d observed; and that,
by comparison of the observations of those who are constantly working
on these planes, evidence can be obtained of their existence and
nature at least as satisfactory as that which most of us have for the
existence of Greenland or Spitzbergen. The names usually given to
these planes, taking them in order of materiality, rising from the
denser to the finer, are the physical, the astral, the devachanic, the
sushuptic, and the nirvanic. Higher than this last are two others, but
they are so far above our present power of conception that for the
moment they may be left out of consideration. Now it should be
understood that the matter of each of these planes differs from that
of the one below it in the same way as, though to a much greater
degree than, vapour differs from solid matter; in fact, the states of
matter which we call solid, liquid, and gaseous are merely the three
lowest subdivisions of the matter belonging to this one physical
plane.

The astral region which I am to attempt to describe is the second of
these great planes of nature--the next above (or within) that physical
world with which we are all familiar. It has often been called the
realm of illusion--not that it is itself any more illusory than the
physical world, but because of the extreme unreliability of the
impressions brought back from it by the untrained seer. This is to be
accounted for mainly by two remarkable characteristics of the astral
world--first, that many of its inhabitants have a marvellous power of
changing their forms with Protean rapidity, and also of casting
practically unlimited glamour over those with whom they choose to
sport; and secondly, that sight on that plane is a faculty very
different from and much more extended than physical vision. An object
is seen, as it were, from all sides at once, the inside of a solid
being as plainly open to the view as the outside; it is therefore
obvious that an inexperienced visitor to this new world may well find
considerable difficulty in understanding what he really does see, and
still more in translating his vision into the very inadequate language
of ordinary speech. A good example of the sort of mistake that is
likely to occur is the frequent reversal of any number which the seer
has to read from the astral light, so that he would be liable to
render, say, 139 as 931, and so on. In the case of a student of
occultism trained by a capable Master such a mistake would be