Metaphysical and Physical Life

Britannica defines life as any system capable of performing functions such as eating, metabolizing, excreting, breathing, moving, growing, reproducing, and responding to external stimuli.

In contrast we define it more broadly:

• Physical life is the state of a mind being independently expressive within a physical body
• Metaphysical life is the state of a mind being independently expressive within a metaphysical body

Note that Elementals are not classified under metaphysical life as their properties are derived from the strata where they reside.

This is similar to computers and robots not being alive even if they can speak, think, and act.

Both Elementals and robots can think (i.e. process perceptions logically). But they can never ideate (i.e. create original perceptions) because the faculty of creativity is the independence of the aethereal or mental body that can have access to the higher mind.