- Planetary Body Self
- Evolution of Body Selves
- Somatic Selves and Body Self
- Performance and Healing
- Balancing Internal and External Attention
- Outer Self and Body Self
- Body Self Communication Styles
- Body Self Perception
- Developing Its Astral Body
- Future Role for Evolved Body Self
- Supervision by High Self
- Evolution of Body Self
- Relationship with Other Body Selves
- Mental Development of Body Self
- Body Self and Emotions
- Daily Care of Body Self
- Kinesthetic and Visual Visualization
- Body Self's Etheric Point of View
- Body Self and Achieving Spiritual Mastery
- Question and Answer
- Concluding Remarks
- Homework Assignment
Your body is a luminous expression of the Creator. Learn to listen to and care for your Body Self to receive the fullness of Life. Optimize strength, improve stamina and heal yourself.
MONITOR: We’re pleased that each of you has brought your Body Self to this discussion. Both you, the Outer Self, and your Body Self may find much of value in it. The Body Self has been partially understood. More information about it will prove quite valuable, not only to you who are present tonight, but to the millions of the world.
Planetary Body Self
The Planetary Being is being stimulated by external forces into a process of spiritual initiation. That process involves the stimulation of each of the bodies of the Planetary Being. The Planetary Being has a Body Self that may be considered the equivalent of a human Body Self. Its Body Self is composed primarily of etheric substance, like the human body. The line of evolution of the planetary Body Self moves beyond it(self) to join with other forces and bodies in the solar system.
Evolution of Body Selves
The Body Self of a human being evolves ultimately beyond the state of single existence into a collaborative existence with other Body Selves. It moves through the process of individualization, gaining in qualities and capabilities to the point where it may merge with others of its kind, according to the dictates of Souls and Monads. Eventually, the Body Selves within your etheric bodies will achieve a higher level of collective existence in a distant future, hundreds of thousands of years from this time. Their existence may be continued on this or other planets in this or other solar systems, depending on future developments.
Somatic Selves and Body Self
The Body Self of a human being consists of a composite of hundreds of elemental consciousnesses evolving through etheric form into greater states of awareness and capability. We term these composite selves “Somatic Selves.” They relate to the various systems, organs, structures and functions of the etheric and physical bodies. We will deal with these Somatic Selves in our next discussion and this time focus upon the Body Self, who acts as the supervising consciousness of the etheric and physical bodies.
The Body Self, therefore, represents a more highly evolved consciousness than that of its component Somatic Selves, like the supervising deva of a group of flowers. The deva serves in that capacity because it has evolved to a higher degree than the elemental consciousness of the flowers. Thus the Body Self assists in the evolution of the Somatic Selves. Its energy field extends around all of the Somatic Selves, offering protection, communication and exchange of vitality with them.
Performance and Healing
Somatic Selves depend greatly upon the Body Self. If a Somatic Self of a knee, for example, becomes dispirited, disappointed or upset with its ability to fulfill its role, it seeks support from the Body Self. If the Body Self is able to give the support it seeks, the Somatic Self may be encouraged to improve its performance or heal an injury much more quickly than otherwise would occur.
Balancing Internal and External Attention
The Body Self, as an evolving entity or unit of consciousness, must develop its Somatic Selves in order for it to evolve. Thus, much of a Body Self’s attention and activity is focused upon caring for its Somatic Selves. A Body Self may be so preoccupied with internal matters that it fails to pay sufficient attention to its environment, thus contributing to accidents and injuries. An experienced Body Self learns to balance its attention between internal and external conditions. It becomes alert to potential hazards and exercises caution by calling upon the Outer Self or attentive Subconscious Selves to assist it in preventing injury.
The experience of injury creates a specific opportunity for the Body Self, who is placed in that position by the High Self who challenges the Body Self to grow. Just as Subconscious Selves are challenged to exert greater effort, develop more intense motivation, or gain higher capabilities and skills, so does the High Self challenge the Body Self. A Body Self, who has relatively poor communication with its Somatic Selves, may be challenged by the High Self to work with the Somatic Selves in healing some form of physical problem. The Body Self, in that instance, focuses upon the task of encouraging the Somatic Selves to work more effectively in producing healing. Obviously, a Body Self, who has excellent communication with Somatic Selves, is much more effective in achieving healing, demonstrating strength or endurance, or extending the life span.
Outer Self and Body Self
The Outer Self benefits from establishing a friendly cordial relationship with its Body Self. We encourage the Outer Self to use the process of guided imagery in meeting the Body Self, learning the name it prefers, and demonstrating respect and caring for it. Some Body Selves experience negative reactions because they believe that the Outer Self does not care for them. They may gain that belief because of repeated demands placed upon them by the Outer Self. The Outer Self might repeatedly place the Body Self into hazardous conditions where it may be injured. Or the Outer Self overworks the Body Self and does not allow it sufficient opportunity to rest and regenerate.
The Body Self who feels neglected or abused by the Outer Self is likely to create some form of physical difficulty which will affect the Outer Self. Because the Body Self exists at a lower level of awareness than the Outer Self, it often does not know how to communicate effectively with the Outer Self. The Outer Self needs to take the initiative, asking the Body Self what it wishes to communicate.
Body Self Communication Styles
The Body Self communicates with a limited human vocabulary. It relies more upon images, kinesthetic sensations, and emotions to communicate its message. The message of a Body Self is normally brief and direct to the point. It may communicate “We are tired” by generating kinesthetic sensations of weariness and heaviness throughout the body. Another message, “We are frightened of being injured,” might be communicated by sensations of tightness in the solar plexus, shortness of breath, and trembling of arms and legs. The Body Self may also communicate positive messages, such as “We want more chocolate.” The physical sensations in that instance are quite pleasurable and focus upon the taste buds, mouth, and sense of aroma.
The communication from an Outer Self to a Body Self needs to be matched to the level of communication transmitted by the Body Self. Thus, if you find that your Body Self communicates to you primarily through a combination of emotions and kinesthetic sensations and does not rely upon images, you may best communicate with your Body Self by the same means. If you seek to visualize images in such an instance, they will likely have limited effect. In other words, speak the same language as your Body Self for maximum benefit.
Body Self Perception
Body Selves perceive largely through the etheric senses which human beings term “physical senses” in their ignorance. The Body Self perceives through those senses and learns to interpret the behavior of other bodies, Inner Selves and creatures of the environment. The Body Self pictures all substance as alive. It views the environment as one or more living creatures, which, from our point of view, seems quite appropriate.
Developing Its Astral Body
A Body Self may respond to an environmental stimulus, such as lightning and thunder, in different ways depending upon its past experience with them. It may be frightened or joyful. The emotion of the Body Self may be weak or strong. It is developing its own astral body, which is comparatively weak compared to its etheric body.
As the Body Self continues evolution, it gains much from its interaction with human personalities, using much of what it observes in their astral bodies to structure its own. Yet it will have its own structure of astral expression and thus will develop emotions in a slightly different direction than those of human beings.
Future Role for Evolved Body Self
When humanity has served its purpose and moved on out of the range of normal interaction with the elemental Body Self, the Body Self will assume a supervisory role over other forms of elemental and devic consciousness. It will develop as a powerful living force for preserving and refining the etheric structure of the planet and thus constitute an important force in the Body Self of planet Earth.
Supervision by High Self
When the Body Self is selected by the High Self, it is assigned to serve as a vehicle for a particular personality included in the High Self’s range of supervision. The selected Body Self is then placed within the energy field of the High Self and remains there until its purpose has been served. The High Self may keep a specific Body Self under its supervision for thousands of years, allowing it to interact with hundreds of human personalities who are supervised by the High Self. When the High Self decides that maximum benefit has been gained from its association with the Body Self, it releases it into the supervision of another High Self or equivalent being. Some advanced devas take over the supervision of Body Selves in order that they be properly integrated into the devic line of evolution and not be limited only to the line of human evolution.
Evolution of Body Self
A Body Self evolves over millions of years of physical time. It begins as a small cell of consciousness inhabiting a single cell of etheric form. As it evolves, it gains in complexity, adding additional cells. When the cells number in the trillions, a Body Self has gained considerable capability and become capable of acting as host for the human personality. Up to that point it has acted as a host for mineral, then vegetable, then animal Life forms, evolving through the elemental line of evolution. It intersects with the human line and moves beyond it toward a future role.
You, the Outer Self, are wise to sense the enormous development present in your Body Self. Consider how its millions of components work together in relative harmony. Each cell of your physical-etheric body is an evolving Life Essence expressing in that particular form. That Life Essence is no less than the Life Essence of you, the Outer Self, or the Life Essence of your Soul.
Life Essence plays many roles in the world of forms. And therefore, people of wisdom respect Life in any form, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant.
Relationship with Other Body Selves
The Body Self relates well to the Body Selves of animals and sometimes of vegetables. It has, for the most part, in this phase of development, moved away from close association with the Body Selves of minerals, yet may benefit from the vibratory qualities of minerals. In fact, it needs those qualities, whether taken internally or supplied externally.
Mental Development of Body Self
A Body Self operates mainly from the level of mind termed “instinct,” just as animals are guided by a general force of mind before they have developed individualized mind. The human Body Self has evolved individualized mind to a sufficient point where it performs rudimentary thinking. It may recognize classes of experience after repeated exposures to members of the class. It may discover relationship with a specific tree, for example, and then discover other trees and be able to generalize to a concept of the gathering of trees, or forests.
Body Self and Emotions
It is often at the mercy of emotions, however, because its mental capacity has not sufficiently developed to give it the power of understanding of emotions and how to overcome their influence. When an Outer or Inner Self displays powerful emotions, they affect the Body Self, and it will often react in kind. If an Inner Self expresses fear, the Body Self will likely react in fear. If an Inner Self expresses anger, the Body Self is likely to express both fear and anger. If the Inner Self expresses grief, the Body Self will likely experience and express, in its own way, the varied elements of grief.
This reactiveness is appropriately noticed in the field of psychosomatic medicine. When a person has not sufficiently expressed their grief, the Body Self of that person will likely express it in some form of physical activity such as sinusitis, pneumonia, or some other form whereby unshed tears are shed.
A Body Self needs to express its emotions. It does not have the mental capability to transform them by itself. It must demonstrate emotions and will do so in ways appropriately symbolic to the meaning of the emotion, even when the Body Self does not understand the symbolism.
Daily Care of Body Self
We recommend that the Outer Self take time each day to care for the Body Self. This may be done in many ways. One simple way involves paying attention to how the body feels. Is it stressed or rested? Does it experience aches and pains, or does it experience pleasure? If a part of the body experiences pain, the Outer Self is well advised to pat and caress that part of the body, expressing emotions of caring and Love. In so doing, the Outer Self may give comfort to the Body Self and specific Somatic Selves that have needs revealed by the pain. The Outer Self may ask for healing during the caressing.
Kinesthetic and Visual Visualization
You may ask for healing by imaging the healing process with an emphasis on kinesthetic sensation. For example, if a knee is injured, or a shoulder, the pained area may be keenly felt and the pain noted. Having done that, the Outer Self may then project the image of pleasure replacing pain, or, in the case of a laceration, picturing the protective closing of the laceration. The Outer Self will more effectively communicate healing messages to the Body Self by combining kinesthetic sensations with visual imagery. Kinesthetic sensations best convey the message, encouraging the Body Self to associate the accompanying visual images with that message and thus increase its visual vocabulary.
[Visual images include light filling an injured area, visualizing it as whole and perfect in function, a slim belly free of fat]
A person must experiment with visualization in order to find effective ways of communicating with the Body Self. If the desired results are not being obtained, the Outer Self needs to rely more upon kinesthetic messages to the Body Self. The Body Self often does not see what the Outer Self sees. This creates difficulty in communicating with visual imagery alone.
[Kinesthetic messages and images include movement: stretching, running, jumping, lifting, stroking, digesting and moving stool through the intestines, etc. It also includes sensations: hot, cold, weight, light touch, etc. Balance, steadiness and stable walking without a cane or walker are other examples].
When accompanied by strong kinesthetic sensations, the Body Self may then make use of visual imagery. If the Outer Self communicates the sensations of healing a particular weakness in the body yet has doubts as to whether the healing can truly take place, the Body Self registers the doubt more strongly than the image of healing. It may even associate the image of healing with the doubt so firmly that it may be difficult to convince it to work on that specific healing even with different forms of messages.
Body Self’s Etheric Point of View
Understand that your Body Self has an etheric point of view. It pays more attention to the vitality and balance of the etheric body than its projection, the physical body. On many occasions the Body Self feels satisfied that it is maintaining health in the etheric body, yet the physical body may develop some weaknesses or aberrations. This often occurs with simple lacerations, bruises, warts and moles.
The Body Self pays little attention to the physical form because its main perception is involved with etheric form. You, the Outer Self, may need to bring such a problem to the attention of your Body Self and motivate it to consider that problem as sufficiently important for it to mobilize healing. When a Body Self mobilizes healing forces, they work first in the etheric body and progress to the physical body. Thus the Outer Self benefits from observing how its Body Self functions. If the Body Self is not sensitive to minor physical problems, the Outer Self benefits from educating the Body Self regarding the importance of those problems.
Body Self and Achieving Spiritual Mastery
As the human personality evolves to the point of achieving spiritual mastery, the Body Self becomes more important at a particular point in the evolution of the personality. At that point , the personality achieves sufficient integration, and the power that integration brings, to work with and through the Body Self in achieving the translation of the physical body into the etheric body. This involves a vibratory stimulus that is sufficiently sustained through the powers of mind which admit the Illumination of Soul to accomplish the purpose. The Body Self who experiences that form of illumination and translation receives a distinct reward. It is assisted in its own evolution by that process.
We have outlined several aspects of the topic, and now we will respond to your questions or engage in discussion.
Question and Answer
Q1: Genetics and the Body Self
HELEN: How do genetics affect the Body Self?
MONITOR: The Body Self is given different genetic patterns to aid in its own energetic and structural development. Genetics are based upon the structure of chromosomes. Chromosomes are created by the joint effort of the Soul and Monad. Thus they express different energetic qualities and produce different structures. The Body Self needs to experience a variety of genetic influences in its development.
The Body Self, who encounters a new genetic structure as the High Self places it into a new physical embodiment, must gain an appreciation of that new structure and energetic expression. It is as though it has been thrust into a new symphony and thus is immediately involved in perceiving all of the impact of that symphony. It learns to function as best it can under those vibratory conditions.
Genetics, then, provide part of the developing structure of the Body Self. The Body Self, in turn, when it is sufficiently advanced in evolution, may affect the genetic expression to a limited degree. Because genetic expression is projected by the Soul and Monad who form the intertwining of DNA and relationship of chromosomes, their power remains paramount. Yet an evolved Body Self may produce minor modifications of that vibratory expression. For example, a child who has an advanced Body Self and is born with a genetic disorder, may experience unexpected improvements in physical function because of the efforts of the Body Self.
Have we addressed your question?
HELEN: Yes, thank you, Monitor.
Q2: Negotiating to Comfort the Body Self with Healthier Options
JULIE: A little while ago, you said that the Body Self communicates very simply by saying things like, “I feel tired.” or “I want chocolate.” If the Outer Self knows that what the Body Self is asking for, like chocolate or sugar, is not good for it, how can it best deal with the Body Self?
MONITOR: By giving it comfort, recognizing that it has a need but that need is not fully beneficial for the Body Self. You may comfort your Body Self in such a situation by caressing it, hugging it, and giving it something else which it will be free to accept or reject. For example, you may offer it an apple instead of chocolate. If you’ve demonstrated sufficient caring before offering the apple, it is more likely to accept it as a substitute. If your Body Self does not feel sufficiently cared for, then it is likely to reject the substitute.
Q3: Body Self’s Relationship with Other Selves of the Personality
LOIS: Monitor, I’d like to ask how the Body Self interacts with the other Selves of the personality and what the Outer Self can do to best facilitate positive relations among them.
MONITOR: The Body Self is strongly affected by the emotions, desires and attitudes of the other Selves. If a Basic Self expresses enthusiasm for a particular experience, such as mountain climbing, but a Judge Self expresses fear about it, the Body Self receives both emotional messages and needs to make its own decision about how it reacts. If the fear of the Judge Self is stronger than the enthusiasm of the Basic Self, the Body Self joins it in fear, which may create weaknesses or problems in the body that prevent mountain climbing.
The thoughts of the Inner Selves have limited effect upon the Body Self. A Subconscious Self, who relates to the Body Self with affection and caring on a consistent basis, exerts far more influence than a Subconscious Self who has not gone to such lengths. Thus a constructive Inner Self may give consistent support to the Body Self and strengthen it. On the other hand, when Inner Selves differ, quarrel with each other, and are more involved with their own disputes than with the Body Self, the Body Self is not easily swayed by any of them. It then pursues its own course, which is consistently supported by the High Self.
The High Self carefully watches how the Body Self is affected by a Subconscious Self conflict. The High Self either temporarily quells the conflict or gives added support to the Body Self so that it is not adversely affected. The Body Self therefore depends strongly upon the High Self. The High Self knows its needs quite well, yet those needs are often expressed by the Body Self in terms of the etheric body and not the physical body. This means that the High Self may not always be fully sensitive to some physical problems or discomforts. Thus the Outer Self, experiencing such problems, is well advised to ask the High Self for assistance. Once the High Self knows about the need, it will assist.
Q4: Body Self’s Response to Words and Sounds
MARYANN: I would like to ask how the words we speak, and the sonic vibrations of the words spoken, affect our Body Selves.
MONITOR: We distinguish between sonic qualities and the meaning of words. The two may be correlated or discordant.
The sonic qualities of speech may convey a variety of messages to the Body Self. A whining voice conveys distress, while a harmonic voice conveys encouragement. The qualities of sound, expressed with clear mental intent, may exert tremendous power in affecting the Body Self and the body devas. This relates to the ancient art of healing by sound. It involves mainly the vowel sounds and how they are used with correlated physical and mental intention.
The meaning of words is mainly conveyed to the Body Self by the emotion they carry. It often does not understand most of the words, but only those words where it has formed its own interpretation by matching a word with an experience. Often its association with a word does not match the association of the Outer Self or that given in a standard dictionary.
For example, the word “white” may seem quite innocuous to the Outer Self. Yet to a Body Self who has experienced in a previous physical body the experience of dying in snow and ice, the word “white” may act as a trigger to its emotions. Thus the Outer Self is well advised to explore with the Body Self how it responds to key words.
In general, the Outer Self talks too much, in terms of establishing clear communication with the Body Self. The Body Self does react, in some instances, to the chatter of conversation as a sign of peace and harmony in interpersonal relationships. Yet it may, on those occasions, glean no specific meaning from the words used. On the other hand, the Body Self may be alarmed when its Outer Self and other people speak in terms of threats. The Body Self may go on “alert” status and react even when the threat has not yet occurred.
Many people today experience situations where the Body Self has entered “alert” status, perceiving threats which come from the reaction of those Inner Selves who are disturbed by events in the astral plane. Because the Body Self occupies the etheric plane, it does not understand what is occurring in the astral plane. As the Spiritual Hierarchy continues to cleanse the astral plane, great benefit occurs, yet the Body Self does not understand that and may be quite alarmed by the reaction of Subconscious Selves. Thus, much stress now occurs throughout humanity as Body Selves react on a mass basis to such events on the astral plane. This creates a need for individuals to learn how to detect increased stress and how to reduce it through effective action. An individual may communicate with the Body Self and assure it through caresses and hugging that it is safe and does not need to feel threatened.
Have we addressed your question?
MARYANN: Yes, thank you, Monitor.
Q5: Body Self and Panic Attacks
ELIZABETH: Monitor, I have a question about panic attacks. When somebody has panic attacks, when it’s just free floating, when it comes from a situation not outside of yourself and just happens, is that the Body Self or one of the other Selves experiencing that?
MONITOR: Panic attacks can occur from the Body Consciousness, yet only in a minority of cases. Most of the time it represents the Body Self reacting in fear to the fear of at least one Inner Self. Most often that Inner Self is the Astral Judge Self.
At this time, the number of panic attacks among the human population has increased, because many Astral Judge Selves are disturbed and frightened about the Hierarchy’s cleansing of the astral plane.
When a panic attack occurs, the Outer Self may caress and hug the physical and etheric bodies, seeking to calm the Body Self. If the Body Self receives sufficient caring, it will calm, even though the Astral Judge remains fearful and disturbed. Once the Body Self is calm, the Outer Self may proceed to communicate with the Astral Judge and offer support to assist the Astral Judge in moving beyond its state of panic.
Q6: Body Self and Chakras
SHARRILL: Monitor, what is the relationship of the Body Self to the chakras?
MONITOR: The Body Self is affected by the chakras and exercises little effect upon them. It is formed largely by their combined radiance of Life force. The Body Self is focused in the etheric domain and therefore receives major effect from the chakras on that level of substance. It receives an effect from the chakras also on the level of astral substance, but the primary effect is that of the etheric.
Q7: Body Self and Yawning
MARY ANN: Since yawning seems to relieve tension and stress on the Body Self, what process is going on there?
MONITOR: Yawning represents the taking of deeper breaths, both physical and etheric. The principal benefit of yawning involves deepening of the etheric breath.
Etheric breathing occurs through the etheric gateway situated between the physical shoulder blades in the back. Thus, a deep yawn assists in the expulsion of expended etheric vitality, and on the etheric in-breath, new vitality is received into the body and Body Self. Yawning therefore takes place as an instinctive reaction of the Body Self. It is a survival mechanism and occurs beyond the conscious intention of the Outer Self.
Q8: Body Self and Comatose States
JULIE: What is accomplished by people in chronic vegetative states and comas by people’s Body Selves?
MONITOR: The High Self determines such conditions. Normally such conditions focus upon the needs of Subconscious Selves who are given challenges which may be resolved by decisions on the part of the responsive Subconscious Selves.
The Body Self, in such instances, is encouraged to maintain the body, yet without the support of a sufficient number of Subconscious Selves, the intelligence of the personality does not express through the body. In such cases the Subconscious Selves may be active in their own domains in the astral and mental planes, yet inactive in the etheric plane. The Body Self, then, is maintained or encouraged by the High Self to provide opportunity for the Subconscious Selves to make choices. When the opportunity has been expended, the High Self may restore the expression of intelligence through that body or withdraw it through physical transition.
Q9: Different Body Types
JULIE: I’ve noticed that there seem to be different body types. For instance, one body is like a long distance runner that can endure for a long time, yet another body, like mine, suddenly runs out of steam and needs to sit down and rest. Is that the Body Self, or does that have to do more with the Inner Selves’ abilities, or both?
MONITOR: Different physiological types derive from a combination of genetic patterning, Body Self development, and Subconscious Self purposes. Thus a person may change physiological reactions, if they work effectively with their Body and Subconscious Selves. Body types may be modified through diligent practice.
Concluding Remarks
In conclusion, we encourage you to show your appreciation for your Body Self by taking care of your physical and etheric bodies, caressing and hugging them, and communicating your gratitude. Your Body Self loves to be loved and cherished.
Homework Assignment
Then, in preparation for our next discussion, ask your Body Self to assist you in communicating with one or more Somatic Selves. You may have a problem in a particular part of your physical body. You may want to ask the Somatic Self of that body part to share how it feels, what is causing the problem, and what it needs for healing it.
We appreciate your questions and comments. We bless you, and we leave you now
