"And now, Hassein, there is another point I wish to ask you about. I have frequently heard men on earth say they want to know, if the spheres exist around the earth and between them and the sun, why is it that all men cannot see them, and why they cannot even see those spirits who are said to be actually in the room with them. Naturally, men are not all satisfied to be told simply that it is because they are not clairvoyants, and have not the soul-sight. They want a still clearer explanation. I am a spirit myself and I know that I exist, and so does my dwelling-place, but I am unable to give an answer to the question. Can you do so?"
"Hassein, I have another question for you. I've often heard people on Earth ask why they can't see the spiritual spheres surrounding our planet or the spirits said to be in the room with them. They're not satisfied with the simple explanation that they lack clairvoyance or soul-sight. They want a more thorough answer. As a spirit myself, I know I exist, as does my home, but I can't explain this phenomenon. Can you provide a clearer explanation?"
Hassein laughed. "I could give a dozen elaborate explanations, but neither you nor these mortals who are unable to see the spirits would be much wiser after I had done so. I must, therefore, endeavor to make my answer as free from technicalities as I can. First, though, let me ask if you have seen the photographs of unmaterialized spirits which have been obtained by certain mediums in the flesh. You will have noticed that to mortal sight they present a semi-transparent appearance. The material doors and windows, furniture, etc. show through the figures of the spirits.
Hassein chuckled. "I could offer countless complex explanations, but neither you nor these humans who can't see spirits would understand much better afterward. So, I'll try to keep my answer as simple as possible. First, though, let me ask if you've seen photos of non-materialized spirits taken by certain living mediums. You'll have noticed that to human eyes, these spirits appear semi-transparent. You can see material objects like doors, windows, and furniture through the spirits' forms."
"Now that gives you a very good idea of the amount of materiality possessed by an astral body (the first degree of spiritualized matter). The material particles are spread so thinly that they are like a fine net-work united by invisible atoms of a more etherealized nature--so sublimated in fact that they cannot be impressed upon the most sensitive plates now used by photographers. Spirits after they leave the earth plane cannot be photographed by the plates now in use--they do not possess gross enough atoms in the composition of their bodies, and have therefore to either materialize a body like an earthly one, or they may use another method which has been found successful and which is the one commonly used in the case of spirit photographs, where the spirits are visible to clairvoyant sight though invisible to material eyes. This is simply described by saying these spirits make use of some of those astral envelopes or bodies that I have already described to you as forming from cloud masses of semi-material human atoms--astral shells which never served as the covering of any soul, and which are so plastic in their nature that spirits can mold them into their own likeness as a sculptor molds the clay. These replicas can be and are photographed, bearing a greater or less resemblance to the spirit, according as his will power and his knowledge enable him to stamp his likeness upon them, and though they are not strictly speaking the photos of the spirits themselves, yet they are none the less evidence of spirit power and of the existence of the spirit who has made use of them, because each spirit must himself stamp his own identity upon the plastic astral form, while more advanced scientific spirits prepare that form to receive the impression.
This text provides insight into the nature of astral bodies, the first level of spiritualized matter. Their material particles are so thinly spread that they resemble a fine network held together by invisible, more ethereal atoms. These particles are too refined to be captured by even the most sensitive photographic plates available today. Spirits who have left the physical plane cannot be photographed using current technology due to the lack of dense enough atoms in their composition. To appear in photographs, they must either materialize a body similar to a physical one or use a more common method employed in spirit photography. This method, visible to clairvoyants but not to the naked eye, involves using astral envelopes or bodies formed from cloud-like masses of semi-material human atoms. These astral shells, which have never housed a soul, are highly malleable. Spirits can shape them into their own likeness, much like a sculptor molds clay. These replicas can be photographed and may resemble the spirit to varying degrees, depending on the spirit's willpower and ability to imprint their likeness. While not direct photographs of the spirits themselves, these images serve as evidence of spirit power and existence. Each spirit must imprint their own identity onto the plastic astral form, while more advanced scientific spirits prepare the form to receive the impression.
"In the case of materialized spirits' photographs, the spirits really make a body from the more material atoms and clothe themselves in it.
In spirit photography, the apparitions supposedly create a physical form using dense particles and envelop themselves in it.
"A clairvoyant seeing one of these astral forms about to be photographed would probably not be able to distinguish between it and a true spirit man or woman, because the power of distinguishing between them is not yet developed in mediums, neither, as a rule, do they know why a spirit that looks solid enough to them comes out on a photographic plate with a semi-transparent appearance. The see the more spiritualized matter as well as the grosser astral atoms, therefore it appears to them as a solid body with well-rounded, well proportioned limbs, not as a transparent shadow of a spirit whose appearance may well give rise to the idea that returning spirits are mere shades, almost, in fact, empty shells--the real reason of the empty appearance being that, as I have said, the photographic appliances at present in use are not capable of transferring the whole spirit's form but only these grosser particles. In the case of a fully materialized spirit being photographed, this transparent appearance does not exist. The form is so perfect, so life-like and solid, that men turn round and say it, therefore, cannot be a spirit photograph at all--it must be nothing but the medium. Blind seekers, who in trying to grasp a subject so vast, so full of the most subtle difficulties, bring to bear upon it only the knowledge suitable for mundane things, and then conclude that they are able to decide finally so momentous, so scientific a question!
A psychic observing one of these astral forms about to be photographed would likely struggle to distinguish it from a genuine spirit, as mediums haven't yet developed this ability. They also don't typically understand why a spirit that appears solid to them looks semi-transparent in a photograph. Psychics see both the more spiritual matter and the denser astral particles, so they perceive a solid body with well-formed limbs, not a transparent shadow. This shadowy appearance in photos has led to the misconception that returning spirits are mere shades or empty shells. In reality, current photographic equipment can only capture the denser particles, not the entire spirit form. When a fully materialized spirit is photographed, this transparency doesn't occur. The image is so lifelike and solid that skeptics often claim it can't be a spirit photograph at all, but must be the medium instead. These narrow-minded investigators, attempting to grasp such a vast and complex subject, apply only their knowledge of everyday matters and then presume they can definitively settle such a profound scientific question.
"But to return to your question. Having shown you how a photograph may give a spirit whose appearance is like that of the traditional ghost, I will now show you how mortals may also see them as such, but to illustrate my meaning I will first ask you to imagine yourself back in your earthly body with no more powers of spirit sight than you possessed then. Let us liken the material and spiritual sight to two eyes. The one we will call the left, the other the right eye, and let the left stand for the material sight, the right the spiritual. Suppose you stand with your back to the light and hold your forefinger in front of the right eye where it can be seen by that eye only, the left seeing only the wall before you--shut the right eye and the finger is invisible, yet it is there, only not in the line of vision for the left, or material, sight. Now open both eyes at once and look at your finger and you will now see it certainly, but owing to a curious optical illusion it will appear transparent, a mere shadow of a finger, the wall being seen through it, and it may be likened to a ghost of a finger although you know it to be a solid reality.
To answer your question, let me explain how a photograph can show a spirit that looks like a traditional ghost, and how living people can see them in a similar way. Imagine you're back in your physical body with normal eyesight. Think of material and spiritual sight as two separate eyes - the left eye for physical sight and the right for spiritual. Picture yourself standing with your back to a light source, holding your index finger in front of your right eye. Only your right eye can see it, while your left eye sees just the wall in front of you. If you close your right eye, the finger disappears, even though it's still there - it's just not in your left eye's line of sight. Now, open both eyes and look at your finger. You'll see it, but due to an optical illusion, it will appear transparent. The wall behind it will be visible through your finger, making it look like a ghostly version of a finger. You know it's solid, but it appears as a shadow-like image. This is similar to how a ghost might appear.
"Thus you can imagine how a person whose material sight is alone open cannot see that which requires spiritual sight to discern, and how, when both the material and spiritual sight are open at the same mement a spirit may be visible but with the same transparent appearance as your finger had just now. Hence has arisen the popular idea of a ghost. A clairvoyant, looking at any spiritual object with the spiritual sight, does so with the material sight closed through the power of the controlling intelligence who directs that person's mediumship. Therefore to him or to her the spiritual object does present the appearance of a solid reality such as a material finger appears when seen by the material sight alone.
Imagine someone who can only see with their physical eyes. They can't perceive things that require spiritual vision. However, when both physical and spiritual sight are active simultaneously, a spirit might appear transparent, much like your finger did earlier. This is where the common idea of a ghost comes from. A clairvoyant, when observing a spiritual object with their spiritual sight, does so with their physical eyes closed. This is directed by the guiding intelligence that controls their mediumship. As a result, the spiritual object appears to them as solid and real as a physical finger does to someone using only their physical sight.
"Few men know and still fewer consider that even their material sight is dependent upon the material atoms which fill the earth's atmosphere, and without which atoms there would be no light to see anything by.
Few people realize that their ability to see relies on the atoms in Earth's atmosphere. Without these atoms, there would be no light to illuminate the world around us.
At night mortals can see the stars--even those which are not themselves suns--distant as they are, because they are material objects from which the light of the sun is reflected. During the day the stars are still there, but the immense mass of material particles in the earth's atmosphere being illuminated by the reflecting of the sun's rays from them, causes so dense an atmosphere of light that the stars are veiled and no longer visible to material eyes. Ascend, however, above this material atmosphere of illuminated atoms, and, behold, the stars are again visible at mid-day and the surrounding ether of space, being free from such material particles, is quite dark. There is nothing to reflect the sun's rays.
At night, we can see stars, even those that aren't actual suns, because they're physical objects reflecting sunlight from far away. During the day, these stars are still present, but we can't see them. This is because sunlight reflects off countless particles in Earth's atmosphere, creating such intense brightness that it obscures the stars from view. However, if you were to rise above this illuminated atmosphere, you'd see the stars again, even at noon. In the vacuum of space, free from atmospheric particles, there's nothing to reflect sunlight, so the surrounding area appears dark.
Thus, although the mortal would be nearer to the sun, yet its light is no longer visible to his material eyes, which can only see when there is some material object, however small, to reflect the light of the sun for him. How, then, does man know that the light of the sun is traveling through the ether space to earth? Only by reason and analogy, not by sight, for beyond the earth's atmosphere the sun's light is invisible to him. Men know the light of the moon to be only the light of the sun reflected from the moon's surface. Experience and experiment have proved this, and it is now universally admitted. In like manner each little atom of material matter floating in the earth's atmosphere is an infinitesimal moon to reflect the sun's light for man and brighten earth with the splendor of these reflections. So again those minute particles that are continually being thrown off into the atmosphere by the earth itself, are but the larger and grosser atoms enclosing or rather revolving round, minute spiritual germs that form a spiritual atmosphere around the earth and reflect for clairvoyants the spiritual elements of the light of the sun. This spiritual atmosphere forms what is known as the astral plane, and bears the same proportion of density to astral bodies that the material atmosphere does to mortal bodies, and the light from the spiritual elements of the sun striking upon these spiritual particles is the light of the astral plane by which spirits see; the material atmosphere of earth being visible to the material sight of mortals. Is it not, then, easy to imagine that the spirit spheres may exist around the earth, and between man and the material envelope of the sun without his being able to see them, by reason of the fact that his spiritual sight is closed and he can only see what is material? The spiritual spheres and their inhabitants are certainly more transparent and intangible to mortal sight than his finger appeared just now. Yet they exist and are as solid a reality as his finger, and are only invisible by reason of his imperfect sight, which is limited to material things of comparatively great density."
While the mortal may be closer to the sun, its light becomes invisible to the naked eye beyond Earth's atmosphere. This is because our eyes can only detect light when it's reflected off material objects, no matter how small. So how do we know sunlight travels through space to Earth? We rely on reason and analogy, not sight. We've learned through experience and experiments that moonlight is simply sunlight reflected off the moon's surface. Similarly, tiny particles in Earth's atmosphere act like miniature moons, reflecting sunlight and illuminating our planet. The Earth constantly releases minute particles into the atmosphere. These particles, which are larger and denser, revolve around tiny spiritual seeds. Together, they form a spiritual atmosphere around Earth, reflecting the sun's spiritual elements for clairvoyants to see. This spiritual atmosphere is known as the astral plane. It relates to astral bodies in the same way that the material atmosphere relates to physical bodies. When spiritual elements of sunlight hit these spiritual particles, they create the light of the astral plane, which spirits can see. Given this, it's easy to imagine that spirit spheres might exist around Earth and between us and the sun's material envelope. We can't see them because our spiritual sight is closed, limiting us to perceiving only material things. These spiritual spheres and their inhabitants are more transparent and intangible to mortal sight than your finger, yet they're just as real. They're only invisible because of our imperfect sight, which is restricted to relatively dense material objects.