The influences of heavenly bodies on our existence, here and in the hereafter, have little relationship to the application of the principles of reincarnation, but the influence of these forces on the physical body deserve to be mentioned. These influences, it must be pointed out, are not essential to learning to make full use of the principles of reincarnation.

Unfortunately, today the study of Celestial Forces on the lives of humans has reached a low ebb of credibility. At one time in history the great kings of the Earth would not think of making a decision without the guidance of their astrologers. The Old and New Testaments are filled with references to the celestial forces--for example, the Magi who brought gifts to the newborn Nazarene. Today, many people are entertained by astrology, but serious consideration of this prospect only brings a smile of amused condescension to the lips of most of them.

Yet, one cannot help but ask with all sincerity, "Do our present leaders, with all their sophistication, rule that much better than their more astrologically inclined predecessors?" Admittedly, it is a loaded question, but a consideration not out of place in the thinking of an ethically honest person.

In recent centuries, the studies of the effect of astrological forces on Earthly inhabitants has been relegated to individuals considered by the scientific community, to say the least, as suspect. This certainly was not always true. In less scientific times, the wisest men and women were acknowledged to be those concerned with the effects of the Celestial Forces on the lives of their fellowman. Did they know something we have lost in our civilized advancement? The Initiate Master Papus thought so. From his works, Elements of Astrosophy, Astrological Initiation, and Reincarnation, much of the information in this volume is extracted.

Papus, used the word "astral" freely. The correct definition of this term is "pertaining to the stars," and it was with this meaning that Papus used it. However, in recent years the term astral has come to have a vague and even corrupt connotation. Therefore, in this book the more specific term "Ætheric" will be used in its stead. When the word Ætheric is used in any of its forms, it refers to those influences directly related to the effects of Celestial bodies and beings.

That we are influenced by many outside forces cannot be denied by thinking individuals. The exact manner of this influence is, however, much debated. The following discussion from the works of Dr. Encausse (Papus), should answer many questions.

The Effect Of The Celestial Bodies On Reincarnation

"The subject of the reincarnation of the Ætheric Principles is really the study of the connection between the Earth and the plane of the Ætheric forces. It would require all the practical knowledge of the Ancient Egyptians and of modern Initiates to enable us to do this thoroughly and to describe these boundless currents of energy that flow toward the human uterus. We will nevertheless endeavor to describe, to the best of our ability, the fundamental principles of the problem, if we cannot solve it entirely.

"In the charming play, The Blue Bird,(1) Maurice Maeterlinck portrayed in one scene the land where Souls are at the point of incarnation. Each one of the Souls has a mission - good or evil - to fulfill; to accomplish this task the Soul comes to Earth. This is the reincarnation of the Spiritual Principle. During its sojourn on the invisible plane, the spirit forms its own future body, and it does so with the help of the Ætheric forces (those forces that come from the stars).
-----------------------------------------------------------
(1) The Blue Bird in the latest edition may be obtained by writing to the publishers of this work.
-----------------------------------------------------------

How Do Heavenly Bodies Affect Us?

"During the period of gestation, during those nine months of formation of the physical body, what is the state of the heavens? That is the first point to consider.

"Every twenty-four hours the Earth presents to each of the twelve signs of the Zodiac the site where the physical body is in the course of being formed.

"The Moon makes a complete revolution every month in the presence of this tiny form, so that a minimum of seven lunar months--or, under normal circumstances, nine lunar revolutions--is required to bring the human body to perfection.

"The horoscope of any human being, that is, the birth horoscope, ought to be preceded by the horoscope for the day of conception. Albert le Grand--since become the Great Albert of magicians - explained in his Treatise on Magic that each of the seven planets influences the body which is being formed.

"The forces of Saturn help to construct the physical frame during the first month; the forces of Jupiter act on the fluids during the second month; the forces of Mars in the third month act on the blood, and the child begins to move.

"The Sun, too, imparts its heat and vitality to the human being in the process of formation. Venus then endows it with outward beauty, while Mercury influences its movements and the nervous system.

"Lastly, the Moon, with her motherly influence, perfects the task that has thus been accomplished, and the child, having gone through seven months of gestation, could now be born and with great care might live. But normally Saturn returns to perfect the bones and fibers, and Jupiter also returns to give the necessary strength to all the vital elements, so the child can thus be born under the most favorable conditions.

"We see, therefore, that during the gestation period the mother is a veritable Ætheric magnet, concentrating around herself all the mysterious forces that circulate in the invisible atmosphere of the Earth.

"During this period certain conscious Ætheric forces come through one of the Gateways of the Zodiac traversed by the Soul for the purpose of its incarnation and are fixed in the invisible centers of the body which is being formed. Certain entities exist in the hidden recesses of every human being, which, to the human mind, may seem very cruel, but these are executioners of ‘Orders from Above.'

"The Gnostics called the leaders of these Ætheric beings the Spiritual Guides of Initiation, or the 'ons, who were linked with the Archons. Christians call these influences Guardian Angels, or, if their purpose is less well understood, devils. These are, no matter what they are called, in the final analysis, the agents of Divine Law, God, to see that we have what is necessary to fulfill our destiny, whatever that may be.

"Now the child is born. With the first breath he leaves the Ætheric influences of his mother, and fixes in his lungs the terrestrial Æth, thereby linking himself, through breathing, with the atmosphere of the Earth which, in turn, is directly connected with the Solar rays.

"The Ætheric generated force which circulates within human beings during their life on Earth connects them with all the Celestial Forces of Nature. The physical center of these forces is located in the nerve plexus of the heart. The point of contact between the Ætheric and the Spiritual Principles is below the cerebellum, in what anatomists call `the floor of the fourth ventricle,' or, externally, the nape of the neck. (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------
(2) The Egyptians knew all these secrets, and described as SA the magnetization of the nape of the neck for the purpose of influencing the celestial centers. In the Japanese culture the nape of the neck is considered special and is not displayed immodestly. Do they know something we do not?
-----------------------------------------------------------

How Are We Affected By These Ætheric Principles?

"During life, the moral and ethical problem consists solely in whether we shall direct the Ætheric forces at our disposal towards furthering our carnal desires or in the service of our Soul or Higher Self. The thoughts, desires, and actions of our present physical life cause either an evolution or an involution of these Ætheric influences, resulting in the creation of the Ætheric Body which we will inhabit following our death and which will remain with us until we once again reincarnate.

"In mystical language we create what Pythagoras called the "Chariot of the Soul." Saint Paul in the Scriptures also described this true Ætheric body clearly.

"If all our energy is employed in the satisfaction of our lower instincts, if life for us consists in the pursuit of wealth exclusively for personal use, and if we refuse to allow those less fortunate than ourselves to benefit by it, then indeed the Chariot of our Soul will possess little ‘good' Ætheric substance for the creation of our Soul World body. We may have been rich and famous upon the Earth, but we shall be poor in the Soul World.

"Many have contended that these ideas and concepts were invented by priests for the purpose of exploiting human misery, making the rich feel guilty and the poor resigned, but the principles are true. The priests of Egypt were practical workers and seers, and they confirmed on the invisible plane all their teachings of the material plane.

"As someday all philosophers, as well as the rest of us, must pass through the gates of death, we will then know for certain that this so-called myth of the Initiates is strictly true. It will then be known by all that through the management of the Ætheric forces placed at our disposal during this life, we create not only the evolutionary or involutionary tendencies of our life in the Soul World but also we influence our next Earthly incarnation as well."

Death And The Ætheric Body

Dr. Encausse continued, "We will now leave our consideration of the evolution of the Ætheric forces during life, this pertaining to the question of Destiny as taught by Fabre d'Olivet, for the Karma of the Hindu and the Fatum of the Astrologers of the Middle Ages. (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------
(3) It cannot be denied that a multitude of unknown forces influence man and that modern science has only a smattering of useful conclusions on this subject. The fact is: Many accomplishments of the great civilizations that existed before us are beyond our ability today. Therefore, we are not in a good position to judge the truth in the these statements at this time. We present them here as they were penned by the Master Initiate Papus almost a century ago. Only future wisdom will prove or disprove their validity.
-----------------------------------------------------------

"The power of the Father is manifested. The Invisible Beings who surround the human personality have done their work. These Spiritual Powers have fulfilled their task. Physical death is at hand. The man is slain at the hour appointed by his destiny.

"At the moment of death, the unseen portions of the person's Ætheric nature is divided into two sections: One part, that forming the picture (imago) or idol (eidolon) of the man, remains attached to the physical cells and imparts to them their vitality by governing their movement and evolution. The other portion of this Ætheric entity remains attached to the Spiritual Principle, of which it forms the sheath, enabling the ego to pass into the Soul World.

"In authentic spiritualist seances (very rare, though the fakers are common), it is the double, or Ætheric body, which is evoked in cases of materialization, and this body appears clothed with physical garments. If, on the other hand, the higher portion of man manifests, he appears enveloped in a white substance resembling gauze.

"Thus we see that the phenomenon we call death brings about a division of the Ætheric (or unseen) parts of man and may place them for a while on two different planes of activity.(4)
-----------------------------------------------------------
(4) At first this is a most difficult concept for most people to grasp, but it is not complicated if we examine the reason for this Ætheric structure. The human being is a unique combination of two widely different entities: A Divine Spark from the Godhead Himself and an animal body that has the ability to commit the most ungodly acts imaginable. These two have little in common, and there is actually a constant war between them. The purpose of the Ætheric body is to keep some form of continuity between the two, especially following the death of the physical body.
-----------------------------------------------------------

"At death, the Ætheric body has two distinct but separate duties to perform. First, it must stay with the physical body and oversee its disintegration. Second, a part of it must stay with the Soul so that it will have the necessary ‘envelope' to enter the Soul World.

"Even with this envelope, the Soul is restricted from going beyond a certain point in its ‘processing' until all the Ætheric body is at its disposal. For this reason, most Ancient Orders recommended cremation to their members - this, of course, freeing the Ætheric body almost immediately for the use of the Soul.

"The major exception to this rule was the Egyptians. Not that they did not understand the Laws of Reincarnation. They understood them better than anyone before or since. It was their desire to remain Earthbound after death, and therefore they took the necessary measures to ensure that the Ætheric body was not allowed to leave the remains of the physical body. Thus, they held the ‘spirit' of the departed being to their beloved Egypt.

Papus elaborated, "Those who were the greatest masters of the Double Ætheric Life were also the Egyptians. They claimed that during physical life the knowledgeable person may receive help in directing the actions of the body from forces emulating from that point of the heavens at which the Pole Star is situated. This is why the entrances to the Pyramids are invariably turned mathematically towards the Pole Star.

"After death, the Egyptians conserved the physical body, first by putting it in salt for three months, and afterward by injecting aromatic substances into it. Thus, by mummification, they prevented the dissemination of the physical cells, and fixed around the body the Ætheric energy which otherwise would have governed the decomposition of the physical form.

"They went even further. By an extremely complicated magic ceremony, they summoned the Ætheric Forces revolving around the Pole Star, and forced them into the double of the mummy (into that part of the Ætheric or unseen body). This double they caused to incarnate, either into the mummy itself or into small wooden or terra cotta statuettes placed around the mummy.

"The Egyptians, therefore, built veritable subterranean cities of living Ætheric beings, and they were thus able to act first on the physical-Ætheric plane, by fixing for a very long period of time the pole of civilization in their land and afterwards by fighting with the weapons of science against the forces of destiny, to delay the reincarnation of human souls.

"We today are but infants in these celestial sciences, and the world will be duly astounded when, later on, the wisdom of the Ancient Egyptians is revealed in its true glory.(5)
-----------------------------------------------------------
(5) This will undoubtedly be one of the revelations of the New Renaissance. Most of the ancient Egyptian tombs were opened early in this century and during the latter part of the last. These Souls are now about to reincarnate and with them the ancient knowledge so long hidden from mankind by their mummification.
-----------------------------------------------------------

"Let us, however, leave these exceptional cases, and return to the subject of normal death, bearing in mind that at this moment the Ætheric (unseen) is divided into two portions - one part forming the Chariot of the Soul, the other constituting the unseen energy which remains and envelops the physical body at the point of decomposition.

"If the human being has built well his Chariot of the Soul the images of benevolence and self-sacrifice form the luminous stars of this Ætheric material, the fruitful evolution of the future Ætheric body is assured."

The Evolution Of The Animal Body After Death

Dr. Encausse continued, "We have here to deal with an extremely important question. Scientists have noted that the sequence of beings that have lived on Earth form a clearly defined hierarchy. The bodies of certain creatures differ very slightly from those of creatures that are either inferior or a little higher than themselves. This idea has governed the concept of evolution so dear to the followers of Darwin.

"It is impossible to ascertain directly the existence of this evolution under the ordinary conditions on Earth. Undoubtedly, there are certain transformations of organs in order to adapt to the environment here on Earth, but no true evidence exists to show that one animal has been able to transform itself into another. Evolution of the body of a dog into the body of a monkey, or the body of a monkey into the body of a homo sapiens, has never been seen.

"The reason is simple: These and other such transformations do not occur on Earth. This evolution occurs, not during a physical incarnation, but during the Ætheric life which immediately follows physical death.

"It is at this time the Ætheric body evolves, is transformed, and becomes the nucleus of the Ætheric body of the being that is next to it in rank. This Ætheric body then creates the physical organs of the body it will have when it returns to continue its never-ending climb.

"In this manner a new physical being will come to Earth on a slightly higher rung of the evolutionary ladder than it left at its last death. Do not confuse this Ætheric body with the human soul. They are entirely different. Every being on the Earth will have an Ætheric presence after it ends this physical existence. Upon this Ætheric ‘shell' the new body of this being will be built. All of this evolution is on the physical plane, however, and in this way is distinct from the reincarnation of the human Soul which is strictly a Spiritual process.

"The physical form of every living creature really evolves for the purpose of becoming the physical body of a man. In this way, this phase of evolution is able to reach the pinnacle of its attainment. Even then, though, this evolution must take place on the Ætheric plane.

"Thus we see that man's physical form did indeed evolve from the apes, and also from the goat, the dog, the cat, the fish, the toad, and every other animal on the ladder of evolution."(6)
-----------------------------------------------------------
(6) What a mighty thought! Here in one short section is given wisdom that exceeds all our scientists combined. The truth of the statements is so obvious that no real debate is possible. Here we are given the reason for all life on this planet and, even more, we are shown the possibility of all life to reach that pinnacle of physical development -- the human being.
-----------------------------------------------------------

The Reincarnation Of The Human Physical Form

Dr. Encausse said further, (7) "When after a more or less prolonged rest in the Ætheric world, according to the past nature of the person who is to be reembodied, the time for his next reincarnation arrives, the prepared future Ætheric form differs from the previous one according to the behavior of the reincarnating ego in his previous life. This is the origin of the beauty or ugliness of the future physical body, and of the strength or weakness of the future organs.
-----------------------------------------------------------
(7) Note carefully the title of this section and do not think what is said concerns the Soul of man. This section refers only to man's physical body as it is influenced by the structures of the Ætheric plane.
-----------------------------------------------------------

At this time we will also find that the matrix of his future moral and ethical nature will be stamped upon him as these to a great degree depend on the uplifting power of the Ætheric forces he built in his preceding incarnation.

"The time of his birth is carefully chosen so that he will have the proper sign of the Zodiac to pass through as the Soul makes its way to Earth. As if this were not enough, this physical body will also be greatly influenced by the Arcane Laws that govern his spiritual reincarnation as well. Is it any wonder that some of us look as strange as we do when we consider all the various modifying factors that go to make this physical form of ours? (8)
-----------------------------------------------------------
(8) One can but think of the great Soul, Abraham Lincoln. Surely, a Soul as fine as his deserved a more attractive body, but the nature of his Spiritual mission dictated otherwise. It was necessary that he make his points by the worthiness of thought, not by the charisma of his physical form.
-----------------------------------------------------------

"Popular stories have described these Ætheric forces under the guise of good and/or wicked fairies that gather around the cradle of every child born on this Earth. Perhaps the most famous of these is the story of The Sleeping Beauty, which was turned into a beautiful and insightful ballet by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

"At the moment of conception the power of attraction of the future parents will be in proportion to the degree of intensity of the Ætheric forces at their disposal through their spiritual, moral, and physical state of health. Knowledgeable parents will unite their energies to those of the Sun to incarnate Souls surrounded by highly evolved Ætheric bodies.(9) Where there is little knowledge of this great power on the part of parents-to-be, the body of the new child is in proportion to the general forces and desires of the two.
-----------------------------------------------------------
(9) The book, How to Create the Perfect Baby, by Dr. R. Swinburne Clymer delves into this subject in great detail and is highly recommended to all prospective parents. It may be obtained from the publishers of this book.
-----------------------------------------------------------

"Conception is, therefore, an extremely important act from the standpoint of the Ætheric forces, and it is not surprising that religious and civil legislation has protected it with an abundance of precautions by laws relating to marriage and its social consequences.

"Nations that forsake the beacon of religion, whatsoever its terrestrial tone may be, surround themselves with a sequence of evil Ætheric forces through whose agency they will eventually suffer in every rank of society.(10) This problem will be encountered once again in connection with the reincarnation of the Spiritual Principles."
-----------------------------------------------------------
(10) Without doubt, this is now taking place in the Soviet Union. Those who are knowledgeable, however, believe this cannot continue too much longer and the time will soon come when the religion in the great Russian heart will rush to the fore once again.
-----------------------------------------------------------

The concept of the Ætheric body is not easy to grasp. Although this concept is not essential to an appreciation of The Circle of Lives, it does offer answers to difficult questions that can be satisfied in no other way. The Ætheric forces are those unseen agents that govern the nature and character of our physical being.

Much has been written about the "silver cord" in esoteric literature. This is nothing more or less than the connection between the Ætheric body and the physical body, should these two become separated. There are various ways this can be done, but only rarely is it to be recommended. The dangers are too great for the minimal advantages.

Many of the uninformed feel these flights of the Ætheric body are travels of the Soul. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Soul cannot leave the physical body until death. The Ætheric body, however, is not so constrained. But as mentioned above, such out-of-body experiences rarely create any good, for the traveler or for anyone else.

Reincarnation In Modern Life

The technical advancement of human science has brought new considerations of the Laws of Reincarnation. With what we now know of the Ætheric body, the question of organ transplantation arises. Because it is the responsibility of the Ætheric body to stay with and oversee the disintegration of all parts of the physical body, we must assume that a portion of this entity must remain with the organ transplanted. From what we know of this subject, we are not surprised to find that the Ætheric body cannot be free to accompany the Soul on its further adventures until this organ dies and disintegrates to its basic elements.

In theory this may be a problem, but in practice it is not necessarily so. Most organ transplants simply do not last that long. Usually the Ætheric body will be free from the transplanted organ in a few years. In the Soul World a few years are not that important, unless the individual is in a great hurry to return.

One further aspect of this subject, however, pertains to the right of survivors to donate organs of a departed person without permission. Because they are, in essence, holding back another's Soul processing and final disposition in the Soul World, they are taking upon themselves far more responsibility than they can possibly realize.
|Top|