All our worries about our “daily bread” should be exactly as much as is necessary for existence, and the main goal and concern of our earthly life should be the search for an answer to the question of how to live pleasing to God and how to find the salvation of our immortal soul. All our concern is about personal life should come down to how to cleanse your sinful soul, how to change it in accordance with the will of God, and how to avoid hellish torment.

How to save your soul?

Saving your own soul is not a passing whim or some kind of game. Our life is too fleeting to playfully treat our immortal soul. We are all mortal and strangers on this earth, and very soon the last hour will come for each of us, when we will appear before God, giving an answer about the life we ​​have lived.

Sometimes trouble or temptation happens to a person, or maybe his soul is sad, or he is experiencing difficulties of a financial or material nature, or maybe a serious illness overcomes him... In all these difficulties of life, he must bow his knees before God and, with contrition of heart, pray to Him, so that not his, but God’s will is accomplished over him. The Lord, by whose will and connivance temptation entered our lives, will certainly give a person a way or means to pass this test.

No matter what temptation we fall into, if we do not bend our knees before the Lord and if we do not tearfully pray to Him for intercession, He will not leave us. If at such a moment we behave carelessly and lazily in relation to the difficulties that have arisen, the temptations only intensify, become more threatening to the soul, and ultimately, coping with sin becomes more and more difficult and painful. Only sincere and fervent prayers, voluntarily uttered in heartfelt contrition and washed with tears of repentance, will be heard by God. Because it would never happen that the Lord would allow a person who truly repents and prays to perish. All that Christ wants from us is awareness and understanding of our deep sinfulness, knowledge of ourselves, the desire to be forgiven and sincere love for Him.

At moments when we feel forgotten by God, no matter what we do, our souls cannot find peace, all because material things are alien to it by definition and in essence. And vice versa, when the soul gets used to life according to God, unceasing prayer and a virtuous life, it finds God within itself.

One of the most common is the custom of hanging a mirror, turning it towards the wall, or even taking it out of the room in which the deceased person was located.

Most often, the danger of an open mirror is explained by the fact that the reflection of the deceased in the mirror, that is, its “doubling,” threatens a repetition of the death in that house.

There is an old belief that the soul of a dead person can enter a mirror and remain trapped there. And if this mirror is in the house or is given as a gift to someone, then big troubles should be expected.

Usually it is not difficult to recognize such a mirror: it is cold to the touch and a church candle goes out in front of it. Nothing can get rid of such a mirror from the curse. Even spiritual cleansing is powerless here. There is only one way out: break the mirror and release the soul of the deceased outside.

Serbs, for example, believe that the new victim will be the one who is the first to look in the mirror after the death that happened in the house. Therefore, they have a custom: in order to prevent misfortune, you must first bring the cat to the mirror so that it can see itself.

Along with the danger of a repetition of death, many people are driven by the fear that the deceased will “return” to the house he left if his image remains in the mirror.

Most older people are sure that any mirror is a door to the other world through which souls can pass. Some believe that the deceased can “drag” the soul of a living person into the other world, others say that the thirst for life of the deceased can lead him through the mirror door into the world of living people; still others claim that dangerous astral entities can enter our world through this Door.

There are other possible explanations. Some mystics claim that “from there,” through the looking glass, we are watched by those who have already passed away or are just leaving life. In this case, the distance does not matter. The soul of a dying person, consisting of subtle matter, can appear in a mirror located thousands of kilometers away. Here is one example:

"TO. Reitz, a 23-year-old resident of Munich, returned from a walk in the park, stood in front of the mirror and put herself in order. And suddenly she noticed with horror and amazement that a man was watching her from the mirror, whose facial features seemed familiar to her. The girl turned around and looked around the room - there was no one in it.

In the evening, telling her mother about what happened to her, she suddenly remembered whose face she saw in the mirror. It was her uncle, who had gone abroad to work several years ago. Mother and daughter decided to write him a letter and tell him about the strange hallucination.

However, the next day a telegram arrived informing them of the untimely death of their relative. Death occurred precisely at the moment when Clara saw him in the mirror.”

What is the soul? And does it even exist? Here it is, the cornerstone of the building of human existence, the stumbling block of thinkers and priests since the creation of the world. No one has yet given a definite answer to these questions - neither priests, nor doctors, nor scientists. We invited the philosopher Leonid GOLITSYN to talk about the soul from an esoteric point of view.

Fire flickering in a vessel

It has long been believed that the soul is something without which a person ceases to be himself, something brought from above, a particle of God. It is not without reason that in many ancient legends, unclean, fallen spirits hunted precisely for this delicate substance in order to snatch a little light, which they themselves were deprived of. Moreover, the loss of a soul for a person was much worse than the loss of life... So what is a soul? Is there a definition that can shed light on this mysterious concept? First, let's look at the sources. Etymological Dictionary of M. Vasmer: Soul (from the Old Slavonic “dousha”) (Greek ψυχή, Latin anima) - a set of mental phenomena (the so-called vital soul, the inner world of a person).

Small Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: As a substance that exists according to many idealistic philosophical directions and religious movements, the soul is an immortal immaterial essence in which the divine nature of man is expressed, giving rise to and conditioning life, the abilities of sensation, thinking, consciousness, feelings and will, opposed to the body. In religious philosophy, the soul is defined as an immaterial entity that has the ability to think, feel, be aware, make choices and act freely.

To summarize, it turns out that the soul, from the point of view of religion and some areas of philosophy, is an immaterial principle of life, opposed to the body; an incorporeal being that remains after our death, and from the point of view of psychology - a set of mental phenomena, experiences, the basis of human mental life.

Where is she hiding?

Apparently, the concept of the soul appeared in the era of ancient animistic beliefs, when people first thought about what distinguishes living from non-living. Then legends arose about a special force that exists in the body of a living creature capable of growth - a person, an animal or even a plant. A person saw how breath disappears after death - and a myth arose about the soul as a breath brought into the body by a certain deity.

When a person observed death from a large loss of blood, he began to think about their inextricable connection: and now blood is perceived as the bearer of the soul. Shedding blood means releasing the soul; a large number of old magical rituals are based on this principle, some of which have survived to this day. The soul was also considered the finest substance found in the blood by Greek philosophers, predecessors of Socrates (Empedocles, Anaxagoras, Democritus).

And as soon as a person thought about the nature of dreams, the idea of ​​the soul as a substance that exists independently of the body was born.

According to Plato, the soul is immortal, exists before man, before his birth contemplates ideas in the immaterial world, and after it inhabits the body, “forgets” them. This is where Plato’s famous judgment arose that all knowledge is only a memory of forgotten ideas known by the soul before birth.

There is nothing new under the sun

For centuries, nothing has occupied the human mind more than the debate surrounding the concept of the soul. This question remained relevant even at a time when many philosophical ideas of the past had already been ridiculed, and religious dogmas began to be assessed from the standpoint of materialism. In 1855, the doctrine of the soul of Herbert Spencer appeared, built on the principle of stepwise inheritance of all spiritual strength and ability. In 1863, Wilhelm Wundt gave lectures on the history of the development of the human soul and the animal soul. After the Theosophical period, innovative thinkers such as Schopenhauer, Hegel and Kant returned to the study of the soul. In the 20th century, the theory of interpretation of the soul as a mystical concept appears and takes a confident position.

Interest in this topic has not waned to this day. Some sciences, (for example, psychology) return again to the views on the problem of the soul accepted in antiquity or, say, during the period of romanticism. Increasingly, in the works of modern scientists, a distinction is made between the soul and consciousness, the soul is recognized as having a conditional right to exist, and it becomes the object of official research. Such a branch of psychology as psychogenesis (development of mental life) is studied within the framework of child psychology, ethnopsychology, zoopsychology, and developmental psychology studies the prehistoric and (in the narrow sense) historical development of mental life.

But the fiercest battles are being waged in religious and philosophical circles.

For many years, this issue was given almost the dominant place in a variety of religious and philosophical teachings. One of the most important questions in metaphysics, for example, before modern times was the question of whether the soul is a substance.

The spiritual life of a person, according to many authors of this movement, is based on self-awareness, the feeling of being an individual, a beloved child of the Creator.

Hindus invented a good religion

As a philosophical concept accessible to rational analysis, the soul began to be considered back in Ancient Greece. Moreover, the ancient Greek thinkers did not give an unambiguous definition of the soul. Plato, for example, was confident that the soul and body exist separately from each other, and Aristotle’s point of view was that they should be inextricably interconnected and “all natural bodies are instruments of the soul.”

And most religions are characterized by the perception of the soul precisely as a certain immaterial substance, originally inherent in man, given to him from above, which is a connecting thread between the Creator and creation, a part of the Creator in creation.

According to the Talmud, the soul is an entity independent of the body, the only part of man directly created by God. Initially, by nature, the soul is immaculate, since in a person there is a good principle that strives for good (yetzer ha-tov), ​​and the evil in a person is explained by the fact that there is also a negative principle in him, prone to evil (yetzer hara). The soul, according to Jewish ideas, spiritualizes the body and controls it; without the soul, the body is not capable of existence: “Just as God fills the Universe, but remains invisible, so the soul fills the human body, while itself remaining invisible.”

The point of view of modern Jews on the path of the soul in the world is partly similar to the Buddhist and ancient Egyptian ones. Life in the human body is a certain school, work on mistakes, and the sinful soul, “not having learned the lesson,” after the death of the body must go through the circles of rebirth (reincarnation) again and again until it reaches a certain perfection.

Kabbalah presents the soul as a spiritual entity, originating in the higher mind (or world soul) and arising as an emanation of the latter. The descent of the soul into the body is predetermined: in order to return to the world of pure light - God, it must unite with the body, having fulfilled its purpose in earthly life.

Most Christian denominations also consider the soul to be an immortal, immaterial entity, the bearer of reason and will. True, after the death of a person, the soul does not return back to earth, but awaits a trial at which its further location will be determined: heaven or hell. The Roman Catholic Church, in addition, has a doctrine of purgatory. Some non-traditional religions close to Christianity and Judaism (for example, Seventh-day Adventists and Jehovah's Witnesses) have their own ideas about the nature of the soul. According to these ideas, the soul itself does not have an immortal nature. Adventists believe that the soul is the union of the body and the divine “breath of life,” that is, the soul is a living being (both human and animal). Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the soul ceases to exist when a person dies. True, from their point of view, only sinners die, while the righteous must live forever.

The soul also has a place of honor in the pagan beliefs of the British Isles. The Druidic wedding ceremony, for example, boils down to the fact that the souls of the newlyweds (previously - with the help of drugs, nowadays - symbolically) go on a journey, as a result of which they find themselves in each other’s bodies - in order to understand each other better and love each other more deeply.

How to steal a soul

Be that as it may, almost all religious confessions and philosophical teachings, with all their obvious contradictions, agree on one thing: the soul is something that carries the energy of a higher mind, transforming physical matter into a person, the soul is a very valuable substance that has certain qualities.

And since this is a valuable thing, you can try to take possession of it. This is exactly what the most terrible and dark legends of the mystical Middle Ages tell about, describing various options for the abduction, sale or loss of the soul. As a rule, the devil himself acts as an interested party (as discussed above). From the point of view of European mystics, the soul is the focus of those qualities that form a particular personality. And if so, you can communicate with her as with a living person, receive information! A direct consequence of this view was an interest in spiritualistic seances, experiments with “luring” the soul of a long-dead outstanding person and subsequent attempts to insert it into someone’s living body to obtain an invaluable experience, from the point of view of spiritualists. Hence the numerous statements of modern magicians and sorcerers that they are capable of performing various manipulations with the human soul.

Significant contribution of scientists

All these disputes and arguments would never have left the expanses of theoretical speculation if sober-minded people who were very far from mysticism had not intervened in the matter: in the last century, physicists managed to calculate how much the soul weighs! Experiments on “weighing the soul” were started by Dr. Duncan McDougall from the American city of Haverhill, Massachusetts. Back in 1906, he conducted a series of experiments to study changes in body weight at the time of death and came to the conclusion that the soul not only exists, but even while in a material body, has a certain insignificant weight (about 2 grams). Many modern doctors come to a similar conclusion - people who are far from illusions and extremely skeptical.

So, what are you, a human soul? No one has tried to answer this question. Scientists, philosophers, priests, poets, writers...

Whoever tried to open this door, get the only correct answer, cast aside doubts, believe for yourself and tell others... But it seems that an answer that would satisfy all the questioners simply does not exist. How no two people are alike. Two identical ways of thinking. Two identical souls.

Astral projection refers to an out-of-body experience (OBE) during which the soul leaves the body and travels in astral space, which is said to be the intermediate world between heaven and earth. People often experience this state during illness or near death, but astral projection can also be released at will. This article contains instructions on how to get started.

Steps

Prepare your body and mind for astral projection

Start in the morning. Instead of astral projecting at night, right before bed, start in the early hours of the morning when you are still sleepy. Some say it is easier to achieve the desired state of relaxation and heightened awareness at dawn.

Create the right atmosphere. Astral projection requires a state of deep relaxation, so it should be done in an area of ​​your home where you are absolutely comfortable. Lie down on your bed or sofa and relax your body.

• It is easier to astral project alone than in the presence of someone else. If you usually sleep with a partner, choose a room other than your bedroom.
• Close the blinds or curtains and rid the room of distracting sounds. Any disturbance can disrupt the state of relaxation you need to achieve.

1. Lie down and relax. In the chosen room, lie on your back. Close your eyes and try to clear your mind of distracting thoughts. Focus on your body and sensations. The goal is to achieve a state of complete relaxation of mind and body.

   • Tighten and then relax your muscles. Start with your toes and move up your body, gradually moving towards your head. When you reach the end, make sure all muscles are completely relaxed.
   • Breathe deeply and exhale completely. Don't tense your chest and shoulders.
   • Focus on your breathing. Do not let thoughts of external worries carry you away, and do not yet think about releasing the soul from the body. Just allow yourself to fall into relaxation.

   Release your soul from your body

   1. Achieve a hypnotic state. Let your mind and body drift to sleep, but you don't have to lose consciousness completely. Being on the edge of wakefulness and sleep - this hypnotic state is necessary for astral projection to occur. Hypnotize yourself using the following method:

      Get into a state of vibration. Many people report feeling vibrations that come in waves at different frequencies as the soul prepares to leave the body. Do not be afraid of vibrations, as the presence of fear can cause you to leave the meditative state. Instead, give in to the vibrations as the soul prepares to leave the body.

      Using your mind, move the soul out of your body. Imagine the room in which you are lying. In your mind, move your body as if you were standing up. Look around. Get out of bed and walk around the room, then turn around and look at your body on the bed.

      • Your out-of-body experience is considered successful if you feel as if you are looking at your body from across the room, and as if your conscious self is now separate from your body.
      • It takes a lot of practice to reach this point. If you are having trouble lifting your entire soul from your body, try lifting just your arm or leg first. Keep practicing until you are able to move around the room.

   2. Return to your body. Your soul always remains connected to your body by an invisible force, sometimes called the “silver cord.” Allow this force to guide you back to your body. Re-enter your body. Move your fingers and toes—physically, not just mentally—and allow yourself to become fully conscious.

   Explore the astral space

   Make sure you project your soul out of your body. Once you have mastered the act of projecting your soul from your body in one room, you will want to make sure that you were actually in two different spaces.

   Explore further. During subsequent astral projection sessions, go to places that are less and less familiar to you. Each time, notice details that you had not noticed before. After each session, physically check the details. After a few trips, you will be experienced enough to travel to places that are completely unfamiliar to you, with the confidence that you have actually been releasing an astral projection.

   1. Always return to the body. Some say that astral projection is dangerous, especially if you are experienced enough to explore unfamiliar places. The fascination of having an out-of-body experience keeps some people out of body for long periods of time, which is said to weaken the silver lining. Be sure that while your soul is projecting elsewhere, it is aware that it needs to return back to the body.

      • The silver cord will never break, but it is said that the return of your soul to the body may be delayed if you expend too much energy outside the body.
      • Some say that a demon can enter the body while the soul is in astral projection. If you are afraid this might happen, protect your body by having the room blessed by a priest before releasing the projection.
   • Faith plays the biggest role in astral projection. If you believe you will become possessed, you may feel possessed. If you feel like your “silver lining” is weakening and you can’t get back, you will feel stuck. Feelings and thoughts instantly manifest in the astral space, everything you think about and fear can happen. Think positively. Don't try to astral project after watching a scary movie.
   • It is advisable not to be mentally or physically tired when attempting to astral project, as you will find it difficult to concentrate. Feeling sleepy in the morning is better than feeling tired after a long day at work.
   • You can go wherever you want. But don't go too far the first few times. If you are new to the astral space, then first walk/fly to nearby places.
   • You cannot be mentally or physically ill in the astral space during an out-of-body experience.