Question 1

The Lower Astral Plane

Accepted Answer

"The Lower Astral is a realm of great fear, of great torment and great evil. The myths of underworlds and hells, the tales of dark sorcerers, witches and magicians from many cultures point out the horrors and perils of this realm. Yet it is incumbent upon the spiritual seeker to summon his or her strength and courage, to face this darkness of fear and to overcome it…""The horror movies popularized by Hollywood, and the widespread acceptance of fantasy games like Dungeons and Dragons, testify to the fascination this realm exerts on our collective psyche. The deformed and hideous monster, the zombie and the undead, the sorcerer mixing his vile potions, the black magician and the wicked witch who curse, weave strange spells and bring malevolence, the vampire who preys upon the living for blood, the mysterious occultist immersed in arcane astrological and kabalistic symbols, and the tyrant and dictator who rules nations by a rod of terror and mass-hypnosis, are characters who come up from these depths. These images haunt us, frighten us, and remind us that human beings are capable of great evil and that we must be aware always.""The Lower Astral is a magnetic continuum that attracts the lower thought forms of human beings. It collects human negativity the way a sewer collects wastes. Its energy is strangely fascinating and hypnotic; its methods are seductive, intimidating and ruthless. You will know these lower astral strategies by the following signs:"

It evokes desire and craving in you by seduction and temptation, and plays upon your weaknesses until you give in, like the drug addict is compelled to return again and again for another shot of heroin.
It turns people into obedient slaves by intimidation, blackmail, extortion and terror, like the way hostages will obey their captors for fear of being killed.
It uses cruelty and pain to extract what it wants to know from you, and it does not value your human life, nor honor the rules of morality and decency, fairness or dignity—it seeks to obtain its ends by any means—like the terrorist group in all-out war against its enemies, or the criminal who will kill others in order to steal their possessions.
It will strive for wealth through any illegal and criminal avenues, though it enslaves and destroys the both individuals those who buy its wares and their families and communities around them, like the drug dealer and the black market seller of automatic weapons.
It promises strength and solidarity against fear, but bans together to do evil, like the terrorist group or the criminal gang.
It promises you fame and immortality, but delivers degradation and misery to the multitudes, while feeding you megalomanic delusions of godhood. This has given us genocidal tyrants like Joseph Stalin, Adolph Hitler, Pol Pot, and Idi Amin, and cult leaders like the Reverend Jim Jones.
It promises magical powers, and control of powerful spiritual forces, but more often than not, the one who summons these powers ends up being possessed and tormented by them. For there are some doors that should not be opened—and the Lower Astral is littered with souls who have gone insane tampering with occult forces.

"It is your challenge to cross this dangerous straight, or be blocked in your upward climb by your own terror. For it is by understanding the mystery of the ego and its vulnerabilities that you will gain the key to traversing this realm, knowing that the lower astral predator preys on weakness, but flees in cowardice at the appearance of strength.""It is important to understand that acting on Lower Astral suggestions lead to ensnarement, addiction, and degradation of character. The intensity with which these visions will assail you, tempt you, and try to beat you into submission is very powerful indeed, but like Ulysses facing the Sirens or the Lord Buddha encountering the hosts of Mara's demons, you must resist them assiduously, with all your might and strength."

Question 2

The Subplanes of the Lower Astral

Accepted Answer

"There are 49 Subplanes to the Lower Astral. The following map of these Subplanes is given to you to help you identify the phenomena of these realms. Each Subplane corresponds to a nodal point on the Soul's Way, and to a Nadamic tone on the path of the spirit. Moreover, seven themes can be identified in these realms, which constitute the circles of mastery, understanding and ultimately, liberation."

Question 3

I. The Wiccan Circle of Solidarity and Healing

Accepted Answer

(1) The Earth elementals(2) The Water elementals(3) The Fire elementals(4) The Air elementals(5) The Aetheric elementals(6) The knowledge of healing herbs and spells for healing through suggestion(7) The healing circle (the Coven)

Question 4

II. The Magician's Ring of Power

Accepted Answer

(8) Clearing a space in which to do magical rites(9) The pentacle(10) The cup(11) The sword(12) The wand(13) The lemniscate - the word of the Magician(14) The orb - the inner eye of visualization of the Magician(15) The cloud and lightening bolt -The Seal and Power of the Magician

Question 5

III. The Hermit's Ring of Inner Strength

Accepted Answer

(16) The fearful images - The Conqueror(17) The mythic images - The Conjurer(18) The clearing in the woods - The Earthly Brotherhood, the Gathering of Pagans(19) The chemical ensnarement - use of drugs and alcohol(20) The sexual ensnarement - sexual indulgence and sexual addiction(21) The criminal ensnarement - injuring others to obtain money(22) The political power ensnarement - lying to and injuring others to obtain worldly power(23) Confronting the inner temptations and fears and vanquishing them (The Hermit)

Question 6

IV. The Occult Ring of Mastery

Accepted Answer

(24) The sacred circle of initiation(25) The rainbow doorway (the seven rays)(26) The first occult initiation (49°)(27) The second occult initiation (49°)(28) The third occult initiation (49°)(29) The fourth occult initiation (49°)(30) The fifth occult initiation (49°)(31) Occult Mastery (The Occult Adept within the Lodge of Occult Adepts - the Astral Brotherhood)

Question 7

V. The Wheels of Time and Death

Accepted Answer

(32) The Demonic Lord (Kal or Satan)(33) The Karmic Wheel of Time and Death (Yama or Death)(34) The Karmic Wheel of the Ages (the Atlantean Epoch)(35) The Magnetic Wheel of the Earth's gravitational field(36) The Magnetic Wheel of the Sun's gravitational field(37) The Magnetic Wheel of the Galaxy's gravitational field (the Zodiac)(38) The Magnetic Matrix of Matter within the Universe(39) The Lord of Time (Maha Kal or Time)

Question 8

VI. The Webs of Illusion

Accepted Answer

(40) The illusion of the senses (the constructed picture of the external world)(41) The illusion of expectation (the mistaken beliefs about the world and other people)(42) The illusion of rational proof (the limitations of deductive reasoning)(43) The illusion of immortality (the ego's mistaken belief it will live forever)(44) The illusion of memory (the failure of memory to construct an accurate account of the past)(45) The illusions of social contracts and promised rights (the failure of social systems to enforce their laws effectively and fairly and to guarantee citizens their promised rights)(46) The illusions of heroes and the famous (the moral failings of those we cast as heroes and celebrities)(47) The Lord of Illusion (Maha Maya)

Question 9

VII. The Threshold of Freedom

Accepted Answer

(48) The Altar of Sacrifice (the origin of the ego)(49) The Great Renunciation

Question 10

The Pagan World View

Accepted Answer

<blockquote>"There is much misunderstanding about the Pagan worldview, especially among the Christian churches, who excoriate the pagan religions of Wicca, Magick and Occultism. Christians regard followers of these pagan faiths that dwell upon the Lower Astral as evil, Satan worshipers, and vile sinners.""It is important to understand that those who sojourn here are using the knowledge and abilities given to them according to their level of spiritual evolution. They cannot do otherwise because they have not evolved to a state where they can transcend these hypnotic and magnetic currents of the Lower Astral. Satan is on their inner horizon, even as the Holy Trinity is on the inner horizon of the Christian. Pagans do not live in the Christian's cosmological universe: they inhabit another band of the Great Continuum of Consciousness where the rules are very different, and do their best to survive in a threatening and fearful world using the spiritual technologies available to them."

Question 11

Meditation for Building the Armor of Light

Accepted Answer

Relax your body completely, and imagine that you have entered a beautiful forest in the Springtime…"You will enter into a quiet, natural place. In your inner vision, as you look around you, you will see the gentle forces of nature. Feel the wind blowing through the trees, hear the sounds of water in the stream, smell the scents of the plants around you, feel the warmth of the sun on your skin. This is a place of beauty and safety. In this place you will build your armor of Light."Invoke: "I call upon [the Master(s) or Spiritual Teacher(s) of your preference] to protect me as I journey across this sea of darkness."Affirm: "I put on the whole armor of Light."Visualization: visualize an ovoid of white and golden light surrounding your physical and psychic body [2] that holds out all negative influences.Recognize: the Lower Astral is a Plane of great dangerAffirm: "I shall not yield to the temptation of…

lust	I maintain purity of heart and intention.
drugs	I keep my body pure.
crime	I earn my living honestly: I do not cause harm to others.
cruelty	I revere the life in each one: I do no harm.
revenge	I pursue justice, but I do so with compassion: I grant forgiveness, act with mercy and end the cycle of pain and tears.
hatred	I forgive and release those who have harmed me out of ignorance.
ignorance	I seek and live the Truth. I walk the Path of Light.
vainglory	I am the instrument of the Soul. I renounce my desire for recognition and fame so that I may serve selflessly and spread the Light to all.

Affirm: "I put on the whole armor of Light, and walk in the Light of Divine Protection.""After this initial exercise of building the armor of Light, you can summon it again when you begin your meditations by simply affirming, "I put on the whole armor of Light." Every few months, you may wish to renew your armor of Light by building it again with this meditation."If you cross the Subtle Realm in meditation, you will benefit from building your armor of light to protect your self from the influences of the Lower Astral Plane.

Question 12

Endnotes

Accepted Answer

(1) Material quoted is drawn from the Mudrashram® Correspondence Course © 1997 to 2006.(2) The psychic body is the attentional principle and attention, encased in the astral body. It is the focus of inner perception as you journey on the inner Planes. The objective of this meditation is to build a non-permeable membrane around this perceptual focus to prevent the terrifying experiences of "psychic attack" that befall those who attempt to cross the Lower Astral unprotected. The visualization is extended to include the physical body to prevent psychosomatic transmission through the medium of the astral body. The astral body is the medium for suggestion in deeper levels of autohypnosis.