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Akasha
Also
Akasa and Akash. The
Sanskrit word meaning "aether," or ether.
In
Hinduism and
Buddhism, the all-pervasive life
principle or space of the universe, a universal medium in which every single
thing is contained, touched and surrounded by. It fills all space and
interpenetrates all matter.
Hindu philosophy
interprets the akasha as the ether, or soniferous ether, the fifth and subtlest
etheric element that
permeates the universe, omnipresent, acting as the agent through which
electromagnetic forces operate and from all other principles are created. These
five "ethers," or elements, could be likened to the five senses of man. In order
to hear distinct sounds, the Hindu theosophist concentrates himself upon akasha.
In Buddhism the
akasha is space, both space bounded by the material world, and a form of
space which is infinite and indefinable, which contains the material
world. The notion was pioneered to the West in the early 20th
century by Madame Helena P. Blavatsky, cofounder of the
Theosophical Society, who linked the akasha to other interpretations
of the universal life force by occultists through the ages, such as the quintessence, that luminous fifth element
— invisible to normal sight — which was seen as tying together in union or pact the other four
elements. According to Blavatsky the akasha shapes the Anima Mundi
and
make up the soul and animal spirit of mankind.
In occultism, akasha it is also defined as the "other" of
the 'two worlds', the world through which the witch or
magician walks through, being related to outer space, inner space, life
force and the un-manifest.
An important related
term is the so-called Akashic Chronicles — sometimes Akashic Records,
or Book of Life — that, according to Theosophy, are the historical records
of all world events and personal experiences of all thoughts and actions
which have taken place, are taking place and will take place on the earth.
These are indelibly imprinted upon the akasha or
astral plane and may under ordinary
circumstances be read only by
adepts or initiates, usually in an
altered state of
consciousness.
It is also said that these Akashic
Archives can be tapped during dreams. Sometimes the information so
obtained is remembered consciously only upon awakening. More often,
nocturnal perusals of these records are said not to be remembered,
although the fruits of such "dream research" may be retrieved in moments
of intuition in daily life.
Rudolf Steiner, for example, claimed to have consulted
the Akashic Records for his descriptions of the mythical lost
civilizations of Atlantis and
Lemuria.
Edgar Cayce, the sleeping
prophet,
also claimed to have obtained knowledge from the Book of Life.
See
Theosophy,
Casting Black Magic Spells,
Commanding Spirits,
The Tarot Store and
Divination & Scrying Tools and
Supplies.
Sources: (1)
Dictionary of the
Occult, Caxton
Publishing;
(2)
Spence, Lewis,
An Encyclopedia of
Occultism, Carol Publishing Group; (3)
Randi, James,
An Encyclopedia of
Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural,
St. Martin's Griffin; (4) Lewis, James R.,
The Dream Encyclopedia,
Visible Ink Press.
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