ASTRAL SHELLS & FAMILIAR SPIRITS
Spiritual Underwear (Astral Shells)
When we die, we shed our body in the same way we would remove our clothes. At the same time, we shed part of our astral body--the part that acts as the interface between the physical and the spiritual. This is the part that allows the spirit to use the will to move the body or make the brain function. It is not quite gross matter or spirit. I suppose we could call it our spiritual underwear.
Some mystical teachers say that, after death, the astral body separates from the physical body and also from the causal body. It becomes an “astral shell”’ that has no inherent consciousness of its own. It may occasionally manifest as a ghost. The Hindus call it the Bhuta, when it is released as a separate entity from the body and spirit. They consider it to be a devil. Indeed, some practitioners of the black arts use discarded “astral shells” as vehicles for their sorcery. Unlike the Tulpas of Tibet, that are created by intensive visualization, these entities have a material basis to them.
ASTRAL SHELLS & FAMILIAR SPIRITS
 According to the occultist ena Petrovna Blavatsky who the founded the Theosophical Society in 1875, after death the astral body continues as a separate entity, remaining near the deserted physical body until its energy is dissipated. Occasionally, it may become visible. If she is right about this, it may mean that once you enter your spiritual state after death you would see not only your physical body but also a phantom duplicate of yourself hovering around your corpse. I would anticipate that it would be quite a hard experience seeing your own corpse, let alone meeting an astral equivalent of yourself at the same time!
The Blavatski and the Theosophists also claim that mediums do not communicate with the spirits but with these astral shells that contain the memory impressions of the departed person. The enigmatic Christians take this argument a step further and claim that the astral shells are animated by demons that wish to trick us into believing that we are in communication with real spirits. Their intent is to lead us away from the paths of righteousness and into hell.
WHAT ARE FAMILIAR SPIRITS?
But, there are a number of flaws to the arguments. First, these arguments are put forward by people who are not mediumistic and who have no direct experience of what it’s like to make a communication. When the spirit links, I become aware of the whole of the spirit person. I sense their memories, their thoughts, and their feelings of love towards the recipient of the message. The evidence they convey is often filled with humor, and it carries with it the whole weight of the human personality. This is not an animated astral shell; it is a fully functioning consciousness.
 Most importantly, such spirit communicators can not only give evidence about their own lives but can occasionally tell us things about situations they would not have encountered when on earth. If they were just astral memory traces, they would only be able to give messages up to the point they died. However, spirit communicators know all about what has taken place since their death and will often tell the sitter what they have been doing on their way to the consultation. Similarly, why should a demon animate a spirit to bring love and comfort? Many of the people who come to me go away with their Christian faith restored and a renewed interest in actively making God part of their life.
Too much importance has been made of the astral shell--usually those who have a vested religious interest in undermining mediumistic philosophies. It is probable that there is residue energy, but this dissipates quickly after the death of the physical body. I feel that the Chinese Taoist philosophy comes closest to the truth of the matter. According to Taoism, the spirit (soul) has two parts: yang, which is the spiritual part:; and yin, which is the physical part. At physical death, the spirit (yang) leaves the body and goes to God, the yin (earthly body) returns to the earth and is no more.
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