Invisible energy duplicate; a double of the physical body, made up of dense, vibrating matter that can be compared to atoms and molecules. Some believe that the physical and etheric bodies are inextricably connected. The etheric (or aetheric) body, often called the astral body, contains chakras (loosely, the sense organs of the etheric body) that supply a person with the psychic energy that some believe underlies and is essential to all life. While the physical body eats, runs, breathes, and performs the other functions of mundane life, the etheric body supplies the very essence of life itself. When the etheric body is weakened or harmed, the physical being of the individual is severely affected. Some believe the etheric body allows people to think, dream, and attain spiritual ecstasy.
Belief in the etheric body has been held since ancient times. The writings and art of early Egypt, India, Greece, and Rome, for example, contain many references to this mystical and invisible body. Occultists sometimes distinguish between the etheric and astral bodies, asserting that both are part of the aura that surrounds all living bodies. They say that the etheric body affects an individual’s physical health, while the astral body affects the individual’s emotional and spiritual health.