Myth and Science Behind Cats’ Nine Lives
Do Cats Really Have Nine Lives?
You’ve probably heard the saying, “A cat has nine lives.” It’s often used to describe someone who survives multiple accidents, just like a cat, which supposedly has nine lives and is hard to kill. But is there any truth to this?
The saying originates from an old English proverb: “A cat has nine lives. For three he plays, for three he strays, and for the last three he stays.” Even William Shakespeare referenced this belief in Romeo and Juliet.
Let’s dive in and unravel this myth and science behind cats’ nine lives!
How Did the Belief Start?
In ancient Egypt, cats were considered sacred animals and worshipped as gods. Egyptians believed cats were divine creatures with supernatural powers. Given this view, the idea that they could have multiple lives doesn’t seem far-fetched.
Dr. Brian Beale, an orthopedic pet surgeon and joint specialist, explains, “Historically, cats have been observed surviving extreme situations—like being thrown from tall buildings or engulfed in fire—where humans or other animals would likely perish.”
Holistic physical therapist Sally Morgan adds, “Cats’ remarkable ability to balance themselves during falls is likely the main reason for the belief in their nine lives. Their flexible bones and ligaments, which help them move silently while hunting, also enable them to sustain minimal injury from accidents.”
Theosophical Perspective
From a theosophical point of view, cats are believed to possess a great amount of Prana, or life energy, which contributes to their agility and vitality.
But what is Prana, and why is it significant? Prana is the vital energy that all living organisms absorb from the sun. It’s essential for life, as all living beings—whether animals, plants, or humans—are sustained by Prana.
H.P. Blavatsky, co-founder of the School of Theosophy, compares Prana to oxygen in her book The Etheric Double, describing it as the life-giving force essential to organic life. Cats, being especially endowed with Prana, may have inspired the idea of them having “nine lives” and being sacred in Egyptian culture.
How to Increase Your Prana?
Did you know that one way to increase Prana in your body is through physical exercise? There are also simple breathing techniques that can help boost your Prana. To learn more, explore Pranic Healing!
Astral experiences shape fleeting dreams.
What Are Dreams and Why Are They Difficult to Remember?
How often do you wake up with the memory of a bizarre dream, only for it to slip away as you try to recall it? If you’ve wondered about this, insights from theosophical literature might provide an interesting perspective.
What Are Dreams?
Are dreams just random visual images and stories created by the mind? Or are they reflections of our day-to-day life? Perhaps they’re emotional, sensory, or cognitive experiences that occur during sleep.
From a common perspective, dreams are often seen as a blend of real-life experiences, subconscious thoughts, and deep desires. They usually occur during the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) stage of sleep, during which the eyes move rapidly, muscles temporarily freeze, and heart rate and blood pressure rise. After waking from REM sleep, people often describe strange, irrational visions and stories that they label as dreams.
The Theosophical Perspective on Dreams
According to the School of Theosophy, while we sleep, the astral body separates from the physical body and returns just before waking up. This re-entry can create an impact on the etheric double and physical consciousness.
Meanwhile, the mental body is also engaged during sleep, leaving its imprint on the physical brain. What we remember as a “dream” is a combination of these experiences, sometimes even influenced by the causal body.
Dreams can appear dramatic because the etheric body organizes the contents of the physical brain in a way that makes them vivid, rearranging them according to its own whims. In this view, dreams are a result of the mental/astral/ etheric experiences interacting with the physical brain during sleep.
Why Are Dreams Hard to Remember?
You may have noticed that when you’re in light sleep, you can sometimes recall your dream, but the memory quickly fades once you’re fully awake.
This happens because, during sleep, the “atomic web” plays a role in blocking the memory of sleep from entering our conscious awareness. Even though our astral and mental bodies are active, the physical brain’s signals tend to overpower these subtler impressions when we wake up. The more we try to forcefully recall a dream, the faster it tends to disappear from memory.
How to Improve Dream Recall?
One effective way to recall dreams is to keep a calm mind and meditate on what little you remember. Writing down fragments of your dream and practicing guided meditation can also help in recollection. A steady mind is key.
A simple yet powerful technique for achieving calmness and stillness is the “Meditation on Twin Hearts.” This meditation not only helps with inner peace and dream recollection but also generates positive karma and attracts good fortune.
Did you know the unfortunate incident of 9/11 was predicted long before it happened? Have you heard stories of Simpsons predicting future? Or Nostradamus’ four liner poems becoming reality?
Have you ever felt strongly positive or negative about some situation, person or event, sensed that something isn’t right? And later your vague feelings proved to be true?
Then you have had an intuition!
Intuition is a part of “Extra Sensory Perception” or ESP (we will look at it in the latter part of the blog post). Intuition in common parlance is also known as Gut feeling.
A feeling that your loved one might fall sick or simply that you might have to cancel your flight, without knowing ‘why’ is an intuition but only if this is proved to be true in the coming future.
Excerpts from the writings of Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda say,
“Intuition is soul guidance; appearing naturally in man during those instants when his mind is calm…The goal of yoga science is to calm the mind, that without distortion it may hear the infallible counsel of the Inner Voice.”
According to theosophy, these feelings of Intuition come from the ‘Navel Centre’ or ‘Navel Chakra’ which is also called ‘Manipura’ in Sanskrit.
When the correspondent chakra in the astral body is awakened, the signal from Astral Chakra flows first through activated Etheric Chakra, and then reaches the physical body.
This is how you feel intuitive about certain things in your surrounding or somewhere far.
BUT THERE’S MORE TO THIS,
Your Navel Chakra is not the only chakra that gives you these feelings. For a more detailed break down into types of intuition, refer the chart below:
Extra Sensory Perceptions include a broader category as seen above. Since we’ve already discussed Intuition, let’s see what the other terms mean!
CLAIRVOYANCE
Clairvoyance is the ability to see things and receive visions from different planes of existence such as Etheric, Astral, Mental and Causal Plane.
The Centre between the eyebrows is termed as ‘Ajna’ in Sanskrit and the activation of this chakra in the Astral and Etheric body can result into Clairvoyant abilities at Astral Level. As the Ajna Chakra develops in corresponding bodies (like Mental and Causal Body) on different planes, the level of Clairvoyance also simultaneously develop.
READING AKASHIC RECORDS
You must have heard of few people who claim that they can reveal your past life. Some of these people possess the ability of reading Akashic Records.
Akashic Records are the memory seen on the astral plane, which is just a recurring reflection from other higher planes. Akashic Records are also called “The Divine Memory” since they include everything that has happened in the history of mankind.
Sometimes, a developed ability of Clairvoyance can allow you to perceive memories on the Astral Plane and sometimes these might just appear as mere glimpses. Since these memories are a recurring reflection on Astral Plane, they can be really hard to comprehend. On the other hand, perceiving Akashic Records on Mental Plane is much more accurate and complete in nature, to do so, it demands faculties pertaining to Mental Plane.
ORDINARY PSYCHOMETER
An Ordinary Psychometer needs an object connected to the past scene he/she wishes to see. A crystal or any other object can also help them focus and access the past scene that they aim to perceive.
CLAIRAUDIENCE
To understand clairaudience better, you can read our blog on clairaudience.
Throat Chakra is called ‘Visuddha’ in Sanskrit. Awakening of this centre in Astral and Etheric body results in Clairaudience abilities. Clairaudience is the ability to hear voices, pleasant or unpleasant, from Astral Plane.
SYMPATHIZING WITH OTHERS
To sympathize with others is to feel what the other person or an entity is going through.
Anāhata, also called the heart chakra enables a man to sympathize with other astral entities and allows them to comprehend their feelings. Sometimes, the pain from the sufferer is also felt by the one who sympathizes.
One good way to start developing your intuitive abilities is through meditation. I personally prefer Grand Master Choa Kok Sui’s Twin Heart Meditation, which was awarded the first place at the Academy of Integrated Health & Medicine (AIHM) Annual Conference.
The Controlled, the sensitive soul and the accidental
Have you heard about sensitive souls hearing voices in their head out of nowhere? Ever heard someone calling out your name, only to realize there was no one around? Or do you recall hearing weird noises yourself?
Have you wondered what kind of noises are these? Where do these voices come from? Why do only some people experience it?
These sounds come from the astral plane! It connects to only some people. This happens when entities from the astral world try to communicate with those living on the physical plane. People who can hear these sounds that no one can are gifted with the power of clairaudience!
The Etheric body helps in creating impressions coming from the astral plane on the conscious minds of people and they begin to hear voices and weird sounds in their head.
Hearing sounds and voices from the astral plane is possible in three conditions:
- When the person possesses consciously controlled power.
2. When the person has a sensitive soul.
Some people are born with sensitive souls. Such people often sense someone calling them or speaking to them. Entities from the astral world easily connect to sensitive souls on the physical plane. That is why they try to communicate to those people more often.
3. Tearing of the atomic web
According to Theosophical literature, we possess something called as an atomic web. An atomic web is like a shield that protects and filters elements from the astral world entering in the etheric world. It prevents the astral elements from exposing our physical consciousness to things we cannot see or hear.
When the atomic web is not present, the contents from the astral plane leave impressions on the etheric brain. Ordinary humans are not equipped to understand or interpret those impressions. Most of us may find those impressions and sounds unpleasant and hence may not be able to handle what we see or hear.
Substances like drugs, tea or other intoxicants, extreme stress, trauma or even an outburst of excitement, cause damage to the atomic web. When the web tears, it allows thoughts from the astral plane to directly enter the etheric plane. This is when the man starts hallucinating.
A schizophrenic often has similar complaints about experiencing voices or visions that others cannot see or hear. As stress, drug addiction or other factors damage his atomic web, he is exposed to contents from the astral plane that causes hallucination.
Have your dear ones ever experienced hearing any kind of sound that inaudible to others?
Would you like to learn in detail about clairaudience and clairvoyance?
We highly recommend you to study Module 9 of our course on The Etheric Double by Arthur E Powell which explains both those concepts and more on etheric sight!
Re-energise yourself the natural way
WHAT IS THE SECRET BEHIND THIS ENERGY?
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF PRANA?
HOW IS PRANA ABSORBED BY OUR BODIES?
SO WHY ARE SOME PEOPLE LOW ON ENERGY?
HOW CAN ONE MANAGE THIS SITUATION?
HOW DO YOU RESTORE YOUR ENERGY EASILY?
Do this to get smarter and healthier!
“Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.”
– Benjamin Franklin, Founding Father of the United States
“I’m more alert and I think more clearly”,
Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com and the wealthiest man in the world
“While you snooze, your body is hard at work performing repairs on your heart, blood vessels, brain and other tissues that help keep chronic disease at bay. Skimp on sleep, and that nightly maintenance schedule starts to suffer. Eventually, your parts will start to wear out, setting the stage for major problems.”
WHY DOES THIS HAPPEN AND WHAT DOES THEOSOPHY SAY ABOUT IT?
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- The role of physical elemental.
- Creation and use of Prana, or vitality, through the day.
WHAT IS PHYSICAL ELEMENTAL?
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- They keep the physical body tense during day to perform tasks and help them remain alert at all times. This makes sure, that physical body is prepared for action all day long.
- They also help in absorbing Prana when the dense physical body is relaxed and at rest during sleeping hours at night.
NOW WHAT IS PRANA AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT FOR OUR BODY?
HOW DOES A PRANA OR VITALITY GLOBULE WORK IN OUR BODY?
YOU MUST WONDER… HOW PRANA IS CONNECTED TO SLEEPING EARLY?
When the sun sets…
- Prana is maximum in the atmosphere
- But the production is halted
- Every living-being then absorbs Prana
- Dense physical body needs to be relaxed so that our physical elemental can absorb Prana efficiently
- The sooner your physical body is relaxed, the more they can assimilate Prana from the atmosphere.
Don’t Worry, Be Healthy!
EVE WONDERED WHY THESE EMOTIONS ARE CONNECTED TO YOUR HEALTH?
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- It can lead to various short-term diseases.
- Induce other chronic diseases leaving your system exposed to other bacteria and viruses.
- In extreme condition, it can end up being a cause for Insomnia.
WHAT IS YOUR HEALTH AURA COMPOSED OF?
WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUR HEALTH AURA WHEN YOU FEEL LOW OR SAD?
On the contrary,
HOW CAN YOU KEEP YOUR HEALTH AURA INTACT?
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO ENSURE GOOD HEALTH?
WHICH IS THE BEST MEDITATION FOR ME?
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- Reduce stress, anxiety and depression
- Results in improved health
- Keeps your mind sharp and induces happiness.
