We discussed, in the first presentation of this series that the emotional body of a person, is composed of matter of all seven grades of that plane. This allows the person to experience all varieties of desire to the fullest possible extent, the highest as well as the lowest. It is the peculiar type of response possessed by emotional matter, which enables the emotional matter to serve as the sheath in which the Self can gain experience of sensation.
In addition to the ordinary matter of the emotional plane, what is known as the Third Elemental Kingdom, or simply as the Elemental Essence of the emotional plane, also enters largely into the composition of Humanity’s emotional body and forms what is called the ” Desire-Elemental,” which we shall deal with more fully later on in the series.
Emotional elemental essence consists of matter of the six lower levels of the emotional plane (48:2-7), vivified by the Second Outpouring from the Second Logos of the Trinity. Emotional matter of the highest or atomic level (48:1), similarly vivified, was called by Leadbeater and company, as Monadic Essence. I see what they are getting at but we would just say that each plane of matter, 49, 48, 47 etc, has an atomic matrix, out of which the six subplanes are formed, the constituents of the subplanes being described as molecules. This designation is simply to alert us to the fact they are a compound structure.
In younger humanity, the emotional body is a cloudy, loosely organised, vaguely outlined mass of emotional matter, with a great predominance of substances from the lower grades. It is gross, dark in colour, and dense — often so dense that the outline of the physical body is almost lost in it — and is tuned to respond to stimuli connected with passions and appetites. In size, it extends in all directions about ten or twelve inches beyond the physical body.
In what Arthur Powell would term an average moral and intellectual man, the emotional body is considerably larger, extending about 18 inches on each side of the body. Its molecular composition appears more balanced and finer in quality. The presence of finer kinds of elemental essences, gives a certain luminous quality to the whole envelope, making its outline clear and defined.
In the case of a spiritually developed person, the emotional body is larger still in size and is composed of the finest particles of each grade of emotional matter, the higher, 48:2 and 48:3 molecules largely predominating. There is so much to be said regarding the colours of emotional bodies that the subject will be reserved for a separate presentation. At present, it may be stated that in undeveloped types, the colours are coarse and muddy, gradually becoming more and more luminous as the person develops emotionally, mentally and spiritually. The name “astral,” to describe the emotional envelope was inherited from mediaeval alchemists. The word signifies “starry” realms, being intended to allude to the luminous appearance of emotional matter. It could also be argued that these mediaeval occultists were observing the etheric envelope and mistaking it for the emotional.
As already mentioned, the emotional body of a person not only permeates the physical body but also extends around it in every direction like a cloud. That portion of the emotional body, which extends beyond the limits of the physical body is usually termed the emotional “aura.” Intense feelings generate a large aura. It should be mentioned that the increased size of the aura is a prerequisite for Initiation and the ” Qualifications” should be visible within it. In other words, the aura should look radiant. The aura naturally increases with each Initiation. The aura of the Buddha is said to have been three to four miles in radius. Show off!
The matter of the physical body has a very strong attraction to the matter of the emotional body. It therefore follows that the greatest portion, about 99 per cent, of the emotional particles are compressed within the periphery of the physical body. Only the remaining 1 per cent, extend beyond the body forming the oval aura. The central portion of the emotional body thus takes the exact form of the physical body and is very solid and defined. It is distinguishable from the surrounding aura. It is usually termed the emotional counterpart of the physical body. The exact correspondence of the emotional body with the physical, however, is merely a matter of external form and does not involve any similarity of function in the various organs, as we shall see more fully in the presentation on Chakras.
Not only a person’s physical body, but every physical element within that body, has its corresponding order of emotional matter in constant association with it. It is not separated from it except and unless by a very considerable exertion of occult force. Even then, it is only held apart from it as long as force is being strongly exerted to achieve this result. In other words, every physical object has its emotional counterpart. But as the emotional particles are constantly moving among one another, as easily as those of a physical liquid, there is no permanent association between any one physical particle and that amount of emotional matter, which happens at any given moment to be acting as its counterpart.
Usually, the emotional portion of an object projects somewhat beyond the physical part of it, so that metals, stones, etc., are seen surrounded by an emotional aura. Remember, in the case of the lower Kingdoms of Nature, the emotional envelope is a shared structure with other monads that make up that group. If some part of a person’s physical body is removed, e.g., by amputation, the coherence of the living emotional matter is stronger than its attraction towards the severed portion of the physical limb. Consequently, the emotional counterpart of the limb will not be carried away with the severed physical limb. Since the emotional matter has acquired the habit of keeping that particular form, it will continue to retain the original shape, but will soon withdraw within the limits of the maimed form. The same phenomenon takes place in the case of a tree from which a branch has been severed. In the case of an inanimate body, however, such as a chair or a basin, there is not the same kind of individual life to maintain cohesion. Consequently, when the physical object is broken, the emotional counterpart would also be divided.
Quite apart from the seven grades of matter, arranged in order of fineness, there is also a totally distinct classification of emotional matter, according to its type. In Theosophical literature, the degree of fineness is usually designated by a horizontal division and the type by a vertical division. The types, of which there are seven, are as thoroughly intermingled as are the constituents of the atmosphere and in every emotional body there is matter of all seven types, the proportion between them showing the disposition of the person, whether they be devotional or philosophic, artistic or scientific, pragmatic or mystic.
The whole of the emotional portion of our earth and the physical planets, together with the purely emotional planets of our System, make up collectively the emotional body of the Solar Logos, thus showing that the old pantheistic conception of there being many gods, was a true one.
Similarly, each of the seven types of emotional matter is to some extent, regarded as a whole, a separate vehicle and may be thought of also as the emotional body of a subsidiary Deity or Minister, who is at the same time an aspect of the Deity, a kind of off-shoot or force-centre within the Logos. Hence the slightest thought, movement or alteration of any kind in the subsidiary Deity, is instantly reflected in some way or other in all the matter of the corresponding type. Such psychic changes occur periodically. Perhaps they correspond to in-breathing and out-breathing, or the analogy of a beating of the heart if we reference ourselves on the physical plane. It has been observed that the movements of the physical planets furnish a clue to the operation of the influences flowing from these changes: hence the rationale of astrological science. Any such alteration must to some extent affect each person in proportion to the amount of that type of matter, which they possess in their emotional body. Thus, one change would affect the emotions, or the mind, or both, another might intensify nervous excitement and irritability and so on. It is this proportion, which determines in each human, animal, plant or mineral, certain fundamental characteristics, which never change. This characteristic is sometimes called a monad’s note, colour, or ray.
To pursue this interesting line of thought further would take us beyond the scope of this series of presentations. Suffice it to say, there are seven sub-types in each type, making forty-nine sub-types in all. The type or ray is permanent through the whole planetary scheme, so that an elemental essence of type A, will in due course ensoul minerals, plants and animals of type A and from it will emerge also human beings of the same type.
The emotional body slowly but constantly wears away, precisely as does the physical, but, instead of the process of eating and digesting food, the particles, which filter out of the envelope, are replaced by others from the surrounding atmosphere. Nevertheless, the feeling of individuality is communicated to the new particles as they enter and also the elemental essence included with each person’s emotional body, undoubtedly feels itself a kind of entity and acts accordingly for what is considered its own interests.
In the next presentation, we will examine in greater detail, the concept of colours and their meanings, within the context of an emotional body.