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From: tim@unc.UUCP (Tim Maroney)
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: Re: Evidence for the Soul
Message-ID: <6540@unc.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 10-Jan-84 14:34:00 EST
Article-I.D.: unc.6540
Posted: Tue Jan 10 14:34:00 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 11-Jan-84 04:23:45 EST
References: <623@ihuxv.UUCP>
Organization: CS Dept., U. of N. Carolina at Chapel Hill
Lines: 19

Astral projection (which is what we in the Western Magickal tradition call
John's "popping out of the body") is not by any stretch of the imagination
evidence for the existence of the soul.  The phenomenon can be explained
completely by the existence of the psyche (which is self-evident to any but
a behaviorist) and the capacity to experience without external sensory input
controlling the experience.

The consciousness of an astral voyager is not particularly different from
that of a normal person, except that the experience is not directed by
external sensory data.  Therefore, the ability to astrally project does not
imply the existence of any part of the human beyond the mere psyche.

I should add that I do believe in the existence of higher manifestations of
the Self, which are basically the same thing as the "soul" many people speak
of.  All I am saying is that the elementary practice of astral projection
has no bearing on the issue.
--
Tim Maroney, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
duke!unc!tim (USENET), tim.unc@csnet-relay (ARPA)