Physical forces take physical forms. Vital forces take vital forms. Even though they may act upon the physical existence of the being, they are not physical forces. Similarly, mental forces take mental forms on the mental plane. Once again, they may act upon vital forces and physical forces, but they are based in the mental plane.
The physical world operates within what we call the geosphere (comprising the land mass), the hydrosphere (comprising the water element on earth and the atmosphere (comprising the air element).
The biosphere is a fusion of the physical existence with the vital existence. It is the place where the two planes meet and interact. It creates physical forms that are enlivened and moved by the vital forces originating in the vital planes. In so doing, it transforms Matter into new forms that can hold and express Life.
The noosphere is the place where thought forms take shape and interact with the biosphere. The noosphere spans the globe and thought forms created and released into the noosphere can be received and expressed by anyone who is receptive to that particular vibratory pattern. The thought-forms active in the noosphere impact, shape and transform Life and Matter, as we can easily see when we look at the ways we now can manipulate and change both physical Matter and Life-Forms.
The vital plane exists independently of the physical or mental planes. The point of interaction in this world create the biosphere. The mental plane similarly exists independently of the physical or vital planes. The point of interaction is through the noosphere and works upon the biosphere and geosphere.
The Mother writes: “You cannot think powerfully of something without your thought taking a form. But if you were to believe that this form was physical, that would obviously be an error, yet it really does exist in the mental world.”
Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, Powers Within, Chapter II Power of Thought, pg. 10
Santosh has been studying Sri Aurobindo's writings since 1971 and has a daily blog at http://sriaurobindostudies.wordpress.com and podcast located at https://anchor.fm/santosh-krinsky
He is author of 20 books and is editor-in-chief at Lotus Press. He is president of Institute for Wholistic Education, a non-profit focused on integrating spirituality into daily life.
Video presentations, interviews and podcast episodes are all available on the YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@santoshkrinsky871
More information about Sri Aurobindo can be found at www.aurobindo.net
The US editions and links to e-book editions of Sri Aurobindo’s writings can be found at Lotus Press www.lotuspress.com