Exploring the Many Aspects of the Self
By Adam Kane

American's increasing awareness of their health is becoming more and more evident every year. Exercise and dieting have become everyday activities for many and health food stores; gyms, and diet clinics are appearing almost everywhere. However, many Americans are not aware of the fact that there is more than the physical aspects of well-being. There are bodies other than the physical to care for and nurture. Don't worry if this news comes as a surprise; you didn't fall asleep one too many times in your high school biology class. These bodies were never taught to you in biology; they are mainly documented in metaphysical and spiritual works. The bodies I am referring to are the subtle bodies, collectively known as the aura.

It is difficult to give detailed information concerning the aura since, many times, theories from different cultures conflict with each other. These differences are due to the way the aura is perceived by different people. For example, two individuals from different cultures may perceive the same piece of art in very different ways. This same concept is particularly true in spiritual matters. For this reason I will discuss only the most basic theories that are found in most cultures.

Many people have heard the term aura used, but many do not know exactly what the aura is, or what it encompasses. The aura stores your life energy and regulates your physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual states of being. The aura is usually divided into four to ten separate subtle bodies, depending on the source of information. The number of bodies differ from culture to culture because of the debate concerning exactly where the edge of each body should be drawn. Separating the subtle bodies is similar to separating the colors of the spectrum. Some people will simply divide red from yellow, while others will further divide them using orange, and still others may use red-orange, and yellow-orange.

There are five bodies consistent in almost all teachings: the physical, etheric, astral, mental, and spiritual. These bodies are further subdivided in some cultures. Each body extends further past the physical body than the one before it, each is also comprised of a less dense energy than the previous one. The physical body is your flesh and blood body. The etheric is the body that regulates your physical energy and health. For those who can see auras, illness can be perceived first in the etheric body before it manifests physically.

Your emotions are formed and stored in the astral body; for this reason a persons emotional state can often be determined by looking at the astral body. The mental and spiritual bodies are the least dense and are rarely perceived for this reason. Thoughts are formed in the mental body as well as a person's sense of logic. Imbalance or damage to the mental body can result in mental illness. The spiritual body is said to be the home of the soul; it is a person's link to the universal energies. A general understanding of your subtle bodies is a great help in maintaining your health. I encourage everyone to look deeper into the subject and become more aware of their spiritual selves as well as their physical.