Many different religions recognize the Soul. Most religions believe in an afterlife for the Soul. What occurs in this afterlife varies from tradition to tradition. However, the general consensus is that we live on.  It’s in the identification of how we exist beyond that differs to some degree. For example, Christians, Jews, and Muslims believe in the existence of the Soul and see this Soul on similar terms. Yet, for Buddhists the Soul is spoken of as the Self in the social context of being dependent on others, not independent fixed entities. They believe in the practice of non-self, focusing on the whole of life. Upon the death of the body, they believe consciousness carries on in the form of karma and becomes reincarnated into another mind until the cycle of karma is broken. They don’t identify this consciousness as a Soul. They see it differently.

In science, the any attempted to study the Soul have been elusive. One attempt was tried back in 1907. Dr. Duncan MacDougall of Haverhill, Mass., set out to discover the weight of the Soul. He believed the soul could be measured by physically weighing the body before death and after death. He theorized that the body would be lighter once the Soul evacuated it.

After weighing several bodies he found the average weight of the bodies where 21 grams. This is about the weight of five nickels stacks together. The problem with his study was that there was no consistent result. He also studied 15 dogs and found no difference in their weight. He speculated this was because dogs didn’t have Souls. Ask any dog owner if this is true! They probably would respectfully disagree with Dr. MacDougall.

Whether the Soul can be measures or not, whether it is pure consciousness or immortal; or the “I” in I am, it lives on because most of us innately feel the Soul of who we are as people. This Soul needs nurturing. It needs renewal and rebirth. It thrives on life! To heal the Soul provided the spark of life we all need. We need the reminder of why we are here and why we are alive. The Soul lives on in the Spirit of life. We don’t need to pass on to live in the Spirit. We just need to acknowledge I AM alive! When we embrace the Soul, we give our selves an opportunity to look deep within and remember the life we are meant to live. When we discover our life, we can create from it a wonderful loving and inspiring existence for our selves and others.