The Purpose of the Soul

Café-Salon Philosophique #46

October 23, 1999

No. of Participants: 14

Evening's Topic: "The Purpose of the Soul"

Samuel once again welcomed those new and old to the evening's discussion. Jay has been contemplating and wondering for quite some time, "What the purpose of the soul is?" She grew up being taught and believing that the "soul was something outside of yourself, or that it was something up above you." The group agreed to discuss this topic.

David said, "The soul is what gives meaning to one's life." "Physical bodies are temporary embodiment of the soul." Willow thinks "we are more than just physical embodiment of the soul." "We are constant change trying to elevate our consciousness." "We all have our individual souls, but there is a collective consciousness," said Nora.

Jeff disagrees. He does not believe there is any conscious thinking before birth or after death. "Buddhist followers strive to realize that the individual ego is an illusion." "Enlightened ones come to save people from their ignorance." "They also believe in karma, reincarnation and life after death."

Willow agreed with Nora that there is a "collective consciousness," and says "we continue on as spirits or souls before and after each incarnation."

Samuel commented that in Hebrew, the Soul (Neshama) means "breath." "Breathing is life." Willow continued her thoughts. There is no "permanent self." "We are continually changing and raising our consciousness life time after life time." Jeff called this the, "The Law of Karma" - Life continuing from one lifetime to the next. Our thoughts are "the causes" for "the effects" in life.

Frank agreed that we are always "changing moment to moment through experience." Samuel then asked the group, "What is the Soul?" Frank says the soul is "the quality of each moment" for the individual. Spirit is "ALL parts being ALL together." Allie says, the soul is "breathing movement." Jeff defined the soul as "a standing wave of the self, looking at the self."

Nora sees the soul as "a continuum of life." "The presence." Rae says, "It is the essence of a person." To Willow, the soul is "continuity of care." David knows "he is the soul, but can have temporary disembodiment at times." Dennis does not find the word SOUL "to be a useful word." But, he does agree, we are changeable, mutable.

Damien thinks the soul is "experiences collected and digested in each life time." The soul emanates "viewpoints and perspectives" of how it "thinks." John's personal quest is to reach the point of continual happiness. Jay is still "thinking about what the soul means to her." Christen says "the soul is the one who experiences life."

Samuel say we are a part of the whole life plan. "Breathing is the awareness of who you are."

The next question was, "What are you doing with your soul in this lifetime? Samuel commented on how "very few people know how to think." He also added, "How does the soul use you?"

Dennis smirked and smiled and said, "To polish my tennis shoes!" Jay is here to find the "purpose of the soul and to improve the relationship between her mind, body and spirit." She asked, "What is it to have a meaningful life?" Another saying of the Jewish tradition is, "I breathe, therefore I am." If you don't breathe, you resist being and living.

John shared how he "silently struggles" to be "his self." He fears that if he shows his true self to others, they will reject him. Samuel says that "honesty is sometimes painful, especially when we have to be with our self." Frank tries to listen to the "soul self." The soul self is "the one who flows, tones, harmonizes with all sounds and frequencies around him." Jeff tries to get out of the way of the self. He is aware that he needs to break through illusions. He would like to "take off the backpack of rocks."

The soul uses Nora to experience the "actual now." Willow says the soul is "the experiences of what she has chosen in her many life times. She says we are sculpted by "embodied experiences." We are multi-dimensional beings, and through our senses can experience our selves on many different levels and planes. She says we are here to "refine the soul."

David says the "Soul is part of the body." "It seems children are more open and understanding to life in their little worlds, until it is squashed by adult thinking." "The damper is put on our liveliness and playfulness." We learn to live life "seriously." "We need to come back to our child-like way of being." John agreed that "one learns through experience." "You can learn alot by watching two or three year olds. Life is magical and wondorous to them."

Damien says "his soul uses him to think and solve every day problems." Christen's soul is the "one who experiences life." "I try to be centered in the body with all five senses. Also, the six sense." He's also wonders "what the role of the physical body is."

Samuel P.'s soul is "what flows through him in order to experience the self." He does this through music and believes he is here to "expand his capacity to love." Rae thinks we should "strive to remember our child within, before we are conditioned in how to live in the world." She believes we need to question our actions. Learn to act and not react.

Our next Café meeting will be held November 6, 1999 at the Boulder Book Store, 1107 Pearl St., Boulder, CO. Start time is 6:30 p.m. Bring a new topic!

Invite your friends!

Reported by Alessandra