromuphere?Whenyou're ready,youshouldtrytovisittheskiesaboveyourtownontheaethericplane.

PsychicResidue

Whenyoumoveon theaethericplane,you leavea trailbehindyou,apsychicresiduethatissimilartothesignsandscentsleftbyananimalmovingthroughtheforest.Thisresidualtrailismadeupofinternalaetherthatbreaksawayfromyour aetheric body as you take in new experiences and sensations. In thematerialworldaswellasintheaethericone,thistrailalsoaccountsinpartforour ability to remember placeswe've been and thingswe've done.The trail isnearly imperceptible to beginning mentalists, who will see aetheric bodies asglowingformsthatseemtobetrailedbyablurredafterimageonlyafewinchesinlength.Experiencedmentalistsseethepsychicresidueclearlyandcanuseitin

trackingotheraethericbeingsorindeterminingwhattypeofintelligenceshavecomethroughanareaintheastralworld.Itisthispsychicresiduetrailthatyourastralbody follows togetback toyourmaterialbody.Even though it'sbest toretraceyourstepsbacktoyourmaterialbodywhenfinishinganastraltrip,yourconsciousnessandallyourfacultiesareable tosnapbackinstantly, ifneedbe,byfollowingthepsychicresiduetrail.

AETHERICHOUSEKEEPING

At times youmay find it useful to clear out a roomlike space on the aethericplane for use as a mental workshop. Perhaps you are plagued by distractingthoughtsandneedtofocusyourattentiononaparticularthing.Maybeyouareunable to practice in your normal quiet space andneed to find stillness in themidstofboisteroussurroundings.

Recall the sugarexercise fromearlier in this lesson. In it,youwatchedasasugar cube dissolved slowly into the surrounding water. With propervisualization, you can mentally dissolve objects on the aetheric plane,temporarily obliterating their influence on you. This technique-like all othersyouarelearning-islimitedonlybyyourimagination.

Exercise22:DissolutionofEverydayObjects

Startoutwiththissimpleexercise.Clearyourpracticespaceofallobjectssaveachair, abook,aglassofwater, andapairof shoes.Sit in thechair, facing theobjects,andenterameditationinthelowerastralfrequency.Visualizetheroom,its walls defining the boundaries of the space that will become your aethericworkshop.Visualize the book, the glass ofwater, and the pair of shoes in theroom,andalsoyourselfinthechair.Thinkaboutthebook;focusyourattentionon it. The book represents an object or thought standing in the way of yourconcentration.Itmustberemovedfromthespacebeforeyoucancontinue.Lookcloselyat thebook(youcando thiswithyoureyesopenorclosed,whicheverfeelsmore comfortable to you), so closely that you can see the texture of thecover.All surfaces have a texture, even if at first glance they appear smooth.Lookatthetextureofthecoverofthebook,andasyoudo,imagineaneddyofaetherwashingawayatit.Bitsflakeoff,floatawayfromthecover,anddissolveinto nothingness. Keep concentrating on the book. Once the cover is brokenaway and gone, let the pages come loose. See them float above the book andbreakapartrapidly,joiningtheeternalflowoftheaether.Keepupthisthoughtuntil thewhole of the book has been dissolved. If you like, visualize a sharpspikeofaetherworkingawayatthebook,justlikeyourpencildidtothesugarcubeintheearlierexercise.

Youmightwellwonder, is thebooknowdestroyed?No, it isnot-not in theslightestway.Whatyoudidwasdissipatethethoughtofthebook,theimageofthebookinyourmind.Ifyoulookagain,youmayseethebookbackwhereitwas,assolidasever.Trynottoletthishappenasyoumoveyourattentiontotheglassofwaterandthentotheshoes,dissipatingeachinthesameway,asiftheyweremadeofsugarandsubmergedinaturbulentpool.

Whatdifficultiesdoyounoticeasyoudissolvetheseotherobjects?Doestheglass shatter, or does it flake away like thebook?Does thewater in theglasssteam as it disappears, or does it drain into nothingness, as if someone weredrinkingitwithaninvisiblestraw?Doyoupicturethelacesoftheshoeuntyingbefore theydissolve, theelementsof theshoecomingapartas if itwerebeingdisassembledbyhand,ordoestheshoebreakupasifitweremadeofasinglesubstance-asyouandIknowittrulyis?

Onceyou'vedissolvedallthreeobjects,restabitinyourmeditationandenjoy

theroominitsnewunclutteredstate.Doesittakemuchefforttokeeptheobjectsinvisible?Dotheykeepslippingbackintoview?Maintaintheroom'sblankstateforatleastfiveminutesbeforeallowingtheobjectstocomebackin.Whenyoudo, thereisnoneedtorebuildthemintheaether.You'llnodoubtfindthat theobjectsreappearwithlittleeffortonyourpart.It'sjustamatterofnoticingthemagain.

Theparadoxbehindthisexercise is that in theaether, thought isreality.Thethingsyouactivelytrynottothinkaboutaretheverythingsthatwillcropupinfrontofyou.It'svitalthatyoulearntoclearyourmindofthought,makingyourself as blank as the room you've just cleared. This can only be done throughregularmeditationonthesubject.

Youmayfinditeasytodissolvethingslikebooksandglassesofwater-allitmaytakeistocloseyoureyestoforgetabouttheirpresence.Outofsight,outofmind, after all.Butwhat if you need to clear unwanted sounds from a room?What about smells? You must form techniques that help you clear theseintruding sensations from your attention. Practice sitting in a crowded cafe,focusing on one conversation for a while and on another later. Then let theoverallwarble of voicesmerge, and, closing your eyes and yourmental ears,dissolve the cacophony into nothing.Memorize scents, including the smell ofnothing at all, andbring themback asneeded.Withpractice thiswill becomeeasier.

THEDWELLERONTHETHRESHOLD

TheLestrygoniansandtheCyclops,thefiercePoseidonyouwillneverencounter,ifyoudonotcarrythemwithinyoursoul,ifyoursouldoesnotset

themupbeforeyou.

-CONSTANTINEP.CAVAFY,Ithaca

Being human, each of us carries within ourselves a tremendous amount ofpsychicbaggage.Mostoftentheresultofexperiencesgainedinchildhood,thismentalburdenweighsusdownandhindersourcapacityformasteryoveraether.Inordertomoveaheadinyourstudiesofmentalism,it'snecessarytotakestockofyourownburdenandfreeyourselffromitsweight.

Asitinvariablydoes,theaethergivesaspirantsaveryconcreterepresentationof thispsychicburden. It iscalled theDwelleron theThreshold,andyouwillmeetitintheastralworldearlyinyourtravels.

TheDweller'sappearanceisuniquetoeveryone.Oneperson'sDwellermightappearasagreatbeastcrouchedinthemiddleofaroad.Toanotherperson,theDwellerisawalloffogoranendlessfieldthatcannotbecrossed.Nomatteritsappearance,ineachcasetheDweller'spurposeisthesame:tostopyouraethericadvancementdeadinitstracks.

Itseemsunfair,doesn'tit?Hereyouareonthevergeofgreatachievementontheaethericplane,and thiscreature, thismonstrosity,nowstands inyourway.Why?

That, dear aspirant, is a question that only you can answer. For just as theDwellerlooksdifferenttoeachandeveryoneofus,soistheDwellerdifferent.It ismadeupofallyourpastfailings,yourfears,yourinsecurities.Everythingthat'severstoppedyoufromfulfillingyourdesiresandlivingoutyourdreamsisboundup in the fleshof this unsettling creature, be it bottomless seaor stonyserpentinappearance.

Facing theDweller is not as awful a fate as youmight think. In away, the

Dweller is giving you an opportunity, forcing you to come to grips with

everything that's ever heldyouback, to examinewhy it is that you limit yourowncapacity-whichisphenomenal-bybelievingfalsehoodsaboutwhoyouareorwhatyoucanachieve.Bysettingitallbeforeyounow,whenyouareatthebrinkofterrificpersonaldevelopment,theDwellerisactuallydoingyouagreatfavor.

Exercise23:CrossingtheThreshold

TheancientEgyptians,amongothers,believedinabeingsimilartotheDweller,one who guards the crossing point between life and death. The role of theaethericDwelleryou'llencounterisn'tmuchdifferent,forwhenyoumeetityouareendingyourfirstlife-thatofamundane-andsteppingfullyintoyournewlifeasamentalist.

Despite its outward appearance, which as you know by now could beanything, the Dweller is not a single entity but an amalgam of legionthoughtform elementals, each one representing a particular aspect of your lifethathasstifledyouorheldyouback.JustliketheDweller, thesecreaturescanappearassomethingcompletelyunrelatedtotheirtruenature,butwhenyouseeeach one, you'll soon realize what it is. These elementals will appear to youseparatefromtheDweller,breakingofffromthegreaterformonebyone.Eachonemustbemetandunderstoodforwhatpartithasplayedinyourlife.Itmustthenbedissipatedusingthetechniqueyoulearnedearlierinthislesson.

When you dissolve the elemental, you are not momentarily wiping it fromyour memory or temporarily clearing it from the space in which you arestanding, like you did with the glass of water or the book. No, you're doingsomethingmuchmorepowerful.BydissolvingeachelementalattheThreshold,youareacceptingitsinfluenceinyourlifeandmakingitclearthatyouwillnolongerletitholdyouback.

Theworkyouaredoinghereismental-it isfor thegoodofyourmind.Thisprocesswillnotremovebadhabitsorunpleasantthoughtsfromyourlife,butitwillstopyoufrombeingmentallyrestrictedbythem.

Expect theprocess tobe emotional, as it iswill bringupoldmemories andexperiencesthatmayhavebeensweptundertherug.Thisprocessisalsoslow-donotexpectittobeeasyorfast.Takeasmuchtimeasyouneed.Itmaytakemore than one ses sion with the Dweller to overcome all its aspects. This isokaythereisnoneedtopushyourselftoohard.TakeyourtimeattheThreshold,long enough to appreciate what it is you're doing for yourself. You willappreciate the time you took, because the experience is deeply personal andrewarding,anditwillmakeyouamorewholeperson.

Once you have reconciledwith theDweller, you can pass freely across theThresholdandintothenextstageofyourmentaldevelopmentandyourlife.Youwillnotmeetthisbeingagain.

In a sense, crossing the Threshold will be one of the greatest feats ofmentalismyouwilleverperform,becauseyouwillbeovercomingyourself,yourpast,andallthethingsthathaveeverlimitedyou.

Allisaether.

Mentalismiswilloveraether.

Andintheend,nothing'sreallyholdingyouback,isit?

GOINGON

This lesson has outlined a number of practical exercises for the aspiringmentalisttoperformintheastralworld.Nodoubtyoucanthinkofmanyothersyouwouldliketotry.Byallmeans,experiment!

Practiceyourastralflightandattemptfeatsastheycometomind.Astraltravelis a dynamic, fantastic experience. Try to get themost from it.Use the skillsyou'velearnedinyourpracticeheretodothingsyouwouldn'tnormallytrywithyourmaterialbody,togoplacesthatarephysicallyimpossibleforyoutovisit.

Trythepsychismexperimentsyoulearnedearlierinthisbook.Youmayfindclairvoyance, telepathy, and telekinesis to be surprisingly different whileprojecting.Noticehowyour thoughtsaffectyoursurroundings,howevenyourdaydreamsaltertheenvironmentinasubtleway.

Keep an eye out for other aetherics in the astral world. Most of them are

benign, many not even paying much attention to you. You are all like fishswimminginavastocean,eachinhabitantgoingaboutitsownbusiness.Allthesame, remain aware that there are aethericbeingsout there thatwishharmonothers.Theaetherisa"transparent"substanceinthatabeing'smotiveorpurposeis often clear when you encounter it, but powerful aetherics can throw up amentalsmokescreenthatmaskstheirtrueintentions.Becareful.

Above all, enjoy your new knowledge and work to use the aether in ameaningfulway.Keeppracticing theaethericdozen,andmeditateonwhat theaethermeanstoyou.

LESSONFIVE.

THESPIRITWORLD

TheLivingandtheDead-CenturiesofSpiritism-SpiritismToday-QuestionsfromReadersNetherandtheAlfterlife-WhereDoWeGoWhenWeDie?-4WordforBelieversAnotherforNonbelievers-TheNatureofSpirits-HumanSpiritsAnimalSpirits-Phantoms-MediumsamongUs-TheNewNewWorldStrengthening

Attention-ThePowerofPhantomsAPhantomCompanion-ReachingOut-SensingSpiritsSpiritisminEverydayLife-SpiritsSurroundUs-EvenYou

"Thereisnodeath,therearenodead."

-INSCRIPTIONONTHEMEMORIALSTONEOUTSIDETHEFOXFAMILYCOTTAGE,HYDESVILLE,NEWYORK

DOYOUKNOWSOMEONEWHOHASDIED?Wouldyou like tosee theirfaceagainor speak to themoncemore, even if it is just to tell themyou lovethem?Doyoueverwonderifplantscanthinkoriftheyhavesouls?Whatdoesitmean when some of your possessions mean more to you than some of yourfriends? The practice of spiritism-a specialization ofmentalism-allows you tolook for answers to thesequestions.Byusingyour basic understandingof theaether, you now have a chance to explore the spirit world and meet itsinhabitants, be they the aetheric doubles of humans, plants, animals, or evenseeminglyinanimateobjects.

During life, the aetheric body can be used formany things. It is useful for

performingpsychisms,suchastheclairvoyanceandtelekinesisexercisesyou'vetried.Astralprojection isapracticeyou learned in theprevious lesson,andbynowyou'venodoubtfoundanumberofadvantagestoknowingthisskill.Oneuseyoumaywish todevelop further is theability toholdcongresswithotheraethericdoubles.

The spirit world is a bustling, exciting place. By practicing the spiritismexercisespresentedinthislesson,you'llgainaccesstothisfascinatingrealm,aplacefewpeopleseeduringearthlylife.

THELIVINGANDTHEDEADCenturiesofSpiritism

Spiritshaveappeared inmankind'sstoriessince thedawnof time.Theearliestmention of a spirit in a written story occurs in the Epic of Gilgamesh, aBabylonian tale dated around 2000 BCE. Belief in the souls of the deadreturningtotheworldofthelivinggoesbackmuchfurther, though.Excavatedremainsfromprehistoricgravesiteshaveshownthatsomeofourancestorswereburied with hands and feet bound together or weighted down with stones,leadingarcheologiststobelievethatearlymanmeanttohinderthereturnofthespirit.Othercultureshavesimilartraditions,whichtheycarryouteventoday.

The modern spiritism movement traces its roots back to the SwedishphilosopherEmanuelSwedenborg,amentalistandauthorwhovisitedthespiritsofkings,popes,andsaints,writingofhisexperiencesandfoundingaspiritualistchurch.Swedenborg'sworkgreatly influenced later spiritworld investigators,includingWilliamBlake.

Authorshipmakesusallimmortal,inaway,butSwedenborgwasapparently

not content with mere indirect influence on future generations of mentalists.Nearlyeightyyearsafterhisdeath,Swedenborg'sspirit,alongwiththeghostofsecond-century Greek thinker Claudius Galen, appeared to the AmericanshoemakerAndrewJacksonDavis.Theensuingconversationbetweenthethreechanged Davis's life, and within two years he had produced the spiritistmanifesto The Principles of Nature, Her Divine Revelations, and a Voice toMankind,inwhichhepredictedthatproofofthespiritworldwouldmanifestin"alivingdemonstration."

AfterpublicationofThePrinciples,Daviswaitedforsuchaphenomenon to

occur,andonMarch31,1848,heenteredthefollowingpassageinhisnotebook:"AboutdaylightthismorningawarmbreathingpassedovermyfaceandIheardavoice, tenderandstrong,saying: `Brother, thegoodworkhasbegunbeholdalivingdemonstrationisborn."'

That very same day, two young girls inHydesville,NewYork, began theirsoon-to-be famous communicationswith the spiritworld. Seven-year-oldKateFoxandher ten-year-oldsisterMargaretcame intocontactwith theghostofamurdered peddler living in their family's cottage. They found the spirit couldanswerquestionsposedtoitbymakingsharprappingsounds(oneforyes,twoforno)thatcouldnototherwisebeaccountedfor.

The congruence of Davis's notebook entry and the beginning of the Foxsisters' mediumship ushered in an era of intense interest in spiritism thatconsumedAmericanandEuropeansociety.KateandMargaretFoxtouredbothcontinents, giving presentations of their remarkable abilities. London's GhostClub and the British Society for Psychical Research were founded to furtherinvestigatethespiritworld.Seancesbecameregularhappeningsatbourgeoisandupper-classhomes,andgeneralinterestinspiritsreachedalevelnotseenbeforeorsince.

SpiritismToday

Thefervorassociatedwiththespiritismcrazeofthelatenineteenthcenturyhasdieddown,butpeopletodayhavesomeofthesameexperiencesasthemediumsofyesteryear.Ouijaboardsandbookson the subjectof spirits continue to sellwell.Mediumsadvertise inyour localnewspaper,and televisionshowsfeatureevangelisticspiritistswhopromisetobringviewers in touchwiththespiritsoftheirlovedones.

Ghosts do not start or stop appearing just because they are popular. They

couldn'tcarelessaboutfads,ads,ortelevisionprograms.No,spiritshavetheirown reasons, their own agendas. In this lesson we will examine the variousbeingswaitingtocommunicatewithusfrombeyondtheveilofdeathandhowwecanseekthemoutourselves.

QuestionsfromReaders

Beforewebeginourexaminationofthedifferenttypesofaethericdoublesthatmakeupthespiritworld,allowmetoanswerafewcommonquestionsaboutthesubject.

Whatdospiritslooklike?

Popular culture, such as that presented to us by books and films, paints asomewhat limited picture of the average spirit. It is often pictured as asemitransparent figure,perhapsdressed in flowing robesora sheet, emittingalowmoaningsound.Thisisnotalwayshowaspiritappearstous.Asyou'llfind,spiritsareseldomas"ghostly"aswemightimaginethemtobe.Quiteoften,infact,spiritslookexceedinglysolidand"real,"andyoumaynotrealizeyouhavebeen visited by one until it does something out of the ordinary, such aswalk

through awall or appear or disappear abruptly-"into thin air," youmight say-although the spirit ismerely flitting itsvisible form in andoutof thematerialworldvibration.

Whydospiritsreturntothematerialworld?

Whilesomespirits'motiveswillneverbediscerned,peoplefortunateenoughtobevisitedbyaspiritsometimeslearnwhyithasreturned.Somespiritswishtocommunicate with a loved one or a person they didn't have a chance to bidfarewell before leaving thisworld.Others come to issue awarning or to giveinformation that would never be discovered otherwise. Rare is the spirit whoseeksrevenge,buttheydoexist.Moreoftenaspiritcomestoseethatjusticeisdone,thataculpritisfoundoutorthattheinnocentareprotected.

Howisitthatspiritswalkthroughwalls?

This is an interesting question, as it would appear that some spirits have amasteryoversolidobjectssuchaswallsanddoorsandmaypassthroughthemwithease. Ifyouchance toseeaspiritpass throughasolidwall, forexample,paycloseattentiontothespirit'sothermovementsandmannerisms-youmaybesurprisedatwhatyounotice.Itislikelythatthespiritcanpassthroughthewallnotbecauseithaspoweroverthecorporealityofthewall,butbecausethespiritis very much removed from the reality in which the wall exists. Perhaps thespiritlivedinhumanformonearthinatimebeforethewallwasconstructed,orperhapsthespirithassuchagreatneedtogetfromoneplacetoanotherthatitwillnotletmaterialworldimpedimentsgetinitsway.

Onewaywecancomparethisphenomenonwiththingsthatgooninourownlives is to thinkaboutwhathappenswhenweare "lost in thought."Haveyoueverbeensodeepinyourownheadasyouwalkthroughyourhouseordownthestreet that you run right into some obstruction, such as awall or post? Somewouldsaythatwehitthesebarriersbecausewearenotpayingattention.Intruth,we are paying attention, just not to the material world around us but to aninteriorworldofourownconstruction.

Thedifferencebetweenthespirit'spassingthroughthewallandourcollidingwithitliesinthedegreetowhichthespiritisimmersedintheinteriorworldoftheaethericplane.Whenhumansarelostintheirownthoughts,theyarestillapart of the physical world. Spirits do not have such a strong connection to

earthlylifeandsoarelessaffectedbyit.

Whyisitthatwhenspiritsarepresenttheyaresometimesseenandsometimesunseen?

Ifonlyspiritswouldact inaconsistentmanner, thenwecouldsaysomuch

moreabout their truenature!Alas, it is not tobe.Spiritsmayappear tobeofsolidformormayseemghostly,andinsomecasestheywillnotbevisibleatall.This phenomenon is partly explained by the aforementioned flickering of thespiritbetweentheastralandmaterialworldvibrations.

Remember, too, that in the aether our perception of reality is continuallyinfluenced by the notions and needs of other aetheric beings in the vicinity.Whenourownmentalpictureof life isweaker than thatof another aetheric's,our reality and perception can be overruled to accommodate their own.Whenspiritsmake themselves known to us, it is often because their presence in theaetherissostrongthattheirformcrossesthenormalboundariesofperception.

AETHERANDTHEAFTERLIFE

When we talk of spirits, we generally think of them as beings different thanourselves,butthetruth,asyouwilllearn,isotherwise.Youraethericstudiesthusfarhavetaughtyouthebasicsofaetherandtheaethericplane,aswellassomefundamentalexerciseswithwhichtostrengthenyourcontroloverthisuniversalsubstance. Most recently, you learned about astral projection, the practice ofmoving the consciousness (alsoknownasyour internal aether) away from thephysicalbodyand traveling freeofall ties to thematerialworld.Manynameswere assigned to the vessel you traveled in-the astral body, themind, and theself,amongothers.Nowwewillmaketwoveryimportantadditionstothatlist,foryourinternalaetheralsogoesbythenamesofspiritandsoul.

Thetruthisthatyouarealsoaspirit,differentinnowayfromtheghostsoftherealmofthedeadexceptthatyouinhabitafleshyforminthematerialworld,one that youwill sheduponphysical death as you rejoin your brethren in theeternal aether. The experiencewe know as physical life ismerely a transitionbetweenoursoul'seternalexistencebeforeandafterthisearthlyinterlude.

Spirits have throughout history perplexed and frightened most people, and

theyprobablyalwayswill.Asrepresentativesoftheworldofthedead,spiritsarecertainlystrangetousandcanseemscary.Butwhatdowehavetobeafraidof,really?If indeed thespiritsof thedeadaremerely thedisembodieddoublesofthoseonceliving,thenthesespiritsareprobablynotfarremovedintemperamentfromtheirformerselves,andmeetingoneofthemmightbenomoredangerousthanmeetinganyothernewperson.

Among yourmeetings in the aether youmight find a spirit still clinging tomemoriesofearthlylife(abeingknownasarevenant),oryoumayencounterasoul at eternal restuponwhomyoucancall forknowledgeof another timeorplace.Meetingswith these spirits seem lessalienandbizarreonceyou realizehowcloseyouyourselfare to them(especiallywhenyouare traveling inyouraetheric form, removed from your physical body), although to call theencountersmore"human"wouldbemissingthepoint.

All this is simple to statebutmaybedifficult tobelieve. Idon't askyou totakemywordonit.Instead,doyourowninvestigationusingtheaethericskills

you'vealreadylearned.Withtimeandpracticeyouwillnodoubtcometoyourownunderstandingofaneternallifeexistingbeforeandafterearthlylife,iffornootherreasonthanthatthistheorymakesmoresensethanonestatingthatlifebeginsandendswiththebirthanddeathofourmaterialbodies,givenwhatweknow about the power of the human consciousness and its potential for featsunexplainedbyeverydaylogic.

Yourdiscoveriesmayserveasabalmtoyouwhenthinkingoflovedoneswho

have passed out of this life. They are not as far away as you think, and yourstudiesofmentalismandtheaetherarebringingyouclosertothemeveryday.

WhereDoWeGoWhenWeDie?

Ifyouwerebroughtupwithanysortofreligiousorspiritualbackground,you'veno doubt spent a lot of time thinking about the spirit or soul, an entity thatsurvivesdeath.Beliefintheafterlifeisnearlyuniversalamongadherentsoftheworld's major religions, but nothing could be more diverse than the theoriesdescribingwhathappenstothatsoulafterdeath.Herearenotesonthebeliefsoffourmajorreligionsregardingthesoulandtheafterlife.

Hinduism:HindubeliefdictatestheexistenceofanindividualsoulknownastheAtman, or deep self TheAtman is truly immortal in that it is a fragmentseparatedfromthegreatergodheadofBrahma,theuniversalsoulfromwhichalllifeisformed.Throughasuccessionofmaterialincarnations,theAtmanstrivestoreunitewithBrahmaintheafterlifebydoinggooddeedswhileonearth.

Serving the function of a cosmic scorecard, the natural lawof karma keepstrackofanindividual'sdeeds,rewardinggoodbehaviorandpunishingevilacts.It is necessary for the soul to be reincarnated on earth in order to "reap the

karma" on the way to eventual enlightenment and reintegration with thegodhead.

AncientHindus held that for individual spirits this reintegrationwould feellike being a drop of water falling into the sea, the individual's personalityobliteratedasitmergedwiththeoversoulandyieldedtoastateofeternalbliss.Thisbeliefwaschallengedbyadherentsofdevotionalism,whoclaimedthat intheafterlifethesoulwouldretainindividualityandwouldenjoyanever-endingblissfulexistenceworshipingthegodhead.

Hindusbelieveinanumberofplacesofspiritualpunishmentwherethesouls

of evil people meet tortures according to their misdeeds. Eventually, though,eventhesesoulsarereincarnatedtoliveoutanotherlifeonearth.

Judaism:TheafterlifeislessofaconcernthanthepresentlifetofollowersofJudaism, but the history of this faith reveals an interesting variety of beliefsaboutthefateofthehumansoul.EarlyJewishbeliefintheafterlifemirroredthatof theMesopotamians andGreeks, speaking of a shadowy existence in a dullnetherworldknownasSheol.Theythusstrovetolivelifetothefullestwhileonearth. God was believed to have a covenant with man, giving rewards andpunishmentsduringlife,notafterdeath.

Asthecenturiespassed,itbecameclearthatnotallpeopleweremeetingwithdivinejusticeinthislife,andamongsomeofthemysticsareincarnationtheoryarose,grantingsecondchancesonearthforindividualswhohadcommittedthemosthorrendoussins.

While some Jews share a belief in a heaven or hell similar to that of the

Christians, there are a number of opinions among Orthodox, Secular, andReformJewsastothenatureofthesoulanditsfateafterbodilydeath.

Christianity: Christianity developed a keen interest in the afterlife almostimmediatelyuponthefaith'sinception.ThebodilyresurrectionofChristwasthemodelfortheChristianbeliefinmassbodilyresurrectionforallofmankindontheDayofJudgment, thepiousgoing to theblissfulheavenand thewicked tothetorturoushell.

OthercultureshavehadamarkedinfluenceonChristianbeliefsrelatingtotheafterlife and the soul. EarlyChristians borrowed their belief in an apocalypticworldfromtheirJewishcontemporaries.TheideaoftheimmortalityofthesoulcamefromtheHellenisticbeliefsoftheRomansandGnosticGreeks.

Afterdeath,thehumansoulisassignedtooneofthreepossibleplaces-heaven,hell,orpurgatory,anintermediarybetweentheextremesofjoyandagonywherethesoulmaybecleansedbeforegainingadmissionintoheaven.TheProtestantsect of the sixteenth century rejected the notion of purgatory, claiming thatsalvationandentrancetoparadiseisgrantedbythegraceofGod.

Islam: Another faith with strong beliefs in the eternal soul and rewards andpunishmentsintheafterlifeistheMuslimsystem,orIslam.Afterbodilydeath,the soul (known as nafs) is separated from the physical body and travels toBarzakh,aplacewhereitgainsknowledgeof its truenature.Thesoulstaysinthisdreamlikeplaceuntil theDayofJudgment,atwhich timeit isassigned tohellorheavenbasedonitsdeedsduringearthlylife.

TheMuslimparadisepromises allmannerof pleasure to thebelievers.Thisheavenisarrangedinaspherical,many-layeredmanner,surroundingGod,andtheIslamichellborders thisparadise'soutermost layer.Assignment tohellcanbe temporary, the soul gaining admission to heaven after its earthly sins havebeenburnedaway.

Islamic opinions vary on the exact relationship of the soul and thematerial

bodyafterdeath.SunniMuslimsholdthatboththesoulandthephysicalbodydieatthemomentofearthlydeath.Aseconddeathcomesafteratrialoverseenby a godlike judge and two angels. Upon this second death, the soul isobliterated until its reunion with the physical body on Judgment Day. ShiiteMuslimsbelieveinthecommencementofrewardsandpunishmentsforthesoulupon bodily death. The soul rejoins the physical body upon the Day ofJudgment,anditsstayinheavenorhellcontinuesforeternity.

AWordforBelievers

Manyaspiringmentalistsarebelieversinonereligiousfaithoranother,andtheyoftenwonderiftheaetherrunscountertotheirfaith.Someaskhowitispossibleto believe in God and aether at the same time. You need not reject God ormentalism just because your religion teaches nothing of the aether. Formanypeople, God is the supreme embodiment of aether and the originator of the

aethericplane.Itisnotsacrilegioustothinkthatthereisastructureandsystemunderlyingallofcreation.

AnotherforNonbelievers

It can be troubling to some people, looking at all the various theories of theafterlifeandwonderingwhichoneofthem,ifany,reflectstheactualjourneyofthesouluponbodilydeath.Evenstrangerthananyoftheabovetheoriesistheactualtruth:thattheyarealltrue.

Justasan individual's faithandconcentratedbeliefcanchange theaether in

the material world, so centuries of strong belief by millions of religiousadherentshavesustainedthevariousheavens,hells,andsystemsofrebirth.Itisimportant, therefore,not todiscountanotherperson's spiritualbeliefs,and it isequallyimportanttoknowwhereyourownfaithlies.

THENATUREOFSPIRITS

Becausetheaethercomposesabsolutelyeverything,theaethericplanecontainsacounterpartforeveryman,woman,andchild,everyanimalandplant,andeveryobject in existence.Knowledge of these doubles is important, because as youproceedinyourstudiesofmentalism,youwillencounterthemall.

Thedoublesoflivingbeingsdwellintheaetherbothduringlifeandafterthedeathordestructionoftheirphysicalforms.Duringlife,theyexistinanaethericlocationcomparabletotheirplaceinthematerialworld.Afterdeaththedoublesareknownasspirits,andtheymaynolongerbeunderanyobligationtostayneartheir formerearthlybody.Thedoublesof inanimateobjectsmirror thestateoftheirmaterialcounterpartsandremaininaspaceintheaethercorrespondingtothematterandmassof theirearthly forms.Mentalistshaveneverbeenable topinpoint in the aether the locations of realms such as the Christian hell orheaven, and some believe that these places are not actual locations at all, butratherstatesofbeingincomprehensibletotheliving.

Thespiritsremainingintheastralvibrationafterdeathmakeupthesegmentofthespiritworldmostaccessibletousasmentalists.Theirreasonsforpausingin the astral world are various, as will be explained in the remainder of thissection.With fewexceptions, rapportwith theseaethericbeings isnomoreorlessdifficultthanconversationwithnewpeopleyoumightmeetinthematerialworld.

HumanSpirits

Therearefourclassesofhumanspiritsyoucanexpecttoencounterintheastralworld,threeofthemthespiritsofthedeadandone-thelostsoulthedisembodiedspiritofsomeoneyetliving.

DepartedSpirits:Asyoulearnedinthepreviousessay,humansoulsundergodifferentafterlifeexperiencesafterdeath.Someare immediately transported toplaces of eternal torture or reward, others are put in a sort of cosmicwaitingroomwheretheyremainuntilanapocalypticdayofreckoningoccurs.Stillothersoulsareseeminglyobliterated, reducedtoanon-sensoryexistencewhile they,too,waitforjudgment.Finally,somesoulsarepartofacycleofreincarnation,inhabitingtheafterworldforatimebetweentheirroundsonearth.

Itmay surprise you to know that someof these soulswish to communicatewiththosestilllivinganearthlylife.Whethertheymanifestthemselvestousinthe material world or while we project our consciousnesses into the aether,departedspiritsoftenhaveamessagetheywantustohear.Sometimesspiritsareknown to appear at the moment of their earthly death, yet miles from theirphysicalbodies.Thistypeofspiritiscalledacrisisapparition,anditshowsitselftolovedonesinanattempttomakeitsgoodbyestothematerialworld.

Othertimesthespiritsofthedepartedreturntodeliveramessageofloveorcomfort to friends and relatives distraught over their death. These visits areusuallysingle,solitaryevents,buttheyoccasionallyoccuragainandagainovertime.

Spiritsaresometimessoughtoutbysurvivingfamilymembersorotherswho

wishtospeakwiththedeparted.Thisisthepurposeoftheseance.

Otherdepartedspiritshavenoconnectionatall tothelivingpeoplewhoseethem. If thevisit ismerely to impart informationuseful to thoseofus still onearth, the ghost can rightly be classified as a departed spirit. If, however, thespiritneedssomethingfromusinresponsetoitsappearing,thatspiritmaybearevenant.

Revenants:These are the aetheric bodies of peoplewho, even thoughdead,haveunfinishedbusiness in the landof the living.They remainnear theplacethey occupied during life, floating between the lower astral and thematerialaetheric vibrational frequencies. They are often seen performing tasksindicativeof their timeonearth.Revenantsarepopular in literature,and if the

folktales of countless cultures are to be any guide, these spirits need theinterventionofalivingbeingtosettletheircosmicaccountshereonearth.

Revenants are not always powered by greed or memories of material life.Other forces cankeep thembound to earth.Somepeopledie andcannot fullymoveontotheafterlifebecauseofastrongbeliefthatitdoesnotexistorthatitis remarkably different fromwhat they are experiencing in the aether. Othersspendtheirtimeasrevenantsbecausetheydon'trealizetheyaredeadtheygoonwith their day-to-day activities as if nothing has changed save a noticeabledisregardfromtheircolleagues.Ofthosewhounderstandtheirearthlydemise,asenseofpurposeregardingtheirdeathtakesholdofsomespirits,andtheyfeeltheymust learnmoreaboutitscauseorwarnothersstill livingaboutwhateverwastheirundoing.Finally,somespiritsarekeptearthboundbymournerswhoseconstant thoughtsabout thedeceasedhold theaethericbodynear, inmuch thesamewaythoughtformelementalsarecreatedandsustained.

Inorderforarevenanttobereleasedfromitsbondagetothematerialworld,

itsquestionsorconflictsregardinglifeanddeathmustbelaidtorestbysomeonestill living. Because mentalists are especially skilled at communication withspirits,thistaskisoftenuptothem.

Wraiths: When a soul has unfinished matters on earth and needs humanintervention to come to rest, it is a revenant. When a soul seeks out thisinterventionthroughdestructivedeeds,itisawraith.

Wraithsareperhapsthemostdangerousandtreacherousaethericbeingsyouwill encounter in your travels on the astral plane. They are usually invisible,evenwhenvibratingonthesamefrequencyasotheraethericsaroundthem,butthey can be detected by the tight, suffocating air that surrounds them. Sometheoriesholdthatthisphenomenonisanaturalextensionofthewraith'saethericform,othersstatethatthetightnessistheresultofasenseofrepulsionthatthesurrounding aether feels toward this being, a sort of communal thoughtformelementalofdreadformedbytheaetheritself.

Whateverthecase,wraithsholdunbelievablepowerovertheaether.Thehateand jealousy seething throughout their form gives them great levels oftelekinesis, telepathy, and clairvoyance but relatively little control over thepower.

Wraiths are very scattered aetherically, their thoughts and personality sorandom in life that in death their aetheric body is thin, spread out, andamorphous, exercising a mild influence over a large area around their body'srestingplace,sometimes throughvapors(see thisbook'saethericbestiaryforadescriptionofvapors).Thiswispyaetheraccountsinpartforthechillsyoumaygetwhenvisitingagraveyardorthesiteofaviolentdeath.

Wraithsstrengthentheirinsubstantialformsbydrainingtheinternalaetherofanyhaplesshumanstheymeetontheastralplane.Thewraithwillseekcontrolover one or more of the projected body's aetheric links, usually the chest orforeheadlink,inanattempttoparalyzethebeing.Oncethisisdone,thewraithbegins sapping the body's aether, adding it to its own and bringing morecorporealitytoitsform.Theaetheravailableinaprojectedbodyisnotusuallysufficient to complete this transformation, so all too soon the wraith sendsmental feelers along the trail of psychic residue leading back to the materialbody.Oncethesefeelersfindtheirwaytothephysicalbody,theyopenaconduitthroughwhich the remaining internal aether of the victim can flow.A personthusattackedbyawraithisingravedangerandwilllikelyenteracomaordieifsomeinterveningmeasureisnottaken.

Toprotectagainstaetherdrainbyawraith,mentalistsareadvisedtotravelin

pairswhenvisitingdangerousareasontheastralplane.Becausethewraithmustinvestalargeamountofconcentrationontheinitialseizingoftheaethericlink,anearby partner can be a lifesaver, as he or she can snap back to thematerialvibrationandarousethevictim'sphysicalbodybeforetheattackiscomplete.

Recoveryfromawraithattackisforthemostpartswift.Whatpersonalaetheris lost in the attack is replaced by aether from food, water, stimulatingconversation or activity, or simply through rest andmeditation in thematerialworld.It'snaturaltobefrightenedofastralprojectionaftergoingthroughsuchanexperience,butyoumustrememberthatjustbysurvivingsuchanattackyouwilleventuallygainbackeverythingthatwaslost.

Lost Souls: Occasionally a person's aetheric body will separate from itsmaterial counterpart involuntarily, in part or in whole, leaving the personincapacitated.Theescapedaethericbodyisknownasalostsoul.

Thereareseveralcircumstancesunderwhichasplitlikethismayoccur.Mostrevolve aroundwhat has become known as the near-death experience. People

whoundergoasuddenphysical shocksometimes report that theyexperienceaseparationof theconsciousnessorself (whatyouandI refer toas theaethericbody)fromtheirgrossmaterialform.Theaethericbodyfloatsupwardandlooksdownuponitsmaterialworldcounterpart.Itisrarefortheseaccountstoincludeany anxiety or negative emotion from the victim, as panic-inducing as such asituation would seem. Almost invariably, the disembodied spirit feels anoverwhelming sense of peace and may regard those below itself on earthquizzically,wonderingwhatthegreatrushistoshortentheserenityithasfoundintheaether.

From here the experience either ends abruptly with the rousing of the

incapacitatedfleshybodyorcontinueswithabriefastralvoyageonthepartofthelostsoul.Thespirittravelsthroughtheaethertoaportalbetweenthisworldandtheafterlife,anditmustmakeachoice.

Understandably, most of the accounts we have from this voyage are fromthosewhochosetocomebacktothisworlddespitethepeacefulnesstheyfoundintheaether.Butwhatof thosewhofall into longperiodsofunconsciousness,those who remain living but spend day after day in a coma or otherwisevegetativestate?Theirpersonalityhasdepartedandyettheylive.Whatbecomesoftheiraethericbodies?

While there are exceptions, based on our investigations it is safe to assumethat their sublime selves travel in the astral world as lost souls. They havechosen the serenity of the aether, andwhile they are not physically dead-theirearthlybodiesareinertanduseless.

Some souls wander the aether aimlessly, appearing as glowing, ghostlikeapparitions to thosewho encounter them in the astral world. They are lost intheir own thoughts, mildly confused but peaceful enough in their wanderingsthatwithout interventionby another being (such as amentalist projecting intotheaether),nothingwillalarm themor suggest that theyshould return to theirmaterialbodiesandlives.

Hereletuspauseforamomenttoaddressanimportantpointthatmanyaspiring

mediumsraiseregardingthewaysinwhichthevariousclassesofhumanspiritsdiffer in appearance. Students ask me questions such as, "How can I tell arevenantfromawraith?"and"Whatdolostsoulslooklike?"ThisiswhatItellthem:

These are good questions and ones that are not easily answered. Thedistinctionbetweena revenant andawraith isoneof themost importantonesyoucanmake,asthepriceoffailurecanbeterrible.Forthemostpart,wraithsemit a chilling force through the aether that should alert even themost casualastral traveler to their presence. If seen, a wraith will often appear lesssubstantial thanother spiritsyou'veencountered,usually to thepointof takingonavaporousquality.

Beaware, though, thatwraithsarenot theonlymembersof thespiritworldthatmaywishyouharm.Revenantsare rightfully listlessafter longperiodsofsolitude, and while they are not evil by intention, some of their actions andinvolvementswith the livingmayseemextremelyselfish.Bewaryof thisandavoidbeingtakenadvantageofbyspirits,nomatterwhatsituationyoufindthemin.

Lost souls are actually quite easy to spot.Wandering without any sense ofwheretheyareorwheretheyaregoing,thesespiritsstumblethroughtheaetherlikeblindfoldedmenonabusysidewalk.Becauseoftheirconnectiontoalivingbody in the material world, these astral bodies glow a bit brighter than thesurrounding aether. Although some unscrupulous aetherics have taken toimpersonating lost souls for the purpose of tricking thementalistswhowouldhelpthem,thissortoftreacheryisrare.

AnimalSpirits

Thespiritsofanimalsarepeculiarthingsindeed.Theyembodythetraitsoftheirmaterialworldcounterparts,buttheyhavesomemysteriousqualitiesaswell.Themajorityofanimalspiritsyouencounterwillbenotsodissimilarfromeverydayanimalsyouareusedtoseeing.Thesearenottheonlyanimalspiritswanderingtheaether,however.

DepartedAnimalSpirits:Theaethericdoublesofanimalsliveonafterbodilydeath in the samemanner as those of humans. Instead of heavens or hells orreincarnations,however,animalsoulsareassignedtoalocationintheaetherofoneoftheotherworlds,beittheelemental,astral,orelysian.Heretheanimalsspendeternity,assistingotheraethericbeingsorjustprowlingandlurkinginthewilds of aetheric space. Animal spirits in the elemental world take on thequalitiesof lessersalamanders,sylphs,undines,orgnomes,dependingontheirassignment (see the aetheric bestiary for more information on each of theseelementals). Elysium provides safe haven for the spirits of animals, and theymayfindthemselvesthecompanionsofoneofthenativecreaturesthere.

Animalspiritsintheastralworldretainmostofthefunctionsandpersonalitytraits they held in thematerialworld, and theymay be called upon for aid orguidancewhennecessary.Moreoften,though,thespiritoftheanimalwillcomeatanunexpected,thoughfortuitous,time,interveninginadangeroussituationtopreventharmtobeingsyetliving.

Sometimes, ananimal spiritwill appear to signal adeath in the family.Thespirit of adogor catwill occasionally adopt a family forgenerations,makingitselfvisibleadayorsobeforethelossofoneofthefamilymembers.

Archetypes: Greater animal spirits are called archetypes. These beings are

compositespiritsmadeupofanumberofanimal(andsometimeshuman)soulsto create a powerful aetheric being. Archetypes are worshiped by aboriginal,animisticculturesaroundtheworld.Wholetribesandcultscanspringuparoundthevenerationofwolforbearspirits,forexample.Lesscommonarearchetypesmadeof twoormorespeciesofanimal,and thecultsbasedon themarequiterare.Examplesofthesemonstrositiesincludethegryphonandthechimera.

EternalAnimals:Whilesimilar toarchetypes,eternalanimalsareevenmorerare than their composite cousins.The phoenix and the dragon come tomind,alongwithallothercreaturesofmythwithcharacteristicsutterlydistinct fromany living animal. These beings are not usually found in the astral vibration,insteadmakingtheirhomeintheloftyelysianworld.

Phantoms

Twotypesofphantomsexistintheaether,thedoublesofnonsentientobjectsandthedoublesofplants.

DoublesofNonsentientObjects:Everydayobjectshavetheirowndoublesontheaethericplane.Inmostcases,callingtheseentitiesspiritswouldbeastretch.However, some objects are imbuedwith enoughmeaning and significance onearththattheirdoubledevelopsapersonalityofitsown.Thinkofyourfavoritepossessions from childhood or family heirlooms passed from previousgenerations to your own. Practically speaking, these objects are nomore thansimple toys or trinkets, but years and years of attention have increased theirsignificance to the pointwhere youmay see them as somethingmore special.This is especially apparent when you look at these objects' aetheric doublesduring your meditations. Ancient cultures believed in a material object'susefulness crossing the boundary between this world and the next, and they

burieduseful toolswith theirdead.While thispracticehasdiedoutsomewhat,phantomsarestillverymuchusefultousinouraethericstudies.

Material objects can also carry qualities of the substances fromwhich they

were made, such as wood or petroleum, into the aetheric plane. Allmanufacturedobjectsaremadefromsomethingthatwasoncealive,evenifthis"family tree"must be traced back a few generations to find a living ancestor.Thusthespiritsoftreescansometimesbefoundinthehousesconstructedfromthem,andmetallicjewelrycanretainatraceoftheelementalforcesoftheminefromwhichitwaswrought.

Plant Doubles: Science has recently shown us that plants have a certainintelligenceoftheirown."Rudimentary"istheclosestwordwehaveinEnglishtodescribethenatureofplantlifeintelligence,butclosertothetruth,it'sbettertosay that plants have an extremely slow (by human standards)mental process.What's even more amazing is that this thinking process is one that is sharedamongallplantsasawhole.Plants"talk"toeachotherthroughvariouschemicalandaethericexchanges.A redwood treemight lend itsancientwisdom tonewsaplingsofotherspeciesbuddingelsewhereontheforestfloor,forexample.

Plantlifehasauniquesignatureintheastralworld.Thespacearoundthebaseofa treewillglowwithagreenenergy thatoffsets theusualblue tingeof theastralworld.Justasinthematerialworld,eachpartoftheplanthasadifferentfunction in the aether. Roots draw elemental energy from the soil and waterbelow,trunksactasbeaconsandantennaeforcommunicationwithinthematrixofplantintelligence,branchesandleavesreachoutforinteractionswiththerestoftheaetherandalsotransmitpsychicmessagesthatcanbeunderstoodbyotherplantsand,insomecases,bycarefullyattunedanimalsandhumans.

Fruit is a powerful tool amongplants, and, aswithmost things, its aetheric

function is tied closely to the role it plays on earth. Through fruit (or spores,whendealingwith fungi), plantsmaintain a nearly immortal status.Each fruitcontainsaconcentratedmassofaether thatholds theplant's entirehistoryandthecollectiveknowledgeof theplant's ancestors.When the fruit isdropped toearth,itdoesoneofthreethings:itsseedgrowsintoanotherplantofthesamespecies; it is eaten by a human or animal, which then drops the fruit's seedselsewhere;oritisabsorbedintothesoilaroundit.Allofthesefunctionsoccurintheaetheraswell.Thinkofthefruitasaletter,amessage,oranautobiography

oftheplantfromwhichitdropped.Intheaether,droppedfruitmaybeusedassuch and read like a book by those tuned in to its relatively low aethericfrequencyaroundtheborderofthematerialandelementalworlds.

TheBiblicaltaleofAdam,Eve,andtheTreeofKnowledgeofGoodandEvilprovides a terrific example of how fruit can be used not only for physicalsustenancebutformentaldevelopmentaswell.Eatyourfruit.

MEDIUMSAMONGUS

Youhavelearnedmuchaboutspiritsinyourreadingssofar,butthewrittenwordcandescribeonlysomuch,soyourstudiesmustextendbeyonditandinto thespiritworlditself,wherethereismuchtolearn.

Mentalistswhofocus theiraethericstudieson thespiritworldareknownasspiritistsor,morecommonly,mediums.Themediumisasortofspeciallytunedastraltraveler,onewhopayscloserattentiontotherelationshipsamongaethericbeings, particularly the spirits of the dead, although the medium regularlyexamines phantoms and the aetheric doubles of the living. The priests andspiritual advisors among so-called primitive peoples are good examples ofmediumswhodealwithallmannerofspirits.

Whatmakesamedium?Thereareafewthingsthatdistinguishmediumsfrom

othermentalists.Mediumsmaintainaprofoundbeliefintheimmortalityoftheaetheric body, faith that this aspect of living things survives the death of thephysical body and lives on, either on the aetheric plane at one vibration oranother or by coming back to earth for reincarnation in a new form. Somespiritists hold that our souls come back to inhabit human bodies exclusively;othersbelievethattheaethericdoubleofahumancanreturnasthatofananimalor plant. Theories are asmultifarious as those of the religions that inevitablyspringuparoundsuchbeliefs.

Themediummakes regularattemptsatcontactandcommunicationwith thespirits of the dead. Reasons for this discourse are varied-curiosity of theunknown is a common factor among most spiritists, but other reasons exist.Some wish to communicate with the recently deceased, perhaps to put lovedonesstill livingincontactwith thesesouls.Somemediumsvolunteerwith lawenforcement agencies to help with homicide cases or otherwise lend theirservices to those without access to the aether. They sometimes investigatehauntings,whicharenot commonbutareunderreportedby thepress.Anothersort of medium acts as a type of Good Samaritan for souls in need, helpingrevenants settle their karmicdebt andguiding lost soulsback to theirmaterialbodies.

Peoplewhohaveseenspiritswithoutanypreparationortrainingaremoreapt

tobesuccessfulasmediums.Theyareverylikelyalreadyvibratingabithighinthematerialaethericworld tobeginwithandmayfindallmentalismpractices-notjustspiritism-tocomeabiteasierthantheirmore"grounded"colleagues.

Amediumisconstantlyawareofthedualnatureofallthings.Forhimorher,

nothing on earth can be taken at face value-everything has an aethericcounterpartthatmustbeconsidered.

TheNewNewWorld

Withthespiritworldincorporatingthephantomsofplantsandinanimateobjectsamong the already burgeoning population of human and animal spirits of thedeadanddoublesoftheliving,you'llfindthisrealmanincrediblyrichplaceforexploration.Theclosestparallelonecoulddrawtoexplorationsofthematerialworld would be the voyages of James Cook, Christopher Columbus, andFerdinandMagellan-or,touseacontemporaryexample,theinvestigationsoftheearth's oceans currently underway. In the case of the early explorers, thediscoveriesmadeaboardtheirshipsandinthevariouslandstheyfoundalteredthebasicworldviewsof theircountrymen,asnodoubtwillour findingsunderthesurfaceofthesea.Butwhatcantheseforaysintotheunknownbecalledifnotincomplete-naiveeven-comparedtotheexplorationsyoucannowundertakeintheaether,aplacewhereonecancommunicatewitheveryimaginablething:thespiritsofthedead,theplantsandanimals,eventheairandtheoceanitself?

Indeed, the initialquestionmostnewtravelers in thespiritworldface isnot"Where should I go?" but "Where does one begin?" There can be so muchactivity packed into a small area in the aether that to go in unprepared is illadvised.Attentionstrengtheningexercisesareagoodwaytoprepareyourselfforyourinteractionsinthespiritworld.

Exercise24:StrengtheningAttention

Thenexttimeyou'reinacrowdedorcacophonousplaceinthematerialworld-amallorbusyrestaurant,forexample-takesometimetoconcentrateonindividualsightsandsoundsaroundyou.Youmaythinkthiswouldcomeeasily,especiallytheideaoftrainingyoureyeononeparticularthingattheexpenseofallothers.Tryit,andyoumayfinditagreaterchallengethanyouexpected.

Focusyourgazeonsomethingsimple-apottedplantinthemall,forexample.Interesting lookingpeoplemaywalkby; loudsoundsorstrongsmellsmayvieforyourattention.Youmustnotletthemhaveit.Canyoustareattheplantfortenwholeminuteswithoutbreakingyourgazeexcepttoblink?

Listeningtooneconversationinthedinandthenrefocusingyourattentiontoa fainter conversation somewhere else can be a muchmore difficult task butinterestingandrewardingenoughtomeritmuchpractice.Perhapsit'spossibletotryitinthesamebusyplacewhereyoujustlookedattheplant.Anywheretherearelotsofconversationsgoingonisagoodplacetopracticethisexercise.

You may find that a certain person's voice will naturally make itself clearamong all the others.Mentally latch on to this voice and listen closely.Closeyoureyesifithelps.

More important than the physical act of looking or listening is yourconcentration on the subject itself. It's one thing to stare at a plant for tenminutesortokeeptrackofthesoundoftwovoiceshavingaconversation.Buthowlongcanyoulookattheplantandthink"plant"aboveallotherthoughtsorputyourselfinitsplace?Howlongcanyoufollowtheconversationthestrangersare having and actively think about it, drawing conclusions about the peopletalkingorthesubjecttheyarediscussing?

Developingthistypeofattentionwillbringyouclosertothespiritsordoubles

you will soon observe in the aether. A strong attention serves us well in thematerialworldaswellasintheaether.Increasedpowersofattentionhelpwithreading,meditation,conversation, studying,andmanyother tasksyouperformonaregularbasis.

ThePowerofPhantoms

Phantoms-theaethericdoublesof inanimateobjects-are the leastunderstoodofalltheinhabitantsofthespiritworld.Forthemostpart,phantomsareusefultomediums and astral travelers as sources of energy, repositories of aether of aquality related to the material object. Personal effects are often the mostpowerful transmitters of this type of energy, and it's easy to explain totems,fetishes, and charms using this model of aetheric thought. The objects fromchildhoodthatwekeepintoouradultlivesareimbuedwithsomuchmeaningtous that this naturally translates to a strong material and aetheric connection

betweentheobjectanditsowner.

Inthisway,ateddybearhelpsusfeelcomfortedandprotectedonearth,butintheaetheritcanbemuchmorepowerful.Fromitsprotectiveenergy-whichhasbeenconcentratedfordecades,perhaps-youcoulduseyourvisualizationskillstoconstructanaethericshield,acocoon,orevenavesseltocarryyousafelyfromplace to place. As usual, your only limits are the boundaries of your ownimagination.

Exercise25:14PhantomCompanion

Chooseanobjectyou'veownedsincechildhoodandfocusonitduringyournextmeditationsession.Concentrateontheassociationsitbringsupinyourmind,theemotionsitmakesyoufeel.Trytorememberspecificevents inyour lifewhenthe objectwas near and think about howyour associationswith this thing areformedfromthoseexperiences.Spendat leasthalfanhour thinkingabout thiswhile you're in a materialworld (nonastral) meditation and record yourimpressions afterward. List the emotions you felt during your meditation andwritedownafewexperiencesyou'vehadwiththeobjectduringyourlife.

Do this again a day or two later, with another childhood object of yours,

writing down your impressions later. If your first object was something thatbrought tomind pleasant or happy feelings, try themeditationwith an objectwithwhichyoushareamoredifficulthistory.Again,followthemeditationwiththewritingexercise.

Take one of the objects you focused on (preferably one with good-naturedassociations)withyouonyournextastral trip.Holdtheobjectnearyourchestlinkasyouemittheinternalaethernecessarytocreateyourprojectedastralbodyand form a comparable astral counterpart from the aether of the object you'veselected. Bring this phantom alongwith you on your journey and notice if itchangesasyoumovethroughtheaether.Doitsemotionalpropertieslenditanynewattributes-adifferentappearanceortexture?Doesitseemlargerthanusual?Is thissizedifferencedueto thegreat importanceyou'veplacedontheobject?Has the object gained a personality of its own? Consider it all with an openmind.

Trythistypeofexperimentwithotherobjectsandseewhatyoudiscover.As

yougain experience travelingwith phantoms, you'll learnmore about aethericdoublesingeneral.Thisknowledgewillserveyouwellintheaether,wherewearesurroundedwithjustasmanyobjectsaswearehereonearth.

REACHINGOUT

Youmayhavepracticedyourmeditationsindoorssincebeginningyourstudyofmentalism. If so, this exercise,which takesplaceoutdoors,willbeawelcomechange. If you are already experienced in outdoor meditation, I hope you'llappreciatethesubtledifferencesbetweenthisexerciseandyourregularsessions.

Yourtravelsintheaetherhavenodoubtledtoencounterswithoneormoreofthe beings thatmake their home in the astralworld. In this exercise, youwilllearnspecificwaystoseekoutthesespiritualinhabitants.

Asmentionedpreviously,thenotionswecarrywithusaboutfamiliarplacesinthematerialworldcolorourperceptionofthoseplaceswhenwevisitthemintheaether.Whilemore advancedmentalists can compensate for this phenomenonandevenuseittotheiradvantage,beginningstudentsarebetteroffsteeringclearof sites too familiar lest their memories interfere with their perception of theaether there. The exercise outlined next will introduce you to a new site andallow you to make some preliminary observations about the place withoutgettingaswrappedupinitaswedowiththeplaceswevisiteveryday,suchasourhomesorworkplaces.

Exercise26:SensingSpirits

Takeanafternoonandeveningforthefirstportionofthisexerciseandtrytogetoutoftownifyoucan.Packsomefoodandtakeanotebookortaperecorder,aswell as a flashlight. Go for a drive to a place you've never been before,somewherewithlotsofopenspacethat'sbeenthatwayforalongtime.Stateandnational parks are usually a good choice for the type of meditation you'll betrying.Ifyoudon'tlivenearanysuchparks,chooseaplaceinafieldorinthewildernesswhere you are unlikely to be disturbed.Arrive a few hours beforesundown.

Onceyou'vefoundasuitablearea,hikeoutawayfromthecarandanyother

peoplewhomightbearound.You'llneedyourfullattentionfocusedawayfromthematerialworldand itspeoplesanddoings, sogetout thereandfindanicequietspot.

Spendtherestofthedaythere.Eatyourfood,wanderaround,lookatthings,listenforthenaturalsoundsoftheplace.Whatdoyounotice?Whatdoestheairsmelllikehere?Howisthisplaceunique?Alsoconsiderhowthisplacemakesyoufeel.Moreenergetic?Lessinhibited?Apprehensive?Takesomenotesonallthese things by writing in your notebook or speaking softly into your taperecorder. As the sun goes down, how does the environment change? Whatsoundscomewithdusk?Donewanimalsemerge?Keepobservingandwritingdownnotesaboutwhatyoudiscover.

Keepyoursensesalertasthesunsetsandthefirststarsbegintoblinkabove.Takenoteofchanges in theenvironmentbutalsobeawareofhowyourmoodchangeswith the comingofnight.Placesusuallyhavedifferent effectsonourpsychesatnightthantheydoduringtheday.Makeacarefulrecordofasmanydetailsasyoucanabouthowyoufeelandanyconclusionsyoucandrawfromwhatyousee,hear,andsmell.Rememberthatthisisnotapsychicexercise.Useyourmaterialworldsensestoday-therewillbetimeforaethericexplorationlater.

Afteryou'verecordedeverythingyou'venoticedaboutthisplace,walkbacktothecarandheadforhome.Thinkabout theplaceyouvisited.Let itspresencesinkintoyourthoughts.

Inordertogetagoodsamplingofeverydayrealityinthespotyou'vechosen,you'llneedtoreturnatleastafewmoretimesformoreobservation.Gobackatthesametimeofdayassoonasyoucan-nomorethanaweeklater-andconductmoreobservation.Makeanoteofanythingdifferentyounoticeinyourselfortheenvironment. If it is autumn, youmaywitness leaves changing or new habitsamongthelocalanimals.Youmighteventrysketchingsomeofthedetailsyousee.

Afteryou'vevisitedyournewplacethreeorfourtimes,youwillhaveagood

ideaofwhat toexpectwhenyougoback.Reviewyournotesand try tomakeanyextrapolationsyoucanaboutwhattoexpectwhenyoureturn.Whenyouarefinished, do something else for the rest of the day to groundyour thoughts ineverydaylife.

Thenextday,attheusualtime,takeyournotesanddrivebacktoyourplaceoncemore.Asyouwalk from the car toyourobservationpoint, thinkof this:Billions of people have lived and died on this planet, and you are merely amember of one of its most recent generations. What became of the earlier

inhabitants?Well,foronething,nearlyallofthemaredead,passedonfromthisworld to another, different life in the aether. Perhaps some have beenreincarnatedtoliveagaininanewform,butwhataboutthosewhoremaininthespiritworld?Thesearethespiritsyouwilltrytocontacttoday.

Whenyoucannolongernoticethedroneoftraffic, thechatterofpeople,oranyotherindicatorsofhumanity,stopandstandstill.Eventhoughyou'realone,you're hardly the first person to ever come to this spot. Thousands of peoplebeforeyouhavestoodrighthere.Nowitisyourturn,butunlikethem,youwon'tbehinderedbytimeorregularperception.Youwon'tbealoneforlong.Youwillreachoutandmeetthosetravelerswhohavecomebeforeyou.

Haveaseatonthegroundoranywhereelsethatfeelscomfortableandbegintheastralvibrationmeditationthatcommencesallyourformalaethericsessions.Keepyoureyesopenifyoucanandpaycloseattentiontothescenearoundyouasyoucrossthethresholdbetweenthematerialandastralworlds.Asyouknow,thelowerastralvibrationisthehomeofrevenantsandotheraethericbeingswitha close affinity to the material world. Pause in your meditation once you'veenteredthelowerastral,asitisherethatyou'remostlikelytofindthespiritsyoucametovisit.

Look around.What do you see?Do all the trees and other natural features

nearby seem to be where they were before and in the same shapes andarrangements? Make a mental note of anything that seems different orunexpectedgivenwhatyoualreadyknowaboutthisplace.

Don'tbealarmedtodiscoverspiritsrightawayuponyourarrivalinthelowerastral,butalsodon'tbesurprisediftheytaketheirtimeinshowingthemselves.You'rearelativelynewfacearoundhere,anddependingonthecuriositylevelorshyness of the local spirits, they will either make themselves known to youquicklyorgradually.Bepatient, ifnecessary.There isno rush.There isneveranyrushwhenitcomestothedead,theinhabitantsoftheeternalrealm.

Whileitmighttakeawhileforthefirstspirittoappear,andwhilethereisnoguarantee that it will be hospitable to you upon your first meeting, alwaysremembertobeonyourbestbehavior,treatingthespiritwithasmuchcourtesyasyouwouldanewacquaintance in thematerialworld. It'sworthstatingherethathostility isanespeciallydangerous thing in theaether,as it canbe turnedagainst itswielder quite effectivelybymorepowerful aetherics.As far as this

exercise is concerned, it is less important to make a new friend than it is todeterminewhattypeofspiritsyouencounterinthisnewplace.

You should be able to classify the spirit quite easily after you ask yourselfcertainquestionsabout it.Does thespiritappearconfusedorat leastdazed?Ifso, it's likely that it is of the lost soul variety. Is the spirit preoccupied, doingsomething seemingly incongruous with life in the afterworld? Then you'reprobably in the company of a revenant. Does the spirit seem to be at ease,ecstatic, or, alternately, in agony?Perhapsyou arewitness to a departed spiritgoingthroughtheextremesofaheavenorhellexperience.Isthespiritvaporousandsomewhatsinister?Ontheoffchancethatyou'vejustmetawraith,youareadvisedtoendyourmeditationsessionatonce.

Asforinteractionwithnonwraiths,itistrulyuptoyouwhetheryouinterfere

withtheiraethericexistences.Somespiritsmightwelcomethecompany;othersmayverywellwishtobeleftalone.Whenitcomestotemperament,spiritsarereallymuchclosertowehumansthanwerealize.Justliketheliving,someenjoycompany, while others prefer solitude. Lost souls and revenants needintervention bymentalists such as yourself if they are tomove on from theirtrapped states.Bewarybut alsoapproach thesepoor soulswithanopenheartandopenmind, asyouwouldhope someonewoulddo foryou ifyouwere insuchasituation.

Spendasmuchtimeasyoulikeamongthespiritsinthisplace.Keepaneyeout for the spirits of animals, aswell as any interestingphantomsofplantsorotherinanimateobjects.Ifnospiritsmakethemselvesknowntoyouonyourfirstvisit,don'tgiveup.Itmaytakeanothersessionortwobeforetheycometoyou.Andasalways,shouldanythingextraordinaryhappenwhileyou'reexploringthespiritworld,pleasemakearecordofitandsendacopytothisbook'sauthor.

SPIRITISMINEVERYDAYLIFE

You now have a good idea of how to find spirits during your journeys to theastralworld.The techniquesyou triedcanworkanywhere, really,but foryourinitial attempt itwasgood togetaway from thehustleandbustleofeverydaylife.Try itagain inmorefamiliarareassuchasparksandcommercialareas inyour hometown or even in your own neighborhood. Just remember: If you'drathernotknowthesoulswhostillinhabityourhouseorthosenearby,it'suptoyoutokeepfrominvestigatingtheseareas.

SpiritsSurroundUs

Justasyourfirststeps into theastralworldchangedyourmindaboutsomanythingsyou'dtakenforgrantedinyourlife,soyournewknowledgeofthespiritworldshouldgiveyouanequallynewperspectiveonreality.Wearesurroundednot only by people and animals in everyday life, but also by somany things.More than ever, the world is filled to bursting with manufactured objects ofcountlessorigins.

Take some time to consider the objects you surround yourself with ineveryday life.Where do they come from?What is theirmaterial lineage? Bywhatmeans are they transformed from their original components to the formtheynowtakeinyourpossession?

Likewise,whatsortof interactionsdoyouundertakewith thenaturalworld,theplantsandanimalsthatliveinyourneighborhood?Itisgoodtogettoknowthembetter,onaspirituallevel,forjustastheairandwatersustainbothusandthesebeings,anevenfinersubstanceconnectsusall.

Remember, too, thatyoucanimproveyourunderstandingofthespiritworld

merelythroughmoreconsciousinteractionwiththepeoplearoundyou.Bynowyou realize that apersondoesn't have todiebeforeyoucanget toknow theirspirit. Cherish your friendships here on earth. Learn from them and let yourexperiencesin thematerialandaethericworlds informoneanothersothatyouareconstantlydevelopingmentallyandspiritually.

EvenYou

Benjamin Franklin is noted for his remark that nothing in life is certain savedeath and taxes.While this author is unqualified to counsel its readers on thelatter,Idohopethatyouhavefoundenoughinthislessontostimulatethoughtsonyourownmortality.Wealllive,andifthatisso,thenitisequallycertainthatonedayweshallalldie.Someday,evenyouwillbecomeafullmemberofthespiritworld.

Keepthisinmindasyouexplorethisfascinatingplaceandmeetthesoulsthatlive there. Think of your voyages as an early glimpse of the afterlife and ofyourselfasafortunateguestinthismysterious,powerfulrealm.

LESSONSIX.

MENTALINFLUENCE

VisualizingtheInvisibleAACompletePicture-TheShapeofThoughts-EmotionsIllustratated-TheNatureofThoughtFormElementals-ClairvoyanceandAethericGradationAAClairvoyantExploration-TelekineticInfluenceandEmotion-BowlsofEmotion-FurtherTelekineticExperiments-TheThought-CloudsofTelepathy-TelepathicConversation-TheUnspokenMessage-TheEthicsof

Mentalism

"Ifthedoorsofperceptionwerecleansedeverythingwouldappeartomanasitis,infinite."

-WILLIAMBLAKE,TheMarriageofHeavenandHell

THROUGHOUTYOURSTUDIESof aether andmentalism,you've read timeandagain thateverythingexisting in theworldaroundyou-people, landscapes,everyday objects-dwells also on the aetheric plane. There, too, exist thoughts,emotions,andotherseeminglyabstractthingsliketimeortheculturalimpactofactionsandobjects.These things, insubstantial even in thematerialworld, areeasilyobservedandmanipulatedby theskilledmentalist.Whenyouare in theaether,thoughtsareasvisibleasahandbeforeyourface,emotionscanbefeltasif they were rain or wind (or even a hailstorm), and you can share sensoryawarenessandmentalinsightswithothers,eventhoselongdeadornotyetborn.

In this lesson, you will learn more about the three basic psychic feats of

mentalism, also known as psychisms. These psychisms are clairvoyance(extrasensory perception of material and aetheric traits), telekinesis (themanipulationofaethericandphysicalmaterialusingthepowerofthemind),andtelepathy(thesendingandsensingofthoughts).Thekeytoeachofthesedeedsliesinakeenperceptionofthesubtletiesofyourpersonalaetherandtheaetheraroundyou.Throughsimpleexercises,youwillsee thatalthough thesemental

abilitiesmayseemtobe thestuffof fantasy, theyareall rooted in theobjects,feelings,andthoughtsweinteractwitheveryday.

VISUALIZINGTHEINVISIBLE

It is simple enough to comprehend that yourphysical bodywith its arms, legs,torso,andhead-existsinparallelontheaethericplane.Theplacewhereyouarereadingthisbook,beitindoorsorout,iseasilyunderstoodtobemirroredintheaether. If there is aphysical tablehere, an aetheric table exists there, too.Thesametreesandstonesyoumayseefromwhereyouarealsostandfirmlyintheaether.

Butthereismoretoyourbodythanstaticparts-thereareprocesses,too.Bloodflowsthroughyourveins.Yournervesrelaymessagesfromonepartofyourselftoanother.Individualcellsthatcompriseyourorgansareborn,live,anddie.Thewood in the table ages, as do the pages of this book, becoming imperceptiblymore brittle as time passes. The trees pass through the stages of the year andgrow, and the stones are ever so slowly worn by weather and time. All thishappens in tandem on the aetheric plane, and perhaps it is no great feat ofimaginationforyoutounderstandthis.

Theseareexamplesofthingsandprocessesdirectlyobservableinthematerial

plane.Butifalloflifeweremadeofwhatismerelyobservable,howstrangetheworld would seem! We would witness actions, but not consider the motivesbehindthemortheconsequencestheymightbringabout.Insuchaplacetherewouldbenofeelingoflove,forexample,noranysenseofbelongingtoafamilyoracommunity.Evena rudimentarysensation,suchashunger,wouldn'texist.Wewould see a table, but theword "table," a very simple thought,wouldnotcome tomind. In fact, therewouldbenomind to speakof!Theworldwouldseemlikeasimulacrum,alifelessshadow-place.Wecouldnotrecognizesuchaworldasbeing"real."Howthen,doweconvinceourselvesthatourobservationsofmaterialthingsandprocessesshowusallthereistoseeintheaether?

Exercise27:ACompletePicture

Youcanfamiliarizeyourselfwithhowmuchgoesunnoticedineverydaylife.Gobyyourselftoasmall,furnishedroom;anofficeorabedroominahouseworkswellforthisexerciseorperhapstheveryroomyou'veusedforyourpracticeoftheaethericdozen.Closeanydoorsorwindowblindsthatwouldotherwiseletin

views from another part of the world. Stand in the middle of the room andslowly turn around, taking in everything you can see. Try to create a basicmentalinventory-floor,walls,ceiling,desk,bookshelf,door,window,books,cup(perhapscontainingcoffee),pens,paper,andsoon.Someoftheobjectsmaybeengagedintheprocessofelectrification:fansturning,lampsemittinglight.Addthis process, electrification, to your inventory. Also add any wind, light,temperaturechanges,andsoundscreatedbytheelectrifiedmachines.

Youcanseehowquicklysuchataskbecomesdaunting.Themindreelswhenwe stop and think of all the things and processes that exist in one small,furnishedroom,andthisisnotevenconsideringthesolitarypersoninit.Bloodflowandsynapticactionsmustbeaddedtotheinventory,tobesure,aswellasthinking,andbeyondthat,thinkingaboutthinking!

As you can see, this sort of observation revealsmuchmore to you than isperceptibleinyoureverydaylife.Withpractice,yourabilitytoseeaethericallywillopenyourcapacityforamazingfeatsofmentalism.

THESHAPEOFTHOUGHTS

Intheaether,thoughtsandemotionsemergefromouraethericbodiesandmoveinto the common space around us, where they can be viewed, heard, eventouchedandrelatedtoasiftheywerelivingthingsindependentoftheircreator.

Doyousubscribetoanewspaper?Oneofthemostentertainingportionsofa

majornewspaperistheSundaycomicssection.Didyouknowthatyoucancatchaglimpseintotheaethereachtimeyoureadthesecomicstrips?

Althoughtoday'scomicsaremoresedatethanthoseofyearsgoneby,youcanstill find examplesofwhatAmericancartoonistMortWalker called symbolia-the circles, lines, and other shapes drawn near characters in comic strips toindicatespeed,frustration,surprise,andotherconditions.

Walkercodifiedthesesymbolsthatarenowclichesofthecomic-stripform.Ifyou see a cloud of dust behind a running character, you are viewing a briffit.Someone working hard or enduring a stressful situation may be drawn withplewds, exaggerated sweat droplets bursting around their head.Emanata shootforthinasimilarwayfromtheheadsofsurprisedcharacters,andsqueansseemtoriseandpopabovethosewhoaredrunk.

Designersincorporatesimilardevicesintotheirworkwhentryingtoevokeaparticularemotionorstateofmind.Shapeswhich taper fromawidebase toanarrowtopelicitasenseofstrengthinawaysimilartothepyramidsofancientEgypt. Rounded forms calm us, reminding us of clouds, perhaps, or thecomfortingarmsofaparent.

Ofcourse, thesesimpleformsare, likeall illustrations,grosssimplificationsof that which they attempt to represent. However, they give us a jumping-offpointforfurtherexaminationofhowideasandfeelings, invisiblebytheirverynature,canbeseen.

Exercise28:EmotionsIllustrated

Carryasmall,unlinednotepadandapeninyourpocketforaweekandtrythis

experiment. Whenever you notice yourself experiencing an emotion or aparticular state of mind, be it impatience, curiosity, fatigue, or anything else,bring out your notepad andmake a few abstract doodles that seem to fitwithyour mood. Make a note of the emotion you've just illustrated and add anypertinentnotes for later reference.Youmight find that someexperiencesbringforthmultiple sensations. For example, youmight stubyour toe on a piece offurniture,givingrisetomanyfeelings,includingsurprise,pain,andfrustration.

If youkeepclose trackof theparticularsof eachexperience,youwill get a

bettersenseofhowyoutendtovisualizethoughtsandemotions.Thiswillserveyouwell in your visits to the aetheric plane, a placewhere everything can beseen.

TheNatureofThoughtFormElementals

Whenmentalistsconcentratestronglyforasustainedperiodoftimeonanyonesubject,theyruntheriskoftheirthoughtaethergainingsentienceandawillofitsown.Arenegadethoughtisanaethericbeingknownasathoughtformelemental.

Thoughtform elementals are the embodiment of our ideas and ideals. Theytakeouremotionsandintentionsbeyondourindividualhumanlimitsandmakechangesintheaetherthatcanaffectearthlylife.Likebreedslike,andthemoreofoneemotionorstateyouhaveinyourlife(love,greed,envy),themorethatstatewillnaturallyoccur.

Lesser incarnationsof thoughtformelementalsareactuallyquitecommon inour lives. Whenever we feel so strongly about something that our emotion"carriesusaway,"oreachtimeweare"lost" inthought,weareactuallyinthegrasp of a concentratedmass of aether that, while not quite as powerful as athoughtformelemental, isstillpotentenoughtooverrideourownsenses(oratleastourcommonsense).

Thoughtssensedviaaethericsightmightappeardifferentlytotwomentalistsstanding side by side. To one mentalist, a thought might appear as a puff ofsmoke blowing out of its thinker's mouth or forehead. To another, this samethoughtmightlooklikeageometricpatternsurroundingitscreator.Attimesofgreatstressorconcentration,thoughtandthinkercanseemasone,anamalgamthatcombineshumantraitsofthethinkerandtheabstractaspectsofthethought.Visionsofsupernaturalbeingsasvariedasdeific incarnationsandwerewolvesarethoughtofbysomeasexamplesofthesethinker/thoughtcombinations.

Because of the vagaries of perception, which have to dowithmany things

including experience, culture, and spiritual beliefs, it is impossible to set hardand fast guidelines for recognizing this or that thought. Entires branches ofpsychology and art are devoted to the study of symbols and their meanings.Alchemy and the mystical paths of the world's religions are also rife withexplorationsofpracticalsymbolism.Ifyouarealreadystudyingsuchatradition,itwillnodoubtshapethewayyouperceiveaether.Ifyouaren't,andifyouarehaving trouble making sense of abstract perceptions in the aether, it maybehooveyoutoexploreoneormoreofthesesystems.

CLAIRVOYANCEANDAETHERICGRADATION

Sofarinyourstudiesofmentalismyouhavelearnedofclairvoyanceasameansof transferring your earthly senses-sight, hearing, and so forth-beyond theconfinesofyourphysicalbody.Initself,thisismuchakintoastralprojection.Inthisessay,youwilllearnofadifferentsortofclairvoyance-onethatcangiveyouinsightintothenature,history,andimpactoftheobjectsweseeeveryday.

In order to understand how this clairvoyance works, you'll need a betterunderstanding of the multifaceted nature of aether. There are many aethericaspectstoeventhesimplestofordinaryobjects.Ifwelookatapen,forexample,wecanseethatitismadeofmaterialsubstancesuchaswood,metal,orplastic.It has a cap, perhaps, of the same substance. The pen also contains ink. It issimpleenoughtounderstandthatall thismaterial ismirroredin theaether.Ontheaethericplaneapenmadeofmetal,forexample,ismadeofanequal"mass"of the intangibleaether.There isaether for thepen'smainbody,aether for thecap,aetherforthetubecontainingtheink,andaetherfortheinkitself.

That said, there is more to see in this pen than the aether of its physical

components.Orewasminedfromtheearth tocreate themetalfromwhichthepenisfashioned.Theink,too,camefromanaturalsource.Thesesourcescanbediscoveredthroughclairvoyantsight.Manyhandswentintothemanufactureofthepen.Asidefromthosewhogatheredtherawmaterials,therewasatleastonemaker,apersonwhoputthepentogether.Foreveryindividualinvolvedinthepen'smaking,thereisabitofhisorherpersonalaetherinthepen.Ifyouarethefirstownerofthepen,thenyouknowwhathasbeenwrittenwithit.Perhapsitdoesn't requireanymeditationatall to remember theshopping lists, thephonemessages,andthelettersyou'vewrittenusingthisdevice.Ifthepenisn'tbrandnew,however,youcanuseclairvoyancetolearnwhatwritingshavecomefromthepenbeforeitcameintoyourpossession.

Such feats of mentalism are possible because of the range of frequenciescontainedin theaether. Inpastexercises,you'vebeendirected tomodulate thefrequencyofyourpersonalaetherfromitsnormalmaterialworldstatetothatofthe astral and elemental realms. It is also possible to attain the ultimatefrequency, thatof theelysian.Eachof thesegradations inyourpersonalaetherbringsaboutadifferentstateofmindinyou,adifferentstateofbeing.

Itmaysurpriseyouthatpedestrianobjectshavethesamesortsofvarianceintheir own aether. Here is a comparative listing of the aspects of variousgradationsofaether,asrelatestoasimplemetalpen.

MaterialAether:Thephysicalmassandmakeupofthepenisreflectedintheaethermostreadilyvisiblebymentalistswhentheyfirsttunetheirconsciousnessto theaethericplane.Anythinghavingtodowithsize,shape,color,weight,orotherphysicaldimensionsormeasurements is thebusinessof the realmof thematerialaether.

ElementalAether:Whenwereducethefrequencyofourawarenessbelowthenormal confines of the materialworld range of the aether, we reach aconsciousnessof theelementalworld.This is the realmof fire, air,water, andearthoracombinationoftwoormoreoftheseelements,suchassteam,metal,magma,ordust.Anyaetherweobservehere reflects theearthlyoriginsof theobject before us, telling us what form its parts were in before the object'smanufacture.Inthecaseofthepen,thiswouldincludetherockyorefromwhichthepen'smetalwassmelted,anyofthenaturalorchemicalbeginningsofvariousdetailsonthepen(adifferentmetalforthecliponthecap,perhaps,orplasticfor

the interior tube, or the paint used to mark the manufacturer's seal), and thesourceofthepen'sink.

AstralAether:Whenwe raise our consciousness to the aetheric frequencies

higherthanthematerialrealm,wefindourselvesintheastralworld.Thisistheplacewherethoughtsandemotionsreign,wherewecanseewithourmind'seyethosethingsthatwemostoftenthinkofasintangible.Viewingthepenwhileinanastralstateofmindwillrevealtheintellectualandemotionalconditionsofitsmanufacture,aswellaswhateverwritingshavecome from thepen.Theastralworldisseeminglyboundless,andthereismuchcontainedintheastralaetherofeverydayobjects.Therefore,itmaytakequiteafewaethericsessionstodiscoverallthereistoknowabouttheastralaspectsofyourseeminglysimplepen.

Elysian Aether: The highest of all aetheric frequencies lies in the elysianworld,alsoknownasElysium.Thisistherealmofthesharedconsciousnessoftheearthandtheplanetsandstarsbeyondit,anditisalsothemostdifficultplacetoreachinyourmeditations.Here,wecanstandamongtheheroesandgodsofallcultures,aswellasthegroup-soulofcurrentandpastcivilizations.Whatdoesthishavetodowiththeprosaicpenbeforeyou?Nothing,perhaps,butitdependson the pen's historical and cultural importance.With an elysian attentiveness,you canbecomeawareof the influence this penhason theworld as awhole.Perhaps it was used towrite an important piece of legislation or even a loveletterbetweentwopeoplewhowentontochangethecourseofhistory,suchasNapoleonandJosephine.

Exercise29:,4ClairvoyantExploration

Practice such clairvoyant observation of an everyday item during your nextmeditation.Sitwiththeobjectbeforeyou,preferablyrestingonatableorotherflatsurface,soyoucanseeitwithoutholdingit.Concentrateonyourbreathandshiftyourawarenesstotheaethericplane.Youarethere,andtheobjectistherewithyou.Ifyouarerecordingyoursessioneitherthroughaudioorwrittennotes-perhapsevenwiththehelpofasecretary-describetheobjectyouseeasitexistsin the material aether. What are its clearly observable dimensions andcharacteristics?

Takeas longasyou likewith theobject,modulatingyouraethericattention

amongthevariousrealms.Recordyourobservationsineachofthesestates.Withpractice, your clairvoyant examinations of even the simplest items will likelyyieldsurprisingdiscoveries!

TELEKINETICINFLUENCEANDEMOTION

Just after you began your practice of the aetheric dozen, you used your newknowledgeoftheaethericlinks-pointsofconnectionbetweenaperson'sphysicaland sublime bodies-to conduct a very simple, yet nonetheless astounding,telekineticexperiment.Iftheexercisewassuccessful,youwereabletomoveacoinafractionofaninchusingnothingbutthepowerofyourmind.

Whetherornotthisexerciseworkedforyou,yourcuriosityabouttelekinesisisnodoubtpiqued.Wewillnowexplorefurthermechanicsandapplicationsofthismostextraordinarymentalpractice.

Whenwetalkoftelekinesis,wearespeakingoffeatsofmindovermatter.Inaverybasicway,thisissomethingwedoeveryday.Everytimewegoforawalk,answer a ringing telephone, tie our shoes, or do any number of seeminglymundane tasks, we are applying our mental forces to move our bodies andmanipulatetheobjectsaroundus.Somedaysthisiseasy,andotherdaysitisachoretodothesimplestthing.

Asitisintheeveryday,materialworld,soitisintheaether.Thereasonsmostaspiringmentalists fail in their telekinetic attempts are akin to why they alsohavetroublegettingoutofbedinthemorning.Theyaretired,perhaps,ortheyarebored.Theyseenocompellingreasontogetupandstarttheday.Theyfeelunchallengedbythelifetheyhavearrangedforthemselves.Thesesamepeoplewill never find themselves to be effective telekinetics until theydiscover theirownreasonforbeinginthematerialworld.Withoutthis,whatbusinessdotheyhavenosing around in the aether?Anyonewhowishes to showoff telekineticabilitybylevitatingpeopleorcausinghouseholdobjectstoflytohisorherhandis likely lacking in thewillpower to lift these thingsphysically.How, then,dotheyexpectsuccessasamentalist?Itbaffles.

The wise aspirant realizes that such feats are less desirable than the more

subtleeffectstelekineticabilitycanhaveonourinnerlife,particularlyasregardsour emotions. Themotivation needed for any particular action in thematerialworldarisesoutofourdesiresandemotions,anditisthissamepartofourselvesthatmakestelekinesispossible.

Theexercisesthatfollowdealwithobservationofyouremotions.Itisbesttopractice these exercises as the emotions arise naturally, not creating falsecircumstancestobringtheemotiontotheforefrontofyourconsciousness.It isalso important to remember that the moments you feel the strongest emotionoftencoincidewithinstancesofphysicalstrainordanger.Yoursafetyisof theutmostimportance,sopleasedonotattemptthisoranyothermentalismworkifyouareinasituationwherethemoreprudentactwouldbetoremoveyourselffromharm'sway.Thatsaid,let'smoveon.

Haveyoueverfeltanemotionsostronglythatitseemedtohavealifeofitsownorat least a form thatyoucould sensewithinyourbody? Inmomentsofdangerorsurprisewesometimesseizeup,stunnedbythesuddenturnofevents.Whenwefallinlove,ourheartsfeelasthoughtheywillburst.Asimilarfeelingcomesoverusduringtimesoftremendousgrief.

Itiseasytodismissthesesensationsasinstinctualreactionscontainedsolely

withinyourphysicalbody,butthetruthisthatwhenyoufeelsuchthingsyouareactually subconsciously shaping your personal aether into forms that can bementallymanipulatedbyyourselfandothers.

Exercise30:BowlsofEmotion

If you have been practicing the exercise in which you jot down notes anddoodlesonyour everyday thoughts and sudden surgesof emotion, then it is asimplematter toexpand it intoapractical telekinetic feat.Review thedoodlesand sketches you havemade out of your experienceswith different emotions.Have you found that one ormore emotions elicit consistent pictures?Do youfeelthesamesortofphysicalsensationeachtimetheemotionoccurs?Ifso,thisemotionisripeforaethericstudy.

The next time you feel overwhelmed by this particular feeling, try thisexercise. Stand up straight, your feet about shoulder distance apart and yourarmsatyoursides,justasyoudoatthebeginningofeachofyoursessionswiththeaethericdozen.Bringyourconsciousnesstotheaethericplane.Feeltheearthbeneathyourfeetandgroundyourself in thisplace,nomatterhowjumbledorlostyoumayfeel.

Now open your eyes (you may open just your aetheric eyes if you wish,

keepingyourphysicaleyesclosed)andlookatthescenebeforeyouandaroundyou.What do you see? The color and form of the emotionmanifesting itselfshould be familiar to you, given your preparatory sketchbook work. Perhapsyourfeelingsareexhibitingthemselvesinajumbleofchaoticshapesandcolorsswarming around your head,maybe even surrounding your entire body. Or itcouldbethatyouremotionisblindingyoutoeverythingbutaparticularcolor,suchasredorblack.Aretheresoundsassociatedwiththisstate,noisesthatyouknowaren'tcomingfromoutsidesources?Dothesoundscreatetheirownshapesintheaether?Pauseuntilyou'reabletoobservetheemotionclearlyandcalmly.

Keepingyourelbowswhere theyare, liftyour forearmsupwithyourpalms

facing out. It is a gesture of surrender, but youmay be surprised at how thisparticular form of giving in will help you. Visualize your forehead and handaethericlinks,thelinksusedmostofteninworksoftelekinesis.

In order to perform this exercise, you need to gather all of the turbulentemotional aether into the space in front of you,where you can see it. Extendyourarmsoutfromyoursides,yourpalmsstillfacingforward.Nowpivotatthewaisttotheleftandreachalittlemoretothisdirection.Gatherupsomeoftheaetherthatistoyoursidesandbackwiththismotionand,pivotingbacktoyouroriginal position, bring it before you. Repeat this movement to the right.Remembertousebroad,slow,andopenmovements.Whatyouaredoingcouldbelikenedtorakingleaves,anactivityunrewardedbysharp,fastactions.

Itmaytakeawhiletobringalltheaetherbeforeyouandkeepitthere,andtheveryactofworkingwiththeaetherinthiswaycanelicitanemotionalresponseofitsown.Carryonwiththeexercisetothebestofyourabilityuntilyouhavecollecteditall.

Oncethisisdone,bringyourarmsbacktoyoursidesandfaceyourpalmsoutas before.Now, from the aetheric link in your right hand, send a line of blueflame out in an arc to your right. This line should go out far enough toencompass the entiremass of aether before curving back tomeet the aethericlinkinyourlefthand.Itshouldseemthattheaetherisnowcapturedinanarcingbandmadeofyourowncreation.

Sendoutanothersuchlinefromyourforeheadlinkupandacrossthetopofthemassofaether.Onceithasreachedthefarside,loopitbeneaththemassandbacktowardyourforehead.Whenyouhavedonethis,youwillseethatyouhave

formed two perpendicular bands around the aether. The emotion that oncecontrolledyou isnowsubduedandcanbeshapedbyyou, insteadof theotherwayaround.

Usingyourvisualizationskills,constructlatticeworkbetweenthebands,such

thatacageisbuiltaroundtheaether.Whenthisisdone,slowlybeginshrinkingthecageandtheaetherheldprisonerwithinit.Youareconcentratingtheaether.Ifyoukeepthisup,youwilleventuallyhaveasphereofaetheraboutthesizeofasoftballfloatingbeforeyou.Bringitclosetoyouand,whenitiswithinafootofyourchest,reachout,takethesphereintoyourhands,anddissolvethecage.Therenegadeaetherisnowunderyourcommandandwillnothurtyou.

Likeallaether, thissphereismalleable likeclay.Usingyouraetherichands,sculptthesphereintoasmallbowl.Workwiththeshapeuntilitisveryfirminyour hands, until you know that this aether is no longer hatred or jealousy orwhateveremotionithasbeenbutisatoolforyoutouse.Likeattractslikeintheaether,andthisbowlcanbebroughtouttocollectsimilaremotionalaetherthenext timeyou feel the same sort of negative feelings rising up in you.Aethercollectedinthiswaycanbeeasilydissipated,suchthatitwillnotbotheryou.Itcanalsobe transformed, throughvisualization, intoamorebeneficialemotion.An aspirant's collection of aether based on a particular emotion-love is acommonexample-willbringmoreofthesameemotiontothatmentalist.

Whenyouarereadytobefinishedwiththebowl,loosenyourgripandmoveyourhandsslightlyfartherapart.Now,slowlydrawtheaetherofthebowlintoyourhandlinks,reincorporatingitwithyourpersonalaether.

Itwillbetoyouradvantagetocreatemanyaethericbowlstocatchandholdthe various emotions you experience. Tomake a rathermundane comparison,thesebowlscanbeusedaethericallyinthesamewayyouusecontainerstostoretheuneatenportionsof ameal.After all,we're all just as susceptible tobeingwashedawaybygoodfeelingsasweareinloadingupontoomuchrichfood,whichcangiveusindigestion.Andbesides,youneverknowwhenyou'llneedtobring out one of these bowls and help yourself to a leftover serving of love,cheerfulness,orsatisfaction.

Exercise31:FurtherTelekineticExperiments

As you progress in your understanding of the aether, return to your initialtelekineticexperiment,inwhichyoumovedthecoin,howeverslightly.Practiceituntilittakeslessandlessefforttomovethecoin.Ifyoulike,youmaytrytoliftthecoinormoveithorizontallythroughspace,butthereisreallynoneedforthis-thesethingsareeasyenoughtodobyhand.Butwhatmorecanyoudowithasmallobjectlikethecoin?Basedonyourunderstandingofthegradesofaetherfrom this lesson's essay on clairvoyance, you know that this simple lump ofmetal contains more than meets the eye. Everything on the aetheric planecontainsvariousaspects (form,history,culturalsignificance,andsoon)withinitsmultilayeredaether.Tuningintothephysicalaetherofanobjectallowsyouto telekinetically affect its physical aspects such as location, color, shape,density, and arrangement of parts. What possibilities lie in the mentalmanipulation of that same object's elemental aether or its astral or even itselysianaether?Experimentwiththeseaspectsforyourselfandseewhathappens.

THETHOUGHT-CLOUDSOFTELEPATHY

So far in your studies of mentalism we have only touched on the topic oftelepathy, the aethericmethodof communication.Herewewill go into howaperson's thoughts appear in the aether and how they can be sent and receivedwithease.

Whenwetalktooneanotherface-to-faceineverydaylife,weusethemediumofspeech.Insuchaconversation,ideasaretransmittedthroughtheuseofwordsspoken by one person and heard by another. Additionally, many unspokenmessages are transferred between people through body language, context, andtone of voice.On the aetheric plane,we have no need for suchmaterialworldconventionsasspeechandgesture,but thereareothermeansbywhichwecanconverse. There, a thought emanates not audibly from ourmouths but visiblyfromourpersonalaether-theaetherthatmakesupwhatwecallourself.Usuallythis emanation occurs around the head portion of the personal aether, butthoughts can also be seen coming from other areas such as the hands, thestomach,or thesexorgans,dependingon thenatureof the idea.Onceyouareable to see thoughts this way, youmay be amazed at how clear conversationbecomes!

Ourthoughtsdrift,cloudlike,fromourselvesintothespacearoundus.Weak

orfrivolousthoughts,suchasinternalcommentaryaboutthingsorpeopleseenonthestreet,evaporatealmostimmediately,dissipatinglikemistandleavinguswith scant memory of ever having thought them. Remember, though, thatnothingevervanishes completelyon theaethericplane. Just likematter in thephysicalworld, in thisparallelplace there isonlysomuchaether,andwhileaportionofthestuffmaychangeshape,color,size,andevenfunction,tracesofitspreviousembodimentsalwaysremain.Strongthoughts,suchasruminationsonsignificant occurrences in our lives, hover around our bodies like clouds,sometimeswrapping themselves aroundusmore in themanner of a cloak.Ortheyimprintthemselvesonouraethericbodiesinsuchawaythatwecannotbeseenwithoutour thoughts there,plainasdayandperhaps less than flat-tering-"writtenacrossourface,"asitwere.Wecanbefreeofthesethoughtsandtheireffectsonlythroughintensepersonalwork.Thestrongestofthoughtsmayneverdetachcompletelyfromourpersonalaetherandcanpreoccupyour thoughts tothepointofdistractingusfromeverydayexistence.Stormsoffrivolousthought

candothis,too.Whenweare"lostintheclouds"inthiswaywhilewalking,wemay tripover a stone in the road. Ifdrivinga car,wemaynotnotice that thestoplighthasturnedtored.

Our thoughts are at their strongest the moment we think them. Once webecomeawareofathought,ithasalreadybeguntheprocessofdetachingitselffromourpersonalaetherandmovingintothesurroundingspace.Wespeedthisdeparturemarkedlywhenweblurtoutoureverythoughttothosearoundus,butthetruthisthatanycommunication-everybitofspeechorgesture,everypieceofartwork-has a dissociating effect on our thought and dilutes its potency assomethingpurelyourown.Althoughtobefair, intheaetherthereisverylittlethatwecantrulycallourown,either.

As an aspiring mentalist, you will do well to notice your thoughts at the

moment of their inception, in the hopes ofmaking clearermental imagery tosendthroughtheaether.Practiceholdingyourthoughtsattheforefrontofyourmindwithoutexpressingtheminspeechoranyformofgesture.Asyoucontinuethis practice, pause to reflect on each thought you are holding.What are thequalities of the thought? Use your knowledge of the aether to apply visualaspectssuchasshapeandcolortothethought.Onceyouareabletodothisassecondnature,youwillbereadytotrythefollowingexperiments.

Exercise32:TelepathicConversation

Arrangetomeetwithafriend,preferablyonewhoisinterestedinmentalismandis at the same point that you are in your aetheric studies. Have a simpleconversation together.Talkabouteverydayactivities suchasgrocery shoppingorwashingthedishes.Thisconversationshouldhavenomorethanfourorfivestatements from each person.With each statement youmake out loud, form amentalimageoutofthecorrespondingthoughtandsenditforth,awayfromyourpersonalaethertowardyourfriend.Theyshoulddothesame.Keeptrackofyourimpressionsofyourfriend'sstatementsastheymakethemandnoteanyaethericobservations you have about the images they are sending you. This is not asimple exercise, as it requires not just powerful thinking, as well as thinkingaboutthinking,butalsothinkingaboutanotherperson'sthoughtsonthinking.Ifyou try this experiment a number of times with your friend and again a fewtimes with another friend, you will understand not only how to better notice

thoughtsintheaether,butyouwillalsobegintoseehowoneperson'sthoughtslookandfeeldifferentfromanother's.

Exercise33:TheUnspokenMessage

Is there someone inyour lifewhomyou talkwitheverydaysomeoneyou livewith orworkwith, perhaps?Maybe a bus driver or someonewhoworks at acoffee shop you visit on a daily basis? You can test your ability to sendtelepathicmessageswiththisperson.Itisimportantnottoletthemknowyouaredoinganythingofthesort,however,asthiswillinfluencetheexperiment.

The next time you speak with this person, bring a simple message to theforefront of your thoughts, something brief and clear and appropriate to thesetting inwhich you know them. For a store clerk or a bus driver youmightthink, "Askme aboutmy handbag." For someone you live or workwith youcould think,"Buyussomeflowers."Youmust think thissamethoughtexactlyseveral times, so keep it as simple as possible. After you have finished yourregularconversationwiththatpersonandhavesaidgoodbye,thinkthethoughtagainwhilevisualizingtheperson'sface.Sendthissamethoughtintotheaetherseveraltimeswhileyoutwoareapart,eachtimeseeingtheperson'sfaceinyourmind.Sayitafewtimesjustbeforeyouseethemagainthenextday,andoncemorewhenyou'respeakingwiththem.Don'tbringuptheobjectofyourthoughtinyourspokenconversationwiththem.Iftheydoaskyouaboutyourhandbagorbring in flowers,you'llknowthatyourmessagemayhavebeenreceived. If

you feel comfortable doing so, you can tell them about your experiment. Tryanotherandseewhathappens!

THEETHICSOFMENTALISM

Somepeople,whenreadingaboutthepracticeofmentalismanditscapacitytogranttheaspirantuntoldpower,believethatthecourseworkoutlinedinthisbookisprovidinginstructioninsomeformofblackmagic.Thatistosay,theybelievethatonceanaspiringmentalistgainscontrolofhispersonalaetherandtheaetheraround himself, he will become selfish and destructive, eager to hold thisnewfoundinfluenceoverthewillsofotherpeople.IfIbelievedthisclaimtobeunreasonable,thenIwouldnotfeelmovedtowritethiswordofcaution.

Themajorityofaspirantstomentalismgoontoleadtheiraethericlivesinanethicalway.But,itistrue,somewhohavetappedintotheaetherhaveturneditspower to their ownadvantageover others.They eavesdropon the thoughts offriends and strangers, make unbidden astral visits, and use mentalism tobrainwashorotherwisedominateothers.Theseusesof theaetherareunethicaland, as these twisted mentalists will discover, destructive not only to theirvictimsbutalsotothemselves.

Givenallyou'vebeen through inyouraethericstudies,younowrealize thatwe are not the isolated individuals, as so many people in the material worldwouldwishus to believe.We are connectedby the substance of life itself-theaether.Justastheoceanssupportlifeonearth,theaetherconnectsandnourishesusall.Andliketheocean,too,theaethercandrowncountlesspeoplewithoutasecondthought.

Oncewerealizethatwehaveahumansoulthatliveswithinusandrepresents

usontheaethericplane,andthatthissoultranscendsnotonlymaterialexistencebut also all material concerns-including mortality-we should as a matter ofcourse lead lives of goodness and responsibility toward ourselves and others.Oursoulsareallconnectedintheaether.Anygainthatcomestoanindividualattheexpenseofothersisanoffenseagainstthewholeandwillberevisiteduponitsinstigatorinthesamewaydiseasecomestouswhenwemistreatourmaterialforms.Keep this connectedness inmind as you practice yourmentalism. Thetechniques and abilities you are developing bring you closer to everything increation,aplaceweallshare.

In your day-to-day dealings with those around you, you may have already

discovered that the smallest courtesy goes a long way in improving people'sdispositiontowardyou.Peopletendnottobebad-hearted,assuch,buteveryoneof us has a capacity towithdraw into ourselves and focus on ourwishes andneedsoverthoseofothers.Asimplehellotoourneighbor,asmiletosomeonewepassonthestreet,orasmall,unasked-forfavorforsomeoneweknow-eachoftheseacts isaverypowerfulwayofbreakingthroughnotonlytheneedlessdefensivescreenspeopleputuparoundthemselves,butthroughourownshellsaswell.

Asyoubegin toopenyourself in thisway,youwill realizehowsusceptibleeachofusistotheinfluencesofoursurroundings,theotherpeopleinourlives,and our own personal thoughts and emotions.At the same time, youwill seemoreclearlythetiesbetweenyourself,otherpeople,andtheworld,andyouwillgrowinyourunderstandingoftheaetherinahealthy,nondestructiveway.

INDEXOFEXERCISESBYNUMBERANDTITLE

INDEXOFEXERCISESBYTOPIC

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

DEEPESTGRATITUDE goes tomy parents, Craig and LanaMarsh, andmybrother,KirkMarsh, for teachingme kindness, encouragingmy curiosity, andalways believing in me. Also to Jeff Hoke for his generous companionshipthroughout the creation of this book. Beyond Jeff's tremendous work as myillustrator and editor, his friendship, insight, and easygoing humor about themostarcane(andmundane!)subjectshavebeenconstantsourcesof inspirationandrejuvenation.

Thank you to Anandamayi Arnold for her love and encouragement. ToLaramie Crocker, Wendi Olson, and the Cammell-Brown family for dailysupport and friendship. To Brenda Knight and all the other good people atWeiserfortheirfaithandhardwork.ToHeatherSchlegelforhersupportofmyearly work on this project. To all the friends who served as models for theillustrationsorwhogavecommentsonessays.Andlastbutcertainlynotleast,tomyregularaethericcorrespondentsS.C.,R.D.,andA.R.,andtoallthepatientaspirantswhosubscribetoTheCamelopard.Thereisyetmoreonitswaytoallofyou!

ABOUTTHEAUTHOR

CLINTMARSHisawriterandpublisherofpracticalesoterica.AsidefromTheCamelopard-the pamphlet series that inspired this book-Marsh's publicationsincludeGoblinproofangOne'sChickenCoop,OnGnoming(APocketGuidetothe Successful Hunting and Cooking of Gnomes), and Wandering WizardsWelcome (By Appointment). He has served as the consulting editor for JeffHoke'sGuidetoLostWonderseriesandastheAmericanpublisherforPhooka,TheJournaloftheOverlandMalletClub.HelivesinBerkeley,California,anddistributeshisworksthroughWonderellaPrinted.

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TableofContentsIllustrationsForewordbyJeffHokeIntroductionTheCamelopardInstructionsforRecordingExperimentsLessonOne.TheNatureofAetherLessonTwo.AethericBeingsLessonThree.AethericExercisesLessonFour.AscensionLessonFive.TheSpiritWorld.....LessonSix.MentalInfluenceIndexofExercisesbyNumberandTitleIndexofExercisesbyTopicAcknowledgmentsAbouttheAuthorAethericBeingsIdentificationChart.......insidedustjacket