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Causal plane is a term used in
Neo-Theosophy Neo-Theosophy is a term, originally derogatory, used by the followers of Helena Blavatsky to denominate the system of Theosophical ideas expounded by Annie Besant and Charles Webster Leadbeater following the death of Madame Blavatsky in 1891. Thi ...
, some contemporary
Vedanta ''Vedanta'' (; sa, वेदान्त, ), also ''Uttara Mīmāṃsā'', is one of the six (''āstika'') schools of Hindu philosophy. Literally meaning "end of the Vedas", Vedanta reflects ideas that emerged from, or were aligned with, t ...
, the
New Age New Age is a range of spiritual or religious practices and beliefs which rapidly grew in Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise definition difficult. Although many scholars conside ...
, (especially some channelled communications), and sometimes
Occultism The occult, in the broadest sense, is a category of esoteric supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving otherworldly agency, such as magic and mysticism an ...
, to describe a high spiritual plane of existence. However, there is great variation between the different definitions.


Neo-theosophy

The Neo-theosophy of
Annie Besant Annie Besant ( Wood; 1 October 1847 – 20 September 1933) was a British socialist, theosophist, freemason, women's rights activist, educationist, writer, orator, political party member and philanthropist. Regarded as a champion of human f ...
and C. W. Leadbeater replaced
Blavatsky Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, uk, Олена Петрівна Блаватська, Olena Petrivna Blavatska (; – 8 May 1891), often known as Madame Blavatsky, was a Russian Mysticism, mystic and author who co-founded the Theosophical Socie ...
's "Higher Manas" principle with the "Higher Mental", "Abstract Mind" (as opposed to Lower Mental or "Concrete Mind"), or Causal Body. The equivalent cosmic plane is the Causal Plane. A detailed description of the Causal Plane, along with the Causal Body, is provided by A. E. Powell, who has compiled information in the works of Besant and Leadbeater in a series of books on each of the subtle bodies. The Neo-theosophical concept of Causal Plane proved very influential both in India (via the Adyar branch of Theosophy) and in the
New Age New Age is a range of spiritual or religious practices and beliefs which rapidly grew in Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise definition difficult. Although many scholars conside ...
, via
Alice Bailey Alice Ann Bailey (June 16, 1880 – December 15, 1949) was a writer of more than twenty-four books on theosophical subjects, and was one of the first writers to use the term New Age. Bailey was born as Alice La Trobe-Bateman, in Manchest ...
.


Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami

Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami incorporates Theosophical ideas into the traditional Hindu Vedic
cosmology Cosmology () is a branch of physics and metaphysics dealing with the nature of the universe. The term ''cosmology'' was first used in English in 1656 in Thomas Blount (lexicographer), Thomas Blount's ''Glossographia'', and in 1731 taken up in ...
, when he describes three worlds of existence ( triloka) as ''Bhuloka'' or
physical plane In esoteric cosmology, a plane is conceived as a subtle state, level, or region of reality, each plane corresponding to some type, kind, or category of being. The concept may be found in religious and esoteric teachings—''e.g.'' Vedanta (Ad ...
, ''Antarloka'' or the subtle or
astral plane The astral plane, also called the astral realm or the astral world, is a plane of existence postulated by classical, medieval, oriental, and esoteric philosophies and mystery religions.G.R.S.Mead, ''The Doctrine of the Subtle Body in Western Tra ...
, and ''Sivaloka'' ("World of Siva") or the causal plane or Karanaloka, the world of the
Gods A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greater ...
and highly developed
soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...
s. About this latter he says
The causal plane is the world of light and blessedness, the highest of heavenly regions, extolled in the scriptures of all faiths. It is the foundation of existence, the source of visions, the point of conception, the apex of creation. The causal plane is the abode of Lord Siva and His entourage of Mahadevas and other highly evolved souls who exist in their own self-effulgent form—radiant bodies of
centillion Two naming scales for large numbers have been used in English and other European languages since the early modern era: the long and short scales. Most English variants use the short scale today, but the long scale remains dominant in many non-Eng ...
s of quantum light particles.
He further says that this region, present as the clear white light that illumines the mind, can be accessed through the three higher
chakras Chakras (, ; sa , text=चक्र , translit=cakra , translit-std=IAST , lit=wheel, circle; pi, cakka) are various focal points used in a variety of ancient meditation practices, collectively denominated as Tantra, or the esoteric or ...
, the
vishuddha Vishuddha ( sa, विशुद्ध, IAST: , en, "especially pure"), or Vishuddhi ( sa, विशुद्धी), or throat chakra is the fifth primary chakra according to the Hindu tradition of tantra. The residing deity of this chakra is ...
,
ajna Ajna ( sa, आज्ञा, IAST: , ), brow or third eye chakra, is the sixth primary chakra in the body according to Hindu tradition and signifies the unconscious mind, the direct link to Brahman (ultimate reality). The third eye is said to ...
and
sahasrara Sahasrara ( sa, सहस्रार, IAST: , en, "thousand-petalled", with many alternative names and spellings) or the crown chakra is considered the seventh primary chakra in some yoga traditions. Hatha yoga The Sahasrara is described ...


Astral travel

Although Neo-theosophy presents the sequence Physical-Astral-Mental-Causal, in the jargon of some astral travelling teachings, the causal plane is the one just above the astral plane. According to the Astral Voyage website (se
glossary
this is the region where memories and karmic patterns are stored, and where a practitioner can access information regarding the past and future.


Michael cosmology

The complex metaphysics of the Channelled entity Michael includes a description of the universe in terms of seven planes. These are the Physical plane, the Astral plane, the Causal plane, the Akashic plane, the Mental plane, the Messianic plane, and the Buddhaic plane. Here the Causal plane is the third plane of creation, and its medium is concrete intellectual energy. In
The Michael Teachings The Michael Teachings is a body of channeled New Age spiritual doctrine that originated in the early 1970s as a 'conversation' via a Ouija board between members of a spiritual study group in the San Francisco Bay Area and a channeled spiritual e ...
, this is Michael's plane of existence.Shepherd Hoodwin, ''The 7 Planes of Existence,''


See also

*
Subtle body A subtle body is a "quasi material" aspect of the human body, being neither solely physical nor solely spiritual, according to various esoteric, occult, and mystical teachings. This contrasts with the mind–body dualism that has dominated We ...
*
Causal body The Causal body - originally ''Karana-Sarira'' - is a Yoga, Yogic and Vedanta, Vedantic concept that was adopted and modified by Theosophy (Blavatskian), Theosophy and from the latter made its way into the general New Age movement and contemporary ...


References

*
Shepherd Hoodwin A shepherd or sheepherder is a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards flocks of sheep. ''Shepherd'' derives from Old English ''sceaphierde (''sceap'' 'sheep' + ''hierde'' ' herder'). ''Shepherding is one of the world's oldest occupations, ...

The 7 Planes of Existence
excerpted from ''The Journey of Your Soul'' * Arthur E. Powell ''The Causal Body and the Ego'' onlin
part 1
* Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, ''Dancing With Siva : Hinduism's Contemporary Catechism'', 1996, xxxv, 1008 p., ill., Sixth Edition, First Printing, 2003 Himalayan Academ
online
*
Paramahansa Yogananda Paramahansa Yogananda (born Mukunda Lal Ghosh; January 5, 1893March 7, 1952) was an Indian Hindu monk, yogi and guru who introduced millions to the teachings of meditation and Kriya Yoga through his organization Self-Realization Fellows ...

''Autobiography of a Yogi''
Los Angeles, CA: Self-Realization Fellowship, 1946, Chapter 43. {{DEFAULTSORT:Causal Plane Hindu philosophical concepts Theosophical philosophical concepts Esoteric cosmology Afterlife places