The Zodiac of the Body – Physical, Ethereal, Astral Bodies

Two or three thousand years ago, the Mesopotamians, Egyptians and Chinese, and, not quite so long ago during the 10th century AD, the Arabs, practised a medicine called ‘of three bodies’. So today we will talk about the “zodiac of the body”. According to the doctors of the ancient world – who often practised as astrologers at the same time – a human being had three bodies: the physical body, the ethereal (or vital) body and the astral body (also called the body of desire or, in India, the subtle body).

So the holistic approach to health has long associations with astrology. If your life has positive energy, physically, intellectually and emotionally, which is balanced and in harmony then you are less likely to become ill.

The Three Bodies and the Zodiac

Talking about the Zodiac of the Body, we should mention that the first body is the physical body, of course, the one on which modern medicine has focused and concentrated fully. According to tradition, it comprises three principles or states corresponding to three primordial elements: solid (Earth element), liquid (Water element) and gas (Air element). This is the material body, the physical outer cover of muscles, nerves and organs held together by the skeleton.

The ethereal body, sometimes called the vital body, comprises four ethers or subtle fluids:

• The chemical ether, which rules the basic functions of the physical body – assimilation, elimination, absorption and expulsion. This ether corresponds to the zodiac sign of Taurus.
• The vital ether, which governs the physical body’s reproduction, procreation and gestation corresponds to the zodiac sign of Scorpio.
• The light ether, which controls blood circulation, cardiac rhythm and the functions of the five senses, is related to the zodiac sign of Leo.
• The mirror ether, which simulates and coordinates the thought functions of the physical brain. This ether also controls our desires and actions and is connected to the zodiac sign of Aquarius.

It is interesting to see that the four ethers of the ethereal body are governed by the four fixed zodiac signs of the zodiac, Taurus, Scorpio, Leo and Aquarius. Confusingly, the ethereal body is sometimes wrongly referred to as the astral body. It is true that some people can see a halo surrounding another person’s head or body, with colours varying from pink or blue shades of grey to indigo. This is called an aura. Many believe that it is these auras that inspired painters from the Middle Ages to represent the Holy Trinity with halos above and around their heads. Today, when referring to someone who has a bubbly and bright personality, we describe them as having an aura. But this aura belongs to the ethereal body and has nothing to do with the vibration of the astral body, which is far too subtle to be seen with the naked eye.

The astral body has a degree of vibration and radiance which is far higher than that of the ethereal body. Ancient physicians believed that this radiance covered an area varying from 40cm to three metres around the physical body. This area varied greatly according to the physical level of the individual. The higher the levels, the larger the area of the radiance.

Continue to talk about the Zodiac of the Body, we should say, that the astral body is described as a diffused, eggshaped outer layer with whirls and flashing swirls of colour that move ceaselessly. The intensity of the colour and the movement varies according to the pattern of thoughts, feelings, emotions, moods and desires. The primordial element linked to the astral body is Fire and the astral body also includes seven points, or doors, of perception which correspond exactly to the chakras.