ABSTRACT
The main viewpoint underlying trance methods in magic is that we all have a number of bodies of perception, not merely the one which we use in our daily living. Trance is a means of rendering the physical body inert so that the consciousness is then freed to go on a mystical journey. Trance consciousness has been traditionally more important in native societies, as in South America and also Indonesia, but it plays an important role in modern magic. The occult technique for entering the trance state is actually an extension of a gradual relaxation exercise in which the body is ‘put to sleep’ in stages. The occultist tries to activate his chakras, to allow him greater visionary activity, while at the same time his body sinks deep into trance-relaxation. The controlled act of projection has led a number of writers to theorize that perhaps this trance technique resembles the act of dying.
