Spiritualists and Theosophists always differentiated between the Etheric Sphere, which is denser and more closely tied to the Earthly 3-D plane, and the Astral Sphere, which is tied more closely to the lighter, higher Celestial or heavenly planes.
So, rather than accept that the higher spheres are too remotely abstract for us even to contemplate, why not adopt a visualization that our human brains can grasp, so even if we each see it differently in our mind’s eye, we can at least relate to it and give consideration to “where” our souls/overselves came from, and where the departed have gone to.
Throughout history, all traditions have spoken of the higher realms as being ‘up,’ equating enlightenment with ‘ascension’ and using expressions like “as above, so below.” Jesus and Mohamed were both said to have ‘ascended’ when they departed Earth, and all the ancient deities were said to have looked ‘down’ at us. Consider that lighter beings do not need to be tied to the ground down like mammals or to the water like fish, while they still follow the cosmic pattern of congregating around spheres. While it is true that some Elemental spirits dwell in the Etheric sphere close to Earth, picture those in the next higher sphere – the Astral, as being ‘up’ in the air.
Of course, we humans cause lots of interference in the skies, from HAARP and chemtrails to air traffic and satellites. A topic for future discussion will be the increasing incidence of Orb-like UFOs popping into existence in our skies and then crashing to Earth – what’s causing that? We shall save that for another time.
Credit for Image Above: https://historysnewbeginning.wordpress.com/2015/04/10/levels-of-physically-solid-planet-earth/