PRECAUTIONS
Out of the body practices must be done with precaution. For instance, as soon
as one goes out of the body, no matter how slightly, and even just mentally, well, that part of the mind which
controls the functioning
goes out; and the automatic side of the mind which makes or produces movements or grandular secretions, that whole
automatic side remains without the protection and control of the conscious thinking part. In the atmosphere there
are always numerous little entities, very tiny, usually originating from human disintegrations, which are like
physical microbes, some kinds of microbes of the vital who have a will of their own and like to have a good time
and enjoy themselves at people's expense. As soon as they see that you are not sufficiently protected, they get
hold of the automatic mind and bring upon you all sorts of quite unpleasant things, for example, some people swallow
or bite their tongue when in trance. All sorts of things like this may happen, which means that normally you should
never enter into a trance without having somebody near by to watch over you, and not only watch just physically
but... watch with the conscious power of preventing these little entities from getting hold of your nervous centres
which are not protected by the conscious Presence. This is a general rule. There are greater dangers than that.
When one goes out of the body materially and nothing but the contact of a link remains, it is a kind of link like
a thread of light joining the being that has gone out with the one that remains behind, if the link is protected,
nothing happens. But if it is not protected, there may be adverse forces, not only full of mischief but with much
ill-will also, which could come and cut it. And then, once it is cut, you may try as hard as you like, but you
cannot get back into the body.