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12 Selected Insights into the Astral World by Annie BesantAll physical atoms have their astral envelope; astral matter thus forms, so to speak, the matrix of the physical. The physical is situated within the astral.
The astral world is a specific realm of the universe, surrounding or penetrating the physical, yet invisible to our ordinary perception because it is composed of a different kind of matter.
All physical atoms have their astral envelope, and astral matter thus forms, so to speak, the matrix of the physical. The physical is situated within the astral.
Astral matter serves as a vehicle for Life, for the One Life that enlivens all. Through astral matter, this Life streams forth, encompassing, sustaining, and nourishing every particle of physical matter.
These life-giving streams cause not only what are commonly called physical forces but also all electrical, magnetic, chemical, and other energies—attraction, cohesion, repulsion, and the like—various manifestations of the One Life in which universes swim like fish in the sea.
The astral world is as real as the physical: in fact, because it is not so far removed from the One Reality, it is more real than the physical. Its phenomena are open to competent observation, much like those on the physical plane.
At the current stage of development, many people could develop their astral senses, and indeed many do to a certain degree, allowing them to perceive the subtle vibrations of the astral world.
The astral body, which houses the centers of sensation, is often called the astral man, just as we might call the physical body the physical man. But, of course, it is merely a vehicle—a garment, as the Vedic school expresses it—through which the true self works and reaches the densest vehicle, the physical body.
The astral body of man, made of astral matter, is highly sensitive to the influences of thought and vibrates in response to any thought directed at it, whether the thought comes from the minds of others or from within, from the mind of its owner.
When we think nobly, we purify our astral body, even without consciously working toward this goal. And let it be remembered that this inner work exerts a strong influence on the thoughts that are attracted from outside to the astral body.
Low-quality food attracts malevolent beings from the astral world to the astral body because we are dealing not only with astral matter but also with what are called elementals of that realm. These are beings of both high and low types that inhabit this world, born from the thoughts of humans. Moreover, the astral world is home to the dead and morally degraded individuals, trapped in their astral bodies, known as elementals. Elementals are attracted to people whose astral bodies contain matter akin to their nature. The elementals naturally seek out individuals who indulge in the same vices they harbored in their physical bodies.
Any person endowed with astral vision walking through the streets of London would see crowds of repulsive elementals gathering around butcher shops, and elementals have a marked tendency to congregate around bars and pubs, feeding off the foul emanations of the drinks. Sometimes, when possible, they even take residence within the bodies of the drunkards themselves.