Subtle body
|
|
The Subtle body is a non-physical energy or psycho-spiritual body or bodies that all beings have, according to various esoteric, occult, and mystical teachings. The concept of a subtle body or bodies is a common philosophical element in such traditions as Vedanta (the five koshas), Tantra (the yogic body), Neoplatonism (okhemas), Sufism, Taoism, Hermeticism, Theosophy (the seven principles or bodies or vehicles, inspired by the five koshas pof Vendanta), Anthroposophy (the etheric and astral bodies), and the New Age. A detailed comparative study can be found in J.J. Poortman's multivolume work Vehicles of Consciousness.
| Contents |
The Yogic Body
The yogic-occult systems of India (e.g. Tantra) Tibet, China (Taoist alchemy) and Japan (Shingon) describe a subtle physiology or yogic anatonomy in terms of a series of channels (nadis, meridians) that convey life-force (prana, vayu, ch'i, ki) and have a number of focal points (chakras, acupuncture points). Through practice of various breathing and visualisation exercises one is able to manipulate and direct the flow of vital force, to achieve superhuman (e.g. in martial arts) or miraculous powers ("siddhis"), attain higher states of consciousness, immortality, or liberation. The various attributes of the yogic body are described in terms of often obscure symbolism (Tantra features references to the sun and the moon and various Indian rivers and deities, Taoist alchemy speaks of cauldrens, cinnibar fields, and so on).
The Subtle Bodies in Theosophy
Whilst the eastern esoteric traditions emphasise a single subtle body (apart from the Vedantic concept of five koshas), in the west (beginning with Neoplatonism, the emphasis has often been on a series of subtle bodies or vehicles (okhema) of consciousness. This reached its most detailed and systematic account in the writings of C.W. Leadbeater and Annie Besant, who established the Adyar School of Theosophy. They described in detail the seven bodies, and established many of the themes that would be canonical in "new age" thought. The sequence of bodies or "vehicles" is as follows (from densest to most subtle):
- Dense Physical Body
- Etheric body
- Astral or Emotional body
- Mental body (Concrete Mind)
- Causal body (Abstract Mind)
Beyond the Causal are the atmic, buddhic, and monadic levels, but these pertain to the Soul or Spirit ("Higher Triad", "Monad") rather than the subtle body.
In this worldview, the physical body is the densest, with the various subtle bodies being progressively more refined or spiritual. The subtle bodies exist alongside or within or around the physical, and have various characteristics and attributes. Each "body" has its own aura and set of chakras, and corresponds to a particular plane of existence, as the individualisation so to speak of that plane. Thus the astral body is made up of the substance or matter of the astral plane, just as the physical body is made up of the elements of the physical plane, and so on with all the bodies. A detailed account of the various subtle bodies and the corresponding planes is provided in a series of books (The Etheric Body, The Astral Body, The Mental Body, and The Causal Body) by Arthur E Powell on the basis of material compiled from the writings of Leadbeater and Besant.
This same theme (of dense to subtle Body and Plane/Universe) is also found in Rudolph Steiner's Anthroposophical teachings, although it is simplified considerably in that only the Physical, Etheric, and Astral Bodies are referred to (beyond the Astral is the Ego which in Steiner's system is the immortal soul or spiritual aspect of man.
According to both Blavatsky, Adyar Theosophy, Steiner, and some forms of Spiritualism, after physical death one lives in the subtle bodies until these too drop away and the Soul or Spirit returns to its true home to rest before reincarnating (however the details of the sequences vary).
Similar ideas to those of Theosphy are found, but less systematically presented, in The Mother's talks. And whilst Steiner did indeed draw a lot of his inspiration from Theosophy (one of his early books was even called "Theosophy"), The Mother's occultism is based in large measure on the teachings of Max Theon.
The Adyar arrangement was taken up by Alice Bailey, and from there found its way (with variations) into the New Age worldview.
The Human Energy Field
The Adyar arrangement seems also to have been one of the inspirations behind Barbara Brennan's account of the subtle bodies by in her books Hands of Light and Light Ascending. She refers to the subtle bodies as "layers" in the "Human Energy Field" or Aura, and presents the following sequence:
- Physical body
- Etheric body
- Emotional body
- Mental body
- Astral body
- Etheric Template
- Celestial Body
- Ketheric Template
Causality proceeds from the Ketheric template downwards, and each of the layers has its own characteristics and can have its own expression of disease, requiring individual healing. As with the Adyar arrangement, each body or aura also has its own complement of chakras, which interrelate to the chakras in the other layers. The first four bodies correspond to the Physical plane, the Astral body to the Astral Plane, and the higher three bodies or layers to the Spiritual World. In Hands of Light two higher layers are also briefly referred to beyond the Ketheric Template.
Projection and Exteriorisation
The practice of astral projection, as described in various literature, is supposed to involve the separation of the Astral body from the Physical. But according to The Mother, not only is it possible to go out from a denser to a more subtle body or self (she referred to this as exteriorisation), but if one has the right training this process can be repeated until one reaches the border of the infinite (or Absolute Reality).
Other Interpretations
An interesting variant on the concept of subtle bodies is found in both Alchemical Taoism and the "Fourth Way" teachings of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky, where it is said that one can create a subtle body, and hence achieve post-mortem immortality, through spiritual or yogic exercises.
Perceeving the Subtle Body
Clairvoyants say that they can see the subtle bodies in the aura. There are several books (Barbara Brennan's Hands of Light being perhaps the most popular and influential) and websites which include paintings of subtle bodies, their colours and structure. And Kirlian and other forms of high voltage photography claim to be able to photograph the subtle body (or at least its densest member, the electromagnetic body, sometimes identified with the etheric), including what appear to be acupuncture meridians.
The existence of subtle bodies is unconfirmed by the scientific community.
See also
- aura
- clairvoyance
- esotericism
- Kirlian photography
- list of spirituality-related topics
- mysticism
- New Age
- occultism
- qi
References
- Alfass, Mirra (The Mother) Mother's Agenda
- Besant, Annie, Man and His Bodies
- Brennan, Barbara Ann, Hands of Light : A Guide to Healing Through the Human Energy Field, Bantam Books, 1987
- -- Light Emerging: The Journey of Personal Healing, Bantam Books, 1993
- Mircea Eliade, Yoga: Immortality and Freedom; transl. by W.R. Trask, Princeton University Press, 1969
- C. W. Leadbeater, Man, Visible and Invisible
- Sheila Ostrander and Lynn Schroeder Psychic Discoveries Behind the Iron Curtain, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall Inc., 1970.
- Poortman, J.J. Vehicles of Consciousness; The Concept of Hylic Pluralism (Ochema), vol I-IV, The Theosophical Society in Netherlands, 1978
- Powell, Arthur E. The Astral Body and other Astral Phenomena
- -- The Causal Body and the Ego
- -- The Etheric Double
- -- The Mental Body
- Steiner, Rudolph, Theosophy: An introduction to the supersensible knowledge of the world and the destination of man. London: Rudolf Steiner Press. (1904) 1970
- -- Occult science - An Outline. Trans. George and Mary Adams. London: Rudolf Steiner Press, 1909, 1969
External links
- http://www.kheper.net/topics/subtlebody/
- http://www.noetic.org The Institute of Noetic Sciences supports research into supposed subtle body phenomena