In any study of contemplative spirituality, it's good to have a sense of the nature of the human being, if for no other reason than to deepen our self-knowledge. I also find it helpful to clarify the meaning of words like Ego, Self, Soul, Spirit, and others used frequently in spiritual writings.

I've already done quite a bit of writing about this topic, and so will pass along a few things here.

First, there is my doctoral dissertationk which you are welcomed to. If you're not interested in reading the whole thing, I'll post the summary below and you can decide if you want more. A few other links and exerpts from publications will follow. As always, we can discuss this on its thread, and recommend additional resources as needed.

God, Self, and Ego: Summary (an existential anthropology)

So, what is Self and Ego?

Put simply, it is "I".

But this ineffable experience we know to be "I" has two aspects:potentiality and actuality. The "I" of potentiality is the larger, more universal aspect; the individual actualization of this potential is more unique and personal. Hence, Self can be considered the subject of the unconscious, and Ego the subject of desire, intellectual activity, and conscious experience. These are not two different subjects, but they are two different experiences of "I". Self is "I" as the human spirit, who is present in desire and all manner of experiences, while Ego is the conscious and active dimension of "I" in this embodied state. When one consciously realizes this connection between Self and Ego, then the Ego loses its sense of alienation and isolation and begins to experience the social, cosmic, transcendent and holistic qualities of Self.

Because of our false self conditioning, however, our awareness of this connection between Self in Ego can be so terribly distorted that the Egoic "I" does not know from whence it comes, and so it attaches to all manner of things within and without the person in an attempt to complete itself. "I" can then become lost in the convoluted activities of the mind and emotions, becoming, instead, a "me," or object of my own mental activity. In such cases (and they are legion), then "I" am not merely shaped by my experiences, but determined by them. They are not "mine," but "me." Excessive self- definition and judgmentalism follow from the creation of this mind- self, which is not-"I".

And what of God? Is God "I"?

No, God is not "I". Rather, God is the "Am" in which "I" affirm the fact of my existence: "I Am." This "Am", or pure Being, is utterly distinct from "I", for "I" cannot, of its own accord, know anything more about It than the fact that "It Is." And yet Being is also the source of "I"; apart from It, "I" has no existence, no "Am." Something of Existence must therefore be present within "I", for It is the means by which "I" has its own being. "I" cannot extract Existence from itself, however, so "I" can never know what it is apart from Existence. Through the "I" in every person, then, something of the glory and numinosity of Existence Itself shines forth. Those who are awake to their own "I" know this truth, but those who have lost themselves in the disordered mental activity stirred up by the false self are asleep to the wonder of Existence.

The Nature of the Soul (from Caring for the Self, Caring for the Soul)

General Characteristics

The soul is a spiritual reality oriented toward animating matter to form a body. With other pure spirits, it shares these-characteristics:

a. Simplicity. The soul is one indivisible whole with no parts. It contains the physical body, which it infonns to the smallest atom to make the body live. It also contains faculties of reason, will, memory, and so forth; but these are not divisions of the soul-only faculties to enable its operations.

b. Immortality. In a predominant philosophical tradition (scholasticism) it is held that other life forms have a vegetative soul (plant life, animal physiology) and/or animal soul (life of the senses, instinctive reactions). These souls are perishable. The spiritual soul of a human being CONTAINS the vegetative and animal souls and is responsible for their existence and functioning. At death, however, the vegetative and animal levels cease to exist in a human being, since they are fundamentally oriented to the life of the physical body, which is left behind at death.

c. Immateriality. The soul is a spiritual substance, and as such, it is immortal. Nevertheless, it is a spirit that is meant to give life to a physical body and to exercise itself in a body.

d. Freedom. The soul may choose to do this or that. These choices are limited by the information available.

e. Intelligence. Like angels, the soul is capable of grasping spiritual truth directly through intuition. It may also gain knowledge through the exercise of reason from information obtained from the senses.

f. Personal. Each soul is individual, belonging to the individual, whose intellectual and volitional experiences are possessed by that individual. This characteristic is responsible for the experience of selfconsciousness.

g. Creatureliness. The soul is a creation of God. It is not eternal; it is created directly by God at conception. Therefore, the soul is not a divine substance, although it is dependent on God for its existence and is therefore connected with God because of the fact of its existence.

Soul and Body

The human soul is spiritual, like that of angels, possessing all the characteristics of other spiritual beings. It is not like angels, however, in that it requires a physical body and sensory information in order to activite its spiritual intelligence. Without a physical body, the spiritual soul is metaphysically deficient. This is why a complete restoration of the soul calls for a body in and through which the soul may express itself. A human soul differs from an angelic spirit in this regard, for an angelic spirit is created to know and express itself in a purely spiritual state of being.

The Soul and the Fall

When the spiritual soul was first given (and Christianity has always insisted that it is a direct creation of God--even though it makes its home in a body that has evolved), its contact with the Divine was such that it was infused with divine energy so completely that the animal, vegetative, and physical levels it contained were also taken up into the immortality. With the Fall (severed relationship with God), however, the soul maintained its spiritual nature, but its energy was no longer capable of fully receiving and expressing the divine energy. Consequentially, the body lost the immortality infused into it by divine energy and became destined for death.

The Soul in the Afterlife

As a spirit, the soul may live apart from the body in the afterlife. This is called the Intermediate State of the soul. During this phase of its joumey, the soul experiences all of the qualities of spirits listed in previous reflections (simplicity, immateriality, intelligence, freedom, etc.). So the soul intuitively comprehends its relationship with God and others, thus entering into whatever realm of the afterlife (heaven, hell, purgatory) is appropriate for the development it has attained during its earthly life.

Our Experience of the Spiritual Soul

Although the usual manner of knowing for the soul is through the body and information gained from the senses, it is nonetheless possible for the embodied soul to experience something of its spiritual nature while in the body. Thus it is that philosophers sometimes speak of two experiences of the soul:

a. The corporal soul. The normal state of the soul in this life. Its rational and intuitive intelligence is ultimately derived from sensory information and directed toward actions to be performed by the body.

b. The partly body-free soul. As a spirit, the soul is not completely contained by the life and needs of the body. It reaches beyond the body and may experience some of the qualities of a pure spirit, although imperfectly. The partly body-free soul explains phenomena such as extrasensory perception, cosmic consciousness, spiritual travel (astral body travel), occult phenomena, and natural mysticism.

Asceticism and the Spiritual Soul

Certain ascetical practices (fasting, yoga, certain forms of meditation, etc.) can loosen the hold of the soul on the physical body so that it may experience its spiritual nature somewhat directly. In this state, the soul may realize its connection with God as the giver of existence and so obtain a kind of natural, nonpersonal union with God. In this state, too, the soul may sometimes communicate with angelic, demonic, and/or disembodied spirits, who may in turn communicate to the physical realm through the embodied faculties of the spiritual soul. This is the basis for channeling (necromancy) and spiritualism, both of which are condemned by the Church, since it is possible that malevolent or mischievous spirits could be involved in such communications. This may also explain some of the dynamics of demonic possession. When exploring the inner realm, it is best to pray for the guidance and protection of the Holy Spirit.

The partly body-free soul may also explain manifestations of extrasensory preternatural powers. Such powers need not be attributed to angels, demons, or disembodied spirits but may belong to the higher powers of the human soul itself. Generally, these powers lie dormant in the unconscious or superconscious mind. In the partly body-free state, however, they may manifest in certain individuals. This explanation accounts for the unpredictability of these gifts and the inability of the person to produce them at will.

The Soul and Contemplation

It frequently happens that a mystic will be drawn to realize the deep, inner connection between God and the soul, wherein the soul enjoys ecstatic union with God or receives communication from God without going through the usual channels of sensation and conceptualization. This is called infused contemplation, a deep union of love between God and the soul made possible by grace.

Infused contemplation is generally what is meant when the term contemplation is used in the Christian tradition. Other uses of the word have become quite common, but they don't always refer to the same kinds of experiences described by the Christian mystics.

Summary

As a created spirit, the soul naturally longs for union with its Maker even while it infuses life into the body.

The fundamental dispositions of the soul, then, are twofold:
a. To give life to the body and thus cultivate its spiritual powers in a context of embodied life to which the soul is properly suited (unlike angels and demons, which are not suited for embodiment).
b. To be united with God, its Source of life and existence.

Christian theology does not see an opposition between these two dispositions. The body and its needs do not negate the spiritual life of the soul. The body is not a prison of the soul, nor an obstacle to union with God, nor a prison into which the soul has fallen. Nevertheless, a soul too attached to bodily life cannot be united with God (nor can a soul who rejects the life of the body). A sound spiritual approach recognizes the importance of proper and disciplined care for the body and its needs while cultivating union with God.

The Cosmic Egg

Click here to view a graphical depiction of the various levels of being, and how the human soul and its Self relate to these.

Other References

Mystical Anthropologies. A handout summarizing similarities and differences between the Christian and Hindu systems.
Kundalini: The Hindu Perspective. An essay on the Hindu understanding of the levels of human nature.
Body, Soul, and the Spiritual Unconscious, by James Arraj. A chapter from one of his books, including a diagram of different kinds of experiences.
Faculties of the Soul. From the Catholic Encyclopedia online.
The Sacred Mirrors. Fascinating illustrations by Alex Grey. Be sure you note the Psychic Energy System mirror. Use the Flash presentation and click on the images on the right side of the display.

Reflection and Discussion

1. What questions or comments were awakened by this lesson?

2. How does this material help to enhance (or hinder) your contemplative practice?