Magick in Theory and Practice (Section 2)

To sum up, the first task is to separate the astral form from the physical body, the second to develop the powers of the astral body, in particular those o£ sight, travel, and interprétation 3 third, to unify the two boclies without muddling them. This being accomplished, the magician is htted to deai with the invisible. Il It is now useful to continue with considérations of other planes, which hâve commonly been classed under the Astral. There is some reason for this, as the délimitations are somewhat vague. Just as the vegetable kingdom merges into the animal, and as the material plane has beings which encroach upon the boundaries of the astral, so do we hnd it in the higher planes. The mental images which appear during méditation are subjec¬ tive, and pertain not at ail to the astral plane. Only verv rarely do astral images occur during méditation. It is a bad break in the circle, as a rule, when they do. There is also a Magical Plane. This touches the material, and even includes a portion of it. It includes the Astral, chiefly a fuli- blooded type of the Astral. It reaches to and includes most, if not ail, of the spiritual planes. The Magical plane is thus the most comprehensive of ail. Egyptian Gods are typical inhabitants of this plane, and it is the home of every Adept. The spiritual planes are of several types, but are ail distinguished by a reality and intensitv to be found nowhere else. Their inhabitants are formless, free of space and time, and distinguished by incomparable brilliance. There are also a number of sub-planes, as, for example, the Alchemical. This plane wiil often appear in the practice of uRising on the Planes” ; its images are usually those of gardens curiously kept, mountains furnished with peculiar symbols, hiero- glyphic animais, or such figures as that of the aHermetic Arcanum”, and pictures like the “Goldseekers” and the ‘Mas¬ sacre of the Innocents” of Basil Valentine. There is a unique quality about the alchemical Plane which renders its images imme- diately recognisable. 150