Shooting From The Hip - 14 - SPIRIT

SPIRIT:1. nonphysical part of a person which is the seat of emotions & character; the soul. "we seek a harmony between body & spirit" 2. those qualities regarded as forming the definitive or typical elements in the character of a person, nation, or group or in the thought & attitudes of a particular period. "the university is a symbol of the nation's egalitarian spirit"
verb 3. convey rapidly & secretly- spirit them away - a: an animating or vital principle held to give life to physical organisms - b: a supernatural being or essence: such as: HOLY SPIRIT c: SOUL sense d: specifically: GHOST e: a malevolent being that enters & possesses a human being
HUMAN SPIRIT - is a component of human philosophy, psychology, art, & knowledge - the spiritual or mental part of humanity. While the term can be used with the same meaning as "human soul", the human spirit is sometimes used to refer to the impersonal, universal, or higher component of human nature in contrast to soul or psyche which can refer to the ego or lower element. The human spirit includes our intellect, emotions, fears, passions & creativity
In the models of Daniel A. Helminiak & Bernard Lonergan, human spirit is considered to be the mental functions of awareness, insight, understanding, judgement & other reasoning powers. It is distinguished from the separate component of psyche which comprises the entities of emotion, images, memory & personality
Olaf Stapledon defined the human spirit as consisting of love, intelligence & creative action
John Teske views human spirit as a social construct representing the qualities of purpose & meaning which transcend the individual human
Distinction from the soul - According to historian Oswald Spengler, a distinction between spirit & soul has been made by the West & earlier civilizations which influenced its development
The human spirit can be seen as the heavenly component of human's non material makeup - the part that is impersonal or universal. Whereas souls are the personal element unique to each individual
SOUL: noun 1. the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, regarded as immortal
2. emotional or intellectual energy or intensity, especially as revealed in a work of art or an artistic performance. "their interpretation lacked soul"
soul, in religion & philosophy, the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being, that which confers individuality & humanity, often considered to be synonymous with the mind or the self
In many religious & philosophical traditions there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Evidence supports the premise that prehistoric peoples had a concept of a soul & Egyptian, Chinese & Hebrew traditions had terms to describe a soul
Religious view: Thomas Aquinas, borrowing directly from Aristotle's On the Soul, attributed "soul" (anima) to all organisms but argued that only human souls are immortal
Other religions, notably Hinduism & Jainism believe that all living things from the smallest bacterium to the largest of mammals are the souls themselves (Atman, jiva) & have their physical representative (the body) in the world
The actual self is the soul, while the body is only a mechanism to experience the karma of that life. Thus if one sees a tiger then there is a self-conscious identity residing in it (the soul), & a physical representative (the whole body of the tiger, which is observable) in the world. Some teach that even non-biological entities (such as rivers & mountains) possess souls. This belief is called animism
Animism: from Latin: anima, 'breath, spirit, life' - is the belief that objects, places & creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence - Potentially, animism perceives all things -- animals, plants, rocks, rivers, weather systems, human handiwork & perhaps even words -- as animated & alive -- foundational thread of indigenous peoples' "spiritual" or "supernatural" perspectives. The animistic perspective is so widely held & inherent to most indigenous peoples, that they often do not even have a word in their languages that corresponds to "animism" (or even "religion"); the term is an anthropological construct
BREATH ESOTERIC: Classical Greek also had a similar distinction between "soul" & "spirit", in each case involving again an etymological(relating origin & historical development of words & their meanings) sense "breathing"
But what does it mean to breathe spiritually? It means to take in every moment that we spend with quality thoughts like love, appreciation & gratitude as these will be both powerful & energizing for the soul
What does breathing symbolize? Breathing relates to air on a personal level while wind relates to air on more of a cosmic level. Breath symbolizes life & the power of the spirit & also the transient & insubstantial & the elusive
What is the breath of God called? The Spirit or 'ruach' (breath, spirit) by itself, is the breath of Yahweh which carries His life-force