ROLAND R. ROPERS KULTUR- & SPRACHPHILOSOPH

HADRES 114 A 2061 HADRES/AUSTRIA

MOBILE: +49 (0) 176 455 36139 WWW.KARDIOSOPHIE-NETWORK.ORG

"Bodyandsoularemortal,thespiritisimmortal".(DomBedeGriffiths,1906-1993)

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“The body experiences the physical world, the soul (psyche),thepsycho-logicalworld.ThespiritalonehasthecapacitytocontemplateGOD,theveryGroundofBeing.The spirit is present in every human being. Itmay be totallyconcealedbutitisalwaysthereandwithoutwecannotbefullyhuman.As the spirit learns to contemplateGOD, the categoriesof therationalmind–subjectandobject,mindandmatter,timeandspace – necessary as they are for completeness of being, aretranscended.When we consciously uncover this dimension of our fullhumanitywebecomefullyintegratedhumanbeings.Innerstillnessisnecessaryifwearetobeinperfectcontrolofour faculties and if we are to hear the voice of the Spiritspeaking to us. The inner tranquillity is at the heart ofauthenticreligiousexperience.Westernmanhasbeenturningoutwardstotheworldofsensesfor centuries and losing himself in outer space. The time hasnowcometoturninwards,tolearntoexploretheinnerspacewithintheheart,andtomakethatlongandexcitingjourneytotheCentre”.(BedeGriffiths)Themystery of bliss (Latin:beatitudo, German:Glückseligkeit,French: ravissement, Sanskrit: ananda) is not a mentalexperience, but slumbers in the resting state of the emotionalforceswhen the immortal spirit shines forth radiantly from thedeepestsourceofourEternalBeing.No spiritual master speaks of the immortality of the soul (noteven theHolyScripturesof theChristians!),but theyall talkoftheeternallylivingspirit.Theimmortalityofthesoulisbasedonthe view of the Greek philosopherPlato. The original Christianmystery was reduced byHellenism to the duality of body andsoul. The pre-Socratic philosopher Parmenides still had the

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connectiontothenatureoftruthandreality,whichlaterwitheredalittlewiththestrainedthinkingofPlato.Weliveinaresource-dependentworldandalwaysrefertothisintermsofenergyresources,monetaryresources,etc.The French word la source (English: source, German: Quelle)originates from the Latin verb surgere = to rise, to come intobeing. A fountain (Medieval German: quella = origin) is acontinuous stream of water bubbling up from the earth. Springwatercomes fromwithin, rainwater fromabove.Springwater isbasically pure, rainwater hardly any more given today'senvironmentalpollution.Theplaceofgreatestpurityisthedeepestinterior.Digging deep to get to the bottom usually requires hard work.Those who dig remove layers of rubble until they reach theoriginalsource.Resourceisthereturntothesource,totheorigin.Ourfountainoflife,ourfountainalwaysmovesfromtheinsidetotheoutside,butnottheotherwayround.Inour therapy-intensivephaseofworldhistory, theword"soul"takesonanever-increasingsignificance.Untilnow, little thoughthasbeengiventotheoriginofthisword,whichinitiallyrefersto"sea".In Latin, the word soul has two genders, animus (male) andanima (female). The Germans use the word Seele , the Frenchl'âme, the Greek psyche. The latter term is very familiar to usthrough the words psychiatrist, psychiatry, psychology,psychotherapy.

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The psychiatrist treats mental illnesses – spiritual illnesses anddisordersdonotexistatall.Theeverlastingspiritisnotaffectedbytheailmentsofbody&soul.Plato regardedthepsycheas thepowerofself-movement in theworldandinman.Thepsycheformstheemotionalpartofthehumanbeing,notthespiritual.ThewordsoulisthoughttoderivefromtheGermanic"saiwalo",the onewho comes from the lake,who belongs to the lake. Theword "saiwolo" is probably associatedwithGreekaiólos (easilymovable) because of the phonetic correspondence. TheWesternChristian Church (Jesus Christ himself came from the Orient),which was influenced by Greek philosophy, adopted theimmortality of the soul from Plato. Plato assumed the pre-existence of the soul and coined the term "anamnesis" for it,whichweusepopularly todayas ahistoryof illness. TheGreekword"anámnesis"meansmemory; forPlato,thememoryofthesoul of the ideas it knew in a previous existence before itsconnection with the body. The Greeks did know the term"pneuma" inthesenseofbreath,spirit,etherealsubstance;St.Paulplacedthespirit(Greek:pneuma,Latin:spiritus)abovethesoul (psyche). This consciousness has largely been lost and isbeingbroughtbacktolifebythespiritualmasters.What rises from the primordial ground of water becomes lake;lake (of smaller proportions) or sea (of larger proportions).Movementusuallytakesplaceonthesurfaceofthewater:Waves,billows,which are emotions from the original source.When theseaisassmoothasglass,youcanlookdowntothebottom.Whentheemotionalsoul forceshavecometorest, thespiritualcoreofthebeinglightsupinside.Thiscorehasalwaysbeenpresentand

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unchanged and more or less emerges through letting go andpenetratingthelayersofconsciousness.The bodily (physical) and soul (animalistic) powers areguided by the everlasting spirit (spiritus), depending ontheattentionandaccesstothesourceofinspiration.Thislieshiddenintheinnermostpartofeveryhumanbeingandisconstantly waiting to be able to break through the dam of thelayersof rubble in the subconscious.Each individual creates theconditionsforthis.Andforthis,manyneedspiritualinstruction.In English andAmerican, soul is often confusedwithmind. Thewordminddoesnotbelonginthetriplerelationshipofbody,soul&spirit.MindcomesfromtheLatin:mens=mind.ManyknowtheparlourgameMasterMind.When the balance of the moving soul forces is established, wespeakinEnglishofequanimity,German:Gleichmut.Thomas Aquinas speaks of anima animalis and animaspiritualis.Bliss (Sanskrit:ananda), is thehighest formof innerhappiness.TheBeatitudesintheSermonontheMountarepurebliss,fromLatin:beatus:blissful.Theonewhoisblissfulisblessed.Wealways speak of the "Spirit ofGoethe", the "Spirit ofMozart", the "SpiritofBeethoven"andothers.Thespiritofimportantpeoplehasremainedwithusforalltime,butnot their souls. The distinction between soul and spiritseemsnecessarytome.