"In a very real sense, the condition of the spine is a principal determinative for the general health of the body. The spine is the passage along which all of the major energies of the body flow, not only those associated with the physical vehicle but those which move in The Astral and Aetheric Bodies as well. The chakras or wheels of aetheric energy in The Aetheric Body are all connected to a center line (The Sushumna) along the back of that Body, corresponding to the spine in location. Thus it happens that any major disruptions in the smooth flow of energy along the spinal cord or any physical abnormality or blockage can greatly affect the body in any number of critical ways."
"The spine relates to a large number of basic soul qualities. Just as The Soul has 3 facets, so the vertebrae of the spine are divided into 1) a lower group relating to the physical side of The Soul, 2) a middle group denoting the emotional traits of The Soul, and 3) an upper group denoting the mental side of The Soul. At The Soul Level or The Higher Self these meanings are not exactly the same as the corresponding facets of the lower self or personality, but their nature does strongly influence the characteristics which manifest through the lower self."
"The physical vertebrae include the coccyx (a group of 3 to 5 vestigial vertebrae fused together at the base of the spine), the sacrum (the 5 vertebrae above the coccyx, also fused together), and the next 7 vertebrae in order counting upwardly. The latter involve the 5 lumbar vertebrae and the bottom 2 thoracic vertebrae."
"The fused vertebrae in the coccyx and the sacrum have a direct relationship with the traits of the physical body which are fixed and cannot be significantly changed during an incarnation. Hence the fused nature of these vertebrae. The lowest ones of the fused vertebrae correspond to the skeleton of the body. The bones are the densest, hardest substances in the body and thus are the most akin to The Earth Level of manifestation. Their counterpart facets at The Higher Self Level are those which influence strongly the nature of the skeleton as a whole in terms of its relative strength and its resistance to disease and malfunction. Here then is a microcosm of the skeleton of the body."
"The upper fused bones (the sacrum) relate to the circulatory system as a whole, for this too is a system whose basic nature tends to remain fixed and unchanging throughout life. This is not to say that the resistance of the veins or arteries to ailments cannot be improved. What We are referring to is the relative ease or difficulty with which this system can be affected by dietary change and mental procedures."
"The next 3 vertebrae (the lower 3 lumbar -- L-3, L-4, L-5) pertain to the respiratory system, including the lungs and breathing passages. Above these, the next 3 (T-12, L-1, L-2) relate to the musculature of the body. While the last (the second to last thoracic, T-11) relates to the digestive system."
"It will be appreciated that damage, whether permanent or passing, to any of these vertebrae, or any chronic deficiency, dysfunction, or pain originating there, will designate a portion or system of the body which is below par, diseased, or chronically deficient in some way."
"Moving now to the emotional vertebrae, these include the rest of the thoracic vertebrae (T-1 to T-10) and the lowermost cervical vertebra (C-7). These 11 vertebrae bear a direct relation with the emotional responses and traits of the manifested personality, because they pertain to those characteristics of The Higher Self which are responsible for the traits at the lower level."
"Beginning with the lower 4 of this group (T-7 to T-10), these correspond to the ability to love, pure and simple. Any person who has a problem in these vertebrae must ask himself whether he has the ability to allow the pure love emotion -- untainted by any thought of sexual passion, self-pleasure, or physical indulgence -- to flow through his Heart Chakra."
"In the world today, too many think they love when, in reality, their experience is primarily based in the desire nature and the proclivities of the physical body. Hence, many call 'love' what is really only physical infatuation. Love does not desire. It merely loves. Love seeks not to be always with the loved one, only that the loved one should be happy. Love requires no returned emotion of loyalty or affection. It merely sends out its loving rays, knowing that all love returns finally to The Source of everything Which is God. How many can say that their love nature is capable of such selfless affection? Very few. And yet that is the goal for Man in terms of developing and manifesting The Love of God or Christ-Love."
"Any who find it impossible to generate such a feeling of unconditional love within themselves may find that the corresponding bones of the spine are, in some manner, deficient, subject to disease, out of alignment, or simply the source of backache."
"The next 3 of the emotional vertebrae (T-4 to T-6) pertain not to love per se but rather to the ability to feel joy and elation while in physical incarnation. The usual manifestation of this trait is in the sense of humor and the ability to laugh, these being very high characteristics which belong more properly on The Angelic Planes."
"Indeed, the gift of laughter was made to Man as a deliberate act some hundreds of thousands of years ago, for prior to that gifit Man was unable to laugh and could never see the point of a joke. He was much more akin to the animals in terms of his emotions and like them was unable to laugh."
"Hence, troubles relating to the vertebrae in question point to one whose sense of humor may be either lacking or rudimentary. We should point out here that there are many degrees to such troubles. Sometimes a minor problem in these vertebrae is used by one's Guides merely to remind the person subconsciously that he should allow more fun, lightness, and laughter into his life. Those who tend to be overly serious, even though they may have a good sense of humor, often find that these particular vertebrae give them trouble. In such cases, the individual must assess for himself whether the indicator is merely a reminder to laugh more or whether some more serious imbalance is being pointed out. The same caution applies to the interpretation of all of the vertebrae correspondences."
"The next 3 vertebrae in order, counting upwardly, are those identified as T-1 to T-3 (the upper 3 thoracic vertebrae). These bones pertain to another of the highest emotional traits in Man, namely his ability to rise above the limitations of physical existence on the wings of hope. This emotion is akin to faith in many ways, and thus We may say that the ability to keep faith and hope alive in the midst of adversity is represented by the vertebrae in question. Those who have adopted a despairing attitude toward life, or who have given up hope regarding their lot, are those most likely to experience pain or difficulty in association with these 3 vertebrae."
"The final one of the emotional vertebrae is C-7, namely the lowest cervical vertebra. This bone relates to another evolved emotion, namely that of praise. This is a difficult concept to describe in any other terms. The english word praise is one of unclear meaning for most people who have never allowed themselves to be flooded by the currents of praise which, for example, The Angels constantly feel toward The Highest Creator."
"'Praise The Lord' is an expression that many are familiar with. A beautiful jewel lies within this thought, i.e. that one should praise The Lord. The value of the notion stems from the fact that in allowing this emotion to flood one's higher bodies, a closeness to The Creator is established that cannot be erected in any other way."
"The approach to God can take place along different vibrations. At the mental level, one can grasp the true nature of The Godhead only to a limited degree, depending upon one's own developement and advancement. By contrast, on the emotional vibration a complete integration and interchange can take place between God and any of his creatures. The emotional side of reality, however, has many sub-realms. The pure love emotion directed at The Godhead will always and immediately call forth a returned flood of love to the one sending it out. Any who care to try sending pure love aloft to The Creator will be flooded in return with his own Love, and usually some physical signal of this return will be felt -- a tingling in the spine, or a sensation in the chakras of the heart or head, or a somewhat euphoric feeling."
"By comparison, the directing of praise toward The Godhead accomplishes something different. It brings the sender into contact with That Part of The Creator Which is responsible for the bounty and beauty which surround Man. By practicing praise, the human soul calls to itself an abundance of all that is good as The Creator seeks to answer the call that has gone out."
"It must be here be understood that God always seeks to respond to his creatures in kind. For love, He returns Love. For mental communication, He replies in a way that the mind can grasp. For praise, however, the only appropriate response is to shower upon the one praising Him an abundance of that which the soul requires in life. Any who care to make this test will quickly see that it brings results. Of course, the matter cannot be undertaken with the ulterior motive of acquiring riches or abundance. The feeling of praise for The Godhead must be absolutely genuine, for otherwise it will not reach to That High Level."
"Now, many persons are not able to say just what the attitude of praising God is like, because they have never before given it much thought. The idea is merely to allow the heart to fill to overflowing with gratitude and homage to The Ultimate Creator Who is responsible for all that one sees, for The Universe Itself, and indeed for the creation of one's own Soul. It is a mixture of thankfulness, a prayerful attitude, a sense of the sheer glory of The Most High, and a real component of the usual notion of praise, i.e. the holding in mind of the wondrous attributes of The Father: His Power, His Greatness, His Love, His Mercy, His Everlasting Being, etc. If the seeker but tries to encompass these ideas with his mind and heart, he will find that it is truly possible to 'Praise The Lord'."
"We turn now to the mental facets as represented by the upper vertebrae of the spine, those referred to conventionally as the top 6 cervical vertebrae (C-1 to C-6). The lowest of these is C-6, which refers to the mental ability to rationalize, reason, and solve problems in logic. Its position at the bottom of the row of mental vertebrae comes not by chance. Seen in a spiritual perspective, the logical nature of man's mind is the least significant of its capacities. After all, any computer can be taught to think in purely logical terms, and no inner spiritual essence is required for that form of mental activity."
"The next vertebra in order is C-5, which denotes the capacity for seizing the whole of a concept at one grasp, this being the gift which is related astrologically to strong aspects between Mercury and Uranus. In its essential nature, this is almost an intuitive capability, for it actually by-passes the more plodding logical faculty by leaping ahead to the full comprehension of that which is contemplated."
"Following this is C-4, which has a direct connection with the talent usually ascribed to instinctive or subconscious capacities, namely that of 'knowing' the inner essence or truth of a thing. In actual fact, this 'knowing' stems from a contact with The Soul Mind or Higher Mind Which sees from a far loftier perspective than The Physical Plane of matter. This contact brings the vertebral association up to the level of The Soul or Higher Self, and the remaining mental vertebrae also have their meanings at this higher level."
"C-3, the next cervical vertebra, relates directly to the capacity for perceiving spiritual truth as this exists in The Higher Self and as it is echoed down to the lower personality. The perception and acceptance of spiritual truth when this is encountered is one of the most important abilities on The Earth Plane, for it literally allows the soul to steer its way safely among the shoals of temptation and avoid the traps which reality holds out for the unwary. All too many people fall readily into these snares, for they lack the discernment and discrimination which alone can safeguard the soul on its pilgrimage through incarnation."
"The vertebra next above C-3 is known conventionally as the axis and is numbered C-2. It is the bone on which the head turns from side to side in a pivoting motion. Due to this function, it will be understandable to those who grasp symbolism that the axis represents the ability to develope a breadth of understanding and comprehension. Upon this bone, the head can turn from one side to another, and, in an analogous way, the bone represents the capacity to rise above narrowness of conception, restrictions of thought, and the blind prejudices which so characterize present-day Mankind."
"Finally comes C-1, which is known as the atlas. This bone supports the entire weight of the skull and, in particular, allows the head to nod up and down due to its interface with the occipital condyles. Symbolically, the atlas refers to the spark of divine intellect which lies at the very center of the mind of Man and from which the other capacities and abilities of a mental nature have developed. Hence, the topmost bone of the spinal column denotes that part of man's mental faculty which is from God, the fragment of The Creator's Own Mind which He has given as a gift to each human being. How appropriate that the bone which allows Man to nod his head forward in a prayerful attitude is that which denotes the divine spark of mind within Him."
"Our survey of the spinal vertebrae is now complete. It will, moreover, be obvious that any serious debility affecting a given vertebra will be a pointer directly to the facet or capacity which corresponds, suggesting that the individual give some thought to the area being designated. By so doing, he may be able to perceive areas which require effort and improvement, and through this understanding of symbolic meaning some benefit to the soul may accrue."
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