Soul Parts

[The Hammer]

In your Tradition, does the Human Soul have parts to it?

I've always held a 3 part (Tripartite) view of the soul that encompasses the aspects of Body, Mind, and Spirit; these work together to form our perceptions of waking Consciousness. I have also begun to dabble into the ideas of the Norse which held that the Soul had 4 parts to it:

"The Norse concept of the soul held that it was composed of several separate parts:

• the hamr - outer appearance, conceived of having a life force element that could be manipulated magically by hugr and Önd. The last breath a person took was understood to be an evaporation of the life principle; i.e. no more Önd. An extinguished hamr into a source of life that was primeval and common, and which was in the world of the gods, nature, and the universe.[1]
• the hugr - soul or spirit via the mind, emotions, will.[2] The hugr was generally conceived of as leaving the body on death, potentially only after the body was fully destroyed through decay or immolation. When the body had been broken down, the soul could start its journey to the realm of the dead.[1]
• the fylgja - fetch/follower. A spirit tied to the core soul aspect of a living individual; much like an astral double. The fylgja could also travel away from the body during life.[3]
• the hamingja - potentiality or fate. The hamingja could leave the person during life, and be inherited by another member of the lineage after death. Through magical practices, such as spa or seidr, some aspect of the mind could leave the body during moments of unconsciousness, ecstasy, trance, or sleep.[1]. "

Death in Norse paganism - Wikipedia.

Soul - Wikipedia

 

[Salty Booger]

I've always held a 3 part (Tripartite) view of the soul that encompasses the aspects of Body, Mind, and Spirit; these work together to form our perceptions of waking Consciousness. I have also begun to dabble into the ideas of the Norse which held that the Soul had 4 parts to it:

Shouldn't we include the Earth, Moon, Sun and Stars? They are as much a part of your soul as is anything else. And do our emotions work into that as well?

 

[The Hammer]

Shouldn't we include the Earth, Moon, Sun and Stars? They are as much a part of your soul as is anything else. And do our emotions work into that as well?

I edited it to say "human soul". But yes, we could extend it as such, but I was choosing this narrow perspective .

 

[beenherebeforeagain]

If I recall correctly, the ancient Egyptians believed there were 8 or 9 (obviously, I don't recall correctly) parts to the soul/spirit, and that in at least some Native American nations there was belief in as many as 11.

Personally, as an animist, I don't know why soul/spirit should be a low number of parts; the more the merrier

That is, I don't see why there can't be a part of the spirit that stays with the bodily remains, and another part that goes to live with the ancestors, and another part that gets reincarnated, and another that hangs around the homeplace as a haint, and...but I think you get my drift.

I think it's an interesting study looking into the beliefs of various cultures about soul/spirit, how vastly different the conceptions can be...

 

[Aupmanyav]

In your Tradition, does the Human Soul have parts to it?
Death in Norse paganism - Wikipedia.
Soul - Wikipedia

That is a bit too complicated for me. Hinduism is a many streamed landscape. Normally, it is two part, 'atma' and its source 'paramatma'. In the Advaita view (non-duality) that I follow, these two have been combined leaving just one.

We do have the concept of 'Koshas'. "A kosha (kośa), usually rendered "sheath", is a covering of the Atman, or Self according to Vedantic philosophy. There are five koshas, and they are often visualised as the layers of an onion in the subtle body." That means if you peal of the layers of individual soul, what you finally get is the universal soul.

"The five sheaths summarised with the term Panchakosha are described in the Taittiriya Upanishad (2.1-5). From gross to fine they are:
Annamaya kosha, "food" sheath (Anna)
Pranamaya kosha, "energy" sheath (Prana)
Manomaya kosha "mind" sheath (Manas)
Vijñānamaya kosha, "discernment" sheath (Vijnana)
Anandamaya kosha, "bliss" sheath (Ananda)
According to Vedanta the wise person, being aware of the subtle influences of the five elements within each kosha, ever discerns the 'Self' amidst appearances."

 

[Quintessence]

I don't address the concept of a "soul" much in my tradition. Never found a framework I really liked. I suppose I'd probably reduce it down to the Four if nothing else since everything reduces down to the Four to me (substance pluralism and all that). Thus, there would be aspects of "soul" (however that is understood) that correspond to Air, Fire, Earth, and Water respectively. Air would be the limitless aspects, Fire the divisive aspects, Earth the limited aspects, Water the unifying aspects. Or something like that.

 

[SigurdReginson]

I always loved the idea that the soul wasn't this continuation of consciousness, but instead was a group of different elements of the person. People aren't just one thing, but instead are many different layers of complexity formed by their life experiences. When one part of that dies, so does a part of that person.

The norse pagan tradition is my favorite in that regard. It's a beautiful thing, and something refreshing for someone who comes from an Abrahamic tradition, such as myself.