Students of the paranormal, especially those who have not experienced themselves in their astral doubles, will naturally wonder about the nature of the astral body. In fact, those people who aspire to have an astral projection or an out-of-body experience (OOBE), should know about the nature of their astral double before making any attempts to leave their physical bodies.
Our astral body, also known as the astral double, etheric body, or energy body, is the etheric or the spiritual aspect of our physical body. It is the exact replica of the flesh body, but without the gross matter. It is pure energy. This body plus the consciousness has the ability to travel at will and perform any feat.
The physical body and its astral double are connected to each other by a silver cord, which cannot be severed by any force. The silver cord breaks only when an individual dies. Astral projection is a paranormal phenomenon in which the astral double separates from the physical body and acts independent of it. In case of astral projection, however, the silver cord remains intact.
According to Theosophy, the astral double is the vehicle of an individual’s passions, desires, emotions, and thoughts. It not only penetrates, but also crosses the boundaries of the physical body. The astral double is capable of sensation only when it separates from the physical body in case of astral projection, sleep, drugs, alcohol, meditation, illness, near-death experience, and so on. The physical body is capable of sensation only when the astral double returns to it.
The astral body looks just like the blood-and-flesh body, though not composed of the same elements. This body is extremely sensitive. Its shape and colors depend a lot on the quality of a person’s thoughts. A person with psychic abilities can, therefore, tell a lot about a person’s state of mind and nature just by observing his/her etheric body. A person who is close to spiritual perfection usually has an ovoid energy body. A person who thinks spiritually inferior thoughts has a reddish energy body. A person who thinks higher, evolved spiritual thoughts has a bluish energy body.
The astral double is much more powerful than the physical body. It is capable of feats that the latter isn’t. This body can travel through space, fly high in the sky, dive to the depths of the ocean, carry huge weights, and go wherever it wills, to mention a few of its abilities. Moreover, it is unchanging unlike the physical body, which undergoes change every moment of the day. The etheric body is flexible and elastic, a feature that enables it to pass through walls and other solid objects.
If you want to experience the glory and beauty of your astral body, you really must experience astral projection.
