What is a soul really?

[Catsquotl]

Reading this thread I am getting confused.
I read a lot about the soul, but not what it is. I read someone equate it to consciousness. Others as that which animates the body.

I guess angels have souls and all living beings, but what is that spark that we call soul instead of God or All that is. Is it infinite and if so, will it remember? does it cognize about itself as we (I) seem to do when I ask who am I?

I know it doesn't matter in the end, but I am curious. Does it grow / evolve and then vanish, like the ego? Is it the true separation from all that is, or the emergence into it, and if so what makes it unique.

Somehow the idea is there that soul is something special, something to be cherished, protected and cultivated. But why?

[Altair]

Originally Posted by Catsquotl

Somehow the idea is there that soul is something special, something to be cherished, protected and cultivated. But why?

Because it's usually viewed as (a piece of) 'God'. So if 'we', as in the ones that live as humans, cultivate it we become better and closer to that.

[Starman]

The best way to find out what a soul is, is to commune with your soul. My soul is not a “what,” as a what is an object, My soul is part of infinity, it has no borders or boundaries, it is not an object. Some call it “soul,” but in other cultures it may be called something else, “over-self,” deeper being, Atman, etc.

In my opinion what we call “soul” is the life force of God, it is the inherent real self of the individual person. I have had many experiences of what we call “soul.” My experience, it is beautiful beyond words, the fabric it is made of is absolutely incredible love, and it has unfathomable wisdom, and unlimited inspiration, among many other things.

One of the things I have learned is that our soul is not merely inside of our physical body; there is an experience where you will come to find that our physical body is inside of our soul and our soul expands beyond our physical body. Our soul is inextricably connected to the one source of all; that which many call “GOD.”

If I were to say what a soul is, but again I don’t think soul is a what, I would say that soul is a projection from God bestowing human life on this planet. Now another question is does everything, animals, insects, plants, rocks, etc., have a “soul” or is it just human beings? If a soul is consciousness then the mountains have a soul as well as everything else.

[hazada guess]

Good post Starman. I think that every soul is part of the God consciousness.

[Starman]

Thank you hazada guess, I agree, God consciousness is inherent in every soul. It is our greatest inheritance. In my opinion souls’ being projected into bodies occurs all over the universe and even in the afterlife. In the afterlife lots of souls receive a body that will help them participate in whatever realm they may exist in. The body we receive will resemble the realm we are in, and then there is existence as a soul without a body, no covering, just naked soul.

[hazada guess]

These are just my thoughts Starman,(I may be wrong),EVERY soul goes on its journey to eventually merge with the universal or God consciousness and leaves the spirit behind how it was remembered in its past life ,to eventually evaporate.
The only exception is when the soul becomes earthbound, then it becomes a Ghost.

[Starman]

hazada guess, right or wrong, most of what I share is what I believe, although I also share my experience which for me often has an unfiltered impact. Regarding what you have shared, it is my belief that at the time of human death, the soul, as a projection is withdrawn from this so-called physical human existence.

That withdrawal from human existence may be all the way consciously absorbed or merged by our source (God) but that withdrawal may also not go all the way back into our source. The withdrawal may deposit us, depending on our conditioning, to exist for a while in the afterlife, as a guide, angel, or other apparition.

Our withdrawal from this physical world may, after a while, also deposit us in another realm, or another planet. If so, the soul receives a body that is conducive for the environment that they are born into. If the soul is going to consciously merge with God then it does so without a body. Us being born here unconscious or unaware plays a very important role.

We are already absorbed by and connected to God. God is always with us. The divine spark that is within us, which we call “our soul” is God. So, in my opinion, we are already merged, we are already home. There is no place else to go because it is all God. Still whether we are aware of it or not, we are still be guided by the divine. To consciously merge with God is to lose your individuality.

Jesus said I and the Father are one, which to me is an indication of merging. We human beings fragment the One Being in our mind and we place a label on each fragment. For instance this we call spirit and that we call soul, and the other thing we call God. When you can see God, the light of God, in everyone and everything, and constantly feel God in your life, then you are most likely on the path of consciously merging.

In the Bible it is written that Jesus said to people, “you can do great things and even greater things then I have done.” That is not my goal but it does say a lot from a person who was, and still is, held in such high esteem. The greatness is within us, at our core, we call it our soul.

Peace

[Starman]

Okay, I reread you previous post and saw I did not address ghosts. Beings on the other side appear to us as ghosts but we here on Earth also appear to them as ghosts. Many human beings on Earth appear to beings in the afterlife as sleep walking ghosts. But with open-ness we can communicate with beings in the afterlife. After all, they are souls just like us.

[hazada guess]

Your beliefs are personal to you and many resonate with mine, though not all. As far as the Bible goes, it can be interpreted in may ways so I don't study it.We will all find out the truth eventually,

[Native spirit]

I would agree with that


Namaste