Subtle Body

Beyond the consciousness of the gross physical body itself is the emotional, mental and spiritual consciousness of what could collectively be termed the psyche. The Psyche is not a single entity in the way that the Physical Body is, but rather the sum of a number of distinct "subtle bodies" note or vehicles of consciousness that exist as frequency levels on the Etheric Plane. The word "subtle" is used to distinguish these bodies from the gross physical body.

Here is a tentative and speculative interpretation of the suble bodies. Four "vertical" worlds - the physical, etheric, astral/psychic, and mental/ideational - are suggested. Corresponding to these are three grades of increasing subtleness - the gross (representing physical consciousness), the subtle, representing psychic/interpersonal, and the very subtle or causal, corresponding to the transpersonal, the Theosophical Devachen and Steiner's "Spirit" realm. A fourth grade, the transcendent, could be added, but this is generally beyond mundane consciousness. So there is a dual parameter framework, not unlike the Neoplatonist Proclus' scheme of hypostases.

Thus according to this hypothesis there would be three distinct "vertical" grades of subtle body, with the physical as a fourth. lowest level. Of course, not everyone has the same level of development. Very few have a well developed ideational body, which is why so many people have to rely on dogmatism, literalism, fundamentalism, guru-ism, and other forms of stupidity. They are unable to mentally perceive things on their own, hence they have to rely on the thoughts and mentality of others, which they adhere to rigidly.

Similarily, only a few individuals have a developed transpersonal consciousness (equivalent to the "Very Subtle"/"Causal" column of the above table). Although such faculties exist in potential or germinal form in everyone (and in all sentient beings), it is only in some that they are brought out.

Kabbalah says that only the lowest grade of soul (nefesh) is inately(sic) developed, all the others have to be attained through spiritual discipline. One finds Gurdjieff, the Taoists, and others saying the same thing.

subtle body