Who Are We?

Who Man Is-

To begin with, man does not simply HAVE a soul- man IS the soul that inhabits the various bodies. From an even higher perspective (beyond soul) man is spirit, a divine spark of that which we call "God". And it is this spirit that manifests as soul, which then incarnates upon the Earth in order to grow, evolve, expand, learn life lessons, and ultimately return home to spirit or Prime Creator, bringing with it upon its return the unique individuality and spiritual treasures it has accumulated through its process of reincarnation in the material worlds. Therefore, let us proceed with the assumption that humanity does indeed reincarnate, using each incarnation to experience and ultimately master the various bodies and lessons to be learned. We are made up of  4 lower "bodies": the physical, etheric, astral and mental bodies.

The Physical Body:

The physical body is the most familiar of the four lower bodies, since it’s the one we see daily and the one that first meets the eye. Also familiar are the 5 senses with which we process the external world. These 5 senses—sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch—constitute the most immediate way we interact with the world. But equally obvious is the fact that these senses cannot be separated from our thought or feeling world because we all use the entire 4-body system to process the world around us.

The Etheric Body

Before proceeding to the astral body, which is the body form of the feeling world, I must draw attention to the etheric body, which is a subtler counterpart to the physical body. The etheric body interpenetrates (as do

all the bodies) the physical body and can be likened to a blueprint of the physical. Many healers use the images from this body to diagnose difficulties within the physical body. It is this form that is most often seen departing the physical body immediately after death. It is via the connection to this body that an amputee feels what is called phantom pain after the removal of a limb. In this case, what is being felt is the reality of the perfect blueprint of that limb and mentally transferring the pain of the loss to the etheric double of that limb, which suddenly finds itself without a physical point of connection. Of course, the etheric limb itself feels no pain. The etheric body also connects, in a more subtle fashion, to the etheric bodies and to the world at large through subtle energy links. Much, though by no means all, of the aura can be seen by psychics who are able to perceive the emanations of the etheric form.

The Astral Body

The astral body comprises the sensory and emotional world of each individual. It also interpenetrates the physical body and the etheric body. Looking at the planet as a whole, one who is able to do so could see the astral body of Earth herself. It includes the full spectrum of feelings and emotions ranging from animalistic greed and violence to the most sublime emanations of devotion, love and beatitude. There have been people throughout humanity’s evolution so clairvoyantly gifted that they could actually perceive these feelings taking on literal shape and color. 

On a more practical level, when police find themselves at a standstill in investigations they sometimes hire psychics—gifted people able to pick up often quite-detailed impressions from an article of clothing or object that bears the astral imprint of either the victim or perpetrator of a crime. This process is known as psychometry. Many are familiar with the experience of walking into a room and feeling a warm, welcoming embrace or a cold, even malevolent presence. Extreme negativity of feeling can and does leave its mark, and most of us are sensitive to this to some degree. Likewise, the tranquil emanations of a church or other place of spiritual devotion fills our hearts—sometimes to the extent that simply entering a place can so profoundly touch us that our eyes well with sudden tears.

The Mental Body

The same is true of the mental body and thought atmosphere of ourselves individually and our world collectively. This body penetrates the physical, etheric and astral and is of a higher frequency than the others.

However, in the 4-body system of man these bodies combine to form a cohesive whole. Thought is a very powerful aspect of ourselves and, through steady and concentrated focus, can help bring forth into manifestation that which seems out of reach on the physical level. “Thoughts are things,” said Edgar Cayce, and he could not have been more on the mark. Certain clairvoyants have likewise seen the images of thoughts in the same manner as they have seen the images of feelings. There is a distinct shape, size, and form to what we think, and we wear our thoughts about us in much the same manner as we wear our clothing, but thoughts are made of a more enduring substance.

All things start with thoughts. Everything first proceeds out of mind and then is acted upon, taking solidity and manifestation upon the physical plane. Without thought, humanity would not be a separate kingdom

from that of the animals, for it is the very substance of mind that denotes a human being. Again, psychics are often employed to tune in to the thought world of a case that eludes traditional investigative measures because since thoughts are a substance unto themselves, they can see things that are not visible to normal eyes. People who are developed in reading mental auras can easily see into the mental world of another. However, they should never abuse this gift by invading privacy or for selfish reasons. Looked at more deeply, we can see how we are all sensitive to the thoughts around us. When entering an environment that holds dark thoughts, we frequently pick up on these images—much as a phonograph needle picks up sounds recorded long ago—and we are either repelled by or, sometimes, drawn into them. The power of thought combined with the astral/emotional bodies taken en mass is vast indeed, and it is the strong mental and astral emanations that make many of us so vulnerable to mass hysteria, riots and so forth.

Synopsis

For these reasons the path of Ascension requires us to be master of our

4-body systems, so that we may act as cocreators with Prime Creator ("God") rather than

reacting as victims of those less developed than ourselves. 

From one viewpoint, it can be said that the path of Ascension 

is in the raising or ascending of the energies of these 4 

bodies into their higher aspects, which are

light and love—and thus reflective of the divine.

* Thank you to: 

Dr. Joshua David Stone 

Ascension Series: A Beginners Guide To The Path Of Ascension