In Hinduism and Buddhism, the all-pervasive life principle or space of the universe, a universal medium in which every single thing is contained, touched and surrounded by. It fills all space and interpenetrates all matter. Hindu philosophy interprets the akasha as the ether, the fifth and subtlest element that permeates the universe, acting as the agent through which electromagnetic forces operate.
In Buddhism the akasha is space, both space bounded by the material world, and a form of space which is infinite and indefinable, which contains the material world. The notion was introduced to the West in the early twentieth century by Madame Helena P. Blavatsky, cofounder of the Theosophical Society (see Theosophy), who compared the akasha to other interpretations of the universal life force by occultists through the ages, such as the quintessence, that luminous fifth element (invisible to ordinary sight) which was seen as binding together in union or pact the other four elements. According to Blavatsky the akasha forms the Anima Anima Mundi and constitutes the soul and animal spirit of mankind.
An important related term is the so-called Akashic Chronicles (sometimes the Akashic Records, or Book of Life) that, according to Theosophy, are the historical records of all world events and personal experiences of all thoughts and deeds which have taken place, are taking place and will take place on the earth. These are indelibly imprinted upon the Akasha and may under normal circumstances be read only by adepts or initiates. Rudolf Steiner, for example, claimed to have consulted the Akashic Records for his descriptions of the mythical lost civilizations of Atlantis and Lemuria. Edgar Cayce also claimed to have obtained knowledge from the Book of Life.
