The Elevation of Souls: When and How Souls Connect with the Divine Power Known as God

gThe soul

At its core, the word soul is derived from the Hebrew term nephesh, signifying an air-breathing entity or animal. While mankind is considered a living soul, God endows the human mind with the spirit, which grants man the capacity for thought and reasoning (1

Corinthians 2:11 and Zechariah 12:1). In essence, humans are not born as spirits but rather are infused with a spirit that sets them apart from other living creatures. This added dimension, or power, to the human brain is what distinguishes humans from the rest of the natural world. Ultimately, God retains control over the spirit within man. At the moment of death, the mortal human body returns to the earth (Genesis 2:7) and the spirit returns to God (Ecclesiastes 12:7). This spirit is believed to lie in a state of slumber until the restoration of all things on earth.

The dead are regarded as being in the realm of the dead, often referred to as Hades, Hell, or Sheol (the world of the dead). There will come a time when all the deceased will be resurrected, one by one, at their appointed times (Job 14:10 and Ecclesiastes 9:5-10). This leads to the question: What level do souls begin to connect with God in the spiritual world?

Levels of Souls and Their Connection to God

When engaging with the divine power known as God, the experience of communion with divinity is a real one. The saints, as described in historical and contemporary accounts, speak with God (Saint Francis of Assisi, for example, conversed with Jesus in the flesh). According to spiritual teachings, the pure-hearted are blessed and granted the divine vision (Matthew 5:8).

Communion with God

Communion with God, in which the devotee speaks and God responds, is a tangible reality. This relationship reflects the intimate, sociable, and loving nature of God. A profound relationship could be established when one expresses an immense thirst for the divine and holds nothing else in greater importance. The saintly life of meditation, characterized by unceasing zeal, is crucial in bringing one closer to God (Saint Francis of Assisi often conversed with Jesus).

Personal Relationship with God

The Apostle Paul exhorts believers to pray continuously (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Without ceasing to seek a relationship with God, one cannot hope to receive a response. God is love, and for this reason, a relationship of love must be nurtured in order to connect with Him. The divine flow of love is always available to us; it is our love that must complete the circuit, generating the necessary magnetism to draw us closer to the consciousness of Spirit.

Base for Spirit Communion

Prayer and conversation serve as the base for Spirit communion. Devotees who consistently and intensely pray and speak to God are likely to see results (Paramhansa Yogananda's experiences of 'breaking bread' with the Lord, for example). Paramhansa Yogananda, a famous mystic, said, 'When I listen to Aum and occasionally ask God to tell me something, the sound of Aum changes to the English or Bengali language, giving me precise instructions.' Such a relationship requires devotion and a constant desire to communicate with God.

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