Theosophical astral cosmology
Materialization
Leadbeater proposes that etheric matter can be brought into a denser condition and held there by continued effort. He applies that model to séance forms associated with a medium. He distinguishes forms that can be touched but not seen, seen but not touched, or both seen and touched. The classification aims to explain differences between reported manifestations.
Also known as Materialisation
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In the sources
Principal account
ReportedLeadbeater proposes that etheric matter can be brought into a denser condition and held there by continued effort. He applies that model to séance forms associated with a medium.
Further detail
ReportedHe distinguishes forms that can be touched but not seen, seen but not touched, or both seen and touched. The classification aims to explain differences between reported manifestations.
Context & interpretation
Leadbeater presents a Theosophical classification based on claimed occult investigation. Its planes, beings, and mechanisms belong to that historical esoteric system; the book’s assurance of reality is an authorial claim rather than independent scientific verification.
Original passages
Source 1
The Astral Plane
same way in the latter phenomenon a continued effort is necessary to prevent the materialized matter from relapsing into the etheric condition. In the materializationsOpen this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: Theosophical astral cosmology; active reader leaf 118
Exact passage checked against active scan text and original-leaf mapping; scan line breaks normalised.
- Edition
- IMJ-0005-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0005-E001-P0118
- Original scan leaf
- 121
- Recorded leaf number
- 121
- Current Reader position
- 114
- Reader verification
- Matches the reviewed Reader
Source 2
The Astral Plane
First, those which are tangible but not visibleOpen this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: Theosophical astral cosmology; active reader leaf 119
Exact passage checked against active scan text and original-leaf mapping; scan line breaks normalised.
- Edition
- IMJ-0005-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0005-E001-P0119
- Original scan leaf
- 122
- Recorded leaf number
- 122
- Current Reader position
- 115
- Reader verification
- Matches the reviewed Reader
Continue exploring
Spirit Photography
Images attributed to unseen presences, given an etheric explanation by Leadbeater.
Shared source pageMediumship in Theosophy
Séance communication treated as interaction with several possible kinds of agent.
Same subject and traditionLevitation
Reported floating bodies explained through spirit support or altered gravity.
Same subject and traditionPrecipitation of Letters and Pictures
The Theosophical claim that a mental image can be made into writing or an image.