Denn die Todten reiten schnell

Many years ago whilst reading Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897) I encountered for the first time the phrase Denn die Todten reiten schnell which is translated to mean 'for the dead travel fast' and is traceable to an earlier work by Gottfried August Bürger called Lenore (1773).

"In the carriage, Harker notes: As he spoke he smiled,and the lamplight fell on a hard-looking mouth, with very red lips and sharp-looking teeth, as white as ivory. One of my companions whispered to another the line from Burger's 'Lenore'. "Denn die Todten reiten Schnell." ('For the dead travel fast.') [ Dracula ] “Sieh hin, sieh her! der Mond-scheint hell. Wir und die Todten reiten schnell.” [Lenore]

This concept is familiar to those of who have experienced what is commonly known as astral travelling, when the spirit is temporarily loosened from the physical body and one is capable of travelling anywhere at or beyond the speed of light. It is conjectured by some that if we exceed the speed of light then we can experience time travel. I believe that this is perfectly possible and unlike the world of Science Fiction it does not require a special device. The secret is to be found within. For some this is an art which must be mastered and to others it is a gift. By the click of an internal switch one may experience an altered state of reality. This is something which I practiced as a child and as a young man but which I am no longer comfortable doing for there is always the lingering doubt that one may not be able to return from this altered state.

During astral travel or projection one experiences no limitations. All things feel as if they are possible. One is able to travel so quickly that one feels composed of light itself and this should not surprise us. The human body and indeed all forms of life are expressions of energy at different vibrational levels. Science tells us that energy can not be destroyed-only transformed, and this is what death is all about-a change of vibrational frequency when one being freed from a dense physical body which operates at a lower frequency level to becoming a being of light. Essentially our Gods are advanced beings of light who operate on the highest frequency levels. As such they are able to move freely throughout time and space. The Wild Hunt is one expression of this idea and is to be found not only amongst the Germanic peoples but also among other closely related Aryan peoples. As Claude Lecouteux pointed out in his Phantom Armies of the Night. The Wild Hunt and the Ghostly Processions of the Undead (1999) the 'troop' is made up of either human beings in ghostly form or animals or often a combination of the two. It can be both silent or noisy. Most accounts refer to how noisy the apparition is. Depending upon the country and the region the Wild Hunt may be led by Wode (Woden), Mother Hulda, Dame Holla, Percht and many other deities or supernatural beings. Mr Lecouteux stresses that "the Wild Hunt undoubtedly had an Indo-European origin," and makes reference to similar occurrence in India. Indra and the Maruts take the place of Woden in their equivalent of the Wild Hunt. Indra is often compared to the Germanic *Thunaraz. The Rig Veda likens the human body to a chariot whilst the eternal Self (the I) is the lord of the chariot (the Me). The lord of course may unlink himself from the chariot is he so wishes. This concept is also found in the Hindu Upanishads.