http://www.theosophical.ca/SevenPrinciples.htmactually, I subscribe to the belief each person has 7 bodies, any of which we can use as a vehicle of our individual consciousness.
Atmâ Spiritual
6 Buddhi
5 Manas Mental
4 Kâma Astral
3 Prâna Physical
2 Etheric Double
1 Dense Physical Body
1) physical (goes back to dust)
2) Etheric body. this is like it infers, etheric materal which duplicates the shape of the physical form. it is matter, but not effected by gravity, not dense, like the physical body is dense. in early mediumship days, etheric particles could be collected by a spirit visitor, in order to make itself visible to the retina.
it's called a double because it looks just like the physical body. in reflection, this must have been the body which projected to my sister once, as I had been trying to obe to her. curiously, I had no memory of having succeed in my projection.
If not for her phone call, I would have considered my attempt a failure. however, she reported I stood before her.
3rd, that of Prana, I have to study what Besant means.
4: Astral: my understanding of astral means: emotional body, also I'm thinking it's been called the Desire body. This was called the astral body by early esoterics writings. is comprised mainly of emotional energy with "I am" awareness. Is the unconscious belief systems, whereas the mental body is more of a conscious operating system. emotional is an astral substance and is connected to the collective grid of all minds. In emotion, we find our oneness
5. Manos, according to my own understanding is: the mental body. when we work with our belief systems, I believe it is this body which guides the astral body's excursions, as in obe. or as I see it, ideally so.
6) Buddhi may also be called the Causal body. this I see as nonduality state of consciousness, but not full enlightenment. full enlightenment I see as pure nondualism.
7) Atma - Spiritual body. your guess as good as mine, but I would call it God realization, and pure nondualism, a PUL state but no negative emotions.
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for simplicity purposes, as spirit, we are vibrating at a higher frequency of being. much like the blades of a fan when they spin, we cannot see the blades with the retina. that is how their bodies vibrate, so that we do not normally see them.
it appears on the 7th level, we are able to bliss out for as long as desired. however, I have been told bliss is available, if we should be letting a desire, or a curiosity to enter, we find ourselves planning another sojourn into physical life.
Unless we have reached the 7th level in this particular life. In that case, all desire to return is satisfied and the disc may wink out when the last voyager returns home.
don't ask me what happens after winking out of ELS!
there are some things we need to wait and find out through experience, trust and faith in higher powers.