ust as the
physical body is an instrument for expressing consciousness in the
waking state.

Consciousness is not annihilated when the man is in the Astral world,
it is only temporarily suspended. Just the same as in the case of
death. The man is fully conscious in the astral regions clothed in the
body of the Astral matter. This Astral body is in the physical and
extends little beyond it. The Astral world is here and now,
interpenetrating the physical, and not in some remote region above the
clouds as so many imagine.

* * * * *

Man is a soul. He has a body. He expresses himself in three worlds.
While he functions in the physical body, viz., physical, emotional and
mental worlds. Just as the Astral interpenetrates the physical the
mental interpenetrates the Astral. The Astral body in which man
functions during sleep is the body of emotions and desires and he
expresses these desires and emotions in the physical life.

* * * * *

The Astral body in which man functions during sleep is very subtle
matter. It resembles the physical. In fact, it is an exact
reproduction of it, but it can only be seen by clairvoyant vision.
When a man leaves his body in sleep or death, the spirit must leave
the physical body before it will be rested and recuperated to enable
it to undergo the strenuous daily toil of physical life.

Here is an example. Let a man go to bed say ten o'clock. Let him sleep
until six next morning. The ordinary man will awaken feeling refreshed
and ready for his daily toil. Let him go to bed at ten, lie awake all
night, next morning he will not feel refreshed and during the day he
may feel sluggish and sleepy. Let him go to bed and lie awake night
after night for a few weeks, what will be the result? He will be a
physical wreck. Although he may have the same amount of hours lying in
bed, he will not feel recuperated and refreshed unless he has had his
natural sleep and this can only come to pass.

When the soul or spirit withdraws from the physical body, the physical
body is not the man, and as long as our materialistic writers who
endeavor to interpret dreams fail to grasp the nature of the inner
man, the real self, they will be forever groping in the dark.

The first question that naturally arises in the mind of the layman is
this: How can a man leave his body in sleep and continue its natural
functions such as digestion, circulation of blood