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Kabbalah: Twilight of Consciousness The Astral– Peak Behind the Curtain"Twilight of Consciousness," by publisher and author Robert E. Zucker, examines the dream state and how to achieve astral projection using simple, easy to follow, techniques. Purchase a print edition on Amazon.com
In the occult, or para-psychological realm, this “place” is known as the Astral Plane or Astral World. Astral projection (also called lucid dreaming, dream consciousness, or dream awareness) gives the unaware dreamer the ability to become aware while the dream is unfolding. When the dreamer is not aware of being in a dream, it is only a dream. As the dreamer becomes aware or alert during the progress of the dream, the environment takes on a surreal experience. However, most of us only dream about this place. The Maimonides Dream Laboratory in New York has extensively studied the parapsychology of the dream state for decades. Experiments in dream consciousness receive wide attention and consideration. Researchers around the world support the theory that dream conscious experiences are similar to reported Astral Projection experiences. The Astral is created from the depths of your personal imagination, appears from the far reaches of the universal mind, and engulfs your consciousness every evening. You just aren’t aware of it. In an 1895 account of an investigation about dream-consciousness, Theosophist C.W. Leadbeater provided first-hand descriptions of the Astral. The results of his study enabled him to “use the Astral light” and retain full consciousness while asleep. In his popular book of the time, “The Astral Plane,” he describes the scenery, inhabitants and phenomena one encounters during an Astral journey in this “unseen world.” Most of us, says Leadbeater, are awake on the Astral Plane during sleep, yet we are only vaguely aware of our surroundings. The first actual realization that we are in the midst of another plane of existence is enough to spark that lucidity needed to initiate an Astral Projection experience. Exploring this alternate universe while being alert to your surroundings can be like wandering the streets of an unfamiliar city. Without a road map, the experience can become overwhelming. At a fundamental level, this Astral environment starts out looking not much different from your ordinary dream surroundings. The familiar faces of friends or relatives may be set among familiar or semi-familiar scenes– home, work, shopping, school, and so on. Or, the Astral dreamer might be surrounded by strangers in an unfamiliar setting– an unknown city or in the mountains, for example. In medieval literature, the inhabitants of this Astral World were known as Nature Spirits. They were divided into four classes, each relating to one of the four elements. Earth spirits were often called Gnomes. Water spirits were known as Undines or Nymphs. Air spirits were called Sylphs, and fire spirits were often spoken as Salamanders. In the early 20th Century, Theosophist A.E. Powell wrote a series of books on the Astral World and its relationship to the various “planes of consciousness.” The dream state that we are most familiar with– those choppy scenes of memories and wild adventures– is only one of several planes. The more one becomes aware, and can control, the dream environment, then other “Planes” or levels of consciousness appear. Religious ecstatic experiences, visions of God and prophecies seem to be revealed during awareness of these other “supernatural” planes. One of the ways to bridge the conscious, waking mind with the unconscious, dreaming mind is through the use of symbols– visual aids to evoke specific responses. Focusing on a specific object, or symbol, in the dream enables the dreamer to “grasp” an item in the dream world and use it to spark lucid dreaming. Return to "Twilight of Consciousness" Index
Kabbalah ManuscriptsRobert E. Zucker has also published a book on the legends, history, and techniques of the Kabbalah called "Kabbalah's Secret Circles." The book includes instructions to create a Kabbalah Wheel to spin the 231 Holy Gates.
Purchase "Kabbalah's Secret Circles" by PayPal/Credit Card and get personalized autographed copy from the author. Now Available on Amazon.com and internationally
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It
is not unusual for someone to suddenly find themselves projected into a
supernatural world seemingly wide awake, but still physically asleep.
