Liberate the full potential of your spiritual consciousness with this accessible A-to-Z guide to Lucid Dreaming, Astral Projection, and the Body of Light. Between the Gates  is a manual of self-initiation and liberation that takes readers through the basic methods of experiencing dream states and conscious astral projection. Through these practices, readers embark on the path to the ultimate culmination of consciousness—creation of the Body of Light. Between the Gates  is for anyone who has ever desired to experience the "afterlife" while still alive, or who has desired to rid themselves of the fear of death. While drawing upon traditional Qabalistic and alchemical sources, the methods presented are applicable to a variety of traditions and schools of thought. Between the Gates  functions as an "A to Z" guide to psychic initiation toward higher consciousness, and ultimately, to preparation for the great transition beyond this life and this physical body. Mark Stavish has over 25 years of experience in traditional spirituality and is an internationally respected authority on the study and practical application of alchemy, Qabala, and astrology. Stavish is the author of The Path of Alchemy. In 1998 he established the Institute for Hermetic Studies. Stavish resides in Wyoming, Pennsylvania. John Michael Greer has been a student of the occult traditions and nature spirituality for more than twentyfive years. He is the author of numerous articles and more than ten books including Natural Magic, The New Encyclopedia of the Occult, The Druidry Handbook , and The Druid Magic Handbook . He is also the coauthor of Learning Ritual Magic and Pagan Prayer Beads . He lives in Ashland, Oregon with his wife Sara. BETWEEN the GATES Lucid Dreaming, Astral Projection, and the Body of Light in Western Esotericism By Mark Stavish Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC Copyright © 2008 Mark Stavish All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-57863-396-8 Contents AcknowledgmentsForeword by John Michael GreerIntroductionHow to Use This BookCHAPTER ONE—Mansions of the SoulCHAPTER TWO—Maps of Eternity: The Invisible in Western EsotericismCHAPTER THREE—Lucid Dreaming: Gateway to the InvisibleCHAPTER FOUR—The Magical Voice and the Body of LightCHAPTER FIVE—Astral Projection in QabalaCHAPTER SIX—Astral Projection in AlchemyCHAPTER SEVEN—The Body of Light: Its Creation and UseCHAPTER EIGHT—Assumption of the GodformCHAPTER NINE—Preparing for Death and BeyondCHAPTER TEN—Assisting the DyingAppendix A—Reading ListAppendix B—Physical Resurrection and IncorruptibilityAppendix C—The Hebrew Letters and Their Esoteric MeaningsAppendix D—The Powers of the Hebrew Letters, According to Eliphas LeviNotes CHAPTER 1 Mansions of the Soul The projection of consciousness has always been an integral part of Hermeticteachings. From the Merkavah (Chariot) Riders and their journeys to the starry Hekelot (Palaces) of the invisible world in primitive qabala, to the teachingsof the Corpus Hermeticum —"Think of a place and you are there" of the earlyChristian era—to the practice of Traveling in Spirit Visions undertaken by theadepts of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn in the nineteenth and earlytwentieth centuries, it would appear that the desire to experience the invisibleworld while still living in the material is an overwhelming human desire. While a wide variety of approaches has been formulated to assist the disciplesof these diverse schools, many of their techniques require an extensive amountof preparatory teachings, initiations, and ritual assistance. However, while theworld has changed, human beings still want to "know"—to experience forthemselves—and not just believe in the spiritual realms they were taught aboutas children—realms that have always been so slightly out of reach. Modern life,however, is much different than the life of our predecessors, even if ourinstinctual spiritual desires are the same. Time is divided into smaller andsmaller units, and people are expected to achieve ever more and more in thosemicrosections of time. Many people say they have little time for spiritual studies, let alone todedicate to a specific discipline. Others say that many of the traditionalWestern disciplines are too abstract and difficult to understand, let aloneapply. Yet for those who have little or no knowledge of traditional tenth- totwelfth-century Merkavah doctrines, or no interest in learning the necessarysigns, symbols, and invocations for Golden Dawn-style techniques and their "spinoffs," yet who still want a Hermetic approach to their inner world, this book isthe solution. The material presented is simple, direct, and does not require anextensive amount of visualization or creative imaging. The methods herein are especially suitable for those who would like to have an"out-of-body experience" but who lack either the necessary visualization skillsrequired for so many of the present techniques, or for those who have hadvi