What limits the arc and the body. Human structure
There are people who want to get to the root of everything that exists. They ask themselves questions that others do not care about, because, in their opinion, they have no practical application. What comes first - the soul or the body? What is a soul anyway? What is the relationship between the soul and the body?
The answers to these questions, the disclosure of these abstract categories, help these people feel that there is meaning in life. The system-vector psychology of Yuri Burlan determines their owners and fully satisfies their lack of knowledge of the structure of man and the world. In particular, it provides answers to the following question: why do we see the world the way we are used to seeing it, and not otherwise?
Illusion one: a sense of one's own uniqueness
The soul and body of a person are closely interconnected, approximately to the same extent as the organs in one organism. It’s just the soul, it’s the psyche - it’s an “organ” that is not visible. Despite this, both the physical part of a person and the metaphysical part live in a single system and determine each other. About psychosomatics - the influence of mental state on health - has been known since ancient times. Does this mechanism work the other way around? Do the characteristics of the body determine our psychological sensations?
From the moment of birth until death, a person feels only himself. Your hunger and cold, your joy and pain. Some are able to sympathize with the condition of another person, but it is impossible to go beyond the boundaries of the closed capsule of one's own body. Each feels separate from the others, experiencing a seeming autonomy. This "condition of the game" is one of the reasons for the first and very important psychological experience - the feeling of one's own uniqueness.
The background of each person accompanies feeling of loneliness. This "curse" is imposed by the nature of our physical body.
However, this perception of reality is an illusion.
The body, indeed, for each person is a separate, closed system. But mentally we are not isolated, but on the contrary, we are connected into a single "organism" collective unconscious- one for all people.
Illusion two: first I receive, then I give
There is another feature of the body that we project onto the psychological aspects as well. Each person lives desires both physically and spiritually. In order to satisfy bodily desire, one must first consume inward in order to give outward. That is, first taking water and food, and then cleansing, obtaining energy for action. And nothing else.
In the psyche, this principle is reversed exactly the opposite. To satisfy a mental lack, you first need make an effort that is, to give, and only then comes the pleasure. In other words, you first need to make a creative action, and the pleasure will flood during the process and after.
Thus, the body, accustomed to receiving - to eat, drink, breathe, sleep - misleads a person. And if you measure the soul and body with one arshin, then this can break your own destiny. After all, the desire to receive pleasure only for oneself, inside, without giving away anything in body and soul, deprives a person of the enjoyment of life.
So is it worth living according to the principles of a limited and finite body, or changing the focus to the vast expanses of the unconscious?
Reality as it is
According to the system-vector psychology of Yuri Burlan, the human psyche is made up of vectors - innate groups of desires and properties. In total, there are eight of them in nature, with modern residents of large cities, as a rule, an average of three to five.
A person is born with a body, relatively speaking, perfect: everyone has the same set of organs and body parts plus or minus. But the psyche of one person, his individual unconscious is only a fragment. Relatively speaking, the soul of each of us is an element that makes up one whole - the collective unconscious.
One person, for example, is born with. He is smart, dexterous, prudent - never your own benefit will not miss. Another person with, his exact opposite - unhurried, attentive to detail, assiduous and with an encyclopedic memory - loves learn and teach others.
A visual person is born with a powerful emotional amplitude ranging from fear to love. He cannot live without travel, art, intense emotional experiences. His "big brother" is a man with a sound vector. Quiet, loving to be in silence, darkness and loneliness, thinking about the world and about himself: "What is the sense of life?"
People are different. They are born with different or similar sets of vectors, receive different development in childhood, then go through a different life path ... However, everyone is present with their psyche, like a piece of a mosaic, in the overall picture of the unconscious. And we all influence each other with our states.
People only survive together. Man is a social species. That is why understanding the features of the structure and development of the psyche of the species gives a person huge advantages in life.
Harmony of soul and body
Despite the fact that this knowledge is not about the material, it is still quite practical, allowing you to radically change the quality of human life.
Illusions of perception of the world, formed by the body, in any case affect the quality of a person's life, even if he is not aware of their existence. Some people live their whole lives with a feeling of longing, enduring loneliness, to the point of absolute despair. Others lament that they cannot take everything from life - they are looking for a source of happiness, joy, satisfaction and cannot find it, not understanding the basic principles of the structure and work of the psyche, not realizing that they live in illusions.
Finding connections between the soul and the body, between our desires and possibilities means getting rid of old problems, find the joy of life. Each person can get such a result if he fully reveals all the secrets of the unconscious. Learns the nature of each vector and the mechanisms of interaction of vectors with each other. Determines its vector set and, accordingly, its place, your meaning in this world.
Tens of thousands of people have already decided on this, who have left positive results. Here are three of them:
"Worldwide delusions. In our world, there are a lot of wrong attitudes and delusions that come to our minds and limit our development. In the process of training, there is a rethinking, awareness of the causes and correction of incorrect attitudes and misconceptions picked up during life from others who have conscientiously lost their way. As an example, I will cite one installation that psychologists from pseudopsychology hang on us, it is called like this - love yourself, spit on others, causing harm to people. The correct attitude is to love your neighbor as yourself. At the training, there is a process of understanding why this is so, and not otherwise, there is an awareness of the reasons and does not cause any contradictions.
“Thank you for the opportunity to feel more happiness in this life, to feel the taste of life in all its manifestations. Feel life itself and touch what we call the meaning of life. To say with certainty that God exists. Seeing beauty where it was hard to see before. Look at others with a clear, open look.
Thank you for the opportunity to smile more often. Just from understanding other people. Thank you for the opportunity to know the world in which we live, looking into the human soul. To accept the world of another person as your own, to feel his desires, to see the world through his eyes, to share his suffering, not to pass by in difficult times - this is real happiness!
“I lived in some unreal, invented by me world. Lived in illusions that had nothing to do with real life. Now I look back and feel the fear of understanding what all this could lead to.
Problems, or rather, what I used to call problems, now they are not. The view of them has completely changed, they ceased to exist for me. Now I clearly differentiate my states, my desires, feelings and thoughts. I understand their roots. Now I know myself like never before, and this is an incomparable thrill!
You can get to know yourself better already at the free online training "".
The article was written based on the materials of the training " System-Vector Psychology»The spine (columna vertebralis) is formed from 31-32 vertebrae (vertebrae). There are 7 cervical (vertebrae cervicales), 12 thoracic (vertebrae thoracicae), 5 lumbar (vertebrae lumbales), 5 sacral (vertebrae sacrales) vertebrae, fused into one bone - the sacrum (os sacrum), and 2 - 3 coccygeal (vertebrae coccygeae) vertebra.
Vertebrae
35. Thoracic vertebra (VIII).
1 - processus articularis superior;
2 - fovea costalis superior;
3 - corpus vertebrae;
4 - fovea costalis inferior;
5 - incisura vertebralis interior;
6 - processus articularis inferior;
7 - processus spinosus;
8 - processus transversus;
9 - fovea costalis transversalis.
Thoracic vertebrae(vertebrae thoracicae) (Fig. 35). The posterior ends of the ribs articulate with them. They differ from the lumbar vertebrae in that the transverse dimensions of their bodies are smaller. The shape of the bodies of the thoracic vertebrae approaches a triangle. At the upper and lower edges of the lateral parts of the body are fossae (fovea costalis superior et inferior). The upper and lower pits are places for articulation with the head of the corresponding rib. The 1st vertebra has a fossa on the upper edge for connection with the 1st rib and on the lower edge for connection with the 2nd rib. X vertebra has a fossa only on the upper edge. XI and XII thoracic vertebrae each have one fossa for the corresponding ribs. An arc (arcus vertebrae) is attached to the posterior surface of the vertebral body with two legs (pedunculi arcus vertebrae), which have small notches. The arc limits the back of the vertebral foramen (for. vertebrale). The transverse processes (processus transversi) depart from the arc to the right and to the left. They are well developed, which is explained by a greater load due to the attachment of ribs to them. On the front side of the I-X transverse processes, closer to their apex, there is a glenoid fossa (fovea costalis transversalis) - a place of articulation with tubercles of the ribs. The spinous process (processus spinosus) is directed backward. It starts from the posterior surface of the arch, faces back and down, thinner and narrower than the corresponding process of the lumbar vertebra. From the upper and lower edges of the arc, paired upper and lower articular processes (processus articulares superiores et inferiores) begin. Articular areas are located in the frontal plane.
36. Lumbar vertebra (III).
1 - corpus vertebrae;
2 - incisura vertebralis interior;
3 - processus articularis inferior;
4 - processus spinosus;
5 - processus costarius;
6 - processus articularis superior;
7 - incisura vertebralis superior.
Lumbar vertebrae(vertebrae lumbales) (Fig. 36). The lumbar vertebra has the largest dimensions of the body and the spinous process.
The body (corpus) is oval in shape, its width prevails over its height. An arc (arcus) is attached to its posterior surface with two legs (pedunculi arcus vertebrae), which are involved in the formation of the vertebral foramen (for. vertebrale), which has an oval or rounded shape. Processes are attached to the arch of the vertebrae: behind - spinous (processus spinosi), having the form of a wide plate, flattened from the sides, and somewhat thickened at the end, on the right and left - transverse processes (processus transversi), above and below - paired articular (processus articulares) . In III-V vertebrae, the articular surfaces of the processes are oval in shape.
At the place of attachment of the legs of the arc to the body of the vertebrae, there are notches, more noticeable on the lower edge than on the upper one (incisura vertebralis superior et inferior), which in the whole spinal column limit the intervertebral foramen (for. intervertebrale).
37. Cervical vertebra (VI).
1 - corpus vertebrae;
2 - tuberculum anterius;
3 - tuberculum posterius;
4 - processus spinosus;
5 - processus articularis superior.
Cervical vertebrae(vertebrae cervicales). I and II cervical vertebrae have characteristic structural features and are described independently. III - VII cervical vertebrae (Fig. 37) resemble the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae in terms of structure, differing from the latter in the size of the parts. The upper edge of the body of the cervical vertebrae is trough-like concave in the sagittal plane, the transverse processes are presented in the form of an anterior tubercle (tuberculum anterius) (reduced ribs), a posterior tubercle (tuberculum posterius) (reduced transverse processes), and between them there is a transverse opening (for. transversum) . The tops of the spinous processes are bifurcated. In vertebra VII, the spinous process protrudes posteriorly more than the processes of other vertebrae, and is palpated through the skin, therefore the VII vertebra is called protruding (vertebra prominens).
38. Cervical vertebra (I).
1 - arcus anterior;
2 - fovea articularis inferior;
3 - for. transversarium;
4 - processus transversus;
5 - arcus posterior;
6 - processus costarius;
7 - fovea dentis.
The first cervical vertebra - atlas (atlas) (Fig. 38) has an anterior and posterior arches (arcus anterior et posterior), which are fused with paired lateral masses (massae laterales). Articular areas are located on the upper and lower surfaces of the lateral thickenings: the upper ellipsoidal shape is the place of articulation with the condyles of the occipital bone, the lower spherical is the junction with the articular surface of the third cervical vertebra. The body of the 1st vertebra is absent. On the outside of the anterior arch there is an anterior tubercle (tuberculum anterius), on the posterior surface of the arch there is a tooth fossa (fovea dentis), a place of articulation with the odontoid process of the II vertebra. On the posterior arch is the posterior tubercle (tuberculum posterius).
39. Cervical vertebra (II).
1 - corpus vertebrae;
2 - fades articularis anterior;
3 - dens;
4 - fades articularis posterior;
5 - lamina arcus vertebrae;
6 - processus spinosus;
7 - processus articularis inferior;
8 - processus transversus;
9 - for. transversarium;
10 - fades articularis superior)
The second cervical vertebra is the axial vertebra (axis) (Fig. 39).
On the upper surface of his body there is an odontoid process (dens), which is the body of the first cervical vertebra that has moved here. Outside and behind the tooth there are two, anterior and posterior, articular surfaces (fades articulares anterior et posterior) for the formation of joints with the fossa of the anterior arch of the atlas and its transverse ligament (lig. transversum).
Sacrum(sacrum) (Fig. 40) after 16 years is the fused 5 vertebrae of the sacral spine. Its upper part is expanded, it shows the articular processes and the entrance to the sacral canal. The lower part of the sacrum is narrowed, it has an opening of the sacral canal. On the anterior concave and posterior convex surfaces of the sacrum, there are 4 pairs of holes (forr. sacralia pelvina et dorsalia), similar to the intervertebral holes. The bone substance located lateral to these holes (massae laterales) is formed by fusion of the rudiments of the ribs and transverse processes of the vertebrae. On the lateral surfaces of the sacrum there are ear-shaped articular areas (facies auriculares), behind them are tuberosities (tuberositas sacrales). On the posterior surface of the sacrum, the median sacral crest (crista sacralis mediana) is formed from the fusion of the spinous processes, the articular processes form the intermediate sacral crest (crista sacralis intermedia), and the transverse processes form the lateral sacral crest (crista sacralis lateralis).
40. Sacrum. A - front view: 1 - basis ossis sacri; 2 - processus articularis superior; 3 - pars lateralis; 4 - lineae transversae; 5-forr. sacralia pelvina; 6 - apex ossis sacri. B - rear view: 1 - canalis sacralis; 2 - processus articularis superior; 3 - tuberositas sacralis; 4 - crista sacralis intermedia; 5 - crista sacralis mediana; 6 - hiatus sacralis; 7 - cornu sacrale; 8-forr. sacralia dorsalia; 9 - crista sacralis lateralis.
Coccyx(os coccygis) is formed by the fusion of 2-3 vertebrae and is connected to the top of the sacrum.
Ossification. From the ventromedial surface of the somites (see Initial stages of embryogenesis), a group of mesenchymal cells that surround the notochord unite into a sclerotome, giving a derivative to the vertebrae. The cartilaginous nucleus of the body of the future vertebra is formed from two rudiments of adjacent sclerotomes at the place of their contact. Such secondary segmentation contributes to the fact that myotomes fuse with their ends with two adjacent somites (Fig. 41). At the 6th week of embryonic development, cartilage tissue is formed at the site of the mesenchymal anlage. The first ossification nuclei appear in the body of the XII thoracic vertebra at the 6-7th week. In the remaining thoracic and lumbar vertebrae, ossification nuclei appear by the end of the 12th week, in the cervical and two upper sacral vertebrae - at the end of the 16th week. At this time, three paired nuclei of ossification are formed in the cartilage behind the spinal foramen: from the anterior, the legs of the arc are formed, from the lateral-posterior - the plate of the arc and the base of the spinous process, from the transverse nucleus - the base of the transverse process. Only in the 2nd year of life, starting from the cervical vertebrae, a complete bone arch is formed. In a 4-year-old child, the arches of the 1st cervical, 5th lumbar, 1st, 4th, and 5th sacral vertebrae are still widely open. Their closure occurs in the 7th year.
41. Scheme of the development of the vertebrae (according to Clar). 1 - somite; 2 - myotome; 3 - discus intervertebralis; 4 - muscles; 5 - vertebrae developing from parts of two somites.
42. Scheme of ossification of the lumbar vertebra (according to Andronescu).
1 - primary middle core;
2 - upper epiphyseal ring of ossification;
3 - lower epiphyseal ring;
4 - primary anterolateral and transverse nuclei of ossification;
5 - secondary lower articular nucleus;
6 - primary posterolateral nucleus;
7 - secondary nucleus of ossification of the spinous process;
8 - secondary transverse core;
9 - secondary nucleus of ossification of the mastoid process;
10 - secondary superarticular nucleus of ossification.
In adolescence, secondary ossification nuclei appear in the vertebral bodies, which look like plates (epiphyseal rings) (Fig. 42). Starting from the age of 15, initially at the thoracic vertebrae and ending with the lumbar vertebrae, epiphyseal rings synostose to the vertebral bodies.
Some feature is the ossification of the I and II cervical vertebrae. On the 16th week, two primary nuclei appear in the tooth, which fuse with the vertebral body only at the 4-5th year of life.
anomalies. The most common anomaly in the development of the vertebrae is the nonunion of their arches (spondylolysis) mainly in the sacrum, which contributes to the development of spina bifida. Rarely observed nonunion of the halves of the vertebral bodies with each other. There is a complete absence of vertebral bodies (asomy), the absence of half of the vertebral body (hemisomy), cessation of growth of the vertebral body in height (congenital platyspondylia).
The human soul rises to heaven, the animal soul descends to earth. — Coeles, 3:21
A person can never be happy if he does not take care of his soul as well as his body. - Rebbe
What is a soul?
Have you ever burst into tears for no apparent reason, overwhelmed by deep sadness? This is the gentle voice of your soul, which complains, seeks to attract your attention. She wants you to take care of her, at least in the same way that you take care of your body.
Have you experienced a truly holy moment in your life when, despite the constant turmoil around you, you experienced a deep sense of reverence? It is also the voice of your soul expressing deep satisfaction in its inherent communion with the forces of spirituality.
We constantly use the words body and soul in various contexts. But do we know what they really mean? What is the nature of the soul? What is its relationship with the body?
The soul is the only part of life that directly reflects our connection to Gd, our Creator. And although the soul is intangible and hidden inside the body, it is the basis of what we are. If the body contains the material aspects of our life, then the soul contains the spiritual aspects. The body is primarily concerned with satisfying its physical needs. This does not mean that it is inherently evil. Not at all. It was created by G-d, initially neutral and endowed with great potential for doing good deeds. But only the soul inspires energy in him, directs him to good deeds and connects him with the Divine. The soul is extraordinary in nature, for "the flame of God is the soul of man" (Book of Proverbs, 20:27).
There is an inherent dichotomy between the tangible nature of the body and the transcendent nature of the soul. Look carefully at the flame of a candle - it approximately corresponds to your soul. The flame rises up, as if striving for G-d, while the wick pulls it back to the earth. Similarly, your soul is constantly striving upward, while the body is pulling you back through its constant need to earn a living or satisfy the desire for pleasure. The question for each of us is whether we choose to exist in the form of a flame that rises up, or in the form of a wick that draws us down.
For you to be a moral and healthy person, your body and soul must work in harmony. One should not prefer one to the other, self-indulgence or asceticism. You can and must unite body and soul. And this means their merging, ensuring the fulfillment of the purpose for which we appeared in this world: to lead a meaningful, fruitful and virtuous life, to turn this physical world into a cozy abode for spirituality and G-dliness. Each of us fulfills what is prescribed to him, using his specific abilities and talents (whether he is a teacher or educator, a businessman or a scientist). It is important for each of us to realize our destiny and fulfill it through our way of life every minute, every day, every year in accordance with the laws of God.
The dichotomy of body and soul manifests itself everywhere and in many ways: it is form and function, substance and energy, materialism and spirituality. For example, all the words printed in a book, on a page, represent the body, and the ideas they express represent the soul. This is true for every aspect of our world, because the world itself consists of body and soul, of its material and spiritual components, which life supplies it with. The first step towards the creation of unity in the world, towards the spiritualization of the material components is, first of all, for each of us to unite our own body and soul.
To lead a life full of meaning means to penetrate into the outer, material layer and connect with the energy contained in it. This is not an easy task, because the body operates with the sense organs (sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch), and the soul deals with the supersensitive area (emotions, conscience, intellect and, most importantly, subconscious spiritual forces). The energy contained in this layer cannot, as physicists say, be quantified. What cannot be measured usually contains an element of mystery. This is not only a force, it is a force that we call life. And some elements of life we have just begun to discover.
Many of us are preoccupied with the search for inner peace, happiness, silence, the search for our soul. However, are we using the right tools in these searches? Created in great dependence on the senses, we often believe that only they are at our disposal. And how difficult it is to comprehend your soul, using only five senses! About the same as using the eyes to try to hear music. Yet the call of the soul is so strong that we never stop trying.
Why is it important to know what kind of soul you have?
Because the sense organs are so dominant, they almost have to be abandoned in order to determine what is inside. Forced to temporarily give up your sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch, what would you be left with? Such a thought can lead to despair at first: you would be left with nothing. But it is not so, you remain with yourself. We need sense organs only in order to interact with the outside world, with the world outside of ourselves. You don't need eyes to see yourself or ears to hear yourself. You know that you are here without the help of any senses. It is just knowledge, awareness, a very special feeling.
Thus, we remain fully alive without our sense organs. However, there is no life without a soul. Yes, there is a physical struggle for survival, but life (as we understand it) always involves the search for meaning, the search for the soul, the search for God. The scientist who studies the laws of nature is tempted to lift the veil and see what goes on beyond our outer senses. A child taking apart his toy is interested in the same thing. He wants to know the secret that makes this toy move. This curiosity is the essence of human nature.
The same thing happens with our lives. Without knowing what forces move us, including the soul, we will never understand ourselves. And if we are not interested in how the soul works, we will not be able to take care of it. Fortunately, the soul, thirsty for food, lets us know about it. No matter how long you manage to appease her, distracting her with material well-being, she will always resume her complaints, telling you that you are losing part of your life. This can take the form of restlessness, feelings of aimlessness, emptiness, a craving for something else.
Without putting the soul to the test, it is impossible to achieve the development of personality. It is the soul that expresses dissatisfaction, which is the motive for development. As long as the selfish needs of the body are satisfied, it has no desire to improve. The soul gives life direction and unity. The material world, the world of the body, falls apart. The soul turns out to be the basis around which all our physical activity is united. If we were to observe the material drives of our body for a whole day, we would see it moving in circles or under the influence of vaguely expressed impulses of desire and randomly select the stimuli that attract it at the moment. The soul connects all these fragments, connects the trivial with the paramount, the material with the spiritual.
In addition, the soul teaches modesty. Unlike the body, which is selfish, the soul is humble. It empowers us to rise above ourselves and be sensitive to the needs of others. With the passivity of the soul, the egoistic desires of the body can enslave us and ultimately even destroy us. The soul is our outstanding side, which, as already mentioned, like a candle flame, is constantly striving upward, striving to reunite us with Gd. The body may be trying to keep us on the ground, but the soul is determined to take us to heaven.
One authoritative rabbi was told how, as a child, he played with other children. They all climbed up the ladder, but all but the future rabbi were afraid to climb too high. Later, grandfather asked him; "Why weren't you afraid to climb higher than others?" “Because they looked down when they went up,” the boy explained. -They saw how high they climbed, and therefore they were afraid, but I got up and looked up. It seemed to me that I was still low, and this encouraged me to continue climbing.
How to explain the conflict between body and soul?
There is a constant struggle going on between the body and the soul. All conflicts between people arise as a result of the dichotomy of the body and soul, the tension between our bodily "I" and the need for the sublime. What explains this?
The fact is that B-r created bodies and souls separately, in two stages. At the first, He collected dust from the earth, at the second, He breathed into it breath and soul (Breishis, 2:7). This was done so that a person would remember that there are two different forces in life, material and spiritual. The material occupies a relatively low position, like dust on the earth, the spiritual comes from the most incomprehensible place - from G-d.
In the beginning, body and soul were one. The body recognized its role as the medium of the soul, and the soul recognized its need for the body to express the will of God. Therefore, Adam and Eve were "not ashamed" of their nakedness (Breishis, 2:25), for it was as natural as the nakedness of a newborn.
However, the first sin caused a feeling of embarrassment. An independent selfish self was born, divorced from the will and intentions of G-d. The "eyes" of Adam and Eve "were opened" and they felt ashamed of their nakedness (Breishis 3:7) because they knew by experience that their bodies were different in nature. They decided that their relationship was different from what God intended. One human essence split into two - into material and spiritual desires. From now on, our mission is to restore harmony between body and soul.
We are indeed made up of two distinct elements, like the twin brothers Jacob and Esau who struggled in their mother's womb. Yaakov was a harmless man, a spiritual person. Esau is a warrior, "a man of the field." The body is the warrior within us, the aggressive force. In the material world, the body is called upon to protect the vulnerable soul. On the other hand, a body without a soul would be a dangerous aggressor with no purpose or conscience.
Yet this split persists. For the soul, from the very beginning, the body represents a constant desire to indulge its whims. While the soul is seeking spiritual ecstasy, the body is taking care of food and sleep. For the body, the soul is a source of constant trouble, interference, it is a conscience that limits its behavior.
How to explain that G-d created the prerequisites for such a conflict? Apparently, by the fact that the soul needs to test its strength, and the body needs to be perfected, and the tension between them contributes to both. In the end, the body and soul must understand that they are stronger when they work together. It is the perseverance of the body that provides the soul with creative abilities, and the guidance of the soul prompts the body to focus its strength on good deeds. A swift river has a certain amount of energy. When this river is dammed, its tamed energy is concentrated and multiplied many times over.
What should be our impact on this conflict?
To overcome the contradictions between the body and the soul, it is necessary first of all to recognize their existence and to determine the nature of these two forces. Believing that we are a single organism, we experience a strong confusion that can paralyze us. Moving back and forth between the questions of the soul and the body, we do not realize the need for their merging, we are sometimes virtuous, sometimes selfish. Our motivated actions are replaced by slowness and indecision.
The tension between the body and the soul is eliminated by us not by denying one of the partners, but by integrating them to solve one problem - the spiritualization of the body. All the powers and all the experience of the body are directed towards helping the noble and lofty aspirations of the soul.
The only way to unite body and soul is to recognize that G-d is much higher than our limited selves, higher than both body and soul. This requires a certain humility, for it is human nature to strive for self-expression. Due to its sublime nature, the soul is able to rise above selfishness more quickly than the body. Through study and good deeds, she can discipline the body, help it realize its true purpose, achieve a high position, resist its own power, excited by its own needs. We may experience "spiritual arrogance" by withdrawing from others, not caring about the body and its needs. However, asceticism is not an acceptable solution. G-d gave us a body so that we could improve and elevate it, join it to the soul on its path.
The conflict between body and soul can be resolved if the soul is not hindered from aspiring upward to the sublime. What does this mean in practical terms? It means to realize that you are not an absolutely material person. Yes, we have to eat and drink and pay the bills. But that's not why we're here. We are here to bring the best to our soul and perfect our body. Because of the physical nature of the body, we can get stuck in the quagmire of the material. The resulting sadness makes your soul complain. Listen to her complaints and intensify your care for her. Listen to your inner voice, which expresses doubt and sadness when you show interest only in material problems. Trust this voice.
But even when your soul longs for the sublime, it should not forget about your body and material needs. Our sages teach: "Run like a deer to do the will of your Father in heaven" (Teachings of the Fathers, 5:20). The soul must run, it must thirst, but run like a deer. Just as a deer, even in flight, "turns its head back to the place from which it flies" (Zohar II:14a), your irresistible desire for the sublime must constantly look to the physical reality from which you are fleeing, and be aware that any flight to heaven presupposes a return to earth.
Once you recognize your soul, you should begin to study the mechanism of its action. You understand that the soul is coming from a higher, spiritual place and is trying to bring the Divine into your life. You will learn that the soul is what leads you to a life full of meaning. To take care of her, you must study the wisdom of G-d, know this wisdom. Prayer serves as an emotional ladder that connects you to the earth. Prayer, not materialism, provides you with a real home, a place within your body where the soul can find peace and perspective. That is why it is important to pray at the beginning of the day - this will direct your daily material world into its proper plane.
And, finally, we must remember that the body and soul converge when you commit moral deeds. It is not enough to inspire the soul and educate it. It is necessary to ensure the partnership of the soul with the body. Help a neighbor in trouble, listen to a stranger who is in a difficult situation, provide food or clothing to someone who needs it. All this becomes more important than just good deeds, a life force that pleases your soul, and a means to direct your physical body to the appropriate works in the spiritual realm. Responsiveness, good deeds lead to the complete immersion of the soul in our life, the release of warmth and power of a real flame, which lifts and elevates the body.
Once a man went to the city to the great sage. It turned out that the sage lives in a dilapidated shack on the outskirts. There was nothing in the dwelling but a sagging bed and a table littered with books, at which an old man sat, immersed in reading. The guest turned to him with a question:
Where does the sage live?
“You are looking for me,” the old man explained to him. - What surprised you so much?
- I do not understand. You are a great sage, you have many disciples. Your name is known throughout the country. You must live in the palace.
- Where do you live? the old man asked.
- I live in a mansion, a big, rich house.
- How do you earn a living?
The guest told the owner of the shack that he was a merchant and twice a year he traveled to a big city for goods, which he then resold to local merchants. The old man listened carefully, then asked where he was staying in a foreign city.
“In a small inn room,” said the merchant.
- If someone visited you in this small room, he could ask you; “Why do you, a wealthy person, live in such a poor room?” And you could answer:
“I’m here in transit and not for long. Everything I need is here. Come to my real house and you will see that it is completely different.” The same is true for my home. I'm only passing through here. This material world is only a road. In my real house, everything looks different. Come to my spiritual home and you will see that I live in a palace.
How do we take care of our soul?
At present, the battle between the body and the soul is very intense. The material world in which our body is immersed is experiencing a period of unprecedented prosperity. Our standard of living is high, we have technology that allows us to solve many problems. At the same time, our soul, both individual and collective, is hungry for food.
Today we must take care of the soul more than ever before. Education and morality are the main food for her. That is why it is so important to start studying and modeling spiritual values as early as possible. The task is not to prevent the battle between the body and the soul, but to understand the purpose of this battle, to come to terms with the challenge to the battle. If the body recognizes the dominant role of the soul and makes peace with its twin, the tension between them can be curbed. Then the body becomes a force that lifts the soul to a higher place than it could occupy by acting on its own.
The harmony between your body and soul extends to the whole world and helps to unite body and soul, material and spiritual of the entire universe. Thus, the key to meaning and happiness in your life is in your hands. It is understanding the symmetry and rhythm of your own body and your soul.
The next time you look in a mirror, ask yourself, “What do I see in front of me? I recognize my body, but can I find the soul inside it? I attend to all my bodily needs, but do I care enough for my tender soul? Finally, I know the one I need. But do I know someone who needs me?
One day, the Rebbe advised a gifted student to use his free time to convince his comrades to continue not only university studies, but also spiritual ones.
“My schedule is already quite busy, I don’t know if I can add anything to it,” said the young man.
- Frankly speaking, I don't understand where you get the strength and endurance to work like that.
- Every person has both a body and a soul, It is like a bird and its wings, If the bird did not know that the wings give it the ability to fly, they would be only a burden for it. By the wings allow her to rise to heaven. We all have wings - our soul - that can take us as high as we need to fly. We all need to learn how to use them,” the Rebbe explained.
Adapted presentation.
From the book "To a life full of meaning"
There is some misunderstanding in some translations of the Scriptures as to the correctness of the translation of the words "soul" and "spirit", although in Greek the words for soul and spirit make the distinction between them quite clear. In various places the same Greek word is translated as soul or spirit, according to the understanding of the translator.
The writer of Hebrews 4:12 emphasizes this difference with the following words: "For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword: it penetrates to the division of soul and spirit...". Spirit and soul are not the same thing at all. The soul occupies the largest part of our carnal life. Failure to understand this, as well as to understand the difference between the two, leads many people to condemnation and leaves them wide open to access by Satan, who comes as a "slanderer of the brethren" and undermines the confidence that people should have in God.
Without this understanding, people who have a life in the spirit for God after their conversion are tempted to discount the reality of their new life in Christ because of the problems they are experiencing in their souls. Satan loves to get us into this kind of confusion and keep us defeated.
Body
The body is the easiest part of our created being for our understanding and definition, primarily because it has a clear and visible reality. Medical practitioners have made tremendous strides in dealing with physical disorders. However, the body has such a complex structure that even with all the tremendous advances that science has made, there are still large gaps in our understanding of the body. Only the absolute genius of God could conceive and bring together hundreds of interdependent and perfectly balanced organs to create the human body.
We will not get into a debate on the subject of evolution and creation, except that I would like to say that the more I studied all the labyrinths of the created realm, the more I saw the decaying world of the second half of the twentieth century, the less reliable seemed to me highly theoretical and absolutely unproven evolutionist arguments.
They calmly assert that the evolutionary process was the result of the gradual improvement of the world through natural selection. However, this theory of evolution has been severely criticized over the past 10 years both from within, from the scientific world that originally gave it birth, and from scientists whose comments are not prejudice caused by any specifically religious point of view.
For example, the discrepancy between the early date of the creation of the world, proposed by geologists, and the period that evolutionists claim is required for the evolutionary development of man, is so huge that it makes the whole theory of evolution even less viable now than it was when Darwin proposed it.
With respect to natural selection, history shows that the fittest in terms of strength and wealth were only rarely truly individuals who could be trusted with such strength. Natural selection very often meant persecution and even attempted genocide by those at the top of the evolutionary ladder!!
This human teaching does not hold up in contrast to the ministry of Jesus, who ministered to the oppressed and the poor and spoke out harshly against those who abused their power and influence. The judgment that the angels carried out on Herod (Acts 12:22) when he was worm-eaten and died could be an interesting commentary on how God perceives those who exalt themselves and abuse their power over people.
Regardless of the various theories or interpretations of human origins, ultimately God is the Creator, and I stand by what Scripture states: "In the beginning God created..." The body that each of us has is itself indisputable evidence of a miracle from the realm of creation. However, each of us knows that the body does not always function perfectly, and no matter how God created man, the body is now subject to disease, weakness, deformity, and accidents, and is often in need of healing.
The body itself is designed to protect itself from intrusions and heal itself. It has its own protective functions, built-in defense systems, such as antibodies in the blood stream that fight against invading organisms, or ambulance systems, for example, when a person is injured, immediately a certain substance in the blood called fibrinogen, in reaction with the oxygen in the air, changes its nature and forms first a blood clot and then a crust, which eventually falls off when new flesh forms under its protective cover.
It's only when the built-in defenses fail, or the damage is so severe that outside help becomes desperately needed, that most people think about turning to medicine. Unfortunately, it is only when that fails that most Christians seek personal service from those who believe in healing and deliverance. As usual, God becomes the last resort!
It is in such cases that those who are engaged in the ministry of healing should be especially sensitive to God in spirit, for most of the diseases that cause human suffering have roots that lie in the non-physical realm. Until there is a clear understanding of God's creation of man, it is not always easy to pinpoint the source of the problem and bring healing or deliverance to the sufferer.
Soul
When we speak of the soul, we take it upon ourselves to venture into a realm that cannot be measured by scientists, but which can only be understood in the light of Holy Scripture and experience. When God created humanity, He gave each person a living soul. The soul is that dimension of our carnal life that lives forever. When our body dies, it will either decompose or be cremated. The physical part of our essence is undeniably temporary, limited and compressed in time into a short time - a time capsule within the realm of eternity.
When the body dies, its period of usefulness ends. However, the soul is not limited by the dimension of time and seventy years. And this eternal destiny of ours extends far beyond the grave, which defines the need for evangelism and points to Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus about the need to be born again. Each of us is a spiritual being to whom God has given a soul, and together (soul and spirit) dwell within the body and form the person that we are.
Most commentators would agree that the soul itself contains three major dimensions—mind, feeling, and will—each of which must be clearly understood if we are to have any doctrine and understanding about man, which would be a solid foundation for building a theology of healing and liberation. There are some good books that deal with these aspects in depth, but in studying our topic, it is important to understand that the mind, feelings and will are not physical organs (they cannot be given a pill or cut out during surgery!), although it is clear that the body can be treated and other influences, which in turn can have a profound effect on the soul.
Intelligence
The mind is that part of the soul that processes all the information coming through the physical senses, thoughts, and provides some kind of rational basis on which it makes decisions on the issues of current life day by day. Consciousness is not the brain. The brain is just a large physical organ that acts very much like a computer, storing a lot of information and performing many small functions that control the body without the participation of the mind, which does not have to always think about what should be done next moment.
However, the mind can intercept some of the standard brain commands that control the body (such as breathing - you can hold your breath for a limited amount of time, stopping oxygen intake), but fortunately most of the brain functions that control the body are completely involuntary - we cannot for example, to make the heart stop beating. Arbitrary control of such vital mechanisms is not programmed into the computer by its Creator!
With the help of the mind, we can decide whether to keep important information in memory or not, and then we can restore (remember) this information when we need it. With the help of the mind, we can think of ideas, create pictures, generate ideas and develop plans of action without moving one centimeter of our physical organ of our body. This ability to conceptualize and create is one of the strongest proofs that man is indeed created in the image of God, for God is the Creator.
When a person's mind and his brain are upset, and reasonable thought processes no longer take place and logically healthy behavior of the body is not ensured, then we say that the person is mentally ill. Although in reality to define - what it means to be mentally ill, can only be given in the light of a genuine understanding of spiritual truth. Without such an understanding, a person is constantly limited in the possibilities of observation and evaluation.
Contrary to the Greek origin of the word "psychiatrist", which means "doctor of the soul", modern psychiatry relies mainly on drug treatment that affects the chemical processes of the brain (that is, the body). Undoubtedly, they are effective in suppressing antisocial behavior that can harm both the patient himself, who suffers enough as it is, and all those who care for him and live near him. However, some psychiatrists are ready to go further and proclaim such drugging as a genuine treatment, and many easily agree that they have little idea why these chemicals work in this way!
Unfortunately, the side effects of many drugs are quite significant, and psychiatry has to strike a balance between the damage done to the patient and those who somehow have to put up with the bizarre extremes of human behavior.
I have no doubts about the honesty and devotion of psychiatrists. I believe that most of them are selfless doctors who give their best to the cause within the limits of their profession. But these limits inevitably exclude the spiritual and demonic dimension of mental illness. Indeed, we know of some patients of whom we have been told that in order to receive medical attention from psychiatrists, they need to put aside their religious beliefs.
There is no doubt that just as a person's body can be sick, their mind can also be sick, and in any ministry of healing or deliverance, we need to know that the roots of a person's illness can lie in this area of their existence. The symptoms present and the roots of the disease can vary significantly. When someone comes to pray for the symptoms of an illness, as I call it "come with their treatment plan for God," then "God's treatment plan for them" goes to the root of the illness in the first place.
Until we take a close look at God's plan, any service rendered to man will be incomplete, and, in the end, may even turn man away from seeking healing and deliverance, and even from God Himself. I believe that the most common single reason why a person does not receive healing through prayer is that the minister is not praying for what should be prayed for - he is praying for a man's healing plan, not God's.
Emotions
Emotions are feelings that we experience within ourselves as a reaction to events taking place around us. These events can affect us through our bodily organs - for example, to a sudden loud noise, our reaction may be fear; through our mind - the satisfaction from a creative thought can give us pleasure; through our will - a bad decision can lead to suffering and malaise; or through our spirit - there are many spiritual experiences that can result in deep and lasting joy. Indeed, the highest experience of our emotions is, I believe, the experience when our spirit, soul and body operate in perfect harmony and relationship with God.
Many members of the Church scorn emotional experiences as out of place in real spirituality. However, such a position denies the very fact that God provided us with emotions for certain purposes. Instead of denying the presence of such a subtle realm of God's creation, it would be much more honest to acknowledge the emotional reality and take the emotions to the Lord for healing. Indeed, if damaged emotions are not healed, they accumulate a huge potential that causes the collapse of our lives, and also makes those who are with us in everyday communication suffer. Emotions need healing just like physical wounds.
All evangelistic activities have been repeatedly accused of playing on the emotional sensitivity and vulnerability of some people. But there is a huge difference between the actual emotional response that a person experiences in God's presence, and agitated feelings that have nothing to do with reality. For most people, the experience of turning to God, being born again, rightfully includes an emotional moment, and I would by no means deny people the privilege of responding to God with all their feelings when He enters their life or in any other case of their passage. through spiritual experiences.
Similar assessments apply to many experiences that a Christian can experience personally. The harm done to countless Christians forced to bury their emotions in a mire of pain has left us with a generation covered in scars and wounds in this area. Very few people I have ministered to in recent years have not needed deep emotional healing in addition to praying for the obvious symptoms that have been the main reason for seeking help.
There are many different sources of emotional pain - experiences such as sexual abuse or physical abuse that are so detrimental to the realm of emotional responses that people choose to hide their real feelings and become emotionally disabled. Man has achieved an amazing skill in wearing masks that hide their real feelings. And it just so happened in the Body of Christ that you always have to look so that everyone thinks that you are “all right”, attacks as the actual situation is fundamentally different, then these masks serve as a distinctive stigma of certain circles of Christianity!
I thank God that He not only heals most of the obvious illnesses in people, but also brings healing to the emotions - an area of our lives that suffers from cruelty, neglect or even simple ignorance from all those with whom we were close in the past. .
It is clear that emotions can be sick and very sick. Equally, it is clear that God does not want to leave His people sick in any area of their lives. Jesus died not only so that you could inherit eternal life, but also so that we could receive salvation, which means both healing and deliverance. This is very, very good news for many, many people who are healing their emotional wounds and longing to get rid of them.
Will
The third main element of the soul is the one with which we make decisions. Scripture says that the spirit has a will, that is, it is strong, but the flesh is weak. The meaning of this phrase, which has come into use in connection with the concept of temptation, is simply that if the flesh is not crucified, the will is out of control.
Satan will use any trick to force our will to obey the flesh, contrary to God's order. The person who experiences wholeness and health and walks in obedience to God keeps his will under the dominion of Jesus Christ, and whose fleshly life is consequently under His control. This side of our life is not one of those that are customary to talk about openly, because if the real truth concerning all aspects of our life became known publicly, some people would be very embarrassed and would sit in Church every Sunday with red faces!
Crucifying your flesh is the most unpopular phrase Paul ever wrote in his epistles, but it serves as a path to fullness and health (holiness) that will bear miraculous fruit in all dimensions of our lives. The key is will control.
Many people are so sick in this area of their lives that they are unable to make the right decisions - the temptations are too strong for them. One of Satan's main tactics for all Christians is to gain control of this area. If he wins here, he wins everywhere. It is possible to heal a diseased will, and often it may be necessary to deliver, but this requires determination and obedience on the part of Christians, which only the Holy Spirit can give them.
The body, like everything material, is mortal. All the philosophers of ancient Greece talk about this. Another question is what features the body has, because philosophers understood it in different ways. They were concerned about the problem of the body, because it directly concerned the soul.
We can conditionally divide all philosophers into four groups:
1) The body, as evil, or the body is lower than the soul (Heraclitus, Socrates, Plato, Plotinus).
2) The body is equivalent to the soul (Thales, Anaximander, Anaximenes, Parmenides, Democritus, Epicureans).
3) The body, as some benefit for the soul (Aristotle, Pythagoras).
4) These are theories that can be attributed to several points (Empedocles, Anaxagoras, Stoics).
Let's start with the first point. Heraclitus considered fire to be the thinnest and most delicate matter, and it is a symbol of wisdom. The body, in which seventy-five percent of the water is collected, spoiled the soul. According to Heraclitus, a more stupid person is if he is fat and has a lot of water in him. Or a reasonable older person than a young one. There is one more point, this is the source of knowledge, and sensory knowledge was valued lower than rational. The more fire, the better, and the body only holds back this Eternal Logos. We can say that Heraclitus did not particularly like the body, which limits the possibilities of the soul.
Socrates, we will explain through the theory of Plato, because he talks more about the body. Plato was dismissive of the body, because the material substance, and it can in no way be higher than the soul. The soul is ideal, the body is just a props of the ideal. According to Plato, the soul languishes in the body, although it controls the body, uses it as a tool. The body defiles the soul with all sorts of passions and vices. If it were not for material needs, it would not have been necessary to fight, suffer, rob. There was no need to create all sorts of institutions that contain chaos. Life would be much easier than it is at the moment.
Plotinus agreed with Plato and said nothing new about the body.
Second point. Thales, Anaximander, Anaximenes, Parmenides considered the soul and body for granted. Each performed its function. Each of them noted that the soul and body are completely different from each other, these are two opposites. One substance is mortal, the other is immortal. And it was taken for granted. Probably, panpsychism added another zest, because the soul was in organic objects, but also in inorganic ones. Already a well-known example, many times mentioned above, where Thales said that even a magnet and amber have a soul. According to this example, the body can be considered as a vacuum that is filled with air, primordial substance, water, earth and fire.
Democritus and the Epicureans considered the body, like the soul, material and mortal. These two substances are made of atoms, it's just that the soul has smaller and rounder atoms. The body and soul are on the same level, because they are almost the same. They differ in density, weight and movement. The body is denser, and she has more weight. The atoms are less mobile than those of the soul. The difference between the body and the soul, it is the soul that catches images (eidols), the body, by and large, does not play any role in cognition. The Epicureans absolutely agree with Democritus.
Third point. Aristotle, like no one else, valued the body and soul equally. He said that the body without the soul is inconceivable, and the soul without the body. It was the soul that made the body alive. The body is an instrument for the soul, without which it can not do. The soul is the essence of the natural body. Body and soul exist harmoniously. To survive in the environment, they need to join forces. Example: Take any organ. Language is the body. Taste is soul. The absence of one of these components will lead to disaster for all living things. The soul has three beginnings according to Aristotle, and the body is one. And the body seems to be a more complex mechanism than the soul.
Reading the Pythagorean theory gives an idea of respect for the body. Three souls are located in separate physiological organs, and from there the body itself is controlled. The soul feeds on blood, and the blood in the body. This means that the body is supported by the forces of the soul to control it.
The brain releases semen, which travels throughout the body and enters the uterus, producing ichor there. At the same time, the seed contains hot steam. The body is formed from moisture and blood, and the soul and feelings are formed from steam. The soul and feelings are equivalent, which means that the body is not to blame for passions, although according to Socrates, Plato and Plotinus, this is not so. The Pythagorean theory is somewhat similar to the theory of Aristotle, especially the interaction of body and soul. This is a healthy collaboration. The number of souls also converges, and each of them believes that the rational soul is immortal, and all the rest are mortal. Although Aristotle laughs at Pythagoras because he calls the soul a number, but their theories are similar in motives, that the soul without a body is nothing, and the body without a soul.
Fourth point. These are philosophers who could not fully define their relationship to the body. For example: Empedocles calls the body a prison into which the demon pushes it. But he immediately says that a soul without a body has no power in this world. The soul is divine, ideal and immortal, but the body helps to create in this world, transform and cognize.
According to Anaxagoras, who said that the mind has two principles, corporeal and incorporeal. The soul is the mind, and it is better for it to be unconnected with the body. Although he immediately says that the advantage of man over animals, and why exactly he rules over nature, is because he has hands. And the hands are part of the body. Then it is precisely for this reason that we cognize the world around us and rule, because the body helps, for, according to Anaxagoras, it is only because of this that we differ from animals.
The Stoics - this trend changed, and the view of the soul and body also changed. In the beginning, there was agreement with the theory of Heraclitus, which said that the body is evil. True, having eight souls, and five of them are responsible for sensations, it begs the question that the body, although mortal, is useful for understanding the world around us. Here you can trace Aristotle when he proved that the soul and body are inseparable, using the example of the eye. They also said that in the human seed there are particles of the soul. Hence, this excretion is necessary for the creation of life, and we can say that it is divine. The early Stoics said that the soul is mortal, thereby equating the soul with the body. Others said that the soul is immortal, and here they relied on the theory of Plato. According to it, it is clearly stated that the body is evil, and only interferes with the idealistic existence of the soul. Zeno said that it is necessary to fight with passions, but passions are the wrong movement of the soul. He directly says that the problems are not in the body, but in the soul.
The disease breaks the connection with the body. Democritus spoke about this. Sleep or in a trance the soul is absent for a while, with death forever. Almost all philosophers explained the change in the state of a person as some kind of change or violation of the connection between body and soul.
