Thomas Moore on Soul & Spirit
Thomas Moore was a friend and student of James Hillman for many years, and produced an anthology of some of Hillman’s best writing titled A Blue Fire. Here he offers some insight into the differentiation between soul and spirit, drawing on Hillman’s ideas and his early training for the priesthood, his love of the New England transcendentalists and deep knowledge of psychology and Greek philosophy. I always appreciate Tom’s naturalistic and non-dogmatic approach to psychology and therapy. — Brian
What is Soul?
“We talk about people, places, and houses that have soul. Soul is the unreachable depth, felt vitality, and full presence of a person or even a thing. A person with soul gives you the feeling that he has really lived and has a strong personality. For millennia theologians and philosophers have said that the world has soul, too.
Soul is the invisible, mysterious, and softly radiant element that infuses your being and makes you human. Like plasma in your veins, it gives you a sense of meaning, feeling, connection, and depth. If you have soul, you have a visible glow and are alive and present. When people encounter you, they see a real person.
Without soul, we and our world are dead. Without soul there is no real substance and value, no possibility for love and care, no heart and no real power or tenderness.
Without soul we live shallow and metallic lives, not really touching each other and not engaged with the world.
Without soul we feel a hollow emptiness and a vague sense of being lost.
Without soul many act out their unconscious passions in antisocial behavior. When you encounter them on the street, they look past you, because there is a vacancy where the soul should be. Without soul we become preoccupied with ourselves, because it’s the soul that gives us a real life.”(1)
The Difference Between Soul & Spirit
I continue to accent the difference between soul and spirit, another ancient idea but one that I learned most clearly from James Hillman.
Spirit directs your attention to the cosmos and the planet, to huge ideas and vast adventures, to prayer and meditation and other spiritual practices, to a worldview and philosophy of life. Spirit expands your heart and mind, gives you vision and courage, and eventually leaves you with a strong sense of meaning and purpose.
Soul is more intimate, deep, and concrete. You care for your soul by keeping up your house, learning how to cook, playing sports or games, being around children, getting to know and love the region where you live.
Soul allows you to become attached to the world, which is kind of love. When the soul stirs, you feel things, both love and anger, and you have strong desires and even fears. You live life fully, instead of skirting it with intellectualism or excessive moralistic worries.
In the best situations it isn’t easy to distinguish soul from spirit because both play important roles in everything we do. But making the distinction gives the deep soul its due.
Spirit inspires, while soul delves deep into the complexities of an issue.
Spirit likes to have a planning meeting; soul likes to have a long and deep conversation.
Spirit sets goals; soul plods along, going deeper all the way.
Spirit prefers detachment, while the soul sinks into its attachments to places, people, and home.
The two dimensions are both important and valuable. You don’t need to balance them, because balance is too perfect, a spirit idea in the first place. It’s enough to give to each what it wants and needs in the moment.”(2)
Care for the Soul
“It was said that Socrates didn’t have students, but only friends and companions. That is my ideal. Early on I was encouraged to create training programs, but I felt that to be true to soul, I should keep the friendship model. You can do the same. You don’t have to treat everyone you meet as a literal friend, but you can bring the spirit of friendship into all your relationships—at work, in the extended family, and among neighbors. You will be following the example of the great teacher of soul, Socrates, and doing something concrete to introduce soul into your life.
To repeat, I’m not saying that every time we encounter a person in business or health we should try to be a real friend. I’m suggesting the spirit of friendship in small quantities, just enough to transform the interaction into one that is more human and less mechanical.
Interestingly, one word for care that Plato put into Socrates’s mouth was the Greek therapeia, which means either “care” or “service.” Socrates says that it’s like the care you’d give a horse on a farm: you feed it, brush it down, exercise it, give it water, and clean its stall. That’s the model for therapy of the soul. It’s an everyday attention to specific needs, not a cure or repair after things have fallen apart.
I have been a therapist in the Plato/Socrates style for well over thirty years, and I have considerable devotion to the idea. I think all of us could benefit from this kind of therapy at some time in our lives. But I also see it happening outside any formal arrangement. Any time you are caring for your soul, you are being the therapist to yourself.
The word psychotherapy consists of two Greek words: psyche (soul) and therapy (care). By definition, psychotherapy is care of the soul. When you serve your soul, you are being therapeutic in this deep, Platonic sense.
Today, when I lecture about care of the soul I often list certain things that the soul needs: a sense of home, deep friendship and casual friendliness, a poetic and metaphorical appreciation for words and images, attention to night dreams, the fine arts, an intimate relationship with the natural world, acquaintance with animals, memory in the form of storytelling or keeping old buildings and objects that have meaning.
We can do many more things to care for the soul such as reconciling our sexuality and spirituality, caring for children, finding work that we love, incorporating play and fun in everything we do, dealing effectively with loss and failure and inadequacies. The shadow is an important aspect of the soul.” (3)
Excerpt from A Religion of One’s Own, Thomas Moore
Excerpt from Care of the Soul, 25th Anniversary Edition, Thomas Moore
Excerpt from Care of the Soul, 25th Anniversary Edition, Thomas Moore