There are some exceptional possibilities of reaching such an Ego, that
will be explained later, but the Ego is out of the reach of the
ordinary medium and cannot be recalled into the earth-sphere. But ere
we follow the further course of the Triad, we must consider the fate
of the now deserted desire body, left as a mere _reliquum_ in
Kâmaloka.


KÂMALOKA. THE SHELLS.

The Shell is the desire body, emptied of the Triad, which has now
passed onwards; it is the third of the transitory garments of Soul,
cast aside and left in Kâmaloka to disintegrate.

When the past earth-life has been noble, or even when it has been of
average purity and utility, this Shell retains but little vitality
after the passing onwards of the Triad, and rapidly dissolves. Its
molecules, however, retain, during this process of disintegration, the
impressions made upon them during the earth-life, the tendency to
vibrate in response to stimuli constantly experienced during that
period. Every student of physiology is familiar with what is termed
automatic action, with the tendency of cells to repeat vibrations
originally set up by purposive action; thus are formed what we term
habits, and we unconsciously repeat motions which at first were done
with thought. So strong is this automatism of the body, that, as
everyone knows by experience, it is difficult to break off the use of
a phrase or of a gesture that has become "habitual."

Now the desire body is during earth-life the recipient of and the