by Dr. K. Parvathi Kumar Book Presentation Overview Astrology

We are our aura; we are a field of consciousness within the universal state of consciousness. We enter the body and even surround it. Our identity is with our aura of consciousness and with the body, the vehicle through which we function. It is a temporary abode to fulfil the purposes on the earth, a vehicle, a facility to contact and conduct in the material objectivity.

The aura around the physical body in which the consciousness resides, is governed by Uranus. The aura of the physical body is the magnetic field in which the consciousness resides. Major portion of consciousness is more outside the body than inside the body. “One-fourth is within and three-fourths is around”, says the Veda. One-fourth only is visible to the eye of sight, while the three-fourths is visible to the eye of vision. This aura within and outside the human frame is governed by Uranus. In truth, within the aura die human frame is developed. It looks that the aura is within the human frame, it is like a space in which a building is built. We see space within the building and outside the building. Truly speaking, the space is not within the building since space has no states of within and without, it is only seemingly so. That part of space which is seen within the building is called the Person - Purusha. It is called Purusha or Person because of the function of his seeming entry into the human frame. The person as such is even beyond the frame by three-fourths. He links to the frame of his body through a thread of life, which issues forth from his consciousness. It is through this thread of life the life energies flow in and build the organism of the body and sustain it.

Uranus stands for the etheric part of that aura. Into this aura man withdraws during the sleep hours. Even while he withdraws into this aura during sleep hours, he remains linked with the body through the cord of life. If the cord of life is snapped, then he gets released from the body. That is the secret which we could consciously be aware of - that we are linked to the body with the thread of life and in sleep hours we are out of it, out of the body, yet remain connected. Moving out of the body to distinct places while keeping the link with the body through the thread of life is a common practice in Yoga. This is called astral travel, which is scientific and can be consciously practiced.

This science is the common knowledge in the East, though very few practice and accomplish it. As one sleeps, one may try to be out of the body and keep seeing the body. In the beginning one cannot be out of the body to see the body, because one is not habituated. But as one creates that habit through practice, slowly one would have out-of-body experience. It's a practice that has to be carried out in the presence of one who knows the science, otherwise there can be certain shocking disturbances. The person is normally recommended to take to a sleeping posture from East to West. Behind his head a lamp is kept to facilitate moving out. The practitioner is advised to visualize that he is gradually withdrawing from the five senses of the body, from the mind and intellect and moving out of Sahasrara as a miniature image of light towards the lamp. The lamp should be slightly away behind the head since the aura of the person is there even beyond the head. Thereafter, the miniature form may be visualized as joining the field of consciousness which he is and which is all around. When this visualization happens, he would know that the body is within him and a portion of him is in the body too; that he is not a prisoner of the body but the holder of it; that he is holding the body and that the body is not holding him. As he gains this understanding, he gains a different identity of himself as an auric egg of consciousness capable of taking to different shapes and capable of moving even away from the frame, retaining, however, the connection to the frame through the cord of life.

The main stay of a person is the field of aura around him, while a part of him is within the human frame.

In dream we move out of the body and experience places, persons and events. It can easily be inferred that in dream the body is on the bed but the person is away wandering. As the dream ends he rejoins the body. The practice stated above enables conscious movement out of the body while in dream the movement out of the body is unconscious. It is conducted for the person by nature. Nevertheless it confirms that we live to experience events, places, persons even without the body!

In sleep also the person is not always residing in the body. The person moves out and gathers experience in the subtle worlds which is registered in the unconscious (super-conscious) layer of his mind. In conscious state he does not recognize them. This is because there are certain veils in the person in relation to his sub-conscious, conscious and super-conscious layers. In the sub-conscious layers he carries instincts relating to the past. In the conscious layers he carries the contemporary understanding. In the super-conscious layers he registers certain knowledge and information which eventually unfolds to him into conscious layers through time. Sleep is a great gift of nature and a great field of experiment in Yoga. There is a science by which one can inquisitively investigate into sleep and unveil the secrets to oneself.

Conscious movement out of the body is part of the Yoga practice. More and more man gets informed of his subtle existence in the auric body/etheric body and he shall try to conduct himself to move out of the body according to the need. Conscious movement out of the body is one of the steps this humanity would take in the Aquarian Age. The illusion of death is overcome by such conscious movement out of the body. This is the great transition planned and is worked out by Uranus.

The practice of moving out of the body is explained in the book ON HEALING (from the same author), while it is given above in its simplest form. When you constantly practice this during the sleep hours, depending upon your adaptation to the regulations, you may gain the out-of-body experience. When once you have the out-of-body experience you no more have fear of death, because you know that you don't die even while you depart from the body. And during your association with the body you can keep the body at rest and move long distances. That is how the disciples are made to work during the sleep hours. Those who take the third Initiation consciously move out and do the work. And those who are between the second and third Initiations unconsciously do it. A Master guides the etheric double of his disciple to reach directed places and enables the disciple to conduct work or to get trained in his Ashram. The disciple registers all that experience in the super-conscious layers which he would eventually know as he progresses in discipleship.

This aspect of discipleship is well described by Master E.K. in the book MUSIC OF THE SOUL. Even before the third initiation is taken up, a disciple can thus be put to active work if he makes available himself during the sleep hours. This needs to be a conscious effort, a sincere appeal to the Master one follows, that he should be blessed to be of use in the Master's work.

This conscious appeal, if you regularly do and do not engage your mind otherwise, you may stand a chance as per the Master's Will. Those of you who are deep into the wisdom practice, sometimes wake up with an awareness that you participated in some classes and that certain known/unknown person taught in a sacred place. You may also recollect that some of those whom you know among your co-workers are also present. This is very common though the teaching is not well remembered. Slowly, as you become more and more attuned, you would have the understanding of the process and even the teaching at the conscious layers.

Even when it comes to the point of your departure from the body, since you have a very familiar experience of out-of-body existence, you do not struggle to be in the body or hold fear of departure. The departure becomes easy because you are not getting into any unfamiliar situation or to any unfamiliar associations.

Conscious departure is a great accomplishment. Since people are not ready for conscious departure, they are put to unconscious state and are made to depart. The best situation is conscious departure, the second best is unconscious departure, the third and the worst situation is: you are unconscious and you are stuck in the body. It is a kind of arrest that many suffer today, not knowing how to depart. In the civilized world these are many. It has become a social problem. Education relating to departure from the body is part of future educative program which Uranus plans. It is a paradox that the growth of ignorance and fear are directly proportional to the advancement of civilization. This cannot be called civilization. This needs to be pondered upon. Uranus unveils the reality of the super-mundane world to dispel the darkness of the mundane world.