What is the soul and how may I approach it?

[Dtris]

Awesome thread so far. I guess I will add my 2 cents.

The common conception of the soul as the essence of the individual which is separate from the physical self is a flawed concept. This belief is based in cartesian duality as much as anything theological.

The flaws in common understanding is that the soul is created for a specific third density incarnation, and that the soul will go to paradise or be damned. While this is more theological than metaphysical I think the concepts are so intertwined that it is hard to discuss one without the other.

What the common conception gets right is that the soul is eternal.

How do you approach the soul? I would say most people don't. Or they only do conceptually from whatever religion they are indoctrinated in. So they think the soul is something which needs "saved", or which must "submit to god", or must "release its attachments".

I believe all these are very limited ways of approaching the soul. Mainly because most are too limited and have a too narrow concept of the soul.

My favorite way of viewing the soul is from Kaballah and the 5 levels of the soul. I will quote someone else since I am rusty.

The Midrash states that the soul has five names: Nefesh (soul of vitality), Ruach (spirit), Neshamah (breath of life), Chaya (living one), and Yechidah (singular one). Kabbalah explains that these five names of the soul correspond to the level of soul in each of the worlds. Nefesh corresponds to the soul in the realm of Assiyah, Ruach in Yetzirah, Neshamah in Beriah, and Chaya in Atzilut, while Yechidah represents the quintessential point of the soul (Etzem HaNeshamah) which is rooted in the Or Ein Sof. Hassidism teaches that the Nefesh resides in the blood, Ruach in the heart, Neshamah in the brain. Chayah and Yechidah are transcendent of the body, not enclothing themselves in any particular limb. The Kabbalists explain that through successive incarnations, all levels of the soul are elevated.

Depending on the source only certain levels of the soul continue between incarnations. What is interesting is while the Nefesh is usually viewed as the animal soul, I find it more beneficial to view it as the composite soul of all the cells and organisms of the body.

What I mean is that each molecule can be viewed as 1st density life, and each cell can be viewed as a distinct second density life, while each organism becomes a higher second density life until it becomes third density. If we believe that 1st density molecules are alive, then they have a soul or consciousness of some form, then so would second density life, of which a single cell is indistinguishable from a bacteria in this view. So if all these have their own consciousness then how does the third density and higher second density entities soul and consciousness interact with the others?

My opinion is that there is a type of composite soul made from the interaction of mutually benefiting molecules and cells. This composite soul is what becomes the animal soul or Nefesh and is what is primarily associated with the base needs of the organism and the reptilian brain as it is known. That is why this soul is said to die when the body dies as it is no longer needed and the constituent individual consciousnesses either die, or transform.

In this way it can be seen as a service to lower 2nd and 1st density consciousnesses to be a part of a body, and by honoring and loving the body those parts can be given love and light to use for their advancement.

One of the higher soul levels is also considered the same as the Higher Self. This is represented by meeting Metatron and seeing he/she is you.

I don't think I answered anything, oh well time to get back to doing stuff.