Astral Projection - The First Time

Charles Reed · 18 Nov 2002, 18:14 · from urth-v0211.mbox · original

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From: "Charles Reed" <cmreed at link.com>
Subject: (urth) Astral Projection - The First Time
Date: Mon, 18 Nov 2002 12:14:33 -0600
Message-ID: <urth-v0211-2150 at digest.urth.net>
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Joe Cilluffo wrote:

>When Horn is trapped in the pit that Krait rescues him from,
>... <snip> ...
>Horn proceeds to have an hallucination about Nettle cooking for him
>
This is extremely ancillary to the main topic about Blue and Ushas, but=20
I just thought about the above.

I don't think Horn is hallucinating.  I think this is the first=20
occurrence of his "astral projection" thing, although he's not aware=20
that that's what it is.  Consider the facts we know:

(1) This projection thing was most likely something that the Neighbors=20
could do and which some -- perhaps all -- of the inhumi "inherited" from=20
them through the drinking of their blood.  Horn's ability to project is=20
dependent on there being an inhumi nearby and occurs during sleep.

(2) The place projected to has to be a place familiar to the one=20
projecting, or at least to one of the group of people who are sleeping=20
and projecting together.  Also, there seems to be a need for the=20
person/group to concentrate or visualize the place to which they wish to=20
project.  [Off-topic note:  this has always reminded me more than a=20
little of the ability to "jaunte" as described in Alfred Bester's THE=20
STARS, MY DESTINATION.]

Both facts apply in the case of Horn in the pit.  He was=20
asleep/unconscious, thought he was dying, and his thoughts no doubt=20
would have been of the home and wife he believed he would never see=20
again.  Krait, being nearby, allowed the projection to occur.  It wasn't=20
a hallucination.  It was real to him, and it was real to Nettle.

This, by the way, answers a question I have had for some time:  Once=20
Horn realized he had the ability to perform such projections, why didn't=20
he ever project himself back home to Nettle to let her know he was all=20
right?

The answer, I believe, relates directly to this scene.  Nettle was=20
really freaked out by Horn's sudden appearance, and was pretty much=20
hysterical from what I recall.  Once Horn realized that he could,=20
intentionally, project himself back to Nettle, he wouldn't have because=20
he knew it would scare the living daylights out of her.  (That sounds=20
kind-of flippant, but I don't mean it to be.)  On top of that, by the=20
time he was starting to get a grip on his new ability, he would have=20
known that his projected self didn't look exactly like Horn anymore,=20
which would have scared Nettle even more.

Anyway, that's it for now.  Any thoughts?

Charles

--=20

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