The Soul is an interesting concept. No one has any hard core proof one way or another about it, yet we have ideas and experiences that lead to more ideas.
From a scientific standpoint we know several things that give us clues. First, Energy is what runs our whole body. From electrical impulses in the brain, nervous system, and heart to keep the body alive and moving, to the energy we consume and use to do all that moving. Energy never dies or disappears, it only changes form. So with that we can assume the energy that is our conscious/ unconscious is our soul. An energy that is using this vessel to experience the physical world.
My personal experience from being a CCRN and sitting with those who are dying, there is a definite shift in the moment they pass. There is a physical light or brightness in the eyes that disappears in that moment. There is a shift in the energy in the room, like you feel them leaving. Their body temperature immediately starts changing.
There is much we do not know, but then again there is much that we do from a scientific standpoint. From a spiritual standpoint, born from personal experiences and beliefs, we know a lot more yet can not “prove” them in concrete terms of science. Does this make them less true? I personally say no, because experience after all is how our world and understanding of it is made.
What is the Soul?
Over the history of humanity there have been many theories as to what the soul is, what makes it up, and what happens to it when you die. I’m not going to cover any of that because it is too broad. I am however going to cover my own beliefs, born from personal experiences, what my guides (deities and ancestors) have said on the subject, and a northern perspective on the soul for it is the closest at putting my beliefs into structure. So what is said from this point on is my own perspective. You can decide for yourself what makes sense to you.
I believe the soul has two main parts.
- Your Conscious soul – this is the part that is all you, right now and in this body. It controls the conscious mind and functions of the brain/ body including how we experience, process, and perceive the world. When you die I believe this is the part that becomes your ghost. I believe ghosts are like echoes. They only have the information and understanding that they personally gained and experienced in life. This is not the eternal soul that lives on, but more a hologram of who you were in this particular life span.
- Your Ancestral Soul – This I believe controls the subconscious, emotions, and spiritual self. It is made up of certain ancestors and passed to another when they die. All the knowledge, experiences, skills we develop, and so forth are blended into this larger Ancestral Soul throughout our lives, and can be accessed by those who receive the soul when we die. We carry all their history, their stories, the skills they developed, knowledge they acquired, and so forth from their life. Each life is connected, merged, and blended into this ancestral soul and passed on, thus this aspect is the eternal part of our soul. Although it resides in our unconscious space we can connect and work with it like any other spirit or energy. We also get things automatically from this ancestral soul such as natural talents, instincts, personality traits, and so forth.
Your Primary Guide/ Guardian
There is one other part but it is not so much part of your soul but more like attached to it. It goes by many names in many traditions but I call it your Primary Guide. It is possible that this Guide is part of the Ancestral soul or perhaps has just been bound to it over lifetimes. For me the distinction doesn’t matter. It does the job, so whether it is part of me directly or bound to me in some other way makes no difference to me. I believe this Primary Guide is with us from birth and travels with the ancestral soul. For me, that Primary Guide is The Morrigan. Even though I did not have a name for Her most of my life, Her energy was there, Her influence was there, and even the fields and work I did were connected to Her. Think of your Primary as your ultimate guardian and teacher. They are the ones who walk with us from birth to death, whether you acknowledge Them or not on a conscious level. For me She directs all the other Deities and spirits I connect to, all for lessons and skills I need to develop for my own growth.
My personal experiences with Ancestors, specifically Mary McLain, Achtan, and Kari, have helped me to understand not just the ancestral soul but how to access and use it. I’m still on the surface and learning, but I’m learning. It’s interesting because it is similar to conversations and working with other entities, but with a lot more depth and clear communication vs clips you may get from one not connected directly to you. They are after all a part of us. By accessing that part, we are able to not just gain knowledge from them but also access their abilities that reside in us. We are able to learn directly from them and discover truths of the past from their perspective. Some call this accessing your higher self – which isn’t wrong, because they are a part of you and the self in this life.
These aspects of the self – our ancestors that make up our ancestral soul, and our Primary Guide – are our biggest helpers, guardians, teachers, and cheering section. They are directly connected and invested in our success. Our success and growth is also theirs and feeds them as well as it does yourself. You may not know their name or even have direct communication with them right now, but that doesn’t stop them from being there anyway and influencing our inner and outer self. It doesn’t mean you won’t go through really rough and terrible things in your life. Some are needed to push us to move forward and grow. Some are just because we live in a world with a bunch of other autonomous souls doing their own things that happen to affect us.
Reflection
Through this three part series we have covered DNA/ ancestry, the evolution of Gods and religions, and now the Soul. So the question you might be asking now : What do I do with all of this? How can I use this information for myself?
I suppose it really depends on what you want.
By learning about where we come from, not just our recent roots but our deep roots, it allows us to discover things about ourselves, now – in the present. What shapes us, influences us beyond just the surface. What we carry within ourselves and can access within ourselves.
By actively seeking and connecting with those who are in our ancestral soul we can gain knowledge, wisdom, and even skills to achieve the goals and desires we have in this life. To accelerate our growth and movement forward.
By identifying, connecting, and working with our Primary Guide, we gain purpose and understanding of that purpose.
Where to Start?
I started with just connecting and having conversations through tarot. As I’ve said many times before, I really enjoy tarot for this task because it gives a physical tool to help us focus and hear them, not just what we (our conscious mind) want to hear. It takes practice and trusting the messages and your intuition. It requires complete honesty of the self, especially when dealing with taking responsibility for the role we play in a situation and honesty about our motives/ desires.
That led me to trance work which allowed me to connect on a whole other level, hearing them, and direct clear communication. When I started this I used the tarot to verify what I was getting in spoken messages and visions because I really like “checks”.
The payoff though is amazing. To connect not just with the spirit of an ancestor but one who is a part of you. To be able to access their memories, their experiences, hear their stories, is amazing and life changing. To have them as guides, with all their wealth of experience over many lives is incredibly helpful in moving through this one. To know you have this whole team directly connected to you and rooting for you because you, right now, are their legacy, as one day another will be yours.
What we Learn
I have learned a great deal from both my ancestors and The Morrigan. I learned about myself, about different kinds of magic, about how energy – the unseen and seen work together. I have learned about them, the past, and how it has shaped our world now. I have a lot more to learn and understand. I realize even though I have been doing this awhile, there is so much depth I haven’t touched yet, but that is the wonderful thing about an adventure – it’s not about the ending, it’s all the steps in between.
This series wasn’t to tell you what to do – it was to get you to see other perspectives, other possibilities, and things to experiment with. These are my truths based on my own experiences and knowledge gained. I am not alone in these by any means. There are others I know and most likely many I have not met who have experienced these same things. Who see these same perspectives and are using them to advance themselves.
The Question for You
So the question isn’t so much “What do I do with this?” but more of “What am I going to do with this?” What resonates with you and what doesn’t? What experiences have you already had? What will you try to prove or disprove this? How will you connect to all that makes you who you are? How will you connect to this vast team behind you that really does have your best interests at heart? What will you do today to move you forward?
Only you can answer these questions.