The soul, according to many religious and philosophical traditions, is the ethereal substance — spirit (Hebrew:rooah or nefesh) — particular to a unique living being. Such traditions often consider the soul both immortal and innately aware of its immortal nature, as well as the true basis for sentience in each living being. The concept of the soul has strong links with notions of an afterlife, but opinions may vary wildly, even within a given religion, as to what happens to the soul after death. Many wi ...

Including:

• Soul - Etymologies
• Soul - Philosophical views
• Soul - Socrates and Plato
• Soul - Aristotle
• Soul - Religious views
• Soul - Bahá'í beliefs
• Soul - Buddhist beliefs
• Soul - Christian beliefs
• Soul - Hindu beliefs
• Soul - Islamic beliefs
• Soul - Jainist beliefs
• Soul - Jewish beliefs
• Soul - Other religious beliefs and views
• Soul - Science and the soul
• Soul - Materialistic Science and the Soul
• Soul - Scientific approaches for study of a non-material soul
• Soul - Other uses of the term
• Soul - Movie
• Soul - External references and links

Read more here: » Soul: Encyclopedia - Soul

Spirit-soul Atma-buddhi, the spiritual monad, the monadic essence. Buddhi could have no existence if divorced from atman, its origin as well as its inner vivifying principle; and atman without buddhi would be unmanifest on all planes lower than itself. Spirit-soul is therefore the highest manifested entity in kosmos, otherwise called mahabuddhi, and the spiritual monad in man is a direct derivative therefrom.

(See also: Spirit-soul, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Body mind and Soul)

World-soul, World-spirit World-soul pertains to the lower or active side of cosmic manifestation, world-spirit to the passive side of cosmic life. World-soul is but another name for the anima mundi, whereas the world-spirit corresponds directly to the Hindu Brahman and to either the First or Second Logos, according to the manner of thinking when the application is made.

(See also: World-soul, World-spirit, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Body mind and Soul)

 At the moment of death, our soul rises out of its host body. If the soul is older and has experience from many former lives, it knows immediately it has been set free and is going home. These advanced souls need no one to greet them. However, most souls I work with are met by guides just outside Earth's astral plane. A young soul, or a child who has died, may be a little disoriented until someone comes closer to ground level for them

An excerpt from Destiny of Souls by Michael Newton

Read more here: » Spirit World: Destiny of Souls

 Spirits can be intoxicating, exhilarating, mystifying, prankish or terrifying. The term "spirit" means different things to different people at different times. So what is "spirit?" When I use the term "spirit" here, I refer strictly to ghosts and the spirit world, to the life beyond death.

Read more here: » Spirits: That's The Spirit!

The soul accompanied by the chief vital air (Mukhya Prana), the sense-organs and the mind and taking with itself Avidya, good and evil actions and the impressions left by his previous existence, leaves its former body and obtains a new body.

The death and dying and the life after death has always fascinated man. This is an excerpt from the book What Becomes Of The Soul After Death by Sri Swami Sivananda.

Read more here: » Soul’s Journey After Death: Soul’s Journey After Death

The English word "spirit" comes from the Latin spiritus, meaning breath. In religion and spirituality, the respiration of the human being has for obvious reasons been strongly linked with the very occurrence of life. A similar significance has been attributed to human blood. Spirit has thus evolved to denote that which separates a living body from a corpse, but can be used metaphorically (she performed the piece with spirit or she put up a spirited defence) where ...

Including:

• Spirit - Etymology

Read more here: » Spirit: Encyclopedia - Spirit

A different approach is called for if you're trying to record ghosts as opposed to spirits. Here, a ghost would be some kind of paranormal activity that is obvious and external to the observer. If you live in a house where strange things are always happening, or you know of a local house or area that is reputed to be haunted, you might take your tape recorder, camera or camcorder and set it up when you expect strange things to occur.

Read more here: » Spirits: Taping Spirits

The term spirit is very difficult to comprehend because it carries many different and often conflicting connotations. For the purpose of this writing, a spirit is a self-aware being, good or evil, which lacks a physical body. The premise upon which most spiritual theory is based suggests that there are two general elements in the universe - the intelligent element and the material element, and that spirits are the individualization of the intelligent element and bodies are the individualization of the material element.

Read more here: » Spirits: A Brief Discussion on Spirits

At the time of death when the breathing becomes difficult the Jiva or the individual self that is in the body goes out making noises. Just as a cart heavily loaded goes on creaking, so does the Jiva creak while the Prana departs.

The death and dying and the life after death has always fascinated man. This is an excerpt from the book What Becomes Of The Soul After Death by Sri Swami Sivananda.

Read more here: » Soul’s Journey After Death: How Soul Departs After Death

 As humanity moves forward in understanding and acceptance of the next level of soul development, it would be wise to remember that we are not here to suffer, rather we are here to transcend suffering and become the stars that we truly are.

Read more here: » Body Mind and Spirit: Soul Purpose And Co-creation

When we seek the perfect diet, what is it we are really seeking? At the soul level, beyond appearances and the everyday concerns of the outer self, the longing for absolute physical health reflects deeply held convictions about transcending earthly limitations, about going beyond sickness and disease to a state of perfection. We must remember, however, that immortality and perfection do not represent the human experience in the physical realm.

Read more here: » Body Mind and Soul: Nourishing the Spirit

Spirits differing very widely from one another as regards their knowledge and morality, it is evident that the same question may receive from them very different answers, according to the rank at which they have arrived; exactly as would be the case if it were propounded alternately to a man of science, an ignoramus, and a mischievous wag. The important point, as previously remarked, is to know who is the spirit to whom we are addressing our question.

From "The Spirits book" By Allan Karde (1804-1869.

Read more here: » Spiritism, Introduction of The Spirits book - Part V of VI

Spiritualism is the opposite of Materialism; every one is a Spiritualist who believes that there is in him something more than matter, but does not follow that he believes in the existence of spirits, or in their communication with the visible world. Instead, therefore of the words SPIRITUAL, SPIRITUALISM, we employ, to designate this latter belief, the words SPIRITIST, SPIRITISM, which, by their form, indicate their origin and radical meaning, and have thus the advantage of being perfectly intelligible; and we reserve the words spiritualism, spiritualist, for the expression of the meaning attached to them by common acceptation.

From "The Spirits book" By Allan Karde (1804-1869.

Read more here: » Spiritism, Introduction of The Spirits book - Part I of VI

Ancient Indian sages have said that human beings are composed of both matter and spirit. Our physical body, mind and intellect are the matter components while our soul is the spirit - the real Self - that radiates and drives the matter components.

We have been blessed with the capacity to discriminate. We are equipped to take decisions using our intellect and by applying acquired wisdom. We have vast potential, but because of our ignorance of Self, these potentials remain largely untapped. That is why all wise men have exhorted us to try and attain Supreme Knowledge of the Self.

(See also: Body Mind and Spirit, Faith and Belief, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Many persons regard the opposition of the learned world as constituting, if not a proof, at least a very strong presumption, of the falsity of Spiritism. We are not of those who affect indifference in regard to the judgement of scientific men; on the contrary, we hold them in great esteem; and should think it an honour to be of their number, but we cannot consider their opinion as being, under all circumstances, necessarily and absolutely conclusive.

From "The Spirits book" By Allan Karde (1804-1869.

Read more here: » Spiritism, Introduction of The Spirits book - Part III of VI

The passage of the self from the body varies according to the number of good actions done by the Jiva and the knowledge gained by him. If he has a good store of virtuous deeds and relative knowledge that would take him to the Sun, the self leaves the body through the eye. It leaves through the head if he is entitled to the world of Hiranyagarbha. It leaves through other passages according to its past work and knowledge.

The death and dying and the life after death has always fascinated man. This is an excerpt from the book What Becomes Of The Soul After Death by Sri Swami Sivananda.

Read more here: » Soul’s Journey After Death: How The Self Departs

When the man is about to die, the various organs withdraw themselves into their original sources and help no more the function of the organs. In death there is a complete withdrawal of the organs into the heart or the heart-lotus or Akasa of the heart. But in the state of dream the organs are not absolutely withdrawn. Here lies the difference between sleep and death.

The death and dying and the life after death has always fascinated man. This is an excerpt from the book What Becomes Of The Soul After Death by Sri Swami Sivananda.

Read more here: » Soul’s Journey After Death: Process Of Detachment

The Uttara Marga or Devayana path or Northern path or the path of light is the path by which the Yogins go to Brahman. This path leads to salvation. This path takes the devotee to Brahmaloka. Having reached the path of the gods he comes to the world of Agni, to the world of Vayu, to the world of Varuna, to the world of Indra, to the world of Prajapati, to the world of Brahman.

The Pitriyana path or the path of darkness or the path of ancestors leads to rebirth. Those who do sacrifices to gods and other charitable works with expectation of fruits go to the Chandraloka through this path and come back to this world when their fruits of Karmas are exhausted.

The death and dying and the life after death has always fascinated man. This is an excerpt from the book What Becomes Of The Soul After Death by Sri Swami Sivananda.

Read more here: » Soul’s Journey After Death: The Two Paths — Devayana And Pitriyana

 Soul loss is a spiritual illness that causes emotional and physical disease. We all spend a tremendous amount of psychic energy looking for lost parts of ourselves. We do this unconsciously, and we do this in many ways: generating dreams and daydreams, experimenting with numerous spiritual paths and creating relationships that mirror back to us our missing parts, to name but a few. Many of us today don't feel totally whole, don't feel as if we are all here. Few of us live as fully as we could.

Read more here: » Soul Retrieval: Soul loss is a spiritual illness