The Material Physical Plane of existence

Dense and Subtle Physical Existence

Hubble Deep Field South. A ten-day observation carried out in October 1998 by a team of astronomers at Goddard Space Flight Center and the Space Telescope Science Institute. The extremely narrow field view samples a 12 billion light year corridor of space. Virtually every image is a galaxy. Courtesy, R. Williams (STScI), the Hubble Deep Field-South Team, and NASA.
Smithsonian Institution Libraries

from Extraterrestrial Life and our World View at the Turn of the Millennium by Steven J. Dick
Dibner Library Lecture, May 2, 2000

reality: Physical

objective qualities: matter, form, body, vessel, vehicle, stability, material and physical-spiritual evolution

subjective qualities: existence as a seperate being, individuality

Atmaological reality: All

Vertical and Occult (Spirit-Matter) reality: Physical (primary Plane or Universe)

Mystical and Psychological (Inner-Outer): All

Holarchic reality (Universal-Individual): All

suggested symbol: the cross in the circle


glyph of consciousness on this plane: the Psycho-Physical Personality

Source Reality (yang): the Manifest Absolute as Physical Reality

Source Reality (yin): Inconscience

Product Realities: Physical planes and subplanes of this and other reaties

Phenomena: both the objective material universe and innumerable subtle realities around and behind it, including various heirerachies of subtle physical and spiritual/angelic archetypes of Nature and distinct subtle hierarchies

The Physical Universe includes not only the mundane physical reality (i.e. the entire physical universe, whose vastness - with its billions of galaxies, is almost beyond comprehnsion, and any other physical universes there might be) but other realities and subplanes and octaves of existence as well.  These constitute increasing stages of density or materiality of matter, with the consequent constriction of consciousness.  So the further down into matter you go, the more limited consciousness becomes.  The further up, the more subtle things become. And so not just those aspects of physical reality that are accessible to the senses and to scientific instruments

The whole of physical reality then, can be representing as unfolding through a process of descent and ascent.  There are other dimensions, parallel universes, other aspects of consciousness, and so on.

Archetypal Attributes

The Physical Plane can also be described in terms of the four or five archetypal attributes or elements.

The Chinese system of Elements is somewhat different

Physical Evolution

The Physical reality is also the sphere of evolution. The various ontological resonances express as evolutionary grades. These evolutionary stages are:

• the Hylic-Physical - Inanimate Matter, corresponding to the Mundane Physical Plane
• the Emotional-Physical, or Life, corresponding to the Emotional-Physical Plane
• the Mental-Physical, or Mind, corresponding to the Mental-Physical Plane.
• the Divinised Physical (what Sri Aurobindo calls Supramentalisation or "the Divine Life"

Each of these constitutes a distinct "singularity" or "symmetry break" or "quantum leap" relative to the preceeding, constituting a new evolutionary stage, complete with it's own "code". According to Sri Aurobindo, that singularity or leap in organisation and physical consciousness comes about because of the descent of a new and higher principle (pure Life, pure Mind, etc) into Matter.

Arthur M. Young's Theory of Process basically covers the same ground

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