All rightey, then. Here we go. My purpose here is to provide a possible explanation for the mystery discussed, but not necessarily the only one (a nod to In Search Of, there.) I'm one of those whackos that think that all the religions are talking about pretty much the same thing, and this explanation is going to wander a bit from worldview to worldview in stark refusal of recognizing those cultural boundaries. It is not my intention to offend or alienate anyone who believes differently...but in order to address Chillin's koan, I will have to discuss my own beliefs a bit. Think of it as philosophy instead of religion, if that helps.
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Anyway. In the second Star Wars movie, Yoda takes up the enormous task of teaching Luke about the true nature of the Force and the universe in general. When he speaks of being 'luminous beings, not this crude stuff,' Yoda seems to be indicating that our bodies and our selves are of different natures. Without using the word soul, by talking of that quality which transcends the physical he is nevertheless speaking of the same thing.
Okay, smart guy. What is a soul? And how is it different from our physical bodies?
In ancient wisdom we find mention of four elements...and a fifth, often called 'aether.' Not to be confused with element elements (which we now chart extensively on the periodic table), these four can best be described as the four vibrational states of matter. Heat is vibration, and the amount of heat applied to a substance makes it take one of four forms: solid, liquid, gaseous or plasma (a candle flame is a plasma). The fifth state, 'aether,' is best equated with our conventional understanding of energy. Since good old Einstein has already demonstrated quite well that energy and matter are interchangeable, we can see how energy is the fifth state of being that this 'stuff' takes.
But a soul is something else altogether.
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We discuss this matter quite a bit at
www.jediknight.net*). (
http://www.jediknight.net*.) I tend to represent the new age mystic on the forum, so the question was directed to me once why the new-agers tended to think that their souls were comprised of energy. After some discussion, we decided that 'energy' is a thing that can be measured--and a soul clearly cannot be measured...but I did argue successfully that the soul would have to be able to manifest energy from time to time so that it could interact with the physical body. One cannot deny that the soul interacts with the physical self, and that interaction implies an energy/matter relationship of some sort. But it is more than mere energy; when we die, we go somewhere outside the physical universe, and no matter which form you think that afterlife takes...it no longer takes place in the form of physical existance.
The best description I've been able to come up with for what it is that makes a soul real, is that it is the soul's own point of view which makes it real. Basically, if you're here and you're perceiving yourself to be here...you have a soul. One could almost say, 'I think; therefore, I am,' but that would be getting Descartes before des horse.
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Okay. Nice use of new age pseudo-religious Star Trek-science bull**** there, Imladil, but you still haven't given us a good explanation of what is a soul made of? Well, no I haven't. We don't know the answer to that question, but I can tell you that it is more or less the conclusion of mystics throughout history that the soul ultimately resides not in the body at all...but as a part of the greater glory of God. We are each, it would seem to this humble mystic, a smaller spark of a greater flame. And that flame is the only true reality, with this whole physical existance thing a play of light and shadows--not real at all, but an illusion.
So, if my soul is real, and the entire physical universe is an illusion of less substantiality...can I get out of paying taxes?
http://www.roguesquadron.net/forums/wink.gif) I mean, why bother?
*<font size=1>I go by the handle Zoom Rabbit, in the 'Cantina' forum--stop in and visit me there, too! </font>
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"Is the state of being realized as important as realizing the state of being?"
--Thrustweasel of Earth
[This message has been edited by Imladil (edited May 22, 2000).]