There are those among us who have worked hard and have spent many hours wrestling with the question "Who am I"? And rightly so because it is a very important question, stated above the temple of Delphi in these terms, "Man Know Thyself" It is a profound starting point for all development work and the reason I became an Astrologer.
However, I feel the question "What am I?" is more far reaching and also crucial to our Spiritual development.
Here is the general scheme.
| Physical Body | Body of Matter | Matter Fields |
| Body of Energy | Energy Fields | |
| Subtle Body | Mind | Transformation Fields |
| Intellect | ||
| Ego | ||
| Functional Body | Chakras/Planets | Functional Fields |
| Causal Body | Soul | Information Fields |
| Un-incarnated Self | ||
| Unity | Spirit | Pure Potential |
We looked at Spirit last month so for now all we need say is that Spirit pervades and absorbs all things, it is from where all things came and where all things will return, except that nothing ever really escapes Spirit.
The Causal Body includes the Soul and the Un-incarnated Self.
What is the Soul?
In trying to answer this question, certain other questions need to be addressed. A Soul in isolation is, as well as being impossible, very difficult to describe. The reason is that the Soul cannot be thought of outside of its function and the function of the Soul is to mediate between the Un-incarnate Self and the individual, personal self.
The individual personal self, in this case is made up of the functional body, the subtle body and the physical body, each of which need further elaboration but we can for now take it as a whole.
The Un-incarnate is the you on a much higher level. The Un-incarnate is an entity which can be thought of as a being who projects out a portion of itself into incarnation. This projection is what you would commonly think of as yourself. The Un-incarnate may have several such projections at any one time, each projection has a finite existence and will be renew as need requires, this you will see as reincarnation.
This process of incarnation and reincarnation would have very little purpose for the Un-incarnate if there was no connection between itself and the individual, personal self. This connection is the Soul.
The Soul also can be thought of as a separate entity but it can never be separated from its function. So the Soul takes the designs and wishes of the Un-incarnate and attempts to transmit these instructions to the individual projection which it has care of. There may be a certain amount of autonomy as to the way it accomplishes this function, but its function is clear. If the Soul is efficient in this task, you the individual personal self are better able to understand your function or purpose, which has, of course, be designated by the Un-incarnate. While we may not be given to understand the whole picture, the total design which the Un-incarnate is attempting to play out, connection with the Soul will to a greater or lesser degree informs us of the part we play in the greater scheme of the Un-incarnate.
We have been discussing the individual personal self as a projection of the Un-incarnate. It is as well to realise that we are a very real part of the Un-incarnate and therefore it is as well to consider the Un-incarnate as our true, eternal Self. In this way we will feel a greater connection with the Soul, which is very often felt as our inner or higher self.
The Soul is not a one way street, very important is the knowledge and experiences passed back to the Un-incarnate. Much of this is communicated during what we call life and finalised after the demise of the physical body. Much of what or who, we are or become, is absorbed into the Soul, which itself is finally absorbed back into the Un-incarnate.