When I was practicing as a clinical neurologist I used to enjoy listening to people describe their symptoms and conditions, especially when they seemed strange. In those instances they would often tell me things I couldn’t verify using modern-day diagnostics. So, it was my choice to believe them or not. What makes it more believable? When I hear similar accounts from different people that don’t know one another, it makes it more likely that what they are telling me is true. I believe it, especially if they can describe their accounts and symptoms in detail and in a believable manner. A good example is out-of-body experiences (OOBEs) in a population of narcolepsy patients (addressed in a separate post).
Over the past 50 years, I’ve also been privileged to have developed relationships with a number of very gifted individuals who claim to perceive the human spiritual energy system. One of these very gifted individuals is my wife (I better believe her or else) and another is a close friend. My friend has had OOBEs during more than 2,000 meditation sessions with me, allowing him to observe my spiritual energy system and the spiritual progression pictured above. My wife has confirmed his observations.
How can we use their clinical observations and those of others like them to help us understand spiritual grounding? Allow me to define spiritual grounding after a brief description of the spiritual anatomy pictured above. The human spiritual energy system issues forth from what is termed in different traditions as either the Sushumna or Hara line (the infinite white line that travels vertically through the body in front of the spine). The chakras (10-chakra system pictured above) includes various cones and discs and from them the auric bodies extend (represented here as only 1 white rather than 10 distinct ovoid bodies to not obscure the rest of the drawing). The white fluffy material within the body is intended to represent the soul or etheric/astral/causal bodies, which issue from the Hara line above the heart and below the throat. The spiritual progression pictured above shows progressively greater spiritual grounding of the soul as well as higher expressions of the entire energy system.
We consider the Hara line to be individuated Source or Spirit, while the soul is a further individualized spiritual expression intended for this life. As such, in this life the soul has free will and can choose to be grounded throughout the physical body or not. Also, it is the Soul or portions thereof, that moves out of body during an OOBE or near-death experience. It is our belief that the soul is a more personal extension of what we are in this life, although for most of us, much of the soul’s information is subconscious, although accessible with greater development. We as our soul can decide to be more or less grounded within our physical body with intention, practice as well as some other methods.
What are the signs, symptoms and benefits of being more grounded? How can we be better grounded? Tune into the next post – Spiritual Grounding Part 2.