posted May 31, 2009 12:19 AM
Chapter XXVIIIInvisible Helpers
The Astral Body
by A.E. Powell
The student of the preceding pages will by now have perceived that the instances of “intervention” in human affairs by invisible agents, which occur from time to time, and which are, of course, quite inexplicable from the materialistic standpoint, may readily be explained, rationally and simply, by one who understands something of the astral plane and its possibilities.
In the East the existence of “invisible helpers” has always been recognized; even in Europe we have had the old Greek stories of the interference of gods in human affairs, and the Roman legend that Caster and Pollux led the legions of the infant republic in the Battle of Lake Regillus. In mediaeval times there were many stories of saints who appeared at critical moments and turned the fortune of war in favor of the Christian hosts-such as that of St. James having led the Spanish troops-and of guardian angels who sometimes saved a traveler from serious danger or even death.
Help may be given to men by several of the classes of inhabitants of the astral plane. It may come from nature-spirits, from devas, from those who are physically dead, or from those who, whilst still alive physically, are able to function freely on the astral plane.
The cases in which help is given to men by nature-spirits are few. Nature-spirits (see chapter XX) mostly shun the haunts of man, disliking his emanations, his bustle and his unrest. Also, expecting some of their higher orders, they are generally inconsequent and thoughtless, more like happy children at play then like grave and responsible entities. As a rule they cannot be relied upon for anything like steady co-operation in this class of work, though occasionally one of them will become attached to a human being and do him many a good turn.
The work of the Adept, or Master, lies chiefly upon the arupa levels of the mental plane, where He may influence the true individualities of men, and not the mere personality, which is all that can be reached in the astral world. It is seldom, therefore, that He finds it necessary or desirable to work on a plane so low as the astral.
The same consideration applies to devas, those of this class of entity, who sometimes respond to man’s higher yearnings or appeals, working on the mental plane rather than on the astral or physical, and more frequently in the periods between incarnations than during physical existence.
Help is sometimes given by those who have recently died physically and who remain still in close touch with earthly affairs. The student will readily perceive, however, that the amount of such help must in the nature of things be exceedingly limited, because the more unselfish and helpful a person is, the less likely is he to be found after death lingering in full consciousness on the lower levels of the astral plane, from which the earth is most readily accessible.
Furthermore, in order that a dead person may be able to influence one still living physically, either the latter must be unusually sensitive, or the would-be helper must possess a certain amount of knowledge and skill. These conditions are of course fulfilled only very rarely.
It follows, then, that at present the work of helping on the astral and lower mental planes is chiefly in the hands of the pupils of the Master, and any others who are sufficiently evolved to function consciously upon these two planes.
Varied as is this class of work on the astral plane, it is all, of course, directed to the one great end of furthering evolution. Occasionally it is connected with the development of the lower kingdoms, elemental as well as vegetable and animal, which it is possible to accelerate under certain conditions. It is, in fact, in some cases only through connection with or use by man that the progress of these lower kingdoms takes place. Thus, for example, an animal can individualize only through certain classes of animals which have been domesticated by man.
By far the largest and most important part of the work is connected with humanity in some way or other, chiefly with his spiritual development, though very rarely even purely physical assistance may be given.
In his classic book on the subject, Invisible Helpers, by Bishop C.W. Leadbeater, a number of typical examples of physical intervention are given. Sometimes an invisible helper, with his wider vision, is able to perceive a danger which is threatening someone, and to impress the idea upon the person threatened, or upon a friend who will go to his assistance. In this way, shipwrecks have sometimes been prevented. At other times the helper may materialize himself, or be materialized by a more experienced helper, sufficiently to lead someone out of danger, e.g., to take a child out of a burning building, to save someone from falling over a precipice, to bring home children who have lost their way, and so on. One instance is given where a helper, finding a boy who had fallen over a cliff and cut an artery, was materialized in order that he might tie a bandage and so stop the bleeding, which otherwise would have proved fatal, another helper meanwhile impressing the idea of danger upon the boy’s mother and leading her to the spot.
It may be asked how it is that an astral entity becomes aware of a physical cry, or an accident. The answer is that any cry which has in it a strong feeling or emotion would produce an effect upon the astral plane, and would convey exactly the same idea there as on the physical plane. In the case of an accident the rush of emotion caused by pain or fright would flame out like a great light, and could not fail to attract the attention of an astral entity if he were anywhere near.
In order to bring about the necessary materialization of an astral body, so that a means of performing purely physical acts may be obtained, a knowledge of the method of doing this is clearly essential.
There are three well-defined varieties of materialization: (I) that which is tangible, though not visible to ordinary physical sight; at “direct voice.” An order of matter is used which can neither reflect nor obstruct light, but which under certain conditions can be used to produce sound. A variety of this class is one which is able to affect some of the ultra-violet rays, thus enabling “spirit-photographs” to be taken. (2) That which is visible, but not tangible. (3) The perfect materialization, which is both visible and tangible. Many spiritualists are familiar with all these three types.
Such materializations as we are here considering, are brought about by an effort of will. This effort, directed towards changing matter from its natural state into another, is temporarily opposing the cosmic will, as it were. The effort must be maintained the whole time, for if the mind be taken off it for one half-second, the matter flies back to its original condition like a flash of lightening.
At spiritualistic séances, a full materialization is usually brought about by utilizing matter from the etheric and the physical bodies of the medium, and also from those of the sitters. In such cases, it is clear that the very closest connection is thus set up between the medium and the materialized body. The significance of this we shall consider in a moment.
In the case of a trained helper, who finds it necessary to produce a temporary materialization, quite another method is employed. No pupil of a master would ever be permitted to put such a strain on anyone else’s body as would occur were matter from that body to be used for the materialization: no, indeed, would such a plan be necessary. A far less dangerous method is to condense from the circumambient ether, or even from the physical air, such amount of matter as may be required. This feat, though no doubt beyond the power of the average entity manifesting at a séance, presents no difficulty to a student of occult chemistry.
In a case of this kind, whilst we have an exact reproduction of the physical body, it is created by a mental effort, out of matter entirely foreign to that body. Consequently, the phenomenon known as repercussion could not possibly take place, as it could happen where a form is materialized with matter drawn from a medium’s body.
Repercussion occurs where an injury inflicted upon a materialization form is reproduced, with faithful accuracy, upon the corresponding part of the medium’s body. Or it may occur, as is very common at spiritual séances, where chalk is rubbed, say, on a materialized hand; after the materialized hand has vanished, the chalk is found upon the hand of the medium.
An injury to a form materialized by a helper from the ether or air could no more affect the helper’s physical body by repercussion than a man could be affected by an injury to a marble statue of himself.
But if on the astral plane one is unwise enough to think that a danger which belongs to the physical, e.g., a falling object, can injure one, an injury to the physical body through repercussion is possible.
The subject of repercussion is abstruse and difficult, and as yet by no means fully understood. In order to understand it perfectly, it would probably be necessary to comprehend the laws of sympathetic vibration on more planes than one.
There is no doubt whatever as to the stupendous power of will over matter of all planes, so that if only the power be strong enough, practically any result may be produced by its direct action, without any knowledge or even thought on the part of the man exercising the will as to [i[how[/i] it is to do its work.
There is no limit to the degree to which will may be developed.
This power holds good in the case of materialization, although ordinarily it is an art which must be learnt just like any other. An average man on the astral plane would no more be able to materialize himself without having previously learnt how to do it, than an average man on this plane would be able to play the violin without having previously learnt to do so.
There are, however, exceptional cases where intense sympathy and firm deliberation enable a person to effect a temporary materialization even though he does not consciously know how to do it.
It is worth noting that these rare cases of physical intervention by an astral helper are often made possible by the existence of a karmic tie between the helper and the one to be helped. In this way, old services are acknowledged and a kindness rendered in one life is repaid in a future life, even by such unusual methods as those described.
Or, in great catastrophes, where many people are killed, it is sometimes permitted for one or two persons to be “miraculously” saved, because it so happens that it is not their “karma” to die just then, i.e., they owe to the Divine law no debt that can be paid in that particular fashion.
Very occasionally, physical assistance is given to human beings even by a Master.
Bishop Leadbeater describes a case which happened to himself. Walking along a road, he suddenly heard in his ear the voice of his Indian teacher, who at the time was physically 7,000 miles away, cry “Spring back!” He started violently back just as a heavy metal chimney pot crashed upon the pavement less than a yard in front of his face.
Another remarkable case is recorded where a lady, who found herself in serious physical peril in the middle of a dangerous street fracas, was suddenly whirled out of the crowd and placed quite uninjured in an adjoining and empty by-street. Her body must have been lifted right over the intervening houses, and set down in the next street, a veil, probably of etheric matter, being thrown round her whilst in transit so that she should not be visible as she passed through the air.
From a perusal of the chapters on After-Death Life, it will be evident that there is ample scope for the work of invisible helpers among people who have died. Most of these being in a condition of complete ignorance regarding life after death, and many, in western countries at least, being also terrified at the prospect of “hell”, and “eternal damnation,” there is much to be done in enlightening people as to their true state and the nature of the astral world in which they find themselves.
The main work done by the invisible helper is that of soothing and comforting the newly dead, of delivering them, where possible, from the terrible though unnecessary fear which but too often seizes them, and not only causes them much suffering, but retards their progress to higher spheres, and of enabling them, so far as may be, to comprehend the future that lies before them.
It is stated that this work was in earlier periods attended to exclusively by a high class of non-human entities; but for some time past those human beings who are able to function consciously upon the astral plane have been privileged to render assistance in this labor of love.
In cases where the rearrangement by the desire-elemental of the astral body has taken place, an astral helper may break up that arrangement and restore the astral body to its previous condition, so that the dead man can perceive the whole of the astral plane instead of only one sub-plane of it.
Others who have been longer on the astral plane may also receive help from explanations and advice as to their course through its different stages. Thus they may be warned of the danger and delay caused by attempting to communicate with the living through a medium, and sometimes, though rarely, an entity already drawn into a spiritualistic circle may be guided into higher and healthier life. The memory of such teaching cannot, of course, be directly carried over to the next incarnation, but there always remains the real inner knowledge, and therefore the strong predisposition to accept it immediately when heard again in the new life.
Some of the newly-dead see themselves on the astral plane as they really are, and are therefore filled with remorse. Here the helper is able to explain that the past is past, that the only repentance worth while is the resolve to do better in future, that each man must take himself as he is and steadily work to improve himself and lead a truer life in the future.
Others, again, are troubled by their desire to make reparation for some injury they did whilst on earth, to ease their conscience by disclosing a discreditable secret they have jealously guarded, to reveal the hiding place of important papers or money, and so forth. In some cases it is possible for the helper to intervene in some way on the physical plane and so satisfy the dead man; but in most cases the best he can do is to explain that it is now too late to make reparation and therefore useless to grieve over the trouble, and to persuade the man to abandon his thoughts of earth which hold him down in close touch with earth-life, and to make the best of his new life.
An immense amount of work is also done for the living by putting good thoughts into the minds of those who are ready to receive them.
It would be perfectly easy-easy to a degree quite incredible to those who do not understand the subject practically-for a helper to dominate the mind of an average man and make him think just as the helper pleased, without arousing any suspicion of outside influence in the mind of the subject. Such a proceeding, however, would be entirely inadmissible. All that may be done is to throw the good thought into the person’s mind among the thousands that are constantly surging through it, and hope that the person will take it up, make it his own, and act upon it.
Very varied assistance can be given in this manner.
Consolation is often given to those in sorrow or sickness; reconciliations are attempted between those who have been separated by conflict of opinions or interests; earnest truth-seekers are guided towards the truth; it is often possible to put the solution of some spiritual or metaphysical problem into the mind of one who is spending anxious thought upon it. Lecturers may be helped by suggestions or illustrations either materialized in subtler matter before the speaker or impressed upon his brain.
A regular invisible helper soon acquires a number of “patients,” whom he visits every night, just as a doctor upon earth makes regular round among his patients. Each worker thus usually becomes the centre of a small group, the leader of a band of helpers for whom he is always able to find constant employment. Work can be found in the astral world for any number of workers, and everyone who wishes-man, woman or child-may be one of them.
A pupil may often be employed as an agent in what practically amounts to the answering of prayer. Although it is true that any earnest spiritual desire, such as may be expressed in prayer, is a force which automatically brings about certain results, it is also a fact that such spiritual effort offers an opportunity of influence to the Powers of Good. A willing helper may thus be made the channel through which energy is poured forth. This is true of meditation to an even greater extent.
In some cases such a helper is taken to be the saint, etc., to whom the petitioner prayed, and there are many stories to illustrate this.
Pupils who are fitted for the work are also employed to suggest true and beautiful thoughts to authors, poets, artists and musicians.
Sometimes, though more rarely, it is possible to warn people of the danger to their moral development of some course that they are pursuing, to clear away evil influence from about some person or place, or to counteract the machinations of black magicians.
There is so much work for invisible helpers on the astral plane that it is clearly emphatically the duty of the student to fit himself by every means in his power to assist in its performance. The work of the invisible helpers would not be done unless there were pupils at the stage where it is the best work that they can do. As soon as they pass beyond that stage and can do higher work, the higher work will certainly be given to them.
It should be borne in mind that when power and training are given to a helper, they are given to him under restrictions. He must never use them selfishly, never display them to gratify curiosity, never employ them to pry into the business of others, never give what at spiritualistic séances are called tests, i.e., he must not never do anything which can be proved as a phenomenon on the physical plane. He might take a message to a dead man, but not, unless under direct instructions from his Master, bring back a reply from the dead to the living. Thus the band of invisible helpers is neither a detective office nor an astral information bureau, but is intended simply and quietly to do such work as is given to it to do or as comes in its way.
As an occult student progresses, instead of assisting individuals only, he learns to deal with classes, nations, and races. As he acquires the requisite powers and knowledge, he begins to wield the greater forces of the akasha and the astral light, and is shown how to make the utmost possible use of each favorable cyclic influence. He is brought into relationship with the great Nirmanakayas, and becomes one of their almoners, learning how to dispense the forces which are the fruit of their sublime self-sacrifice.
There is no mystery as to the qualifications needed by one who aspires to be a helper: to some extent these have already been incidentally described, but it may be useful also to set them out fully and categorically.
(I) Single-mindedness, sometimes called one-pointedness; the would-be helper must make the work of helping others his first and highest duty: the work which the Master would have him do must be the one great interest of his life.
Furthermore, intelligent discrimination is needed not only between useful and useless work, but also between the different kinds of useful work. Economy of effort is a prime law of occultism, and every student should devote himself to the very highest work of which he is capable. It is also essential that the student should on the physical plane do the utmost that lies in his power to further the same great ends of helping his fellows.
(2) Self-control.-This comprises complete control of temper, so that nothing seen or heard can cause real irritation, for the consequences of such irritation would be far more serious on the astral than on the physical plane. If a man with fully awakened faculty on the astral plane were to feel anger against a person on that plane, he would do him serious and perhaps fatal injury. Any manifestation of irritability, excitement or impatience in the astral world would at once make a helper a fearsome object, so that those whom he wished to help would fly from him in terror.
A case is recorded where an invisible helper keyed herself up to such a state of excitement that her astral body greatly increased in size, vibrating violently and flashing forth fiery colours. The newly-dead person she was hoping to help was horrified to see the huge, flaming, flashing sphere rushing at him, took it for the theological devil in prod persona, and fled in terror, his terror being increased by the would-be helper persistently following him.
In addition, control of nerve is essential, so that none of the fantastic or terrible sights that may be encountered may be able to shake the student’s dauntless courage. As previously stated, it is to make sure of this control of nerve, and to fit him for the work that has to be done, that candidates are always made, now as in days of old, to pass what are called the tests of earth, water, air and fire.
The student has to realize that in the astral body the densest rock offers no impediment to his freedom of movement, that he may leap with impunity from the highest cliffs, and plunge with absolute confidence into the heart of a raging volcano or the deepest abyss of the fathomless ocean. These things have to be sufficiently realized for the student to act upon them instinctively and confidently.
Further, control of mind and desire are needed: of mind, because without the power of concentration it would be impossible to do good work amid all the distracting currents of the astral plane; of desire, because in the astral world to desire is very often to have, and, unless desire were controlled, the student might find himself faced with creations of his own of which he should be heartily ashamed.
(3) Calmness.-This means the absence of worry and depression. Much of the work consisting of soothing those who are disturbed and cheering those in sorrow, it is clear that a helper could not do such work if his own aura were vibrating with continual fuss and worry, or grey with the gloom of depression. Nothing is more fatal to occult progress or usefulness than worrying over trifles. The optimistic view of everything is always nearest to the divine view, and therefore to the truth, because only the good and beautiful can be permanent, while evil by its very nature is temporary; unruffled calm leads to a serenity which is joyous, making depression impossible.
As stated previously, depression is exceedingly contagious, and must be entirely eliminated by one who aims at becoming an invisible helper. Such an one would be characterized by his absolute serenity under all possible difficulties, and by his radiant joy in helping others
(4) Knowledge.-The more knowledge a man has in any and every direction, the more useful he will be. He should fit himself by careful study of everything that has been written about the astral plane and astral work in occult literature, for he cannot expect others, whose time is already occupied, to expend some of it in explaining to him what he might have learnt himself in the physical world by taking the trouble to read books.
There is perhaps no kind of knowledge of which a use cannot be found in the work of the occultist.
(5) Love.-This, the last and greatest of the qualifications, is also the most misunderstood. Emphatically it is not backboneless sentimentalism, overflowing with vague and gushing generalities, which fears to stand firm for the right lest it should be stigmatized by the ignorant as “unbrotherly.” What is wanted is love strong enough to act without talking about it; the intense desire for service which is ever on the watch for an opportunity to render it, even though it prefers to do so anonymously; the feeling which springs up in the heart of him who has realized the great work of the Logos, and, having once seen it, knows that for him there can be in the three worlds no other course but to identify himself with it to the utmost limit of his power-to become, in however humble way, and at however great a distance, a tiny channel of that wondrous love of God which, like the peace of God, passeth man’s understanding.
It will be recollected that for two persons on the astral plane to communicate with one another astrally, it is necessary that they should have a language in common; therefore the more languages an astral plane helper knows, the more useful he is.
The standard set for an Invisible Helper is not an impossible one; on the contrary it is attainable by every man, though it may take him time to reach it. Everyone knows of some case of sorrow or distress, whether among the living or the dead does not matter. On going to sleep resolution should be made to do what is possible, whilst asleep and in the astral body, to help that person. Whether the memory of what has been done penetrates into the waking consciousness or not is of no consequence; it may be taken as a certainty that something has been achieved, and some day, sooner or later, evidence will be forthcoming that success has been attained.
With a person who is fully awakened to the astral plane the last thought before going to sleep would matter less, because he would have the power of turning readily from one thought to another in the astral world. In his case, the general trend of his thought would be the important factor, for equally during day and night his mind would be likely to move in its accustomed fashion.
Lindaland
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