The Yogi teachings inform us that the lower planes of the Astral World are inhabited by souls of a very gross and degraded type, undeveloped and animal-like.  These low souls live out the tendencies and characteristics of their former earth lives, and reincarnate rapidly in order to pursue their material attractions.  Of course, there is slowly working even in these undeveloped souls an upward tendency, but it is so slow as to be almost imperceptible.  In time these undeveloped souls grow sick and tired of their materiality, and then comes the chance for a slight advance.  Of course these undeveloped souls have no access to the higher planes of the Astral world, but are confined to their own degraded plane and to the sub-planes which separate the Astral World from the material world.  They cling as closely as possible to the earthly scenes, and are separated from the material world by only a thin screen (if we may use the word).  They suffer the tantalizing condition of being within sight and hearing of their old material scenes and environments, and yet unable to manifest on them.  These souls form the low class of “spirits” of which we hear so much in certain circles.  They hang around their old scenes of debauchery and sense gratification, and often are able to influence the minds of living persons along the same line and plane of development.  For instance, these creatures hover around low saloons and places of ill-repute, influencing the sodden brains of living persons to participate in the illicit gratifications of the lower sensual nature.

Souls on the higher planes are not bound by these earthly and material attractions, and take advantage of their opportunities to improve themselves and develop spiritually.  It is a rule of the Astral World that the higher the plane occupied by a soul, the longer the sojourn there between incarnations.  A soul on the lowest planes may reincarnate in a very short time, while on the higher planes hundreds and even thousands of years may elapse before the soul is called upon to experience re-birth.  But re-birth comes to all who have not passed on to other spheres of life.  Sooner or later the soul feels that inward urge toward re-birth and further experience, and becomes drowsy and falls into a state resembling sleep, when it is caught up in the current that is sweeping on toward re-birth, and is gradually carried on to re-birth in conditions chosen by its desires and characteristics, in connection with the operation of the laws of Karma.  From the soul-slumber it passes through what may be called a “death” on the Astral plane, when it is re-born on the earth plane.  But, remember this, the soul, when it is re-born on earth, does not fully awaken from its Astral sleep.  In infancy and in early childhood the soul is but slowly awakening, gradually from year to year, the brain being built to accommodate this growth.  The rare instances of precocious children, and infant genius are cases in which the awakening has been more rapid than ordinary.  On the other hand, cases are known where the soul does not awaken as rapidly as the average, and the result is that the person does not show signs of full intellectual activity until nearly middle age.  Cases are known when men seemed to “wake up” when they were forty years of age, or even later in life, and would then take on a freshened activity and energy, surprising those who had known them before.