What is the Human Spirit? What is the Soul?
A discussion on the online lists as well as feedback to my last article, brought up a need to define various terms used. The semantics with the functions of soul and spirit remain subjective and experiencial, though I have provided some description below:

As a Christian, I understand the human spirit to originate from the breath of God. The book of Genesis 2:7 reads, “The Lord formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and so man became a living being.” Man was created in God’s image and likeness. In communion with God, the human being is whole but does not become God.

The human spirit is thus blessed with the ability to seek Communion with the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit. The human spirit is also blessed with the power of reason which no other living being is. This power of reason gives us the ability to acknowledge the transcendental need of the soul, the need for God, the need to be in communion with the Spirit of God who is “the higher purpose of our existence“.

The Soul, as defined in The Concise Dictionary of Theology is: The Spiritual principle of human beings which survives their death. According to the Old Testament the “nephesh” (Hebrew: “Breath of life”) comes from God (Gen2:7) and disappears at death. My “nephesh” can mean “myself” or “my soul”. The New Testament often uses “psyche” (Greek: “soul“) as the principle of life. Towards the end of the Old Testament, Greek language and thought introduced a sense of the human soul as distinct from the body and endowed by God with immortality (Wisdom 3:1-9,9:15, 16;13). The New Testament reflects a certain dualism between between body and soul (Matt:10:28, Lk 16:22, 2Cor 5:6-10, Phil 1:23, 1Pet 1:9) but primarily thinks of human beings as animated beings destined for final resurrection. Against the Neo-Aristotelianism of Pietro Pompanazzi (1464-1525) the Fifth Lateran Council taught in 1513, the individuality and the immortality of human souls.
From the homeopathic perspective, David Little gives an insight:

The powers of consciousness associated with free will, reason and feeling are related to the soul (Gr. Seele), intellect (Gr. Geist) and emotional disposition (Gr. Gemuet). The soul is transcendental; the intellect is related to the rational functions usually associated with the brain; and the emotional disposition is related to the feeling tones usually associated with the heart. The physical organism is the sum total of all physiological systems, organs and tissues. We can not see the human Esse nor the vital force but we can witness Vitae through the Gestalt-display of the total human organism, which includes psyche, the life force and soma. In this way, the psychic, dynamic and physical powers work together synergistically as a total unified field in which the whole is more than the sum of its parts.

Who is a Spiritual Person?
Based on the preceding understanding, we see that spirituality is a function of the soul, for the human spirit. The soul recognizes the need for transcendence, the need to be in communion with the Supreme Being whom we call God, and through the soul we experience the Spirit of God strengthening our human spirit.

We speak of intellectual maturity which is the maturity of the intellect, we speak of emotional maturity which is the maturity of the heart. Furthur we recognize the need for spiritual maturity, which is the maturity of the soul. Every human being has been created with a soul, spirit and body, but not everyone seeks spiritual maturity. In my perception, this results in an incomplete development of a human being, for, every human being is necessarily an intellectual (rational) being and a creature with feelings (emotional), but also a spiritual being with the capacity to relate to the transcendental Being, God.

The spiritual person is one who recognizes the need for spiritual maturity to become a truly “whole” person. The ability to use one’s reason (mind) must be assisted first by emotional maturity, followed by spiritual development, in order to be a truly balanced person in every aspect in life. Indeed a truly spiritual person is one, who in being ever aware of his/her humanness and limitations recognizes the need to be dependant on God in his/her soul. In my perception, the expression of a spiritually matured person (of any religious background) is one who seeks to interact for the benefit of others in simplicity, humility and compassion.

In the discovery of homeopathy, I perceive Hahnemann to be a scientifically rational person as well as a spiritual person.

Healing of Soul and Body : A Renewal of One’s Mind
In the last article, I mentioned the need for “being transformed by the renewal of one’s mind without conforming to this age“. There are eternal principles of healing, as much as there are eternal moral values for the soul. In homeopathy I see the principle of Similia Similibus Curentur as an eternal principle of healing that does not change with the latest fad or drug or medical technology. In fact, there has hardly been any significant change in homeopathic principles or remedies over the last 200 years, except to evolve a deeper and wider scientific understanding of their healing capacity. Similarly, the moral values in Christ that were relevant 2000 years ago are just as relevant today, because the living Christ, is the same, yesterday, today and forever .

One can renew one’s reason-gifted mind with a decision to understand the process of homeopathic healing that goes against the prevalent ideas of this age and the medical approach of today. One can perceive the truth of this simple method of healing through repeated experiences and observation of the effects of homeopathic remedies while following the principles of the philosophy laid down. It is in experiencing the benefits of a healthier mind and body, that one is convinced in one’s mind of the homeopathic paradigm.

In a similar way, the spiritual renewal of one’s mind begins with a decision to follow a simple process of being slowly transformed to eternal values of Christ. This is a progress through spiritual conviction and tangible experiences of God’s love without suppression or struggle against one’s human needs. It is a repeated experience of divine support in strengthening of one’s human spirit, beyond the weakness and limitations of the body, enhanced by the soul’s dependence on God. This practical method of transformation, is Biblical philosophy laid down nearly 2000 years ago in the New Testament (Study the entire Chapter 8 of the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans), which is continuously revealed with deeper and wider understanding today.

In this process, through the transcendental activity of one’s soul, the mind and heart are receptive to the Wisdom, Love and Gifts of the Spirit of God within us. In more psycho-spiritual terms, one achieves “self-actualization” and “self-awareness” which allows for a deep knowing and wisdom, of being in touch with one’s ‘Innermost Self’. One achieves greater transcendental activity through prayer, meditation and obedience to God’s Will. But one also necessarily remains interconnected with other people, family, friends in this process. This fosters special experiences that lead one to experience love (Greek: Agape) in one’s concrete human circumstances and suffering.

As a Christian, I seek to relate to God’s Spirit through Christ, who offered himself in unconditional love as a sacrifice for human salvation. I believe this is the simplest and most reliable form of meditation or prayer which evolves with deeper maturity. It is a hotline with God for any person whatever be one’s stage of intellectual or emotional development or stage of physical disease. It is a pure, simple method of receiving and experiencing unlimited love and wisdom from God. This is the secret of a personal encounter with Christ, “for the higher purpose of one’s existence” (Organon Aph. 9) i.e. being ready to serve and sacrifice with love for the good of humanity. This process of transformation is simple, gentle and permanent,… on easily comprehensible principles (Organon Aph. 2) – like homeopathy!

My human spirit is always fortified by the Spirit of God, through dependence on the divine. This necessarily requires that my human spirit is humbled so that the Spirit of God may be more powerful. This slowly and surely results in a renewal first of the mind and heart, which is followed by healing in the body; no matter what one’s past life of suffering has been, or what one has inherited, or what are one’s past experiences of hurt, failings, sin or physical disease. Human difficulties don’t cease, but one faces them with a deep sense of peace, courage and a supernatural strength called Grace. One feels loved and one is full of hope no matter what the external circumstances. Then there is no place for doubt, fear or narrow thinking.

This step is the basis of subsequent Spiritual Healing of the body through the Spirit of God which I will explain in the next and final chapter of this series. I will do this to parallel with the understanding of Miasm and the working of the Similimum in Homeopathy, with case examples in both homeopathy as well as Spiritual healing. My parents were involved in the Healing Ministry of the Catholic Church for almost 25 years till my father died in December 2001. With this background, it is a personal experience of Spiritual healing that I wish to share with you (fellow Christians), that remains in complete compatibility with healing through Homeopathy.

Thank you,
Dr. Leela D’Souza
http://www.homeopathy2health.com/
Bibliography

1. Organon of Medicine 6th Edition, by Dr. Samuel C. Hahnemann
2. The Chronic Diseases, by Dr. Samuel C. Hahnemann
3. The Holy Bible (The New American Bible)
4. Excerpts of Articles from David Little’s Site
5. The Genius of Homeopathy, by Stuart Close, MD
6. Dhawle’s ICR Symposiums (Volume C), Mumbai
7. Theory of Suppression, Predictive Homeopathy Part I, by Praful Vijaykar, LCEH
8. The End of Myasumtion of Miasms, Predictive Homeopathy Part III, by Praful Vijaykar, LCEH
9. An Insight into Plants, by Rajan Sankaran, LCEH

10. The Sensation in Homeopathy, by Rajan Sankaran, LCEH