Introduction
Understanding Energetic Anatomy means understanding the different energies that make up ourselves and our world. Working with our energetic anatomy can help us seek alignment and being in tune with your own connection to the divine. My personal view of energetic anatomy is that it includes different parts, all of them a part of you, however, they work together much like the organs of our body. My view is influenced by the Anderson Feri Tradition (most of my information on this comes from books by Victor and Cora Anderson, T. Thorn Coyle, and a few other Feri practitioners), and the Reclaiming Tradition via classes taught by Reclaiming Colorado Springs and books by Starhawk. I feel it is important to note here that while I do not claim to be a practitioner of Anderson Feri Tradition or the Reclaiming Tradition created by Starhawk.
https://www.thorncoyle.com/evolutionary-witchcraft-excerpt/
The words of wisdom, techniques, and philosophies from these traditions have become foundations for my own worldview, spiritual traditions and practices. Over the years I have taken these teachings and woven them together with some of my own understanding. What I am about to share is a result of this process. I have worked with different thought models and have finally found this to be the best one for me. I do encourage anyone reading this to explore and learn, to find the threads that you can weave together to create your own personal understanding. The names “Sticky One”, “Shinning Body” and “Sacred Dove” came to me from “Evolutionary Witchcraft” by T. Thorn Coyle and I believe are a part of the teaching of the Feri Tradition and are not my own. The Elemental relationships I discuss are the result of my own process and understanding and are not attributed to these sources.
Clay One
This is your physical body. It is dense matter, it is mechanical, it consists of our organs, musculature, synapses and all other biological systems. It is the vehicle used by our spirit. Some systems try to sublimate this part of a person, or discount it as not relating to spiritual exploration or teachings or worse they teach that this part of you is flawed, less than, dirty or evil. There are those that focus on the idea that we should ascend from the physical realm. For me this has always caused an issue, especially as I personally believe in imminent divinity, that is to say the Divine exists in all things. With this philosophy it doesn’t make sense to discount or ignore the physical, and it is my personal belief that this line of thinking is part of the cause of many of the issues we see throughout our society in relation to body image. I believe that in working towards viewing the physical realm as sacred we can begin to set back into balance matters of body image, self-esteem and even ecological misuse.
When we see the physical world and everything in it as a piece of the Divine, as part of our God and Goddess, to include ourselves, we begin to have a different respect and relationship with it. It becomes less disposable and instead becomes something to honor. I know this may seem off course but as with most magical thinking, it spirals out and back around. It is the idea of honoring the physical realm that lead me to include Clay One in my view and understanding of our energetic make up.
Clay One is related to Earth, it is the physical matter in which our spirit and our consciousness resides. Victor Anderson in his book” Etheric Anatomy” calls this “Dense Body”. For me, the term “dense body” conjured up thoughts and images with negative and harmful connotations. While the description of the physical as dense is scientifically accurate. Solid matter is, indeed, made up of atoms which are densely populated within a specific space and time. However, the word, “dense” doesn’t have a very healing resonance about it (as you get to know me better, you will learn I am very aware and concerned with the energetic vibration of words and the effect they have on the world around them). For me, as one of the millions of people who struggle with having a BMI that does not match societies ideal, the term “dense body” made me bristle. It brought up feelings of shame, feelings of failure, hopelessness and it did not resonate with the idea of honoring the physical realm and especially, my own body as sacred. The word dense also made me think of the colloquial use of the word which is used to refer to someone who is unintelligent, none of this engenders respect or honor and so while I do not encourage the idea of completely shying away from words, thoughts or ideas that stir up less than positive emotions and trying to ensconce ourselves in purely positive, while turning a blind eye to anything else, I do encourage sitting with these feelings and explore why they affect you this way. This can be incredibly healing. In fact, it was sitting with the discomfort this term is how I came to understand my relationship to my own physical body and thus re-frame it within this thought form.
I tend toward poetic descriptions of things and the names of the other parts of the being, “sticky one”, “shinning body” and “sacred dove” had this literary magic to them that “dense body” did not contain. “Dense body” lacked the spiritual energy and elemental connection I felt in the world around me. So, I re-framed it and by re-framing it, I found the construct that resonated with my soul truth.
Clay One- made from Earth and water; a lump of clay is full of possibility and potential. Clay can be molded and sculpted into many different forms and shapes. It can be useful; it can be beautiful. It can be both, sometimes at different times, at others it can be both simultaneously! It is a medium with which a sculptor can create an infinite number of items. Clay can be used, like words, to bring a dreamer’s idea into form and existence and what a wonderful metaphor for our physical body! What an empowering new way to look at the vehicle our spirit and consciousness uses to move and interact with the world around them.
Clay One- full of potential and possibility, ready and willing to be molded into what will serve the need of our spiritual work. While reminding us of our connection to the elements. The term “Clay One” reminds us that we can be flexible and adapt and that we can reshape ourselves! So, I use the term Clay One in my thought process and while doing my daily foundation practice of the prayer for alignment*
- the prayer for alignment is a technique that comes from Evolutionary Witchcraft by T. Thorn Coyle.
Sticky One
Sticky One is the energy body that resides just above Clay One. You can experience the energy of Sticky One by placing your hand approximately a quarter inch above your arm. You will feel a tingling sensation; this is the energy of Sticky One. Sticky One’s energy is constantly moving, it has a jumpy quality to it like a creek bubbling over pebbles and stones. Sticky One is receptive, drawing energy in and storing it like a battery being recharged. Sticky One is the seat of our animal instincts and our inner child. It connects us to our immediate needs, the needs for necessities like food, sleep, exercise and sex. It is sensual and flowing. This body is related to the deeper consciousness and thus communicates very successfully through symbols. It is because of this that the symbols and actions inherent in spiritual and religious practices and effective. Sticky One is the one that delights at all the shiny magical tools as they speak to its sensual and aesthetic nature.
According to T. Thorn Coyle in Evolutionary Witchcraft ” Sticky One is the primary entry point to magic and our engagement with the world, with nature, home and survival” Sticky One draws in and stores energy as well as assisting in directing it to the areas that need it. It flows around and through Clay One. For me, Sticky One is greatly aligned with water. It flows constantly and conducts energy and life force (also known as chi or mana) throughout our beings, it is vital and necessary for our continued existence just as clean clear water is to our biological physicality.
Sticky One is the energetic equivalent of our blood, moving through our being carrying what we need to where we need it. Similarly, when there is a virus or foreign bacteria in our blood it affects pretty much the whole system, likewise, when there is an excess of energy or chaotic energies absorbed it can affect all of our systems as it travels through Sticky One. This is where psychic hygiene is important. Sticky One acts as a warning system when we are not getting enough sleep and our energy is depleted Sticky One will let us know. All of this fluidity is what connects Sticky One to water. It is important to understand our personal flow and Sticky One can help us do this.
Shinning Body
Shinning Body will be the more recognizable energetic body. It is the egg-shaped energy field surrounding your physical, as shown above, that most people term the Aura. This energy body holds the intellect and the capacity for communication. Many people have said that Shinning Body has a radius of approximately 6 feet and as we go about our day these energy bodies rub against and intermingle with each other. It is through this interaction that Shinning Body receives and gives information. This body is what collects the energies from around us for Sticky One to draw in and direct. Shinning Body, this Auric Egg surrounding us and mingling with the Shinning Body of others helps us to form our thoughts and opinions about situations and people. It is one of the mechanisms of psychic phenomena and intuition. This body can be seen by those who are talented in psychic vision and may be perceived displaying different colors that can relay information about that individual’s physical health, emotional moods and psychic gifts.
Shinning Body is an extraordinarily complex energy body and yet it is difficult to grasp and delineate as it mixes with others. It goes out into the world and returns with energy and information much as our breath does. Because of this I relate Shinning Body to the element of Air. Like Air is important and complex and yet impossible to contain or delineate.
Sacred Dove
Sacred Dove is our own inner Divine Energy. It is also called the God Soul. It is that part of us, which is Divine, a part of the creative energy of the universe. It is that part of us that connects us to the rest of creation. It is situated above your head (similar to the halo in renaissance paintings of religious icons, like the one above). It descends slightly down to intersect and touch all the other parts of your spiritual being. Sacred Dove connects us to the All, everything else that is in existence, the other worlds, the Ancestors and the Gods and even things you are not aware of. Sacred Dove directs the distribution of energy stored by Sticky One for the highest good and in the most effective manner.
“Whereas, Shinning Body talks, Sacred Dove listens”- T. Thorn Coyle
This portion of our energetic being can bring us wisdom from beyond our own experience, it is the interface that allows us to access the wisdom and advice from our guides and it can be used to assist others, as it can communicate with the Sacred Dove of others.
Sacred Dove is the divine spark in all of us and is integral in creating change in the world around us. This is what, in my opinion, associates it with Fire. Like fire, an intent placed in front of Sacred Dove can “jump” from person to person and spread much like forest fires spread. It can light up our dark spaces and warm the rest of our being and through energetic means can create transformation in our self or the world around us. Sacred Dove is the Divine with each of us which recognizes the Divine in others.
Alignment
Now that I have described the parts of the Complete Spiritual Being. Let’s talk about these parts being in and out of alignment. Our community talks a lot about being in alignment, trying to align or seek to attune, but what exactly does that mean?
For me this means having the different energy bodies of my being aligned, in sync and working together.
“The Triple Soul in Feri is accessed on the human plane and shows that the physical is woven inextricably with the spiritual”- T. Thorn Coyle
This is important to me because I believe the Divine exists in everything and that life should be lived holistically and fully engages in each and every moment. Like many other areas of our lives these different parts of the Soul can evolve, grow, change, increase and decrease in strength and come into alignment.
“The Witch’s way is not to leave her body behind and strive for a purely spiritual existence. Sacred Dove, our own God Soul, is embodied. Our very spirituality is embodied. All three souls are one, rooted in our body in this lifetime”- T. Thorn Coyle
In other words, Clay One is the foundation and vehicle for Sticky One, Shinning Body and Sacred Dove. When we are out of alignment (in other words not aware and in touch with our different parts, the parts are not in sync or working together) we are at the mercy of chaos of our world, being effected by strong emotions, stray thoughts and reacting to random events. We may feel disconnected, adrift. Our lives being more difficult than is necessary (there are more extreme consequences of misalignment, however, I feel most of us do not fall into this category and so we will not discuss this currently). When experiencing a lack of alignment, we find ourselves returning to old patterns, regardless of the pain or discomfort, it may cause us. We may stubbornly stick it out or find ourselves repeatedly in unhealthy relationships, be it in the realms of work, love or friendship.
“Lack of alignment is a splintering or pieces of ourselves from one another”- T. Thorn Coyle
Another way to explain this is compartmentalization or division, which is common in our modern society (How many times have we heard “Leave work at work” or “Leave Personal problems at the door”?) We live in a world that separates and divides; us and them, male and female, and the ideal of duality when all things are connected and intertwined. We as human and spiritual beings crave completeness; to be whole without this living within duality can create conflict and serious rifts.
Seeking alignment is part of being human; of being spirit, of simply being.
“Soul alignment is a central spiritual practice; it reknits our spirits and can in the long term help us to refashion the ways in which we live with one another.”- T. Thorn Coyle
When we are aligned, life force, magic and relationship to ourselves, the world and the Divine are readily available. Every breath we take brings us the elements and energy we need to be effective in our lives, fully engaged, connected to the world around us. We can tap into creativity, intuition, Divine wisdom. We find our center and we can spiral in and out, learning and growing. We are in touch with our potential and all possibility. In short, we are connected to the world around us. For me, that means working from a place that sees and believes in the interconnection or everything. This is why I understand the world through correspondences and why I relate the different parts of the soul to each of the elements. This reminds me of the axiom “As Within; So Without” and it creates a framework and a map to help me create alignment for myself. In working with the elements and balancing their energies within myself. I am working with the different pars of myself. This is the goal of spiritual witchcraft. This is the way this witch finds her way.
Resources
Evolutionary Witchcraft – T. Thorn Coyle
Spiral Dance- Starhawk
Etheric Anatomy- Cora and Victor Anderson
The Frith Wytch 