The astral worlds have long fascinated spiritual seekers, often being imagined as places of freedom, light, and advancement beyond earthly life. Yet classical yogic teaching presents a far more sober picture—one that emphasizes karmic continuity, subtle bondage, and the real dangers of misplaced fascination. The following reflections address common questions about the astral planes from this deeper perspective.
There are many levels in the astral world, and they are all much more stable than the earth plane. Spending time in the astral plane is exactly like living within the earth plane, though in some of the higher worlds thought is more evidently a force.
Why are we born in the astral worlds?
We are born into those worlds and work out karma in them just as we do here. Of course, there is much more learning done there and some people spend centuries in the astral equivalent of study.
The lower astral worlds are so much like the earth that the people even live in buildings and there are changes in weather. In the higher worlds this is not so, and things remain more unvarying. Also, communication becomes increasingly non-verbal as we ascend to higher levels.
Are the astral worlds all positive?
Many of the same things that are done on earth are also done in the astral worlds–negative as well as positive. You may remember that Yogananda in his autobiography speaks of wars going on in the astral planes with mantric power being used instead of bombs.
The astral world may seem advantageous to our earthbound minds, but in reality it is a terrible place, being both more intense and more binding than the earth plane.
What about “astral travel?”
It is very difficult for people to extricate themselves from astral involvement. This is why many people while incarnated on the earth are addicted to so-called astral travel. I knew one of Yogananda’s personal secretaries whom he continually warned against this, but every night she would be “out and about.” Many times she was almost destroyed by evil forces, and only the Master’s intervention saved her.
Spiritual life can completely come to a standstill if our attention becomes overly focused on psychic and astral phenomena. One very psychic friend of mine told me that the first words she spoke to her guru were: “Can you get me off the astral?” Not all are so wise.
Further reading:
- There Are No Dead: Wisdom from the Bhagavad Gita
- The Gospel Of Nicodemus: When Jesus visited the astral regions after his resurrection.