Untethered Soul Analysis

“My Soul is Rested” by Howell Raines was definitely an interesting book to read because Howell Raines obtained different points of views on the reality of society from the years 1956 to 1968. Howell Raines shed light on those who endured such turmoil and violence in this epic battle towards justice. With such courage and faith many great leaders and groups pushed to obtain justice which took years as this book brings to light important events that helped push for equality. The book outlines a chronology of the civil right movement in the deep south between the years 1955-1986 from the Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955-1957), the student sit-ins (February 1960-October 1960), the freedom rides (1961-1962), the Birmingham demonstrations (April 1963- September 1963), freedom summer (June 1964- December 1964), and finally the Selma March (1965-1968). The book began with the Rosa L. Parks arrest in Montgomery, Alabama which is what encouraged the issues of constitutional racism to fully take off with social movements amongst various organizations in the deep south. The Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1956 was the first of many that the book emphasis on as well as the death of one of the greatest civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was the last event. The impact of the lesser known leaders and followers both black and white fought by participating in many events like sit-ins, freedom rides, voter drives and campaigns as the book “My Soul is Rested” mentions. Each person telling their story about the events that happened from the eyes of a black as well as a white man through the eyes of a black women and white the stories are told with such power in every word. A few names that helped change the course of the United States laws where E.D. Nixon who started the movement by starting the Montgomery Bus Boycott unfolding the events that began to take speed causing more leaders to step up as the law began to pay attention. The civil right movement beginning with Rosa L. Parks and ending with the death of Martin Luther King Jr. forever marking history with the help of a many great leader that arose from being afraid to speaking up and fighting the social and political norm.

In Isabel Allende’s Inés of My Soul, one woman, Inés Suarez, challenges the traditional role of women and society by embarking upon a journey alongside her companion to conquer a part of the New World. Throughout the expedition, Inés faces challenges because of her gender, yet she also manages to use her gender and the traditional gender role to her advantage.

Stephen Prothero explains how Buddhists observe the fact that we have no souls. They also accept that we have no self because the self is just a figment of our imagination. Prothero further describes how words associated with the self like, “I”, “me”, and “mine”, give rise to ego and as a result, contribute to the world’s suffering. He also explains the essence of Buddhist teachings with Four Noble Truths. These truths are not meant, as Prothero mentions, not to be worshipped but rather practiced and experienced, to see whether or not they actually hold some accuracy.

The soul can never be destroyed or changed. Krishna mentions that the soul and body-mind are different. The body dies and is reborn. The soul remains. I also believe in the universal soul (purusha). My values, however, are slightly different. I realize that there are three types of suffering: dukkha–dukkha, viparinama-dukkha, and samkhara-dukkha. Dukkha-dukkhua means obvious physical or mental pain. Viparinama-dukkha means losing something that is valuable to you. Suffering can also be translated to satisfactoriness, instability, and uncertainty.

Even though some people walk the same path they may see different things. Some may see things in the theological way with God’s presence everywhere they look and everything they do. Some may see it in a psychological way, always looking for the explanation of why something is the way it is. Together, theology and psychology can bring a different view and perspective that they never would have saw by themselves.

Throughout human history people have sought experiences that somehow transcend every day life. Some sort of wisdom that might progress their knowledge of self and of the world that they live in. For some reason they believed that the tangible world just could not be all there is to life. Some believed in a greater force that controlled them, some believed of invisible beings that influenced their lives, some of an actual other world that paralleled their own. Many of these people also believed that it was possible to catch a glimpse of these forces, beings, or worlds through a variety of means that propel individuals into altered states of consciousness. These techniques include

The natural world which mankind inhabits is visible to physical eyes. Tangible objects fill the scenes of this earthly realm. The world and its components are familiar and open to humanity and as a result most are comfortable with their natural environment and with what they can physically see. Yet, man is a two-fold being in that he is a spiritual being as well as an earthly one. Man possesses a soul, and that soul will live eternally. Of course, the soul of man pertains to the spiritual side of mankind where the spirit world play an integral role in the decisions he makes, the influences he is subjected to, and where the soul of man will ultimately spend eternity. The invisible spirit world is full of spirits which aid every soul in

Spiritual disciplines will prepare us for our journey in Christ. I feel if understanding correctly, the classical Christian Pilgrimage remind us that we all have issues requiring regular examination. In chapter eight, the classical Christian Pilgrimage tells us we are at different stages on the path of wholeness in Christ. However, in my thoughts some areas of our Christian journey we may be doing well, but in other areas we have not touched at all. Not to mention, these are the place we are not ready or capable of handling yet, however, as we mature in God and He knows what we can handle, then we are awakened. God awakens us to our true selves which have not been completely revealed. In reality, once we reach maturity to God, he reveals all that is hidden deep inside of us (the real us/you). By the same token, he let us see the inner behaviors, attitudes, desires, in fact how we measure up in them being Christ-like. I feel the awakening stage deals with the comfort of being set free of these issues that are holding us back also causing detours on our path to wholeness in Christ. Equally, the threat is being afraid to see who we really are; also how far from Christ-like we really are. We must first be awakened from our separation also alienation from God (Mulholland 79-82).

The imagery in this book is pretty miraculous. The majority of this book is built on the feeling the main character, Kenna, has through the book, the sights, sounds and smells she gets to experience. You can see and feel alongside Kenna as the author drags her through hell, and heaven, because of the vivid imagery the author uses. Some of the best imagery comes when the main character syphons souls, or as the book would have it, “culls” the souls. During one particular event in the book Kenna was put in a bind when she had to help her sister, who was withering away again after the first time she healed her with the souls she had culled from the surrounding area. Kenna looked for something to cull to heal her sister until she saw a stag. Lunging

The myth that I believe in strongly is the myth of liberation. This is the case due to my commitment to the Hinduism religion. Whenever I face tough choices or questions in life, I often think about what is the Hinduism perspective on that topic. In Hinduism, the ultimate goal is to attain liberation through your actions. Whenever my faith is tested, I think of a verse form the Bhagwat Gita: “The soul is never born nor dies at any time. Soul has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being. Soul is unborn, eternal, ever-existing and primeval. Soul is not slain when the body is slain" (Asitis). This verse speaks volumes to me. I interpret this quote as the soul lives forever and it doesn’t die along with the human body. Since the soul lives forever, it responsible for paying for one’s dues even after death. On the contrary, if one has lived the way he/she should have in accordance to god, his/her soul will experience freedom ever after. On the other hand, the soul will suffer for eternity. I understand that many factors go into living the right way in the eyes of god in order to attain liberation. Some of the big ones to me are abstaining from adultery, cheating and having a clear heart. I feel as if my pursuit for liberation has kept me on the right path in life and gave my life purpose. There was a phase in my life where I didn’t know what I wanted. I had no goals nor ambitions. That was a really difficult time in my life. However,

The idea of the soul varies widely in religious tradition. While these variations exist, its basic definition is unvarying. The soul can be described as the ultimate internal principle by which we think, feel, and will, and by which our bodies are animated. The soul is seen as the core principle of life or as the essence of a being 1. Views on the permanence of the soul vary throughout religious tradition as well. While some view it as a mortal entity in flux others believe the soul is an immortal and permanent unit. These interpretations vary from time period to time period and between religions. These characteristics of the soul are interpreted differently through an Eastern or

Buddhism, on the other hand, understands the psychological nature of humans very deeply and develops effective treatment methods. As revealed in the Flower Ornament Sutra [Avatamsaka Sutra], "Our perception Three Kingdoms arise from the mind, so do Twelve Links of Dependent Origination; birth and death come from the mind, which are extinguished when the mind is put to rest”. If we view Buddhism in this lens, itself in conglomeration with psychology has much to reveal about both practices (Williams-Oerberg, Elizabeth, 2012).

Humans are on this planet to adapt, reproduce, and survive. That’s our purpose as human beings. However, as people, I do not believe humans have their own essence. Thinking one person has their own essence would be the same as thinking everything happens for a reason. If people have their own essence, they believe in a purpose to their life that is already set in stone. They follow a path without questioning as if they have no choice in the matter of the course. It is not necessary to have a say in the matter since it is already written out for them. As people grow they change their purpose in life. The longer people live the more times they change their minds. They have experienced more and can understand who they are and what it is they want out of their human experience. It’s irrational to think that thoughts and ideas don’t change as someone ages. I for one, don’t have the same purpose in life that my five-year-old self

What is a soul? The spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal regarded as immortal. Many Philosophers studied the soul in several ways in order to get the point of what is the soul. Although sometimes it is confusing to understand what is meant because it is explained in other ways and used in examples. The Philosopher Aristotle came to the conclusion that the soul is the first grade of actuality of a natural organized body. He uses it in the axe and eye as examples but yes it might be confusing but at the end it will make sense in what he means.

     Spirituality and psychology are two complex subjects to discuss and they become even more complicated when you try to relate one to the other. Psychology deals with the processes of sense perception, thinking, learning, cognition, emotions and motivations, and personality, focusing on the behavior of individuals. Spirituality, on the other hand, is all inclusive. “Spirituality is living one's life from the realization that the body/mind/ego personality we have been taught to identify with is just the tip of our iceberg, our little head sticking through the window of the senses into this world, whereas our true body is the universe. It is recognizing that our perceived world is mostly an illusion, a shared