Astolpho
A hero of Italian romance. He was the son of
Otho, King of England. He was transformed into a myrtle by Alcina, a sorceress, but later regained his human form through Melissa. He took part in many adventures, and cured Orlando of his madness. Astolpho is the allegorical representation of a true man lost through sensuality. Astral Body is in Theosophy that body which functions in the Astral World. Like the rest of man's five bodies, it is composed of matter, relatively, however, much finer than that which composes the ordinary physical body. It is the instrument of passions, emotions, and desires, and, since it interpenetrates and extends beyond the physical body, it is the medium through which these are conveyed to the latter. When it separates from the denser bodyas it does during sleep, or by the influence of drugs, or as the result of accidents-it takes with it the capacity for feeling, and only with its return can pain or any other such phenomena be felt. During these periods of separation the astral body is; an exact replica of the physical, and as it is extremely sensitive to thought, the apparitions of dead and dying-of which so much is heard in the new science of the Borderland-resemble even to the smallest details the physical bodies which they have lately left. The Astral World is, of course, easily attainable to clairvoyants of even moderate powers, and the appropriate body is therefore clearly visible. In accordance with theosophic teaching on the subject of thought, the latter is not the abstraction it is commonly considered to be, but built up of definite forms the shape of which depends on the quality of the thought, and it also causes definite vibrations, which are seen as colours. Hence, clairvoyants are able to tell the state of a mans development from the appearance of his astral body. A nebulous appearance betokens imperfect development, while an ovoid appearance betokens a more perfect development. As the colours are indicative of the kind of thought, the variety of these in the astral body indicates the possessor's character. Astral World Inferior thoughts beget loud colours, so that rage, for instance, will be recognised by the red appearance of the astral body, and on the contrary, higher thoughts will be recognisable by the presence of delicate colours, religious thought for instance, causing a blue colour. This teaching holds true for the bodies higher than the astral, but, the coloration of the astral body is much more familiar to dwellers in the physical world than is the coloration of the higher bodies, with the feelings of which they are relatively unacquainted. There is a definite theory underlying the emotional and other functions of the astral body. The matter of which the latter is composed is not, of course, alive with an intelligent life, but it nevertheless possesses a kind of life sufficient to convey an understanding of its own existence and wants. The stage of evolution of this life is that of descent, the turning point not having yet, so far as it is concerned, been reached. He who possesses the body has, on the other hand, commenced to ascend, and there is, therefore, a continual opposition of forces between him and his astral body. Hence, his astral body accentuates in him such of grosser, retrograde thoughts as he may nourish since the direction of these thoughts coincides with its own direction. If, however, he resists the opposition of his astral body, the craving of the latter gradually becomes weaker and weaker till at last it disappears altogether. And the constitution of the astral body is thereby altered, gross thoughts demanding for their medium gross astral matter, pure thoughts demanding fine astral matter. During physical life the various kinds of matter in the astral body are intermingled, but at physical death the elementary life in the matter of the astral body seeks instinctively after self-preservation, and it therefore causes the matter to rearrange itself in a series of seven concentric sheaths, the densest being outside and the finest inside. Physical vision depends on the eyes, but astral vision depends on the various kinds of astral matter being in a condition of receptiveness to different undulations. To be aware of fine matter, fine matter in the astral body is necessary, and so with the other kinds. Hence, when the rearrangement takes place, vision only of the grossest kinds of matter is possible since only that kind is represented in the thick outer sheath of the astral body. Under these circumstances, the new denizen of the astral sphere sees only the worst of it, and also only the worst of his fellow denizens, even though they are not in so low a state as himself. This state is not, of course eternal, and in accordance with the evolutionary process, the gross sheath of astral matter wears slowly away, and the man remains clothed with the six less gross sheaths. These also, with the passage of time, wear away, being resolved into their compound elements, and at last when the final disintegration of the least gross sheath of all takes place, the individual leaves the Astral World and passes into the Mental. This rearrangement of the astral body is not, however, inevitable, and those who have learned and know, are able at physical death to prevent it. In such cases the change appears a very small one, and the so-called dead continue to live their lives and do their work much as they did in the physical body. (See Astral World, Avichi Theosophy.) Astral World. (Plane or Sphere) : Kama World is, in Theosophy, the second lowest of the seven worlds, the world of emotions, desires, and passions. Into it man passes at physical death, and there he functions for periods which vary with the state of his development, the primitive savage spending a relatively short time in the Astral World, the civilised man spending relatively longer. The appropriate body is the astral (q.v.), which though composed of matter as is the physical body, is nevertheless of a texture vastly finer than the latter. Though it is in its aspect of the after-death abode that this world is of most importance and most interest, it may be said in passing, that even during physical life, man-not only clairvoyants who attain it easily, but also ordinary men-may and do temporarily inhabit it. This happens during sleep, or by reason of the action of anæsthetics or drugs, or accidents, and the interpenetrating astral body then leaves its denser physical neighbour, and taking with it the sense of pleasure and pain, lives for a short time in its own world. Here again the state of the savage differs from that of his more advanced fellows, for the former does not travel far from his immediate surroundings, while the latter may perform useful, helpful work for the benefit of humanity. Further, it may in passing be noted that disembodied mankind are not the only inhabitants of the Astral World, for very many of its inhabitants are of an altogether non-human naturelower orders of the devas or angels, and nature-spirits or elementals, both good and bad, such including fairies which are just beyond the powers of human vision, and the demons present to the vision of delirium tremens. It will however be sufficient now to turn attention to the Astral World as the state immediately following physical death and containing both heaven and hell as these are popularly conceived.
There are seven divisions which correspond to the seven divisions of matter, the solid, liquid, gaseous, etheric, super-etheric, subatomic and atomic, and, as mentioned in the article on the Astral Body, this plays a most important part in the immediate destiny of man in it. If through ignorance, he has permitted the rearrangement of the matter of his astral body into sheaths, he is cognisant only of part of his surroundings at a time, and it is not till after experience, much of which may be extremely painful, that he is able to enjoy the bliss which the higher divisions of the Astral World contain. The lowest of these divisions, the seventh, is the environment of those of gross and unrestrained passions, since it and most of the matter of their astral bodies is of the same type, and it constitutes a very hell, and the only hell which exists. This is Avichi, the place of desires which cannot be satisfied because of the absence of the physical body, which was the means of their satisfaction. The tortures of these desires are the analogue of the torments of hell-fire in the older Christian orthodoxy. Unlike that orthodoxy, however, theosophy teaches that the state of torment is not eternal, but passes away in time when the desires through long gnawing without fulfilment, have died at last, and it is therefore more correct to look on Avichi as a purgatorial state. The ordinary man, however, does not experience this seventh division of the Astral World, but according to his character finds himself in one or other of the three next higher divisions. The sixth division is very little different from his physical existence, and he continues in his old surroundings among his old friends, who are, of course, unaware of his presence, and indeed, often does not realise that he is dead so far as the physical world is concerned. The fifth and fourth divisions are in most respects quite similar to this, but their inhabitants become less and less immersed in the activities and interests which have hitherto engrossed them, and each sheath of their astral bodies decays in turn as did the gross outer sheath of the sensualist's body. The three higher divisions are still more removed from the ordinary material world, and their inhabitants enjoy a state of bliss of which we can have no conception; worries and cares of earth are altogether absent, the insistence of lower desires has worn out in the lower divisions, and it is now possible to live continually in an environment of the loftiest thoughts and aspirations. The third division is said to correspond to the spiritualistic "summerland," where the inhabitants live in a world of their own creation-of the creation of their thoughts. Astrology Its cities and all their contents, scenery of life, are all formed by the influence of thought. The second division is what is properly looked on as heaven, and the inhabitants of different races, creeds, and beliefs, find it each according to his belief. Hence, instead of its being the place taught of by any particular religion, it is the region where each and every religion' finds its own ideal. Christians, Mohammedans, Hindus, and so on, find it to be just as they conceived it would be. Here, and in the first and highest division, the inhabitants pursue noble aims freed from what of selfishness was mingled with these aims on earth. The literary man, his thoughts of fame; the artist, the scholar, the preacher, all work without incentive of personal interest, and where their work is pursued long enough, and they are fitted for the change, they leave the Astral World and enter one vastly higher-the Mental. It was, however, mentioned that the rearrangement of the matter of the astral body at physical death, was the result of ignorance, and those who are sufficiently instructed do not permit this rearrangement to take. They are not, therefore, confined to any one division, and have not to progress from division to division, but are able to move through any part of the Astral World, labouring always in their various lines of action to assist the great evolutionary scheme. (See Astral Body,
Worlds, Planes or Spheres, Theosophy, Avichi, Summerland.)