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Although the word "astral" is often associated New Age ideas, this term was used historically by alchemists. Within the theosophical system, this plane or parallel universe is within in the fifth dimension , along with the mental plane . The astral plane is also termed the World of Emotion. The Astral World is believed to vibrate its energy through astral atoms that copenetrate the physical world without trouble or confusion. Most physical atoms are believed to have astral counterparts, and it is possible to perceive the first four dimensions within the fifth.
The astral plane would be visited consciously with the astral body through means of meditation and mantra. Some people would visit the astral plane by accident, simply by getting out of bed while the physical body remains sleeping. Unconsciously, the astral plane is the location of our consciousness while the vital body repairs damaged tissue and processes the wastes of the physical body.
The idea of an astral plane can be regarded as an extension to Descartes' dualism where the physical world is strictly separated from the world of thought and consciousness. The dualist position has long been abandonded by neuroscientists and most of the philosophers studying consciousness.