st be able to concentrate his mind on what he wants to
think about. Camille Flammarion says nineteen-hundredths of the human
family never think at all. They are merely shallow receptives for the
thoughts of others. As you acquire the habit of controlling your
thoughts and with the emotions well under control, then you begin to
turn the consciousness back upon self, and as the sleeper lays his
body down to rest he gives the ego an opportunity to impress itself on
the lower mind. Gradually the mind is brought under control. This
connects the two different states of consciousness. At first you begin
to see pictures, landscapes, faces, etc., only for a flash. Then you
will fall into unconsciousness. Once this state is attained, if
continued the rest will not be so difficult.

With practice, you will be conscious of yourself leaving your body,
conscious of yourself looking down on your body asleep, and seeing
yourself going on a journey to inspire a friend or to acquire some
knowledge of something you are studying in physical life. In this way
you make your nights, as well as your days, to be of assistance to
others. Your nights may be made useful even if you are not conscious
of yourself out of the body, by suggesting to yourself upon retiring,
that you will go somewhere, and meet some one and assist them in an
unselfish act. If you persist in your suggestion on retiring, your
spirit will go where you demand it to go, although you may not
remember your experience in your waking state.

Just as it is possible for you to render help to another in sleep, so
you can influence them for a good purpose. It is also possible for you
to influence another selfishly, and let me warn you here, if you do,
you are practicing black art, and as surely as night follows day it
will return and burn you as you justly deserve, so beware and think
well before you act. He who dabbles in occult teachings for selfish
ends treads on dangerous ground, and he will not attain his desires,
but rather the reverse. The unselfish soul who acts unselfishly can be
of much service to his fellow-man, not only the living but also the
misnamed dead, and they can often remember their astral happenings in
waking consciousness to the minutest detail. This requires rigid
training.

The beginner will find it to his advantage, to resolve before falling
asleep that he will bring his astral experience through into his
waking consciousness. It is also well to keep a no