Astral Sub-Plane 2

Raising your vibrations higher, you find yourself upon the great 2nd Sub-Plane. A great religious atmosphere permeates this Region. Here is where the religious aspirations and emotions find their full power of expression. Those who dwell here have spent some time on other Astral sub-planes, doing their work there before passing on to this plane.

On the 2nd Astral Sub-Plane, there are a multitude of souls who are endeavored to manifest and express their own shade of religious conception. Here, all the heavens that have ever been dreamed of in theology and taught in churches exist, along with the devotees of the various creeds.

 

It should be understood that there is a difference between "spirituality" and "religion."

 

Spirituality

"Spirituality" is the recognition of the divine spark within the soul and the unfoldment of this spark into consciousness.

 

 

Religion

"Religion," on the other hand, is the observance of certain forms of worship, rites, ceremonies, etc. — the holding to certain forms of theology.

Although religion may be considered the "stepping stones" to true spirituality, it is not spirituality itself. In its higher forms, it is a beautiful thing, but in its lower forms, it leads to narrow-mindedness and bigotry, and sometimes even murder.

 

Each great religion has their own particular Region, and this is where their disciples gather and worship and rejoice.

Each Region has their own particular environment, which is in exact accordance with the beliefs of the people who are inhabiting it. From the humble, old-fashion meeting houses to gigantic cathedrals filled with majestic decor and the souls of glorious, ritualistic forms of worship; it's all here.

 

Here, the deeply religious soul finds just what they expected and hoped to find. Heaven and Hell can be seen here, too, exactly as the religious devotees envisioned it. Whatever conception your religion has of "Heaven" and "Hell" can be found here on this sub-plane. But the "heavenly worlds" are ABOVE the Astral Plane! (more on that later.) And as far as Hell is concerned, well ... more on that later, too.

And so, while some remain content, others realize there is something amiss about what is going on here and drift toward a different Sub-Region, or to a group of souls who are more closer to their newly awakened conception of the Truth.

It is important for you to know that all the scenery here has been built up from the astral substance by the imaginative powers of the minds of those congregating there. Yes, the heavenly golden crowns, harps, haloes, garden-paradises, and in some places, even the sounds and chants of eternal praise can be seen/found here. Imagine, all forms of religions, high and low, oriental and occidental, ancient and modern "represented" on this sub-plane.

But not is all wonderful and glorious here.

 

 

 

 

In the Regions where the LOWER FORMS OF RELIGION are, in the background are scenes of a burning HELL and other horrific scenes. Whatever religion you "practice," you know what your conception of Hell is; therefore, I am NOT going to repeat every religion's conception of Hell. In lieu of all the traditional religious beliefs, I am going to reveal "What they DO NOT teach you in Sunday School or Bible Study."

In these Regions, the devotees of these lower forms of religion gaze with great satisfaction at the sight of the suffering souls in their vision of Hell. BUT, their perversion is but a fictitious scene, for ALL of this Hell and suffering stuff is nothing more than the creation of their own demented imagination! created from the astral substance. Yes, Dante's Infernos are real, but only in the imaginative minds of the demented religious souls who want to believe they are real.

So if there is such a "place" as a HELL, maybe this is where it is, or where it can be SEEN anyway — but only by the faithful followers of that particular religion — or belief.

Perhaps to the astral traveler, all this scenery would seem like a museum tour of all the religions of the world ? ...

:-)

Let's move on. Unfortunately, it gets uglier.

Illustration by Gustave Dove Dante's Divine Comedy

 

You see a congregation with hard, stern faces gazing down at the top of a smoking, bottomless pit. Rising out of the pit is a very large chain with a sharp hook attached to each link upon which a doomed soul is impaled. Supposedly, the soul rises to the top of the pit once every thousand years, hoping to be forgiven? only to be told his or her punishment/torture is to last "Forever!"

This congregation is apparently dwindling though. Many of the congregation have advanced to higher conceptions and new recruits arriving from the earth-plane to fill the depleting ranks are nearly nonexistent. In time, this ghastly scene will gradually dissolve into astral dust and disappear entirely. Such is the advancement of human spiritual evolution.

The thing to learn here is that although there are marvelous and inspiring scenes on this plane, with beautiful characters and advanced souls, there are also repulsive characters and scenes as well. It is remarkable to realize how many forms of religion and theology that have taken place in its evolution. Amazing.

 

 

 

Every form of deity (religion) has its own Region and its worshippers. The diagram to the right list the major religions of the world today that have managed to survive. You may recognize some of them. My guess is that the majority of you can't recognize more than a few, yet all these religions exist on this sub-plane, and each worshipper may profess or believe that their religion is the one and only true religion with the one and only true God. Well if that is the case, what does that say about the other religions?

 

 

 

 

 

Can every Religion be Right, if every Religion is Wrong?

... (sigh) such is this business of Religion...

But there is good reason to believe change has begun. Apparently, of all the religions of the world that have existed since humans began to worship something, many have only a handful of worshippers remaining now, and in some cases, the worshippers have disappeared entirely, along with the astral scenery of that (religion) Region. Could this be indicative of the spiritual advancement (evolution) of the soul, an evolution away from the traditional religious beliefs and toward the higher spiritual Truths?

 

Now let's visit the highest sub-plane