The astral body refers to the concept of a subtle body which exists alongside the physical body, as a vehicle of the soul or consciousness. It is usually understood as being of an emotional nature and, as such, it is equated to the desire body or emotional body. However, some philosophies conceive that the astral body is a body made of ether (the soul body), built by each individual during the current evolutionary stage (the Philosophers' Stone), which is said to give support to the desire (emotional) body during the astral projection. 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 soul, acording to many religious and philosophical traditions, is a self-aware ethereal substance particular to a unique living being. ... Consciousness is a quality of the mind generally regarded to comprise qualities such as subjectivity, self-awareness, sentience, sapience, and the ability to perceive the relationship between oneself and ones environment. ... Look up aether, ether in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... ... Astral projection (or astral travel) is an interpretation of out-of-body experiences (OBEs) achieved either awake or via lucid dreaming, deep meditation, or use of psychotropics. ...

The astral body in Neoplatonism

While Neoplatonists agreed as to the immortality of the soul, they disagreed as to whether the "irrational soul" was immortal and celestial ("starry", hence astral), or dissolved after death. Proclus combined both ideas by positing two subtle bodies or "vehicles" (okhema) intermediate between the Soul and the physical body. These were the spiritual (pneuma) vehicle which he considered mortal, and the astral vehicle which was the immortal vehicle of the Soul. Neoplatonism (also Neo-Platonism) is the modern term for a school of philosophy that took shape in the 3rd century AD, based on the teachings of Plato and earlier Platonists. ... The soul, acording to many religious and philosophical traditions, is a self-aware ethereal substance particular to a unique living being. ... Proclus Lycaeus (February 8, 412 – April 17, 485), surnamed The Successor or diadochos (Greek Πρόκλος ὁ Διάδοχος Próklos ho Diádokhos), was a Greek Neoplatonist philosopher, one of the last major Greek philosophers (see Damascius). ... A physical body is an object which can be described by the theories of classical mechanics, or quantum mechanics, and experimented upon by physical instruments. ...

The astral body in Theosophy

Blavatsky used the term "astral" to refer to the double (linga sharira) which was the lowest but one of the seven principles (immediately above the physical). The Septenary in H.P. Blavatskys teachings refers to the seven principles of man, In The Key to Theosophy, pp. ...

Later however, C.W. Leadbeater and Annie Besant (Adyar School of Theosophy), and following them, Alice Bailey, equated the astral with Blavatsky's Kama (desire) principle (the fourth of the seven principles of man, and called it the Emotional body (a concept not found in earlier Theosophy). C.W. Leadbeater (1847 or 1854-1934), English clergyman and Theosophical author, contributed to world thought mostly through his work as a clairvoyant. ... Annie Besant Plaque on house in Colby Road, London SE19 where Annie Besant lived in 1874. ... The Theosophical Society - Adyar is a successor organization to the original Theosophical Society founded by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky and others in 1875. ... Alice A. Bailey (16th June,1880 ‑ 15th December,1949), writer and lecturer on Neo-Theosophy, was born in England in 1880 as Alice LaTrobe Bateman. ...

In this way, astral body, desire body, and emotional body became synonymous, and this identification is found in much of New Age and theosophically-inspired thought since.

The astral or emotional body here is understood as a sort of psychic body or aura that is made up of emotions, just as the physical body consists of matter. In occult thought, emotions are not just subjective qualia, but have an existence apart from the individual consciousness, and exist on a cosmic plane of existence, in this case, the astral plane. In parapsychology, spirituality and New Age belief, an aura is a subtle field of luminous multicolored radiation surrounding a person or object as a cocoon or halo. ... Emotional redirects here. ... A physical body is an object which can be described by the theories of classical mechanics, or quantum mechanics, and experimented upon by physical instruments. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... For other uses of this term, see occult (disambiguation). ... Redness is the canonical quale. ... The astral plane, also called the astral world or desire world, is a plane of existence according to esoteric philosophies, some religious teachings and New Age thought. ...

The desire body in the Western Wisdom Teachings

According to Max Heindel's Rosicrucian writings, the Desire body [1] is made of desire stuff from which human beings form feelings and emotions and also it impels to seek sense gratification. But while it is referred that the Dense (physical) body and the Vital (etheric) body are well organized, the desire body is said to appear to spiritual sight as an ovoid cloud extending from sixteen to twenty inches beyond the physical body; it is seen above the head and below the feet so that the dense (physical) body sits in the center of this egg-shaped cloud as the yolk is in the center of an egg. This desire body has a number of whirling vortices - since a characteristic of desire-stuff is to be in constant motion - and from the main vortex in the region of the liver, there is a constant outwelling flow which radiates toward the periphery of this egg-shaped body and returns to the center through a number of other vortices. It is said the desire body also exhibits all the colors and shades, which we know and a vast number of others unknown to physical sight, and those colors vary in every person according to his or her characteristics and temperament, and they also vary from moment to moment as passing moods, fancies, or emotions are experienced by the person. Max Heindel (1865-1919) Max Heindel - born Carl Louis von Grasshoff in Aarhus, Denmark on July 23, 1865 - was a Christian occultist, astrologer, and mystic. ... The Temple of the Rose Cross, Teophilus Schweighardt Constantiens, 1618. ... In parapsychology, clairvoyance [from late 17th century French clair (clear) & voyant (seeing)] denotes a form of extra-sensory perception in which a psychic acquires knowledge about a contemporary object, situation, or event via paranormal means. ... The astral plane, also called the astral world or desire world, is a plane of existence according to esoteric philosophies, some religious teachings and New Age thought. ...

The "Astral body" (Soul body)

His writings, called Western Wisdom Teachings, refer that the term "Astral body" - a vehicle made of ether (from the Vital body), which is lighter than air and therefore capable of levitation - was employed by the mediaeval Alchemists, because of the ability it conferred upon the one who has it to traverse the "starry" regions. The Astral body should not to be confounded with the Desire body: during the soul flights the desire body molds itself readily into this prepared matrix; when the individual returns to the physical body, the effort of will whereby he enters it automatically dissolves the intimate connection between the desire body and the soul body. The Astral body is also known as the 'Soul body', the 'Golden Wedding Garment', the 'Philosopher's Stone', or the 'Living Stone', spoken of in some of the ancient philosophies as the 'Diamond Soul' ("for it is luminous, lustrous, and sparkling--a priceless gem"), and will eventually be evolved by humanity as a whole. The Rosicrucian Cosmo-Conception or Mystic Christianity is a Rosicrucian text, written by Max Heindel (ISBN 0-911274-34-0) // Western Wisdom Teachings The first edition was printed in November 1909, it has little changed since then and it is considered to be Max Heindels magnum opus. ... Chinese Wood (木) | Fire (火) | Earth (土) | Metal (金) | Water (水) Hinduism and Buddhism The Pancha Mahabhuta (The Five Great Elements) Vayu/Pavan (Air/Wind) Agni/Tejas (Fire) Akasha (Aether) Prithvi/Bhumi (Earth) Ap/Jala (Water) Aether (also spelled ether) is a concept used in ancient and medieval science as a substance. ... For other uses, see Alchemy (disambiguation). ... The etheric body, ether-body, æther body, or vital body is one of the subtle bodies in esoteric philosophies, in some religious teachings and in New Age thought. ... The philosophers stone, in Latin lapis philosophorum, is a legendary substance that supposedly could turn inexpensive metals such as lead into gold (chrysopoeia) and/or create an elixir that would make humans younger, thus delaying death. ...

Later interpretations

Rudolf Steiner at first followed Theosophical jargon like astral and Devachan, but after he broke away from the Theosophical society to form his own movement, Anthroposophy, he also adopted a distinct terminology, replacing astral plane with "soul" and devachen with "spirit", and substituting the seven-fold model of man with a fourfold one (physical body, etheric body, astral body, and ego). However his description of the "soul world" remained very similar to Leadbeater's description of the astral plane, and his definition of the astral body remained basically similar as well. Unlike Leadbeater however he placed little emphasis on the astral or soul level, being more interested in the evolution of the ego (the immortal spirit principle, not the psychological ego) and the spiritual hierarchies (see for example his Occult Science - An Outline). Rudolf Steiner. ... Anthroposophy, also called spiritual science, is a spiritual/religious philosophy based on the teachings of Rudolf Steiner,[1][2] which states that anyone who conscientiously cultivates sense-free thinking can attain experience of and insights into the spiritual world. ...

Mirra Alfassa / The Mother sometimes refers to the astral body and experiences on the astral plane (see her Collected Works and The Agenda). In this context she also incorporates a lot of ideas from Max Theon. She uses the term "vital" rather than astral, and refers to exteriorisation, whereby one can move out from the physical into the vital ("astral"), and from there to successively higher bodies, twelve in all. This article is about the spiritual partner of Sri Aurobindo. ... Mothers Agenda - lAgenda - is a massive 13 volume, 6,000 page, journal of the the Mothers (born Mirra Alfassa) spiritual and physical experiences, recorded by Satprem over a period of 19 years, beginning with some fragments dating to 1951, and continuing in greater detail (especially with Satprem... Max Theon (1848-1927) perhaps born Louis-Maximilian Bimstein, was a Polish Jewish Kabbalist and Occultist. ...

In contrast to theosophical and anthroposophical position, Barbara Brennan in her book Hands of Light distinguishes between the Emotional body and the Astral body. She sees these as two distinct layers in the seven-layered "Human Energy Field" or Aura. The Emotional body pertains to the physical universe, the astral body to the astral world. However the descriptions of both are similar, in that both consist of swirls of colour. (See links for illustration and more description) Barbara Brennan is an author, educator, public speaker, and spiritual healer and has been doing metaphysical healing for 30 years. ...

The astral body in generic New Age thought

New Age thought incorporates many theosophical ideas, including the concept of subtle bodies and planes of existence. While there is no consensus position, the general idea is that the Astral body corresponds to the astral plane which is sometimes also (ref?) called the 5th dimension. New Age describes a broad movement characterized by alternative approaches to traditional Western culture. ... Emblem of the Theosophical Society (Adyar) described at [1] Theosophy, literally wisdom of the divine (in the Greek language), designates several bodies of ideas. ... 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 astral body is also widely understood here as the subtle body in which astral projection occurs (see Astral projection). This is one of several types of out-of-body experiences, or OBEs. The term "light body" is sometimes used in this context. Astral projection (or astral travel) is an interpretation of out-of-body experiences (OBEs) achieved either awake or via lucid dreaming, deep meditation, or use of psychotropics. ...

Artistic depictions

The emotional and/or astral body is usually drawn in terms of an aura or consisting of swirling colours. See illustrations in Man, Visible and Invisible and Hands of Light for examples of this. Other clairvoyants and visionaries have provided similar representations of the astral body; see Dora Van Gelder Kunz's The Personal Aura, and Barbara Y. Martin's Change Your Aura, Change Your Life.

Photographing the Astral Body

Kirlian photography yields images that resemble the depictions that clairvoyants have given of the etheric body, the spiky-looking energy field that extends a few inches beyond the surface of the human body; compare, for example, Leadbeater's Man Visible and Invisible, Chapter XX, "The Health-Aura." In 1980, American engineer and inventor Guy Coggins developed a refined type of aura photography that captures on film the larger cloud of color that visionaries have described and depicted as the aura or astral body.[2] Kirlian photography refers to a form of contact print photography, theoretically associated with high-voltage. ... The etheric body, ether-body, æther body, or vital body is one of the subtle bodies in esoteric philosophies, in some religious teachings and in New Age thought. ...

Prof. Lindgren states:

Alas my research in auras and aura photography, after considerable enthusiasm, has proven to be fruitless. I saw no auras and the aura camera proved only good for taking pretty and interesting NORMAL photographs which I entered in numerous photographic contests and shows. I had initially searched this field as a way to assist in healing of cancer patients and non-cancer pain patients. The research was not only a disappointment but a waste of precious time.

However, the search for the aura continues. "In small, one-man laboratories, psychic circles, healing sessions, and university parapsychological departments, scientists and psychics are searching for the elusive 'aura'. It is hoped that, within the near future, all individuals will be allowed, whether naturally or through some technological advance, to see, record, and study this inexplicable phenomenon."

See also

• Subtle body
• Esoteric cosmology
• Linga sarira

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. ... Esoteric cosmology is cosmology that is an intrinsic part of an esoteric or occult system of thought. ... Lińga Śarīra is the Sanskrit term for the invisible double of the human body. ...

References

• Besant, Annie, Theosophical Manual No. VII: Man and His Bodies, London, Theosophical Publishing House, 1914.
• 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.
• Dodds, E.R. Proclus: The Elements of Theology. A revised text with translation, introduction, and commentary, 2nd edition 1963.
• C. W. Leadbeater, Man, Visible and Invisible, London, Theosophical Publishing House, 1902.
• Kunz, Dora van Gelder, The Personal Aura, Wheaton, IL, Quest Books/Theosophical Publishing House, 1991.
• [Carl Edwin Lindgren]. 2005. Debunking Auras and Aura Cameras.
• Martin, Barbara Y., with Dmitri Moraitis, Change Your Aura, Change Your Life, Sunland, CA, Wisdomlight, 2003.
• The Mother (Alfassa, Mirra) Collected Works of the Mother.
• ----- The Agenda
• 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
• Steiner, Rudolf, 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.
• Heindel, Max, The Rosicrucian Mysteries (Chapter IV: The Constitution of Man: Vital Body - Desire Body - Mind), 1911, ISBN 0-911274-86-3.
• Walker, Benjamin, Beyond the Body: The Human Double, Routledge and Kegan Paul, London, 1974, ISBN 0-7100-7808-0; Fitzhenry, Toronto, 1974; Arkana, 1988, ISBN 0-14-019169-0.

Annie Besant Plaque on house in Colby Road, London SE19 where Annie Besant lived in 1874. ... E.R.Dodds was a 20th century British classical scholar. ... Mothers Agenda - lAgenda - is a massive 13 volume, 6,000 page, journal of the the Mothers (born Mirra Alfassa) spiritual and physical experiences, recorded by Satprem over a period of 19 years, beginning with some fragments dating to 1951, and continuing in greater detail (especially with Satprem... Benjamin Walker (November 25, 1913) is the truncated pen name of George Benjamin Walker, who also writes under the pseudonym Jivan Bhakar. ...

External links

• Barbara Brennan on the Emotional Body
• Barbara Brennan on the Astral Body
• Astral Society
• Light Body - an integrative view