134- What is the soul?
“An incarnate spirit.”
– What was the soul before its union with a body?
“A spirit.”
– Are souls and spirits therefore one and the same thing?
“Yes, souls are no more than spirits. Before uniting with a body, the soul is one of the intelligent beings who populate the invisible world, and it later temporarily assumes a physical envelope in order to purify and enlighten itself.”
135- Do human beings possess something else besides a soul and body?
“The link that unites the soul and the body.”
– What is the nature of this link?
“It is semi-material, i.e., half-way between the nature of the spirit and that of the body; these two natures need it in order to communicate with each other. It is through this link that the spirit acts upon matter, and vice-versa.”
Human beings thus consist of three essential parts:
1) The body or material being, similar to that of the animals and animated by the same vital principle;
2) The soul or incarnate spirit, which inhabits the body;
3) The perispirit or intermediary principle, a semi-material substance that serves as the primary envelope of the spirit and unites the soul with the body. These three together are like a fruit, which consists of the seed, the flesh and the rind.
136- Is the soul independent of the vital principle?
“The body itself is no more than an envelope, as we have repeatedly stated.”
– Can the body exist without the soul?
“Yes. Nevertheless, when the body dies, the soul abandons it. Previous to birth, there is no decisive union between the soul and body. After this union is established, however, only the death of the body can cut the bonds between the two, enabling the soul to leave. Organic life may animate a body that has no soul, but the soul cannot inhabit a body that has no organic life.”
– What would our body be if it did not have a soul?
“A mass of flesh without intelligence; anything you might want to call it except a human being.”
137- Can the same spirit incarnate into two different bodies at the same time?
“No. The spirit is indivisible and cannot animate two different beings at the same time.” (See the chapters on Bi-corporeality and Transfiguration in The Mediums’ Book)33
138- What about the opinion of those who regard the soul as being the principle of material life?
“It doesn’t concern us since it is only a matter of words. Start by trying to understand each other.”
139- But certain spirits, and certain philosophers before them, have defined the soul as being an animic spark that has emanated from the Great Whole. Why the contradiction?
“There is no contradiction; everything depends on the meaning of the words. Why don’t you have one word for each thing?”
The word soul is used to express very different things. Some call the soul the principle of life, and in this sense it is correct to state figuratively that the soul is an animic spark that has emanated from the Great Whole. These last two words refer to the universal source of the vital principle, of which each being absorbs a portion, and which returns to the Whole after death. This in no way excludes the idea of a moral being who is distinct and independent of matter, and who preserves its own individuality. This being is also called the soul, and according to this meaning one could say that the soul is an incarnate spirit. In giving different definitions to the soul, the Spirits have spoken according to their usages of the word and according to the terrestrial ideas with which they were imbued to various degrees. Because human language does not have one term for each idea and is therefore inefficient, a large number of misunderstandings and arguments have resulted. Hence the reason why the high order spirits tell us that we should first of all try to understand each other regarding the words we use.34
33 Kardec’s note, added only after the 6th edition (1862). – Tr.
34 See explanation of the word soul in sect. II of the Introduction. – Auth.
140- What about the theory that the soul is subdivided into as many parts as there are muscles, thus presiding over each of the body’s functions?
“That will also depend on the meaning attributed to the word soul.This definition is correct if by it we mean the vital fluid, but it is incorrect if we mean the incarnate spirit. We have already stated that the spirit is indivisible: it transmits movement to the organs through the intermediary fluid without dividing itself up.”
– Nevertheless, there are spirits who have given this definition.
“Ignorant spirits may take the effect for the cause.”
The soul acts through the organs, which are animated by the vital fluid distributed among them, and it acts more abundantly in those organs that comprise the centers or focal points of movement. This explanation, however, cannot be applied to the soul as the spirit that inhabits the body during life and leaves it at death.
141- Is there anything correct in the opinion of those who think the soul is outside the body and surrounds it?
“The soul is not enclosed in the body like a caged bird. Rather, it radiates and manifests outside of it like a light shining from a glass globe or a sound vibrating out from a sonorous center. So, in a certain sense it may be said that it is outside the body; it is not an envelope of the body, however. The soul has two envelopes: the first is light and subtle, which we call the perispirit; the other is dense, material and heavy, which is the body. The soul is the center of these two envelopes like a nut in its shell, as we have already said.”
142- What about another theory holding that a child’s soul continues to complete itself during each stage of life?
“The spirit is only one: as whole in the child as it is in the adult. As instruments of the soul’s manifestation, only the bodily organs develop and complete themselves. This is one more theory that takes the effect for the cause.”
143- Why don’t all spirits define the soul in the same way?
“Not all spirits are equally enlightened regarding these matters. There are spirits who are still limited, who do not comprehend abstract ideas; they are like the children living among you. There are also pseudo-learned spirits who make a big show of words in order to assert themselves – another similarity to your society. Furthermore, even enlightened spirits may express themselves in different terms that have the same meaning, especially regarding matters that your language is incapable of clarifying; hence the need for the allegories and comparisons that you unfortunately take literally.”
144- Then what is to be understood by the world soul?
“The world soul is the universal principle of life and intelligence from which individualities are born, but frequently those who use this expression do not understand it. The word soul is so flexible that everyone interprets it according to their own imaginings. At times, it has even been held that the earth itself has a soul, but by this we must understand it to mean the assembly of devoted spirits who direct your actions in the right direction when you listen to them, and who are, in a way, the lieutenants of God on your globe.”
145- Why have so many ancient and modern philosophers discussed psychological science for so long without arriving at the truth?
“These individuals were the precursors of the eternal Spiritist Doctrine and have prepared the way for it. Being human and therefore subject to error, they have mistaken their own ideas for the light. These same errors, however, have served to bring the truth to light through the pros and cons of their doctrines. By the way, a comparative study would enable you to understand that in the midst of error there is great truth.”
146- Does the soul have a defined and circumscribed seat within the body?
“No, although it resides more particularly in the head among great geniuses and all those who think much, and in the heart of those who feel much, who dedicate all their actions to humankind.”
– What should we think about the opinion of those who place the soul in some vital center?
“One could say that the spirit more specially inhabits such a part of your organism since all the sensations converge on that point; but to place it in what may be considered as the center of vitality would be to confuse it with the vital fluid or principle. Nevertheless, one could say that the seat of the soul may be more particularly found in the organs that serve for manifesting the intellectual and moral qualities.”
Site Espírita 