The Body-Soul Connection, Part 1

The Error of Linking Soul to Body

  • The soul is timeless, eternal. The body is subject to time, space, gravity … all of the many laws that govern the realm of matter.
  • Some metaphysical teachings hold that the individual is spirit, soul, and body, that without a body, we are incomplete. We lose the body because we’ve bought into the belief in old age and death. We’re told that the body need not be subject to material laws, that there’s really no reason for any of us to get ill … or even to get older.  
  • It is commonly taught that the condition of the body reflects the condition of the soul. If your body is sick or handicapped in some way, there’s work to be done at the soul level. But this is like trying to give the glass the same properties as the water.
  • Equating the condition of the soul with the condition of the body has caused us to believe our soul, our spiritual essence, is presently incomplete. The concept of soul evolution is derived from this belief.
  • The body is our soul’s interface with the material realm. It’s the physical vehicle that enables us to carry out whatever purpose we had for coming to this planet – a subject I’ll expand on in another segment. Without a body, we couldn’t communicate with another person. We couldn’t enjoy a cup of tea. We couldn’t even pick up a paperclip.

A Timeless Quest

  • The placebo effect is the awakened faculty of faith, but it is faith in the placebo (fountain of youth, pool of Bethesda, spring in Lourdes, France).         
  • The anti-aging industry reinforces the body-based self-image. Does it actually accomplish what it promises? Will more private spending or governmental funding make immortality available to the masses?         

Problems with Physical Immortality

  • Achieving physical immortality would probably cause more problems than it would solve. Discuss the ramifications of physical immortality as it relates to each of the following subjects:
  •  Overpopulation.
  •  Depletion of natural resources.
  •  Immortality and retirement.
  •  Shortages and the potential for war.
  •  Loss of limb or brain damage.
  •  Death by natural disaster.

Modern Day Tower of Babel

  • Is our quest for immortality a modern-day Tower of Babel – the ego-centered self-image thinking it can build a better universe?
  • With our focus on the body, the notion of achieving physical immortality abounds with questions and potential problems. Discuss why the scientific model – the belief that the brain generates consciousness – may be a major driving force behind the quest for perpetual youth and physical immortality.
  • Discuss the practical value of knowing the soul is not subject to the laws of time and space, or to the principles of supply and demand. What are some of the benefits of knowing the soul doesn’t age, that it isn’t subject to disease, poverty, discord in relationships, hunger, or the need for clothing, shelter, and transportation? 
  • Discuss the notion that we had our reasons for taking on a body. We understood the price of doing so, and we were willing to pay it.

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