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Dimension
The soul is not a physical entity, but a dimension of our existence; our spiritual selves. The quality of ‘soul’ is not an attributable commodity. We all possess a soul, so you cannot say, “that person has soul”.
In Hebrew, the word “nephesh” is used to describe the life, the prana, the lungs, the breath, the spirit, the being; the soul. It [the soul] is not merely involved in rebirth after the death of the physical body, making nephesh, an all-fitting, eloquent narrative.
Human Race
Wherever home is for you in Canada – Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Regina, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Toronto, Hamilton, Halifax or Montreal, St John’s – the human race is far more complex than evolution and I don’t believe that the feelings we experience, both in- and extrinsically, could be possible by evolution alone.
Albeit, my biases of finding comfort in a spiritual soul emerge here. A soul is a collection; not a physical entity, but comparable to a nest with a string attached to the physical body.
The soul becomes encapsulated by the physical shell that is our bodies on Earth; this is a temporary shell. Our souls are brought to the Earth to fulfill a purpose and this purpose of the soul is set out by your God.
Soul
Once your soul is fulfilled, or you’re not able to complete the path that God has set, your soul exits and is either reborn or kept.
A premature death of the soul is not necessarily the soul’s or the physical body’s fault, it is either due to a chronically bad or dramatically acute incident that makes you fall enough off of the path for you to ever get back on in the first place. God is not perfect, nor does he create perfect things.
The soul can be reincarnated into a new physical shell after death, if it has completed its purpose; or sent to heaven or hell – a concept I have yet to explore on this journey. So, after the death of the physical shell, the soul continues. This gives me comfort in death.
God
So, if all of this is true, we should praise the God that gave us this life and purpose. Give God our unconditional love as He has done for us and show this by fulfilling our purpose as He had set it out to be.
This is where dharma enters. Dharma, in Hindu, is the duties, laws, and mannerisms you uphold as a citizen of that religion; a citizen of your God. My current interpretation of religion is that everything is rooted in love. Our love for our God, for ourselves, for each other; for each other’s souls.
Meditate
When you meditate you’re practicing allowing your mind to be free and allowing yourself to release your soul from the physical body. You’re cleansing your soul, allowing yourself to see the world, your thoughts, and your body as what it is; a physical shell.
Because of the deep connection between the soul and the physical body (exemplified by the emotions and senses we experience), meditation is preparation for the death of the physical body and for allowing the soul to exit the body peacefully. This is how yoga (or a yoga teacher training) brings us closer to our soul and our purpose.