Encounters with the Soul - Part 3

               Before moving on to discuss the states of the soul, I would like to back-track a little to cover what one other person has to say on the matter of the existence, or otherwise, of the soul. That other person is a Father Sylvan (2), sadly now dead. In the section referenced below, Father Sylvan says, 

"In short, the soul is not a fixed entity. It is a movement that begins whenever man experiences the psychological pain of contradiction. It is an actual energy, but one that is only at some beginning stage of its development and action. Every day, every more or less average human experiences the appearance of this energy in its most embryonic stage ...... But almost always, almost without any exceptions whatsoever, this new energy is immediately dispersed and comes to nothing. A hundred, a thousand times a day, perhaps, "the soul is aborted"."

               I find this to be an interesting approach, but one which may bear the seeds of duality. As described, it would appear that the soul makes an appearance, only to disappear, yet implying that it continues to exist, awaiting its next opportunity to become evident. It is, yet it is not; a paradox. It would appear that the soul can exist as potential energy, in a manner not unlike Meister Eckhart's (3) use of the word 'potential' when referring to the darkness of "unknowing". 

               Certainly, as a result of my own inner searching, I have experienced something similar to Father Sylvan. But I would describe the experience as one of encountering a state of "having the lights on, but with no-one at home." This always seems to occur in the presence of overwhelming thought and/or emotion (4). Interesting though this phenomenon may be, however, the question as to whether or not the soul exists, or whether it simply fades out and returns (like the collapse of the electro-magnetic field in an electrical generator), is less important than determining how effective and efficient is the operating state of the soul. 

(2) See "Lost Christianity," by Prof. Jacob Needleman - The Appearance and Disappearance of the Soul.

(3) Meister Eckhart, Sermon 4.

(4) See for example "Loss of Awareness Through Anger," Gwynt Blog Post, 17 Dec. 2021