Soul as Substance
Perhaps it is hard to find a concept that appears so self-evident yet so indeterminate as the soul.
The very idea of the “soul” (Greek ψυχή, Latin anima) arose from notions about the collection of mental phenomena closely linked to the body — in particular feelings and drives. The ancient Greeks divided the human being into three levels: body, soul, and spirit. At the same time, “spirit” was understood as the individual essence, while “soul” denoted the principle of life. For Plato, the soul and the body exist separately, whereas for Aristotle they are inextricably connected.
The magical notion of the soul begins with the ancient Egyptian idea of the “ba“, which in turn was developed by the Kabbalah into the concept of “neshama“. The Egyptians understood the “ba” as the repository of a person’s moral qualities; they held that it is the ba that is the intellectual and spiritual awareness of the world, formed in a person through experience and learning, and by assimilating abstract ideas. One could say that the ba to some extent forms and nourishes the person’s mind.
The concept of the “ba” combined notions of the “soul” (that is, the principle of life), the idea of a “mental body” or vehicle of thought, and the concept of a “double“, which ancient seers did not distinguish.
Kabbalah develops the notion of neshama, considering it the “intermediate soul” (between “yechidah” — spirit — and “nefesh” — life‑force). In a newborn a vessel ruach forms between the light of neshama and the vessel nefesh, autonomous and possessing free choice, the basis of a free personality. That is, the personality — the ruach — is an expression of the soul, the neshama. In humans neshama is most often associated with the sefirah Binah, which, on the one hand, emphasizes its passive position relative to the spirit, and on the other regards it as the repository of “understanding.” However, in some traditions neshama is also related to the “potential” sefirah Da’at, since it acts as the connecting link between the unmanifest and the actual worlds. It is believed that, although a person cannot damage the neshama, they can lose contact with it. Neshama supplies spiritual energy and connects a person with the common spiritual root.
The contemporary magical tradition notes several aspects when describing the concept of the soul.
1) The soul is understood as the product of the spirit’s action on the body, “ensouled matter,” which arises as a potential at the beginning of creation, and as the monads’ potentials are realized, it grows. That is to say, in this sense the soul is quite substantial; it is not merely a “conventional designation.” However, its substantiality is not independent but functional only. Through successive incarnations, individual carriers of the soul (“ruachot“, “personalities”) merge into the common vessel of the soul — neshama le neshama (“higher self“) — belonging to the monad. In other words, one must distinguish the “individual soul” belonging to a particular incarnation and the proper “soul” understood as a characteristic or one of the levels of manifestation of the monad.
2) One can therefore also say that the soul denotes the depth and intensity of awareness acquired up to the present moment. At the same time, the “individual” soul is the bearer of a person’s personality (neshama as the source of ruach), which arose and developed in a particular incarnation, whereas the “soul of the soul” is the bearer of the monad’s individuality.
3) Since the soul, in this way, has quantitative properties, it can be “increased,” “decreased,” or “lost.” This refers to two aspects: on the one hand, “decrease” or “loss” of the soul signifies a narrowing of the depth and intensity of awareness, the transition of some currently actualized elements into a potential state; on the other hand, such a transition releases energy previously expended to expand awareness.
Thus, “soul” is above all an “energetic” concept; it is not regarded as a separate entity: “soul” may denote the entire psychophysical complex of a person, as well as each of its “bodies” and the level or function of mind that forms it.
It is precisely this energy that is the object of soul “theft” or the “selling” of the soul. The latter point is well known in the fringe magical literature, although it also has a literal counterpart in reality. Indeed, insofar as the soul pertains to the sefirah Binah, it is a conduit for higher sephirotic forces that Qliphothic entities lack and, accordingly, greatly desire.
It is also clear that when one speaks of the “loss of the soul” one means specifically the “individual” soul, the product of the current incarnation, and that its “loss” signifies the loss of the energetic (and possibly informational) significance of this incarnation for the monad’s overall life — that is, the loss of a specific personality as an element in the flow of the monad’s individuality. In this sense one can also speak of the “death” of the soul, again meaning the exclusion of this incarnation from the aggregate of the monad’s ruachot. This results in the given personality “passing without a trace” for the monad, leaving almost no trace within it.
How can a person steal, sell, or lose their soul? What is a person without a soul?
It only sounds terrible, but in reality, I am sure everyone has experience communicating with people who have lost their soul…
Are there any particular signs by which one can say more or less unambiguously that something is wrong with this person in terms of their soul?
It is unlikely one can find specific ‘external’ signs – all of them are indirect: lethargy, apathy, etc. However, within each person, there is a ‘sense of soul’ – a kind of Vision that can determine both the state of the interlocutor’s soul and how aligned it is with the operator’s soul.
There is such a feeling, yes. Therefore, most people are perceived as walking mannequins………………… how harmonized a person’s soul is with the operator’s soul is not always felt from the first “touch”………..sometimes you immediately understand – your person, and sometimes you cannot immediately understand that. There is attraction, but the reason for it is unclear………………but if both sides try to understand the reason for the attraction and interact in the physical world, then under certain conditions, and even words cannot express it – something seems to be revealed, some invisible but real barriers fall away, and yes, it turns out – there is a lot in common, and the attraction is realized as kinship of something, which is inside, deep down……it is hard to express in words……………but it is not a fact that from that moment the interaction will occur perfectly – various skeletons begin to emerge, peeking out from closets………..and……yes, only love, only love, nothing else removes negative perceptions and allows one to accept a person as they are…
“But it is not a fact that from that moment the interaction will occur perfectly – various skeletons begin to emerge, peeking out from closets………..and……yes, only love, only love..” In my opinion, it is a fact that with close and deep closeness, the shadow begins to thicken. It takes courage – to risk showing another person the skeletons in your closet. Not to be afraid and show your OWN and see the core of another without fear – such power gives love and compassion. This is great work of the soul. And even if it is so scary, disgusting, and unbearable that you want to run away from the person to the other end of the world and never see or hear them again… love tries again and again.
And the substance of the soul expands :))
They do have signs, but how to know if a person is without a soul? Perhaps I am without a soul myself and don’t even know it.
Look in the mirror – for a long time and intently (just be careful) – and you will see everything yourself.
Hello Enmerkar. I would like to know your opinion on some moments in life on the topic of “soul and physical reflection”. The first moment – when everything is good in life, but tears are flowing from your eyes and you cannot explain the reason, “everything is good”. And when I looked in the mirror – I smile, but my eyes turn the smiling face into a grimace and the reflection cries. I’ve already written here and linked it to the split, which also existed, but as an event before. However, is the reflection in the mirror the soul? The next discrepancy with the reflection occurred after reading the book “The Picture of Dorian Gray” (not a light book). It deeply disturbed me, I “absorbed” it and my eyes reflected a demonic, dark, sly face. I attributed it to the impression, but it was something internal, dark, mine. Could it also be the soul under the influence of projection? There was also a strange moment when, during twilight, I stared at my face and it aged to gray hair, but my eyes did not change; old age did not come from them… hmm. Is it the soul or… imagination, psyche, suggestibility… I don’t even know. For example, with the breaking of a mirror, it is something more solid than described above. Once, I looked at my reflection for a long time in the public transport window, and when I began to mentally ask “who are you?”, a stone hit the next window and it shattered into tiny pieces. I stopped doing that. Not to mention the internal cut of the soul – during active imagination… I’m completely confused. The soul seems to exist, but where is it and of what quality is the question…
No monad, and that’s fine. Without a monad, it’s good. Someone foolishly drinks poison. And I’m going to have fun))) Inda, well, don’t bother too much – just pop a beer and watch a good movie (about love), and the soul will soon reveal itself))) Aum.
Usually, I delete such comments. But this one, I decided to keep because it contains a very sound thought: the best medicine for the soul is love. Those whose souls are damaged are incapable of love, yet they are capable of desiring love. And if this desire is cultivated, then the soul gradually heals…
Today, in a dream, I received a ‘feather’ under my left armpit for another good deed))) And the soul isn’t a poor student in school to need correcting)
You know, quite often – very much a poor student…
Thank you Enmerkar, and as for my soul, I think we all know what happens to it and when we do something harmful to the soul, we understand it too.
And as for love, it is also very ambiguous.
I’m scared of such a possibility – to be soulless. Such phenomena as lethargy and apathy are not rare for me, unfortunately.
1. Is it possible to lose the soul or damage it through the actions of the consciousness parasite?
2. Can the soul be regained independently without resorting to love?
Understanding that we are not “slaves of celestial forces” and have the right to manage our own lives, to be the creators of our destinies somehow inspires (I am inspired by the books on Transurfing Reality).
3. Can we say that the soul exists or has returned when we feel the joy of life? For instance, I feel this way when I visualize and intend to experience those events, circumstances, and things I would like to see in reality.
4. What should I see if I look long and intently into a mirror? Why is caution needed here?
P.S. Sorry for the long comment and the number of questions. Thank you.
The consciousness parasite has nothing to do with the soul, although it may attempt to block its development. To “return” a stolen soul independently is theoretically possible, but for this, one needs to understand who and when stole it or where it was lost. Apathy is not an obligatory sign of a soul’s absence, just as joy in life is not a sign of its presence; it’s all about the intensity of those feelings. If you stare long enough into a mirror, you can see yourself without a mask – and this requires great courage.
Tell me, are there any precautions that should be taken before looking into the mirror?
The most important thing is to secure the mirror properly so that it doesn’t break.
As I understood it, seeing myself without a mask will help me understand if I have a soul. In the topic of the role of the mage, you also mentioned masks. Can we say that the self is the soul that the mage develops?
Not quite. “Selfhood” is the inherent way of being of a given individuality – a way of acting, a way of feeling, a way of thinking.
hello
I became interested in “intense gazing into the mirror”
I have looked at my reflection attentively more than once, but saw only minor changes in facial proportions.
the gamma of internal inquiries expanded,
but only after the “gaze”
the question is that I did not feel the “necessity for courage” in the sense of the absence of horror
please describe how, in your opinion, one should gaze, and if there are additional conditions.
thank you
no need to reply,
I found the answers.
If you realize this, then you have a soul; soulless beings cannot think about it, they are programmed to live like robots or plants and nothing more.
I have looked into the mirror many times for a long time and seen various changes, lighting changes and light effects – very bright and changing at different speeds, sometimes strangely fast. Often frightening. In addition, I have also noticed that the nature of the changes in images can be consciously controlled. Does this mean: a) that I have some particularly terrible soul (but I would have noticed it in some other manifestations too, which has not yet happened) b) that what I see in the mirror is 99% a product of my imagination. That would be natural considering that everything is a product of imagination; but then the value of such an experience is worth nothing. c) does the very change of images indicate the presence of a perceiving beginning within me?
Is what I see exclusively the momentary fury of the subconscious or are there more stable facets in the individuality of my soul?
Dear Enmerkar, I did the exercise of closely observing myself in the mirror. At first, for a short while, there was a view with changing faces, flashes, and other special effects similar to those described by Anna. Then a transparent image of a human silhouette of my height detached from me and went in a direction opposite to the mirror, but slightly to the left if standing facing the mirror. I tried to stop it and find out who it was and what it was doing behind my back but to no avail. I had the feeling that this image has masculine energy. However, I did notice positive effects in my consciousness after this departure; my consciousness became more stable, strong, and mood swings disappeared. The vision of subtle planes became clearer. From this, I concluded that I got rid of an attachment. Are my conclusions correct, and what could it have been?
Dear Enmerkar, after several prolonged gazes in the mirror, a kaleidoscope of masks gave way to a reflection with a complete absence of a face, just a blurred, half-transparent spot. Is this not the absence of a soul?
Dear Traveler. Forgive me for intervening……. After a close look at your comment, an interesting vision came…. The doctor in a white coat writes a letter: “Dear Magus, please give me a conclusion based on my vision.” Next comes the description of your vision… The Wise Magus, reading the letter, stands up, approaches the bookshelf, takes a thick book titled “List of Visions and Lists of Correct Interpretations,” opens to the right page.. Aha, here’s the answer… and writes to the doctor: “Dear doctor, this vision means that you have encountered the fear that you have no soul” – The doctor read the Magus’s response and remained exactly in the same state he was before sending the letter to the Magus. ………..Who can answer the question: “Do I have a Soul?” in such a way that no doubts remain… I don’t know about you, but when the desire to see my Soul overtakes me, I look into the eyes of my mother, son, sister, dog – beings who love me. In the eyes of a loving person, your Soul is reflected, Traveler. Look, and you will know the answer to your question.
thank you for your kind words, Navigator. It is indeed the soul that resonates with all living things. And the absence of a face in the mirror image only shows the illusory nature of personality as a product of description.
Dear user, please tell me how to return the soul?