The Physical Body is for us the best known instrument of the human constitution. For a long time it has been the focus of attention of science, and the knowledge acquired in this way is outstanding and much of it useful. For these reasons, we will not refer to it here. Instead, we will introduce a subtle aspect of the Physical Body that is still unrecognized by human science and that explains the vitality and the activities of the Physical Body and its interactions with the mind, the feeling body and the Soul. This subtle aspect of the Physical Body is called the Etheric Body.
The human being as an aggregate or system of energies endowed with several qualities and potencies in a state of continuous interaction — the right control and harmonization of this aggregate of energies is the intention of the human spirit, the “I AM” that each of us is. This approach also sees thoughts, intuitions, desires, emotions and feelings as energies and that interact with one another and with the Physical Body following specific natural processes that can be detected and studied. Here, it is going to be described how this array of energies impinges upon the Physical Body affecting its structure, functioning and vitality.
As the Feeling Body, the human Physical Body is also molded around a detailed blueprint made with projections of Soul energy into the physical plane — in fact, the blueprint for the Feeling Body and the Physical Body is one and the same; simply, the magnetic power of the Soul energy attracts to it both astral and physical substances. Thus, underlying every atom, every molecule, every cell, every organ and the whole body, there is a pattern constituted by threads of energy through which the vibrations and the magnetism of the Soul travel. This pattern of energy is known as the Etheric Body. The relation of this “body” to the Physical Body is so intimate that it is impossible to separate one from the other without destroying the integrity of the Physical Body.
The Etheric Body as a projection of the Soul cannot be detected yet by the instruments of science. The reason is that it vibrates much faster than the known vibrations of the particles of physical atoms. The so-called bio-magnetic fields and the DC electric currents already detected in the Physical Body are indications of the basic underlying structure of the Etheric Body. However, they are not the Etheric Body itself but some of the effects of its power upon the electromagnetic environment of the planet. Later, it will be discovered that the blueprint for organs and systems is magnetic and electric in nature and that the DNA has only intracellular and metabolic functions, which are also regulated by the magnetic and electric activities of the Etheric Body.
The Etheric Energy Centers or Chakras
In the human being the projection of Soul energy that constitutes the Etheric Body is organized as seven major vortices or centers of energy distributed along a central axis of the body — these are also known as “chakras”, in the East, meaning “vortices” or “wheels” in Sanskrit. From these vortices of energy, projections or channels of forces are radiated towards the periphery creating specific geometric shapes and pathways of communication that encompass the entire human frame. The crossing of these radiated projections of Soul energy originates 21 minor vortices and 49 minute centers distributed throughout the body. These major, minor and minute vortices of energy and their pathways of communication constitute the pattern or blueprint for the precipitation of the solid, liquid and gaseous substances that make up the material anatomy. They are also the medium used by the energy of Life emanating from the Soul to reach out and vitalize each cell, organ and system.
The Seven Major Vortices of Energy or Energy Centers are:
| Energy Center |
|---|
| Crown Center |
| Ajna Center |
| Throat Center |
| Heart Center |
| Solar Plexus Center |
| Sacral Center |
| Root or Base of the Spine Center |
Note: The navel or spleen center, found in many writings on this matter, is closely connected to the heart and solar plexus centers and is one of the 21 minor centers. Although its role in the physiology of the Physical Body is major, from the stand point of the psychological development of the human being it is only a secondary center.
One point to emphasize is that the entire Etheric Body is made of mental energy — because the energy of the Soul is a highly refined type of mental energy. This energy is shaped as the human form by the Self, the Thinker, with Its powers of thought and visualization. After this, the Self's intention or desire to manifest in the astral and physical planes projects magnetic Soul energy that attracts the necessary astral and etheric substances for the building of the Feeling and Etheric Bodies. The material human form (that is, the solid, liquid and gaseous elements of the human form) is attracted or precipitated because of the concentration of magnetized energy in this energy structure formed by the combination of etheric and astral substances.
The Etheric Body has two major functions regarding the Physical Body:
- It is the medium used by the energy of Life coming from the center of the Soul to reach and vitalize as a coherent, functioning whole the physical form.
- It is the instrument that the “I AM” or Self creates to condition, refine and control the activities of the Physical Body.
What is the nature of the connection between the Etheric Body and the physical anatomy so that the above two functions are possible?
The first function of the Etheric Body is made possible by its connection with the endocrine system, while the second function is possible by the connection with the nervous system. Let's analyze these two connections:
The central “hub” of each major energy center in the Etheric Body precipitates the formation of a major gland in the material form. Through the seven resulting glands (that is, the endocrine system) the Self regulates, via the blood, the activities of the different anatomical and physiological systems. This is possible because the central point of each energy center focuses as standing waves the vibrations or energy of Life of the human Soul traveling along the Etheric Body. In this way, the endocrine system and its activity is a direct manifestation of the livingness of Spirit and is responsible for the right coordination of this livingness in the human physical form.
The Seven Energy Centers and their corresponding glands are:
| Energy Center | Endocrine Gland |
|---|---|
| Crown Center | Pineal Gland |
| Ajna Center | Pituitary Gland |
| Throat Center | Thyroid Gland |
| Heart Center | Thymus Gland |
| Solar Plexus Center | Pancreas Gland |
| Sacral Center | Gonads |
| Base of the Spine Center | Adrenal Glands |
On the other hand, the whole array of vibratory, magnetic and geometric characteristics of each major energy center induce the formation of the central nervous system — that is, the brain, the cerebellum, the brain stem, the spinal cord and the different nervous plexuses located in the neck, the chest, the upper abdomen and the pelvis. Complementing this, the projections of Soul energy radiating from the various energy centers precipitate the formation of the peripheral nervous system — that is, the cranial and the spinal nerves. Through these structures of the Etheric Body molding and sustaining the nervous system, the Self controls and galvanizes into activity the Physical Body. All this is possible because every thread of the Etheric Body is sensitive to stimuli and can transmit energy signals coming in two directions: one, from the human spirit at the center of the Soul and, two, from the Soul itself towards the substance of the Physical Body, and from the sensory apparatus of the Physical Body towards the human Self located on mental levels.
In the Physical Body there are two sites where the nervous system and the endocrine system have a close interaction and can influence one another powerfully. They are:
-
One site is in the head where the central nervous system is connected to the pineal and the pituitary glands.
Because these two glands are precipitations of the crown and ajna centers, and in turn these two energy centers are responsive to and can be controlled by the mental life of the individual, it is possible for the Self to influence with the mind the glandular activity of the Physical Body improving its state of livingness and vitality — this is possible not with a particular thought or formula but with the entire trend of the thought life that one holds.
-
The other site is in the upper part of the abdomen, towards the back, where the division of the nervous system called “the sympathetic nervous system” is connected to the pancreas and the adrenal glands (besides other abdominal glands).
Because these groups of glands are precipitations of the solar plexus and base spine centers, and in turn these two centers are responsive to the emotional-feeling nature and the physical habits, it is possible for the sentient life and the physical instincts to influence the nervous and hormonal functions. Thus, when there is a lack of rhythm and balance in the physical habits and when there is an uncontrolled reactivity of the emotional-feeling nature, the vitality and the livingness of the Physical Body is disrupted and scattered creating the conditions for the appearance of disease and aging. Otherwise, when the physical habits are balanced and rhythmic, when the sentient nature is harmonious and balanced, and when the usual trends of thoughts of the individual are uplifting and beautiful, the Physical Body remains in perfect health and ageless.
These close interactions between the Mental Body and the Desire-Feeling Body and the physiology of the Physical Body explain most diseases found in modern humanity. Present-day science is dealing only with secondary causes when focusing only on the biochemical and biological aspects of diseases. It is hoped that true scientific research on the subtle mechanisms of the human constitution, mainly on the Etheric Body, will be started soon. Endeavors in this direction will lead to unsuspected ways of healing more in tune with the natural laws and free from undesirable “side effects”.
The Aura
A last point should be considered here before this introductory description on the human constitution is ended. The aggregate of orderly energies which make up the human being originates what in physics has been called a “field-effect” — that is, the radiation effect of any source of energy. This field-effect in the human being is known as “the aura” in some teachings and is made of a mix of radiations: the Soul, the three instruments of the Persona and the energy vibrations of the human spirit traveling along the Etheric Body contribute to it.
The aura can be studied as a radiatory sphere of influence generated by the thought life, the desire and emotional tendencies, the integrity and condition of the Physical Body, and the higher aspirations that motivate the individual — therefore, the aura varies in quality and potency from individual to individual. This sphere of radiated energies always influences the mental, astral and physical environments in which every individual moves. In general, and because of the evolutionary status of most human beings today, the radiations of the Desire-Feeling Body are the most powerful and the ones most readily sensed by everybody; they are not detected with the physical eyes but are, definitely, the source of the “impression” that every person gives when contacting others.
Besides the variations from person to person, the integrity, the quality and the potency of the aura also change in the same individual with the type of mental activity, with the moods and feelings, with the health of the Physical Body and with the energies of the close environment where the person lives. This variability and relativity make of the aura, in the present human situation, a very inaccurate and discouraging field of study when undertaken isolated from other energy studies of the human constitution. Only a few human beings, a very few in today's world, can sustain with consistency the quality and the potency of their auras in spite of all environmental conditions.
Summary
The description just ended attempts to show the importance of the Etheric Body in the human constitution. When the human being shall be studied as an energy unit, this importance will become apparent. Much could not be said in a general description like this one; a lengthy treatise would be required just to point out avenues for research. We hope that what was said will suffice for spiritual seeker. For the sake of clarity, a summary of the main ideas given is presented next.
- The Etheric Body is the pattern or blueprint upon which the Physical Body is built. This pattern is created and kept as an integral whole during incarnation by the powers of thought and visualization of the individual's Self.
- The basic structure of the Etheric Body is made up of Soul energy, which is a form of highly magnetized mental energy). Its central structure is a system of seven major vortices or centers for the transmission and transformation of energy. The radiations of these major vortices create pathways of communication or channels for the flow of energy vibrations, as well as minor and minute energy vortices for localized functions within the human anatomy. This complex system of energy centers and channels of force is the blueprint and the support for all the cells, the organs and the systems of the human form.
- The “I AM” or Self vitalizes as coherent functioning wholes the Desire-Feeling Body and the Physical Body via the seven major energy vortices. The endocrine glands are the most important connection or bridge between the life energy of the Self and the Physical Body. This vital energy is influenced both by the desire-emotional aspects of the individual and by the activities and habits of the Physical Body through the connections that exist between the solar plexus center and the sympathetic nervous system.
- The “I AM” or Self can control the activities of the Physical Body also via the seven major energy vortices but, in this case, through the connection that they have with the central nervous system. For this, the Self uses the power of the mind. In this way, thoughts that are under the control of the Self travel to the brain via the ajna and crown centers, found in the area of the head, to impress the individual's will.
- The Intelligent Essence of the human being is a Spirit, or a Spark of Life emanating from the Cause of All That Is. Its main characteristics are Spiritual Will and Love. In time and space these two characteristics manifest as distinctive energies or vibrations. It is the task of the Soul energy (and its extension, the Etheric Body) to be the medium or vehicle for these two energies.
We have finished introducing the constitution of the human being as seen, since ancient times, by the Wisdom Teachings of many lands. Although the spiritual seeker does not have a need to give direct attention to the development of the Etheric Body, some basic knowledge about it is useful for a more integral appreciation of the psychology of the human being. Instead, the spiritual seeker centers the attention upon the quieting of the turbulences of desire and emotion, and upon the control of the mental life. Progress in these areas will inevitably bring forth new and greater activities of the energy centers of the Etheric body, safely and at due pace.