We have often discussed the existence of the Etheric or Atomic Web. We also know that there is a very close connection between the chakras in the emotional body and those in the Etheric Double. Between these two sets of centres and interpenetrating them in a manner not easy to describe, there is a web or sheath, composed of a single layer of physical atoms, closely woven, very compressed and permeated with a special variety of Prana. The Prana, which normally comes from the emotional envelope into the physical is such that it can pass unobstructed through the atomic shield, but the latter is an absolute barrier to all other forces, which cannot use the atomic matter of both planes. This is important to note. Prana is not plane-dependent. It passes through all of them. However, the emotional essences that make up the emotional plane (48), can not function on plane 49 and vice versa.
The shield is thus a protection provided by nature to prevent premature opening up of communication between the emotional and physical planes. Were it not for their wise provision, all kinds of emotional experiences might pour into the physical consciousness where, in the case of most of humanity, they are likely to cause nothing but harm.
At any moment an emotional entity might introduce forces, which ordinary people would be quite unprepared to meet and which would be entirely beyond their strength to cope with. A person would be liable to obsession by any emotional entity who desired to seize their vehicle.
The atomic shield thus serves as an effective safeguard against these undesirable events. It also serves, under normal conditions, to prevent clear recollection of the sleep life from reaching the physical brain consciousness; and it accounts for the momentary unconsciousness, which always occurs at death. Occasionally the returning emotional body succeeds in making a momentary impression on the Etheric Double and dense body so that when the body awakes there is a touch of vivid memory. This usually quickly vanishes, efforts to recall it rendering success more impossible, as each effort sets up physical brain vibrations, which tend to overpower the subtler emotional vibrations. This is why you should record your memories immediately.
It is clear, therefore, that any injury to the shield is a serious disaster. Such injury may occur in several ways. Any emotional shock, or any strong emotion of an evil character, which produces a kind of explosion in the emotional body, may produce such an effect, tearing apart the delicate web and driving the person mad. A terrible fright may do this, or an outburst of anger. Obsessive meditation for periods of longer than 30 minutes, may also injure the web and throw open the doors which nature intended to keep closed.
Certain drugs, notably alcohol and all the narcotics, of which tobacco is one, contain matter, which on breaking up volatilises, some of it passing from the physical to the emotional state. Students of nutrition, especially those who have studied the effect of toxins, will be interested to learn that even tea and coffee contain the class of material described, though in quantities so small that only after considerable over-consumption of them would they affect someone. When this takes place, these constituents rush out through the chakras in the direction opposite to that for which they are intended and after doing this repeatedly, they injure and finally destroy the delicate web.
There are only two ways in which the web’s deterioration or destruction may be brought about. This is related to the type of person concerned and the proportion of varying constituents in their etheric and emotional bodies. In the first type, the rush of volatilising matter burns away the web and thus breaks down nature’s barrier. In the second type, the volatile constituents harden the atom, checking and crippling its pulsations, so that it can no longer carry the special form of Prana, which welds it into the web. The web thus becomes ossified, so that instead of too much prana passing through from one plane to another, we have very little of any kind coming through.
The two types are readily recognisable. In the former case, we have instances of delirium, obsession, and certain forms of insanity. In the latter case, which is by far the more common, we notice a general deadening of the higher feelings and qualities, resulting in materialism, brutality, animalism and loss of self-control. It is well known that those who indulge excessively in narcotics, such as tobacco, will persist in their self-indulgence even at the expense of the pain or discomfort of their neighbours. Their finer susceptibilities have to that extent become blunted. If the web lets in prana and you are stopping this happening, you are not receiving vitalising energy. This exacerbates the chances of getting cancer.
As the consciousness of the ordinary person cannot normally use the molecular matter, either physical (49:2-4) or emotional (48:2-7), there is normally no possibility of conscious communication between the two planes. As, however, a person purifies their vehicles, they become able to function in the subplanes of molecular matter and then are able to carry their consciousness along a direct road from one molecular sub-level to another. In their case the atomic web fully retains its position and activity, permitting the consciousness to pass from one plane to another, while at the same time fulfilling its purpose of preventing close contact with those lower sub-planes from which many kinds of undesirable influences are liable to come. Why are the lower emotional planes not a good place to receive communications from? Because the lowest three levels are what we euphemistically call “Hell”. You don’t want to go there unless you are forced to. The only safe way, therefore, for students of esoterics, is not to force in any way the development of psychic powers, but to wait for these to unfold, as they will unfold, in the normal course of evolution. In this way, all the benefits will be obtained and the dangers avoided.
Let us now study the Etheric envelope and its connection with the birth and death of the physical body.
Those who have studied the mechanism of reincarnation will be familiar with the fact that, in the case of the etheric body, a factor comes into play, which does not operate in the case of the emotional or mental bodies. The Etheric Double is built in advance for the incoming persona, by a deva, which is the joint thought-form of the four Devarajas, each of whom presides over one of the four etheric sub-planes of physical matter (49:1-4). The primary business of these building devas is to construct the etheric mould into which the physical particles of the new baby’s body are to be built. This “body” is built under the restrictions placed on the devas by the Lords of Karma and Destiny. This has been discussed in previous presentations in some detail.
The form and colour of these elements vary depending on the monad who is incarnating. At first, the deva accurately expresses in shape and size, the infant body it has to build. Clairvoyants sometimes see their doll-like figure hovering about and afterwards within, the body of the mother. They occasionally mistake it for the “soul” of the coming baby instead of the mould of its physical body.
As soon as the foetus has grown to the size of the mould or template and is ready for birth, the form of the next stage is unfolded. This includes the size, shape and condition of the body that will develop. After the devas responsible for developing the template have retired, all further growth of the body is under the control of the persona itself, or to be precise the devas that control this process. This happens when the Life Thread is connected at birth. It should be noted that the persona, along with its deva helpers, builds its etheric envelope, which merges with the envelope built by the devas that grow the foetus. The devas colours largely represent the qualities required in the body it has to build and its form is also usually that destined for it. As soon as its work is done, there is no power left to hold together its particles and the tertiary atoms of the mould disintegrate.
In determining the quality of etheric matter to be used in building the etheric body, we have two things to consider: first, the type of matter, regarded from the point of view of the seven Rays or vertical divisions, and secondly, the quality of matter, regarded from the point of view of its coarseness or fineness, or horizontal divisions (49:2-4). The former, the ray-type, is determined by the physical permanent atom, which has the type and subtype impressed upon it by the monad. The latter is determined by the past karma of the person, the building deva being charged with the production of the type of physical body suited to the person’s requirements. The deva consists of that portion of the (prarabda) karma of the individual, which is to express itself in the physical body. Prarabda refers to the past thoughts, feelings and actions of the monad. The selection made by the building deva depends, for example, whether the body will be naturally clever or stupid, placid or irritable, energetic or lethargic, sensitive or unresponsive. The potentialities of heredity are latent in the maternal ovum and the paternal sperm and from these, the deva makes their selection according to the requirements of the case.
Although the deva is in charge of the body from inception, the persona only comes into contact with their future habitation later, sometime just before physical birth. If the characteristics the deva has to impose are few, it is able to withdraw early and leave the persona in full control of the body. Where, however, much time is required to develop the limitations needed, the deva may retain its position until the body is seven years old.
Etheric matter for the infant body is taken from the body of the mother; hence the importance of the mother supplying her body with only the purest materials. Unless the deva is charged with some special development in the way of features, such as unusual beauty or the reverse, the principal agency at work in their direction will be the thoughts of the mother and the thought-forms that float around her.
The new emotional body comes into connection with the Etheric Double at a very early stage and exercises considerable influence over its formation, the mental body also working through it, influencing the organisation of the nervous system.
We have looked at the etheric envelope as it relates to the birth of a monad. In the next presentation, we will look at what happens upon the death of the physical body.