Jesus said, “When you see your likeness, you rejoice. But when you see your images which came into being before you, and which neither die nor become manifest, how much will you have to bear!”
When you have experienced your subtle body or astral body, you truly have a cause to rejoice, for in that very experience of consciousness beyond the physical form, you know that death is not the end, but only the transition of your soul into another state of existence. You know your soul is not dependent upon the body and you know the purpose and meaning of this life is different than you previously might have imagined. Not only do you know that you do not cease to exist after death, but the inner dimensions of the reality-truth-continuum open to you, and you know that there are invisible realms and worlds within worlds. Yet the experience of the astral body is only a beginning to the development of the consciousness beyond the body, which is the practical realization of the resurrection and eternal life. Having experienced it to some degree, the initiate must then develop the ability to transfer his or her consciousness at will into the subtle body and awaken the faculties of the subtle body and soul. Through the Christ-Spirit, the Supernal Light must be brought down into this body, transforming the subtle body into the Body of Light.
This development is an appearance from within the space-time-consciousness continuum, that is to say, a perception of time-eternity. From the perception of timeless-eternity, this solar body of supernal consciousness-force already exists. It is the real idea of your true self, the Christ-self, which has no beginning or end, is never born and therefore never dies, but abides ever in perfect unity with the Lord God above. To see this supernal and Divine image of yourself is a greater attainment than the experience of the astral body, and the bliss is far more intense. Not only do you know you will never die, but you know the Divine fullness God intends for you. Yet the attainment of that Divine fullness is dependent upon your own labor in the great work, your own struggle to consciously evolve into that holy image of the Lord and to embody that Truth and Light. When the Master says, “How much you will have to bear,” on the one hand, he is speaking of the intense bliss of this self-realization, and on the other hand, he is speaking of the personal responsibility for the great work that such knowledge brings. Once we behold this Divine ideal in Messianic consciousness, we become partners with the Lord, sharing the responsibility of bringing about the fulfillment of the Divine vision.
This solar body is the holy threefold body of Melchizedek—the body of Truth, the nature of which is Ain; the body of delight, the nature of which is Ain Sof; and the body of emanation, the nature of which is Ain Sof Aur. The totality of this holy threefold body of Melchizedek is what is known as the solar body or Body of Light in our tradition, the mystical or spiritual body of enlightenment and liberation.
How can you come to understand this Body of Light? You may begin your contemplation in this way: The emanation body is a material or physical manifestation that can be seen, touched, and felt, experienced by physical senses. A tzaddik who has entered into Messianic consciousness or a high degree of the enlightenment expe-rience can manifest such a body or dissolve such a body at will; magically appearing and disappearing. This body can be experienced by anyone in the environment, although most who encounter a master in this form would not know the nature of this emanation body. The physical body of an incarnation may be considered an emanation body, but perfect Masters are capable of manifesting and dissolving the emanation body at will, in which case it is understood as a magical body somewhat different from a typical physical body of incarnation. The maggidim and tzaddikim appear in the material dimension in order to reach out and contact those who otherwise would not be able to encounter or perceive them in the subtle dimensions.
Those who can perceive the presence of the tzaddikim and maggidim in the subtle dimensions do not need to assume an appearance in the emanation body, but can manifest to the faithful and elect in the subtle dimension through the body of delight or glorified body. Most ordinary individuals cannot perceive the appearance of a tzaddik or maggid in the glorified body; only those who have the gift of more subtle perception can see them.
You might contemplate the emanation body and the body of glory in this way: Imagine you are present with Yeshua when he takes a few of his inmost disciples up the mountain to let them experience the Transfiguration. Before he is transfigured, you see a human being like yourself with a physical and material body, appearing as anyone else. You are experiencing the emanation or manifestation body of the Master. However, in the Transfiguration, when the body of the Master shines with light, as though made of sunlight, yet becomes translucent like a rainbow, then you are experiencing the glorified body or body of delight. The body of Truth is the enlightenment experience, Messianic consciousness. Only the holy ones experience this mystical body.
How do we know that the Master is speaking of the holy threefold body of Melchizedek? When the apostle writing the Letter to the Hebrews spoke of Yeshua Messiah having come from the order of Melchizedek, he says of the holy priest-king that one who is of that holy order is “without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God, remains a priest forever” (Hebrews 7:3).
Just as the holy ones presently labor in the great work, both within the world through emanation bodies and from within the inner planes through glorified bodies, so also are we to become conscious agents of God’s will, destined to attain this body of the resurrection and ascension. In Christ, this is the truth of ourselves—a Divine potential we are to actualize. What wonderful news! Praise the Lord!