Soul

[da]

What's the word "soul" mean to you? What associations does it bring up? Is the word fraught with baggage... smelling partly of brimstone? Does it have deep connection for you? Is it ineffable and abstract? Is it like a Platonic ideal of a thing, not to be pinned down? Is it boring? Is it a handy fiction?

I'd love to have a conversation about that, to the extent we can in an online journal. Anonymous comments are fine. My hope is to have common referents to continue in another post.

I invite you to make your first comment here, that is to say without reading the previous comments before-hand. Of course feel free to read other comments too, and discuss with others, but after your first comment. :) Thanks!

[Edit to add:

I can say: the breadth of peoples' responses is pretty darn cool.

So, I suggested a dialogue. What now?

It would be one thing if we were in the same room, and could look at each other and be clear that we're going to treat this with the respect it deserved. In that situation, I would say we could just ask each other open, honest questions; questions that don't try to convince the other of our own understanding; but help the other person to articulate their truth for us. And take it from there.

We could try something like that. I'd participate. Why don't we try that?

It might go without saying, but I'll say it anyway: you're welcome to not reply to someone's question, or to reply telling them you won't reply (and that's final; challenges are not OK).

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Comments

[da-lj.livejournal.com]

I'd love to hear about the spiritual path that brought you to these beliefs.

You and ng_nighthawk have given me the name for my followup post: "On approaching the soul." These questions are exactly where I was, when I became convinced I should make this post.

For now, I hope to add a bit to ng_nighthawk's comment, if I have oomph.

[Edit to add: I guess I had oomph. You might want to follow up reading my thread with him, if you haven't yet. (all these comments! Yikes!)

http://da-lj.livejournal.com/353791.html?thread=1629183#t1629183
]

[sqrt-joy.livejournal.com]

That's a long story. I'll send it to you in an e-mail because it's a little too personal for this page.