From Manual espírita by "Bhima" (Francisco I. Madero), 1911.
English translation by C.M. Mayo, from:
...Metaphysical Odyssey Into the Mexican Revolution:
...Francisco I. Madero and His Secret Book, Spiritist Manual
...By C.M. Mayo (Dancing Chiva, 2014)


ASTRAL PROJECTION


Q. And what is understood by astral projection? I confess I find this word strange.

A. Indeed, this word is little known, as is the phenomena is designates, but this makes it no less interesting.

As with all the phenomena we have studied, this one has an immense variety of character according to its intensity and the person who produces it.

Thus at one end we have the projection that happens when a person is sleeping and his spirit travels to other realms, a phenomenon that is confused on the one hand, with somnabulism or telepathy, and, on the other, material projection, given that the person who produces this phenomenon leaves his physical body in the place he is, and with his fluid body, transports himself to another place, making himself visible and even tangible to the people he goes to visit.

Q. But is such a peculiar phenomenon really possible?

A. If it were not, it wouldn't exist, but this phenomenon has been proven in very numerous cases.

The Catholic religion tells of this type of phenomena in which the protagonists were venerated saints.

St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori, a priest, was in the city where he lived. One day he fell deeply asleep, and his fluid body transported itself to another city, where he followed the trial of his father, and in the moment he was condemned to death, St Alphonsus APPEARED before the judges and with eloquence and irrefutable proof defended his father, who was innocent, and caused him to be absolved. Having achieved this result, he disappeared without anyone present noticing, for it was only later that it was proved he was in the city where he lived at the same time that he was far away, publically speaking at his father's trial.

I could cite many examples that have all the characteristics of authenticity, however, I will limit myself to telling you that, in truly unusual conditions, our modern experts have had the opportunity to prove satisfactorally some phenomena of this nature.

A young lady who was a schoolteacher had this rare ability and people who walked with her were surprised to see her frequenting the garden, cutting flowers, at the same time that she was in some other place, sitting in silence.

She produced this phenomenon unconsciously and this caused people to shun her, for they were afraid her power.

The sages of India affirm that this ability can be acquired by means of practice. The Hindu masters often projected in order to visit their disciples with their astral body. This has not been proven by our Western experts. But from the moment we could confirm similar phenomena, and knowing of the vast knowledge the Hindus have about such matters, we have no trouble believing it.