ASTRAL PROJECTION IN ALCHEMY
aura, pushing it outward in a clean, smooth, and even manner. (You may even imagine your body dissolving into the light as the central point of your solar plexus, where your consciousness is now centered, takes prominence.) 5. Vibrate the sound - "ah,"as in "father," until you can feel it in your solar plexus and vibrating across your entire body. Repeat this seven times. T h e Divine Name, I A O (pronounced ee-aahooh), may also be used. 6. Rest in this experience of light. 7. When you are done, draw the energy back into yourself and focus it in your solar plexus.
Incorporation into Daily Practice Once learned, this exercise can be quickly applied in a variety of circumstances and with little visible preparation. It should be done at least one or twice a week as a tonic or even as a side exercise when you are not in a formal practice setting.
Projection into the Alchemical World: the Secret Garden Revisited T h e well-known children's tale The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, has been a staple of entertainment since it was published in 1911. Multiple film adaptations exist because the story contains sufficient thematic ideas to allow for multiple visions while being true to the original. This is very much like alchemy. In addition, the main idea of a secret garden wherein magic and mystery come to life is a perennial alchemical theme, found in many of the woodcuts and engravings. Many gardens filled with alchemical symbolism were even built in the palace grounds of European royalty from the sixteenth through eighteenth centuries. One of Carl Jung's most significant visionary experiences was one in which he was taken to an ancient garden, and for the rest of his life, he tried to return to this secret place of mystery, wisdom, and power.
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