What is the difference between spirit and soul. Why spirit and soul are different concepts: what is the difference

Hypnologist session

Question. Please tell me, what is the difference between Spirit and Soul?
Answer. The soul incarnates, changes, but the Spirit is eternal.

Q. In what sense does the "soul change"?
A. The soul, it is plastic. Imagine a Star. Here are its rays, this is the Spirit, and the light that comes from it is the Soul. The Spirit is the basis, more rigid, more unshakable, the Soul is more plastic. If the Spirit is represented as a beam, then the Soul will be its slightly blurred glow, in other words, the Spirit is a beam, and the Soul is an image of the Spirit and the glow is closed in it.

Q. Is a particular Spirit associated with a particular Soul? Is this couple permanent?
A. Yes, they are connected and they mutually penetrate each other, only one Spirit, as a rule, has several Souls. And by and large, everything is a manifestation of one Spirit.

Q. What is the difference between the Soul of a person and the Soul of a representative of any other civilization?
A. What kind of person do you have to introduce? People here are different and many different civilizations are embodied in People.

Q. We had information that all beings incarnating on Earth in the bodies of people, if they came from somewhere else, are paired with the Soul of an earthly person. It can be with experience or even a completely pure matrix, with basic experience recorded on it ... Isn't it?
A. Practically so. But it’s not just that they are “issued as a couple”, but they seem to merge together, but at the same time retain their individuality. It turns out one soul.

Q. After passing the Earth experience, these Souls are separated, or will they be together forever?
A. Everything here is according to their desire, according to the tasks, depending on where they are going, there are many different moments.

Q. What is the difference between the Earthly Human Soul and other Souls, is there any specific feature?
A. Yes, you can call it a special flavor ... We hope you understand that "flavor" in this case is a metaphor.

Q. Maybe only from the Human Soul can a real Creator come out?
A. No, each Soul can become a Creator, only they create in different ways.

Q. Well, the Souls of Reptilians, can they also become Creators?
A. They are rather destroyers, but at the same time they create something, although they destroy.

Q. So how do they fundamentally differ?
Oh. The teachers are already roaring over us, they say “tail, tail”!)))
But seriously…. They have less love… Rather, it is even better for them to call it “care”, they do not have love. This is partly due to their physiology. In fact, their Souls could also develop this quality in themselves, and they seem to feel this and are somewhat complex because of this.
Those. this Unconditional Love, which is inherent in the Human Soul, is one of the key differences from the Souls of representatives of other civilizations.

Q. What other key differences are there?
A. Now I perceive this as a blue light and feel it as a mixture of nobility and sacrifice, the ability to act on principle, sometimes even to the detriment of oneself. All other civilizations are practical enough.

Q. Are there other civilizations with similar characteristics elsewhere?
A. Yes, but only with similar ones. This special aroma of the Human Soul is formed by a whole complex of special sensations that you experience when you are close to this Soul. There is no one key moment, there is a sum of signs.
There are people who do not experience Unconditional Love but they are still people.

Q. But why can't they manifest this Love?
A. This is a question for these people, not for us.

D_A I will add from myself:

The human spirit is the same Spark of the Creator. The soul is those layers, matrices and bodies that the Spark “puts on” itself in order to experience such worlds as the Earth. The matrix of the soul is unstable, they often change, depending on the tasks, lessons and decisions made during the incarnation. This does not mean that the soul itself changes completely, however, its cells can change (activate or “fall asleep”), thereby often changing the character. Coming out of the incarnation, the Spark gives up most of the shells to those systems for which the accumulated experience was intended (eg the Earth, family, native civilizations). One colleague described the process as follows:

When my grandmother passed into the other world, I saw how she rose above the planet and there she took on the form of a flower. The petals of this flower began to disintegrate and depart, as a result, only the Spark remained, which went into its higher dimension, I did not have the opportunity to follow it further.

From external:

What is soul and spirit

The soul is the intangible essence of a person, enclosed in his body, a vital motor. The body begins to live with it, through it it learns the world. No soul, no life.
Spirit is the highest degree of human nature, attracting and leading a person to God. It is the presence of the spirit that puts a person above all in the hierarchy of living beings.

What is the difference between soul and spirit?

Soul is a horizontal vector human life, the connection of the individual with the world, the area of ​​desires and feelings. Its actions are divided into three directions: feeling, desirable and mental. These are all thoughts, feelings, emotions, the desire to achieve something, to strive for something, to make a choice between antagonistic concepts, all that a person lives by. Spirit is a vertical reference point, striving for God.

The soul animates the body. Just as blood permeates all the cells of the human body, so the soul permeates the entire body. That is, a person possesses it, as he possesses a body. She is his essence. While a person is alive, the soul does not leave the body. When he dies, he no longer sees, does not feel, does not speak, although he has all the senses, but they are inactive, because there is no soul. Spirit does not belong to man by nature. He can leave it and come back. His departure does not mean the death of a person. The spirit animates the soul.

The soul is what hurts when there is no reason for physical pain (the body is healthy). This happens when a person's desires run counter to circumstances. The spirit is devoid of sensual sensations.

From early

The personality of any person is integral and consists of three components: body, spirit and soul. They are one and interpenetrating. Often the last two terms are confused and considered to be. But the Bible separates the two, though they are often confused in religious literature. Hence the confusion that leads to doubts on this issue.

The concept of "soul" and "spirit"

The soul is the intangible essence of the individual, it is enclosed in his body and is driving force. With her, a person can exist, thanks to her, he knows the world. If there is no soul, then there will be no life.

Spirit is the highest degree nature of man, it attracts and leads him to God. According to the Bible, it is precisely its presence that puts the human person above other beings in the existing hierarchy.

Differences between soul and spirit

In a narrow sense, the soul can be called a horizontal vector of a person's life; it connects his personality with the world, being the area of ​​feelings and desires. Theology divides its actions into three lines: sentient, desirable, and thought. In other words, it is characterized by thoughts, emotions, feelings, a desire to achieve a goal, a desire for something. She can make a choice, even if not always the right one.

The spirit is a vertical reference point, which is expressed in the aspiration to God. His actions are considered more pure, since she knows the fear of God. He aspires to the Creator and rejects earthly pleasures.

According to theological teachings, it can be concluded that not only a person has a soul, but also animals, fish, insects, but only a person owns the spirit. This fine line needs to be understood, and even better felt on an intuitive level. This will help the knowledge that the soul helps the spirit enter the human body in order to improve it. It is also important to know that a person is endowed with a soul at birth or conception. But the spirit is sent precisely at the moment of repentance.

The soul makes the body alive, akin to blood penetrating into the cells of the human body and penetrating the whole body. In other words, man possesses it, as well as the body. She is his essence. As long as a person lives, the soul remains in the body. When he cannot see, feel, speak, although he has all the senses. They are inactive because there is no soul. The spirit, by its nature, cannot belong to a person; it easily leaves him and returns. If he leaves, then the person does not live on. But the spirit animates the soul.

(), (), the soul of a deceased person () or human in general (); 2) high power human soul through which a person cognizes God (the human spirit contains Divine grace in itself, is its conductor for all the forces of the soul); 3), disposition () (example: a person with a strong spirit = a person with strong character); 4) mood (example: warlike spirit); 5) the essence (example: the spirit of the work).

"Every man has a spirit - higher side human life, the force that draws him from the visible to the invisible, from the temporal to the eternal, from the creature to the Creator, characterizing man and distinguishing him from all other living creatures on earth. It is possible to weaken this force in varying degrees, you can crookedly interpret its requirements, but you cannot completely drown it out or exterminate it. It is an integral part of our human nature "(St.)

Following St. Fathers, the human spirit is not independent part soul, not something different from it. The human spirit is inextricably linked with the soul, always connected with it, abides in it, constitutes its highest side. According to St. Theophan the Recluse, the spirit is “the soul of the human soul”, “the essence of the soul”.

According to St. Ignatius Bryanchaninov, the human spirit is invisible and incomprehensible, like the invisible and incomprehensible Mind of God. At the same time, the human spirit is only an image of its Divine Archetype, and is not at all identical to Him.

“Created according to the image, of course, in everything has likeness to the Prototype, mental to mental and incorporeal to incorporeal, free from all time, like the Prototype, like it avoids any spatial dimension, but by the property of nature, there is something different with it”, - says St. . Unlike the uncreated Spirit of God, the human spirit is created and limited. In its essence, the Spirit of God is completely different from the spirit of man, for the very essence of the latter is limited and finite.

Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov on the human spirit

“All mankind, which does not enter into a deep examination of the nature of the soul, content with superficial, generally accepted knowledge, indifferently calls the invisible part of our being, living in the body and constituting its essence, both soul and spirit. Since breathing is also a sign of the life of animals, they are called by human society animals from life, and animated from the soul (animales). Other matter is called lifeless, inanimate, or soulless. Man, unlike other animals, is called verbal, and they, unlike him, dumb. The mass of mankind, entirely occupied with cares about the earthly and temporal, looking at everything else superficially, saw the difference between man and animals in the gift of words. But sensible men understood that man differs from animals by an inner property, a special ability of the human soul. This ability they called the power of literature, in fact the spirit. This includes not only the ability to think, but also the ability to have spiritual sensations, such as a sense of high, a sense of grace, a sense of virtue. In this regard, the meaning of the words soul and spirit is very different, although in human society both words are used indifferently, one instead of the other ...

The teaching that a person has a soul and spirit is found both in Holy Scripture () and in the holy fathers. For the most part, both of these words are used to refer to the entire invisible part of the human being. Then both words have the same meaning (; ). The soul differs from the spirit when it is required to explain the invisible, deep, mysterious ascetic feat. Spirit is the verbal power of the human soul, in which the image of God is imprinted and in which the human soul differs from the soul of animals: Scripture also ascribes souls to animals (). The monk to the question: “Is the mind (spirit) different, and is the soul different?” - replies: “Just as the members of the body, many being, are called one person, so the members of the soul are many, mind, will, conscience, thoughts condemning and justifying; however, all this in one united literature, and the members are spiritual; there is only one soul inner man"(Conversation 7, ch. 8. Translation of the Moscow Theological Academy, 1820). In Orthodox theology we read: “As for the spirit, which, on the basis of some Scriptures (; ), is revered as the third integral part a person, then, according to the saint, he is not something different from the soul and like it independent, but is the highest side of the same soul; as the eye is in the body, the mind is in the soul.”

St. Theophan the Recluse on the human spirit

“What is this spirit? This is the power that God breathed into the face of man, completing his creation. All kinds of terrestrial creatures were persecuted by the command of God by the earth. Every soul of living creatures also came out of the earth. The human soul, although similar to the soul of animals in its lower part, is incomparably more excellent in its higher part. What it is in man depends on its combination with the spirit. The Spirit, breathed in by God, combined with her, so exalted her above every non-human soul. That is why, in addition to what is seen in animals, we notice inside ourselves what is characteristic of the spiritual soul of a person, and even higher, what is characteristic of the spirit itself.

The Spirit, as a force that has come from God, knows God, seeks God, and finds rest in Him alone. Ascertaining his origin from God by some kind of spiritual innermost instinct, he feels his complete dependence on Him and recognizes himself obliged to please Him in every possible way and live only for Him and Them.

The more tangible manifestations of these movements of the life of the spirit are:

1) Fear of God. All people, no matter what stage of development they are at, know that there is a supreme being, God, who created everything, contains everything and governs everything, that they depend on Him in everything and must please Him, that He is the Judge and the Giver to everyone according to his work. Such is the natural creed, written in the spirit. Confessing it, the spirit reveres God and is filled with the fear of God.

2) Conscience. Conscious of being obliged to please God, the spirit would not know how to satisfy this duty if it were not guided by conscience in this. Having communicated to the spirit a piece of his omniscience in the indicated natural creed, God also inscribed in it the requirements of His holiness, truth and goodness, instructing him to observe their fulfillment and judge himself in serviceability or malfunction. This side of the spirit is conscience, which indicates what is right and what is not right, what is pleasing to God and what is not pleasing, what should and should not be done; pointing out, he imperiously compels him to do that, and then rewards him with consolation for his performance, and punishes him with remorse for non-performance. Conscience is the legislator, the guardian of the law, the judge and the vindicator. It is the natural tables of the covenant of God, which extends to all people. And we see in all people, along with the fear of God, the actions of conscience.

3) Thirst for God. It is expressed in the general striving for the all-perfect good and is also more clearly seen in the general dissatisfaction with anything created. What does this dissatisfaction mean? That nothing created can satisfy our spirit. Having come from God, he seeks God, he desires to taste Him, and, being in a living union and combination with Him, he calms down in Him. When he reaches this, he is calm, but until he reaches it, he cannot have rest. No matter how many created things and blessings anyone has, everything is not enough for him. And everyone, as you have already noticed, is looking and looking. They seek and find, but, having found it, they abandon it and begin to search again, so that, having found it, they also abandon it. So endless. This means that they are looking for the wrong thing and the wrong place, what and where to look for. Doesn't this tangibly show that there is a power in us, from the earth and the earthly, grief that draws us to the heavenly?

I do not explain to you in detail all these manifestations of the spirit, I only direct your thought to its presence in us and ask you to think more about this and bring yourself to the full conviction that there is definitely a spirit in us. For it is the mark of a man. The human soul makes us a small something higher than animals, and the spirit shows us a small something reduced from the Angels. You, of course, know the meaning of the phrases we use: the spirit of the writer, the spirit of the people. This is the aggregate distinguishing features, real, but in some way ideal, intelligible to the mind, elusive and intangible. The same is the spirit of man; only the spirit of the writer, for example, is seen ideally, and the spirit of man is inherent in him as a living force, testifying to his presence with living and tangible movements. From what I have said, it would be desirable for you to draw the following conclusion: in whom there are no movements and actions of the spirit, he does not stand on a level with human dignity ...

The influence of the spirit on the human soul and the resulting phenomena in the field of thought, activity (will) and feeling (heart).

I take up what was interrupted—namely, what entered the soul as a result of its union with the spirit, which is from God? From this, the whole soul was transformed and from an animal, as it is by nature, became human, with the forces and actions that are indicated above. But that's not what we're talking about now. Being such as described, she discovers, moreover, higher aspirations and ascends one degree higher, being an inspired soul.

Such inspirations of the soul are visible in all aspects of its life - mental, active and feeling.

In the mental part of the action of the spirit is in the soul the desire for ideality. Actually mental mentality is entirely based on experience and observation. From what is learned in this way, fragmented and without connection, it builds generalizations, makes inductions and, in this way, extracts the basic provisions about famous circle of things. On this she would stand. Meanwhile, she is never satisfied with this, but strives higher, seeking to determine the meaning of each circle of things in total population creations. For example, what a person is is known through observations of him, generalizations and inductions. But not satisfied with this, we ask ourselves the question: “What does a person mean in the totality of creations?” Looking for this, another will decide: he is the head and crown of creatures; different: he is a priest - in the idea that the voices of all creatures, praising God unconsciously, he collects and praises the Supreme Creator with a reasonable song. This kind of thoughts about every other kind of creatures and about their entire totality, the soul has a desire to generate. And it gives birth. Whether they answer the case or not is another matter, but it is certain that she has the urge to look for them, seeks them and gives birth. This is the striving for ideality, for the meaning of a thing is its idea. This desire is common to all. And those who do not give a price to any knowledge, except for experienced ones - and they cannot refrain from becoming idealistic against their will, without noticing it themselves. Ideas are rejected with language, but in practice they are built. The conjectures which they accept, and without which no circle of knowledge is complete, are the lowest class of ideas.

The image of the ideal view is metaphysics and true philosophy, which, as they have always been, will always be in the field of human knowledge. The Spirit, which is always inherent in us as an essential force, contemplating God himself as the Creator and Provider, and beckons the soul into that invisible and boundless region. Perhaps the spirit, in its likeness to God, was destined to contemplate all things in God, and it would have contemplated if it had not been for the fall. But in every possible way, even now, whoever wants to contemplate everything that exists ideally, should proceed from God or from that symbol that God has written in the spirit. Thinkers who do not do this are, for that very reason, no longer philosophers. Not believing in the ideas built by the soul on the basis of the suggestions of the spirit, they act unjustly when they do not believe what constitutes the content of the spirit, for that is a human product, and this is Divine.

In the active part of the action of the spirit is the desire and production of selfless deeds or virtues, or even higher - the desire to become virtuous. Actually, the work of the soul in this part of it (the will) is the arrangement of the temporary life of a person, may it be good for him. Fulfilling this appointment, she does everything according to the conviction that what she does is either pleasant, or useful, or necessary for the life she arranges. Meanwhile, she is not satisfied with this, but leaves this circle and accomplishes deeds and undertakings not at all because they are necessary, useful and pleasant, but because they are good, kind and fair, striving for them with all zeal, despite the fact that that they give nothing for a temporary life and are even unfavorable to him and harmful to him. In another, such aspirations are manifested with such force that he sacrifices his entire life for them in order to live detached from everything. Manifestations of this kind of aspirations are ubiquitous, even outside of Christianity. Where are they from? From spirit. In conscience is inscribed the norm of the holy, good and righteous life. Having received knowledge about it through a combination with the spirit, the soul is carried away by its invisible beauty and grandeur and decides to introduce it into the circle of its affairs and life, transforming it according to its requirements. And everyone sympathizes with such aspirations, although not everyone completely surrenders to them; but there is not a single person who does not from time to time devote his labors and his property to works in this spirit.

In the feeling part, from the action of the spirit, there appears in the soul the striving and love for beauty, or, as they usually say, for grace. The proper business of this part in the soul is to perceive by feeling its favorable or unfavorable states and influences from the outside according to the measure of satisfaction or dissatisfaction of mental and bodily needs. But we see in the circle of feelings, along with these selfish - let's call it that - feelings, a number of selfless feelings that arise completely apart from the satisfaction or dissatisfaction of needs - feelings from the delight of beauty. One does not want to tear one's eyes away from the flower and turn one's ears away from singing, simply because both are beautiful. Everyone arranges and decorates his dwelling one way or another, because it is more beautiful that way. We go for a walk and choose a place for that alone, because it is beautiful. Above all this is the pleasure delivered by paintings, sculptures, music and singing, and above all this is the pleasure of poetic creations. Fine works of art delight not only beauty external form but especially beauty internal content, beauty intelligently contemplated, ideal. Where do such manifestations in the soul come from? These are guests from another area, from the area of ​​the spirit. The spirit that knows God naturally comprehends the beauty of God and seeks to enjoy it alone. Although he cannot definitely indicate that it is, but, since he secretly carries within himself its predestination, he definitely indicates that it is not, expressing this indication by the fact that he is not content with anything created. To contemplate, taste and enjoy the beauty of God is the need of the spirit, there is its life and the life of paradise. Having received knowledge about it through a combination with the spirit, and the soul is carried away after it and, comprehending it in its own spiritual image, then in joy rushes at what in its circle seems to it to be its reflection (amateurs), then it itself invents and produces things in which wants to reflect her, as she introduced herself to her (artists and artists). That's where these guests come from - sweet, detached from all sensual feelings, elevating the soul to the spirit and inspiring it! I note that of the artificial works, I include in this class only those whose content is the divine beauty of invisible divine things, and not those that, although beautiful, represent the same ordinary mental and bodily life or the same terrestrial things that constitute the eternal environment of that life. The soul, guided by the spirit, is not only looking for beauty, but the expression in beautiful forms of the invisible beautiful world, where the spirit beckons it with its influence.

So this is what the spirit gave to the soul, being combined with it, and this is how the soul is inspired! I don’t think that any of this will make it difficult for you, but I ask you, however, not to skim through what has been written in passing, but to discuss it thoroughly and attach it to yourself.

1. Spiritual life is what elevates a person, fills his activity with deep meaning, and contributes to the choice of the right guidelines. It requires constant enrichment through communication and especially by referring to the works of Russian and foreign philosophers, sacred books world religions, masterpieces of national and world fiction, music, painting.
2. Moral self-education means the unity of consciousness and behavior, the steady implementation of moral standards in life and activity. Only in the experience of good deeds and opposition to evil can moral self-improvement be consciously carried out.
3. Our time allows a person to make worldview self-determination. But it should be remembered that the ordinary worldview leaves a person at the level of worldly concerns and does not give him sufficient grounds for orientation in a complex and rapidly changing world. modern world. Everyone chooses what, in his opinion, helps him to live.

Document

From creative heritage Russian philosopher S. N. Bulgakov,

Two principles constantly struggle in a person, of which one attracts him to the active activity of the spirit, to spiritual work in the name of the ideal ... and the other seeks to paralyze this activity, to drown out the higher needs of the spirit, to make existence carnal, meager and vile. This second beginning is true philistinism; the tradesman sits in every person, always ready to lay his deadening hand on him as soon as his spiritual energy weakens. It is in the struggle with oneself, which includes the struggle with the outside world, that moral life consists, which therefore has as its condition this fundamental dualism of our existence, the struggle of two souls that live in one body not only in Faust, but also in every person ...

Questions and tasks for the document

1. What, according to the philosopher, is the moral life of a person?
2. What is the difference between the concepts of "soul" and "spirit" in Bulgakov?
3. In what sense does the author use the words "spirit", "spiritual"? Justify your answer using the text.
4. What ideas expressed in the paragraph are consonant with the ideas of the philosopher?
5. What conclusions can be drawn from this text?

Questions for self-examination

1. What are the spiritual and moral guidelines of a person, what is their role in activity?
2. What is the content and meaning of the "golden rule" of morality? What is the essence of the categorical imperative?
3. What are moral values? Describe them. What does it consist of special meaning moral values ​​for the citizens of our country in the most difficult moments of its historical development?
4. Why is the formation of a person's moral qualities impossible without self-education?
5. What is the essence of worldview? Why is the worldview often called the core spiritual world personality?
6. What types of worldview are distinguished by science? What characterizes each of them?
7. What do the concepts of "morality" and "worldview" have in common? What is their difference?
8. What is the significance of the worldview for human activity?

Tasks

1. Do you think morality forces a person to act in a certain way or does it give freedom? Justify your answer.
2. Scientists argue that value orientations determine life goals person, "the general line of the individual." Do you agree with this statement? Justify your position.
3. The English thinker Adam Smith noted the importance of a wise and creative course of action, a combination of prudence with valor, with love for humanity, with sacred respect for justice, with heroism. “This prudence,” said Adam Smith, “involves the union of an excellent head with an excellent heart.” How do you understand the author's thesis about "combining an excellent head with an excellent heart"? What do you think is the connection of this position with moral values?
4. Academician B. V. Raushenbakh wrote: “Isn’t it alarming that the characteristics “successful businessman”, “good organizer of production” sometimes turn out to be more important than the assessment “decent person”? Do you agree with the opinion of the scientist? Argument your position. Try to formulate your own definition of the concept of "decency".

Thoughts of the wise

“The more you live a spiritual life, the more independent of fate, and vice versa.”

L. N. Tolstoy (1828-1910). Russian writer

Yeshua on Lightworkers
Transmitted via Pamela Cribbe

From the chapter "From the Ego to the Heart IV"

Your (esoteric) traditions separate spirit, soul and body.
The body is the physical residence of the soul for a limited period of time.
The soul is not the physical psychological anchor of experience. It carries the experiences of many lifetimes. Over time, the soul develops and slowly turns into a multifaceted beautiful stone, where each face reflects different kind experience and knowledge based on it.
Spirit does not change or grow with time.
Spirit is outside of time and space. It is eternal, it is a timeless part of you, One with the Creator who created you. It is this divine consciousness that is the basis of expression in space and time. You were born from the realm of pure consciousness, you took a part of this consciousness with you and carried it through all incarnations in material form.
The soul takes part in duality . All experiences of duality affect and transform the soul. Spirit is beyond duality. It is the basis on which everything develops and evolves. These are Alpha and Omega, which you could simply call Being or Source.
Silence, outer and especially inner, is the best way to experience the ever-present energy that is you at your deepest core. In silence, you can touch the most wonderful and self-evident thing: Spirit, God, Source, Being.
The soul carries the memories of many incarnations. She knows and understands much more than your earthly personality. The soul is connected to psychic sources of knowledge, such as your past life personalities, and guides or companions on the astral plane. However, despite this connection, the soul can be in a state of confusion, ignorance of its true nature. She may be traumatized by specific experiences and remain in darkness for a time. The soul is constantly evolving and acquiring the understanding of duality inherent in life on Earth.
The spirit is an immovable part of the development of the soul. The soul can be in a state of darkness or enlightenment. This does not apply to Spirit. Spirit is pure Being, pure consciousness. He is both darkness and light. He is the Oneness underlying all duality. As you reach stage 4 of the transformation from ego to heart, you connect with Spirit. You connect with your Divinity.
Connecting with the God within is like stepping out of duality while remaining fully present and grounded. At this stage the consciousness is filled with a deep but quiet ecstasy; a mixture of peace and joy.
You realize that you are not dependent on anything outside of yourself. You are free. Verily, you are in the world and, as it were, outside of it.
Connecting with the spirit within is not something that happens once and for all. It is a slow and gradual process in which you connect, disconnect, reconnect…. Gradually, the focus of consciousness shifts from duality to unity. Consciousness reorients, discovering that over time it is drawn more to silence than to thoughts and emotions. By silence we mean the following: to be fully centered and present, to be in a state of nonjudgmental awareness.
There are no fixed ways or means to achieve silence. The key to connecting with Spirit is not to follow any training (meditations, fasting, etc.), but to truly understand. Understand that it is silence that brings home, not thoughts or emotions.
This understanding grows slowly as you become more and more aware of the mechanism of thoughts and feelings. You let go of old habits and open up to a new reality of heart-based consciousness. The ego-based consciousness withers and slowly dies.
The spirit is silent and eternal, and yet it is a creator. The reality of the Divine cannot be comprehended by the mind. It can only be felt. If you let it into your life and become aware of it as a whisper in your heart, everything slowly starts to fall into place. By tuning in to the reality of the Spirit, the silent awareness of everything that is behind your experiences, you stop imposing your will on reality. You allow everything to be in its natural state of being. You become your natural true self. And everything happens in a harmonious meaningful way. You feel that everything is coming together in a natural rhythm and natural flow. All you have to do is stay in tune with the divine rhythm and let go of the fears and misunderstandings that make you want to intervene.

From the chapter "Your Self of Light"
The soul experiences the greatest joy from the interaction of Spirit and sensation, the interaction of divinity and humanity. This is the secret of the universe.
When you are pure Spirit, your reality is static. Nothing changes. Sensation and movement appear only when there is a relationship with something outside of you/Spirit. When you experience something other than yourself, there is an invitation to explore, feel, discover. But in order to experience something other than you, you have to remove yourself from the absolute Oneness, from God/Spirit. By doing this, you become an individual soul.
You are an individual soul with one foot in the realm of the Absolute and the other in the realm of the Relative (= duality).
By exploring relativity (duality), you can get so far away from Home that you lose contact with the element of Spirit within. Then the soul is lost in the illusion of fear and separation.
The greatest joy is possible when you take part in the sphere of Sensation, remaining connected with the Spirit, with the Home. A balanced interaction between Spirit and Soul is the source of the greatest creativity and Love.
From this perspective, you are all on the path to finding the right balance between the state of absolute Oneness and the state of the individual soul.