How to Determine If You Have Reached a Higher Level of Reality, and What Pseudo-Higher Planes/Levels Are

Many people mistakenly believe that they have entered the higher planes or levels but have actually entered their reflection on the Astral or Mental levels. The shift to a higher plane should be as dramatic as shifting from the Physical to the Astral. All the planes are radically different states of reality and consciousness. On the Astral Plane exist replicas of the higher planes or pseudo-higher planes that can be traveled by imagining one is traveling from one to the other. In actuality, one is really traveling the Astral plane only. Also, on the Mental Plane exist replicas of the higher planes or pseudo-higher planes that can be traveled by thinking one is traveling from one to the other. In actuality, one is really traveling the Mental plane only. Those with a mystical or emotional orientation are usually lost in the Astral pseudo-higher planes. Those with an occult or mental orientation are usually lost in the Mental pseudo-higher planes. Only by concentrative meditation, resulting in samadhi / jhana / absorption states, are the higher planes actually entered.

You can determine if you have reached a higher plane of reality or a pseudo-higher plane by the presence and absence of particular Experiential Elements. When you review the experience after meditating you can analyze it for the presence or absence of the particular experiential elements and determine where you were. Or, during the experience, you may momentarily review the state, and then redirect your attention one-pointedly back toward the meditation object. Once you have learned to establish yourself in a particular level and maintain it with your will then your may review it more thoroughly without losing your height of focused attention.

Thus, if there is not a profound peacefulness of mind and a state of intense joy or ecstasy, you or not in the Causal / Soul level, but rather in an astral or mental version of that level.

You cannot imagine yourself or think yourself into a higher level. Imagining confines you to the astral level. Thinking confines you to the lower mental level.

If you have any thoughts and are not in a state of intense joy or ecstasy, you are not in the Higher Manasic/ Mind level, but rather in an astral or mental version of that level.

If you have any thoughts and any joy and are not in a state of intense serene bliss, you are not in the Buddhic level, but rather in an astral or mental version of that level.

If you have any thoughts and any bliss and are not in a state of profound and extremely powerful equanimous neutral feeling, you are not in the Atmic level, but rather in an astral or mental version of that level.

If you have any thoughts and any significant feeling, then you are not in the Monadic level, but rather in an astral or mental version of that level.

Again, You cannot imagine yourself or think yourself into a higher level. Imagining confines you to the astral level. Thinking confines you to the lower mental level.

This is elaborated in detail below.

The following Experiential Elements apply to the 8(9) Jhanas (the 9th is attained by combining Insight with Concentration Meditation.)
1. directed or applied thought; thinking; initial attention
2. pondering; sustained thought; sustained attention
3. joy, anticipatory pleasant feeling, delight, rapture, euphoria, ecstasy,
4. happiness, bliss, satisfying pleasant feeling
5. one-pointedness of mind, absorbed attention
6. external sense desires
7. unwholesome states of mind
8. internal confidence, inner tranquility of mind
9. unification of mind
10. equanimity, attitude of all is equal/same, non-bias
11. mindfulness, superconscious
12. sense of resistance
13. bodily sensations
14. perceptions of diversity
15. sphere of boundless space
16. sphere of boundless consciousness
17. sphere of no-thingness
18. Sphere of neither perception nor non-perception (perceptual element nearly gone except for only subtle perception of very core/essential individualized self)
19. feeling
20. perception
21. pure universal identity
22. ill will or anger
23. laziness and sleepiness
24. agitation and worry
25. doubt

Jhanas/Samadhis and Levels or Planes of Reality

In each Jhana/Samadhi, the personality is fused with:
1st Jhana: Higher/Abstract Mind and lower levels of the Soul/ Causal/ Light Body.
2nd Jhana: Higher levels of the Soul/Light body and the Universal Mind, Unbounded Joy.
3rd Jhana: Buddhic or Christed Body, Unbounded Bliss, Universal Love.
4th Jhana: Atmic Body, Perfect Equanimity, Universal Will/Life, Transition of Cessation of Feeling.
5th Jhana: Unbounded/Universal Space, Transcendence of Form and Diversity
6th Jhana: Monadic Consciousness.
7th Jhana: Very beginning of Logoic Plane
8th Jhana: Core of Monad, Spark of God, Core Individuality, last remnant of Individual Self. Composed of 7 Logoic atoms on lowest subplane of Logoic Plane.
9th Jhana: “Cessation of feeling and perception”, Transcendence of Individuality and Personal Point of View because both feeling and perception require a Personal Point of View, Identification with Logoic/Solar Life, Logoic Plane.

For training in attaining the real higher levels / planes, see Meditation Training.