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by Autumn Hawk Percival
Autumn Hawk Percival is a writer and poet → @thehawkpercival
Transcendence is the existence or experience outside of the material plane; in some cases, it can be the experience of a higher state of consciousness. When broken down to its root words; transcendence stems from the latin prefix: trans which means “beyond”, and the latin word: scandare which means “to climb”. Together, the translation for both of these words is “to climb beyond”. If you think about it, to reach the state of transcendence requires one to climb; by use of the method of ascension, to the beyond or the planes of existence. Traveling through the many planes within the astral plane is not a linear process; to access each plane, one must acquire certain levels of esoteric knowledge or supernatural ability to travel through each plane. Like climbing a mountain, to travel through the astral plane requires training and patience. As someone who is prone to impatience when it comes to achieving transcendence, visualising an ethereal mountain that exists within the physical plane but ascends through the astral plane that one must climb and on each peak there are messages from or portals to another world; helps the process feel less daunting. The achievement of transcendence is a progressive journey, not a race.
For some modern practitioners, the purpose of transcendence is not achieved with the intention of visiting or connecting with the other realms within the universe but to experience a higher state of consciousness within the physical body by connecting to the etheric mind within the etheric body through various methods of ascension such as transcendental meditation. In the book, “Occult Chemistry” by Annie Besant and C.W. Leadbetter; they describe the etheric matter that exists within the physical plane. The etheric matter within the physical plane is similar to the etheric matter which fills space and the heavens although the etheric matter belonging to the heavens is far more complex; the difference is that the etheric matter within the physical plane is perceptible to the physical body through the bodily senses. Once the connection between the etheric matter within the physical plane and the physical body is made, becoming one with the etheric body is possible.The etheric body is sometimes referred to as the subtle body; stemming from the sanskrit word sukshma sharira. In “ The Doctrine of The Subtle Body” by G.R.S. Mead, he describes the subtle body or etheric body as “man’s psychical embodiment”; the form that belongs to us in the higher or psychic realms, our purest form. Connecting to the etheric body makes the state of transcendence an achievable and plausible process. To achieve the state of transcendence is to enter the etheric body and exist within the etheric plane.
In theosophy or occult sciences, the state of transcendence is achieved with the intention of connecting to the astral plane and receiving messages from the aether with the purpose of attaining hidden knowledge; oneiric, celestial or infernal. The “Liber ABA” written by Aleister Crowley, was written after performing a ritual that permitted him the opportunity to commune with an entity from the astral plane or etheric plane during waking life. Rituals, such as this; requires one to use their psychic abilities: which I believe to be remnants from our etheric body and mind that never separated from the genetic makeup of the physical body; to connect to the etheric plane. During rituals relating to channeling the astral plane, the physical body is used as a vehicle or channel to aid in the connection with the astral or etheric body. By connecting to the astral plane or etheric plane, Crowley received information needed to create the “Liber ABA”, considered to be a sacred text within the occult sciences. The astral plane; sometimes known by its other appellation, the etheric plane, is the space within the aether where the celestial, infernal and realm of sleep exist. Whether celestial, oneiric or infernal, all realms within the astral plane are connected.
The astral plane or etheric plane, like the universe; is filled with and made from aether or quinta essentia, the fifth element. Aether is the material that fills the universe; described as “ a divine and imperishable substance”by Aristotle, not only does it fill the universe but it is the substance that the planes within the universe are made of. According to esoteric cosmology, there are five planes of existence within the universe: the physical, the astral, the devachanic, the sushuptic and the nirvanic. The astral plane is the plane that exists besides the physical plane, it is the second plane of existence within our division of the three classes that contain each plane within the universe. All planes within the universe are symbiotic and become imbalanced when the symbiosis is disrupted.
In the book, “The Astral Plane”, Leadbetter states that the physical plane; the plane that we inhabit, is the backdrop to the astral plane. Though close to each other but still at a great distance, the physical plane and the astral plane are able to affect each other and engage with each other as well. The idea that these planes coexist and affect each other can be rationalised through the theory of quantum entanglement. Quantum entanglement is the process of independent particles inhabiting the same space or interacting with each other in a way that effects the quantum state at such a level that both particles become entwined and imprinted by one another. Applying the theory of quantum entanglement to the idea that the etheric plane exists alongside the physical plane and that both planes are in constant interaction with each other to the point of deeply effecting one another on chemical, biological, and psychical levels, despite the distance; the idea that we are able to connect with the etheric plane and experience supernatural phenomena during waking life or dream state within the oneiric plane, does not seem farcical. Using terminology from occult practices and occult sciences, the theory of quantum entanglement is synonymous with the concept of “as above, so below”.
There are many different methods of ascension that are practised to achieve transcendence with the intention of connecting to the etheric plane. The method of ascension that I prefer to use in the attainment of transcendence is sleep. Sleep, as we know, allows us to experience the act of dreaming or the unfortunate experience of a nightmare. Using the physical body as a vehicle through the act of sleep to connect to our etheric body within the oneiric realm; the possibility of receiving information from the higher or lower planes through dream symbolism or visiting the higher or lower planes through astral traveling is achievable. Think of the oneiric plane or the dream realm, frequently called the astral plane which is incorrect; as a middle plane between the physical plane and the astral plane or etheric plane. The oneiric plane is the veil between the physical plane and the astral plane; where mortals can experience a glimpse of the beyond from the comfort of our beds.
Unfortunately, the process of entering the veil is far more complex than just closing your eyes and falling asleep; as described by Rudolph Steiner in “Knowledge of The Higher Worlds and Its Attainment”, there are three steps of esoteric training that one must follow before attempting to pierce or enter the veil by leaving the physical body and entering the etheric body: preparation, enlightenment and initiation. For those of us with psychic abilities such as prophetic dreaming or astral traveling, these steps aid in our ability to remain grounded. Though not everyone is permitted to experience prophetic dreaming; through the practice of lucid dreaming, dream symbol interpretation or hiring dream practitioners, we are able to translate the messages brought to us from the astral plane and in some cases, experience glimpses of the realms of within the etheric plane.
Think of our dreams and nightmares as containing the looking glasses for the celestial and infernal realms. Like Alice, some of us are capable of walking through the looking glass and entering whichever realm that calls to us. Without proper training, a novice dream seer may be pulled into the celestial or infernal realms, before consenting to the acceptance of an invitation. It is important that one understands the true nature of our dreams and nightmares before attempting to travel to or make contact with the other side through the act of sleep. In Aristotle’s treatises, specifically “Metaphysics” and “On Prophesying by Dreams”, he insinuates that prophetic dreams are infernal. By Aristotelian standards, the ability to foresee the future or attain arcane knowledge from the etheric plane is profane; mortals should not have the same privileges as G-d. Similar to Aristotle, Ted Andrews states in his book, “Psychic Protection: Balance and Protection For Body, Mind & Spirit” that “what is psychic, is not always spiritual”; inferring that not everything brought us from the etheric plane is brought to us from divine and just because we are aware of the etheric plane and the knowledge within the etheric plane, this does not mean that attainment of this knowledge is necessary or divine. This is why it is important to use discernment when practicing divination or attempting to connect with the etheric plane.
Discernment is important in the practice of recording the symbols from one’s dreams and also, necessary when traveling through the astral plane. In the treatise “On Dreams” by Aristotle, he states that “in sleep we sometimes have thoughts other than the mere phantasms immediately before our minds. This would be manifest to anyone who should attend and try, immediately on arising from sleep, to remember [his dreaming experience].” The practice of recording one’s dreams in order to learn how to translate the symbols brought to us by the etheric realm; can be as simple as remembering the first symbol that is remembered upon awakening. Through the use of aids such as dream dictionaries, runes or tarot cards; each symbol is revealed to hold a message, personal or collective. By practicing discernment, you can differentiate whether a message is influenced by the celestial or infernal, depending on whichever plane one works with. Discernment also gives one the ability to be able to detect psychic warfare through the tampering of dream symbolism by the use of black magick.
Again, the oneiric plane exists within the middle plane of the the etheric plane; hence, the plausibility of someone connecting to the infernal plane while others are asleep with the intention of entering their target’s oneiric plane and causing harm. The looking glasses within the oneiric plane are similar to the gates within the airport, if not protected; anyone or anything can travel through your oneiric plane. To safely navigate the etheric body during the state of transcendence within the oneiric plane, one must understand the dangers. Attaining arcane knowledge or “infernal” knowledge by Aristotelian standards, is not an easy task and inherently, you expose yourself to threats that are not regularly explained in the physical plane. There is possibility of exposing yourself to entities without proper protection or learning information that you can never unlearn. “Heavy is the head that wears the crown; in this case, the crown is arcane knowledge and knowledge at this level may damage the psyche; making waking life difficult to bear. As I stated before, dreams and nightmares contain the looking glasses for the celestial and infernal realms but what about the oneiric realm? I believe that the symbols from our dreams and nightmares that, when translated, are neutral tonally and personal in meaning; are from our etheric mind within the oneiric realm.
The symbols within our dreams and nightmares are not only the language of our psyche but it is also the language of etheric body’s psyche or etheric mind. I believe that our etheric mind contains memories from the lives that we have lived before and prophetic memories from the life that we currently exist in. Our etheric body has seen and experienced everything that we are about to experience through a concept similar to Mimir’s Well from nordic mythology. Think of our etheric mind as the well that holds all of our memories and by observing and recording the symbols we receive from the oneiric plane; we are able to navigate our current life through the prophetic advice that was received. Yes, it is intriguing yet terrifying in a curious way to achieve transcendence with the intention of contacting entities within the celestial or infernal plane but on the quest to the attainment of arcane knowledge, do not forget yourself or rather, your higher self or etheric body. On the quest to enlightenment or transcendence, remember that the information within the celestial and infernal planes will be open for our exploration upon death; there is no need to rush. We often forget, as curious beings, that the life or plane that we exist in now is equally as important as our past lives or the etheric plane. We can still experience the wonders of the etheric plane by focusing on the higher knowledge pertaining to our current lives by staying within the oneiric plane safely without crossing the veil. Sharing the sentiment of Ted Andrews; just because the doors are there, does not mean that we have to open them.
Image: Gas Lamp Transcendence by Autumn Hawk Percival
by Autumn Hawk Percival
Autumn Hawk Percival is a writer and poet → @thehawkpercival
Transcendence is the existence or experience outside of the material plane; in some cases, it can be the experience of a higher state of consciousness. When broken down to its root words; transcendence stems from the latin prefix: trans which means “beyond”, and the latin word: scandare which means “to climb”. Together, the translation for both of these words is “to climb beyond”. If you think about it, to reach the state of transcendence requires one to climb; by use of the method of ascension, to the beyond or the planes of existence. Traveling through the many planes within the astral plane is not a linear process; to access each plane, one must acquire certain levels of esoteric knowledge or supernatural ability to travel through each plane. Like climbing a mountain, to travel through the astral plane requires training and patience. As someone who is prone to impatience when it comes to achieving transcendence, visualising an ethereal mountain that exists within the physical plane but ascends through the astral plane that one must climb and on each peak there are messages from or portals to another world; helps the process feel less daunting. The achievement of transcendence is a progressive journey, not a race.
For some modern practitioners, the purpose of transcendence is not achieved with the intention of visiting or connecting with the other realms within the universe but to experience a higher state of consciousness within the physical body by connecting to the etheric mind within the etheric body through various methods of ascension such as transcendental meditation. In the book, “Occult Chemistry” by Annie Besant and C.W. Leadbetter; they describe the etheric matter that exists within the physical plane. The etheric matter within the physical plane is similar to the etheric matter which fills space and the heavens although the etheric matter belonging to the heavens is far more complex; the difference is that the etheric matter within the physical plane is perceptible to the physical body through the bodily senses. Once the connection between the etheric matter within the physical plane and the physical body is made, becoming one with the etheric body is possible.The etheric body is sometimes referred to as the subtle body; stemming from the sanskrit word sukshma sharira. In “ The Doctrine of The Subtle Body” by G.R.S. Mead, he describes the subtle body or etheric body as “man’s psychical embodiment”; the form that belongs to us in the higher or psychic realms, our purest form. Connecting to the etheric body makes the state of transcendence an achievable and plausible process. To achieve the state of transcendence is to enter the etheric body and exist within the etheric plane.
In theosophy or occult sciences, the state of transcendence is achieved with the intention of connecting to the astral plane and receiving messages from the aether with the purpose of attaining hidden knowledge; oneiric, celestial or infernal. The “Liber ABA” written by Aleister Crowley, was written after performing a ritual that permitted him the opportunity to commune with an entity from the astral plane or etheric plane during waking life. Rituals, such as this; requires one to use their psychic abilities: which I believe to be remnants from our etheric body and mind that never separated from the genetic makeup of the physical body; to connect to the etheric plane. During rituals relating to channeling the astral plane, the physical body is used as a vehicle or channel to aid in the connection with the astral or etheric body. By connecting to the astral plane or etheric plane, Crowley received information needed to create the “Liber ABA”, considered to be a sacred text within the occult sciences. The astral plane; sometimes known by its other appellation, the etheric plane, is the space within the aether where the celestial, infernal and realm of sleep exist. Whether celestial, oneiric or infernal, all realms within the astral plane are connected.
The astral plane or etheric plane, like the universe; is filled with and made from aether or quinta essentia, the fifth element. Aether is the material that fills the universe; described as “ a divine and imperishable substance”by Aristotle, not only does it fill the universe but it is the substance that the planes within the universe are made of. According to esoteric cosmology, there are five planes of existence within the universe: the physical, the astral, the devachanic, the sushuptic and the nirvanic. The astral plane is the plane that exists besides the physical plane, it is the second plane of existence within our division of the three classes that contain each plane within the universe. All planes within the universe are symbiotic and become imbalanced when the symbiosis is disrupted.
In the book, “The Astral Plane”, Leadbetter states that the physical plane; the plane that we inhabit, is the backdrop to the astral plane. Though close to each other but still at a great distance, the physical plane and the astral plane are able to affect each other and engage with each other as well. The idea that these planes coexist and affect each other can be rationalised through the theory of quantum entanglement. Quantum entanglement is the process of independent particles inhabiting the same space or interacting with each other in a way that effects the quantum state at such a level that both particles become entwined and imprinted by one another. Applying the theory of quantum entanglement to the idea that the etheric plane exists alongside the physical plane and that both planes are in constant interaction with each other to the point of deeply effecting one another on chemical, biological, and psychical levels, despite the distance; the idea that we are able to connect with the etheric plane and experience supernatural phenomena during waking life or dream state within the oneiric plane, does not seem farcical. Using terminology from occult practices and occult sciences, the theory of quantum entanglement is synonymous with the concept of “as above, so below”.
There are many different methods of ascension that are practised to achieve transcendence with the intention of connecting to the etheric plane. The method of ascension that I prefer to use in the attainment of transcendence is sleep. Sleep, as we know, allows us to experience the act of dreaming or the unfortunate experience of a nightmare. Using the physical body as a vehicle through the act of sleep to connect to our etheric body within the oneiric realm; the possibility of receiving information from the higher or lower planes through dream symbolism or visiting the higher or lower planes through astral traveling is achievable. Think of the oneiric plane or the dream realm, frequently called the astral plane which is incorrect; as a middle plane between the physical plane and the astral plane or etheric plane. The oneiric plane is the veil between the physical plane and the astral plane; where mortals can experience a glimpse of the beyond from the comfort of our beds.
Unfortunately, the process of entering the veil is far more complex than just closing your eyes and falling asleep; as described by Rudolph Steiner in “Knowledge of The Higher Worlds and Its Attainment”, there are three steps of esoteric training that one must follow before attempting to pierce or enter the veil by leaving the physical body and entering the etheric body: preparation, enlightenment and initiation. For those of us with psychic abilities such as prophetic dreaming or astral traveling, these steps aid in our ability to remain grounded. Though not everyone is permitted to experience prophetic dreaming; through the practice of lucid dreaming, dream symbol interpretation or hiring dream practitioners, we are able to translate the messages brought to us from the astral plane and in some cases, experience glimpses of the realms of within the etheric plane.
Think of our dreams and nightmares as containing the looking glasses for the celestial and infernal realms. Like Alice, some of us are capable of walking through the looking glass and entering whichever realm that calls to us. Without proper training, a novice dream seer may be pulled into the celestial or infernal realms, before consenting to the acceptance of an invitation. It is important that one understands the true nature of our dreams and nightmares before attempting to travel to or make contact with the other side through the act of sleep. In Aristotle’s treatises, specifically “Metaphysics” and “On Prophesying by Dreams”, he insinuates that prophetic dreams are infernal. By Aristotelian standards, the ability to foresee the future or attain arcane knowledge from the etheric plane is profane; mortals should not have the same privileges as G-d. Similar to Aristotle, Ted Andrews states in his book, “Psychic Protection: Balance and Protection For Body, Mind & Spirit” that “what is psychic, is not always spiritual”; inferring that not everything brought us from the etheric plane is brought to us from divine and just because we are aware of the etheric plane and the knowledge within the etheric plane, this does not mean that attainment of this knowledge is necessary or divine. This is why it is important to use discernment when practicing divination or attempting to connect with the etheric plane.
Discernment is important in the practice of recording the symbols from one’s dreams and also, necessary when traveling through the astral plane. In the treatise “On Dreams” by Aristotle, he states that “in sleep we sometimes have thoughts other than the mere phantasms immediately before our minds. This would be manifest to anyone who should attend and try, immediately on arising from sleep, to remember [his dreaming experience].” The practice of recording one’s dreams in order to learn how to translate the symbols brought to us by the etheric realm; can be as simple as remembering the first symbol that is remembered upon awakening. Through the use of aids such as dream dictionaries, runes or tarot cards; each symbol is revealed to hold a message, personal or collective. By practicing discernment, you can differentiate whether a message is influenced by the celestial or infernal, depending on whichever plane one works with. Discernment also gives one the ability to be able to detect psychic warfare through the tampering of dream symbolism by the use of black magick.
Again, the oneiric plane exists within the middle plane of the the etheric plane; hence, the plausibility of someone connecting to the infernal plane while others are asleep with the intention of entering their target’s oneiric plane and causing harm. The looking glasses within the oneiric plane are similar to the gates within the airport, if not protected; anyone or anything can travel through your oneiric plane. To safely navigate the etheric body during the state of transcendence within the oneiric plane, one must understand the dangers. Attaining arcane knowledge or “infernal” knowledge by Aristotelian standards, is not an easy task and inherently, you expose yourself to threats that are not regularly explained in the physical plane. There is possibility of exposing yourself to entities without proper protection or learning information that you can never unlearn. “Heavy is the head that wears the crown; in this case, the crown is arcane knowledge and knowledge at this level may damage the psyche; making waking life difficult to bear. As I stated before, dreams and nightmares contain the looking glasses for the celestial and infernal realms but what about the oneiric realm? I believe that the symbols from our dreams and nightmares that, when translated, are neutral tonally and personal in meaning; are from our etheric mind within the oneiric realm.
The symbols within our dreams and nightmares are not only the language of our psyche but it is also the language of etheric body’s psyche or etheric mind. I believe that our etheric mind contains memories from the lives that we have lived before and prophetic memories from the life that we currently exist in. Our etheric body has seen and experienced everything that we are about to experience through a concept similar to Mimir’s Well from nordic mythology. Think of our etheric mind as the well that holds all of our memories and by observing and recording the symbols we receive from the oneiric plane; we are able to navigate our current life through the prophetic advice that was received. Yes, it is intriguing yet terrifying in a curious way to achieve transcendence with the intention of contacting entities within the celestial or infernal plane but on the quest to the attainment of arcane knowledge, do not forget yourself or rather, your higher self or etheric body. On the quest to enlightenment or transcendence, remember that the information within the celestial and infernal planes will be open for our exploration upon death; there is no need to rush. We often forget, as curious beings, that the life or plane that we exist in now is equally as important as our past lives or the etheric plane. We can still experience the wonders of the etheric plane by focusing on the higher knowledge pertaining to our current lives by staying within the oneiric plane safely without crossing the veil. Sharing the sentiment of Ted Andrews; just because the doors are there, does not mean that we have to open them.
Image: Gas Lamp Transcendence by Autumn Hawk Percival