by Robert Wilkinson
Yesterday we began to explore the 7 Planes of our existence, and how these relate to our Eternal Light body. If there is to be any human “ascension,” it will occur within the realm of these 7 frequencies that pervade our entire Life system. Today we’ll focus specifically on the 7 Planes, and what they are.
I first elaborated on these a few years ago. This article builds on that information.
All we know is vibration. From the grossest to the subtlest, the densest to the most ethereal, everything we think, feel, perceive or imagine is vibration. We are told in "esoteric philosophy" that there are 7 "frequency zones" that describe and pervade our entire perceptual reality, as well as those subtle realms that are beyond our 5 senses and our minds. These 7 fields co-exist on all levels of human, planetary, and Solar Systemic existence.
These 7 fields, or frequency zones, are called the "7 Planes" of our individual and collective existence. They are interpenetrating, eternal, and the fields where all our "bodies" exist co-simultaneously, from the densest to the most Spiritual. And just as we have 7 bodies, of which the physical form is the densest, so each planet has 7 bodies, as does our Sun.
So let’s begin our discussion of these interpenetrating frequency zones with the 7th, or Physical Plane, and from there proceed to the 1st, the highest Plane of Spiritual awareness. Again, as I noted yesterday, I prefer not to regard them as “lowest to highest” (even though from one view there are “low frequencies” as well as “high frequencies”), as much as “densest to subtlest.”
The Physical Plane
The dense Physical Plane is the plane of matter in all its forms. It is the realm where all physical structures exist, from the apparent physicality of subatomic particles to the apparent physical forms that we call planets, comets, and stars. It is the frequency of dense matter, the densest and slowest of the vibratory realms.
A good meditation is to imagine that our physical body is merely the most dense of our 7 “bodies,” and experience the totality of our physical body as vehicle for 6 more subtle bodies that co-exist with the form you see. And then to contemplate that just as we have 7 bodies of which 6 are subtle, the same is true for the stars, the planets, and their Moons! The forms we see are the material (slowest) frequencies of Beings that have 6 other bodies of more rarified frequencies.
This 7th densest plane is also where our Etheric body exists, specifically in the higher sub-planes of the Physical. Later in this article I’ll explain more about the sub-planes of each Plane, since even within Planes there are sub-frequencies that translate into energetic manifestations of different sorts.
The Astral Plane, or Plane of Emotions
The sixth Plane, more subtle than the Physical, is the Astral, or emotional plane. This is the plane of feeling. It is less dense than the Physical, but more dense than the next plane, the Mental plane.
We have all sensed the “density” of feelings, both our own and others, depending on the intensity, frequency, and sensory ability as these were occurring. This is the plane where our “Auric Egg” exists, interpenetrating with the Etheric field of the higher sub-planes of the physical plane. When people see “auras,” it’s usually some elements of the Astral body they are perceiving.
While feelings are less dense than our physical bodies, they are more dense than our thoughts. The Astral plane is also the realm of the desire-mind, or Kama-manas. It is where our mental cravings take shape through the desire body into forms we are driven to make real, whether healthy or unhealthy.
The Astral is the plane is where “gut-knowing,” instinct, and all psychic phenomena take place. It is also the plane where we believe in and feel the reality of glamor, illusion, and Maya. This is where all restlessness, fear, uncertainty, and belief in the reality of feelings exist. Our main work on this plane requires transmuting our susceptibility to these in the process of getting a grip on our desire mind so we remember we ARE the Higher Self and not the lower self.
The Manasic Plane, or Plane of Mind
The Mental (Manasic) Plane is the plane of thought, and is gradated into two general areas, the lower mental and the Higher Mental. The lower mental plane is the realm of the lower mind, and is the areas where logical, rational thinking and concrete thoughts about things, feeling, and ideas exists. This is where we try to figure things out in a linear fashion, and try to reason out what we are thinking, or believe we’re thinking.
The lower Manas is where the sources of suffering are generated. The lower mind is where attachments, aversions, susceptibility to illusions, and the mind suffering over its own suffering arise. While these are often mixed with emotion, that’s just an indicator of when the desire mind is holding sway over the non-integrated personality. It’s also why once we know the antidotes to these 4 sources of suffering, we can use techniques of mental self-discipline to overcome and extinguish those sources of suffering that arise in the lower mind.
The Higher Mind is the arena of abstract or subtle thoughts, ideals, aspirations, and philosophical awareness. This is where our higher aspirations exist and come forth, so that the Higher Self, or “Soul-infused mind,” can identify its more altruistic nature and think what must be thought to make those higher aspirations and ideals real. This 5th Plane is where our “Mental unit” exists, which is the driving force behind what we call the “lower ego” as well as “Higher Ego.”
The Buddhic Plane, or Plane of Soul
The 4th Plane is the even more subtle and rarified Buddhic Plane, or Plane of Soul. This is the plane where there is no duality, no separateness, no fear, and no doubt. This is the plane where our Love is connected to all the Love there is.
This plane is the frequency of the joyous, subtle, evolved loving feelings that we all have all the time, even when our lower thoughts, feelings, and things momentarily distract us from these higher loving feelings. These feelings are altruistic, benevolent, compassionate, and powerful.
On the Buddhic Plane we are naturally wisely loving and lovingly wise. Since all duality and dualisms arise on the Mental, Emotional, and Physical planes, this Plane of Consciousness is non-dual and is the residency of the love and wisdom of our Higher Ego as it is expressed through our Higher Mind.
It is also where all true Intuition takes a higher feeling shape. This is the “straight-knowing” of the Heart rather than the conditional “knowing” of the mind.
This is the frequency zone where we ARE Love eternal and unconditional. It is the Plane of pure compassion, or “fellow feeling.” It is where we experience universal Love and Wisdom as an undifferentiated unifying feeling.
The Atmic Plane, or Plane of Pure Spirit
The 3rd Plane is the Atmic Plane, or the Plane of Spirit. The Atma(n) is our Spirit body, even more rarified and less dense than our Soul body which exists on the Buddhic Plane. It is the highest peak of our Higher Triad, which I briefly explained in yesterday’s article. Please reference that article to understand the composition of the lower triad and its relationship to the Higher Triad.
This level is virtually unsubstantial relative to physical, emotional, or mental realities. Though this Plane of Spirit is unable to be sensed by the 5 senses and the mind, the Atmic frequency zone is the Plane where "the spark that ignites" originates, inspiring us and changing our lives forever. Some are never sensitive to this plane while alive, while others are touched by it once or even many times.
The Monadic Plane, or Plane of Individual Godhead
The 2nd Plane is called the Monadic Plane, our Oneness beyond division, our "Father-Mother God in Heaven which is ONE indivisible." This is the Plane of our Divine Archetype. When we pray to Deity, “God,” “All-That-Is,” or have a “revelation of Oneness,” it is this plane we seek to experience and see made manifest. It is associated with the "Anupadaka," from the Sanskrit "parentless", "self-existing", a self-created arising of Eternal existence.
The Divine Plane, or Plane of Logos
The 1st Plane has no name other than the Divine Plane. It is associated with the "Adi," from the Sanskrit "the first." Other possible associations are "the original," "the creator," "the Source," and "the beginning of existence."
To recap a crucial point, since all vibration is interpenetrating, it is useful to see these Planes not as linear rankings of levels, but as co-existing fields of consciousness. We can be thinking, feeling, and acting all at the same time, as well as being loving, wise, and inspired.
From one point of view, we are all existing on all the levels and Planes simultaneously all the time. Train your mind and heart to continually reference and identify with the Atma-Buddhi, get your body, feelings, and mind (“the lower triad”) working together as a cohesive unit under the gentle control of your Higher Self, and you’re well on your way to a form of enlightenment perfect for your individual Spirit-Soul!
Each Plane Has 7 Sub-Planes
Besides all these levels of awareness being active all the time at the same time in all of us, each of these has 7 sub-planes within its frequency zone. Thus there is a physical sub-plane, an emotional sub-plane, a mental sub-plane, a Buddhic sub-plane and so forth in each of the 7 Great Planes of Consciousness.
Each sub-plane is a distinct frequency zone in itself. For example, the physical sub-plane of the Physical Plane is matter, the astral sub-plane of the Physical is water and other liquids, the mental sub-plane of the Physical is air, and the Buddhic sub-plane and higher are the sub-planes of Ether in its various stages. As previously noted, the Etheric body exists on the highest and most subtle sub-planes of the Physical Plane.
The physical sub-plane of the Astral are dense feelings, often referred to as "emotional thoughtforms" in that they are the dense forms created by the desire-mind. The astral sub-plane of the Astral plane are feelings about feelings, while the mental sub-plane of the Astral are feelings about thoughts, or feeling-infused thoughts.
On the higher sub-planes of the Astral we find feelings about Soul and "higher" altruistic feelings, feelings about inspiration and oneness, and feelings about the unknown “Godly” qualities of existence. It is also been said that the Akashic records, the repository of karmas generated across past, present, and future lives, exists on one of the higher sub-planes of the Astral.
And so it goes, with each Plane having distinct sub-frequencies with their specialized qualities. Various sub-planes resonate with various other sub-planes, as well as Planes, much as certain notes on a piano resonate with other notes, since many similar notes are shared between various keys which may or may not be in harmony or discord with one another.
You can discover more about the obvious and subtle qualities of the sub-planes through meditating on how things are different and/or similar. For example, feelings about thoughts are the realm of the mental sub-plane of the Astral, while thoughts about feelings exist on the astral sub-plane of the Mental plane. Feelings about the Spiritual life and personal “spiritual truths” exist on the Buddhic sub-plane of the Astral, while ideas about the Spiritual life and “spiritual truths” exist on the Buddhic sub-plane of the Mental plane.
There are other ways to differentiate the various energies of our reality, so please enjoy the journey of exploration. At some point, once we have disciplined our Mental vehicles so we know how to disengage the mind, we can even get beyond thoughts and move into the pure experience of the Higher Planes if we open to that experience by getting out of our own way and allowing the Limitless Light of the Highest Self to move through our various vehicles. This is the object of most meditational forms.
So please enjoy reflecting on what you've read here, and if possible, allow yourself to experience the higher, more subtle planes of existence as well as the lower ones. Sense the differences between your higher thoughts and lower ones, your higher feelings and your lower ones. You can do this in meditation quite easily. They're all there for you to experience as often as you like.
Through it all, the Limitless Light ever shines, and as we learn now to maneuver between our various bodies, purifying each in their own ways and times, tuning each as we would the finest piano or violin in the world, that Light becomes ever more evident in our world. That’s the “Light Body” we aspire to experience. It’s already there – all we have to do is get with our own program, and allow our Highest Self to take command of the lower vehicles. Then we are the Light Beings we aspire to be.
© Copyright 2007, 2013 Robert Wilkinson
Hi Robert,
Are there planetary correspondences to each plane, for example Mercury and the plane of the mind?
A related question: is there a planetary ruler for tears? Moon or Neptune? I have been crying daily (big change for me) since the last eclipse and was curious about whether there is an indicator of this. I imagine it has something to do with the emotional body clearing that is being undertaken by all the Scorpio energies.
Thanks for being so in tune for what we need to hear, I feel so supported by your work.
Posted by: Shekinah | November 15, 2013 at 01:22 PM