Astral Magic has been described and mis-described in so many ways in New Age books and articles that it can be difficult to pick out what it truly means, and what ramifications it and its realms have on the magical world at large.
the simplest definition of Astral Magic is simply magic originating from the universal imagination, from the place of dreams. Most folk in the field refer to it as the Astral Plane. It could just as easily be called the Dreamtime, the universal subconscious, or the realms of the mind.
But if the definition is so simple, couldn't all magic be called Astral Magic? Well, yes and no. Astral magic, as I will refer to it during this article, is magic that derives or works with purely the realms I have described above. The minute you begin to draw upon other sources of energy, such as necromantic or elemental energy, you are dealing with a construct of mixed origin, which, though still benefiting from the discipline of astral magic being applied to it, is no longer solely of that origin.
I will address astral magic specifically in this article, and attempt to address its use and application, and what its existence comes from and implies.
Questions welcome.
NEXT WEEK-Part 2, The Plane, Traveling Within It, and Its Inhabitants
ASTRAL MAGIC-Part 2: The Plane, Travelling Within It, And its Inhabitants
As I have stated in the previous chapter, Astral Magic originated from a realm of dreams that most in the field refer to as the Astral Plane. As this term is easilly understood by practitioners (And I happen to like how it sounds), I'll continue using it for this article.
The Astral plane is a place where virtually all of human experience is stored in an alternate form. Symbols, mythologies, and beings of all sorts reside here. It also contains a thoughtform equivalent to virtually everything you see here in this world, usually in parallel. It contains layers within layers, planes within planes, and its only limit is the imagination.
TRAVELLING TO AND WITHIN THE PLANE
Generally speaking, you do this already. Often, when you dream, you go to or at least draw from some aspect of the astral plane. This doesn't mean you go there everytime you enter REM sleep, but it does happen quite often.
The difficulty tends to arise when you attempt to travel there consciously. I mean, first of all, how do you even do it? Is there a gate or a key or some little incantation I can chant to do it? Not really. Because of the astral plane's multiform and subjective nature, most conventions don't really serve to travel there.
So, then, there is no choice but to somehow recreate the dream state, but at the same time maintain conscious control. There are a few ways to do this:
DRUGS: While its certainly not my favorite method, drugs such as LSD have the ability to conveniently bring on the state. The trouble is that the realms generally can't be manipulated very well by an addled mind, and that if done too often a drug resistance can be developed, which can lead to other complications. Even beyond that, you have the usual side-effects to deal with. I would only recommend these if you're interested in a little sight-seeing.
LUCID DREAMING: This is also fairly convenient. Lucid dreaming simply means that you suddenly become aware of the dream while you're dreaming. This will give you limited control over your astral experience. To bring on this state, I recommend keeping a dream journal and writing what dreams you remember into it. Eventually, your waking mind should become aware enough of your dreams to give you limited control of them. This, in of itself, can give you a little magical power, and may be all you need. It is, at the very least, a useful exercise.
TRANCE: This would be the classical form of astral travel. This is undoubtedly the most difficult, as on one's own, it takes a great deal of trial and error to achieve. However, it can also be the most rewarding.
The means to do this is a form of meditation. You should lie down, and relax to the point where your body falls asleep. Try to keep your conscious self awake while this happens. You won't be able to recreate the state at first, as you'll probably actually fall asleep with your body. Don't be too disheartened by this. You'll get it eventually.
Once you forget your body but find yourself still conscious, you may find that even though your eyes are closed, you can see the room, though it might look a little...different. this would be the astral version of the room. Consider standing up. (No, not with your body. No need to wake it up) If you find yourself looking at your disembodied spirit, congratulations! You're now capable of astral travel.
But you're not on the astral plane proper yet. You're still in the material world, though you're looking at its astral equivalent. If you want to go to the astral plane, you will need to imagine a place within it, and teleport to it. (This can be done by ''closing'' your eyes) You can also continue to move within the material world, in which case you need only imagine somewhere physical.
The trick with going to the astral plane is that you need to have a place in it that you already know. The first time I went there, I had a friend who gave me a visual prompt. I'm sure you can find something similar. Once you're there, you can explore the plane, though I will give you one last thing to note.
Don't bring your nervousness with you. It's astral equivalent becomes downright scary and its a little tricky to deal with. Just be, if not cheerful, then relaxed and calm.
Oh, and if you want to head back, just imagine your body.
INHABITANTS
The astral plane is very subjective, and you've arrived in a full trance state you'll find yourself able to use quite impressive magic you wouldn't be able to normally (It also seems to have an effect on things in the material plane, as a friend of mine once demonstrated).
Because of its subjective nature, there are plenty of non-human beings on the plane manipulating it.
Now calm down. I don't think the local dragon would appreciate you asking it for an autograph, and angels show up once every uh..NEVER, and even though the fairies have great parties and may even welcome you on special occasions, you should NEVER attempt to eat their food.
However, you may run into something interesting. If you're very polite, and demonstrate a certain air, you might make yourself a new contact. Astral contacts are really very useful to be able to talk to, and they might help you with whatever magical spells your working on. Various creatures and other practitioners may help you out on your quest to do...well, whatever it is you're doing. Also, they don't mind if you don't show up for a few months, since obviously, if they really want to, they can just get in touch when you're asleep.
You'll also find plenty of dreamers that are relatively unaware of their surroundings. I wouldn't bother them. They usually don't have much to say and they definately have lives of their own.
Additionally, you'll find all manner of bizarre little locations, like temples and towers and towns and little islands and maybe even a few really good libraries. Be careful, and be sure to explore. There's lots to see.
