Looking at the body spiritually

Last week I explained how theosophists look at consciousness: how it is mapped. In doing so I almost completely ignored the biological basis of life. The phenomena I want to map today are considered by the sciences of biology and medicine as aspects of the body – to the extent that is that these phenomena are recognized at all.

There are three core concepts theosophists use to talk about these things (from Blavatsky’s Key to Theosophy). I’ll just enumerate them and let the explanation follow:

  • Physical body (Rupa or Sthula Sharira)
  • Life principle (Prana or Chi)
  • Astral body (Linga Sharira)

Biologically speaking of course prana is not a separate principle. I’ve had all kinds of lessons in biology and never did a teacher point to a specific ‘life principle’. Oh well, the same teachers would have talked about healing as ‘suggestion’. I’m pretty sure if one were to ask one of them why yoga or tai chi work, they would point to a combination of the physical exercise and the impact on the central nervous system (my interpretation).

For those who have experienced these things it DOES make sense to refer to prana or chi. That biologists don’t agree, who cares?

It helps to label it prana, because that explains why this energy can go from one person to the next, as in healing practices like reiki.

The concept of an astral body is particularly helpful in describing clairvoyant experiences. For instance: it is said that our bodies grow to fill in as it were the shape of the astral body. The shape of the body is predetermined by the shape of the astral body. This explains why clairvoyants are able to see how a child will look grown up.

3 thoughts on “Looking at the body spiritually”

  1. Hi Katinka – I just stumbled on your blog through clicking the blog rather than the website link at your bio on Squidoo after doing some tinkering on one of very few Lenses I’ve dabbled with (I’m only just getting the gist of Squidoo…but that’s another thing…)

    Your blog post sort of resonated because this week I have been fascinated something which was a strange kind of coincidence – in that I was musing to my partner about what if we (Man, the Universe and everything, that is) were actually simply a ‘thought’ occurring in the mind of God. Only to have web link passed to me by partner, the very next day, that articulated exactly the same concept.

    I have lately ( the last year or two) become very clear minded about the fact that we live in a ‘world of metaphor’ – and that we are surrounded by all the evidences we need to be able to choose to live the kind of life that God has purposed fr us. Naturally, being humans we are oblivious to these metaphorical clues most of the time, because we are often blind to those things that are right before our eyes. We have a tendency to ‘focus’ objects afar, and seek complex explanations, when the as we seek are right before us and (in after the manner of Occam’s Razor) things are actually much simpler than we suppose.

    But I’m rambling and could take these though along various tangents.

    In respect to the notion of the ‘body and spirituality’ – the point I wanted to make was that I was fascinated by the likeness of a photograph floating around the ‘Net that purports to ‘show’ the ‘dark matter’ that represents the greater part of the mass of the Universe. the result – incorporating the light emanating from distant galaxies and stars was startlingly similar to the neural network of the brain.
    As such, in light of my ‘metaphorical’ allusion, the pattern of the Universe may be the same pattern that occurs within our brain. Likening ‘dark matter’ to ‘grey matter’ if you will! The fleeting electrical impulses of the brain would represent the the light of stars and galaxies communicating he over the passage of thousand, millions or even billions of (to us humans) light years.

    It made me think that if we were a thought in God’s mind – and our own minds repeat the pattern (made in God’s image – it fits rather nicely) – what might be a fleeting thought for the Maker – would be billions of light years for us…and potentially the small Universes of thoughts we create every day might have their own ‘billions of light years’ within the momentary thoughts we have.
    This certainly provided possible way of trying to convey just how ‘colossal’, how unknowable, how uncomprehendable God really is to the frail, mortal mind.

    But anyway…I won’t labor the point…especially as my keyboard is acting up and keeps misfiring and intermittently failing (apologies for any number of typos – this is the reason – honest :))

    BUT…The other point I wanted to make – given your blog title – is to ask you what, so far, I see no sign of you considering the Bah’ai Faith as far as I can see (your navigation options).

    My partner has been a Bah’ai some years and consequently she has introduced me to the faith. What little I know of it as yet positions it in my mind at least, as an important Faith to be considered by an ‘All Considering’ blog!

    What I know of Bah’ai teachings positions it as one of the most the Faiths for us today, I believe. And I think it is important to examine the role and claims made for and about Baha’U’llah.

    On another tangent…I think it’s clever how you have your photo on the background of the blogsite…But I do find the way you ‘look out of the screen’ at me a bit too penetrating and rather unnerving… 🙂

    Thanks for the blog.
    I’ll be back
    AS (no…not THAT AS)

  2. I can NOW see the typos where words were erased due to misfiring keyboard…I see it just didn’t work in places and missed whole words and phrases out. Sorry. I HOPE that overall the comments made enough sense to get the point of TRIED to say. Technology has become the necessity and the bane of life 🙁
    AS

  3. Hi,

    I do know about the Bahai Faith, but would not know what to write about it – not being particularly inspired by it myself. Just a matter of taste. I would not rule out writing about it in future though.

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