Soul dualism
Encyclopedia
Soul dualism or a dualistic soul concept is a range of beliefs that a person has two (or more) kinds of soul
s. In many cases, one of the souls is associated with body functions (“body soul") and the other one can leave the body (“free soul”). Sometimes the plethora of soul types can be even more complex. Grasping soul dualism can help to understand many shamanistic
beliefs better.
groups believe that a person has more than one types of souls. One is associated with respiration, the other can accompany the body as a shadow. Soul concept of Eskimo groups is diverse and not alike. In some cases, it is connected to shamanistic beliefs among the various Eskimo groups
. Also Caribou Inuit
groups believed in several types of souls..
spirits or souls, which correlate with yang and yin
respectively. Within this soul dualism, every human has both an ethereal
hun 魂 "spiritual soul; spirit; mood" that leaves the body after death and a substantive po 魄 "physical soul; spirit; vigor" that remains with the corpse. Chinese traditions differ over the number of hun and po souls in a person, for example, Daoism has the sanhunqipo 三魂七魄 "three hun and seven po".
. See notion of shadow-soul (being able to depart freely the body), e.g. “íz” in Hungarian folk beliefs. The Estonian soul concept has been approached by several authors, some of them using rather complex frameworks (online ).
Topic mentioned:
Soul
A soul in certain spiritual, philosophical, and psychological traditions is the incorporeal essence of a person or living thing or object. Many philosophical and spiritual systems teach that humans have souls, and others teach that all living things and even inanimate objects have souls. The...
s. In many cases, one of the souls is associated with body functions (“body soul") and the other one can leave the body (“free soul”). Sometimes the plethora of soul types can be even more complex. Grasping soul dualism can help to understand many shamanistic
Shamanism
Shamanism is an anthropological term referencing a range of beliefs and practices regarding communication with the spiritual world. To quote Eliade: "A first definition of this complex phenomenon, and perhaps the least hazardous, will be: shamanism = technique of ecstasy." Shamanism encompasses the...
beliefs better.
Eskimos
Several EskimoEskimo
Eskimos or Inuit–Yupik peoples are indigenous peoples who have traditionally inhabited the circumpolar region from eastern Siberia , across Alaska , Canada, and Greenland....
groups believe that a person has more than one types of souls. One is associated with respiration, the other can accompany the body as a shadow. Soul concept of Eskimo groups is diverse and not alike. In some cases, it is connected to shamanistic beliefs among the various Eskimo groups
Shamanism among Eskimo peoples
Shamanism among Eskimo peoples refers to those aspects of the various Eskimo cultures that are related to the shamans’ role as a mediator between people and spirits, souls, and mythological beings...
. Also Caribou Inuit
Caribou Inuit
Caribou Inuit, Barren-ground Caribou hunters, are bands of inland Inuit who lived west of Hudson Bay in northern Canada's Keewatin Region of the Northwest Territories, now the Kivalliq Region of present-day Nunavut between 61° and 65° N and 90° and 102° W...
groups believed in several types of souls..
Chinese
Traditional Chinese culture differentiates two hun and poHun and po
Hun and po are types of souls in Chinese philosophy and religion. Within this ancient soul dualism tradition, every living human has both a hun spiritual, ethereal, and yang soul that leaves the body after death and a po corporeal, substantive, and yin soul that remains with the corpse...
spirits or souls, which correlate with yang and yin
Yin and yang
In Asian philosophy, the concept of yin yang , which is often referred to in the West as "yin and yang", is used to describe how polar opposites or seemingly contrary forces are interconnected and interdependent in the natural world, and how they give rise to each other in turn. Opposites thus only...
respectively. Within this soul dualism, every human has both an ethereal
Ethereal being
Ethereal beings, according to some belief systems and occult theories, are mystic entities that usually are not made of ordinary matter. Despite the fact that they are believed to be essentially incorporeal, they do interact in physical shapes with the material universe and travel between the...
hun 魂 "spiritual soul; spirit; mood" that leaves the body after death and a substantive po 魄 "physical soul; spirit; vigor" that remains with the corpse. Chinese traditions differ over the number of hun and po souls in a person, for example, Daoism has the sanhunqipo 三魂七魄 "three hun and seven po".
Uralic peoples
The concept of more kinds of souls can be found also at several Finno-Ugric peoplesFinno-Ugric peoples
The Finno-Ugric peoples are any of several peoples of Europe who speak languages of the proposed Finno-Ugric language family, such as the Finns, Estonians, Mordvins, and Hungarians...
. See notion of shadow-soul (being able to depart freely the body), e.g. “íz” in Hungarian folk beliefs. The Estonian soul concept has been approached by several authors, some of them using rather complex frameworks (online ).
Further reading
The chapter means: “Shamanic philosophy: soul concepts in Tuva, changing in time”; the book title means: “Miracle deer. Ancient history, religion and folklore tradition”.External links
Detailed discussion:Topic mentioned:
- Hoppál, Mihály: Nature worship in Siberian shamanism
- Great Basin Indian. (2007). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved March 28, 2007, from Encyclopædia Britannica: Online