My comments on the Higher Etheric or Spiritual Formative Etheric Body

The Higher Etheric is the first of the higher consciousness bodies.  Barbara Brennan refers to this as the "Etheric Template Body", because it is the template form for the Physical Etheric body, just as the gross etheric body is the template for the physical body. Although this is only a two link chain, it still allows for the possibility of higher templates again - the doctrine of emanation and of resonances, of a ladder or octave of grades of being, with the lower depending on the one above it, and that in turn on the one above it.

The higher Etheric Body is referred to here as the carrier of the Will, and any form of individual will originates from here.  It could be assumed then that people who have difficulty getting things done have a weakness at this level. However, even the lower or standard etheric body can also be equated with the will, and with what Gurdjieff called the "moving center". Steiner also postulated a triad (presumably following Aristotle and other classical psychologists) of thinking-feeling-willing, altghough he equated the will with the physical body.

It could be speculated that meditation is only possible through the higher Etheric Body.  Through the act of Will, the cords in the middle emotional or psychic emotional body - which cause the Physical Mental Body to jump restlessly from one thing to another - are withdrawn, and the attention is then focused on a single point.  Often it is very difficult to attain this state, because the Physical Mental and the middle Emotional Bodies are so used to having their own way.  Through repeated practice however, the Spiritual Etheric is strengthened, and the lower bodies disciplined.  Once emotions, thoughts, and attention are brought under control, gross conceptual thought ceases, and the consciousness resides naturally in the Spiritual Etheric.  This is the state referred to in Hindu and Buddhist teachings as Samadhi, Dhyana, or Jhana.

Just as the Physical Etheric Body contains various channels and meridians, in the Spiritual Etheric are found the drops or bijas.  When activated, as in Tibetan Buddhism, these produce blissful meditative states.  Through the Spiritual Etheric Body one can also contact Inner Divine Centres like the Physical Purusha or True Physical (as it is termed by Sri Aurobindo) and the Hara.

With the higher etheric body we enter the realm of the transpersonal and universal.  Here we have for the first time the workings of astrology.  Materialistic science criticises astrology on gross physical grounds, and some astrologers deserve this because they attempt to argue their science on the basis of gravitational attraction etc.  But if such gross physical factors were behind astrology, the only "planets" worth considering would be the sun and the moon.  But in fact astrology pertains to the etheric-spiritual spheres.  This is described in detail in the teachings of Rudolph Steiner.

The following table presents some tentative associations and correspondences with the higher etheric body; some of which are quite obvious, others more dubious (but I decided what the heck I might as well include them ;-)

Some correspondences regarding the Higher Etheric Body

Philosophy/Worldview	Paradigmatic Approach	Term	Comments
Rudolph Steiner		Spirit Self and Life Spirit	These constutute principles that although present in the human entity are still very much undeveloped. A parallel could be made with the higher soul stages in orthodox Kabbalistic psychology. According to Steiner the Spirit Self is the higher equivalent of the physical body, and the Life Spirit the higher equivalent of the Etheric body. Both exist in a sort of inverted reality - for Steiner the spiritual plane is the inverse of the material (i.e. what are solid objects here is empty space there, and vice versa). I see a lot of connections between the way Steiner described the spirit reality and Barbara Brennan's description. Whether this is a case of independent conformation or simple derivation (or a combination of the two) I cannot say. According to Steiner the Manas or Spirit Self will eventually become the transformed astral body, and the Buddhi or Life Spirit the transformed etheric.
Semnani (Latifa)		"Moses of your being"	The Secret (sirr) or Threshold of Superconsciousness and secret communication (Tantric shabda?) - White in colour (cf the corresponding Tibetan Buddhist vayu).
Vajrayana - Vayus		Wind of White Appearance	This is the first of the totally "empty" (shunya) or "subtle" vayus.
Adyar Theosophy		Emotional / Astral Body	Especially the higher sublevels of the emotional body (these are consiered as corersponding to the higher subplanes of the emotional/astral plane).
Hermetic Kabbalah Sefirot and Astrological Planet		Gevurah / Mars	In Hermetic Kabbalah Gevurah is the first of the higher or transpersonal sefirot, and has the positive association of Strength (due to it's association with Mars). This is a much more positive entity than the Gevurah of traditional Judaic Kabbalah, which is associated more with stern Judgment and the restrictive (although necessary) aspect of creation.  The Hermetic association with Mars implies will, physical energy, etc.
Da Free John		Fifth Stage of Life (Yogic)	The fifth stage of like represents exceptional yogic experiences, kundalini awakening, experiences of other planes, etc (this presumably was the basis for Ken Wilber's Subtle stages).
Ken Wilber		Low Subtle	The Low Subtle represents the beginning of the true transpersonal consciousness. However, any equvalence between the Brennan Etheric Template Body and the Wilber Low Subtle stage should not be taken too dogmatically!