Did souls exist before physical life??

[abbit]

Originally Posted by spacefeather

I love reading this thread so far. This question is tightly linked to the purpose of life question for me. I like to think that we are put on this planet to grow, and for that reason, there is a higher part of us that has lived many lives that chooses the life we are born into each time. That then begs the question: when was Me version 1.0 created? And did that Me version 1.0 choose the life he/she/it lived?.......... *shrug*

I don't truly KNOW any of this, of course, but it's what I am considering lately.

And once Me 1.0 is created, does it hang around for eternity?

[SemperVI]

Originally Posted by spacefeather

That then begs the question: when was Me version 1.0 created?

This reminds me of a story I read about a boy asking his father if the goldfish in a fish bowl understood the world the fish lived in.

I believe your soul is eternal. To answer "when was my soul created?" is to answer "when was my creator created? which begs the question as you suggested "when was my creator's creator created...." It's and endless loop -- a stack overflow if you will that is all consuming. IMHO - it is not really a question we as humans are capable of understanding because our bodies are bound to a three dimensional construct of linear time and space that in this material form we are incapable of physically escaping. Much like the gold fish - we are not capable of seeing the bigger picture from such a narrow perspective.

Because I believe our souls are eternal, I don't believe the soul has a beginning or ending as we understand this concept

Originally Posted by spacefeather

And did that Me version 1.0 choose the life he/she/it lived?..........

This probably depends on your worldview metaphorically speaking. I myself have settled on an understanding of a multi-incarnation cyclical process. (I don't like to use the word reincarnation because it's misleading). In any case -- God (Creator, Prime Source, Higher Self, Whatever you wish to call This) is the sum of universal experience and expression. By proxy, your soul or higher self is the sum of all incarnate experience and expression. In this understanding one need only ask themselves if the soul has free will. If this is true and I believe it is - then YES! Absolutely this is the case. But, I would encourage You to recognize that it is your soul that makes this decision -- not exclusively "spacefeather's" decision. Your experience will be added to the sum of other factors that you may or may not be aware of.

Then again - I could be completely wrong. I hope this helps

-- Peace

[Interuniversalism]

Yes we did. This word and the universe is just one of the many stages of our journey towards reunification with the source.

[Rah nam]

sorry didn't realize I said already what I just wrote down.

[Uma]

I like learning about different cosmologies and looking for common themes. There are all kinds of theories about the origin of souls.
What I have learned from my teacher is that our souls have 2 subtle bodies - an active mind and a storage mind - plus the gross physical body that is only used as a vehicle for an earthly incarnation.
Other teachers say there are more bodies, but to me this is just splitting hairs.

time is not the same in dimensional terms in the spirit worlds. But the simple answer is yes they did.

[Somnia]

I have this nagging feeling that before souls incarnate in the physical realm, these various souls make "pacts" with each other in order to teach one another for the sole purpose of each others soul evolution...clearing the lower vibration energies so we can ascend to our true selves and experience unconditional love for not only ourselves, but with others...

[jimrich]

Originally Posted by metal68

another BIG question..but did we exist as souls before any physical life appeared, even planets appeared??

If we did, what did we do with ourselves??

As far as I currently know (I'm not the expert), Awareness or Consciousness always was, is and will be and is the underlying, background, eternal, infinite Reality of all the illusory objects that make up a universe or even multiple universes. It's something the ordinary mind cannot grasp but Live exists prior to any object or state that it projects into apparent existence. What Life or Consciousness did with itself before projecting this universe is beyond me and yet, I am it! Maybe I slept a lot or just hung out with my self in emptiness. You are it - so what did you do? :)

[ajay00]

Originally Posted by metal68

another BIG question..but did we exist as souls before any physical life appeared, even planets appeared??

The soul in its essence is pure consciousness , which does not have a beginning or an end , as per Hinduism.

So you existed as pure consciousness at all times, irrespective of whether there was a material universe or not. Also one can take into consideration the astral universe as well, as recounted in detail in Yogananda's 'Autobiography of a Yogi' , where the astral planets and dimensions exist, wherein souls go to after the death of the physical bodies in their subtle astral bodies.

Originally Posted by metal68

If we did, what did we do with ourselves??

The nature of the spirit is said to be Sat-Chit-Ananda , that is, Truth-Being-Bliss. So you were in a perpetual blissful and content state .