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Volume

Sayings

Social Gathekas

Religious Gathekas

The Message Papers

The Healing Papers

Vol. 1, The Way of Illumination

Vol. 1, The Inner Life

Vol. 1, The Soul, Whence And Whither?

Vol. 1, The Purpose of Life

Vol. 2, The Mysticism of Sound and Music

Vol. 2, The Mysticism of Sound

Vol. 2, Cosmic Language

Vol. 2, The Power of the Word

Vol. 3, Education

Vol. 3, Life's Creative Forces: Rasa Shastra

Vol. 3, Character and Personality

Vol. 4, Healing And The Mind World

Vol. 4, Mental Purification

Vol. 4, The Mind-World

Vol. 5, A Sufi Message Of Spiritual Liberty

Vol. 5, Aqibat, Life After Death

Vol. 5, The Phenomenon of the Soul

Vol. 5, Love, Human and Divine

Vol. 5, Pearls from the Ocean Unseen

Vol. 5, Metaphysics, The Experience of the Soul Through the Different Planes of Existence

Vol. 6, The Alchemy of Happiness

Vol. 7, In an Eastern Rose Garden

Vol. 8, Health and Order of Body and Mind

Vol. 8, The Privilege of Being Human

Vol. 8a, Sufi Teachings

Vol. 9, The Unity of Religious Ideals

Vol. 10, Sufi Mysticism

Vol. 10, The Path of Initiation and Discipleship

Vol. 10, Sufi Poetry

Vol. 10, Art: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

Vol. 10, The Problem of the Day

Vol. 11, Philosophy

Vol. 11, Psychology

Vol. 11, Mysticism in Life

Vol. 12, The Vision of God and Man

Vol. 12, Confessions: Autobiographical Essays of Hazat Inayat Khan

Vol. 12, Four Plays

Vol. 13, Gathas

Vol. 14, The Smiling Forehead

By Date

THE SUPPLEMENTARY PAPERS

Heading

1. Our Physical Constitution

2. The Experience of the Soul

3. The Destiny of the Soul

Sub-Heading

-ALL-

The Elements of the Body

The Mystical Significance of the Body

The Nature of the Senses and Their Organs

The Source of Bodily Desires

The Source Of Emotions

The Constitution of the Mind

The Constitution of the Heart

The Influence of the Mind Upon the Body, and of the Body Upon the Mind

The Soul in Itself Alone

The Soul with the Mind

The Soul with Mind and Body

Vol. 5, Metaphysics, The Experience of the Soul Through the Different Planes of Existence

1. Our Physical Constitution

The Elements of the Body

Our physical body is constituted of the five chief elements, which compose even the whole universe.

• The skin, flesh, and bones show earth properties;
• And the blood, perspiration, and saliva represent the water element.
• The heat in the body and the digestive fire in the system denote the fire element.
• The breath and its inner work within the body, which enable us to stretch and contract, and the power of movement, which does not allow us to keep still for one moment, represent the air element.
• The ether element in us is that which controls our activities and gradually consumes all other elements. It is for this reason that a child is more active, while an aged person is still and inclined to inactivity.

The above is a rough explanation of the different parts of the body representing the different elements. They correspond in the following way:

• the bones with the earth element;
• the flesh with the water;
• the blood with the fire;
• the skin with the air;
• the hair with the ether.

• Bone is as void of sensation as the earth.
• The shrinking and swelling of the muscles, the festering of the flesh, and the effect of water on it both inwardly and outwardly, prove that the flesh corresponds to the water element.
• The circulation of the blood depends absolutely upon the degree of heat; it flows as the fire element makes it.
• The air influences the skin. In hot weather the skin becomes darker, and in cold fairer; in rough weather it becomes rough, and in fine weather smooth. All different shades of the skin are mainly due to the climatic conditions of our place of birth and dwelling.
• The hair corresponds with the ether and is the least sensitive. If the hair is cut or burned there is no sensation.

The outlet of each different kind of refuse is caused by a certain element.

• The [bowel] motion is caused by earth,
• urination by the water element,
• perspiration by fire,
• saliva by air,
• semen by ether.