The Ten Bodies

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THE TEN BODIES

While most people understand that humans have at least three bodies (physical, mental, and spiritual), the ancients understood that we actually have ten: one physical body, three mental bodies, and six energetic bodies. The scriptures corroborate this understanding:

And if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you. Therefore, sanctify yourselves that your minds become single to God, and the days will come that you shall see him; for he will unveil his face unto you, and it shall be in his own time, and in his own way, and according to his own will. (Doctrine and Covenants 88:67–68; italics added)

Below is a brief introduction to the Ten Bodies, plus the all-encompassing eleventh body, and their play in the soul’s journey. Each body has specific gifts that manifest when the body is strong; certain liabilities and deficiencies appear when the body is weak. A person’s total caliber is determined by the balance of the Ten Bodies. It is important to develop the capacity to know which body is out of balance and then use the appropriate technology to strengthen it. It is said that the root of all disease exists in one of the spiritual or energy bodies before it manifests openly. Therefore, balancing the Ten Bodies is a key to becoming healthier as well.[1]

1. Soul Body: Your soul is the divine aspect of yourself—your higher self, as some would say. When this body is strong, you live by your heart. Inspiration flows freely from the heart, and you come from a place of humility and creativity. You are connected and comfortable in the flow of God’s love and use it to create beauty in your life. If this body is weak, a person may come from the head and not the heart. They may have trouble accessing their intuition. They may wonder about their life purpose or feel stuck.
   
   Key to balancing: Raise the Kundalini. Open the heart.[2]

2. Negative Mind: The protective Negative Mind sees the negative in every situation. It is an important player in life on a polarity planet. The Negative Mind helps you determine whether there is danger or a need for discernment. The Negative Mind points out every potential obstacle and instills a longing to belong. In this longing’s highest expression, it can lead you to connect very deeply with your divinity. If it is underdeveloped, this longing can lead one to be overinfluenced by others and into self-destructive relationships.
   
   Key to balancing: Value your discipline. Develop conscious relationships of integrity. If overdeveloped, strengthen the Positive Mind.[3]

3. Positive Mind: The expansive Positive Mind sees the positive in every situation. The Positive Mind is open to all possibilities, allows resources in, and allows you to use your power easily and humbly. It is your enthusiasm, optimism, and sense of humor. If this mind is weak, it will become overpowered by the Negative Mind, leading to depression, intolerance, anger, and fear of using power.
   
   Key to balancing: Strengthen the Navel Point. Increase your self-esteem. Use positive affirmations. If the Positive Mind is overdeveloped, a person may not see danger and may get blindsided often. If this is the case, strengthen the Negative Mind.[4]

4. Neutral Mind: The Neutral Mind is the Meditative Mind. It is the heart of Christ consciousness. This mind evaluates all the input from your Negative Mind, Positive Mind, and all the other bodies, giving you guidance within nine seconds. This mind has a very intuitive vantage point and allows access to your soul and higher wisdom. If this body is weak, a person may have a hard time making decisions, may feel victimized by life, or may have a difficult time seeing beyond the polarities of life on Earth.
   
   Key to balancing: Meditate. Tune into the larger, eternal perspective.

5. Physical Body: This body is the temple where all the other bodies play their parts. It is the Kingdom of God on earth. It gives you the ability to sacrifice—to make sacred. It gives you the ability to balance all parts of your life and to progress. If this body is strong, it represents the teacher, who can explain abstractions to anyone in simple terms. If this body is weak, a person is likely to be angry, jealous, greedy, competitive, or ungrateful. Weakness may also cause one to fear being a teacher or to have trouble expressing themselves.
   
   Key to balancing: Exercise regularly. Teach.[5]

6. Arcline: Your Arcline is a halo that circles the head from ear to ear across the hairline and brow. It is the foundation of your aura and your radiance. Women have a second arcline from nipple to nipple, across the heart. The Arcline is your power to project through prayer. This body is like the headlights that guide your soul’s journey. The Arcline gives you the ability to focus, to meditate, and to achieve your goals with integrity. The Arcline is associated with the pituitary gland and regulates the nervous system and glandular balance, thus protecting the Heart Center. The Arcline is not subject to this world but is governed by a higher realm. The Arcline is the balance point between two worlds. When it is strong, you have a powerful ability to manifest. It is also a protective power that helps you deal with the stresses of life without shutting down your heart. If this body is weak, a person may lack the ability to focus or manifest. They may not be able to use their intuition to protect themselves. They may be overprotective and easily influenced, and they may have glandular imbalances, which can lead to mood irregularity.
   
   Key to balancing: Awaken the pituitary gland or the Third Eye Point.[6]

7. Auric Body: The Auric Body is the electromagnetic field around your body that can extend for up to nine feet. It is your protection, your shield, and the container into which you can develop your life force and self-esteem and realize your existence beyond your physical boundaries. The Aura can attract or repel negativity and illness. It is also the field where the past and the future are played out. This body holds past memories, which can create ties that hold a person back. When this body is weak, they may be paranoid, negative, and ill, and lack self trust. A healthy, strong Aura can prevent sickness.
   
   Key to balancing: Meditate. Wear white clothing made of natural fibers.[7]
   
8. Pranic Body: Though prana, the life force, is infinite, your ability to access it is finite. Through your breath, your pranic body brings life force and energy into your system. Prana resurrects your consciousness. As you master prana, you begin to master life. With enough prana, you will feel fearless, alive, and one with creation. If this body is weak, a person is likely to be fearful and defensive. All disease starts with the Pranic Body. A person with a weak eighth body may have chronic fatigue symptoms and low-level anxiety, and may try to get energy from food or stimulants.
   
   Key to balancing: All pranayam.[8]

9. Subtle Body: The Subtle Body helps you see beyond the immediate reality to the higher realms and the other worlds around us. When this body is strong, nothing seems like a mystery; the mysteries of God are more and more easily grasped. You feel calm and peaceful and are able to easily assess situations with clarity and insight that might seem unfathomable to others. A person with a weak Subtle Body is likely to be gullible or naive, have unintentionally crude behavior, and have a restless inability to go with the flow.
   
   Key to balancing: Complete any meditation or kriya for one thousand days.[9]

10. Radiant Body: The Radiant Body gives you radiance. It is your inner royalty and nobility. It reunites you with the light, and where there is light, there can be no darkness. The Radiant Body makes you courageous in the face of any obstacle. Your magnetic presence commands the respect of all who know you. A strong Radiant Body neutralizes all negativity within a nine-foot space of your physical body and can promote harmony across a twenty-five-mile radius. If this body is weak, a person may be afraid of attention and recognition or afraid of conflict. They may feel ineffective in your ability to come through in situations.
    
    Key to balancing: Commitment.[10]

11. The Sound Current/Parallel Unisonness: The eleventh body represents the Sound Current (the Word), “the wellspring of Infinity from which all mantras originate.”[11] Yogi Bhajan said, “When the God in you and the human in you are in parallel unisonness, you are an 11. You have no duality. You have divine vision, and the truth flows from you. You don’t have to find anything outside of you. The jewels are all in you—you are rich inside, you have satisfaction and contentment.”[12] You are your own spiritual master. You can see all the choices in every option and always choose God. You see God in all and can direct all other Ten Bodies at will. If this body is weak, a person is likely to be selfish, misuse spiritual power, become negative, become a fanatic, and lack compassion.
    
    Key to balancing: Mantra, mantra, mantra.

A regular practice of Kundalini Yoga, with its balanced kriyas, is a great way to balance all Ten Bodies at once.

[1] Yogi Bhajan, The Aquarian Teacher: KRI International Teacher Training Manual, Level 1 (Santa Cruz, NM: Kundalini Research Institute, 2007), 200.

[2] Ibid., 201.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Ibid., 202.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Ibid.

[8] Ibid.

[9] Ibid., 203.

[10] Ibid.

[11] Ibid.

[12] Ibid.