By Carl Llewellyn Weschcke
Of course, the Astral World is not at all new. In reality, it is older than the Physical Universe, and far larger. The astral “world” (also called the astral plane, astral level, or astral dimension) is the term mainly used in occult and magical circles, whereas it is also more familiarly known as the “World of Spirit,” as well as the Emotional Level, the Dream World and the Plane of Desire, the Domain of the Gods & Inner World of Natural Forces, the AfterWorld, the AfterDeath Plane, the World of the Fantasy and Imagination, the Creative Dimension, and the many other names descriptive of the focus we have towards its denizens and our purpose towards it.
The Astral World is older and larger than the entire physical universe because it is the birthplace of physical manifestation; it is also the world not only of pre-manifestation but of the co-existence of physical forms with their astral matrixes and replicas. For example, every building on the material plane has a replica in the astral world, but that astral replica often contains additional images of desire, fantasy, fears, plans for change and expansion; the various lusts and concerns of its occupants and visitors; of maintenance and security workers; and everything related to emotion and imagination.