Dear Dan, >> Is there any Hermetic explanation as to why astigmatism and other forms of eyesight loss occur? I ask because I have been recently reading much about W.H. Bates, who said that by relaxing the eyes completely, normal vision can be restored over time http://www.iblindness.org/books/bates/. His techniques seem very similar to Bardon's in that he instructs his patients to use concentration and imagination to improve their eyesight, while eschewing paraphernalia. I'm curious to hear what you and other members of the group think... << >From the Hermetic standpoint, it is karmic, i.e., a matter of cause and effect. In the case of congenital blindness, the cause would be from a past lifetime, as might other forms of blindness, crossed eyes, color blindness, etc. But as Bates clearly proved, many abnormalities in the shape of the eyeball are effects that have a present moment cause -- stress within the muscles that control and support the eye itself. This can be caused by improper use of the eyes or also by an emotional blockage having to do with how one feels about what one perceives/sees. My best to you, :) Rawn Clark 21 Nov 2003 rawnclark@... rawn@... http://www.ABardonCompanion.com http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BardonPraxis http://E.webring.com/hub?ring=arionthebardonwe