Soul

soul |sōl|
noun
1 the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, regarded as immortal.
• a person's moral or emotional nature or sense of identity : in the depths of her soul, she knew he would betray her.
• the essence of something : integrity is the soul of intellectual life.
• emotional or intellectual energy or intensity, esp. as revealed in a work of art or an artistic performance : their interpretation lacked soul.
2 a person regarded as the embodiment of a specified quality : he was the soul of discretion.
• an individual person : I'll never tell a soul.
• a person regarded with affection or pity : she's a nice old soul.
3 African-American culture or ethnic pride.
• short for soul music


It is so hard to articulate what I am thinking and feeling right now.

I am taking the Process Theology seminar for my major, and even only having had class 4 times I can honestly say that it is making big changes in my beliefs. Today we talked about soul. I don't quite know what everything means, or really understand any of it, but...I was sitting in class today and John was explaining how Process views soul. Let me try to explain...

Traditional theology views the soul as a supernatural, immortal thing- an essential core, that is US and will go off to Heaven or Hell or where ever... when we pass away... It is constant. In Process, our events make us up, and our experience forms our soul. So it isn't a core- it is all of us, every cell/atom/molecule is soul. We are constantly changing- each change brings another change, one experience adding to the many and adding and adding and adding. So, by this logic, nothing about us goes unchanged- including our soul.

It is so much more profound, and complicated, and I am not doing it justice... not even close... but today in class, while we were working this out, I realized that my mind was changing.

I have always said that I could believe in Buddhism if it lacked the concept of anatman. No self/soul. Because I have always believed in a self or a soul... and an afterlife. Not Heaven or Hell, but something. And reincarnation. But... it is true that we are always changing and that our experiences affect us. That we are not who we used to be. In fact, we are totally different people. The kid I was when I was 5 is entirely different than who I am now, as an almost 21 year old. The experiences are not wiped out, but layered and layered and layered... but, I can no longer see the logic in believing that at birth I had a core self that is still with me now. It doesn't mean we are devoid of soul; but soul is ALL of us. It changes as we change. Everything we are is soul. In Process, when we pass, our experience is absorbed into God.

I think at birth we have a spark of the Divine that helps us gather our experience and grow in life, and in soul.

So- the Golden Rule takes on new relevance. Because it is Do Unto Others Souls and as You Would Have Others Do Unto Your Soul.

In this sense...soul is not abstract. Body and soul are one, not separate entities. And, instead of being able to justify doing wrong to bodies because so long as the soul is separate- it can go to "Heaven" and salvation can be hand. Soul is incarnate in our body- therefore, Harming the body = Harming the soul.

The rest I can't explain... I am sure I will write more about this as it comes to me... Process is nuts and awesome