Define what you think a Spirit is

[Katzpur]

I see them as similar but not the same.

Mind elaborating?

 

[Electus de Lumine]

Mind elaborating?

I use "Soul" to describe the immortal part of the person made of animus when it is in the body and "Spirit" when it is out.

 

[Katzpur]

I use "Soul" to describe the immortal part of the person made of animus when it is in the body and "Spirit" when it is out.

That makes sense. Similar to my belief if not exactly the same. I believe that without a spirit inhabiting it, a body is just... well, a body. A piece of flesh, with a bunch of organs, etc. When a spirit resides in the body, it's a "living soul." But, while a body is only a "living soul" when inhabited by a spirit, a spirit can exist as a living thing outside of and independent of a body.

 

[Aiviu]

In your own words, define what you believe a Spirit to be. Thank you!

A spirit is the existence without a body. We'd like to believe that we are created to learn how to live in and with this spirit. That we'd continue to live after we are died. We hope to be spirited away.

The image into we'd been created to is the spirit of our first love. In a spirit of an existence without a body.

 

[David T]

In your own words, define what you believe a Spirit to be. Thank you!

It's a circular self referential question.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

That makes sense. Similar to my belief if not exactly the same. I believe that without a spirit inhabiting it, a body is just... well, a body. A piece of flesh, with a bunch of organs, etc. When a spirit resides in the body, it's a "living soul." But, while a body is only a "living soul" when inhabited by a spirit, a spirit can exist as a living thing outside of and independent of a body.

If a sprit is the difference between a human being and the physical body, aren't you just setting up a sort of "spirit of the gaps"?

 

[Katzpur]

If a sprit is the difference between a human being and the physical body, aren't you just setting up a sort of "spirit of the gaps"?

You've got to try to rephrase that, because I don't know what you're trying to say. What in the world is a "spirit of the gaps"?

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

You've got to try to rephrase that, because I don't know what you're trying to say. What in the world is a "spirit of the gaps"?

I meant that you seem to be using the same approach as in God of the Gaps arguments, only applied to "spirits".

If the spirit lies somewhere in the difference between "the whole person" and what we know of the physical processes of the body, then the possible extent of the spirit will shrink and shrink as we learn more about the physical processes of the body.

IMO, it's already established that our personalities are dependent on the physical to a remarkable degree. How much more will be found in, say, 10 or 20 years? Will what's left undiscovered leave enough room for anything that can validly be called a spirit or soul?

That's what I'm getting at.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

When I use the term, I typically mean the sum essence of what that thing is. That sum is fundamentally ineffable, indescribable, and incomprehensible... but we can grasp at pieces of it through our limited human experiences. As an example, the spirit of a storm is all that is stormness; the wind, the rain, the lightning, the sounds, the smells, the emotions, the stories told, the storm that was, the storm that will be, the storm that could be, and more. And if I capitalize things, like Storm Spirit, that's an honorific designating I'm referring to storms as the gods I feel they are.

I don't use the term as it is usually used in my culture. My culture presumes substance dualism, which I do not... so that is part of why. When they talk about the "spirit" of something they refer only to the intangible aspects of something. For me it refers to all the aspects of something. More of an animist's approach, I guess.

I'm just bored but can I ask, is spirit of storm, stormness, and actual storm (lightening, clouds, rain turbulence) the same?

What is a storm beyond it's tangible means?

Is it a person, a life-force, energy, consciousness, (trying to think of other terms a lot of people use to describe the essence of something and someone)

I'm an animist too and I have a different perspective on describing spirit when referred unrelated to a dualist perspective. I do agree, though, our culture influences it a lot.

 

[Quintessence]

I'm just bored but can I ask, is spirit of storm, stormness, and actual storm (lightening, clouds, rain turbulence) the same?

I don't really ask that question. Not sure how to answer it. Yes? Plus extra?

What is a storm beyond it's tangible means?

I use that framing in part because some people are substance materialists. That is, they think the tangible is all that there is. I find that idea very strange, as it's pretty obvious to me that things like ideas exist (and ideas are not tangible). Essentially, the spirit of a thing refers to its tangible (physical) qualities as well as its intangible (not physical) ones, presuming both are applicable.

Is it a person, a life-force, energy, consciousness, (trying to think of other terms a lot of people use to describe the essence of something and someone)

As an animist, I would view all things as persons. The terms "life force" and "energy" would refer to an aspect of spirits. I don't use the word "consciousness." I kind of hate it.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

I use that framing in part because some people are substance materialists. That is, they think the tangible is all that there is. I find that idea very strange, as it's pretty obvious to me that things like ideas exist (and ideas are not tangible).

Essentially, the spirit of a thing refers to its tangible (physical) qualities as well as its intangible (not physical) ones, presuming both are applicable.

I can see that. If we can describe a storm by it's tangible characteristics, if we have a *cough* personal relationship with the storm, we may be able to find it's intangible characteristics too?

Like, for me, I am a rock fanatic. Always have been since I was a kid. My mother literally had to throw some of my rocks out the lawn because if they weren't shiny and colorful, they were just rocks. How dare she! I said under my breath. I never used spirit until I came in to contact with Christianity . I'd say that a rock is a rock and it's spirit is its tangible elements just as it's energy/heat that makes a rock, a rock which is not tangible is spirit (I guess using spirit makes it more personal? Who knows?).

I do believe that people can leave their energy/spirit on things they possess, places they were buried, and born. So, the "spirits" in all objects are the people who owned those objects or settled on land or so have you. Basically, holding a rock, you are holding (a) person(s).

When you take out the person(s), then I guess a rock is a rock.

But you're using spirit of storm rather than a storm or spirit of sun rather than sun. So, to me, that sounds like separating spirit (whatever that is????) and the tangible storm itself.

What am I trying to say?

Here's an example

I just came up with this on PowerPoint. Magic!

The first circle is how you are describing it: Both spirit and rock (or storm) with intangible and tangible qualities that make up rockness or spirit of rock as a person.

The second circle is what Christians and many people say that the spirit is separate than the rock (or person) and kind of diregard the physical and focus on the spirit.

The third is how I see it. The person/spirit/energy is the actual rock itself. You can say the white portion is spirit and the blue is rock but how can one do that when its a gradient and all flow into each other as one rock.

So I just call it rock without dividing it as in the first two.

I know, long comment. Can you see why I'm a bit confused?

As an animist, I would view all things as persons. The terms "life force" and "energy" would refer to an aspect of spirits. I don't use the word "consciousness." I kind of hate it.

Now say our rock above are people (however defined). We already have spirit of rock or rockiness... is the spirit of the rock the person or is it one word to characterize both spirit of rock (intangible) and rock (tangible) as a whole? A proper noun.

Hahaha. Yeah, I hate consciousness too. Thought I throw that in.

 

[Repox]

In your own words, define what you believe a Spirit to be. Thank you!

Except for symbolic communication abilities, humans are no much different than other species. Just like other species, they live, die and turn to dust. The spirit is a human invention, it doesn't exist.

It is a favorite religious past time however to invent so many different stories. I like all of those ghost stories, some of them are really spooky. What would clerics do without the spirit? At funerals, Pastors would be loss for words. What would they say, "I hope his (her) body doesn't rot too much." ha. ha. Nearby my home is a well kept graveyard. I'll keep an eye out for spirits. Maybe, one will talk to me. Then, I'll have to take back my bad words.

 

[Quintessence]

But you're using spirit of storm rather than a storm or spirit of sun rather than sun. So, to me, that sounds like separating spirit (whatever that is????) and the tangible storm itself.

I must not be communicating things correctly. There's no separation to me. The first circle is not what I mean at all. Take your third diagram, cross of "rock" and put "Rock (also known as Rock Spirit, the Spirit of the Rock)."

 

[MonkeyFire]

Spirit is no different than conciousnes and our current reality. I don't have one, I am a spirit.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

I must not be communicating things correctly. There's no separation to me. The first circle is not what I mean at all. Take your third diagram, cross of "rock" and put "Rock (also known as Rock Spirit, the Spirit of the Rock)."

Formality? De ja vu. Think I remember you explaining this before)