THE ARCANE ARCHIVE
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Revised 9508

Subject: What does 'akasha' mean?  Is it a library?

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Webster's New Universal Unabridged Dictionary has:

akasha... n. (in the philosophies of India) the ether, regarded as
including material and nonmaterial entities in a common medium.
[< Skt akasa]  p. 32

---
From 'Vaisesika Philosophy'

"The fifth material substance, namely, akasa (ether), not to be confused
with space, is the substratum of the quality of sound.  Like atoms, akasa
is indivisible, eternal and imperceivable; but, unlike them, it is
infinite and all-pervading.  Akasa is inferred from the sensed quality of
sound."

_Fundamentals of Indian Philosophy_, by R. Puligandla, Abingdon Press,
 1975; p. 151.

-----------------------------------

"Akasa, space, is infinite in extent and possesses objective reality.
Its only function is to provide a place in which the other substances
can exist...."

"A table may facilitate the comprehension of this difficult subject:

"Tattwas {Ultimate Reals}:      1. Jiva (spirit)
                                2. Ajiva (nonspirit)

"Dravyas {Substances}:          1. Jiva (spirit)
                                2. Pudgala (matter)
                                3. Dharma (principle of motion)
                                4. Adharma (principle of rest)
                                5. Akasa (space)
                                6. Kala (time)

"The first five dravyas, called astikayas, are spatial; kala is nonspatial."

_The Spiritual Heritage of India_, by Swami Prabhavananda, Vedanta Press,
 (with the assistance of Frederick Manchester), 1969; pp. 163-4.

---
The book _A Sourcebook in Indian Philosophy_, edited by Sarvepalli
Radhakrishnan and Charles A. Moore, Princeton University Press, 1967,
lists 'akasa' within the Nyaya, Vaisesika, Samkya, Yoga and, sometimes
Vedanta schools of Hindu metaphysics.

Consistently it is translated as either 'ether' or 'space', seemingly
depending on the particular school, and it does, in more than one school,
represent the source of sound, among some other elements of existence.

tyagi
===============================

In the Tattvic (Indian/Hindu/Tantric) system of the five principles 
(this is similar though not necessarily identical to the European or 
Chinese systems of five elements), Akasha is the principal of spirit or 
ether. This concept is comparable to the 'spirit' of the Western/European 
(Greek/Egyptian/Gnostic/Kaballistic) systems. The five components of 
the Tattvic system are:  

         Name        Principle         Color/Symbol          Complementry color

         Akasha      Spirit/Ether      Black/Indigo Ovoid     White

         Tejas       Fire/Brilliance   Red Triangle           Green

         Apas        Water/Reflection  Silver/White Crescent  Black
                     Liquidity, etc.   maybe somtimes green
 
         Vayu        Air/Wind, etc.    Blue Circle            Orange 

         Prithivi    Earth/Solidity    Yellow Square          Violet
  
Some of these principles also relate to various Hindu Gods/Spirits 
(e.g. Vayu, at least does, I am not sure about the others). This imagery 
can be a very effective meditation aid. The symbols can be three (or more) 
dimensionalized and/or recombined in several ways (i.e. the 16 or 25 
subelements, e.g. Tejas of apas--fire of water.) As mentioned by someone, 
Akasha is also referrent to the principle of karma and karmic aggregates 
and is considered to be the storage medium for them. For example the 
Ahashic records are the repository for the accounts of past lives. 
Akasha is the great egg or one form of it. I also suspect that it may 
somehow refer the the elliptical shape of our solar system.
 
For additional information on Akasha and the Tattvics in general you 
might check

      The Magician by Butler
      The Golden Dawn by Regardie
      Initiation into Hermetics by Franz Bardon

That's generally all that I know about Akasha. I will be interested to see 
what else turns up.

EAM (Ibis)

===============================

Brent quotes tyagi and writes:

>I've been told that Kathryn Kurtz and other fiction writers have used the
>phrase 'the Akashic Records' to mean some all-encompassing plane in which
>all sounds/knowledge are to be found.  Any additional info on this from the
>GD/Theosophy/Fiction contingent?

That's pretty much the size of it.  I think that idea originates
with Blavatsky but I've never been able to (yawn) get very far 
into her stuff.  I had a good friend whose mother was something
of a theosophist, and he used to try to get me to read The Secret
Doctrine and all that... ugh.  I've seen it in GD material too but
don't have any of that handy nor does any of it come to mind.
There is some almost-connection resonating in my brain between the 
GD concept of the Akashic records and the Tarot, though...

I have always envisioned the "Akashic Records" as akin to Jung's
"collective unconscious", but with a more colorful (and groovy
eastern-mystical) name.  In Katherine Kurtz' Adept series it is
like the great vault 'o' cosmic knowledgge of everything.  If her
main character needs to know something, especially about someone's
past life, he waltzes on up to the Akashic Records, pulls a book
off the shelf, and looks it up.  It's not quite that straightforward
(cheesy) but close.  I still enjoy her books immensely.

Brent
==============

      My contact with the term "Akashic records" has been within
occult writings with an orientalized (!) flavor.  I believe there
is a Golden Dawn writing that speaks of contacting the Akashic
records while travelling in the astral plane.
      The Akashic records are supposed to contain all that has
happened and (?) will happen as well as all that is happening.
Events create astral resonance, according to my understanding of
this theory, and can be recaptured by travelling on the astral
plane to the Akashic records.
      It all feels to me like a good dose of theosophical
imagination with little base in traditional Buddhism.  Can anyone
add to my comments or correct them?
     Peace,     Michael
===============
Barrie quotes Novasolo:

NS> N .@FROM   :novasolo@aol.com                                           
NS> Mercedes Lackey gives an excellent basic description of the Akashic
NS> Record in her novel 'Burning Water'.  She describes it as a "collective
NS> unconcious" of memories.  Worth the reading, if you want a
NS> skim-the-borders approach to modern magic.

I am not sure how far this thread has gone but the first time I remember 
hearing this term was abut 25 years ago in a book about Edgar Cayce. He was
the 'Sleeping Phrophet' of the late 1930's and early 1940's.  He is said to
have used the name Akashic Records as the place that he got his information
from while in a 'trance' state.

Barrie
=====================

And, speaking of fiction, Trevor Ravenscroft cites the Akashtic Record 
quite heavily in "_The_Spear_of_Destiny_" Oh, wait...that's not SUPPOSED 
to be fiction...never mind.

Blessed Beast!

Walter Five
-----------

...the Akashic record is the invention of Helena Petronavich Blavatsky. 
It is her interpretation of the alaya vijnana or all basis conciousness 
theory of the Mind only school. This same theorry was poorly understood 
and misinterpreted again by Jung, i.e. his 'collective unconciounesness". 
Jung was basicaly a Theosophist at heart. 

...there does not appear to any antecedent prior to [Blavatsky's] books. 
Akasha means "space" in Sanskrit.  And as such Blavatsky alaborated this 
notion of the Akashic record in whihc karma deeds were inscribed, All 
rather nystical hodge podge if you ask me, but clearly derived from her 
studdies of Mahayana in Russia, probably under mongolian geshe. As there 
were many floating around St. Petersburg in her day. 

Namdrol
-------

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nagasiva, tyagi
tyagI@houseofkaos.Abyss.coM (I@AM)