Spirit and soul in religion. What is the difference between Spirit and Soul. Various types of souls. Soul and spirit: comparison of concepts

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For Orthodox believers, such concepts as the soul and the holy spirit are very important, however, in different teachings and religions, these concepts are ambiguous. To understand in more detail what these terms are and what is the difference between them, our article will help you.

Difference Between Soul and Spirit: Comparison and Definition

The human personality is integral and consists of three main components - spirit, body and soul, which in turn show not only unity, but also interpenetration. There is a clear separation of spirit and soul in the holy book, but it is considered one of the most important theological questions left closed to ordinary people. It is worth noting that even in Orthodox literature these concepts are often intertwined, which is why ambiguities and doubts subsequently arise.

Orthodoxy - soul and spirit

The soul is intangible human essence, the engine of life, which is closed in the body. It is with it that the body takes on life and due to it it allows us to know the world around us. If it does not exist, then there is no life.

But as for the spirit, it is the nature of man in his highest degree, which attracts and directs the person to the Almighty. Very often, believers pronounce. It is this nature that allows a person in the hierarchy to become higher than other living creatures.

Let's take a closer look at what are the differences between seemingly two similar concepts. What is the difference between spirit and soul.

The human intangible essence is a kind of horizontal life vector, connecting personalities with the world, feelings and the area of ​​\u200b\u200blust, the actions of which have several directions, namely:

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  • mental;
  • desirable;
  • sentient.

That is, this is all that a person lives by - experienced emotions, thoughts, feelings, as well as the emergence of a desire to achieve and strive for something, to make a choice between conflicting concepts. The higher human nature serves as a vertical landmark, personifying the desire for the Lord, and its deeds are exclusively directed only to the higher, that is, conscience, thirst and fear of the Lord.

It should be noted that, by nature, a higher nature cannot belong to a person, which is capable of leaving and returning again to him, and his departure does not determine human death, but, on the contrary, animates the essence.

The essence of the human soul

An intangible entity is what hurts when there are no reasons for physical pain (that is, the body is healthy), this usually happens when human desires occur despite the circumstances that have arisen. And the difference between the spirit and the soul lies in the fact that it is not able to perceive such feelings.

The human personality is integral and consists of body, soul and spirit. These components are united and interpenetrating. The Bible clearly distinguishes between the concepts of "spirit" and "soul". However, this one of the most important theological questions remains closed to the common man. Even in religious literature, the concepts of "spirit" and "soul" are often confused, which leads to many perplexities and ambiguities.

Definition

Soul- the intangible essence of a person, enclosed in his body, a vital motor. With it, the body begins to live, through it it learns the world around. No soul, no life.

Spirit- the highest degree of human nature, attracting and leading a person to God. It is the presence of the spirit that puts a person above all in the hierarchy of living beings.

Comparison

Soul is a horizontal vector human life, the connection of the individual with the world, the area of ​​desires and feelings. Its actions are divided into three directions: feeling, desirable and mental. These are all thoughts, feelings, emotions, the desire to achieve something, to strive for something, to make a choice between antagonistic concepts, all that a person lives by. Spirit is a vertical reference point, striving for God. The actions of the spirit are directed exclusively to the higher: the fear of God, His thirst and conscience.

All inspired objects have a soul. Man does not own the spirit. The soul helps the spirit to infiltrate the physical forms of life in order to improve them. A person is endowed with a soul at birth or, as some theologians believe, at conception. The Spirit is sent at the moment of repentance.

The soul animates the body. Just as blood permeates all the cells of the human body, so the soul permeates the entire body. That is, a person possesses it, as he possesses a body. She is his essence. While a person is alive, the soul does not leave the body. When he dies, he no longer sees, does not feel, does not speak, although he has all the senses, but they are inactive, because there is no soul.

Spirit does not belong to man by nature. He can leave it and come back. His departure does not mean the death of a person. The spirit animates the soul.

The soul is what hurts when there is no reason for physical pain (the body is healthy). This happens when a person's desires run counter to circumstances. The spirit is devoid of sensual sensations.

The spirit is an exclusively non-material part of a person. But it is inextricably linked with the soul. According to the holy fathers, the spirit constitutes its highest side. However, the soul also refers to the material part of a person, since it is inextricably linked with the body.

One of the sensual spheres of human life is the craving for sin. By obeying the body, the soul can be stained with sin. The Spirit knows the Divine beauty. He, acting on the soul, directs it to ideality: it purifies thoughts, awakens the desire for selflessness, attracts feelings to elegance. The soul cannot influence the spirit.

Findings site

  1. The soul connects a person with the world, the spirit directs him to God.
  2. All living beings have a soul, only man has a spirit.
  3. The soul animates the body, the spirit - the soul.
  4. The soul is sent at the moment of birth, the spirit at the time of repentance.
  5. The spirit is responsible for the mind, the soul - for feelings.
  6. Man has a soul, but not power over the spirit.
  7. The soul can experience physical suffering, the spirit is devoid of sensory sensations.
  8. The spirit is immaterial, it is connected only with the soul. The soul is inextricably linked with both the spirit and the body.
  9. The soul can be stained with sin. The Spirit contains Divine grace and does not come into contact with sin.
Session of new hypnologists

Q. Tell me, please, what is the difference between Spirit and Soul?
A. The soul incarnates, changes, but the Spirit is eternal.
Q. In what sense does the "soul change"?
A. The soul, it is plastic. Imagine a Star. Here are its rays, this is the Spirit, and the light that comes from it is the Soul. The Spirit is the basis, more rigid, more unshakable, the Soul is more plastic. If the Spirit is represented as a beam, then the Soul will be its slightly blurred glow, in other words, the Spirit is a beam, and the Soul is an image of the Spirit and the glow is closed in it.

Q. Is a particular Spirit associated with a particular Soul? Is this couple permanent?
A. Yes, they are connected and they mutually penetrate each other, only one Spirit, as a rule, has several Souls. And by and large, everything is a manifestation of one Spirit.

Q. What is the difference between the Soul of a person and the Soul of a representative of any other civilization?
A. What kind of person do you have to introduce? People here are different and many different civilizations are embodied in People.

Q. We had information that all beings incarnating on Earth in the bodies of people, if they came from somewhere else, are paired with the Soul of an earthly person. It can be with experience or even a completely pure matrix, with basic experience recorded on it ... Isn't it?


A. Practically so. But it’s not just that they are “issued as a couple”, but they seem to merge together, but at the same time retain their individuality. It turns out one soul.
Q. After passing the Earth experience, these Souls are separated, or will they be together forever?
A. Everything here is according to their desire, according to the tasks, depending on where they are going, there are many different moments.
Q. What is the difference between the Earthly Human Soul and other Souls, is there any specific feature?

A. Yes, you can call it a special flavor ... We hope you understand that "flavor" in this case is a metaphor.
Q. Maybe only from the Human Soul can the real Creator come to life?
A. No, each Soul can become a Creator, only they create in different ways.

Q. Well, the Souls of Reptilians, can they also become Creators?
A. They are rather destroyers, but at the same time they create something, although they destroy.
Q. So how do they fundamentally differ?
Oh. The teachers are already roaring over us, they say “tail, tail”!)))
But seriously…. They have less Love… Rather, it is even better for them to call it “care”, they have no Love. This is partly due to their physiology. In fact, their Souls could also develop this quality in themselves, and they seem to feel this and are somewhat complex because of this.
Those. this Unconditional Love, which is inherent in the Human Soul, is one of key differences from the Souls of representatives of other civilizations.

Q. What other key differences are there?
A. Now I perceive this as a blue light and feel it as a mixture of nobility and sacrifice, the ability to act on principle, sometimes even to the detriment of oneself. All other civilizations are practical enough.
Q. Are there other civilizations with similar characteristics elsewhere?
A. Yes, but only with similar ones. This special aroma of the Human Soul is formed by a whole complex of special sensations that you experience when you are close to this Soul. There is no one key moment, there is a sum of signs.
There are people who do not experience Unconditional Love but they are still people.

Q. But why can't they manifest this Love?
A. This is a question for these people, not for us.

D_A I will add from myself:

What is soul and spirit

The soul is the intangible essence of a person, enclosed in his body, a vital motor. With it, the body begins to live, through it it learns the world around. No soul - no life.
Spirit is the highest degree of human nature, attracting and leading a person to God. It is the presence of the spirit that puts a person above all in the hierarchy of living beings.

What is the difference between soul and spirit?

The soul is a horizontal vector of human life, the connection of the individual with the world, the area of ​​desires and feelings. Its actions are divided into three directions: feeling, desirable and mental. These are all thoughts, feelings, emotions, the desire to achieve something, to strive for something, to make a choice between antagonistic concepts, all that a person lives by. The spirit is a vertical reference point, a striving for God.

The soul animates the body. Just as blood permeates all the cells of the human body, so the soul permeates the entire body. That is, a person possesses it, as he possesses a body. She is his essence. While a person is alive, the soul does not leave the body. When he dies, he no longer sees, does not feel, does not speak, although he has all the senses, but they are inactive, because there is no soul. Spirit does not belong to man by nature. He can leave it and come back. His departure does not mean the death of a person. The spirit animates the soul.

The soul is what hurts when there is no reason for physical pain (the body is healthy). This happens when a person's desires run counter to circumstances. The spirit is devoid of sensual sensations.

From an early on topic:

Operator 1: There are many so-called hybrids on earth now. This is when a mix is ​​embodied (they put a little bit of everything in different proportions into one form for embodiment) from different, unconnected systems:

Soul as a certain quality and quantity of energy related to earthly and extraterrestrial forms of incarnation
- energies, substances (I can't find a word), from another system / plan, form. Not related to the system of incarnations on earth, but taking part in the universal cocktail ..
- subtle (energy substances embodied in guardians, angels, hierarchies, everyone who works with energies before incarnation)
- the level of the programmer (they are not related to either the first or the second, but are associated with the creation and adjustment of these three or more systems)
From this Mix of substances, a single package is created, which the earthly body receives in incarnation. And for this body there are completely different tasks. They are minimally connected with past lives!
Since it is not the soul that gets into karmic incarnations, but the ego *... The soul observes the evolution of the Ego until its complete dissolution! To get out of the wheel of Samsara (reincarnations) is to overcome the ego, do not destroy it, but understand that the Ego / mind is just a myth, an illusion.

*In shamanic traditions, it is believed that 3 souls are embodied in a person: body (ego / personality), generic (karmic) and cosmic. The first "dies", i.e. for each life a new one is given, the last two - no, they continue their training of their life after life.

UPD from comm:

The Spirit is a sphere, the soul is a living field in the sphere of the Spirit... The relationship between the Spirit and the Soul is like in a good, friendly family, where the soul is the neck, and the Spirit is the head ..... (where the neck turns - there head looks and does)

If the Soul is like a vessel, then the Spirit is the light that fills this vessel. And this light also animates the Soul, because the source of the Spirit is Good and Life - essences higher than the Spirit, coming from the Infinite.

Spirit is Will, Soul is goals.

From another session:

The information came when I decided to find out the fate of the creature that appeared through the channels of the cemetery love spell, then sealed in wax and sent “back” when the casting was burned.

It was the "Spirit" of the deceased, who was sent to "work" by the host (the owner of the cemetery). We call the “spirit” during life a personality, it is also a particle of the Genus, which is embodied in a pair with the Soul (someone calls it an earthly soul, which is embodied in a pair with a stellar soul), and returns to the Genus after death. This one stayed behind (he had no connection with the Soul, the Soul had already left for reincarnation), lived in the cemetery, and when the casting was burned, he went to the Family.

The Spirit, like the Soul, goes through a series of incarnations. He passes his very first incarnations on his own (but there are not many such people on Earth, less than 5%), then - in a pair with a “starry” Soul (all Souls began their experience of incarnations not on Earth, but in other worlds).

Spirit and Soul can go through a series of incarnations together. My Soul, for example, all earthly incarnations were paired with the same Spirit. But the Spirit also incarnated with other Souls.

And all stories (all connections) from past lives to the present one are dragged by the Spirit. What we call “karmic knots”, the Spirit tied with the same Soul that is incarnated now. And "ancestral negatives" come from his incarnations with other Souls.

UPD from comments:

Many people have a different problem. The Spirit (Essence) is powerful, and following it is, of course, natural. But the Personality is very small, there is no PWM, there is no grasping reflex at all, and it is so difficult for her to survive, to comprehend the laws of this world.
Here "small" is not in the sense of undeveloped, but in the sense of just ahead of the average majority.
In principle, she (Personality) is not the main one for them, it is strange for her to spend her precious time looking for comfort when there are important and inspiring tasks.
But for a harmonious life on earth, a Personality is necessary, and so, a lot of effort is spent to adapt.

Reality is multidimensional, opinions about it are multifaceted. Only one or a few faces are shown here. You should not take them as the ultimate truth, because, but for each level of consciousness and. We learn to separate what is ours from what is not ours, or to extract information autonomously)

THEMATIC SECTIONS:
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Hypnologist session

Question. Please tell me, what is the difference between Spirit and Soul?
Answer. The soul incarnates, changes, but the Spirit is eternal.

Q. In what sense does the "soul change"?
A. The soul, it is plastic. Imagine a Star. Here are its rays, this is the Spirit, and the light that comes from it is the Soul. The Spirit is the basis, more rigid, more unshakable, the Soul is more plastic. If the Spirit is represented as a beam, then the Soul will be its slightly blurred glow, in other words, the Spirit is a beam, and the Soul is an image of the Spirit and the glow is closed in it.

Q. Is a particular Spirit associated with a particular Soul? Is this couple permanent?
A. Yes, they are connected and they mutually penetrate each other, only one Spirit, as a rule, has several Souls. And by and large, everything is a manifestation of one Spirit.

Q. What is the difference between the Soul of a person and the Soul of a representative of any other civilization?
A. What kind of person do you have to introduce? People here are different and many different civilizations are embodied in People.

Q. We had information that all beings incarnating on Earth in the bodies of people, if they came from somewhere else, are paired with the Soul of an earthly person. It can be with experience or even a completely pure matrix, with basic experience recorded on it ... Isn't it?
A. Practically so. But it’s not just that they are “issued as a couple”, but they seem to merge together, but at the same time retain their individuality. It turns out one soul.

Q. After passing the Earth experience, these Souls are separated, or will they be together forever?
A. Everything here is according to their desire, according to the tasks, depending on where they are going, there are many different moments.

Q. What is the difference between the Earthly Human Soul and other Souls, is there any specific feature?
A. Yes, you can call it a special flavor... We hope you understand that "flavor" in this case is a metaphor.

Q. Maybe only from the Human Soul can a real Creator come out?
A. No, each Soul can become a Creator, only they create in different ways.

Q. Well, the Souls of Reptilians, can they also become Creators?
A. They are rather destroyers, but at the same time they create something, although they destroy.

Q. So how do they fundamentally differ?
Oh. The teachers are already roaring over us, they say “tail, tail”!)))
But seriously…. They have less Love… Rather, it is even better for them to call it “care”, they have no Love. This is partly due to their physiology. In fact, their Souls could also develop this quality in themselves, and they seem to feel this and are somewhat complex because of this.
Those. this Unconditional Love, which is inherent in the Human Soul, is one of the key differences from the Souls of representatives of other civilizations.

Q. What other key differences are there?
A. Now I perceive this as a blue light and feel it as a mixture of nobility and sacrifice, the ability to act on principle, sometimes even to the detriment of oneself. All other civilizations are practical enough.

Q. Are there other civilizations with similar characteristics elsewhere?
A. Yes, but only with similar ones. This special aroma of the Human Soul is formed by a whole complex of special sensations that you experience when you are close to this Soul. There is no one key moment, there is a sum of signs.
There are people who do not experience Unconditional Love, but they are still people.

Q. But why can't they manifest this Love?
A. This is a question for these people, not for us.

D_A I will add from myself:

The human spirit is the same Spark of the Creator. The soul is those layers, matrices and bodies that the Spark "puts on" itself in order to experience such worlds as the Earth. The matrix of the soul is unstable, they often change, depending on the tasks, lessons and decisions made during the incarnation. This does not mean that the soul itself changes completely, but its cells can change (activate or "fall asleep"), thereby often changing the character. Coming out of the incarnation, the Spark gives up most of the shells to those systems for which the accumulated experience was intended (eg the Earth, family, native civilizations). One colleague described the process as follows:

When my grandmother passed into the other world, I saw how she rose above the planet and there she took on the form of a flower. The petals of this flower began to disintegrate and move away, as a result, only the Spark remained, which went into its higher dimension, I did not have the opportunity to follow it further.

From external:

What is soul and spirit

The soul is the intangible essence of a person, enclosed in his body, a vital motor. With it, the body begins to live, through it it learns the world around. No soul, no life.
Spirit is the highest degree of human nature, attracting and leading a person to God. It is the presence of the spirit that puts a person above all in the hierarchy of living beings.

What is the difference between soul and spirit?

The soul is a horizontal vector of human life, the connection of the individual with the world, the area of ​​desires and feelings. Its actions are divided into three directions: feeling, desirable and mental. These are all thoughts, feelings, emotions, the desire to achieve something, to strive for something, to make a choice between antagonistic concepts, all that a person lives by. Spirit is a vertical reference point, striving for God.

The soul animates the body. Just as blood permeates all the cells of the human body, so the soul permeates the entire body. That is, a person possesses it, as he possesses a body. She is his essence. While a person is alive, the soul does not leave the body. When he dies, he no longer sees, does not feel, does not speak, although he has all the senses, but they are inactive, because there is no soul. Spirit does not belong to man by nature. He can leave it and come back. His departure does not mean the death of a person. The spirit animates the soul.

The soul is what hurts when there is no reason for physical pain (the body is healthy). This happens when a person's desires run counter to circumstances. The spirit is devoid of sensual sensations.

From early

Many people consider the concepts of "soul" and "spirit" to be the same in meaning. But is it really so? How do these two words explain: soul and spirit - what is the difference?

Each person consists of three entities: soul, spirit and body. They harmoniously combine into a single whole. The loss of one component means the loss of the person himself.

What is a soul?

The soul is the intangible essence of a person, which defines him as a unique personality. She lives in the body and is the link between the external and inner world. Only thanks to it a person lives, suffers, loves, communicates and learns the world around him. If there is no soul, there will be no life.

If the body exists without a soul, it is not a person, but some kind of machine to perform various functions.

The soul enters the body at birth and leaves it at death. But until now, many are arguing about where the soul lives?

  1. According to one version, the soul is in the ears.
  2. The Jewish peoples think that the soul resides in the blood.
  3. The inhabitants of the indigenous northern peoples assigned a place to the soul on the most important cervical vertebra.
  4. Orthodox believe that the soul settles in the lungs, stomach or head.

In Christianity, the soul is immortal. It has a mind and feelings, even has its own weight. Scientists have found that the body after death becomes lighter by 22 grams.

Spirit is the highest entity that also lives in the human body. If the soul can be in a plant or animal, then the spirit can only be in a creature that has higher intelligence. AT scripture Spirit is said to be the breath of life.

Thanks to the spirit, people stand out from the whole living world and become above everything. The formation of the spirit occurs in childhood. It is will and knowledge, strength and self-knowledge. The spirit is expressed by striving for the Lord, rejecting everything worldly and sinful.

It is the spirit that is drawn to harmony and everything that is high in life.

The Lord God saved us so that we no longer commit sinful deeds, but live in the spirit. We must become not highly moral, highly spiritual people. Many kind people are not spiritual. They just live, doing worldly things, but they do not feel the presence of the spirit. And there are those who, in fact, led an ordinary life, but were spiritually rich.

What is the difference?

Having understood these concepts for ourselves, we can draw several conclusions:

  • soul and spirit are completely different concepts;
  • Every living being has a soul, but only man has a spirit;
  • the soul often experiences the influence of others;
  • the soul enters a person at birth, and the spirit appears only in moments of repentance and acceptance of God;
  • when the soul leaves the body, the person dies, and if the spirit leaves the body, then the person continues to live, committing sins;
  • only the spirit can know the word of God, the soul can only feel it.

It is impossible to draw a clear line between these two definitions. Each religious teaching has its own interpretations of these two entities. For Orthodox person the answer is to be found. After all, only this scripture can help in determining what the soul and spirit are, what is the difference.