The astral body is believed to be a subtle, non-physical layer of your being—kind of like a spiritual double—that:
Coexists with your physical body
Is capable of leaving the body during dreams, deep meditation, or astral projection
Travels in the astral plane, a spiritual realm full of symbols, beings, and higher knowledge
Think of it as the "vehicle of consciousness" that lets you experience realms beyond the physical.
Egyptians believed in a soul component called the Ba, which could leave the body after death or even during sleep.
Hindus described subtle bodies in their system of shariras:
Stula Sharira (gross body)
Sukshma Sharira (subtle or astral body)
Karana Sharira (causal body)
Popularized by Helena Blavatsky, Annie Besant, and C.W. Leadbeater.
Theosophy described seven layers of the human being, with the astral body being the one responsible for emotions, desires, and out-of-body experiences.
Described the astral plane as a realm full of color, emotion, and beings—some benevolent, others not.
The astral body is central to practices like:
Astral projection
Lucid dreaming
Energy healing
Out-of-body experiences (OBEs)
The astral plane is a level of existence said to exist between the material world and higher spiritual realms. It's:
Full of thought-forms, spiritual beings, and symbolic landscapes
Often entered through dreams, deep meditation, or trance states
Shaped partly by your own consciousness, but also inhabited by collective energies
Some mystics divide the astral plane into:
Lower astral: chaotic, emotional, shadowy
Higher astral: luminous, spiritual, visionary
State | Role of Astral Body |
---|---|
Dreaming | Said to move independently while the body sleeps |
Astral Projection | Fully conscious out-of-body experience |
Death | Some traditions say the astral body leaves permanently after death, eventually dissolving or ascending |
Meditation | Helps in accessing symbolic visions or spiritual insight |
Transparent, luminous, or glowing
Often shaped like the human body, but sometimes more fluid
Connected to the physical body by the "silver cord" (in many descriptions)
Can pass through matter, travel quickly, or be influenced by intention and emotion