Spirit vs. Soul: The Egyptian Akh and Ba ( Symbolism and Mythology )

               
      
                               Image via Wikipedia

Attempting to explain and understand ancient Spiritual Wisdom by
way of modern rational and logical Words is clumsy at best. Words,
in addition to being often clumsy, can be not only misunderstood
but their meanings can be inconsistent from one person to another.

In addition, ancient Spiritual Teachings, which are easily grasped
by the Eastern mind, become very confusing to the Western mind
which has been Indoctrinated with dogma and not Instructed in
ancient Spiritual Thought.

Furthermore, when discussing the the matter of Spirit vs. Soul,
many modern writers use these terms interchangeably; which
not only adds to a reader's confusion but also begs the question
of whether these writers fully understand these concepts
themselves.

These are the dilemmas faced by the Spiritual Seeker and
Independent Thinker here in the West. Yet, we Spiritual Seekers
and Independent Thinkers still "press on" and try to unravel ancient
Spiritual Wisdoms one Thread at a time. And this can only be
accomplished by completely abandoning all dogmatic Indoctrinations
that have been imposed upon us by organized Western religion;
dogma, which the masses are commanded to accept and believe
without question.

With these thoughts in mind, let us now attempt to unravel the very
ancient, mysterious and enigmatic concept of Spirit vs. Soul.

However, before we embark on this Adventure, the definitions of a
few Words is necessary.

Definitions:

THE ALL: The One eternal, all-encompassing and indivisible Source
from which all things, ideas, and concepts - both manifested and
un-manifested - spring forth from. Everything, without exception, is
both born from THE ALL and is an integral part of THE ALL.

Therefore, THE ALL contains, and IS, everything. And, likewise, as
everything is contained within THE ALL, then all things, concepts,
and ideas, contain THE ALL within them. All things, concepts, and
ideas are specific aspects of THE ALL.

Hence the proverb, "I am in the Father, and the Father is in me.";
which can be summed up as: "I am a specific aspect of THE ALL.
Therefore,THE ALL is contained within me". Furthermore, as each
one of us is a specific aspect of THE ALL, THE ALL is naturally
contained within each one of us. It cannot be any other way.
We cannot be separate from THE ALL. If this were so, then THE ALL
could not be THE ALL.

We see this Spiritual Lesson further expressed in psalm 82:6,
"I have said, you are gods, and children of the Most High".

Nothing can be separate from THE ALL; otherwise THE ALL would
not be THE ALL.

In addition, THE ALL is also indivisible (undividable). For if THE ALL
could be divided then it would not be THE ALL.

Ancient Spiritual Teachings, such as these, are all but ignored
by modern organized religion for the sake of dogmatic
indoctrination, and control, of the masses.

Spirit: That specific aspect of Divinity which is our un-manifested
Soul. Our Spirit is our individual personality or character which is
eternally basking within THE ALL but not yet experiencing a
physical incarnation in the realm of matter. Spirit is equivalent to
Akh of ancient Egypt.

Soul: Our manifested Spirit. Our individual personality or
character which is experiencing a physical, bodily incarnation
in the realm of matter. Soul is equivalent to Ba of ancient Egypt
and the Atman ( Our God Within ) of India.

Our Soul, our personality, is that aspect of our Spirit which
combines with matter ( our current physical body ) and chooses
how we will behave during our current physical Incarnation.
Our Soul is equivalent to the Ba of ancient Egypt.

                                     
                            Egyptian Ba - image via Wikipedia

Birds, wings and Feathers are all Symbols of Spirit. Our Soul ( Ba )
is the physically incarnated aspect of our Spirit ( Akh ); and our
Spirit, in turn, is an indivisible aspect of The All.

In the picture of the Egyptian Ba, pictured above, we see Spirit
( bird ) combined with matter ( a head of a specific person ) to
depict the physical incarnation of that specific person.

Mind: While not a specific aspect of this article, our mind IS a
specific aspect of our physical being and therefore it should be
addressed. The ancients associated the mind as an inseparable
part of our physical self. In other words, our mind and body are
one-half of our physically incarnated self and our Spiritual Self
is our other half.

It is through the mind that we receive spiritual messages. It is
also through the mind that we receive ideas and premonitions.
However the mind, being egotistical and rational, also blocks
many of the spiritual messages that are continually coming to us.
The mental "chatter" which is continuously active in our mind
is the "roadblock" which prevents Spiritual Messages from getting
through to us.

That is why it is necessary to silence the mind, through techniques
such as meditation, in order to allow spiritual messages to come to
us from the Great Unconscious Source.

Also, this is why answers to "problems" often come to us when we
least expect it; because the mind is then "relaxed" regarding the
"problem" that had so consumed our rational mind, and  our spiritual
channel through the rational mind is open and unrestricted in regards
to the "problem" which is not currently consuming the entirety of our
thoughts.

Also, it is by way of the relaxed mind that "ideas whose time has
come" reach us.

Putting It All Together:

There is only One Source; One Creative Essence which is eternal
and indivisible. Everything that is manifested, and not manifested,
is an integral, indivisible Aspect of this Source. Therefore everything
is a part of this Source and, at the same time, this Source is within
everything that it manifests. This One Source is called THE ALL.

Our Spirit, which is our un-manifested personality, is an indivisible
aspect of THE ALL. This un-manifested personality - which is our
True Eternal Essence - is our Spirit. Our Spirit, our un-manifested
personality, is what the ancient Egyptians referred to as AKH.

When our Spirit ( AKH ) is "at rest" ( un-manifested within matter ),
the Soul ( BA ) aspect of our Spirit is also in a state of suspension.
However, when our Spirit chooses to manifest into matter ( our
physical body ), then a specific aspect of our Spirit becomes
activated; and this activated aspect of our Spirit then expresses
Itself as our Soul. Our Soul remains in our physical body for the
duration of our worldly Incarnation.

When our physical Incarnation comes to a close, our Soul
( which, again, is an aspect of our Spirit ), dissolves, so to speak,
back into our Spirit until once again Spirit chooses to incarnate
within matter.

Picture this as a "family tree". At the top of this "family tree" is
THE ALL. Immediately below THE ALL is our Spirit ( AKH ); which
is an indivisible aspect of THE ALL. Immediately below our Spirit
is our Soul ( BA ), which is an indivisible aspect of our Spirit.

The main difference between our Spirit and our Soul is this:
Our Spirit exists eternally in the Spiritual Realm. Our Soul,
which again in an aspect of our Spirit, becomes "activated" and
is our spiritual "link" to our Spirit for only the duration of our
physical incarnation. This "link" is what allows our mind access 
to the Spiritual Realm. Our Soul is what the teachings of India
refer to as our Atman: Our God Within.

Perhaps an allegory can help us view this process in a more
physical, rational manner.

Let us create a character and call him John Smith. John
Smith, in his entirety, we will call Spirit.

However, John Smith is a doctor. This is one aspect of John
Smith. When John Smith is behaving in the role of doctor, he
is activating a specific aspect  of himself; and this aspect of
John Smith becomes his Soul for as long as John Smith is
behaving ( incarnating ) as a doctor. Once John Smith's
role as a doctor is over, this aspect ( Soul ) of John Smith
goes into a state of rest and John Smith becomes, once
again, simply John Smith (Spirit ).

Additionally, John Smith is also a father. This is another
aspect of John Smith. When John Smith is behaving in the
role of a father, he is activating another specific aspect of
himself; and this aspect of John Smith becomes his Soul
for as long as John Smith is behaving ( incarnating ) as a
father. Once John Smith's role as a father is over, this
aspect ( Soul ) of John Smith goes into a state of rest and
John Smith becomes, once again, simply John Smith (Spirit ).

And this goes on and on for each different aspect that John
Smith chooses to activate of himself.

                          
                      Matryoshka dolls - Image via Wikipedia

Another way to picture this process is by way of the Russian
Matryoshka dolls. These are a number of increasingly smaller
dolls that fit one into the other. The one large doll contains all
the progressively smaller dolls within it. In this state, the one
large doll can be pictured as Spirit. When the smaller dolls
are removed from the larger doll to be played with, they can
be pictured as different aspects ( Souls ) of the one largest
doll. Once these smaller dolls are replaced one-within-the-
other and then reinserted within the largest doll, this can be
viewed as the smaller aspects ( Souls ), their activities being
completed, once again becoming a part of the largest doll
( Spirit ).

Comments and Emails: I welcome comments and emails from
people with similar thoughts and feelings. My Email address is
located in the upper-left area of this page. Comments can be
posted by using the "Comment" link located below each article.
Also: If you found value in this article please feel free to forward
it to other like-minded individuals, organizations and sites.

Disclaimer: None of my articles should be considered to be
either advice or expertise. They are simply personal opinions
and no more. Everyone is encouraged to seek competent
advice from a licensed, registered, or certified professional
should such advice or service be required.

© copyright Joseph Panek 2019

The Mystical Union Of Spirit, Matter, Our Physical Body, and Vibration:

                     
                              
                                      (Image via Wikipedia)

"Nothing rests; everything moves; everything vibrates."
- The Kybalion

Our Incarnation in this realm of matter consists of four things:
Spirit, Matter, Our Physical Body, and Vibration.

It is also interesting to note that although Spirit can exist without
matter (which it does in the Spiritual realm), matter cannot exist
without Spirit. Therefore, from the first moment of our physical
conception within the womb, Spirit becomes bound within matter.

And, as all is vibration, and as we are a combination of Spirit,
matter and vibration, let us take a close look at how vibration
affects and interacts with the Spiritual and material aspects of
our being as we Travel through this Incarnation of ours.

What is vibration? Vibration is frequency. The faster something
vibrates, the higher its frequency. The slower something vibrates,
the lower its frequency. Keeping in mind that everything vibrates,
let us now explore vibration in both spirit and matter; then let us
look at what happens when the vibrations of spirit and matter
are combined.

Matter: All matter consists of atoms; and atoms vibrate.
Measurements of material vibration inform us of the following:

The earth which we occupy has a resonant frequency of 7.83
cycles per second. This is a very low rate of vibration. It is also
interesting to note that the Mantric syllable "OM" also resonates
at 7.83 cycles per second.

Our Physical Body: Our physical body, depending on which
body part is being measured, vibrates at  a frequency between
2 to 100 cycles per second.

Therefore, both the earth and our physical body vibrate at a
very low frequency; a very low rate of vibration.

Light: Imagine this: we cannot see light. We can, however, see
the material things that light casts its rays upon. In other words,
although we cannot actually see light we can see the effects
which light produces. A pitch dark forest becomes a visual
wonderland once the sun rises above the horizon and its light
illuminates the variety of plant and animal life contained within
the forest.

Yet, although we cannot actually see light, we are able to
measure the frequency of a light wave. Light, which we cannot
actually see, but does in fact exist and illuminates everything
it touches, vibrates at a frequency in excess of 100 trillion
cycles per second!

Now, it is NOT the intent of this article to get technical. The
purpose of describing the frequency of light is to present the
idea of how rapidly light vibrates in relation to matter.

Spirit: Spirit, the active intelligent aspect of our being, vibrates
at an infinitely high frequency: a frequency that is impossible
to measure; a frequency, or vibration, that is infinitely higher
and faster than the frequency of light. If we think that the
frequency of light, which vibrates in excess of 100 trillion cycles
per second, is fast, well, the immeasurable frequency of Spirit
makes the frequency of light seem as if it is standing still. WOW!

Insights and Observations:

Now that we have looked at vibration, matter, our physical body,
and Spirit each separately, let us now try to imagine what happens
when the infinitely high vibration of Spirit unites with the incredibly
low vibration of matter; especially at the moment of our physical
birth.

Let's use a metaphor: Imagine a high-speed drill (Spirit) and a
block of granite (matter). If we bring the bit of the drill into quick,
strong contact with with the block of granite, and try to force it
through to the center of the granite, the drill bit will shatter!

This shattering of the drill bit Symbolizes the extreme trauma
that Spirit must experience at the moment it enters the matter of
our physical body.

Although Spirit does combine with matter (our bodies) it must
provide one heck of a shock for Spirit. And, some people feel this
so strongly that their Spirit has a very painful experience while it
is trapped or confined within their material body.  

This is why mystics and other spiritually advanced individuals
dedicate themselves to having their Spirit leave the dense
matter of their physical bodies in order to return to the paradisiacal
realm from whence it came. A physical incarnation to these
individuals must indeed be a painful and traumatic experience.

But, as most of us are not mystics (at least not yet), how does
this union of Spirit and matter within us affect this Incarnation
of ours?

Quite simply, for those of us who are on a spiritual Path, this
union of spirit and matter within us torments us with a constant
tug-of-war between our higher spiritual faculty and our lower
material faculty. Although we wish to experience spiritual bliss
(high vibration), we are confronted daily with the material pull
(low vibration) of this realm of matter which we occupy by way
of the people we meet and the Events we must contend with.

Our Spirit is a being of extremely high vibration and it wishes
to bask in the higher vibrational arenas of peace, Harmony,
freedom, kindness and Brotherly Love. However, while our Spirit
is trapped within a physical body it is constantly being tormented
by the lower vibrational feelings of anger, greed, envy, hatred,
and physical desires. And... to top it off, our Spirit must also
contend with the even lower vibrational level of this planet upon
which our physical body travels upon.

This puts the higher-vibrational aspects of our Spirit in a constant
tug-of-war with the lower-vibrational aspects of both our physical
body and the planet which we occupy.

This is why we find it so difficult to keep our Thoughts and Actions
focused on the blissful attributes preferred by the Spiritual aspect of
our nature. For while Spirit is attempting to focus our mind and
behavior on the more sublime aspects of our Incarnation, matter is
working just as hard on pulling us down into the more gross
aspects of our Incarnation.

This is the challenge presented to us: Do we focus on allowing
our Spirit to vibrate as quickly and highly as possible by focusing
our Thoughts on the higher Divine Principles such as peace,
freedom, and enlightenment; OR do we allow ourself to succumb
to the lower vibrations generated within the realm of matter?

Our nature is dual: Spirit and Matter. The realm of matter is also
dual and it is constantly presenting us with a barrage of "either-or"
Choices.

Thought precedes Action! Are we the Unattached Observer who is
"in this world but not of it" or are we the victim of human folly? Do
we open ourselves to the sublime or to the tragic? Do we focus on
peace, freedom and contentment or do we focus on anger, hatred
and fear? Are we raising our consciousness to the higher vibrations
or are we surrendering ourselves to the lower vibrations?

The Choices we make are ours and ours alone. And it is the
Choices we make that determine the experiences and the Destiny
of this incarnation of ours.

Conclusion: 

Our physical senses can only be Aware of those experiences
which occur within the vibrational range of our physical senses.
Everything that occurs outside the vibrational range of our
physical senses in considered to be extra-sensory or
meta-physical. Both of which mean "beyond the realm of
our physical senses".

Because something occurs beyond the realm of our physical
senses does not mean that it is unbelievable or magical. It
simply means that our physical senses cannot acknowledge
these particular vibrations. We cannot see, hear, touch, taste,
or smell things that are beyond the vibrational range of these
physical senses. This does not mean that these things, these
experiences, do not exist; for they do exist.

The only thing that prevents us from knowing everything...The
only thing that limits us from experiencing the infinite...is our
physical senses! Once we transcend our physical senses the
infinite is ours to experience and enjoy.

And this may very well be what those individuals who have
had Near Death Experiences have come back to tell us. For
the Spiritual realm is not burdened by the narrow vibrational
restrictions of the physical realm and the associated effects
that burden both our senses and our consciousness. The
Spiritual realm is sublimely and knowingly Infinite!

Comments and Emails: I welcome comments and emails from
people with similar thoughts and feelings. My Email address is
located in the upper-left area of this page. Comments can be
posted by using the "Comment" link located below each article.
Also: If you found value in this article please feel free to forward
it to other like-minded individuals, organizations and sites.

Disclaimer: None of my articles should be considered to be
either advice or expertise. They are simply personal opinions
and no more. Everyone is encouraged to seek competent
advice from a licensed, registered, or certified professional
should such advice or service be required.

© copyright Joseph Panek 2017