silver cord

n. 1. In various systems of spiritual thought, the connection between one's physical body and one's spirit or astral body, conceived of as being spatially extended during out-of-body experiences and as being severed at the moment of death. 2. The emotional bond between a mother and her offspring.

[Translation of Hebrew hebel ha-kkesep, cord of silver, an expression of uncertain meaning in Ecclesiastes 12:6-7, possibly referring to the spinal cord as essential to life. Sense 2, after The Silver Cord, a 1926 play by American playwright Sidney Coe Howard (1891-1939) in which an overly possessive mother is depicted as damaging to the emotional lives of her grown sons.]

Thesaurus

Noun

silver cord - the emotional bond between a mother and her offspringalliance, bond - a connection based on kinship or marriage or common interest; "the shifting alliances within a large family"; "their friendship constitutes a powerful bond between them"

Silver Cord

(religion, spiritualism, and occult)

It is said that the astral body, or etheric double, is connected to the physical body by a silver cord. Invisible to most people, the silver cord may be seen by a sensitive or psychic individual. The silver cord emerges from the position of the Third Eye, the spiritual center of the body. In the Bible, Ecclesiastes 12 describes the transition from life to death as the breaking of a silver cord: “ever the silver cord be loosed … (then) the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.” In fact, that is what happens at death. During life—when the etheric double goes on astral journeys—the cord is infinitely elastic. At death it finally breaks, permanently separating the physical body from its astral counterpart.

In the Spiritualist journal Light, in 1935, Dr. R. B. Holt described his experience at the deathbed of an elderly aunt. He saw “a silver-like substance that was streaming from the head of the physical body to the head of the spirit double. This cord seemed alive with vibrant energy … At last the connecting strand snapped and the spirit-body was free. The spirit-body, which had been supine before, now rose and stood vertically.”

The 1912 book Speaking Across the Borderline was received in the form of automatic writing, supposedly from a Scotsman named John Park. The writings were received by the mediumistic aunt of Parks’s widow, Fanny Parks. In the writings, Parks described the transition from life to afterlife, “Generally the spiritual counterpart floats horizontally above the dying form. It may remain for some time in this position, for it is attached to the body by a fine, filmy cord. Death does not take place until this cord has been severed.” An interesting point about this particular book is that John Parks, when alive, was unconvinced of Spiritualist ideas and teachings.

Sources:Crookall, Robert: The Techniques of Astral Projection. London: Aquarian, 1964Leonard, Sue (ed): Quest For the Unknown—Life Beyond Death. Pleasantville: Reader’s Digest, 1992

silver cord

silver cord

Silver Cord

Silver Cord

silver cord

Words related to silver cord

noun the emotional bond between a mother and her offspring

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