Editing Rosicrucian Fellowship (section)

===Constitution of man===

The human being is seen as a threefold '''Spirit''', possessing a '''[[Mental body|mind]]''', by means of which he governs the threefold '''[[Human body|Body]]'''. This threefold body he transmutes into a threefold [[Soul]] upon which he nourishes himself "from impotence into [[omnipotence]]".

The Ego (not as defined by Freud) is the threefold Spirit, the ''God Within'', which uses these vehicles to gather experience in the school of life. The three aspects of the Spirit are (from highest to lowest aspect):
*the Divine [[Spirit (animating force)|Spirit]] aspect;
*the Life Spirit aspect;
*the Human Spirit aspect.

The [[Mental body]] functions like a mirror, reflecting the outer world and enabling the ego to transmit its commands as thought and word, and also to compel action.

The threefold body consists of;
*a [[Human anatomy|Dense body]], which is the visible instrument he uses here in this world to fetch and carry (the body we ordinarily think of as the whole man).
*a [[Etheric body|Vital body]], which is made of [[Aether (classical element)|ether]] and pervades the visible body as ether permeates all other forms, except that human beings specialize a greater amount of the universal ether than other forms. The ethereal body is our instrument for specializing the vital energy of the sun and is seen by [[clairvoyant]] vision to extend about an inch and a half outside our visible body.
*a [[Desire body]], which is our [[emotional]] nature and this finer vehicle pervades both the vital and dense bodies (it is seen by clairvoyant vision to extend about 16&nbsp;inches outside our visible body, which is located in the center of this ovoid cloud as the yolk is in the center of an egg).

The threefold soul consists of;
*Conscious Soul: extracted as pabulum from the dense body (which was emanated from the Divine Spirit aspect).
*Intellectual Soul: extracted as pabulum from the vital body (which was emanated from the Life Spirit aspect).
*Emotional Soul: extracted as pabulum from the desire body (which was emanated from the Human Spirit aspect).

[[File:Oresme_Spheres_crop.jpg|330px|thumb|14th century illustration of the [[astral plane|astral spheres]], the "[[Astrology|starry]]" regions convex upward centered on '''[[God]]'''.]]
[[Bible]] teachings enable us to become aware that Jesus Christ must be born within. There is a distinction between the Christ which is born within us, our true Saviour, and the Cosmic Christ, the Christ without. The latter helps us in the task of having Christ born within; however, it is our task to form the Christ within, the "Soul Body" which is the vehicle humanity will need to live in the Sixth [[Root Race|Epoch]], the ''[[New Galilee (Sixth Epoch)|New Galilee]]''.<ref>Heindel, Max, ''[http://www.rosicrucian.com/hkc/hkceng01.htm How Shall We Know Christ at His Coming?]'', May 1913 (stenographic report of a lecture, [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]]), {{ISBN|978-0-911274-64-6}}</ref>

The "[[Astral body]]" is a vehicle evolved from a work of transmutation upon the [[etheric body]] (the two superior ethers), not to be confounded with the "desire body" since during [[astral projection]] the desire body molds itself readily into this prepared matrix and, when the individual returns to the physical body, the effort of will whereby he enters automatically dissolves the intimate connection between the desire body and the Astral or [[Soul]] body. The term "Astral body" was, it is said, employed by the mediaeval [[Alchemy|Alchemists]] because of the ability it conferred upon the one who has it to traverse the "[[Astrology|starry]]" regions. The "Astral body" is regarded as the "[[Philosopher's Stone]]" or "Living Stone" of the alchemist, the Golden "Wedding Garment" that [[Christ]] speaks of in the [[Gospel of Matthew]],<ref>Cf. {{Bibleref2|Matthew|22:1–14}}</ref> the "Soul Body" [''soma psuchicon''] that [[Paul of Tarsus|Paul]] mentions in the [[First Epistle to the Corinthians]] or the "[[Vajrasattva|Diamond Soul]]" spoken of in some of the [[Ancient philosophy#Ancient Indian philosophy|ancient philosophies]]. It will eventually be evolved by humanity as a whole.

The physical body is a vehicle which the Spirit uses to gain [[experience]], while [[death]] is a passing of the Spirit into a larger sphere, a birth which should be prepared for with the greatest care. The Ego must assimilate what it has experienced. The Spirit withdraws with the two [[Subtle body|higher vehicles]], which are tied to the etheric and physical bodies by a slender cord. At death the desire and mental bodies leave the physical, taking with them but one permanent [[Etheric plane|etheric]] [[atom]], which during life is stationed in the solar plexus. The seed atom, of the dense body, like the negative film of the camera, has been impressed with all the experiences of the life just ended. At death the force of this atom leave the body and all these impressions are transferred from the [[Etheric body|vital body]], the storehouse of these experiences, into the [[desire body]], which then forms the basis of the man or woman's life in [[purgatory]] and the first [[heaven]]. This transfer is done by the Spirit during the first three and one-half days (84 hours) after the rupture of the connection between the seed atom and the heart, ordinarily known as death: death is not complete until this transfer has been accomplished. During this time sensation is still present, and the Spirit suffers through inharmonious surroundings, including [[postmortem]] examination and [[embalming]].

[[Death]] should be prepared for with the greatest care, requiring a "[[post mortem interval]]", or preservation period, of the physical body for three and half days (84 hours), for [[life review]] purpose (in a pacific death; not in a sudden impact such as: shock, accident, catastrophe, heart attack or suicide), before [[cremation]] or any other way of [[funeral|body disposal]].<ref>Article: [http://www.rosicrucian.com/zineen/death7.htm The Rosicrucian Method of Caring for the Dead]</ref>