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I'm not certain where one draws the line between astral projection/lucid
dreaming and meditation, but I would suggest that they are clearly different
things. I believe I recall seeing a letter/compilation from the House on
the subject of psychic forces several years ago. It indicated that psychic
forces are real, but not to be actively pursued in this world. I believe
the gist of it is covered in the passage pasted below.
My take would be that astral projection & lucid dreaming fall within the
category of psychic forces (not to be actively worked to develop in this
world) while meditation is encouraged as a means of preparing one's soul for
active use of psychic forces in the next world.
Patti
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806. To tamper with psychic forces while in this world interferes with the
condition of the soul in the world to come. These forces are real, but are
not to be active on this plane.
The child in the womb has its eyes, ears, hands and feet, but these powers
are not in activity. The whole purpose of the womb-life is the coming forth
into this world. So, the whole purpose of this matrix-world life is the
coming forth into the world of Reality, where all these (psychic) forces
will be active. They belong to that world.
This mineral and these trees have no knowledge of the animal and human
worlds; they cannot imagine them, they deny their very existence. While the
human world is helping the animal and developing the vegetable kingdoms,
these kingdoms are unconscious of it. Similarly, the human world cannot
comprehend the world of the Kingdom; it is absolutely ignorant of the
Kingdom, while the heavenly spirits have influence in the human world.
Observe how clear this point is, yet the professors and philosophers of the
world ignore this Reality! The psychic mediums, however, are speaking of the
world of thought and not the world of Reality. But a heavenly soul who is
conscious of the divine world, whose eye of discernment is open, who is
severed from the world of nature, and has attained to spiritual power --
this soul is cognizant of the divine world and the world of spirits. Reality
is pure spirit, it is not physical. That is, it occupies no space. 443
(Compilations, Baha'i Scriptures, p. 442)
, but
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