The Astral Body and the meridians of acupuncture
How does the human spirit in the beyond acquire a body of the earth? By incarnating midway through pregnancy into the developing body of a child.
But this is not possible directly, unless through special forces a model, the so-called "astral body", is first shaped of a finer material substance, only after which does the gross material body then form.
Only through the astral body can the soul work on the physical body, but it still also needs the radiation of the blood as the last bridge to full activity on earth.
If gross matter is classified as coarse, medium and fine types, the astral body belongs to the medium.
Some things point to the existence of the astral body. Acupuncture, for example. It is a method in use for thousands of years to diagnose and treat diseases through insertion of fine needles in certain parts of the body.
The key points in acupuncture lie along the so-called meridians, a definite number of which run vertically through the body. This makes it possible to treat pains and diseases from points that lie further away. For instance, heart and circulation disorders can be treated from a point on the left little finger. It is essential that the points lie on meridians which are related to the parts of the body or organs concerned.
The networks of meridians could be imagined as running through the astral body like energy paths, analogous to nerve paths in the physical body. The fixed meridians naturally have a connection with the nerves.
They must be of finer consistency than the physical body, because they are absent in the tissues of the corpse. At physical death, not only the physical body but also the astral body disintegrates with the meridians.
Thus there is no anatomical proof that the meridians exist; we can only imagine that they were at one time detected by persons who could see "deeper", who had mediumistic gifts.
But yet another indication of the existence of the astral body can be given. This body fills out, as it were, the physical body entirely; it corresponds to it in shape, because the earthly body was actually formed on the astral model.
If a limb is severed from the earthly body, the astral body is not affected, and the meridians continue to run through the astral part of the missing member. This indicates that the astral body is less dependent on the physical body than vice versa.
In this connection, the "phantom pains" which are felt where a limb has been amputated have their origin in the astral part. They can be relieved by acupuncture from a distant point in the body.
As the astral body is forming, good and evil radiations, karmaically caused by the human spirit through the exercise of its free will, are connected to it with the help of the stars.
Thus the basic disposition or the astral blueprint, which is decisive for the future earthly existence of the newly- born person, is formed. It corresponds exactly to the state of his soul at the time of his coming to earth, with all the existing threads of fate. This is expressed, among other things, in the person's name, the lines of the palm, the shape of the head, the handwriting, and not least in the birth horoscope as "radiation picture" , in so far as the stars concerned are known.
Often threads of fate which cause a physical defect, or the tendency to it, are woven into the astral body.
Man cannot escape his fate. In some previous earth-life he put it into the world, or gave it the forms which must then develop automatically through the working of the Laws of Creation, and which he brings with him to earth at birth, just as he takes them over with him again at death, be they old or newly added forms.
Hence there can be no question of fatalism in the sense of blind belief in a pre-ordained fate imposed by some power or other.
the newly--born has ample opportunity later as an adult to change for good or evil the disposition which he brought along at birth, because the free will remains with him as a property of his spiritual nature. This enables him, through a really good volition, to sever himself from all evil fate (karma)
Herbert Vollmann
Formation and function of the astral body
The soul is connected with the astral body and works through this upon the heavy physical body. Likewise the physical body with the radiation necessary for this can really bind the soul to itself only through the astral body acting as a mediator. The radiations issuing from heavy gross matter, through which the animistic pulsates, must first penetrate the medium gross matter of the astral body, for otherwise they cannot connect with the radiations of the soul, the outermost cloak of which is by then already of finest gross matter.
Let us at present distinguish only between three basic species of gross matter, although there are still various intermediate and side species in addition. For the time being we will only consider the fine, the medium heavy and the heaviest gross material substance. In this sense the physical body also belongs to the heaviest earthly species, and the astral body to the transitional species of medium heavy gross matter, i.e., to that species which lies next to the heaviest.
When an incarnation is to take place this astral body is formed so that it appears as if both occur simultaneously. In reality, however, the fashioning of the astral body precedes the process in heavy gross matter; it must precede it, otherwise the physical body could not be completed and the soul would be unable to do anything with it.
(...) The astral body is connected with the physical body, but is not dependent upon it, as has been assumed in the past.
(...) It is true that after the soul has severed itself from the physical body the astral body decays along with the physical body. But this must not be taken as a proof that it is therefore dependent upon it. This does not even give a justifiable foundation for such an assumption!
In reality the process is different: When it severs itself the soul, being the mobile part, draws the astral body away from the physical body. Figuratively speaking: The soul upon stepping out of and leaving the physical body pulls the astral body out with it. That is how it appears! In reality the soul only pulls it off the physical body, because a fusion has never taken place but only a telescoping, as it is with field glasses which go in and out.
In so doing the soul does not draw this astral body along very far, because the latter is not only anchored with the soul but also with the physical body; and moreover, the soul from which the essential movements issues also wants to sever itself from the astral body and consequently strives away from it too.
Thus after the earthly departure of the soul the astral body always remains near the physical body. The further the soul then moves away the weaker the astral body becomes; and the every increasing severance of the soul finally brings about the decay and decomposition of the astral body, which in turn immediately brings in its train the decay of the physical body, in the same way as it also influenced its formation. This is the normal process in accordance with the Laws of Creation. Naturally special acts of intervention also bring about special conditions and disarrangements, but without being able to eliminate the lawfulness.
Abd-ru-shin
Expert from the Grail Message, Volume 3, Lecture 26
How does the human spirit in the beyond acquire a body of the earth? By incarnating midway through pregnancy into the developing body of a child.
But this is not possible directly, unless through special forces a model, the so-called "astral body", is first shaped of a finer material substance, only after which does the gross material body then form.
Only through the astral body can the soul work on the physical body, but it still also needs the radiation of the blood as the last bridge to full activity on earth.
If gross matter is classified as coarse, medium and fine types, the astral body belongs to the medium.
Some things point to the existence of the astral body. Acupuncture, for example. It is a method in use for thousands of years to diagnose and treat diseases through insertion of fine needles in certain parts of the body.
The key points in acupuncture lie along the so-called meridians, a definite number of which run vertically through the body. This makes it possible to treat pains and diseases from points that lie further away. For instance, heart and circulation disorders can be treated from a point on the left little finger. It is essential that the points lie on meridians which are related to the parts of the body or organs concerned.
The networks of meridians could be imagined as running through the astral body like energy paths, analogous to nerve paths in the physical body. The fixed meridians naturally have a connection with the nerves.
They must be of finer consistency than the physical body, because they are absent in the tissues of the corpse. At physical death, not only the physical body but also the astral body disintegrates with the meridians.
Thus there is no anatomical proof that the meridians exist; we can only imagine that they were at one time detected by persons who could see "deeper", who had mediumistic gifts.
But yet another indication of the existence of the astral body can be given. This body fills out, as it were, the physical body entirely; it corresponds to it in shape, because the earthly body was actually formed on the astral model.
If a limb is severed from the earthly body, the astral body is not affected, and the meridians continue to run through the astral part of the missing member. This indicates that the astral body is less dependent on the physical body than vice versa.
In this connection, the "phantom pains" which are felt where a limb has been amputated have their origin in the astral part. They can be relieved by acupuncture from a distant point in the body.
As the astral body is forming, good and evil radiations, karmaically caused by the human spirit through the exercise of its free will, are connected to it with the help of the stars.
Thus the basic disposition or the astral blueprint, which is decisive for the future earthly existence of the newly- born person, is formed. It corresponds exactly to the state of his soul at the time of his coming to earth, with all the existing threads of fate. This is expressed, among other things, in the person's name, the lines of the palm, the shape of the head, the handwriting, and not least in the birth horoscope as "radiation picture" , in so far as the stars concerned are known.
Often threads of fate which cause a physical defect, or the tendency to it, are woven into the astral body.
Man cannot escape his fate. In some previous earth-life he put it into the world, or gave it the forms which must then develop automatically through the working of the Laws of Creation, and which he brings with him to earth at birth, just as he takes them over with him again at death, be they old or newly added forms.
Hence there can be no question of fatalism in the sense of blind belief in a pre-ordained fate imposed by some power or other.
the newly--born has ample opportunity later as an adult to change for good or evil the disposition which he brought along at birth, because the free will remains with him as a property of his spiritual nature. This enables him, through a really good volition, to sever himself from all evil fate (karma)
Herbert Vollmann
Formation and function of the astral body
The soul is connected with the astral body and works through this upon the heavy physical body. Likewise the physical body with the radiation necessary for this can really bind the soul to itself only through the astral body acting as a mediator. The radiations issuing from heavy gross matter, through which the animistic pulsates, must first penetrate the medium gross matter of the astral body, for otherwise they cannot connect with the radiations of the soul, the outermost cloak of which is by then already of finest gross matter.
Let us at present distinguish only between three basic species of gross matter, although there are still various intermediate and side species in addition. For the time being we will only consider the fine, the medium heavy and the heaviest gross material substance. In this sense the physical body also belongs to the heaviest earthly species, and the astral body to the transitional species of medium heavy gross matter, i.e., to that species which lies next to the heaviest.
When an incarnation is to take place this astral body is formed so that it appears as if both occur simultaneously. In reality, however, the fashioning of the astral body precedes the process in heavy gross matter; it must precede it, otherwise the physical body could not be completed and the soul would be unable to do anything with it.
(...) The astral body is connected with the physical body, but is not dependent upon it, as has been assumed in the past.
(...) It is true that after the soul has severed itself from the physical body the astral body decays along with the physical body. But this must not be taken as a proof that it is therefore dependent upon it. This does not even give a justifiable foundation for such an assumption!
In reality the process is different: When it severs itself the soul, being the mobile part, draws the astral body away from the physical body. Figuratively speaking: The soul upon stepping out of and leaving the physical body pulls the astral body out with it. That is how it appears! In reality the soul only pulls it off the physical body, because a fusion has never taken place but only a telescoping, as it is with field glasses which go in and out.
In so doing the soul does not draw this astral body along very far, because the latter is not only anchored with the soul but also with the physical body; and moreover, the soul from which the essential movements issues also wants to sever itself from the astral body and consequently strives away from it too.
Thus after the earthly departure of the soul the astral body always remains near the physical body. The further the soul then moves away the weaker the astral body becomes; and the every increasing severance of the soul finally brings about the decay and decomposition of the astral body, which in turn immediately brings in its train the decay of the physical body, in the same way as it also influenced its formation. This is the normal process in accordance with the Laws of Creation. Naturally special acts of intervention also bring about special conditions and disarrangements, but without being able to eliminate the lawfulness.
Abd-ru-shin
Expert from the Grail Message, Volume 3, Lecture 26
