The Physical Body is the form that a soul takes while incarnated in the 3rd dimension (i.e. on Earth). The Physical Body consists of energy so dense that it can be felt and seen. However, the soul consists of more energetic layers than just the physical body.
According to spiritual, esoteric, occult, and mystical teachings, souls have a Physical Body and an Energy Body, commonly called a Subtle Body. The origin of Subtle Body teachings was principally Indian Yoga tradition, where it is described as sheaths that cover the immortal soul.
The Energy Body is known by various names in different spiritual traditions:
- Christians call it the “Resurrection Body” or the “Glorified Body”.
- Sufis call it the “most Sacred Body” (Wujud Al-aqdas) and the “Supra-celestial Body” (Jism Asli Haqiqi).
- Taoists call it the “Diamond Body”. Those who have attained it are called “the Immortals” and “the Cloudwalkers.”
- Yogic schools and Tantrics call it the “Divine Body.
- Tibetan Buddhists call it the “Light Body” or “Rainbow Body” (Jalü or Jalus). The Tibetan Book of the Dead1 calls it the “Shining Body”.
- Kriya Yogis call it the “Body of Bliss”.
- Hermetics call it the “Immortal Body” (Soma Athanaton).
- In the alchemical tradition, it is called the “Golden Body.”
- In the Mithraic liturgy it is called the “Perfect Body.”
- In Gnosticism it is called the “Radiant Body.”
- In the Vedanta it is called the “Superconductive Body.”
- The ancient Egyptians called it the “Luminous Body or Being” (akh) or the “Karast”.
- Alberto Villoldo, a scientist and shaman, calls it the “Luminous Energy Field” (LEF). He says the LEF dwells outside of time having existed since before the beginning of time and endures throughout infinity. It manifests in time by creating new physical bodies lifetime after lifetime. The LEF contains imprints of a soul’s memories, traumas, and wounds from former lifetimes.
- Clairvoyants see it as an aura or cloud of colored lights surrounding the Physical Body.
Our Energy Body is a luminous body. It is a vehicle that is used for traveling to other dimensions. The Energy Body is a vehicle of consciousness that exists as frequency levels on the subtle planes and as a yogic body that consists of ch’i or pranic energy (aura), energy vortexes (chakras) and energy channels (nadis or meridians). Astral projection and death are two ways to separate the energy body from the physical body.
The Energy Body can be separated into different layers. The number and names of the layers vary according to different spiritual models and theories. I have simplified the layers into 6 levels:
- Physical Body (aka The Gross Body, The Biological Body, The Dense Body, The Material Body)
- Etheric Body (aka The Life Force Body, The Auric Energy Fields)
- Astral Body (aka The Psychic Body)
- Emotional Body
- Mental Body (aka The Mind)
- Causal Body (aka The Higher Self, The Soul, The Spiritual Body, The Divine Body, Nirvana, The Celestial Body, The Cosmic Body)
The Energy Body is depicted in the graphic diagram below as having different layers that reside on various dimensions of consciousness. There is a portion of the energy body, called the Higher Self, that never descends to the physical body, but remains resident on the spiritual planes. The Higher Self retains all of a soul’s consciousness and memories.
However, for the purpose of this article, it is not necessary to distinguish the different layers of the Subtle Body. The term Energy Body or EB will be used to refer to the Subtle Body and the term Physical Body or PB will be used to refer to the Physical Body.
This table summarizes the basic differences between the Energy Body and the Physical Body:
| Energy Body (EB) |
Physical Body (PB) |
| Is formlessness. |
Has form. |
| Composed of energy as light. |
Composed of dense matter. |
| A product of past lives and between life experiences as well as karmic activity. |
A product of genetic material inherited from ancestors. |
| Memories are stored in the Akashic records. |
Memories are stored in the genes. |
| Has high energy, low density. |
Has low energy, high density. |
| Can be seen or experienced through the 6th sense (3rd eye/intuition). |
Can be seen by the physical eye and felt through the 5 senses. |
| Stores trauma from past lifetimes. |
Stores trauma from the current incarnation. |
| Exists in timelessness. |
Exists in linear time. |
| Does not age and does not die. |
Ages and dies. |
| Is immortal and is kept over many lifetimes. |
Is mortal and kept only for the current incarnation. |
| You take it with you when you die. |
You leave it on Earth when you die. |
| Eternal. Is carried in between lives and through multiple lives. |
Temporary. Only lasts one lifetime. |
| Exists on the higher planes of existence (i.e. the spiritual world). |
Exists on the Physical Plane (i.e. the 3rd dimension). |
| Has a connected oneness identity. |
Has a separate ego identity. |
| Is motivated from within. |
Is subject to external laws. |
DOES THE ENERGY BODY ALWAYS MATCH THE PHYSICAL BODY?
The Energy Body is usually described as a round, egg-shaped, or asymmetrical energy field. Although formless, it carries characteristics with it. Sometimes those characteristics are in synch with the Physical Body and sometimes they are different. Instances where the Energy Body does not match the Physical Body are:
1. Individuals whose physical body weight does not match their mental picture. An example is someone diagnosed as anorexic. The mirror indicates the physical body is of an acceptable weight, but the mental picture is that the body is “fat”. In reverse, many overweight people are surprised when their body cannot fit between two objects because their mental picture does not match the Physical Body.
2. Individuals that have physical disabilities. An example is someone that has had a limb amputated. The feelings and sensations of the limb still exist. In fact, a Kirlian photograph of a leaf that has been cut in half still shows the complete, intact energy fields of the whole leaf.
3. Individuals that feel young at heart. Have you ever looked in a mirror and been shocked at how old you look because when you look out on the world from behind your eyes, you see the world from a much younger perspective? How many times has an older individual suffered a physical injury from overdoing a physical activity that was perfectly easy to do when they were much younger? Many individuals in contact with souls on the spiritual plane see them to be about 30 years of age. Even though the Energy Body exists outside of Time, perhaps it does so in a state similar to a Physical Body of 30 years.
4. Individuals that feel they are part human, part animal. Mythology is full of examples of therianthropes such as centaurs, minotaurs, mermaids, fauns, sphinxes, satyrs, and Ganesha. In fact anyone could feel part mineral, plant, or animal as well as human.
5. Individuals that feel they are of a different culture or race than the physical body displays. Many people have a very strong identification with different cultures, skin color, and physical shapes than the ones they were physically born with. An example of this may have been Michael Jackson. He underwent many cosmetic procedures to alter his Physical Body to match the image of his Energy Body.
6. Individuals that feel they have a different gender than the physical body. Sex is usually defined as the biological or physical body, i.e. it is produced by one’s DNA. Gender, however, is a mental definition. Many people have a Physical Body that correlates to their feeling of gender i.e. females feel feminine and identify as female and males feel masculine and identify as males. However, there are a lot of individuals that do not have a Physical Body that matches their feelings and thoughts, in other words the Physical Body does not match the Energy Body. Many of these individuals identify as transsexual, transgender, intersexed, or gender fluid.
The most common instances where the Physical Body does not match the Energy Body are illustrated below.
BRIDGING THE PHYSICAL BODY TO THE ENERGY BODY
People tend to ostracize, stigmatize, and shame individuals who are different. Many times difference is a result of the Energy Body not matching the Physical Body. If taken and individual takes on the judgments of others, they will lodge in the Energy Body as body stories. Body stories are energy blocks or blocked energy imprints that eventually migrate into the Physical Body and manifest in the form of dis-ease.
We must stop looking only at the shells of people, which is the Physical Body, and begin to honor the energy that we feel, which is the Energy Body. As the Energy Body is acknowledged by others, the more at peace an individual will feel.
The Energy Body houses our true Nature. Changing it would be like trying to carry a mountain home with you. Instead, wouldn’t it be much simpler and smarter to travel to the mountain? So how does one take steps to build the bridge between the Energy Body and the Physical Body?
Bridging is bringing awareness from one side to the other. Once a bridge is created between the identities of the two bodies, both bodies become validated. The Energy Body can expand because it is acknowledged and the Physical Body becomes healthier because energy is flowing freely. The more solid the bridge, the easier it becomes to cross back and forth and integrate the two sides.
There are two grand advantages to being aware of your Energy Body:
1. Western medicine only focuses on treating the Physical Body. If you are educated about your Energy Body, you can implement ways to maintain a healthy one. For instance, you can learn about ways to create a healthy energy body for yourself or go to practitioners who are experienced in energy medicine techniques. For instance, I offer Energy Body Tune-ups, which include: aura repair, chakra restoration, grounding cord check, and a Reiki fill up. Deeper energy work may be indicated and could include power restoration, energy extraction, and soul retrieval work.
2. Acknowledging the existence of the Energy Body will broaden your perception. Many indigenous people look to Condor and Eagle as teachers showing us not only how to fly high enough to see the big picture but how to fly wingtip to wingtip with Spirit. This is a metaphor for knowing that the Physical Body is a very small part of our soul. Our existence extends all the way into the spiritual world and is forever eternal. When we tap into the consciousness of our Higher Self, we are able to see a much bigger picture, because the view is from the spiritual plane.
Here are some steps to building a bridge between the Energy Body and the Physical Body:
1. Awaken – Awareness can be a simple introduction such as saying “Hello, I see and feel you” to both Bodies.
2. Acknowledge – Done through unconditional love and acceptance. Try some of these activities:
- Perform positive affirmations daily.
- Banish negative thoughts and self-talk whenever it begins.
- Do guided meditations, mantras, and individual meditations.
- Seek out and surround yourself with non-judgmental people who practice unconditional love and acceptance.
- Throw a tea party for all your Bodies to celebrate their uniqueness and diversity.
3. Align – Done on both the energetic level or on a physical level. Your Physical Body gets fed every day. But how do you feed your Energy Body daily? Find out what makes your Energy Body happy and nourish it regularly. Energetic alignment methods can include:
- Grounding Meditations and Exercises: Grounding on a daily basis puts you in your Physical Body.
- Develop Astral Travel and Lucid Dreaming skills.
- Go on Shamanic Journeys. Shamans are very good at understanding transformation and metamorphosis, living between the worlds, and bridging different realities.
- Receive Massages: Reiki for the Energy Body and other body therapies for the Physical Body.
- Receive Energy Healings such as aura-chakra cleansings, shamanic healings, and various other forms of energy medicine and therapies.
- Do Shapeshift exercises: Examples are ecstatic dancing, creating masks and costumes that celebrate your Energy Body, tattooing the physical body with energy body characteristics, changing the Physical Body through cosmetics, clothes, hair style, surgery, or any other physical means.
SUMMARY: A DOZEN PRINCIPLES OF THE ENERGY BODY
1. The Energy Body merges with the Physical Body at birth and leaves the Physical Body at death. The Energy Body remains connected to the Physical Body during incarnation through energetic systems such as the aura, chakras, and meridians. When the Energy Body leaves, the Physical Body sleeps or dies. If the Energy Body leaves the Physical Body temporarily, it is called Astral Projection. If the Energy Body leaves the Physical Body permanently it is called Death. Psychopomps help the Energetic Body leave the Physical Body at death and seal the Physical Body chakras so the Energetic Body does not return.
2. The Energy Body has many layers. The inner most layer is the closest to the Physical Body and the outer most layer extends into the 5th dimension (spiritual plane). This layer is the Higher Self that never incarnates into a Physical Body. The Higher Self retains memory of all lifetimes and all time between lives.
3. The Physical Body is made of slow, dense energy so it can be seen by the physical eye. The Energy Body is made of faster, higher vibrating energy and can be seen by some through the 3rd eye. Some basic energy systems of the Energy Body include the chakra system, the aura, and the meridians.
4. When the Energy Body overlays the Physical Body at birth it only brings a portion of the soul’s energy. Some energy always remains in the outer layer, i.e. in the 5th dimension.
5. The Energy Body is the vehicle that carries our consciousness from one lifetime to another and holds our consciousness in between lives. It also carries imprints of past life Physical Bodies including physical characteristics and traumatic injuries. The Energy Body can also house imprints of impending dis-eases. If the cause of the dis-ease is not identified and healed, the dis-ease will descend into the Physical Body.
6. The Energy Body receives and sends energy. This is a form of communication that is in addition to the standard forms of communication that most of us are familiar with and use every day, such as verbal and body language. The energy body “gives off vibes” and these vibrations are received by the universe. The Law of Manifestation states that what vibration you give out is what you will attract back to you.
7. The Energy Body can “feel” the same as the Physical Body can. Have you ever felt angry or frustrated when someone has cut you off in traffic or in line at the market? Even though they have not touched your Physical Body, you are reacting to the sudden intrusion of their energy touching your Energy Body. People can send energy “whacks” to you simply by giving you the “evil eye” or sending you a nasty thought.
8. The Energy Body may not match the Physical Body. For instance, individuals may have a different gender identity (energetic level) than biological sex (physical level). Some Energy Bodies may be larger than Physical Bodies (anorexia) or may be smaller than Physical Bodies (obesity). The Energy Body can even retain feelings when a physical limb is lost through amputation.
9. Western medicine practitioners will only treat the Physical Body. To receive Energy Body treatments, an individual must visit alternative health providers or Eastern medicine practitioners that are knowledgeable about the energy body.
10. The more the Energy Body can be integrated with the Physical Body, the more whole and healthy a person will feel. Acknowledging the Energy Body is a big step towards integrating it with the Physical Body.
11. Healers that are trained in energy medicine techniques can provide clearing, healing, and maintenance for the Energy Body. They also can provide a daily energy body tune-up regime for an individual to follow.
12. The Energy Body is the one thing you will never shed and will be with you always. It is ageless and eternal. Therefore you will want to maintain the healthiest Energy Body you can so treat your Energy Body well!
CONCLUSION
On the physical plane, the Physical Body inherits genetic material from thousands of generations of ancestors. On the spiritual plane, the Energy Body inherits wisdom from many past lives and between lives times. We choose our Physical Bodies before birth in order to experience specific lessons while incarnated. But even then, our current Physical Bodies tend to resemble our Past Life Bodies. Perhaps the reason is that when the Energy Body overlays the Physical Body during incarnation, it affects the look of the current Physical Body. So why would we even think of negatively judging ourselves and others based on what the Physical Body looks like?
Copyright © 2014 Drake Bear Stephen. Except where acknowledged. http://www.DrakeInnerprizes.com
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