What Is The Soul

(continued from the last ten weeks)

Q: Dr. Guterson, you talk a lot about the soul? Maybe you can help me understand what a soul is?

A: Our soul, which is an actual piece of Divinity, is sent to earth into our body. As a result, we have both a body, with all of its material and physical needs and cravings - as well as a soul, which yearns for just the opposite, for transcendence. Body and soul ideally should work in harmony, taking that which is physical and infusing it with spirituality.

According to Chassidic philosophy, the structure of the soul consists of three intellectual powers (which we discussed last week) and seven emotional powers. These are what make the human being tick. In a spiritually healthy person, intellect drives emotion. In other words, once we truly internalize the inspirational flash and development of a G-dly concept, then our emotions can come into the picture, step by step.

The first emotional power is unbridled kindness, also depicted as expansion. Let it flow! Let it go! Give and give! When we see the good in others and in every situation, then life is filled with a positive and generous attitude.

But - be careful: unbridled giving can reel out of control. This leads to the second emotional power which is awe, a contraction, having the might to hold back. It is the ability to say ‘no’ and knowing what to say ‘no’ to. Strength of character entails limits and boundaries.

The third of the soul’s emotional powers is a synthesis of the first two, and therefore is depicted as harmony and balance. As they say, “it’s all in the delivery” - to know when to say ‘yes’ and when to say ‘no’, when to give and when to hold back - and to do this in an empathic and balanced way.

Let me add that empathy - to truly put yourself in others’ shoes and thoughts and feelings as best as possible- is one of the most important skills to learn in life. Some people are able to do this intrinsically; others have to really work at it. But it is achievable.

(More on the soul’s emotional powers next week…)

What Is The Soul...

What Is The Soul… (continued from the last nine weeks) Q: Dr. Guterson, you talk a lot about the soul? Maybe you can help me understand what a soul is? A: Our soul, which is an actual piece of Divinity, is sent to earth into our body. As a result, we have both a body, with all of its material and physical needs and cravings - as well as a soul, which yearns for just the opposite, for transcendence. In a healthy person, body and soul work in harmony. It’s a delicious dichotomy. To make this dichotomy work, according to Chassidic philosophy, we first need to understand that the structure of the soul consists of three intellectual powers: (1) the initial flashpoint that inspires our mind to focus on a G-dly concept; we call this wisdom. (2) the process which develops the depth and breadth of that concept; we call this understanding. (3) the practical application of that concept, thus effecting change; we call this knowledge. These intellectual powers then become the driving force for our soul’s emotional powers (more on these next week). In my psychiatric work, I have seen, sadly, too many people who are slaves to their physical desires. Addictions, sexual infatuations, and anger can take over a person. There are also those individuals who simply want to escape the world and opt for constant distractions and hedonism, or the opposite, asceticism. But ultimately, none of these are healthy life styles. The pleasure they may bring is only temporary. An inner void remains; it is our soul crying to be recognized. When we are in touch with our soul’s intellectual and emotional powers, then we are not controlled by these physical desires. To live this way takes work but it’s well worth it. Body and soul are partners in a battlefield. They need each other. Without the body’s feet, hands, mouth, and all that is physical, the soul cannot carry out acts of goodness in our world. And without the soul, the body would succumb to its base cravings. We are here to live, to live actively in this wonderful world and take all that is physical and infuse it with spirituality. That is our mission. To be continued….

What Is The Soul...

Q: Dr. Guterson, you talk alot about the soul. Maybe you can help me understand what the soul is? A: We’ve been talking about the soul for a number of weeks now. As I wrote last week, everything in existence has a soul - humans, animals, plants, and even inanimate objects. However, the human soul is on a totally different level because, unlike anything else, G-d breathed His essence into us. In past weeks, we’ve discussed the six essential features of the soul and more recently about the delicious battlefield of the soul residing within the body, which gives life it’s dynamism. But what is the structure of the soul? According to Chassidic philosophy, our soul has ten levels; three are intellectual and seven are emotional. In a spiritually and mentally healthy person, intellect drives emotion, not the opposite. People get themselves into all sorts of trouble when the opposite happens and, sadly, that can lead to misery, psychiatric hospitalizations, and crime. In life, we certainly first experience our feelings and it is crucial to be aware of our feelings. But then, when it comes to healthy behavior, intellect needs to drive our emotions. That is why, as I have written before, in the famous movie, “Wizard of Oz”, it is the Scarecrow, the one who represents the brain, who emerges as the leader of the trio (scarecrow, tinman, lion). It is also why, in my judgment, that Dorothy says to the Scarecrow near the end of the movie, “I think I’ll miss you most of all.” To be continued. Next week to talk about the three intellectual levels of the soul….