The Subtle Bodies by Jane Thurnell-Read

Everyone recognises that human beings are not just physical bodies, but many traditions and therapies have a complex theory of subtle bodies to explain this additional ‘something’. There is some disagreement about how many subtle bodies there are and what they are called. Most writers on this subject accept that, as well as there being a physical body, there is also an etheric body, an astral or emotional body, one or more mental bodies and a spiritual body. Many systems include additional bodies.

The physical body is the material body that we can see, composed of atoms and molecules, obeying the laws of physics, chemistry and biology. The etheric body is said to contain the blueprint for the physical body, determining how the foetus develops and how the body repairs itself when damaged. As the embryo develops, the single original cell divides and replicates itself many times. In some way, not yet fully understood by science, these cells eventually become specialist cells with a specific function in a particular part of the body. Richard Gerber in Vibrational Medicine writes:

This field or ‘etheric body’ is a holographic energy template that carries coded information for the spatial organization of the fetus as well as a roadmap for cellular repair in the event of damage to the developing organism.

The emotional body is the centre for emotions and is also where the ‘atmosphere’ around people is generated. The mental body or bodies is the source of thought, both practical day-to-day thought and abstract philosophical thought. The spiritual body contains the sense of something other than the human world, something that some people would call ‘the divine’.

Many diagrams of subtle bodies show the higher bodies surrounding the lower bodies, but this is probably far from the truth. All the bodies inter-penetrate each other and are inter-connected in myriads of different ways, which are impossible to show adequately via a diagram. They should be viewed much more as an inter-connecting web, rather than as layers in an onion or separate entities. Each subtle body is seen as having its own vibrational rate. The physical body is visible precisely because it has a low vibrational rate whereas the spiritual body cannot be seen because its vibrational rate is so high. The terms ‘higher’ and ‘lower’ are often used for these bodies, with the physical body being the lowest and the spiritual body the highest. This is unfortunate terminology, because it suggests that the physical body is in some way inferior to the other bodies. All of the different bodies need to function and inter-relate for a human being to be healthy and happy.

Alternative therapists believe that the etheric body provides the blueprint for the physical body. This allows the body to replicate itself continually. This constant renewal of the body gives the possibility for profound healing, but it also gives the possibility for damage and harm to come to it. Many energy therapists feel that a lot of their work is done healing and repairing the etheric body. This work can then filter ‘down’ to the physical body, or prevent problems developing in the physical body at all.

Copyright 2008 Jane Thurnell-Read Online Healthy Living Shop