Septenary (Theosophy)
Encyclopedia
The Septenary in Helena Blavatsky's teachings refers to the seven principles of man
. In The Key to Theosophy
she presents a synthesis of Eastern (Advaita Vedanta
, Samkhya
) and Western (Platonism
, 19th century Occultism) ideas, according to which human nature consists of seven principles. These are:
Despite using Sanskrit
terminology, many of these concepts are expressed differently from their Indian counterparts. The Atman
or Self in monistic Vedanta
for example is considered the Universal Self that is the same as, and not just a "ray" of, the Absolute or Brahman
.
These seven principles can be grouped into a threefold division of Monad (transcendent Spirit, consisting of Atma and Buddhi), Ego (the higher immortal spiritual Personality, made up of the Higher Manas only) and Lower Quaternity (the mortal personality, the Lower Manas and the remaining principles). In this, the Lower Manas is a transitional principle, the soul
so to speak, which can choose to join either with the Kama (Desire) principle to form the "Kama-Manas", which becomes an "elementary" or "astral" spirit after death (equivalent perhaps to the preta
or hungry ghost of Buddhism
), or link with the higher or Buddhi principle to form a higher spiritual consciousness, the "Buddhi-Manas".
Theosophists believe that the most material of the vestures of the soul are interpenetrated by the particles of the more subtle vesture. The Sthula Sarira or gross physical body is mostly space at its atomic level, as all matter is known to be. The interstitial space is inhabited by the subtler particles of the Astral body
or Linga sarira, and so on for the other more energy-like envelopes of the Soul. Because of the interpenetration of each sheath the so-called inner person is a fluid and unbroken continuity, although varying in density/flexibility and energy. Therefore it is progressively more susceptible to its true spiritual nature as it is progressively less encumbered by material boundaries; the image of a suspension or colloid
in chemistry is a similar perspective. Matter is postulated to be the physical counterpart of consciousness (ultimately our aspect being pure consciousness); the interpenetration of sheaths allows for consciousness to interpenetrate man's nature and is a Theosophical explanation of sensory experience.
As well as seven subtle bodies, there are also seven Cosmic planes of existence. However, in Blavatsky's teachings, the Planes and Principles don't match up (post-Blavatskian re-interpreters like C.W. Leadbeater reinterpreted the seven principles so they equate with the seven planes; this interpretation since became standard everywhere but original or orthodox Blavatskyian Theosophy).
While undergoing some changes and modifications in the hands of later esotericists such as C.W. Leadbeater, Rudolf Steiner
, and Alice Bailey
, Blavatsky's description of the seven bodies or principles
remained a central part of western esoteric
and New Age
thinking ever since.
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
. In The Key to Theosophy
The Key to Theosophy
The Key to Theosophy is a popular book by Helena Blavatsky first published in 1889 and still in print today, expounding the principles of theosophy in a readable question-and-answer manner...
she presents a synthesis of Eastern (Advaita Vedanta
Advaita Vedanta
Advaita Vedanta is considered to be the most influential and most dominant sub-school of the Vedānta school of Hindu philosophy. Other major sub-schools of Vedānta are Dvaita and ; while the minor ones include Suddhadvaita, Dvaitadvaita and Achintya Bhedabheda...
, Samkhya
Samkhya
Samkhya, also Sankhya, Sāṃkhya, or Sāṅkhya is one of the six schools of Hindu philosophy and classical Indian philosophy. Sage Kapila is traditionally considered as the founder of the Samkhya school, although no historical verification is possible...
) and Western (Platonism
Platonism
Platonism is the philosophy of Plato or the name of other philosophical systems considered closely derived from it. In a narrower sense the term might indicate the doctrine of Platonic realism...
, 19th century Occultism) ideas, according to which human nature consists of seven principles. These are:
- Atma - Spirit or Self - one with The Absolute as Its Radiation.
- Buddhi - Spiritual Soul - vehicle of pure universal spirit.
- ManasManas (early Buddhism)Manas is one of three overlapping terms used in the nikayas to refer to the mind, the others being citta and viññāṇa. Each is sometimes used in the generic and non-technical sense of "mind" in general, and the three are sometimes used in sequence to refer to one’s mental processes as a whole...
- consisting of Higher Manas, the spiritual, inner, or higher Ego; and Lower Manas, the ordinary mindMental bodyThe mental body is one of the subtle bodies in esoteric philosophies, in some religious teachings and in New Age thought. It is understood as a sort of body made up of thoughts, just as the emotional body consists of emotions and the physical body is made up of matter...
. - Kamarupa - the "desire body", seat of animal desires and passions.
- PranaPranaPrana is the Sanskrit word for "vital life" .It is one of the five organs of vitality or sensation, viz. prana "breath", vac "speech", chakshus "sight", shrotra "hearing", and manas "thought" Prana is the Sanskrit word for "vital life" (from the root "to fill", cognate to Latin plenus...
- the vital principle. - Linga ShariraSubtle bodyA subtle body is one of a series of psycho-spiritual constituents of living beings, according to various esoteric, occult, and mystical teachings...
- the double, or astral bodyAstral bodyThe astral body is a subtle body posited by many religious philosophers, intermediate between the intelligent soul and the physical body, composed of a subtle material. The concept ultimately derives from the philosophy of Plato: it is related to an astral plane, which consists of the planetary...
. - Sthula Sharira - the physical bodyPhysical bodyIn physics, a physical body or physical object is a collection of masses, taken to be one...
.
- The first body is called sthula-sarira (SanskritSanskritSanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
, from sthula meaning coarse, gross, not refined, heavy, bulky, fat in the sense of bigness, conditioned and differentiated matter + sarira to moulder, waste away). A gross body, impermanent because of its wholly compound character. The physical body is usually considered as the lowest substance-principle. The physical form is the result of the harmonious co-working on the physical plane of forces and faculties streaming through their astral vehicle or linga-sarira, the pattern or model of the physical body. - The second body is called Linga-Sarira, (Sanskrit, from linga meaning characteristic mark, model, pattern + sarira, from the verbal root sri to moulder, waste away). A pattern or model that is impermanent; the model-body or astral bodyAstral bodyThe astral body is a subtle body posited by many religious philosophers, intermediate between the intelligent soul and the physical body, composed of a subtle material. The concept ultimately derives from the philosophy of Plato: it is related to an astral plane, which consists of the planetary...
, only slightly more ethereal than the physical body. It is the astral model around which the physical body is built, and from which the physical body flows or develops as growth proceeds. - The third body is pranaPranaPrana is the Sanskrit word for "vital life" .It is one of the five organs of vitality or sensation, viz. prana "breath", vac "speech", chakshus "sight", shrotra "hearing", and manas "thought" Prana is the Sanskrit word for "vital life" (from the root "to fill", cognate to Latin plenus...
(Sanskrit, from pra before + the verbal root an to breathe, to live). In Theosophy, the breath of life. This life or prana works on, in, and around us, pulsating unceasingly during the term of physical existence. Prana is "the radiating force or Energy of Atma – as the Universal Life and the One Self – its lower or rather (in its effects) more physical, because manifesting, aspect. Prana or Life permeates the whole being of the objective Universe; and is called a 'principle' only because it is an indispensable factor and the deus ex machinaDeus ex machinaA deus ex machina is a plot device whereby a seemingly inextricable problem is suddenly and abruptly solved with the contrived and unexpected intervention of some new event, character, ability, or object.-Linguistic considerations:...
of the living man." - The fourth principle is kāmaKamaKāma is often translated from Sanskrit as sexual desire, sexual pleasure, sensual gratification, sexual fulfillment, or eros54654564+more broadly mean desire, wish, passion, longing, pleasure of the senses, the aesthetic enjoyment of life, affection, or love, without sexual connotations.-Kama in...
(Sanskrit, from the verbal root kam meaning to desire). Desire; the desire principle is the driving, impelling force. Born from the interaction of atman, buddhi, and manas, kama per se is a colourless force, good or bad according to the way the mind and soul use it. It is the seat of the living electrical impulses, desires, and aspirations, considered in their energetic aspect. - The fifth principle is manaManaMana is an indigenous Pacific islander concept of an impersonal force or quality that resides in people, animals, and inanimate objects. The word is a cognate in many Oceanic languages, including Melanesian, Polynesian, and Micronesian....
s (Sanskrit, from the verbal root man meaning to think). The seat of mentation and egoic consciousness; in humanity Manas is the human person, the reincarnating ego, immortal in essence, enduring in its higher aspects through the entire manvantara. When embodied, manas is dual, gravitating toward buddhi in its higher aspects and in its lower aspects toward kama. The first is intuitive mind, the second the animal, ratiocinative consciousness, the lower mentality and passions of the personality. - The sixth principle or vehicle is BuddhiBuddhiBuddhi is a feminine Sanskrit noun derived from the same root as the more familiar masculine form Buddha Buddhi is a feminine Sanskrit noun derived from the same root as the more familiar masculine form Buddha Buddhi is a feminine Sanskrit noun derived from the same root as the more familiar...
(Sanskrit, from the verbal root budh to awaken, enlighten, know). The vehicle of pure, universal spirit, hence an inseparable garment or vehicle of atman, which is, in its essence, of the highest plane of akasa or alaya. In man buddhi is the spiritual soul, the faculty of discriminating, the channel through which streams divine inspiration from the atman to the ego, and therefore that faculty which enables us to discern between good and evil: spiritual conscience. The qualities of the buddhic principle when awakened are higher judgment, instant understanding, discrimination, intuition, love that has no bounds, and consequent universal forgiveness. - The seventh is called AtmanAtman (Hinduism)Ātman is a Sanskrit word that means 'self'. In Hindu philosophy, especially in the Vedanta school of Hinduism it refers to one's true self beyond identification with phenomena...
(Sanskrit). Self; pure consciousness, that cosmic self which is the same in every dweller on this globe and on every one of the planetary or stellar bodies in space. It is the feeling and knowledge of "I am," pure cognition, the abstract idea of self. It does not differ at all throughout the cosmos except in degree of self-recognition. It may also be considered as the First Logos in the human microcosm. During incarnation the lowest aspects of atman take on attributes, because it is linked with buddhi, as the buddhi is linked with manas, as the manas is linked with kama, etc.
Despite using Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
terminology, many of these concepts are expressed differently from their Indian counterparts. The Atman
Atman (Hinduism)
Ātman is a Sanskrit word that means 'self'. In Hindu philosophy, especially in the Vedanta school of Hinduism it refers to one's true self beyond identification with phenomena...
or Self in monistic Vedanta
Vedanta
Vedānta was originally a word used in Hindu philosophy as a synonym for that part of the Veda texts known also as the Upanishads. The name is a morphophonological form of Veda-anta = "Veda-end" = "the appendix to the Vedic hymns." It is also speculated that "Vedānta" means "the purpose or goal...
for example is considered the Universal Self that is the same as, and not just a "ray" of, the Absolute or Brahman
Brahman
In Hinduism, Brahman is the one supreme, universal Spirit that is the origin and support of the phenomenal universe. Brahman is sometimes referred to as the Absolute or Godhead which is the Divine Ground of all being...
.
These seven principles can be grouped into a threefold division of Monad (transcendent Spirit, consisting of Atma and Buddhi), Ego (the higher immortal spiritual Personality, made up of the Higher Manas only) and Lower Quaternity (the mortal personality, the Lower Manas and the remaining principles). In this, the Lower Manas is a transitional principle, the soul
Soul
A soul in certain spiritual, philosophical, and psychological traditions is the incorporeal essence of a person or living thing or object. Many philosophical and spiritual systems teach that humans have souls, and others teach that all living things and even inanimate objects have souls. The...
so to speak, which can choose to join either with the Kama (Desire) principle to form the "Kama-Manas", which becomes an "elementary" or "astral" spirit after death (equivalent perhaps to the preta
Preta
Preta, प्रेत or Peta is the name for a type of being described in Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh, and Jain texts that undergoes more than human suffering, particularly an extreme degree of hunger and thirst...
or hungry ghost of Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
), or link with the higher or Buddhi principle to form a higher spiritual consciousness, the "Buddhi-Manas".
Theosophists believe that the most material of the vestures of the soul are interpenetrated by the particles of the more subtle vesture. The Sthula Sarira or gross physical body is mostly space at its atomic level, as all matter is known to be. The interstitial space is inhabited by the subtler particles of the Astral body
Astral body
The astral body is a subtle body posited by many religious philosophers, intermediate between the intelligent soul and the physical body, composed of a subtle material. The concept ultimately derives from the philosophy of Plato: it is related to an astral plane, which consists of the planetary...
or Linga sarira, and so on for the other more energy-like envelopes of the Soul. Because of the interpenetration of each sheath the so-called inner person is a fluid and unbroken continuity, although varying in density/flexibility and energy. Therefore it is progressively more susceptible to its true spiritual nature as it is progressively less encumbered by material boundaries; the image of a suspension or colloid
Colloid
A colloid is a substance microscopically dispersed evenly throughout another substance.A colloidal system consists of two separate phases: a dispersed phase and a continuous phase . A colloidal system may be solid, liquid, or gaseous.Many familiar substances are colloids, as shown in the chart below...
in chemistry is a similar perspective. Matter is postulated to be the physical counterpart of consciousness (ultimately our aspect being pure consciousness); the interpenetration of sheaths allows for consciousness to interpenetrate man's nature and is a Theosophical explanation of sensory experience.
As well as seven subtle bodies, there are also seven Cosmic planes of existence. However, in Blavatsky's teachings, the Planes and Principles don't match up (post-Blavatskian re-interpreters like C.W. Leadbeater reinterpreted the seven principles so they equate with the seven planes; this interpretation since became standard everywhere but original or orthodox Blavatskyian Theosophy).
While undergoing some changes and modifications in the hands of later esotericists such as C.W. Leadbeater, Rudolf Steiner
Rudolf Steiner
Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner was an Austrian philosopher, social reformer, architect, and esotericist. He gained initial recognition as a literary critic and cultural philosopher...
, and Alice Bailey
Alice Bailey
Alice Ann Bailey , known as Alice A. Bailey or AAB to her followers, was an influential writer and theosophist in what she termed "Ageless Wisdom". This included occult teachings, "esoteric" psychology and healing, astrological and other philosophic and religious themes...
, Blavatsky's description of the seven bodies or principles
Subtle body
A subtle body is one of a series of psycho-spiritual constituents of living beings, according to various esoteric, occult, and mystical teachings...
remained a central part of western esoteric
Esotericism
Esotericism or Esoterism signifies the holding of esoteric opinions or beliefs, that is, ideas preserved or understood by a small group or those specially initiated, or of rare or unusual interest. The term derives from the Greek , a compound of : "within", thus "pertaining to the more inward",...
and New Age
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
thinking ever since.
External links
- Principles of Man
- The Seven Principles of Man by Andrew Rooke
- The Seven Principles of Man