Hinduism And Akasha Comparison

During my life I've been involved in many different religions, and studied many religious paths trying to find the one that was right for me. I've taken college classes in comparative religion, and I've also done a lot of reading on my own. As a result I have many preconceived notions about terms that are used in Paganism, and on many occasions this knowledge is based on how these terms are used in other faiths, not in Paganism. Akasha is one of those terms; most of my knowledge of the word Akasha comes from Hinduism, and other religious traditions. While comparing my current knowledge of Akasha with the Pagan use of this term I found many similarities, since they both use the term to refer element of spirit.

Akasha is a Sanskrit word which means 'aether' (also called ether). According to Hinduism Akasha is the essential core of all things in the material world, and is the unifying force which exists in all human beings. Its origin is found in the ‘Rig Veda’ which was written around 1300 B.C. Akasha is one of the Panchabhutas (Five Elements): Akash (ether), Vayu (air), Jal (water), Agni (fire) and Prithvi (earth) . The concept of Akasha is also
At this time a group of philosophers known as the monists were heatedely debating which element was the first element, the one which all others emerged. Empedocles believed that there wasn't a first element, because the universe was composed of all four elements, that matter existed because the four elements combined. For example, Empedocles believed that the sea was mostly composed of Water, but Air, Fire, and Earth were also within it, or it couldn't exist. Empedocles's idea of a combined Universe of Four Elements became the dominate philosophy, and other philosophers such as Plato, Hippocrates, Galen, and others expanded upon