What is the difference between spirit and soul?

[violet]

Research tells me that 'spirit' and 'soul' are different. It's difficult to find a good explanation of how spirit and soul differ. What would you say the difference is?


Here are some of the ideas I've found.


General idea

The body is like a vehicle, the soul is the engine, the spirit is the driver.

The soul is attached to the body, our identities and experiences. The spirit has freedom to move beyond these things.

(from the Huffington Post)


Christian ideas

The word 'soul' means life. It refers to the whole human being, physical and immaterial. Human beings are souls. Human beings aren't spirits, we have spirits, they're a part of us.

'The soul is the animate life, or the seat of the senses, desires, affections, and appetites. The spirit is that part of us that connects, or refuses to connect, to God.'

(from compelling truth.org)

'...we may use the illustration of three concentric circles:

'The outer circle refers to our body. Our body is our outer part containing our five senses with which we contact all the things of the physical, material realm.

'The middle circle refers to our soul. Our soul is our inner part containing our mind, emotion and will with which we contact all the things of the psychological realm.

The inner circle refers to our spirit. Our spirit is our innermost part with which we contact God and substantiate all the things of the spiritual realm.'

(from holdingtotruth.com)


Metaphysical ideas

'Through spirit you are connected to everything. Nothing is outside Self, for Self is a boundless and measureless expression of spirit. When soul withdraws from the body, spirit remains with soul, for just as soul is an expression of spirit, so is body an expression of soul. Spirit cannot die, life cannot die.'

(from wakeup-world.com)


'There is an underlying power, energy, essence or consciousness that births, energizes and sustains all of creation and the universe in its many manifested forms and appearances, and it is to this underlying power everything returns.

This basic energetic undercurrent of existence is shared by all of life, with various manifested life forms emerging from it, and vibrating on different levels.  It is this basic energetic undercurrent that is called ‘Spirit’.

Spirit can appear in many different shapes and forms within a universe that is harmonious, as it works in an inter-relational flow.  This means it can create and recreate itself without the limits that exist within time and space – in other words, it is ever growing.  This means that in our very nature, we are all ‘Spirit’ because we all are composed of this innate living energy, or ‘Kawsay Pacha‘, that is manifesting itself.'

(from the-open-mind.com)

[GaryTheDemon]

Depends 100% on who you want to ask.  On both.

If you asked me (which no one in their right mind would LOL) then I'd probably say that both 'spirit' and 'soul' are just useful modeling terms for religious practice.  I cannot say that in reality, neither exist, because reality actually doesn't exist.  So when the fundamental basis of our experiential cognizance is flawed, the things that spring from it are also fundamentally flawed.

But notwithstanding that, if pressed for some definition, I'd suggest that the spirit is the continuance.  Soul is another word for it, especially favoured by Christianity (who do lump body in with it to a degree).  I dislike the term 'soul' actually, for that reason.  It implies something separate that reflects who we are now (human, male/female, Australian, personality, gay.... whatever).  Spirit implies to me a spark of continuous awareness that transcends all physical characteristics - which is better, but it still maintains that supreme individuality, separateness and so on.  For me, things are far more complex than that.

But as useful models of focus and visualization, they are fine.

(ask me tomorrow for a different answer LOL)

[Simon2]

Violet and Gary, you are both correct, there are so many definitions of Soul and Spirit and I am now going to add my "definition" or more correctly I was taught by one of my spirit guides (I only found out that I had spirit guides, at a later time).

Non-the-less, I still felt like an alien in a world I did not like, surrounded by family and friends who both loved and liked me, but I knew I was different to everyone I came in contact with.

But, unfortunately it was the start of the widening difference between myself from family, friends and work colleagues, etc.

Where were others like myself??

Sorry, but in order to provide my narrative on the subject, I thought I needed to "set the scene", as whilst in the physical world it became clearer that I could not find anyone like myself, but after a very long time I found that since the age of about 11 Years old, I learnt that I had a spirit guide who was guiding me along with other spirits who were also guiding me and from time-to-time present answers I required especially when something "otherworldly" occurred, in the case of how the soul and spirit were both of a spiritual nature and as such protected and allowed me to have out-of-body experiences and also, most importantly allowed me to have my spirit return back to the correct physical person.

The above, provides an example of what I was taught regarding the nature and purpose of the soul, spirit and the "spiritual umbilical cord".

At the time of conception, the soul, with the spirit inside the soul, already allocated to this physical life "enter the physical form" and also attaches a spiritual umbilical cord to ensure that when the spirit, guided by the soul and attached to the physical body.

The reason for this is that, for one example, when the spirit goes on an out-of-body experience the soul, which is transparent to the spirit, with the spiritual umbilical cord attached to the soul allows the spirit to perhaps learn how and where it can go and is safely returned to the proper Physical body.

Now at the time the physical body dies, the first spiritual thing occurs is the "dissolving" of the connection of the spiritual umbilical cord, then the soul exits the body, guiding the spirit to the spiritual world and the closer it gets to the border between physical and spiritual world the soul starts to disintegrate and just before the spirit is entering the spirit world the soul no longer exists.

[bronwyn]

Hi Violet great discussion  .I like everyones so far lol.But sort of agree with Gary .I find the words soul /spirit as very limiting to me because of religion.I have read some say soul/spirit are the same ...some say they are different .Like all your examples above i have read similar.
I am me. the opinion that i am me is the best i have come with after reading different articles etc lol ..my energy is in my physical body with my unique energy inside of it.No spirit no soul as a separate entity. ..just my energy which is individual but part of a whole within the universe so my energy does affect others around  me.I also know my energy imprint never dies it just resurfaces elsewhere in whatever form i chose/choose.
But the word energy replacing soul or spirit or both is just another word its just that i prefer that word as the connotations in my mind for that word energy is more positive.

[Simon2]

From my perspective, we all have different views and names for these parts of our spiritual selves and I am very happy for people to have different views, if these views make them happier.

 

[bronwyn]

Yes agree Simon we do all have different perspectives. The word spirit i do use a bit especially if others do use it ....its what they like.It also doesnt have the same gut reaction in me as the word soul does.Which is a very physical reaction & energetic reaction to that word ...which i know is mine alone & to do with the religious upbringing i had  .Maybe something i need to work on as well as it is only a word essentially.

[Simon2]

Bronwyn, if words resonate with you more positively than others, then go with them especially if you are happier with them over other words.

Please don't over-think things, it is whatever makes you happiest and comfortable.

[bronwyn]

Over thinking is definitely a problem with me lol...I am trying very hard not to...then i think what if i miss something? Skip something? Lol...it is an issue in self i am trying to let go but believe its one that will take a while...overthinking kept me company

[violet]

Hehe spoken like a true overthinker, bronwyn! Takes one to know one. Just ask me what I think about overthinking ...

More seriously, some people’s brains are wired to think a lot. Check out Elaine Aron’s work relating to Highly Sensitive People. There’s no off switch and that’s normal for some. Whatever the detail, I think the bottom line for Simon and me would be the same, which is to treat ourselves and our processes with kindness and acceptance.

Thanks bronwyn for your interesting p o v on spirit and soul. Reading your post, I could feel the lovely positivity around the word ‘energy’.

[Simon2]

Something unusual has happened to me since I truly became "One" with myself (only recently has the process finalised, Violet and Bronwyn), I find that I have no reason to "over-think", something I have done since my late teens.

Now, no over-thinking only a wonderful feeling of being at peace with myself.

[bronwyn]

Thankyou Violet .
Simon that will be a good day for me .Not to overthink.

But i think lol that i do have a bit of a path to travel before that leaves me.As i not only overthink i do it in 5 split ways at once with subsections & tangents . Lol

[Simon2]

Bronwyn, I was exactly the same until my change and know what you are going through and only you can either continue to "over-think" a question versus looking at all aspects of the question being discussed.

[JulieD]

I like the theory put forward by Neale Donald Walsch. That we are all part of the same mass soul, a spark just breaks off for us to experience an incarnation. I wonder if this breakaway spark is the spirit?

[bronwyn]

I like that theory Julie .It goes with what some call source to.

[JulieD]

Yes, source and the collective consciousness. Have you read Conversations with God? I really like the theory put forward in the books