Page:Weird Tales Volume 35 Issue 04 (1940-07).djvu/126

124 ings, of the three personal experiences recounted in the May issue.

"In the first case Mr. Gary is attracting those bullets by his own inner attitude. Haunted by the spectacle of a man shot to death before his eyes and worried by the dreams predicting his own death in this manner, he formed a deep-seated mental picture in his subconscious which is influencing events around him. The Yogis teach that 'you get that to which you are inwardly attuned,' sooner or later. Already Mr. Gary has thus 'attracted,' through the power of the sub-conscious mind, two bullets; and unless he changes his inner attitude very radically, very soon, the third bullet will arrive and kill him. However, if he would honestly try to replace this deep-seated worry and certainty of death by a bullet with a positive picture of a long life free from all harm there is still a chance that the third bullet may not reach him.

"The case of Carma Millard's husband deals with an earthbound Astral Body. Occultists tell us that at death our Ego leaves the physical body but carries with it the Astral Body and, at times, some of the higher mental principles. The Astral Body is an exact counterpart of the Physical Body, only it is composed of much finer materials and is only visible to people possessing clairvoyance or advanced occult powers. Occasionally this Astral Body will not disintegrate for several weeks or months but will remain near its former earthly haunts, as did the mysterious girl in white in this experience. Egos imprisoned in such earthbound Astral Bodies often fail to realize that they are indeed dead, and so attempt to communicate with friends or relatives in familiar places, just as this girl did in the Cocoanut Grove; but they can only be seen or talked to by some mortal of unusual psychic power such as Evan Millard obviously possessed without understanding it. There is nothing unusual, either, according to the occult teachings, about the fact that Mr. Millard believed he had met and known this girl somewhere before; for undoubtedly his Ego had been associated with her in some past incarnation. And because of this strong former attachment it was only logical that he should want to rejoin her, and to accomplish this it is entirely possible that he simply 'wished' himself 'out of the body,' or died voluntarily by an action of the will alone, when he finally realized that this mysterious girl was actually dead. Of course all of this is a terrific burden for Mrs. Millard at the present time; but if she can bring herself to realize that neither the 'ghost' of the girl nor her husband was guilty of any 'crime' but were simply drawn to each other in this rather unusual manner through the workings of the great Law of Karma, perhaps she can become reconciled to her loss. I sincerely hope so.

"The third experience is simply an example of what the occultists call 'Astral Projection.' There are hundreds, or perhaps thousands, of similar cases known to students of psychic phenomena. What happens is that the Ego and the Astral Body leave the physical body temporarily, while the physical body is still living, and literally 'fly off into space' for a time and then return to the physical body, unharmed. Many advanced occultists and Yogis have the ability of projecting themselves, or their Astrals, at will; but more often such experiences come unexpectedly to persons who have psychic powers without realizing it. This is what happened to the friend of Caroline Evans. To materially minded people such a story as this may seem silly; but to an occultist it is a well recognized happening, easily explained. Neither Miss Evans or her friend need have the slightest alarm over this for such Astral Flights have no bad effects upon a person who understands their cause."

From Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Betty V. Browne writes: "Your magazine, which thrilled me when I read it as a child, has come back into my life again and I anxiously await each new issue, eager to enjoy its many unique and beautifully written stories.

"In an age when there is so much trashy literature on the market, it is indeed refreshing to find one periodical which adheres unflinchingly to its policy of printing tales of literary merit as well as intense interest to those interested in psychic phenomena. I am an X-ray technician and have published several technical papers, but even those of us engaged in scientific fields can realize that potent forces are unseen and unfathomed."