LESSON TWO
24. Write the figure 8 horizontally. We find that there are two parts connected in the middle. Qo on piling this figure one on top of the other. This represents the spinal cord. The left is the Ida, and the right the Pingala, and the hollow canal which runs through the center of the spinal cord is the Sushumana. Where the spinal cord ends in the lumbar vertebrae, a fine fiber exists, and the canal is found even in that fiber, only much finer.
25. The canal is closed at the lower end, which is situated near the sacral plexus, which according to modem physiology is triangular in form.
26. Practice for thirty minutes daily the following exercise in Rhythmic Breathing. Close the right nostril with the right thumb and inhale through the left, now close both nostrils and retain and exhale through the left. Inhale counting 8 heart beats; retain counting four heart beats/ exhale counting 8 heart beats; interval between breaths, 4 heart beats. That is in the proportion of 2,1, 2,1. After some practice, increase the time of each inhalation to 12, 16 and 24 heart beats, increasing the time of retention, exhalation and interval in the given proportion.
27. As you continue this exercise, you will, it is said, one day be raised up bodily into the air by some invisible power, i.e., the power of stored up Prana. This is the first st age in levitation.
28. When this stage of spiritual development has been reached, you will experience little or no difficulty in projecting your astral body.
29. You have frequently experienced the elementary stages of projection although you did not realize or recognize it as such. Have you ever been half-conscious of the body jerking and actually jumping when almost asleep? Have you ever had the sensation of sinking, of dizziness, of floating, of whirling, or vibrating, under some conditions?
30. They are all the result of the psychic body being loosened from the physical, naturally causing a disturbance of the nervous system.
31. When a child whirls it becomes dizzy. Why? Because the psychic body has been loosened from the physical, It is a known fact that some of the Yogis often “whirl” in order to project the astral body.
32. “The Lord God formed humans of the dust of the earth, and breathed into their nostrils the breath of life, and they became living Souls. Consider this quotation from an esoteric viewpoint. The energy which is generated by the psychic body and which permeates the physical is Prana or “The breath of Life,” Without such vibratory force, the body would return to the original earthly elements of which it is composed – dust to dust,
33. The astral is the vital part of us, the actual cloak of the Soul. The physical is merely propelled by the astral energy and enables you to act upon the physical plane.
34. When the psychic body is out of its physical counterpart it is connected with the physical by what mystics of all ages have called “The Silver Cord.” In reality this cord is a current of energy similar in intensity to an electric current. It is of a greyish, white color and pulsates much as a living creature. In fact, as we observe this cord while in a projected state, it seems almost to be an alive, intelligent being. It is over an inch in diameter when the astral body is very close to the physical though its luminosity makes it appear wider, The cord becomes thinner and finer the farther from the physical the astral body goes.
35. The silver cord leaves the physical body at the forehead and connects with the psychic body at the back of the head. While the projection is relatively close to the physical you will feel a throbbing at the back of the head, and see a similar throbbing or pulsating in the cord. The cord is the medium by which the physical body is supplied with vital energy while the psychic is “out.”
36. If the astral cord should be severed death would immediately result, because the body would be cut off from a supply of life force.
37. While projected you can also hold the breath, but this is very dangerous. It has caused death, because it interferes with the rhythmic action of the cord, causing congestion in the physical body. This cord exerts quite a pull upon the psychic until a good distance separates the two bodies. It is true you must use will power to advance beyond the force of the cord. If you succeed in advancing a good distance from the body, the pull gradually becomes less and less, until there is no feeling at all from this source.
38. 38, In the prolongation of life the sages discovered that breath came first in point of importance, food second and drink came third. After deep research in mineral, plant and animal kingdoms, they discovered many secrets that would enable them to rejuvenate and prolong life. They discovered that certain animals, such as birds, snakes, reptiles, frogs, deer, etc, are able to rejuvenate themselves even without much food, because most of them depend upon air more than they do upon food and water. Often these animals are compelled to live for days without food or water. To compensate for this they inflate their lungs fully with air and often hold the breath for some time. Air is for them food, water and the elixir of life. It is said that deer are able to breathe through every pore of their skin when running at lightning speed, and their ability to rejuvenate themselves by shedding their antlers and hair again and again, compels us to believe that there is some truth in this belief,
39. Thus it was found that animals which inspire more air, either by design or as a natural requirement, are able to prolong life. Therefore it is reasonable to think that humans, who are also breathing animals, could similarly remain ever young and also prolong life by the conscious control of breath. This has been put to the test by numberless Yogis in India, and all of them affirm with one accord that by