Arthur E. Powell - Effect of Astral on Mental and Causal Bodies, “Causal Body and the Ego”, 2003. The Causal Body owes its name to the fact that in it reside the causes which manifest themselves as effects in the lower planes. For it is the experience of past lives, stored in the Causal Body, which are the cause of the general attitude taken up towards life, and the actions undertaken. In Samskrit, the Causal Body is known as the Karana Sharira. The Causal Body has two main functions: to act as a vehicle for the Ego: the Causal Body is the “Body of Manas”, the form- aspect of the individual , the true man, the Thinker; and to act as a receptacle or storehouse for the Essence of the man’s experiences in his various Incarnations. In diagram, the sub-planes of the Astral and Mental Planes are shown as of diminishing size, in order to illustrate the fact of their increasing, fineness as we rise from the lower to the higher levels. Openings between adjacent sub-planes of each plane indicate that certain of the “Vibrations ” of a given sub-plane can be transmitted to the sub-plane immediately above. These openings or gateways become narrower and narrower, indicating that only the finest Vibrations can pass onwards to the higher levels. Openings between each sub-plane of the Astral plane and the corresponding sub-plane of the Mental plane, indicate that there is also a possibility of an Astral Vibration being communicated, at a higher octave, to the corresponding, Mental sub-plane. The diagram further illustrates that the Mental body is more directly affected by the four lower levels of the Astral Plane, whilst the Causal Body is affected by only three higher levels of Astral Matter.
