Astral travel to other worlds
If the experience in the "out-of-body" state, which is not associated with conditions close to death, has sufficient duration, you can leave your immediate environment and enter a completely new landscape - not only to throw a glimpse of the "heavenly gardens", or "bright place", or "air hail", but also to have a long "adventure" in the air kingdom. The "astral plane" is probably pretty close to everyone, and some critical situations (mediumistic methods) can provoke contact with it. In one of his books (Interpretation of Nature and Mind, 1955), Carl Jung described the experience of one of his patients, a woman who passed out of her body during a difficult birth. She saw the doctors and nurses around her, but felt that behind her lay a wonderful landscape that seemed to be the border of another dimension;she felt that if she turned there she would leave this life, but instead she returned to her body.
Dr. Raymond Moody described a number of these kinds of states, which he called "borderline" or "ultimate" experiences.
Those who deliberately induce a state of "astral projection" can often enter this "other dimension." Recently, the "journeys" described by one person in this dimension have gained a certain fame, which made it possible for him to organize an institute for experiments in the out-of-body state. One of the researchers at this institute was Dr. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, who agrees with Monroe's findings about the similarities between "out-of-body" and "posthumous" experiences. Here we briefly outline the discoveries of this experimenter, described in the book "Traveling outside the body."
Robert Monroe is an American administrator (president of the board of directors of a multimillion dollar company) and an agnostic about religion. His encounter with out-of-body experiences began in 1958, even before he developed any interest in occult literature, when he conducted his own experiments on methods of memorization in dreams; they used relaxation and concentration exercises similar to some meditation techniques. After the beginning of such experiments, he had some unusual state when it seemed to him that he was hit by a beam of light, causing temporary paralysis. After this feeling was repeated several times, he began to induce and develop this state. At the beginning of his occult "journeys" he discovered the same basic characteristics that opened the way for Swedenborg to adventure in the spirit world,- passive meditation, a sense of light, a general attitude of trust and openness to new and strange experiences, and all this combined with a practical outlook on life and the absence of any deep mood or experience of Christianity.
At first, Monroe "traveled" to recognizable places on earth - first close, then more distant, while he sometimes managed to deliver factual evidence of his experiments. Then he began to contact "spirit-like" figures, while the first contacts were part of a mediumistic experiment (the "Indian guide" sent by the medium actually came for him!). In the end, he began to fall into strange-looking earthly landscapes.
While recording his astral travels (which he did immediately upon returning to the body), he characterized them as referring to three "places." “Place 1” is “here-now”, the ordinary conditions of this world. “Place 2” is “an intangible environment, apparently of enormous size and with characteristics similar to those of the“astral plane”. This place is the natural habitat of the "second body," as Monroe calls the being traveling in this realm; it permeates the physical world, and the laws of thought reign in it: “what do you think, that is how you are,“like attracts like”, to travel, you just need to think about the destination. Monroe visited various places in this kingdom, where he saw, for example, in a narrow valley a group of people in long white robes, a number of people in uniform who called themselves "an army on parcels waiting for orders."Place 3 is probably some kind of earth-like reality that has strange anachronistic properties; theosophists would probably recognize in it another, more "solid" part of the "astral plane."
Having overcome mainly the primary fear of entering these unfamiliar areas, Monroe began to explore them and describe the numerous intelligent creatures he met there. On some astral travels, he met deceased friends who sometimes helped him, but just as often did not react to his appeal, and gave obscure mystical messages that looked like messages from mediums who could simply shake his outstretched hand or pull him with the same success. to yourself. In some of these creatures, he recognized "obstructing" - bestial creatures with rubber-like bodies that could easily take the form of dogs, bats, or his own children, and others who mocked him, tormented him and simply laughed when he called (not by faith, of course, but as another experiment) the name of Jesus Christ.
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Lacking faith himself, Monroe opened up to the "religious" suggestions of the beings of that world. He was given "prophetic" visions of the future, which sometimes actually happened the way he saw them. Once, when a white ray of light appeared on the border of the out-of-body state, he asked him for answers to questions about this kingdom. The ray's voice answered him: "Ask your father to tell you a great secret." On another occasion, Monroe prayed accordingly: “Father, guide me. Father, tell me a great secret. From all this it is clear that Monroe, remaining in his religious views "worldly" and agnostic, has surrendered himself into the hands of the beings of the occult kingdom (who, of course, are demons).
Like Dr. Moody and other researchers in the field, Monroe wrote that "in 12 years of periodic activity, I have not found evidence to support the biblical concept of God and the afterlife in a place called heaven." But, like Swedenborg, theosophists and explorers like Dr. Krukal, he finds in the “non-material” environment he studied “all the aspects we ascribe to heaven and hell that are only part of Place 2. In an area probably closest to the material world, he encountered a black and gray area inhabited by "biting and annoying creatures." This, he believes, may be the "border of hell," like the "Hades" area, as Dr. Krukal called it.
But the most revealing is Monroe's stay in "heaven". Three times he visited a place of "pure peace", floating in warm soft clouds that cut through the ever-changing colored rays; it vibrated in harmony with the music of the wordless choirs; around him there were nameless creatures that arrived in the same state with which he had no personal contact. He felt that this place was his last "home", longed after him for several days. This "astral sky" is, of course, the main source of the theosophical teaching on the pleasantness of another world. But how far from this airy kingdom is the Kingdom of Heaven, which, in spite of the fullness of love, to man's awareness of his personality and the presence of God, is so alien to the unbelievers of our time, who do not want to know anything else but the "nirvana" of soft clouds and colored rays!Fallen spirits can easily give such a "heaven", but only Christian feat and God's grace can lift up to the true heaven of God.
At times Monroe met with the "god" of his "sky". This, in his words, can happen anywhere in "Place 2". In the midst of daily activities, a distant signal, similar to the sound of fanfare, is heard anywhere. Everyone treats him calmly and stops talking or doing some kind of business. This is a signal that "he" (or "they") is walking in his kingdom.
No one falls on their knees or prostrate in fear. The pose is rather businesslike. This is an event everyone is used to, and obedience is the most important thing. There are no exceptions.
At the signal, every living creature lies down … turning its head to one side so as not to see "him" when "he" passes. Apparently, the goal is to form a living path along which "he" can walk … When "he" passes, there is no movement, not even a thought …
“For the several times that I have experienced this,” wrote Monroe, “I went to bed with others. At this time, the very thought of doing otherwise is impossible. While “he” is walking, roaring music is heard and there is a feeling of radiant, irresistible living force, which grows above you and fades away … Such an event is as random as stopping at a traffic light at an intersection or waiting at a railway crossing when a signal indicates the approach of a train; you are indifferent, and at the same time, you feel an unspoken respect for the power contained in the walking train. This event is also impersonal.
Is it God? Or His Son? Or His representative?"
It would be difficult to find in all occult literature a more vivid description of the worship of Satan in his own kingdom of impersonal slaves. Elsewhere, Monroe described his own relationship with the prince of the kingdom he entered. One night, two years after the beginning of his "out of body", he felt that he was bathed in the same light that accompanied the beginning of his experiments, and felt the presence of a very powerful intelligent, personal force that made him powerless and weak-willed. "I have a firm conviction that I am bound by an indissoluble bond of devotion to this intelligent force, have always been bound, and that I must do work here on Earth." A few weeks later, on another similar incident of meeting this invisible force or "being", it (or they) seemed to come out and search his mind, and then, "they seemed to soar into the sky,and I sent my prayers after them."
“Then I became convinced,” Monroe says, “that their thinking ability and intelligence far surpassed my understanding. This is an impersonal cold mind, without any emotions of love or sympathy that we so appreciate … I sat down and cried, sobbed bitterly, as never before, because I knew unconditionally and without any hope of a change in the future that the God of my childhood, churches, world religion was not what we worshiped - that until the end of my days I will experience the loss of this illusion. It is hardly possible to imagine a better description of the encounter with the devil, which many of our unsuspecting contemporaries now face, who are unable to resist him due to their alienation from true Christianity.
Monroe's testimony about the nature and beings of the "astral plane" is of great value. Although he himself became deeply involved in this and actually sold his soul to the fallen spirits, he described his experience in normal non-occult language and from a relatively normal human point of view, making this book an amazing warning against experimentation in this area. Those who know the Orthodox Christian teaching about the air world, as well as about the true heaven and hell, which are outside this world, can only be convinced of the reality of the fallen spirits and their kingdom, as well as the enormous danger of entering into communion with them even through, seemingly "scientific approach".
Orthodox Christians need not know how much of this experience was real, and how much was the result of spectacles and obsessions worked for Monroe by the fallen spirits; deception is such a significant aspect of the aerial realm that it makes no sense to even try to reveal its exact forms. However, there can be no doubt that Monroe faced the world of the fallen spirits.
The "astral plane" can also be contacted (but not necessarily in an "out-of-body" state) through certain medications. Recent experiments in administering LSD to the dying have caused them to have rather convincing "near-death" states, as well as a "compressed repetition" of their entire life, seeing bright light, meeting people who have gone into another world, and inhuman "spiritual beings"; there was also the transmission of spiritual messages about the truths of "cosmic religion," reincarnation, etc. Dr. Kubler-Ross also took part in these experiments.
It is known that shamans of primitive tribes come into contact with the air world of fallen spirits in an out-of-body state, and after "initiation" are able to visit the spirit world and communicate with its inhabitants.
The initiates experienced the same in the mysteries of the ancient pagan world. In the life of St. Cyprian and Justina, we have first-hand testimonies of the former sorcerer about this kingdom: “On Mount Olympus, Cyprian learned all the devilish tricks: he comprehended various demonic transformations, learned to change the properties of air … He saw there countless hordes of demons with the prince of darkness at their head, whom they were coming; other demons served him, some exclaimed, praising their prince, and others were sent into the world to seduce people. There he also saw in the imaginary images of pagan gods and goddesses, as well as various ghosts and ghosts, the evocation of which he learned in a strict forty-day fast … So he became a magician, sorcerer and murderer, a great friend and faithful slave of the infernal prince, with whom he spoke face to a person who has received great honor from him,how he himself has openly testified.
“Believe me,” he said, “that I saw the prince of darkness himself … I greeted him and spoke with him and with his elders … And he promised me, after leaving my body, to make me a prince, and during my earthly life in everything help me … His appearance was like a flower; his head was crowned with a crown made (not in reality, but ghostly) of gold and shining stones, as a result of which the whole space was illuminated, and his clothes were amazing. When he turned to one side or the other, the whole place shuddered; many evil spirits of various degrees obediently stood at his throne. To him and I then gave myself over to the service, obeying his every command. (The Orthodox Word, 1976, no. 70, pp. 136-138).
St. Cyprian did not explicitly say that he had these experiences outside the body: it may well be that more experienced magicians and warlocks do not need to leave the body in order to enter into full contact with the air kingdom. Even when describing his adventures "outside the body," Swedenborg claims that most of his contacts with spirits were, on the contrary, in the body, but with the "doors of perception" open. The characteristics of this kingdom and the "adventures" in it remain the same regardless of whether everything happens in the body or outside the body.
One of the famous pagan sorcerers of the ancient world (II century), describing his initiation into the mysteries of Isis, gives a classic example of out-of-body communication with the air kingdom, which can be used to describe modern "out-of-body" and "post-mortem" states:
“I will convey (about my dedication) as much as can be conveyed to the uninitiated, but only on condition that you believe it. I reached the boundaries of death, crossed the threshold of Proserpine and returned back, having passed through all the elements; at midnight I saw the sun in a shining brilliance, appeared before the gods of the underground and heaven and bowed to them near. Here, I told you, and although you have listened, you must remain in the same ignorance."