The Mental Body by Arthur E Powell.pdf

THE MENTAL BODY

By Arthur E. Powell

First published in 1927 by The Theosophical Society

DEDICATION

This book, like its two predecessors,

is dedicated with gratitude and appreciation to those

whose painstaking labour and researches

have provided the materials out of which it has been compile d

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

MENTAL ELEMENTAL ESSENCE

COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE

FUNCTIONS

TYPICAL EXAMPLES

KAMA-MANAS [DESIRE MIND]

THOUGHT – WAVES

THOUGHT – FORMS

THE MECHANISM OF THOUGHT-TRANSFERENCE

THOUGHT – TRANSFERENCE: [a] UNCONSCIOUS

THOUGHT – TRANSFERENCE: [b] CONSCIOUS: and MENTAL HEALING

THOUGHT-CENTRES

PHYSICAL OR WAKING CONSCIOUSNESS

FACULTIES

CONCENTRATION

MEDITATION

CONTEMPLATION

SLEEP-LIFE

THE MAYAVIRUPA

DEVACHAN : GENERAL PRINCIPLES

DEVACHAN : LENGTH AND INTENSITY

DEVACHAN : FURTHER PARTICULARS

THE FIRST HEAVEN [SEVENTH SUB-PLANE]

THE SECOND HEAVEN [SIXTH SUB-PLANE]

THE THIRD HEAVEN [ FIFTH SUB-PLANE ]

THE FOURTH HEAVEN [ FOURTH SUB-PLANE ]

THE MENTAL PLANE

THE AKASHIC RECORDS

MENTAL PLANE INHABITANTS

DEATH OF THE MENTAL BODY

THE PERSONALITY AND EGO

RE–BIRTH

DISCIPLESHIP

CONCLUSION

INTRODUCTION

This book is the third of the series dealing with man’s bodies, its two predecessors having

been The Etheric Body and The Astral Body. In all three, identically the same method has

been followed: some forty volumes, mostly from the pens of Annie Besant and C.W.

Leadbeater, recognised to-day as the authorities par excellence on the Ancient wisdom in its

guise of modern Theosophy, have been carefully searched for data connected with the mental

body; those data have been classified, arranged and presented to the student in a form as

coherent and sequential as the labours of the compiler have been able to make it.

Throughout this series no attempt has been made to prove, or even to justify, the statements

made, except in so far as their own internal evidence and reasonability justify them. The bona

fides of these veteran investigators and teachers being unquestionable, the results of their

investigations and their teachings are here set out, without evasion or reservation of any kind,

so far as possible in their own words, modified and abridged only where necessary to suit the

requirements of an orderly and logical presentation of the subject-matter.

The question of proof is an entirely separate issue, and one, moreover, of vast dimensions. To

have attempted to argue or prove the statements made would have defeated the primary

object of these books, which is to lay before the serious student a condensed synthesis, within

reasonable compass, of the teachings from the from the sources named regarding the bodies

of man and the planes or worlds to which these belong. Those who desire proofs must search

for them elsewhere.

The fact that, after some two and a half years of intensive study of the writings of the two

authors named, no discrepancies or contradictions, beyond, [xii] literally, two or three of trifling

moment, have been discovered, constitutes a striking testimonial to the faithfulness in detail of

the investigators, and to the coherence of the Theosophical system.

As in the two preceding volumes, marginal references have been given in order that the

student may, if he wish, verify for himself any statement made at the original sources. The

indices of the series of three books, together with the marginal references, thus virtually

constitute in themselves a fairly complete index to everything dealing with the etheric, astral,

and lower mental worlds in the writings of Annie Besant and C.W. Leadbeater.

It is hoped that there will be added to the series in due time a fourth volume, on The Causal

Body.

As already mentioned, by far the greater part of the material presented in this book, has been

obtained directly from the writings of Dr. Besant and Bishop Leadbeater. The works of H. P.

Blavatsky are not included in the list of authorities quoted. To have searched the Secret

Doctrine for references to the Mental Body and the Mental Plane would, frankly have been a

task beyond the powers of the compiler, and would, also, in all probability have resulted in a

volume too abstruse for the class of student for whom this series of books is intended. The

debt to H. P. Blavatsky is greater than ever could be indicated by quotations from her

monumental volumes. Had she not shown the way in the first instance, later investigators

might never have found the trail at all, let alone made it into a path where others may follow

with comparative ease and safety.

A.E. Powell.

CHAPTER I

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

Before proceeding to describe in detail the mental body of man, its functions, and the part it

plays in his life and evolution, it will be useful to give a brief outline of the ground which our

study will cover.

First, we shall have to consider the mental body as the vehicle through which the Self

manifests as concrete intellect, in which are developed the powers of the mind, including those

of memory and imagination, and which, in the later stages of man’s evolution, serves as a

separate and distinct vehicle of consciousness, in which the man can live and function quite

apart from both his physical and his astral bodies.

At the outset the student must realise quite clearly that in occult psychology the mental

equipment of man is divided into two distinct portions: [a] the mental body, which deals with

particulars, with what are known as concrete thoughts: eg., a particular book, house, triangle,

etc. ; [b] the causal body which deals with principles, with abstract thoughts: eg., books or

houses in general, the principle of triangularity common to all triangles. The mental body thus

deals with rupa or form-thoughts, the causal body with arupa or formless thoughts. A rough

analogy may be taken from mathematics : arithmetic, dealing with particular numbers, belongs

to the lower form aspect of mind : algebra, which deals with symbols representing numbers in

general, belongs to the higher or formless aspect of mind. The terms form and formless are, of

course, used not in an absolute, but in a relative sense. Thus a cloud or a flame while

possessing form are yet formless relatively to, say, a house or a log of wood.

Next we shall have to deal with that strange, semi-intelligent, and intensely active life-

substance known as the Mental Elemental Essence, and the part it plays in helping man to

think. The details of the structure and composition of the mental body will next engage our

attention, and this will be followed by a description of typical examples of mental bodies of men

at various stages of development.

A prominent feature in our study will be an examination of Kama-Manas, that association, or

entanglement, between Desire and Thought, in terms of which it would perhaps be possible to

write a history, both of the human race as a whole, and of every individual man. So intimate, in

fact, is this entanglement that some schools of thought go so far as to class the astral and the

mental bodies of man as one vehicle of consciousness, as indeed they are, for practical

purposes, for the great majority of mankind.

The twofold action of thought in its own world must be described: viz., the radiation of waves of

thought, and the formation, and in many cases the projection into space, of thought-forms. The

effects which these two classes of phenomena produce on their creators and on other men

must be examined when we come to deal with Thought-Transference, which, for convenience,

we shall consider as Unconscious and as Conscious, the later division including Mental

Healing, of which a brief outline will be given.

It will be necessary to consider the effect which the physical body, and, in fact, physical

surroundings in general, produce on the mental body and its workings; conversely, we must

examine the effects which the mental body produces on the physical body and on other

physical objects.

Then it will be necessary to treat of the astral body in a similar manner: viz., how it influences

the mental body, and how the mental body in its turn influences the astral body.

Then we shall turn to the mental body itself and show how it operates, how its faculties may be

developed and trained both when working through the physical brain, and also when it is

operating on its own account as an independent vehicle of consciousness.

This naturally leads us to the more deliberate training of the mental body, embracing

Concentration, that sine qua non of an effective mental life; Meditation, and finally,

Contemplation, leading to mystic consciousness.

The use of the mental body during sleep of the physical body will be briefly dealt with, and then

a short description of that artificial and temporary mental body known as the ayavi Rupa will be

added.

The life after physical and astral death, i.e.,, on the mental plane itself, will next occupy our

attention. This will have to be dealt with at some length, for we have to study the general

principles underlying the course of that mental life and many of its details. We must further

examine shortly typical examples of life on each of the four lower mental sub-planes, in what

the Theosophist calls Devachan, the Christian “Heaven”.

After proceeding so far we shall be in a position to have grasped the reality and possibilities of

the mental plane regarded as a world in itself, and we shall therefore study is as such a world,

examining the nature of the life there, and the general character of its phenomena.

Amongst all these we shall find the Thought-Centres, which constitute an interesting and

important feature. From these we shall pass to the Akashic Records, that wonderful and

infallible Memory of nature in which everything is remembered and recorded, so that it may be

read by anyone possessing the necessary qualifications.

A chapter will then be devoted to the inhabitants of the Mental Plane, and then, as man passes

out of the lower mental plane on the death of his mental body, we shall follow him just

sufficiently to gain a glimpse of his wider and fuller life on the higher mental, or causal plane.

Having thus traced the pilgrimage of the man through physical death [vide The Etheric

Double ], his course through the astral plane [vide The Astral Body] and , in this volume,

followed him to the threshold of his true home, the causal or higher mental world, we can gain

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