The three bodies of the human existence is shared understanding with the Celtic, Greek, and Vedic philosophies. Firstly the Celts believed that the Soul was eternal and passed on from one body to the next, this verifies that they believed in reincarnation. Using reconstructed proto-Celtic we can create a bridge that gets us closer to the Vedic world. The spirit of man ( Anaman ouxsamos ) and the Body ( Kolanis Damnyos ) were indeed separate, but no mention is made of the “Astral” Body however. It must be mentioned that Plato however mentions this Astral body in different terms; Plato listed his three parts as Reason, *Spirit, and Apetite. The Astral aspect of the soul he calls “Spirit” which is the place of emotions
We know from historical sources that the Druids taught the immortality of the soul and reincarnation, as well as sharing the understanding of the school of Pythagoras. It leaves us no doubt that all schools of thought in Greek society were known to the Druids as well including the triple aspect of the soul expressed by Plato. Aside from this, the beliefs of Indo-European religions across the globe express the soul in multiple parts and was a concept found as well in non-Indo-European religions. The Druidic doctrine of the nature of the soul however was not written down by Druids so we can only reconstruct and draw conclusions based on historians whom encountered the Druids as well as the study of artifacts and extant Old Irish manuscripts.
Celtic reconstructed template
Old Irish:
- Anmain shuthain ( An-man hoothan ) “Eternal soul”
- Delb anma ( Delb An-ma ) “Image of the soul”
- Colann feóla ( Colan Fe-ola ) “Fleshly Body”
“Proto-Celtic”:
- Anaman ouxsamos. ( Eternal Spirit, Supreme Self )
- Kolanis Dweiphlo ( Lit. Double Body ) or Kolanis Delwa ( Lit. Image Body )
- Kolanis Damnyos ( Body/Flesh )
Greek
“Know thyself” (Greek: Γνῶθι σαυτόν, gnōthi sauton) is a philosophical maxim which was inscribed upon the Temple of Apollo in the ancient Greek precinct of Delphi.
Plato’s template
- The Logos (λογιστικόν), or logistikon, located in the head, is related to reason and regulates the other parts.
- The thymos (θυμοειδές), or thumoeides, located near the chest region, is related to spirit.
- The eros (ἐπιθυμητικόν), or epithumetikon, located in the stomach, is related to one’s desires.
Vedic
- Karana sarira ( Causal Body )
- Sukshma sarira ( Subtle Body )
- Sthula sarira ( Material Body )