Title: First Steps Toward the Experience of the “Subtle Body”
Tags: #Evola #SubtleBody #InnerEssence #Hermeticism #EsotericPractice

1. The Heart as the Center of Consciousness: The intuitive truth that the center of consciousness resides in the “heart” has been obscured by modern science’s focus on the brain, which silences true knowledge in favor of sensory illusion.
   
2. Creating an Inner Environment: The first step toward experiencing the subtle body involves creating an “inner environment” where its organs can awaken to consciousness, similar to how physical organs respond to external stimuli.
   
3. Perceiving the Subtle: Alongside sensory impressions, we must strive to perceive a distinct, supersensible essence—a silent echo within us that reflects the intimate nature of things.
   
4. Separation of the Subtle and the Dense: By experiencing the head as detached and external, we separate the “subtle” from the “dense” (Hermetic terms) or the “real” from the “unreal” (Hindu terms), allowing subtle impressions to replace ordinary sensations.
   
5. Methodical Discipline: This practice requires intense, prolonged concentration to discern precise differences between sensory impressions and their subtle counterparts, which retain an objective character.
   
6. Thoughts and Emotional Contents: The same practice can be applied to thoughts and emotions, distancing ourselves from the head to seize thoughts before they are cerebrally articulated, revealing a new order of differences.
   
7. Dangers of Ecstasy: A key danger lies in becoming ensnared by ecstatic feelings or cosmic consciousness, which can cloud awareness. It is essential to retain the sense of the Self and active consciousness, avoiding the voluptuousness of possession that returns us to the physical body.
   

This approach emphasizes the development of the subtle body through disciplined inner work, transcending the limitations of the physical and sensory world to achieve a deeper, esoteric understanding of the Self.

First Steps Toward the Experience of the “Subtle Body”

The assertion that the center of consciousness resides in the “heart” echoes an intuitive truth. When science “proved” this center to be in the brain, true knowledge was silenced, replaced by sensory illusion.

Studying the organs reveals no more about the inner essence of man than observing letters in a sentence conveys meaning to one who cannot read. True knowledge arises from delving into one’s interiority, tracing the mysterious pathways that lead to the material body.

The first step involves creating an “inner environment” where the organs of the subtle body—a provisional yet useful term—can awaken to consciousness, much as physical organs are stimulated by external impressions. Various methods lead to this goal, but I will focus on one I consider most effective.

Every object, living or lifeless, carries a specific occult message. By focusing on two different perceptions—such as a plant and an animal—and gradually abstracting from their sensory images, we discern two distinct “subtle” impressions. These arise from within and cannot be projected outward as qualities of the object; they possess a life of their own.

This separation of the “subtle” from the “dense” (in Hermetic terms) or the “real” from the “unreal” (in Hindu terms) is achieved by experiencing the head as detached and external. Ordinary sensations fall through the center of consciousness, replaced by their corresponding subtle counterparts.

This discipline requires methodical repetition: through intense, progressively prolonged concentration, precise and recognizable differences emerge. These correspond to sensory impressions but are of a wholly different nature, retaining an objective character.

Only those who have experienced this renewed mode of knowledge understand the accompanying sense of certainty and direct understanding, surpassing any sensory-derived insight.

The same practice can be applied to thoughts, distancing ourselves from the head to seize and use thoughts before they are cerebrally articulated. Here, too, a new order of differences replaces the habitual one, as if each thought corresponds to a unique musical note in an infinite tonal range. After experiencing a sequence of note-thoughts, one can return to the head and articulate the corresponding thoughts discursively, though some depths defy verbalization as they transcend normal life and its concerns.

A similar practice can focus on emotional contents or impulses. The goal remains the same: a rapid, subtle attentiveness at the threshold of the Self, capturing perceptions midair and replacing ordinary, provisional, and sensual consciousness with a deeper knowledge of the elements.

I aim not to present a systematic esoteric treatise but to awaken memories of sporadic, spontaneous inner activities, encouraging their recognition and development.

The sense of self, arising from these activities, replaces the bodily sense. The body feels distant, external, while impressions from external objects seem to arise and live within us, as part of us.

This annuls the sense of space, leaving only an inner, rhythmic sense of time. Reestablishing the relationship with the body grants freedom and mobility within it, marking the birth of the subtle body’s sense.

A danger lies in becoming ensnared by a sense of happiness or greatness—what William James termed the “cosmic feeling”—which can cloud consciousness in ecstatic torpor. It is crucial to retain the sense of the Self and the active life of consciousness, remaining distinct and superior amidst the modalities of subtle perception.

Any sense of satisfaction or pride returns us to the body, altering realization and dimming vision. The subtle body grants possession, but the voluptuousness of possession belongs to the physical body and senses, which imprison us once more.

Metaphysical part:

The doctrine of the “immortal body” corresponds to the traditional teaching on immortality, often referred to as the “triple body” or simply the “immortal body.” Here, the term “body” is used analogously to describe new forms of consciousness and action that the Self can attain, transcending the ordinary human condition. This doctrine, like all esoteric teachings, is only meaningful within the context of an elite group of initiates who have embarked on the path of spiritual realization. For the average person, such concepts hold no relevance, as they remain bound by their limited human consciousness, conditioned by their physical organism.

The ordinary person, while able to perceive and interact with their physical body, knows little of its true nature. The forces that animate the body—such as the movement of limbs or the beating of the heart—remain mysterious and beyond their control. For them, the body is an enigma, a mysterious entity to which they are inexplicably tied. However, for those who uncover the path to resolving this mystery through the light and power of the Self, the knowledge of the “immortal body” becomes accessible. This is not a separate body but rather a different mode of existence for what is commonly understood as the “body.”

The journey to immortality begins with the ability to maintain consciousness beyond the death of the physical body. Those who achieve this state are, in a sense, “beyond the waters,” where the dissolution of the physical organism no longer holds significance. This path involves shedding all determinisms, stripping away layers of conditioning, until the Self dissolves into pure being. This is the pinnacle of supreme identity, akin to the Upanishadic “fixation,” Buddhist nirvana, or the Plotinian “One.” It is a state of emptiness and fullness, described in Hatha-Yoga as “empty like a vase in the sky, full like a vase in the ocean.”

Alternatively, there is the magical path, where the liberated principle returns to the world as a force of power. Here, the elements and processes that once appeared as external and independent are reorganized according to the individual's will, becoming symbols of their power. This is a process of active transformation, where the individual becomes free from the constraints of the material world, reducing it to illusion and symbol.

The “immortal body” is thus a simple, non-composite body, infused with the pure substance of the Self. It is made of consciousness and power, not matter, as matter is merely an inert, passive state of spirit. This body is sustained by the mind, and its existence depends entirely on the Self. If the Self were to vanish, the body would collapse into nothingness. This is the essence of the “body of resurrection” or “magical body,” which is not a fixed form but a potentiality, capable of infinite transformations.

The immortal body is invulnerable and incorruptible, composed of light and power, akin to the “fiery” or “radiant” body described in Neoplatonism. It is a body of freedom, capable of manifesting in any form, transcending the limitations of the physical world. This body is not unreal but represents the highest reality, where all resistance to the spirit has been dissolved.

In summary, the “immortal body” is the ultimate realization of the Self, a body of light and power, free from the constraints of the material world. It is the culmination of the initiatic journey, where the individual becomes the “Lord of the Three Worlds,” transcending the realms of generation and corruption, and embodying the pure, luminous essence of being.