Chapter 1: Table 1

12

Historical Themes of Soul

Theme Origins Examples
The underworld, depth, shadowy realities; connection to unconscious facets of ourselves Early Greek Homer’s Odyssey, the necessity of journey into Hades. Carl Jung wrote, “The dread and resistance which every natural human being experiences, when it comes to delving too deeply into himself is, at bottom, the fear of the journey to Hades.”2 Soul as metaphor for our own personal odyssey, the journey into the darkness of our own underworld.
Vitality, source of animation, essence, renewal, transmutation, and metamorphosis Greek, Hindu, and American Indian stories Latin root anima (animation) meant breath or soul. Greek word for soul, psyche, also meant butterfly, indicating its gentle nature, ability to take flight, capacity for metamorphosis. Soul as metaphor for what happens if we don’t attend to our authentic selves: the deeper parts of our soul no longer animate us; the soul takes flight.
Union of opposites, joining spirit and matter, light and dark aspects of the whole person; the rhythm and driving power in nature Hebrew, African, Buddhist, and Taoist philosophy Hebrew words adamah, “dust of the ground”; ruach, “breath of life” and “spirit”; and nephesh, “living soul”; suggestion of living soul created by breathing divinity/spirit into what is fashioned out of the muck of the earth. Hebrew creation story implies the coming together of divinity and humanity, spirit and body. Soul as metaphor for coping with the contradictions and limitations of modern life; holding together the middle between the material and spiritual. Soul as a path to awakening and higher consciousness. Soul as an earthly form of divinity and the rhythm of life.
Spark of the divine, qualities of supreme being, cosmic aspect to consciousness Gnostic myths, indigenous traditions, Hindu and Christian beliefs Creation story of light fragments hurtling through the universe and lodging as divine sparks within our souls. Transcendence; mystery of rebirth; reincarnation; patterns of the eternal; knowing beyond the physical. Philosophical source for questions of origin and destiny, the meaning of life. Soul as metaphor for being connected with something larger; a reminder that our lives are not our own.
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