A Subtle Matter: The Etheric Planes of Matter Underlying the Physical World
From fringe science to impending breakthrough, an acknowledgement of the etheric planes of matter by mainstream science will have an enormous impact on our approach to health, physics, psychology, and the ability to bridge the gap between the spiritual realm and the dense physical universe.
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“It is now admitted that ‘matter’, even with the addition of all possible forces, is insufficient to explain many phenomena, such as those of light; and it has, accordingly, come to be an article of scientific faith that there is a substance called ‘Ether’; a medium which, filling the universe, transports by its vibrations the radiations of light, heat, electricity, and perhaps action from a distance, such as the attraction exercised between heavenly bodies.”
– The Serpent Power (1919), by Arthur Avalon (aka Sir John Woodroffe)
What is “etheric matter”?
Most of us have been taught to think of science and spirituality as competing against each other. They supposedly represent two completely different realities divided by a harsh line of concrete realism versus faith.
Science mostly deals with the dense physical world of empirical measurements. Its boundaries of research are mainly restricted to the boundaries of matter itself, which–in its most conventional definition–is broken out into three states: solid, liquid, and gas.
Within the context of spirituality and metaphysics, humanity’s history is full of ancient and modern teachings postulating the existence of a soul or higher self. This divine aspect of our human constitution is assumed to be entirely free from all laws of physics, such as gravity.
Could there be a connecting factor missing from our equation of reality? Is it possible the physical world and the spiritual world are not as separate as we tend to imagine, but rather just opposite poles of the construct of the Universe?
Over the last 150 years the Ageless Wisdom Teaching* has greatly expanded our view of the physical structure of life. A finer stratum, composed of four strata itself, is said to exist beyond the gaseous state of matter. It is often referred to as the etheric level of matter, or to use the popular scientific term, “dark matter”. This substance is so subtle that our eyes cannot yet perceive it on the average, though we are told humanity will slowly become sensitized to its vibrations. Therefore, if we move beyond conventional physics as taught in schools today, the esoteric definition of the complete physical plane consists of seven states of matter: solid, liquid, gas, and four sub-planes of etheric matter.
From fringe science to mainstream breakthrough
The notion of a subtler, finer, realm of matter filling the universe has received public attention from time to time in recent history. Decades ago, a scientist named Wilhelm Reich discovered a mysterious, yet tangible, layer of matter he called “orgone energy”. He invented an “orgone accumulator” that was said to have successfully treated cancer patients. The United States Food and Drug Administration was heavily at odds with his work. They accused Reich of fraud and sentenced him to prison where he died of a heart attack.
Centuries ago, in the final paragraph of his famous Principia, Sir Isaac Newton wrote about a “subtle spirit which pervades and lies hid in all gross bodies.” Nikola Tesla, Viktor Schauberger, and other scientists from the last century also wrestled with various means by which they could tap into the etheric energy fields and use them for productive purposes. At this very moment there is likely a large number of researchers in many countries who are experimenting with matter on the etheric level.
In esoteric teachings it has been taken for granted that each human has an etheric sheath surrounding the physical structure. The soul is said to pour its energy into the dense physical body through the medium of the etheric vehicle. According to esotericist Benjamin Creme, “Kirlian photography and the work of Wilhelm Reich have already pointed the way. It will be realized that the health of the physical body depends entirely on the etheric ‘double’ or ‘counterpart-body’. The force centres (or ‘chakras’ as they are called in the East), which focus the etheric flow, have their counterparts on the dense physical plane in the major and minor glands of the endocrine system. We are just beginning to understand how important to our well-being is the correct, interrelated functioning of the endocrine system. This in turn is dependent on the proper functioning of the vital etheric body which substands it.”
In A Treatise on Cosmic Fire, written by Alice A. Bailey, much elucidation is provided to link the microcosm with the macrocosm. An etheric body, for example, serves as an “archetype upon which the dense physical form is built, whether it is the form of a solar system, or of a human body in any one incarnation.”
“The etheric body is a web or network of fine interlacing channels, formed of matter of the four ethers, and built into a specific form. It forms a focal point for certain radiatory emanations, which vivify, stimulate and produce the rotary action of matter.”
– A Treatise on Cosmic Fire, by Alice. A Bailey, page 81–82
If we accept the idea that the soul interacts with the lower aspects of our self — the physical body, the emotions, and the mind — then it is surely not far-fetched to consider the existence of a vast ocean of substance connecting the higher and lower planes. We can then envision a natural gradation and means of continuity of consciousness. Before long we may see this rather esoteric concept find a foothold in the “exoteric” sciences. It is a discovery that will heighten our awareness as it pertains to our level of personal health and the vitality of Earth’s ecosystems. It will be a significant step forward in the never-ending quest to understand the great Cosmos and its intricate workings.
Suggested Reading
http://share-international.org/background/bcreme/BC_work.htm
Elisa Graf (October 2016) “Unravelling the mystery of Dark Energy”, Share International magazine.
Alice. A Bailey, A Treatise on Cosmic Fire. Lucis Trust, 1925.
Nathan G. Hale, Jr. (1974, August 11). “Wilhelm Reich Vs. the U.S.A.”, The New York Times.
(*) About the Ageless Wisdom Teaching:
Dating back to the most ancient periods in history, the teachings of the Ageless Wisdom are a continually updated body of knowledge dealing with the evolution of consciousness. Belonging to no specific religion or group, this wisdom underlies all the great scientific, religious, social, political and cultural achievements of mankind. In these systematic and comprehensive teachings a myriad of forces and influences are offered as an explanation behind the phenomenal world, along with a process of gradually becoming aware of, and mastering, such forces.
Since the late 1800’s, writers such as Helena P. Blavatsky, Alice A. Bailey, Helena Roerich and most recently British artist Benjamin Creme (1922–2016) have brought the teachings up to date and made them available to the public. These individuals were in direct communication with various Masters of Wisdom, as they are known in the East, who are members of the Spiritual Hierarchy of our planet.
More information about the Masters of Wisdom:
