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The Non-Physical Plane
Science vs. Faith
While many people may have had "magickal" experiences in their lives - proof of the statement "every willed act is a Magickal act" to various degrees - considerably fewer have had what are known in the scientific community as OOBEs (or OBEs): out of body experiences. In other words, the tendency toward astral travel is rather less than performing simple rituals or spells.
Professor Charles Tart, in the recent book Body, Mind, Spirit (Hampton Roads) writes a chapter on the scientific study of nonphysical worlds. He cites the work of Robert Monroe, who was basically an ordinary guy who learned how to achieve out of body experiences, and wrote extensively about them (Journeys Out of the Body, Ultimate Journey, Far Journeys). Others, including Tart himself, have written about Monroe's work, as well (B. Stockton, Catapult: The Biography of Robert A. Monroe). There is a level of belief beyond the average scientific approach to OBEs, though. It recognizes the existence of the spirit or soul, and that there is more to earthly existence than just what is seen by the people on this planet.
Tart writes, "A major instigating force behind the nineteenth century's psychical research movement was the desire to test the essential claims of religion." ("On the Scientific Study of Nonphysical Worlds", Body, Mind, Spirit, pg 214) In other words, science wanted to know if the unseen was real, or imaginary. While modern research tends "to investigate as objectively as possible the reality (or lack thereof) of ostensibly independently existing 'nonphysical' worlds," (ibid) it still comes down to men of academic knowledge and "logic" trying to make sense of something totally subjective and faith-oriented.
Such belief in the nonphysical gives rise to recognition of God-forms, as well. If there is a soul, and if it is not "imprisoned" in the body until death (or near death experiences), as is a popular view, then there are places only souls can go, and entities with which only souls can interact. And the soul seems to have an awareness of its own, which continues to interact with these entities - God-forms - while in the body proper, during ritual or "prayer", for instance.
So, if nonphysical worlds have been proven "real" from a scientific standpoint, why is there so much problem when people encounter ghosts, or claim to have visions? Why do run-of-the-mill psychologists or physicians tend to discount these encounters to mental illness or disease? It has gotten to the point where normal, healthy individuals - who may have a sensitivity to nonphysical entities and worlds - convince themselves they are insane, rather than reveal the marvels they have seen. That is a true pity.
Hard core science has given the world the realms of outer space, and the realms of "inner space" - the mysteries of the human body and other organisms. But the mind is still an "unknown quantity" in many circles. It is guestimated that humans use only a small portion of their brain on a daily basis. Those who may have developed the ability to use more - whether the "intellectual" or the "creative" - are viewed with suspicion. Such people are labeled "eccentric" or "unusual". For a friend or relative to read one's exact thoughts unexpectedly can, admittedly, be a frightening experience. But that person should not be ostracized or held at arm's length after the incident. It may be a simple matter of reading a person's body language or expression, to tell what he or she is thinking. It may be true psychic sensitivity or the long-touted "ESP". It shouldn't matter.
But, it does. For those who have never travelled on the astral plane, it may be difficult to stomach what others say about those worlds, much like it would be difficult for someone who has never been to China to understand a friend's description of Peking. People accustomed to kneeling in prayer to an obscure deity may not readily grasp the description of a one-on-one encounter with someone's personal Gods. Those who are so "grounded" on earth may take years to understand how marvelous are the other worlds, seen and unseen by the human eye.
The scientists who have endeavored to present to their colleagues that more exists than meets the eye are sometimes scorned for "wasting time". Tart himself admits, "The proposed lines of research into the existence of [nonphysical worlds] will not be easy ones, running against the current scientific prejudice as they do." (Body, Mind, Spirit, pg 219) All the research papers in the world, all the documentation and, sometimes, even tangible proof in the form of photos, recordings or videos, cannot convince most scientists there is not a hoax or mental instability behind out of body experiences, or just plain "faith". Those who perform scientific studies in these areas often must take their case to the public, where those who believe appreciate the efforts more readily.
More's the pity because, at some point in every human's existence, the unseen worlds, the God-forms, the spiritual will be all that is left.
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