Soul Vs Spirit

[Frostfire]

To my understanding the idea of a Soul is not a universal concept so I suppose this is only for those of you who believe in some definition of a soul.

Now for those that do, is there a difference between a soul, and a spirit? For me there is, but I'm having some trouble pinning it down. Please, allow me to offer my thoughts so far and hopefully one or more of you can help me refine this or give me a totally new insight.

So commonly I hear people use the terms soul and spirit almost interchangably, at the same time there is a definite difference between the two. My question is, what is that difference exactly?

So soul: for me, is the animating force of and the connecting force in all things...All things have a soul and in my opinion we all share a soul, a spark, a force... not neccisarily LIFE force, but Potential, possibility..like is sacred geometry soul is the single point, the origin of all other form and possibility? Soul is Potential?

So soul is exant and exists everywhere in all things at all times. Spirit on the other hand is singular, it is the nature of or the conciousness of a thing. Spirit manifests at individual points in the cycle, It is subject to the flow of time. So it can manifest at point A, or Point B, or point C and F simultaneously but it cannot be everywhere at once. Spirit is individual while soul is shared... I Think.

Anyone else have any theories or opinions of the nature of Spirit and Soul, are they the same? Are they different? If so how?

[Indra]

To my understanding the idea of a Soul is not a universal concept so I suppose this is only for those of you who believe in some definition of a soul.

Now for those that do, is there a difference between a soul, and a spirit? For me there is, but I'm having some trouble pinning it down. Please, allow me to offer my thoughts so far and hopefully one or more of you can help me refine this or give me a totally new insight.

So commonly I hear people use the terms soul and spirit almost interchangably, at the same time there is a definite difference between the two. My question is, what is that difference exactly?

So soul: for me, is the animating force of and the connecting force in all things...All things have a soul and in my opinion we all share a soul, a spark, a force... not neccisarily LIFE force, but Potential, possibility..like is sacred geometry soul is the single point, the origin of all other form and possibility? Soul is Potential?

So soul is exant and exists everywhere in all things at all times. Spirit on the other hand is singular, it is the nature of or the conciousness of a thing. Spirit manifests at individual points in the cycle, It is subject to the flow of time. So it can manifest at point A, or Point B, or point C and F simultaneously but it cannot be everywhere at once. Spirit is individual while soul is shared... I Think.

Anyone else have any theories or opinions of the nature of Spirit and Soul, are they the same? Are they different? If so how?

Ooo I'm interested in replying to this! The book I have just read has defined soul and spirit for me in a way that just feels right, nothing's ever done that before.

As far as I believe, everything in the universe has a 'soul'. By soul I mean a chunk of the power some of us know as the 'All' that breaks off and infuses it when it is created, be it person, rock or plant. This leads me to believe that this is how we are all ultimately connected with everyone and everything.

The power of spirit is what we use to work our magick and recharge our souls, it is power drawn from the All and channelled into ourselves and then out again with whatever goal we charge it with, ultimately rejoining the All, making us part of a giant cosmic circuit.

This is what I believe, hope it makes sense (I'm not often good at explaining deep things)

[Fireof9]

To my understanding the idea of a Soul is not a universal concept so I suppose this is only for those of you who believe in some definition of a soul.

Now for those that do, is there a difference between a soul, and a spirit? For me there is, but I'm having some trouble pinning it down. Please, allow me to offer my thoughts so far and hopefully one or more of you can help me refine this or give me a totally new insight.

So commonly I hear people use the terms soul and spirit almost interchangably, at the same time there is a definite difference between the two. My question is, what is that difference exactly?

So soul: for me, is the animating force of and the connecting force in all things...All things have a soul and in my opinion we all share a soul, a spark, a force... not neccisarily LIFE force, but Potential, possibility..like is sacred geometry soul is the single point, the origin of all other form and possibility? Soul is Potential?

So soul is exant and exists everywhere in all things at all times. Spirit on the other hand is singular, it is the nature of or the conciousness of a thing. Spirit manifests at individual points in the cycle, It is subject to the flow of time. So it can manifest at point A, or Point B, or point C and F simultaneously but it cannot be everywhere at once. Spirit is individual while soul is shared... I Think.

Anyone else have any theories or opinions of the nature of Spirit and Soul, are they the same? Are they different? If so how?

 
My belief is this.

Our soul is, for lack of better words, a container. Sent out from the divine, the All - whatever you like to call it. We live an existence and the lessons and experiences of that existence fill that container. This is the spirit, the self awareness, the ego.
When that existence comes to an end, the soul returns to the All and is stripped of those experiences, of the spirit, ego and self awareness. The soul then may journey again to a new life, rebirth etc. But for example if in this existence I am James, once that is stripped from the soul, I will never be James again.

[mlr52]

To my understanding the idea of a Soul is not a universal concept so I suppose this is only for those of you who believe in some definition of a soul.

Now for those that do, is there a difference between a soul, and a spirit? For me there is, but I'm having some trouble pinning it down. Please, allow me to offer my thoughts so far and hopefully one or more of you can help me refine this or give me a totally new insight.

So commonly I hear people use the terms soul and spirit almost interchangably, at the same time there is a definite difference between the two. My question is, what is that difference exactly?

So soul: for me, is the animating force of and the connecting force in all things...All things have a soul and in my opinion we all share a soul, a spark, a force... not neccisarily LIFE force, but Potential, possibility..like is sacred geometry soul is the single point, the origin of all other form and possibility? Soul is Potential?

So soul is exant and exists everywhere in all things at all times. Spirit on the other hand is singular, it is the nature of or the conciousness of a thing. Spirit manifests at individual points in the cycle, It is subject to the flow of time. So it can manifest at point A, or Point B, or point C and F simultaneously but it cannot be everywhere at once. Spirit is individual while soul is shared... I Think.

Anyone else have any theories or opinions of the nature of Spirit and Soul, are they the same? Are they different? If so how?

 
For me the soul is what created creation.  The spirit is the part of the soul, that thinks it is separated from the soul.

[Frostfire]

Ooo I'm interested in replying to this! The book I have just read has defined soul and spirit for me in a way that just feels right, nothing's ever done that before.

As far as I believe, everything in the universe has a 'soul'. By soul I mean a chunk of the power some of us know as the 'All' that breaks off and infuses it when it is created, be it person, rock or plant. This leads me to believe that this is how we are all ultimately connected with everyone and everything.

The power of spirit is what we use to work our magick and recharge our souls, it is power drawn from the All and channelled into ourselves and then out again with whatever goal we charge it with, ultimately rejoining the All, making us part of a giant cosmic circuit.

This is what I believe, hope it makes sense (I'm not often good at explaining deep things)

 
Do you mind me asking what the book you read was? I think I might like to read it.

[Frostfire]

My belief is this.

Our soul is, for lack of better words, a container. Sent out from the divine, the All - whatever you like to call it. We live an existence and the lessons and experiences of that existence fill that container. This is the spirit, the self awareness, the ego.
When that existence comes to an end, the soul returns to the All and is stripped of those experiences, of the spirit, ego and self awareness. The soul then may journey again to a new life, rebirth etc. But for example if in this existence I am James, once that is stripped from the soul, I will never be James again.

 
Curious: why are we stripped of the experiances of life? What happens to those experiances once they are " shed" from the soul and spirit?

[Frostfire]

For me the soul is what created creation.  The spirit is the part of the soul, that thinks it is separated from the soul.

 
Lmao..you know I like how I spent forever trying to find a place to mark the distinction between soul and spirit, and you, in like 3 lines go and do it... *Facepalm*

[Indra]

Do you mind me asking what the book you read was? I think I might like to read it.

Spiritwalking by Poppy Palin. I've just recently bought this book and its just slotted so many things into place for me. Obviously it might not be everyone's cup of tea but for me it just hit the spot!

[mlr52]

Lmao..you know I like how I spent forever trying to find a place to mark the distinction between soul and spirit, and you, in like 3 lines go and do it... *Facepalm*

 
It took 38 years in my personal hell (not Dante's Infernal).

[Fireof9]

Curious: why are we stripped of the experiances of life? What happens to those experiances once they are " shed" from the soul and spirit?

 
Those experiences are stripped and absorbed back into the All.

[MattyG]

Anyone else have any theories or opinions of the nature of Spirit and Soul, are they the same? Are they different? If so how?

 
For me, the soul is the container of spirits, and spirits are the motivating energy for existence. So any individual person, animal, plant, rock, star, planet, etc. will have a soul, and that's their identity. That object's nature is defined by the spirits that its soul is composed of. So as a child, my soul contains a portion of the child-spirit. As an artist, my soul contains part of the artist-spirit. The sun's soul contains part of the nurturing-spirit, but also part of the destructive-spirit.

I believe that a soul grows and changes over time, and upon death the soul breaks and the different aspects of its spirit dissolve back into the universe or the Otherworlds to be acquired by others, to form new souls, or to rest.

[Donal]

 
Anyone else have any theories or opinions of the nature of Spirit and Soul, are they the same? Are they different? If so how?

 
A large part is how one defines words. Different people use different meanings for these terms. Without referencing someone else, I can tell you how I personally define these terms, and maybe you can react to them with your own ideas and definitions.

To me, as a Pagan, everything has a spirit. By spirit, I mean an animating force. Rocks, stones, soil, water, trees, animals, people, sky, and sea all have spirits that are unique to them.

Part of magical work is understanding and working with these different energies. This is usually done with shamanic practice. Shamanism is about understanding how Nature and her component spirits operate and interact.

A soul, to me, is something different.

Whereas spirits are generally the power and motive force of any sort of being or substance, a soul represents the individual character of one being. The personality is the outward expression of the soul.

Everything has a spirit, yet not everything has a soul. A soul implies personhood at the deepest level, and most mainstream religions hold that only persons have souls, and that the soul is the immortal component of the self.

A spirit is the energy of an object, whereas a soul is the spiritual being of a person.

These are my own definitions and personal views. Your views and definitions may vary.

Donal

[Nyktelios]

To my understanding the idea of a Soul is not a universal concept so I suppose this is only for those of you who believe in some definition of a soul.

Now for those that do, is there a difference between a soul, and a spirit? For me there is, but I'm having some trouble pinning it down. Please, allow me to offer my thoughts so far and hopefully one or more of you can help me refine this or give me a totally new insight.

So commonly I hear people use the terms soul and spirit almost interchangably, at the same time there is a definite difference between the two. My question is, what is that difference exactly?

So soul: for me, is the animating force of and the connecting force in all things...All things have a soul and in my opinion we all share a soul, a spark, a force... not neccisarily LIFE force, but Potential, possibility..like is sacred geometry soul is the single point, the origin of all other form and possibility? Soul is Potential?

So soul is exant and exists everywhere in all things at all times. Spirit on the other hand is singular, it is the nature of or the conciousness of a thing. Spirit manifests at individual points in the cycle, It is subject to the flow of time. So it can manifest at point A, or Point B, or point C and F simultaneously but it cannot be everywhere at once. Spirit is individual while soul is shared... I Think.

Anyone else have any theories or opinions of the nature of Spirit and Soul, are they the same? Are they different? If so how?

When I took religious studies classes in university, we were discouraged from using the word "soul" outside the context of Christianity, because its connotations are very specifically Christian. For example, the Greek word, "psyche", is often translated as "soul", but it literally means "breath", as breathing is a characteristic of being alive and animated. This doesn't exactly equate to the Christian concept of an immortal spiritual double in need of salvation in order to enter a happy afterlife. I think "spirit" is more of a vital force, while a "soul" is more of an immaterial, immortal component of a person.

[MattyG]

When I took religious studies classes in university, we were discouraged from using the word "soul" outside the context of Christianity, because its connotations are very specifically Christian. For example, the Greek word, "psyche", is often translated as "soul", but it literally means "breath", as breathing is a characteristic of being alive and animated. This doesn't exactly equate to the Christian concept of an immortal spiritual double in need of salvation in order to enter a happy afterlife. I think "spirit" is more of a vital force, while a "soul" is more of an immaterial, immortal component of a person.

 
From what I understand, the Hebraic concept of the soul is closer to breath as well. I might be mistaken though.

[Frostfire]

For me, the soul is the container of spirits, and spirits are the motivating energy for existence. So any individual person, animal, plant, rock, star, planet, etc. will have a soul, and that's their identity. That object's nature is defined by the spirits that its soul is composed of. So as a child, my soul contains a portion of the child-spirit. As an artist, my soul contains part of the artist-spirit. The sun's soul contains part of the nurturing-spirit, but also part of the destructive-spirit.

I believe that a soul grows and changes over time, and upon death the soul breaks and the different aspects of its spirit dissolve back into the universe or the Otherworlds to be acquired by others, to form new souls, or to rest.

 
So for you spirits are achetype forces, or something to that effect? Like as an artist I would have a portion of the "Artist" spirit. Which would be a portion of the same spirit all other Artists possess. We would be different because although we share that spirit we would have others that differ.

so could a spirit exist in our world/plane without a soul? Could something be Pure spirit?  Or is soul a needed medium?