New Worlds of Body, Mind & Spirit Since 1901
As many of you reading this know, there are basically two kinds of magicians. First there are the "Armchair Magicians." These are the people who study, read about, and theorize about magic but never actually practice it. The second type of magician is the "Practicing Magician." Such a person does some study, but tends to be more interested in doing magic than reading about it. Some practicing magicians dislike armchair magicians. Personally, I find that both types of magicians are important. The armchair magicians often discover concepts which have been ignored and can present them in positive ways so that practicing magicians can make use of them. But more importantly, because there are ...
You are more than a physical body with a marvelous physical brain! Some people believe that's all there is—just a physical body—while many more believe, at the least, in something they call a "soul." Some think of the soul as a kind of balloon-like attachment to the physical body, while others think of the body as a kind of "vehicle" for the soul. Neither mainstream religion nor physical sciences offer any really satisfactory answers. Religion may speak of the soul as a "matter of faith," but after the physical body dies some say the soul is judged and sent to heaven or hell, forever. Science says of the soul: if you can't see it, weigh it, or measure it, then it doesn't ...
Let's start with some definitions. As Samuel Johnson famously said four hundred years ago, "Define your terms, Gentlemen, Define your terms!" This is an admonition also credited to Voltaire, "If you wish to converse with me, define your terms." (The obvious point being that unless we know what we're talking about, we could just irritate one another, waste everyone's time, or think we are in agreement or disagreement when the opposite may really be the case). The problems are often the greatest when familiar words are used in a varying context even within an established subject area of our own particular interest or expertise. The title of this article contains the words "Astral ...
Evolution is a continuing process of purposeful change. Human Evolution is not limited to, or even primarily focused on, changes in the physical body. The "body"—any body—is a vehicle for consciousness. It is as a "sphere of consciousness" (an alternative term, perhaps, for "self" or "soul") using its several vehicles as a means to gain experience within a manifest environment that purposeful human evolution can be initiated at the personal level. With focus on conscious observation and experience of our personal world, we grow in personal awareness of its substance and corresponding energies, and then, gaining knowledge through their direct application we attain ...
