Hi Everyone,
I hope this will be helpful and inspiring --
The subject at hand is discussed in great detail in a whole chapter of
Sri Aurobindo's 'Letters on Yoga' - very appropriately entitled
"The Planes and the Parts of Being" (Section V) in "Letters on Yoga Vol I", beginning on page 233. (see link below) There may be even more appropriate writings on this topic, and if I manage to find them, I will post links, but for now this seems to be the best I could find in one chunk.
Here is an excerpt from that chapter on pg 252:
Quote: ...If we regard the gradation of worlds or planes as a whole, we see them as a great connected complex movement; the higher precipitate their influences on the lower, the lower react to the higher and develop or manifest in themselves within their own formula something that corresponds to the superior power and its action. The material world has evolved life in obedience to a pressure from the vital plane, mind in obedience to a pressure from the mental plane. It is now trying to evolve supermind in obedience to a pressure from the supramental plane. In more detail, particular forces, movements, powers, beings of a higher world can throw themselves on the lower to establish appropriate and corresponding forms which will connect them with the material domain and, as it were, reproduce or project their action here. And each thing created here has, supporting it, subtler envelopes or forms of itself which make it subsist and connect it with forces acting from above. Man, for instance, has, besides his gross physical body, subtler sheaths or bodies by which he lives behind the veil in direct connection with supraphysical planes of consciousness and can be influenced by their powers, movements and beings. What takes place in life has always behind it pre-existent movements and forms in the occult vital planes; what takes place in mind presupposes pre-existent movements and forms in the occult mental planes. That is an aspect of things which becomes more and more evident, insistent and important, the more we progress in a dynamic yoga.
But all this must not be taken in too rigid and mechanical a sense. It is an immense plastic movement full of the play of possibilities and must be seized by a flexible and subtle tact or sense in the seeing consciousness. It cannot be reduced to a too rigorous logical or mathematical formula. Two or three points must be pressed in order that this plasticity may not be lost to our view....
It seems to me, having familiarized myself somewhat to these writings, and to some extent with this forum, that so many of the phenomena and issues non-physical explorers frequently discuss on this site are very clearly and in depth, presented in the writings of Aurobindo. It should be noted that the 'Letters' are widely considered to be some of his most accessible writings.
Personally, I find Sri Aurobindo to be an authentic teacher of tremendous height, depth, and utility - and yet he and his writings which could be extremely helpful to truth seekers, universe explorers, yogins, etc. seem relatively unknown and under-utilized in our world where many are now craving reliable (and practical) teaching in areas crucial for individual and group progress (a not just curiosity fulfillment). For instance, his "Letters on Yoga", in 3 volumes totalling over 3,000 pages, are excerpts from letters he wrote in answer to his own student's queries on their experiences and problems as seekers. These excerpts (the very specific personal was removed leaving the general) cover a wide range of spiritual subjects which have been organized by topic for ease of access, making it a credible and useful contemporary guide.
Fortunately, the entire 3 volumes of 'Letters' (as well as many other writings) are available on line for free and can be downloaded in html or PDF format, so here I give the link for anyone interested. When you link, you will get the tables of contents (further linkable to the readings themselves) for all 3 volumes. In fact, I wholeheartedly encourage people to peruse the entire tables of contents, as you may find materials on a great many subjects of interest and possible necessity to one's individual quest.
http://www.aurobindo.ru/workings/sa/22-24/index_e.htm for the subject in this thread, see Vol I, Section V
Hope this is useful.
- u