SELF KNOWLEDGE: The Aura and the Subtle Bodies – Structure and composition of our energy field and its relationship with the external environment

NOTES ON UNIVERSAL ENERGY

The term energy derives from the late Latin energīa, in turn derived from the Greek ἐνέργεια (enérgeia). The word is composed of en, intensive particle, and ergon, ability to act.

The omnipresent Universal Energy, also defined by the various spiritual and religious doctrines  and by the various current scientific patterns Akasha, Quantum Field, Divine Matrix, Ether, Void, etc., indicates the basic, intangible and invisible essence of all that exists, whose main property is sound, vibration, as a creative source, from which all things are generated; hence the biblical quote: “In the beginning was the Word” [OM]).

According to the Hinduist doctrine and to Aristotle’s point of view, the Akasha field adds to the other four elements (Earth, Water, Fire, Air) and constitutes the substratum that connects together every form of life existing on all planes of existence and in all dimensions (entanglement).

Science, in particular physics, and, above all, quantum physics with its revolutionary and innovative discoveries that corroborate what was enunciated in the sacred texts two thousand years ago, affirms that what we commonly call space is not empty, but pulsating of a living, intelligent and dynamic energy which, driven by its vital impulse of expansion, is in a constant and incessant flow of transformation, and creation.

This energy, also called Prana, Ki or Chi, Pneuma (Greek), Mana (Polynesian), Ruah (Hebrew), at its most subtle levels, permeates every living form (planets, stars, human, animal, vegetable and mineral kingdoms microorganisms , etc.), in an omnipresent connection, from their densest to their subtlest layers, beyond space and time. In fact, in its higher planes, space and time do not exist and everything happens in the eternal present of the here and now.

On our existential level there are three main types of Prana: the Prana of the Sun, which is absorbed by exposing oneself to the sun rays, by eating fresh fruit and vegetables and drinking water previously exposed to the sun; the Prana of the Air formed by the globules of vitality present in the air itself and which are absorbed through breathing; the Prana of the Earth, or globules of vitality of the Earth, which is absorbed through the soles of the feet automatically and unconsciously.

According to quantum physics and the most recent scientific discoveries, everything is energy and everything vibrates, and the consolidation and creation of matter, is based on density. Density depends on how fast the particles of this omnipervadente energy vibrate. If we consider a single atom, or a molecule, they are invisible to the naked eye because, besides being infinitely small, they vibrate beyond our capacity of perception, but the fact that we do not see them does not mean that they do not exist. To set another example we can mention the ultrasounds. It is shown that in nature a dolphin naturally senses them, but we don’t because our sensory system is not equipped to do so. Another example can be the infrared rays, used for sophisticated binoculars that allow to see during the night, even if they are not detectable with the naked eye.

The Universal Energy, therefore, animates and gives life and form, according to the degree of intensity of vibration and condensation, to every living creature (from atoms, rocks, rivers, plants, animals, the human kingdom, etc.).

A seemingly inert form of life such as a rock, for example, vibrates very slowly, but this does not mean that it has no life. The mineral kingdom, vibrates slowly as it resides in the lowest degree of the evolutionary scale, below the vegetable kingdom, the animal kingdom, and the human kingdom. Higher above there is the Spiritual Realm, to which the human being tends to, as a further evolutionary stage.

Since, therefore, each living being is composed of pulsing vibrating energy, it is doubtless clear that each form of life has its energetic field (AURA) and its peculiar vibration according to its level of evolution.

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THE AURA

So, the Aura is our energy field, also referred to as the bioplasmic body. It is that bright and invisible field that interpenetrates the visible physical body and extends beyond it for about 10-12 centimeters. The definition bioplasmic derives from the terms bio which means life, and plasma, which indicates the fourth state of matter, together with the other 3 states: solid, liquid and gaseous. The Plasma we consider here has nothing to do with blood plasma; it is actually a form of ionized gas composed of particles with positive and negative charge.

The Aura is nothing more than individualized Universal Energy, manifested in every living being, emanating from them thus generating a real field of information that varies from individual to individual.

The human being radiates and transmits it constantly, even if unconsciously, only with its presence, through the emanations of one’s body heat, feelings, thoughts and, above all, through one’s unconscious experience which constitutes 95% of it.

The purpose of self-knowledge is to learn how to consciously use this energy, in a creative way, in order to reach an inner state of balance and serenity, and produce results into the outer world that allow us to live in harmony with ourselves and with our environment, in accordance with our inborn inclinations and natural predispositions.

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COMPOSITION OF THE AURA: THE SUBTLE BODIES

Esoteric studies have been carried out that show that the structure of our Aura is formed by a series of energetic bodies interpenetrating each other, and corresponding to the various planes of existence. They are:

The physical body (tissues, fibers, glands, organs, fluids, single cells, etc..) which is our visible body; although it is nothing but condensed energy, we are not going to describe it herewith, except when it is necessary to recall it, because we want to deal mainly with subtler energies;
The etheric double, so called because it has the same shape as the physical body and its organic components (every fabric, fiber, gland, organ, fluid, single cell, etc.) creating an energetic anatomy that corresponds to the physical one.
It is the source of all our physical strengths and sensations; moreover, it is recreated with each incarnation and dissolves within 3-5 days after death. Through the Solar Plexus Chakra this body draws vital energy from the sun and transmits it to the whole physical body through energy vessels called Nadi and Meridians, and through appropriate energy centers called Chakras; it also eliminates the excess energies, toxins and waste through the pores, creating streams a couple of centimeters thick; it is also referred to as the Internal Aura.
Its emanations, in the form of rays, also called bioplasmic rays or health rays, constitute for the physical body a protective shell that prevents germs, bacteria, toxic and harmful substances from entering our body, while, in the form of vitality rays, they spread constantly out into the surrounding environment.

As long as we are in a state of well-being, these rays, to the expert eye, appear well stretched and ordered. Otherwise they appear, disordered and curved, with possible congestions, caused by a possible excess of Prana, which a trained operator perceives as energetic bumps that vary in size depending on the severity of the disease; or, where Prana is decreased, they create voids, perceived as hollow areas, where the internal Aura has become particularly thin, their depth depending on the severity of the disease. Where there are voids and pranic congestions, the thin meridians or bioplasmic vessels are partially or severely blocked, causing the Prana not to be able to flow freely inside and outside that area. To a clairvoyant’s eye, the affected parts appear to be of a color ranging from light gray to dark gray. In the case of an inflammation, instead, they appear to be a dark cloudy red; depending on the pathology you can also have other colors always tending to dark cloudy shades. In cases of serious pathologies, the aura, appears to have holes, through which it was possible for pathogens and unhealthy energies to flow into the physical body, as well for vital energy to flow out, causing a loss that weakens the whole organism. It is therefore clear that the health conditions of the physical apparatus depend on the energetic quantity and quality of our etheric body which, for this reason, is also called “the Health Aura”.
Not least in terms of importance, the etheric double filters the information that come to the physical body from the other subtle bodies in the form of thoughts, emotions, beliefs, which with their positive or negative imprint, influence in a significant way the health of the body.
From here we can mpove on to a description of the next energetic body, also called External Aura, starting from the Astral Body.

• The Astral Body, is the energetic field that radiates beyond the etheric double, being usually wider than this one,  where our feelings. thoughts and emotions fluctuate, both the gross ones (anger, sadness, etc., corresponding mainly to the emanations of the solar plexus chakra), and the refined ones (love, empathy, compassion, courage, etc., that correspond to the emanations of the heart chakra) fluctuating in the upper layers. For this reason, the energetic field that constitutes the astral body is continuously changing in density and color, according the moods as well as the evolutionary degree of the individual. The colors that remain more or less predominant and stable (but not immutable) are those that reflect the character of a person, while the more iridescent ones, on the other hand, reflect the occasional states of mind and the fleeting and transitory emotions. It appears obvious that the most vivid, and brightest colors correspond to elevate and positive inner conditions, while the darker and dense ones, to negative and low emotions.
  It is also clear that most of these contents reside in this field at the unconscious level, in the form

of “emotional blocks”, which originate in the experiences of the early childhood (starting after the second year of age, when the areas of the brain responsible for decoding the experiences and translating them into emotions are fully developed), and in possible unpleasant episodes which are removed from one’s conscious mental activity (rejection, abandonment, traumas of various kinds, etc.) and confined into the unconscious one: this explains the Law of Resonance or Law of Attraction, according to which, despite the aspirations of our conscious mind, we are led to interact with people or events that at an unconscious level vibrate in a similar or complementary way with our Aura, recalling in our life situations and people we would rather avoid.
Only by rising above the perception of our lower mental field, where we are capable of transcending duality, by looking inward and observing reality without judgment and without condemnation, can we work the emotional healing that makes us whole and tunes us with our true essence, because at that level of understanding we definitely can see and are capable to heal emotional blocks. Before introducing this higher level, we must know what our lower mental body consists of.

• The lower mental body is connected to the collective field of ordinary thoughts; it is based on logic and duality, on separation, on analysis; it is mostly connected with our survival instincts and therefore with thoughts associated with personal well-being and material issues. It is indeed very useful in practical life. Thoughts are generated in a process through which, staring from the physical experience, our senses, through the etheric double, send information to our astral body which, in turn, translates them into emotional responses; the astral body, then, act as a basis for the formulation of thoughts in our mental body.
  It is obvious that, being filtered through the contents of our astral body in which emotions based on our previous personal experiences reside, including the unconscious ones, the thoughts thus generated have no objective basis and therefore create a sort of illusion. At this stage, since we see the reality through the lens of our past experiences and expectations, if we do not elevate further, we will keep creating repeatedly the same situations for as pleasant or painful as they may be. At this level of consciousness, we are conditioned to consider good what gives pleasure and harmful what gives pain without evaluating the situation from a broader and more inclusive perspective, the so called overall view in which every situation has its raison d’etre.
• The upper mental body, or causal body capable of generating abstract thoughts, and of using intuition and creativity, is, on the other hand, inclined towards the integration of concepts into the overall view. The frequency of its vibrations is higher and extends out of the body, depending on the evolutional degree of the individual, from about one meter up to several miles. It shines with vivid and intense colors and constantly receives high and intense energy from the spiritual planes. Since all the energetic bodies interpenetrate, when the head Chakras, connected to this body of light, are active, they also infuse with refined energy the lower mental, astral and etheric bodies and their relative chakras, favoring their activation and promoting the awakening of the human being to a higher level of expression and awareness, in which the chakras of the lower levels tune, harmonize and thus operate under the guidance of the higher ones where the higher will resides.
• The Buddhic or Animic body, composed of Divine Will, Divine Love and Divine Intelligence, which is the seat of our Soul; its description is mainly approximate if not impossible, because the experience of achieving it is always unique and not expressable in words; it is a state of profound joy represented by a deep integration between the Inner Buddha (Awareness of the Self) and the Inner Christ (Unconditional Love).
• The Atmic body, even more difficult to describe, represents the maximum spiritual evolution that manifests itself with the state of being totally immersed in the unity with God in a total reunion with the Divine Principle; it constitutes our true spiritual essence that mostly corresponds, in terms of purity, to the Spirit of the Creative Universal Energy.

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OUR ENERGY FIELD AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT

NOTES ON CHAKRA AND ENERGY CHANNELS

If our inner development only reaches the level of the lower mental, we will use our energies unconsciously. In this case, in the field of Universal Energy, since thoughts and emotions already exist in the ether on a collective level (the so-called Matrix), we are like pieces of a puzzle that unknowingly come to match with other pieces, depending on which energetical information we emanate, without a true use of free will. Our way of responding to external stimulations is thus REACTION. At this level, since we have no conscious experience of the fact that we, through our energy field, create our reality, we suffer situations, often considering ourselves victims of the events, especially the negative ones. Up to this level, in practice, we are not aware of our power to create and we blame the outer world for what happens to us.

Elevating to the Upper Mental and upwards, however, we acquire the faculty of mastering our lower mind and our senses with awareness, managing our emotions, without letting ourselves be dominated by those unconscious mechanisms residing in us which derive from our past experiences.

The Lower Mind and the Upper Mind, however, both have their importance and therefore they must both be developed synergistically for a harmonious integration of all our faculties, because only in this way can we be able to express ourselves according to our uniqueness and unrepeatability.

To do this, it is useful to remember that, as we said in the beginning, just as the physical body is provided with blood vessels to distribute blood in every corner of the body, the subtle bodies we have talked about are strewn by energy channels called Nadi and Meridians and energy centers called Chakras, through which they supply and distribute Ki or Prana throughout our psychophysical apparatus.

The energy centers or Chakras, in particular, have peculiar functions of vital importance for the realization of our life, which are both physical and mental/psychological; they too have a correspondence with the physical anatomy according to their position within our body and influence each other in their functioning on all levels, therefore they must all be taken into account in equal measure.

It seems obvious to infer that the energetic anatomy (AURA and thin bodies, NADI, MERIDIANI, CHAKRAS) is not less important than the physical one, indeed,  we shall see, as far as health is concerned, it has a greater relevance, because It has been demonstrated, from the holistic point of view and through clairvoyant observation, that every situation of malaise, before manifesting itself in the concrete psychophysical apparatus, originates precisely in the energy field.

Consequently, if our Aura with its subtle bodies, energy channels (Nadi, Meridians) and energy centers (Chakras) is daily purified with appropriate meditation practices or through energy cleaning techniques, it will be freed from all body, mind and psyche waste, which inevitably tend to form and accumulate, due to the contamination (physical, mental, emotional) derived from the interaction with all sorts of external environment, through food, medicines, etc.

By the Law of Correspondence, if we clean up and keep our Aura and its energy channels and centers healthy, we maintain the condition of our physical body in an optimal state of well-being or can recover much faster, speeding up by far the healing process, both on a general level and/or in the case of a specific disease.

Furthermore, if we also learn to prevent our negative thoughts and emotions from having negative influences on our bodies and lives, through breathing exercises, self-observation and mind awareness (mindfulness) we will better manage our lives. Nourishing our energy field with healthy emotions and thoughts will increase our ability to achieve better results in all aspects of our lives and help us develop all of our faculties, in the sign of a healthy balance, not only in that of health, but in all fields:

– in the material sphere, with an increase in our ability to generate abundance and prosperity;

– in our sentimental, emotional, and relational life in general (romantic, family, work, friendships, etc.);

– in contacting our most authentic and creative part by consciously using our talents, resources and peculiar abilities;

– going deeper and deeper, we can free ourselves of our past traumas, habits and unconscious and obsessive behavior, and, with due perseverance, of Karmic debts.

Summarizing, our Aura, however invisible to those who do not have a trained eye, performs, in a living being, the essential functions of absorption and distribution of Prana, as well as assuring the correct functioning and protection of the physical body.

Deprived of its energetic field, our body would lose every faculty to function properly; indeed, it would have no life, since Prana or Ki is the subtle substance that gives it life and animation; it is the breath of life mentioned in the sacred texts:
It is therefore desirable, if not our duty towards ourselves and towards our environment, to know and take care of our Aura, keeping it in good health.

 

“Man lives only as long as he has life energy within his body. If he loses this energy he dies. Therefore we must practice Pranayama. “(Dall’Hata Yoga Pradipika)

“… Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the earth and breathed in his nostrils a breath of life and man became a living being …” (Genesis 2, 7)

“… The etheric body is the exact reproduction of its dense counterpart, the physical body, the active or radiating fire organ and, as it is well known, the vehicle of prana.
It has the function of storing light and heat radiated by the sun, and transmitting them through the spleen to all parts of the physical body.
Therefore in the future it will be recognized that the backbone and the spleen are of great importance for the physical well-being of man, and that when the spine is in order and rightly aligned, and the spleen is free from congestions and in healthy conditions, there will be few disturbances in the dense body.
When the physical furnace burns brightly, and the fuel of the body (pranic energy) is adequately assimilated, the human structure functions properly. “
(Alice Bailey – TREATY ON THE COSMIC FIRE – The Internal Fires of the Enclosures: The Etheric Body)

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Bibliography and Videography:
“Manuale dei Chakra” di S. Sharamon & B. J. Bajinski ed. Mediterranee – “Miracoli con il Pranic Healing” di Master Choa Kok Sui ed. Mediterranee – “Wikipedia” ed altre risorse dal web -Generic references, quotes and sunts from books and video-seminars from S. Brizzi e E. F. Poli available on the following links where you may also find a section of books in the english language: