The soul and the spirit

I've read the biblical and Christian explanations, but would like to understand the spiritualist view a little better.... Are there any teachings from spirit on "What is the difference between the soul and spirit?" what do others think?

Both terms are interchangeable up to a point, but I'd suggest that 'Soul' is individual/ individuated Spirit.

Our difficulty is in having to use finite language to try to make sense of infinite items.
'Spirit' would seem to be entirely fluid, moveable and capable of assuming different guises.

Hi leslie,
I cant really say that i have read an explanation on the difference, Tbh it always has seemed that when most guides talk of them,, they talk soul and spirit the same... But it does make an interesting discussion... doesnt it.?.

Maybe The soul is our individuality and our spirit is the very core of us that links us back to the divine..
These are 2 quotes from silver birch,,

Quotes from The Silver Birch Book of Questions and Answers

Q - What is spirit?
A - SPIRIT is perfect in its origin, spirit possess intrinsically the creative forces of all life. Spirit is not subject to age, infirmity,wastage or to any of the defects that affect the physical body. The line of spirit evolution is from immaturity to maturity. Part of its evolution is accomplished through a physical body, which it has created for that purpose. Spirit is dominant, spirit is the king, spirit is the ruler. But here comes the paradox. There is an interaction between spirit, mind and body, and the body restricts the activity of the spirit on earth because the spirit can express itself on earth only through the body at its disposal.

Silver Birch was asked what is meant by "Twin Souls" without a pause, Silver Birch replied:
Twin souls are when the affinities, which are the two haves of the perfect whole, come together. There are affinities for every soul in the Universe, but they do not often meet in the same incarnation. Where there are souls, complementary to one another, who have earned the right to meet the other half of its being, in one incarnation, there you truly achieve heaven on earth.
Twin souls are what the words entail, a likeness between two similars. They are at the same stage of growth and evolution and thus will go forward together. You have heard me say occasionally to people, "Your are affinities." As circle member commented, "I presume twin souls could meet for a few years and one lose the other."

hiorta - I know what you mean about trying to making sense of infinite items. I've read about the fluidity of spirit before, but wondered what the relationship with the 'soul' was during these different guises.

bravo321uk - Many years ago I was told that the 'spirit' was simply another vessel - one that enabled the 'soul' to inhabit the spirit world. The 'soul' really being the divine essence or 'energy' whilst the spirit and material body simply vessels.

Of course, no matter how hard I try to remember - I simply can't recall who, where or when I either read or was told this (frustrating isn't it ).

As I understand it, the body is an expression of the soul, and the soul is an expression of spirit. There was a better way of putting it, but it escapes me for now...

From 'A Popular Dictionary of Spiritualism.'

'Soul in it's usual sense means the indestructible spiritual part of the personality. Spiritualists know that at death the soul leaves the physical body and continues to function in the spirit world. It possesses a finer body, the etheric (astral, double), with which the soul is often identified in Spiritualist terminology, but it is realised that the spirit itself will endure many successions of 'bodies' in different states of being.'

'Spirit. An entity. Related to the indestructible essence of self-conscious life, and possesses a body of material analagous with material elements. An entity is sensible of space and time, but does not appear to be conditioned to it.'

I'm still not sure if I understand what is meant by the above. I have read a lot about the mind, and sometimes it is termed the soul or spirit or ego. It has been demonstrated that the mind is distinct from the physical brain. Is the mind another name for the soul? Or is the the spirit the same as the soul plus mind?

normy wrote:From 'A Popular Dictionary of Spiritualism.'

<SNIP>

I'm still not sure if I understand what is meant by the above. I have read a lot about the mind, and sometimes it is termed the soul or spirit or ego. It has been demonstrated that the mind is distinct from the physical brain. Is the mind another name for the soul? Or is the the spirit the same as the soul plus mind?

You and me both Normy - confusion doesn't come close to my sense of being at the moment

With each turn I take, a new choice of direction unfolds, that said, your quote does seem to resonate a bit more with me, even if I don't fully understand it.

This description of the Triune Man may help, I put it up a long time ago.
https://www.spiritualismlink.com/t10-the-triune-man-part-1?highlight=triune+man

A very comprehensive review of the definitions and views of soul and spirit etc., well done for putting it all together for reference.

Admin wrote:This description of the Triune Man may help, I put it up a long time ago.
https://www.spiritualismlink.com/t10-the-triune-man-part-1?highlight=triune+man

A post from mac, following this description, contained a reference to a multiverse perhaps accounting for the numbers problem regarding reincarnation on this planet. I don't personally believe in reincarnation, and debates about it don't seem to get anywhere, but multiverse concept is interesting.

'The multiverse (or meta-universe) is the hypothetical set of multiple possible universes (including the historical universe we consistently experience) that together comprise everything that exists and can exist: the entirety of space, time, matter, and energy as well as the physical laws and constants that describe them. The term was coined in 1895 by the American philosopher and psychologist William James.[1] The various universes within the multiverse are sometimes called parallel universes.
The structure of the multiverse, the nature of each universe within it and the relationship between the various constituent universes, depend on the specific multiverse hypothesis considered. Multiple universes have been hypothesized in cosmology, physics, astronomy, religion, philosophy, transpersonal psychology and fiction, particularly in science fiction and fantasy. In these contexts, parallel universes are also called "alternative universes", "quantum universes", "interpenetrating dimensions", "parallel dimensions", "parallel worlds", "alternative realities", "alternative timelines", and "dimensional planes," among others.'

Our world is very finely tuned to enable life to exist, which has always impressed me. One theory is the Anthropic Principle, there are several others.

'The concept of other universes has been proposed to explain how our Universe appears to be fine-tuned for conscious life as we experience it. If there were a large (possibly infinite) number of universes, each with possibly different physical laws (or different fundamental physical constants), some of these universes, even if very few, would have the combination of laws and fundamental parameters that are suitable for the development of matter, astronomical structures, elemental diversity, stars, and planets that can exist long enough for life to emerge and evolve. The weak anthropic principle could then be applied to conclude that we (as conscious beings) would only exist in one those few universes that happened to be finely tuned, permitting the existence of life with developed consciousness. The probability might be extremely small that any particular universe would have the requisite conditions for life (as we understand life) to emerge and evolve.'

I regard the various theories about parallel universes as theoretical speculations. Does anyone have any scientific, personal, or mediumship evidence that shows they are indeed 'real'?