Chapter 13 – Night Practice 1: Theoretical Aspects etheric body, a contraction process takes place on the etheric level as well as on the physical. The etheric body becomes compacted, compressed, denser, more ‘opaque’ and closed to external influences. On the other hand, when the astral body withdraws from the lower complex, and therefore from the etheric body, the opposite can be observed. The etheric body expands. It becomes more spread, sparse and open. This is more than a simple relaxation, for etheric matter is far from being as inflexible as physical matter; it is much more malleable and fluid. Therefore, it is a real dilation, a swelling of the etheric body, that takes place when the astral body moves away from it. The etheric body does not feel as dense. You can feel the limits of your own energy extending much further away than when the astral body is closely impacted. So altogether, the etheric body is sometimes closed and compacted, sometimes dilated and more permeable, depending on whether the astral body is near or far from it. In Chapters 18 and 20 we will see how a conscious mastery of this balance can be used to protect your energies. There is a certain way of being fully present that impacts the astral body into the etheric, shielding the latter against negative influences. It gives the feeling that the aura is closed and impermeable. But no living structure can flourish if it remains contracted all the time. To maintain the health of the etheric, there have to be times when it can completely relax and expand. The more the grasp of the astral body is released, the more the etheric body is set free. The stress of modern life tends to generate a cramped condition in which the astral body never really lets go of its grip on the etheric. In the long run this creates a wearing out and an exhaustion of the etheric layer. Night practice allows you to reach a degree of etheric relaxation that is far superior to usual sleep. The perfect state of etheric relaxation is very similar to what a baby experiences naturally. Why does a baby sleep all the time? Because its astral body has hardly landed on the planet. The baby's astral body is floating above, and only incarnates from time to time into the etheric. Therefore the baby's etheric is completely open and in a state of absolute relaxation. This also means that you should take great care of your baby, for this openness makes it very vulnerable to its environment. The baby ‘breathes through its skin’ all the influences of the world
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