The Subtle Turn
Regulating the unseen currents within
From November 6–19, as the Sun moves through Vishakha Nakshatra, it begins its descent from Libra into Scorpio. Vishakha, ruled by Indra and Agni, represents the meeting point of light and fire, where our attention begins to turn from the social to the sacred.
This transition mirrors the movement within our own bodies, a shift from external regulation to inner stability, from performing calm to embodying stillness.
It’s the season to tend to the nervous system as a spiritual practice, to soften the body’s defenses so that deeper perception can emerge.
As the light travels inward, we are invited to move with it: to trace the invisible rivers of breath, energy, and awareness that make up the subtle body, and to remember that true resilience comes not from control, but from intimacy with our own inner currents.
In case you missed the previous letter:
In yogic and tantric philosophy, the body is seen as more than physical structure, it’s a layered system of awareness. It includes:
→ ‘gross body’ (sthula sharira), which experiences the waking, physical world,
→ ‘subtle body’ (sukshma sharira), made of energy, mind, and emotion, also carrier of karma across births,
→ ‘causal body’ (karana sharira), the seed or latent state of the subtle body, experienced in deep sleep.
These layers, also described through the five koshas or sheaths, show how consciousness expresses itself through different levels of embodiment. From this perspective, the body is an inner ecology, a network where energy, perception, and awareness interact.
The nervous system acts as the physical reflection of this subtle body.
When we regulate it, through breath, stillness, or awareness, we are also organizing our inner energy. This creates stability not only in the body but in how we perceive and respond to life.
In tantric and yogic traditions, the body is also understood as imaginal and not imaginary. Subtle yet real mode of experience that bridges the seen and unseen. This body is only mapped by attention.
Elements like nadis, chakras, prana, and granthis are not physical structures but perceptual tools and devices that train awareness to sense the finer movements of consciousness. Through these inner instruments, we begin to perceive how energy flows, where it becomes blocked, and how awareness can be directed to restore balance.
In this sense, the tantric body is an inner ecology of perception, a living network that continually reorganizes itself as our consciousness evolves.
It invites us to approach embodiment as a practice of perception, one where awareness, rather than control, becomes the organizing force.
Tantric cosmology describes the human being through a layered framework that reflects the movement of consciousness from matter to pure awareness. These layers include:
(6. ‘vastu’, the realm of “our stuff” or material surroundings)
‘deha’, the physical body,
‘citta’, the heart-mind that perceives and feels,
‘prana’, the life-force energy that animates and connects,
‘sunya’, the void or transcendent state of stillness,
‘cit’, non-dual consciousness, the awareness underlying all experience.
Each layer represents a different vibration of consciousness, from the tangible body to the spaciousness of pure awareness. Every sensation, emotion, or moment of stillness is seen as part of Shakti’s movement, divine energy expressing through form.
Tools like mantra, pranayama, yantra, and mudra become ways of communicating with this inner landscape. Through them, we learn to listen, to participate in the choreography of energy that connects the visible and the unseen.
In today’s world of constant noise and stimulation, turning inward is a powerful choice. The practices of nervous system regulation and subtle embodiment help us move from reactivity to presence, from distraction to depth.
Balance isn’t achieved by doing more, but by noticing more, by feeling what’s happening within rather than chasing what’s outside.
Living from subtle awareness is both a personal and cultural reset, it teaches us that what moves beneath the skin, breath, energy, and emotion.
When we stay connected to these inner signals, life feels steadier and more aligned, even in the middle of chaos.
Visuals sourced from: cosmos.so, are.na, Pinterest.
Until next week.
xx
AE
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