Liṅga śarīra
Etheric double (2)
The etheric double — a violet-grey energetic counterpart of the physical body, said to interpenetrate it and extend slightly beyond its surface. It is the conduit of prāṇa and the substrate of physical vitality; at death it gradually dissolves alongside the physical. Blavatsky distinguishes the liṅga śarīra sharply from the higher astral, noting that confusion between the two has been the source of much spiritualist error (Secret Doctrine, vol. II). Powell's The Etheric Double (1925) is the dedicated late-Theosophical study.
Point 2 of 7 in Theosophy — Seven Subtle Bodies
Cross-tradition overlaps
No overlapping points are registered for this point.
Sources
Blavatsky, The Secret Doctrine (primary_canonical)
Blavatsky, The Secret Doctrine, Adyar edition, vol. II, pp. 57–59, 'The Double Dragon' and 'The Bodies of Brahma,' discusses linga-sharira as the subtle model or double associated with the physical body; the locator distinguishes it from the higher astral principle.
A.E. Powell, The Etheric Double (secondary)