Physical body, the
Its role in spiritual life
June 13th 2019
In order to put the soul and the spirit first, certain religious leaders thought it would be good – especially during the Middle Ages – to encourage Christians to neglect their physical body, to loathe it, or even to mistreat it, of the view that not only has it no role to play in spiritual life, but that it even poses an obstacle. For Initiatic Science, this is a serious mistake; it is not good to separate the physical body from the soul and the spirit. By doing exercises to awaken the subtle centres located in different areas of the physical body, those who live by the rules of love and wisdom are able to gain a higher understanding of things.
As such, the Hindus are right in associating their three great deities, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, with the three vital centres of the physical body: Brahma, the creator, with the solar plexus; Vishnu, the preserver, with the heart; and Shiva, the destroyer, with the brain. Thus, Brahma, the creator, dwells in the solar plexus. Of course, physical life is perpetuated by the genitals, but humans enter into contact with the river of cosmic life through their solar plexus. When their solar plexus opens to the water of divine life, they themselves become a spring, and the water that irrigates their whole being also quenches the creatures that draw near to them.