by Advanced preparation for passive communication
In the initial preparatory exercise of this series, we practised moving our fingers and hands using only our willpower and the assistance of the Air element. The purpose of the exercise was to separate the act of will from the muscular contraction, effectively breaking the connection between the mind and body and allowing the mind to control the movement of the hands solely.
After successfully strengthening our will and seeing results from previous practices, we are now prepared for a more challenging task. That involves letting go of the hand’s astral and mental components, allowing the physical hand to exist independently. But what exactly do we mean by an astral-mental body?
The mind does not simply represent the brain’s functions, which process and interpret sensory inputs. This is a purely reflexive activity, symbolically represented by the Moon. Additionally, the mind does not just express the organisational principle that structures thoughts for communication, a trait associated with Mercury. Instead, the source of all these functions is the self, which originates from a higher mental level and manifests itself in individual self-consciousness, the volitional potential, and the essential meaning of being symbolised by the Sun in the horoscope 1.
For the mind to influence the body, there needs to be a mediator – the astral body, a subtle and immaterial state of being. The astral body can interact with both the mind and the physical body due to its varying levels of ethereal density. The representation of the astral body on the physical plane consists of neurotransmitters and hormones. Neurotransmitters are molecules produced at the neuronal level that transmit signals through the nervous system to control the body’s internal response to external stimuli via other neurons, glands, and muscles. On the other hand, hormones are signal molecules secreted by the endocrine glands that, through the vascular system, bind to the receptors of target cells and modify their function according to the circumstances to maintain biological balance.
From a scientific point of view, emotions result from complex chemical interactions in the body, leading to feelings of well-being or discomfort in response to internal or external stimuli experienced with varying degrees of physical and mental participation. From a hermetic perspective, however, emotions are seen as expressions of the astral and mental planes rather than simply the product of organic processes. In this view, emotions are manifestations of the astral body in biological forms, revealed as neurotransmitters and endocrine glands in the physical body; in other words, the empathic capacity of the astral body creates organic forms capable of reproducing emotions. The astral body is also responsible for the forces of growth, balance, and movement in the physical body, as well as the five senses through which we perceive the material world.
Regarding the practice, it is essential to clarify that the goal is not to externalise the spiritual hand but to empty the physical hand of the astral-mental presence, as Bardon mentions:
In the physical hand, a mental void now forms, which has the shape of the external hand. At that moment, think of the physical hand as completely safe, as it is in the fourth dimension, the Akashic principle.
— Franz Bardon – Initiation into Hermetics – Wuppertal 1987, p. 73
Bardon explicitly discusses mental emptiness and mental hand in other text passages, which can be misleading as it seems to exclude the astral component from the exercise. In reality, we should not think of the physical, astral, and mental bodies as distinct entities. Instead, they are degrees of density that range from the most subtle to the densest and are convenient to divide from a dialectical point of view to have a precise reference. Bardon likely means, by mental emptiness, a condition in which there is no trace of the less gross states. Furthermore, the reference to the fourth dimension or Akashic principle indeed indicates a condition that any form reaches – in our case, the hand – when it is free from the conditions that tie it to time and space as a specific individual entity. Emptied, the hand becomes a part of the body in a timeless dimension, where it exists only as a potential for expression. It is secure because it is in its place of origin and true home, where nothing can harm it. This potential is the depth point we discussed in the Step V introduction.
Since the practitioner has temporarily put aside control of the subtle centres, the hand’s potential is available to any entity that wants to take possession of it and carry out its movements. Specifically, the practitioner will attempt to communicate with what is known as the “guardian angel” in Western esoteric terminology, as outlined in the subsequent exercises. The introduction to Step V physical training provides an overview of the significance of these communications.
The practice is quite simple, but simplicity can be deceiving, making you believe that the results are a matter of days; perseverance is essential.
- Sit in front of a table and place your hands on it.
- Now, picture your right astral-mental hand with the forearm (or left hand if left-handed) moving alongside your physical hand. Alternatively, visualise your spiritual hand and forearm crossing the table and coming to rest on your knee. It’s essential to have a very vivid imagination. The success of the exercise should involve a sensory confirmation: your astral-mental hand should feel the same sensations as your physical hand. That means it should perceive the roughness of the table or clothes, the warmth of your body, and the pressure on your leg or the supporting surface.
- Maintain these sensations for at least five minutes, then switch to practising with the other hand, always aiming for five minutes. Once achieved this, you are ready for passive communication practices.
- For further information, see The Mind Philosophies on this site. ↩︎
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