All that lives has Chayah. Chayah means life; it is the old form of the word Chawah (Hawa), which is the name of Eve in Hebrew. Eve is called the mother of all living in Genesis 3;20. Sometimes translated as the mother of all living persons, but what it actually says is; the mother of all that is alive. The Greek named the earth Gaia (Gè, or Gaea). Gaia stood for vitality, the basin of life-force from which all life originated and to which all life returned. She arose from Chaos, the "energized" void; the primal higher waters of potentiality. The Chinese would say; -everything in the universe is Chi- (Qi; life force) -where Chi collects itself, a body is formed- because everything in the universe has its origin in this energy (these primal waters). The Sumerians already used the word Ki to name the (living) Earth, with its potential of life-force. The living soul abiding in everything in nature; the trees, the rivers, flowers, animals, the rocks even, are called Kami (entities) in Shintoism. Khe-chara (ether walker) is a name, used in Hindustan, for a soul-traveler or a siddhi. The Egyptians used the word Ka (Egyptian word for soul) to indicate the life force that made up the spiritual double of man, which was created at birth; the soul, the spiritual twin body, inhabiting and copying the physical body.

The soul; the "hidden man of the heart" (1Pe 3;4) sometimes experiences sudden inspirations and enlightening moments which the Romans said were caused by the Genius and according to the Greek by the Daimon (Latin; Daemon). This duplicate twin could indeed produce brilliant thoughts, which left us with the word genius but it could also induce us to rather questionable occupations which left us with the word Demon. One time you are guided by the Atma; the Holy Spirit, and another time your animal soul is driven by the natural needs of your body. It all depends on the power of the Spirit (Atma), present in our soul. Or the lack of it, giving the upper hand to animal urges and fears (inherent to the body) and even to malignant entities (earthbound souls; demons).

"He has a demon (Greek; dai'monion), and he is mad; why listen to him?" Joh 10;20.

In Parsism, (Zoroastrianism) an Ashavan (Holy person) possesses Asha (fire, spirit, holiness or righteousness) that is his Farohar, his guardian angel, the inner Light, mentioned in the Psalms that, due to its radiation literally functions as a shield, warding off evil.

You will surround him as with a shield. Ps 5:12

This Atma or Holy Spirit as we call it is our real guide, our guardian angel,

the imperishable jewel of a gentle and quiet spirit. 1Pe 3;4
And the Lord will be your guide at all times. Isa 58:11

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Let not yours be the outward adorning with braiding of hair, decoration of gold, and wearing of fine clothing,

but let it be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable jewel of a gentle and quiet spirit,

which in God's sight is very precious. 1Pe3;4

.Om - mani padme - om

mmmm(Jewel in the Lotus)mmmm

This hidden person of the heart is our Self; our soul within us.  In the New Testament, originally written in Greek, our soul is called the Psyche; which is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word Nephesh as used in the Old Testament.

The word Nephesh (from naphash to breathe) is used to indicate a soul. It is used for all living creatures. All living creatures are Nephesh; all living creatures are souls.

Nephesh actually means "Breather". All living creatures breathe. Not necessarily air. Fish too are called Nephesh and fish as you know, tend to breathe water.

The word is used to indicate;.

       - the life-force as such (the energy),

             - a person (the individual, the ego, the self, your essence; who you are.),

                    -  a desire (a will or emotion) and

                          -  a  body (the form, the shape). 

Al these four aspects are energies; life-force, mindpower, willpower and even a body is made out of energy.

These four, if put together, will make a energy body "made of" lifeforce, having an emotional personality and a mind of its own; 

a ghost,  

which is in fact a soul without a physical body.

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Energy bodies do not breathe air.

But why call it Breather if it doesn't breathe air? 

Because a soul needs to breathe in Spirit to stay alive.

You think you are made of matter, but that is just an illusion.

 Everything is energy, everything is spirit which is an old word for energy.

The highest and purest form of Spirit comes from the Ultimate Source

a. k. a. God, and functions as a life-force to all the lower forms,

that need to breathe or inhale this Spirit to stay alive,

like plants opening up to the sun.

The ruach of God has made me, and the Neshama of the Almighty gives me (my soul) life. Job 33:4

ruach is spirit in general,

Neshama, the Breath of God is a life-force to the soul.

Nephesh in its turn is a life-force to the body; its breath.

The animal body is just a denser form of this spirit or energy.

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Since everything is made of energy, everything needs energy to be sustained.

Everything is constantly breathing spirit or energy.

Electrons freely flow in and out of everything on earth.

If this process is stopped, all life will end.

Like a car that will stop when it runs out of fuel.

Like the characters in a computer game even,

that seize to exist when the power is cut off.

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Everything is like swimming in an ocean of energy,

like fish in the water; an ocean of spirit.

Every living organism holds within him a matching volume of energy.

The contours of a body determine the shape of this body of energy.

This body of energy; our spiritual body is our soul.

In Hinduism, the individual animal soul is called the Jeeva (Bondage) and

Purusha, is "soul" in general, the ocean of which the jeeva is but a drop. 

Adam; mankind is (should be) demonstrating a higher consciousness than animals. He is called Adam after the Adam of Genesis 2; the universal conscious soul. Eve too is called after the Eve of Genesis 2 (Chawah, Chayah) which means life. Hence she is called .

the mother of all who have life. Gen 3; 20  BBE

 The mother of all that's alive. 

The first people, were named Adam and Eve after the universal soul Adam/Eve, which is a state of consciousness to indicate that a higher consciousness had descended onto Earth. Or call it; "Fallen into Earth" due to the pursuit of knowledge; eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge; primitive beings constantly training their brains resulting in an increase of brain capacity and an increase of intelligence; an increase of consciousness.

Primitive man had become Homo Sapiens; conscious beings.

Physical man starts out as a natural, animal-like being and through evolution in general and by living his lives on a personal level, he has the opportunity to reach a higher consciousness; to gain, to "breathe in" the highest and purest form of Spirit, which allows him to become more and more conscious of what is going on; - of the meaning of life really, which is to enjoy and experience life, in order to learn and be as good as you can be, gradually evolving into higher forms of existence.

It is this Spirit, or Atma, the original creational energy, that will keep the soul, the spiritual twin of the body intact and alive, even when the physical body has been put to rest and has decayed.

Is not their tent-cord torn away in them? they die, and without wisdom. Job 4;21 DBY

As the waters fail from the sea, and a river falls away and dries up, so man lies down and does not rise.  Job 14:11MKJV

It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. 1Co 15:44  MKJV

Happy are they whose resting-place is in your house: ...They go from strength to strength; and appear before God in Zion. Ps 84:4 

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All animals are souls.  

And God said, Let the waters swarm with swarms of living souls, (Nephesh chayah) and let fowl fly above the earth in the expanse of the heavens…  And God said, Let the earth bring forth living souls (Nephesh chayah) after their kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth, after their kind. And it was so. Ge 1:20 DBY

Some people explain soul as a breath, but that wouldn't make any sense in this verse.

Who knoweth the spirit (ruach) of man that goeth upward, and the spirit (ruach) of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?   Ec.3:21 KJ21 MKJV 

Do not take it for food but let it be drained out on the earth like water. De 12: 24  BBE

And the LORD God formed man (Adam) of the dust of the ground, (Adamah)  and breathed into his nostrils the breath (Neshama; Atma) of life; and man became a living soul (Nephesh - entity). Gen.2:7 MKJV

It is because of this Neshama, this Spirit sent from God; the Atma, (Egyptian; Atum; the Hebrew word Otsma means power.) as well as the (whirling) dust, the primal matter; the Adamah he was taken from, that Adam got his name, maybe to show, that Spirit and Matter in essence are the same.

Genesis 2, from 2; 4 on actually deals with the creation of the human (conscious) soul, as opposed to Genesis 1 which deals with the material creation of the universe, the Earth, the plants, animals, the evolution really, which resulted in the creation of man on the sixth day.

These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, and every shrub of the field was not yet on the earth, and every plant of the field had not yet sprung up. For the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no man to till the ground. But there went up from the earth a mist and watered all the face of the ground. And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden. And there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground the LORD God caused to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food. The tree of life also was in the middle of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil…

And the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, You may freely eat of every tree in the garden, but you shall not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. For in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him. And out of the ground the LORD God formed every animal of the field and every fowl of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. And Adam gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the air, and to every animal of the field. But there was not found a suitable helper for Adam. And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept. And He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh underneath. And the LORD God made the rib (which He had taken from the man) into a woman. And He brought her to the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called Woman because she was taken out of man. Gen 2:4  MKJV

The idea that Adam was created before the plants and even before the hills, is also touched in the book of Job.

According to the Breshit Rabbah, the Thora footnotes on Genesis, Adam originally reached from one side of the universe to the other. (B.R. 8. 1;21. 3;24.2, and Hagigah 12a.) 

So this is not about the first physical man and his wife, mentioned in Genesis 1. We are speaking in scales of the expanding universal primal Light of creation. This early formed mix of light and darkness; spirit and primal water or primal matter, pure energy producing a soup of particles; the whirling dust of Adamah; we are talking about the universal soul Adam as a state of consciousness.

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The whole concept of Creation is about Light being turned into earth; energy coagulating and freezing into matter. ..

Light stands for energy but it also stands for consciousness, in which case it means;

That the spirit of the gods is in you, and that light and reason and special wisdom have been seen in you. Da 5:14

By praying to God and literally inhaling the Spirit of God, you are being provided with Spirit; you are like tapping in to the highest form of energy but also the highest form of consciousness.

An enormous amount of energy was released at the Big Bang and this energy gradually turned into matter. This took place in stages; levels of density and levels of consciousness.

Then God took some of Adam's side; the darker outside of the entity connected with (primal) matter, and made a help out of it to help him do his work in the garden. (Without life, nothing happens here on Earth; no (divine) work can be done.)  After which Adam said; This is power of my power (literally), this is kin of mine;  her energy is compatible to mine.

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As said, Adam originally reached from one side of the universe to the other. This means that throughout the universe a high state of consciousness had been reached. Adam/Eve; (spirit and soul = consciousness) was "lured" by the snake into experiencing good as well as evil, to eat from the tree of knowledge the snake was sitting in. First Eve; the Human soul ate, and Adam followed her. First earthly life was established, then consciousness set in. Adam, the universal conscious light soul, being pervaded and sustained by the neshama (Atma), naturally followed Eve (life) in taking residence in matter, but doing so, a barrier was created between mankind and the source, which cost them the radiance of the Neshama of God. They became unaware of their inner Light. The inner Light is "hindered" by the (urges of the) flesh that covers it.

And for Adam and his wife the LORD God made coats of skins (Kotnot ‘or), and clothed them. Gen 3:21 MKJV

O LORD, … those who turn away from thee shall be written in the earth, for they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living water. Jer 17:13 RSV

So, the human soul as such, is not immortal;

The soul (Nephesh) that sins shall die. Eze 18:20 RSV

And everybody has to die; 

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As soon as a certain "amount" of Spirit, the Neshama is established in the soul, this Spirit keeps the soul alive, like a battery, as it were, because it is the souls life force; its breath. A soul breathes Spirit like a body breathes air. This is why the Spirit is called its breath.

And "tapping in to" the Spirit, the soul, receiving its energy, stays alive even when the body is gone; 

And reincarnation is in progress...

For we must all die, and we are as water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. (but) God does not take a life, but has devised plans so that the outcast is not cast out from Him. 2Sa 14:14  MJKV

Jeremiah spoke of God telling him;

All his former incarnations.

These souls seem to be alive down there, waiting to return.

"Behold, God does all these things, twice, three times, with a man, to bring back his soul from the Pit, that he may see the light of life. Job 33;27 RSV

Many Jews believed in reincarnation;

And passing by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, Master, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? John 9: 1 MKJV 

Who do men say that the Son of man is? They said, Some say, John the Baptist; some, Elijah; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. Mt 16:13 BBE  

Even the priests asked John the Baptist if he by any chance was Elija.

In the Bible, in typical Mid-eastern terms, Reincarnation is called the anger or wrath of God;

He who believes in the Son has the Life of the Ages; he who disobeys (does not believe in) the Son will not enter into (higher) Life, but God's anger remains upon him. John 3:36 

The anger of God remaining upon you is that you have to live in the flesh as mortal beings.

Mostly, however, it is called the judgment, the -forming of an opinion over someone- which takes place here on Earth.

For a long time now...

The people who walked in darkness (Matter) have seen a great light; they who dwell in the land of the shadow of death, (that’s us; we are living in the shadow of death) on them the light has shined. Isa 9:2   MKJV

That’s Christ, and he said;

So, as long as the soul breathes Spirit, and sustains this Spirit by praying to and believing in God and doing his will, it does not die, it becomes immortal. The body might die, but the soul will not die. It is all about the soul, remember. And again, it all depends of the measure of Spirit we have received from God…

But there are differences of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of ministries, but the same Lord.  And there are differences of workings, but it is the same God working all things in all.  But to each one is given the showing forth of the Spirit to our profit.   For through the Spirit is given to one a word of wisdom; and to another a word of knowledge, according to the same Spirit; and to another faith by the same Spirit; and to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; and to another workings of powers, to another prophecy; and to another discerning of spirits; and to another kinds of tongues; and to another the interpretation of tongues. But the one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing separately to each one as He desires. 1Cor 12:4 MKJV.

The word ruach is used more in general; neshama is the personal amount of Spirit we’ve received.

Your spirit is not a body; it's a force, an energy and a consciousness.

Now, if we let the spirit guide us, through Jesus Christ, we are called children of God;

The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.  Ro 8:16 MKJV

And after leaving our physical body, whether male or female at death, we may all be called sons of God, due to our inner Light.

Without the differences of gender inherent to the physical world.

Resuscitation means the drawing forth of the spirit from the body, and its introduction into the spiritual world; this is commonly called the resurrection. Swedenborg Heaven and Hell 447

"Thou art not the bodies, nay not yet the soul, which is the life of bodies. But Thou art the life of souls."
     - Saint Augustine, Confessions

Spirit stands to soul like soul stands to body.

Me talking 

NDE's; Near Death experiences as well as out of body experiences prove that the soul can observe things when detached from the body. In the first the body is actually often brain-dead and in the second the body is sleeping or in trance. This body, while awake,  can see, hear and think with its eyes ears and brain, but the soul also can see hear and think and observe its physical body from above, even when it is dead, hear what is being said and wonder about it. This should prove that the human soul is a conscious being usually occupying an animal body (which is a soul on its own right, since all animals are also called souls).

People who have had out of body experiences often say they saw a silver colored "umbilical" cord between them and their vessels; their bodies.

Let your mind be turned to your Maker in the days of your strength...Before ever the silver cord is cut, or the vessel of gold is broken, or the pot is broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the water-hole; And the dust goes back to the earth as it was before. Then the dust of mortals goes back to the ground as it was before, and the breath of life (nephesh chaya, actually; living soul) goes back to God who gave it. Ec 12;1

My Prakriti (or material nature) is the womb wherein I place the seed (of spirit or Purusha) from which all beings are born. Bhagavad-Gita 14.03

This does not exclude and may even mean that from a higher level; a higher dimension of the Universe certain highly evolved beings descended as incorporeal beings into the physicality of our third dimension; here on earth or even in another galaxy for experiencing this kind of life or whatever the reason may have been, and became trapped here in need of being saved. Adam used to live in Paradise. see below.

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Man differs from the animal only by a little; most men throw that little away. Mencius

Those who leave this life through death are arranged accordingly to the judging of their worthiness; some in the place called infernos, others in Abraham's lap and in different states and dwelling places. And in this manner, they leave these places when they die there, if that is the right phrase for it, and descend from the upper places to this hell. Because I believe the hell to which souls of the dead are lead from this world is called the lower hell due to this distinction.  Origenes; (contra Celsus;)   (Actually, he is talking about reincarnation.)

The Egyptians called that place beneath the earth, to which they believe that souls depart after the end of this life, they call Amenthes, the name signifying "the one who receives and gives."  De Iside et Osiride; Plutarch, Moralia.

The state of man is the judgment of God over the acts of the individuality.  Origines (contra Celsus;) 

But Adam and Eve cried for having come out of the garden, their first Home. And indeed, when Adam looked at his flesh, that was altered, he cried bitterly, he and Eve, over what they had done...But now we do not see as we did; our eyes have become of flesh; they cannot see like they used to see before." Adam said again to Eve, "What is our body today, compared to what it was in former days, when we lived in the garden?" First Book of Adam and Eve

Those whom you think that I destroyed, I have called back, and I have led them into life by my great goodness, for I did punish them in judgement for a time. Test. Of Abr. 14;14

In every angel and also in every man there is an inmost or highest degree, or an inmost or highest something, into which the Divine of the Lord primarily or proximately flows, and from which it disposes the other interiors in him that follow in accordance with the degrees of order. This inmost or highest degree may be called the entrance of the Lord to the angel or man, and His veriest dwelling-place in them. It is by virtue of this inmost or highest that a man is a man, and is distinguished from irrational animals, for these do not have it. From this it is that man, unlike the animals, is capable, in respect to all his interiors which pertain to his mind and disposition, of being raised up by the Lord to Himself, of believing in the Lord, of being moved by love to the Lord, and thereby beholding Him, and of receiving intelligence and wisdom, and speaking from reason. Also, it is by virtue of this that he lives to eternity. Swedenborg Heaven and Hell sect. 2- 39

In rabbinic terms, the human soul is a small lamp that is being kindled by the holy torch; the vital spark of heavenly fire. Berakot 10a

Tat: Why then did God, O father, not on all bestow a share of Spirit? (sometimes erroneously; mind)

Hermes Trismegistos: He willed, my son, to have it set up in the midst for souls, just as it were a prize.

T: And where hath He set it up?

H: He filled a mighty Cup with it, and sent it down, joining a Herald [to it], to whom He gave command to make this proclamation to the hearts of men: Baptize thyself with this Cup's baptism, what heart can do so, thou that hast faith thou canst ascend to him that hath sent down the Cup, thou that dost know for what thou didst come into being! As many then as understood the Herald's tidings and doused themselves in Spirit, became partakers in the Gnosis; and when they had "received the Spirit" they were made "perfect men". Corpus Hermetica IV. The Cup or Monad

Sons of God, being named after the dominant factor of our being; the Spirit in its Male aspect, penetrating our soul (which in turn may be called its bride). Producing creation would be its Female aspect. Actually it is all the same Spirit of course, neither male or female.

Adam, Adam, do not fear. You wanted to be a god; I will make you a god, not right now, but after a space of many years. Test. Adam 3;2

And then all people will go through a wild river and an unquenchable fire, and all righteous will be wholly saved, but all the godless people will perish for all time…in the Elysian plains where the long waves are of Lake Acherusia. Sybb. Or. 2

(Who knows what awaits us after the thousand years have passed.)

The first death dates from the time that Light fell into Darkness and mixed with the Archons of darkness until the time is ripe that the Light will be separated and sifted out of the darkness by the great fire. The Light purified from there will shape itself and take on the form of the last light image. Second death, on the other hand, is the death causing sinful people to die when the radiance that enlightens the world is taken from them. They are being cut off from the living Spirit by which the breath is being received and will be completely separated from the living Soul…The first death is a temporarily one; the second death opposed to that is one without ending. (period!) Mani ; Kephalaia.

If you do what I do for too long, there won't be any soul left to salvage. James Bond, Casino Royale.

Swedenborg was talking about the individual personalities; the "spirits" of deceased people and didn't believe in reincarnation. In a sense he was right of course. The personality that you are right now is not an reincarnation. It is a new personality. In a past life you were a different personality. You may have been a woman or a buddhist monk or whatever. He also said that each person in life is accompanied by spirits from hell as well as by spirits from heaven assigned to influence you. But if these spirits are the individualities of your past lives who have found their place in either heaven or hell, it is no wonder that they were assigned to you and it adds up to exactly what is meant by reincarnation, namely that you, your personality is subconsciously influenced by the personalities of your past lives.