The Study and Practice of Astral Projection

«reliance is chiefly placed on (1) cases in which the claim that a person is exteriorized in a ‘double’, or Psychical Body, seems to be corroborated by the fact that his apparition was seen by others, and (2) cases in which the experience is repeated experimentally» — enumera las dos vías probatorias que la literatura previa había usado

«He invites the reader to compare the accounts given in this book, to note the comments made [in square brackets] and to consider whether the concordances and coherences that occur can be explained except on the assumption that the narratives are, in fact, descriptive of genuine experiences» — su método declarado: comparar concordancias entre relatos, y dejar la conclusión al lector

«Scientific papers in The Geological Magazine, The Annals of Botany, Memoirs of the Geological Survey of Great Britain» — la credencial que la obra exhibe, de un campo ajeno al asunto

«Prof. E. Bozzano (Discarnate Influence in Human Life, J. M. Watkins, 1938) pointed out that the conclusions which Muldoon and Carrington had published in 1929 had been arrived at by him, by a process of comparative analysis, and published in 1910» — consigna una reclamación de PRIORIDAD: Bozzano dice haber llegado en 1910, por análisis comparativo, a lo que Muldoon y Carrington publicaron en 1929

«Muldoon considered that he possessed a natural power to ‘project’ his ‘double’ from his Physical Body. This, however, states the case in reve» — y objeta la autodescripción de Muldoon; el corte trunca «reverse»

«gave evidence which included accounts both of natural and enforced exteriorizations» — la partición que hereda del comité de la London Dialectical Society de 1869

«I had a nightmare and could not move a muscle [= catalepsy]. While in this state, I saw the spirit of my sister-in-law whom I knew was confined to her bedroom» — el caso de Varley, con la catalepsia anotada entre corchetes por Crookall

«five loosely woven strands, stretching from my body, as far as I could see, back to the house» — cómo describe el cordón uno de sus testigos: cinco hebras tejidas flojamente

«The cord was attached to the head of my Psychical Body and to the centre of my Physical Body» — y dónde se inserta en cada cuerpo

«Here is a whole complex of statements, given independently, that exhibit a remarkable coherence and concordance» — enuncia su criterio probatorio: coherencia entre testimonios independientes

«the writer considers that many, though not of course all, accounts which people give of having temporarily left their Physical Bodies in some sort of ‘Spiritual Body’ are basically true.» — abre el prefacio con su tesis y con la decisión devuelta al lector: tiene por básicamente verdaderos muchos relatos —no todos— de haber dejado temporalmente el cuerpo físico.

«they point unmistakably to man’s survival of bodily death (since they are identical with those given by the ‘dead’— see Appendix V).» — y la consecuencia que les saca: apuntan a la supervivencia a la muerte corporal, y lo deriva de que coinciden con lo que dicen los muertos en su apéndice V.

«they suggest that our entrance into the ‘next’ world is no more (and no less) a religious matter than entrance into the physical world at birth.» — de ahí saca una tercera consecuencia, que rebaja el asunto: entrar al otro mundo no es más ni menos asunto religioso que nacer a éste.

«These evidences have not proved convincing to many.» — y reconoce que las dos vías probatorias de sus predecesores no convencieron.

«On the other hand, we suggest that the cumulative evidence here adduced, though necessarily of an indirect nature, serves to establish the reality of out-of-the-body experiences quite as firmly as the theory of evolution is established (see Appendix IX).» — frente a eso propone otra clase de prueba, acumulativa y por su propio reconocimiento indirecta, y la mide contra el patrón de la teoría de la evolución.

«Although a number of authors give methods for inducing astral projections, the present writer considers that, in general, these or any other psychic experiences, should not be forced in any way.» — el título anuncia práctica y el prefacio la desaconseja: hay autores que dan métodos, pero él sostiene que ninguna experiencia psíquica debe forzarse.

«There is a time when an egg-shell can break and the chick emerge in comfort and safety.» — y la imagen con que lo sostiene, del cascarón que se rompe a su tiempo.

«The person who takes pride in his ‘commonsense’ outlook on life naturally regards such narratives as representing mere dreams. The present writer, who has studied them systematically over a period of many years, does not.» — sitúa su desacuerdo con el sentido común: quien se precia de él lee estos relatos como sueños, y él, que los ha estudiado sistemáticamente durante años, no.

«The writer has studied the supposed experiences of people who had left the body permanently (i.e., died): he found that those who said that they died naturally described one series of experiences while those who said their death was enforced described another, a more restricted, series» — la partición que trae de su estudio previo de los muertos: los que dijeron morir de forma natural describen una serie de experiencias, y los de muerte forzada otra más restringida.

«Some of the ‘dead’ gave explanations of these differences. Their explanations are reasonable. Moreover, in some cases, they agree with the findings of psychical science.» — y por qué acepta esas explicaciones: le parecen razonables y en algunos casos concuerdan con lo que halla la ciencia psíquica.

«We therefore conclude that the accounts of the after-death experiences which we examined are very probably, indeed almost certainly, genuine.» — de ahí su conclusión sobre los relatos de después de la muerte, dicha con su gradación: muy probablemente, casi con certeza, genuinos.

«They are not, as is often supposed, mere products of the ‘subconscious mind’» — y lo que niega expresamente: que sean producto de la mente subconsciente.

«The present book analyses the experiences of people who claim to leave the body temporarily. It is found that those who did so naturally typically describe one series of experiences, while those whose exteriorization was enforced typically describe another, a more restricted, series.» — traslada la misma partición al material de este libro, que es la salida temporal: la exteriorización natural da una serie y la forzada otra más restringida. Es el eje de toda la compilación.

«This correspondence in independent narratives seems explicable only if both sets of narratives are substantially true. No alternative explanation seems possible (see ‘Conclusions’, p. 140).» — y el argumento que levanta sobre la correspondencia entre los que dicen haber dejado el cuerpo para siempre y los que solo temporalmente: solo se explica si ambas series son sustancialmente verdaderas, y no ve alternativa.

«She became certain that, ‘The soul exists and is indestructible’.» — del caso número 1, el de Miss Elizabeth Blakeley, publicado en Prediction en marzo de 1953: la certeza con que la testigo salió de la experiencia.

«Gradually the consciousness, which normally suffuses the whole body , became condensed in the head. I became all head, and only head.» — y cómo describe Blakeley el comienzo: la consciencia, que normalmente empapa todo el cuerpo, se condensa en la cabeza.

«Contrary to general belief, there was no loss of consciousness. [There was no ‘sleep’ until ‘the end of the age’-—compare Statement No. 34.]» — Blakeley niega la pérdida de consciencia, y Crookall le añade entre corchetes su remisión al aparato: no hay sueño hasta el fin del tiempo, compárese la declaración 34.

«there flashed a complete series of pictures embodying the most important events of my life |= the review of the past life, the ‘Judgment’—cf. Statement No. 34]» — la revisión de la vida en el relato de Blakeley, con la glosa del compilador incrustada entre corchetes; la capa de texto abre el corchete como una barra vertical.

«I became my own judge of my own actions, for good or bad, throughout my preceding life.» — y en qué consiste ese juicio según la testigo: ella misma juzga sus propios actos, sin prejuicio ni emoción confusa.

«I knew then, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that my soul, free from the Physical Body, was about to enter another existence, entirely different from that of earth. I was experiencing death and realized that it is not a thing to fear.» — del caso número 2, el del Dr George Kelley, cuyo relato publicó su esposa en The Aquarian Age: lo que el testigo dice haber sabido durante la experiencia.

«I tried to inform my wife of my safety while absent, and to assure her that I would return. I found communication impossible.» — y el rasgo que Crookall irá recogiendo caso por caso: el exteriorizado intenta comunicarse con los vivos y no puede.

«The experience of Dr A. S. Wiltse, of Skiddy, Kansas, first published in The St. Louis Medical and Surgical Journal (1889), is also given in Proc. S.P.R. viii, p. 180.» — del caso número 3, el del Dr A. S. Wiltse: Crookall declara la procedencia doble del relato, una revista médica de 1889 y las actas de la S.P.R.

«I looked,’ said Dr Wiltse, ‘in astonishment for the first time upon myself, the Me, while the not-Me closed in upon all sides like a sepulchre of clay. With all the interest of a physician, I beheld the wonders of my bodily anatomy, intimately interwoven with which, even tissue for tissue, was I, the living soul of the dead body.’» — y cómo Wiltse, médico, dice haberse visto: el Yo frente al no-Yo que se cierra como un sepulcro de arcilla.

«Wiltse heard and felt, ‘the snapping of innumerable cords’ (cf. Statement No. 19], began to retreat from the feet towards the head of his Physical Body and finally emerged from the head» — el desprendimiento en el relato de Wiltse —el chasquido de cordones innumerables, la retirada de los pies a la cabeza— con las remisiones del compilador a sus declaraciones numeradas.

«I floated up and down laterally, like a soap bubble attached to the bowl of a pipe, until at last I broke free from the body and fell lightly on the floor» — y el símil con que Wiltse describe la salida, la burbuja de jabón prendida a la cazoleta de una pipa.

«There were two men near the door of the room and one of them, without realizing it, passed his arm through the ‘dead’ doctor’s Psy» — el detalle que Crookall retiene de Wiltse como prueba de la inmaterialidad del doble: un brazo lo atraviesa sin que su dueño lo note.

«He realized, ‘That [Physical Body] is not I; this is I, and I am as much alive as ever,» — la fórmula con que Wiltse separa las dos cosas; los corchetes que aclaran a qué cuerpo se refiere son del compilador.

«Passing out through the door and looking back, he saw ‘a small cord like a spider’s web’ connecting his Physical and Psychical Bodies» — y la primera aparición del cordón en la compilación, en la descripción de Wiltse: un cordoncillo como telaraña.

«Statements corroborating his were obtained from those present.» — Crookall cierra el caso con lo que le importa como prueba: los presentes corroboraron lo que Wiltse dijo haber visto mientras estaba *muerto*.

«The experience of being almost dead also occurred to the Revd L. J. Bertrand who gave Dr Hodgson an oral, and Prof. Wm. James a written account: details were published in Proc. S.R., vill, p. 194.» — del caso número 4, el del reverendo L. J. Bertrand: Crookall consigna que hay dos testimonios recogidos, uno oral a Hodgson y otro escrito a William James; la capa de texto lee S.P.R. como S.R. y el volumen viii como vill.

«Late Principal Geologist, H.M. Geological Survey, London, formerly Demonstrator in Botany, University of Aberdeen» — la portada declara el cargo desde el que firma: geólogo principal del Servicio Geológico de Su Majestad y antes demostrador de botánica en Aberdeen.

«Second paperbound printing, 1977 Copyright © 1960 by Robert Crookall All rights reserved» — los datos de edición del ejemplar recorrido: el copyright de 1960 y la segunda impresión en rústica que lo reimprime en 1977.

«The Supreme Adventure—James Clarke & Co. Ltd., 1960.» — entre sus obras anteriores figura la que este libro usará como cantera de declaraciones de los muertos, publicada el mismo año.

«Coal Measure Plants—Edward Arnold & Co. Ltd., 1929. The Kidston Collection of Fossil Plants—H.M. Stationery Office, 1938.» — y el resto de esa lista es paleobotánica: plantas del carbonífero y una colección de plantas fósiles.

«The accounts should be exact, nothing being omitted and nothing inserted in an attempt to make them agree with those already published. Differences between narratives may be of great significance.» — la instrucción que da a sus corresponsales, y que es la guarda de su método: nada omitido y nada insertado para hacer concordar los relatos, porque las diferencias entre ellos pueden ser significativas.

«Many of these Case Histories were sent personally to the writer and are new to the literature. A questionnaire was submitted to correspondents and additional details were obtained (Appendix II).» — de dónde sale buena parte del material: relatos enviados en persona al autor y nuevos en la literatura, más un cuestionario a los corresponsales.

«A brief history of our subject is given in Appendix I.» — y remite la historia del asunto a un apéndice, que es donde reúne los antecedentes antiguos y modernos.

«People often have incomplete (or incompletely-remembered) experiences of this nature (Appendix III), while many ‘dreams’ are obviously not fantasies but» — declara dos categorías más de material que el libro admite: las experiencias incompletas o incompletamente recordadas y los sueños que no serían fantasía.

«But Faraday rejected supernormal phenomena: being committed to a sect with rigid Biblical views, he separated science from religion.» — las páginas de epígrafes llevan la voz del compilador metida entre paréntesis: cita a Faraday y en el mismo renglón lo desautoriza.

«And he fulfilled his own prediction, since he failed to adopt his own advice. Huxley also wrote, ‘Supposing the [psychic] phenomena to be genuine they do not interest me’.)» — y hace lo mismo con Huxley, a quien opone otra frase suya.

«Browning failed to realize that D. D. Home was as honest as he himself and that the phenomena he produced were genuine.» — y con Browning, a quien reprocha no haber reconocido a D. D. Home, cuyos fenómenos da por genuinos.

«Yet Profs. C. D. Broad, H. H. Price, J. B. Rhine, Hornell Hart and many other eminent scholars are now convinced of its reality.)» — cierra la serie de epígrafes contestando a Ray Lankester con una lista de académicos que sí tiene por convencidos.

«She gave an example, from her own experience, of a projection caused by desire (and habit). It is as follows: (italics by present writer).» — el compilador declara su propia intervención tipográfica: las cursivas de los relatos son suyas, no de sus fuentes.

«For permission to make extracts from copyright material, the author is grateful to the following publishers. (The Case-numbers are given in parentheses after the title of the work concerned.) Apologies are rendered for any inadvertent omission from this list.» — los agradecimientos declaran la base material de la compilación: permisos de cita, con el número de caso al lado de cada obra y una disculpa por las omisiones.

«Especial thanks are due to the following, who sent first-hand accounts of their experiences, together with permission for their inclusion in this book:» — y separa de esa lista a los corresponsales que le enviaron relatos de primera mano con permiso para publicarlos.

«All who are interested in this subject owe a deep debt of gratitude to Sylvan J. Muldoon of Darlington, Wis., U.S.A. The present writer expresses his personal thanks to his friend Mr Muldoon.» — el libro se cierra agradeciendo a Muldoon, a quien llama amigo suyo, lo que sitúa la compilación dentro del círculo que estudia.

«the most comprehensive, ™ systematic, objective and potentially epochal treatise ’ yet to be published on the» — la contracubierta trae el juicio de un sociólogo universitario, que es la credencial académica que la edición exhibe.

«Cover design by Peretz Kaminsky» — y el crédito de la cubierta, único dato de factura del ejemplar reimpreso.