Let’s get this out of the way first… I am going to be talking about the parts of the self, the soul, from my perspective that has developed through research, trance work, and prior knowledge I have acquired. If you are wanting a historical view I highly suggest starting by watching Airth Harger’s video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOP8MSLQjRc&t=1450s&ab_channel=ArithH%C3%A4rger and then do your own research.
As humans we have had a fascination with what the soul is, who we are, our purpose on this plane, what happens to us after our body dies. As a person who has seen death many times, I have seen the energy leave a person. You can see the light literally go out of their eyes at that moment. So the existence of the soul has never been a question for me. My questions have always been more of how is it connected to the physical body, what does it control and is there a limit between the body and soul, and of course in what form does it live on (beyond energy).
I have spent years looking at it from various cultures and scientific perspectives. Coming across Airth’s video though and how the Norse / Anamistic view of the soul really helped tie together some hanging questions. Below is a visual to help explain more my views and how these fit together. I will also go into details on each one.
(note: the colors also show the bonds between each one and how they are interconnected)
Some aspects are only connected to this lifetime, while others are passed on through blood or choice. There are 8 parts all together, which combine to form four parts, then two parts, and finally as a whole.
First I will start with the aspects that belong only to this lifetime and do not pass on to others:
Lik
Lik is the physical body but only what is under the skin. So it is your bones, muscles, systems, and so forth. It is the structure or foundation of our avatar/ physical self in the material realm. To be here on this plane and to experience the material world, we need a material body. I feel that LIK is connected directly to OND as its base or core.
OND
OND is the breath, the awakener of life, the spark of life. This is the energy that animates the body and connects us to every other energy of the web of all living things. Both LIK and OND are both aspects accepted as truth in the scientific world, they just do not use those words. The electricity that runs through our body through our nervous system, our cardio system, and so forth is the OND. So in this perspective, OND is what is added, what we add, to LIK.
VARD
VARD is a spirit that is our Guardian, Defended, Watcher. It is specific to one owner, one lifetime and when this body dies it lives on as a ghost-like aspect. So it would be the aspect of that person that mediums connect with or what may be viewed as ghosts in our world. When walking in the astral realm it is also your astral body.
HUGUR
HUGUR is the thought and knowledge of that particular person. It is adjacent to MINNI which houses the emotions and memory of a person but is separate. It’s more the logical aspects of ourself, where we separate personal emotion to see from a wider perspective.
Together these four aspects form the self that is only of one lifetime. They do not get built upon by outside energy/ entities/ people. They are specific to you and you alone.
Now let’s dive into the aspects that live beyond just one lifetime. Spirits that are passed on and built upon by each person it binds to.
HAMINGJA
This is a spirit that is passed down through family lines – Ancestors. This spirit encompasses all the memories, emotions, skills, experiences, and luck of each person it binds to (Luck here refers more to reputation, success, blessing, prosperity). We are born connected to certain HAMINGJA and it stays with us until the death of the body. The HAMINGJA we are born with connects us to certain ancestors in our line and their qualities. For example, if your HAMINGJA has been with a lot of leaders, you will most likely have natural leadership abilities. As we go through our life, we add to the HAMINGJA with our own actions, memories, skills, memories, and so forth. Then when it is passed to another after your death, those parts of you will go with it to the next person.
This spirit is connected to us, but lives on and grows past our life. Both an entity that is separate from us, yet we directly change it/ add to it.
MINNI
MINNI is our memories and our emotions, as emotion solidifies memory within us. These directly connect to what we add to the HAMINGJA we are bound to.
FYLGJA
This is a spirit that is its own entity, separate from us, and is alive whether bound to a person or not. This spirit chooses who to bind themselves to and walk with that person from birth to death. They are a Guide – an Attendant spirit – a helper on our path through life. They are also heavily associated with shape shifting. I think this is for two reasons: First being connected to HAMR. Secondly, and most important for me, the theory that they change shape to meet the need of the task or lesson the person needs to learn. Sometimes being able to shift to other forms can be helpful to lead or push a person down a certain path they may not have. For example, if bears are not part of your physical environment, you may not dive into their meanings/ lessons and how it applies to you unless it is given as a sign. This spirit can be animal or humanistic in appearance.
I theorize that this spirit represents what pagans/ magical people consider spirit guides or Deity. Many practitioners will have either a specific animal guide or main Deity that they have felt in their life even before formally meeting them. Patron Deities are often described this way. Although some history refers more to them like familiar spirits, my experience and study has led me to the above perspective of them. They can also be shared by a group of people and not limited to just one.
HAMR
HAMR is the shape – the appearance. Appearance here is directly linked to the perceived appearance from a person’s senses. This applies to our perception of self, as our perception can differ greatly from another’s. This is about the surface aspects of yourself, and other beings. Skin, hair, features, but LIK stays unaltered.
So why does all this matter?
I feel that the better we understand all the parts of ourselves, the fuller our experience in this life will be. Through parts of life such as society norms, trauma, ego, religion, insecurities, and similar experiences, we become disconnected from one or more of these parts of self. They can become distorted or suppressed. In turn, this means we are not living with our full capacity, our full power, our full potential. It’s also not just about us and this life, for we will be passing part of it on to another. For me, this also means we have a responsibility not just to us, but for those who come after us.
By understanding each aspect, we learn to control or use them to our benefit. By creating and strengthening the bonds between each aspect we are able to use the full power of our whole self to create change and transformation. This concept is also directly related to Shadow Work, embracing the Shadow, and healing the self.
No matter how you view it, the names you give them, they are all a part of you. So these are important concepts that deserve some contemplation, study, and exploration.