Original German term: Astralleib
Plain English
The astral body is the member of the human being connected with feeling, desire, sensation, mood, and inward experience.
Modern Translation
It names the living field of emotion and subjectivity. It is the part of us that reacts, longs, fears, enjoys, imagines, and suffers.
Why It Matters
The term matters because anthroposophy sees human beings as physical, living, emotional, and spiritual. The astral body is the emotional and experiential layer.
For Beginners
The term sounds strange because it comes from older esoteric language. A modern reader can begin by thinking of it as the organised life of feeling.
Important Context
The term astral body comes from older European esoteric traditions. In anthroposophy it refers to the life of feeling and experience, not to astrology or modern internet spirituality.