Soul and Spirit
What is the Soul? What is the Spirit? Do they really exist? If so, are they the same thing or two different things? What exactly are they? The quick answer to these questions is … Yes, they really exist. No, they are not the same thing, they are two different things. What exactly they are will be addressed below.
The Soul is the same thing as what is in modern times commonly called the Astral Body. I personally tend to think of it as a Body of Consciousness. It can also be equated with the Mind. If you have ever had an astral projection experience where you felt a non-physical energy body or body of consciousness lift up or float up out of your physical body and float around the room, that is what was called in the ancient world your Soul.
In Western European Alchemy the soul is symbolized by mercury. Mercury is a shiny metallic fluid with a high surface tension. Being a fluid it has the ability to change shape easily or take on the shape of its container. Having a high surface tension, it has a certain ability to define the structure of its own borders or boundaries. The soul can also be thought of as silly putty, clay or play-doh. These substances can be shaped easily. They can also have substance added or subtracted from the main body. Probably the best image of the soul can be seen in the movie “Terminator 2”. The liquid metal robot of Terminator 2 is a good approximation of the human soul.
An important feature of the soul is that it is not a unitary entity. It is made up of many parts. As stated above, a soul can have substance added or subtracted. The soul is in fact a composite entity of many different sub-units of consciousness which have temporarily come together to form what is known as your soul or your personal consciousness. This aspect of soul is best known by shamanic healers who have many effective techniques of healing the soul. Two of the most important techniques involve the eviction of foreign energies or entities and the retrieval of lost parts of your soul. Taking on soul substance that is not your own and losing soul substance that is your own can be very bad for your physical and psychological health. This was recognized thousands of years ago by shamanic healers. This lost knowledge is today starting to be rediscovered and reapplied in modern society with the resurgence of shamanic healing techniques in the western world.
The Spirit is the God you. It is a sub-unit of God which forms the basis of your individuality. It is pure and perfect. It resides in the chakras above your head.
The soul on the other hand is neither pure nor perfect. It is corrupt and polluted. The soul is polluted by energy which has taken on characteristics of negative emotion and malevolent intention. This pollution manifests as the out of control thoughts of the typical human mind. Spiritual development involves undertaking certain energy cultivation and meditation practices to purify the soul. Purification means cleaning the energy of its negative emotional and intentional content and learning to quiet the mind. Purified soul energy tends to migrate to higher chakras within the body. As more and more of this soul energy is purified and migrates to your higher chakras it joins with the Spirit above your head and creates a spirit / purified soul / energy complex called the Higher Self. At this point awareness of and conscious communication with your Higher Self becomes possible.
Two steps in this process are called Illumination and Self-Realization. They also go by other names such as Enlightenment and Remembrance of the Self. Illumination / Enlightenment is a phenomenon in which the individual perceives a bright white light that fills the mind. This is considered to be the Light of the Spirit, the Light of the World, the Light of God, the Light of the Sun or the Light of the Self. First perceiving this Light and then Realizing it as Self are two of the major stages in the process of spiritual development. In Alchemy this new state of being is symbolized by the metal Gold.
3-14-2018
Pi Day 2018
