The soul

The Existence of the Soul

By Jimmy Henderson

Hons (BA) Phil, MA (Psychology), FRC

"Before the soul can see, the Harmony within must be attained, and fleshly eyes be rendered blind to all illusion.
Madame Helene Blavatsky

Somewhere within the vastness of spiritual creation exists the soul (or 'monad') or 'higher self' of each individual. I personally believe that our souls actually exist in collectives or group-souls, together with others with whom we are affiliated on a spiritual level. 

The soul is not the same as the ego, which is a false sense of self constructed as a result of conditioning, and is nothing more than a core of self-awareness surrounded by a mass of self-centered thoughts. Religious scriptures, as well as other ancient texts, suggest that the soul is how we were originally formed, but, at some stage, we dissociated from this perfect state of being and now exist in a 'fallen' state or a lower manifestation of 'self'.  

When entering this Earth level or sphere, much of our soul-consciousness is lost in the physiology of the body, and we therefore enter a state of forgetfulness. 

The dimension of the soul could also be linked to the ‘authentic self’ as described in psychology, that area of the mind that houses the most moral part of the human psyche. In fact, the aim of some forms of psychotherapy is simply to raise our self‑awareness (consciousness) in order to remove past and present obstacles, so that this pure identity will emerge.

When the soul wishes to experience something she throws an image of the experience out before her and enters into her own image.

Meister Eckhart

Although usually covered up by emotional and psychological debris spanning many years of conditioning, it is possible that promptings from this pure area of consciousness can emerge from time to time in one’s conscience. Exposing the authentic self requires the stripping away of all pretence, masks and conditioned thoughts and behavior in order to become ‘real’ once again.

It is also possible to directly access this dimension of soul during meditation, by first emptying the self and mind of all conflicting impressions, sensations, thoughts and emotions and completely quieting the activity of the ego, and then striving to discover that centre of pure consciousness in which there is nothing except the pure realisation that one exists. This type of meditation can result in some profound inner experiences, as well as new levels of perception and understanding.

See Jimmy's books and e-books as listed on his website www.jimmyhendersonbooks.com