Difference between soul and spirit?

[evedawn]

I believe that we are made of " a trinity" - body, soul and spirit...Is the soul the persoality of an individual whilst the sprit is the part that lives on after death? Or the other way around? Or does anyone else have there ownpersonal theories or believe soul and spirit don't exist?

[VS Prasad]

Soul:

the spiritual element of a person, regarded as immortal.
http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/soul?view =uk

1. the immaterial essence, animating principle, or actuating cause of an individual life
2. the spiritual principle embodied in human beings, all rational and spiritual beings
http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dic tionary&va=soul

1. the spiritual dimension of human beings, regarded by some religions as immortal, and viewed as distinct from the physical body.

2. the part of one's being that is regarded as surviving death.
http://www.wordsmyth.net/live/home.php?script= search&matchent=soul&matchtype=exact

The immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life
http://ultralingua.com/onlinedictionary/index. html?service=ee&text=soul

Spirit:

Latin spiritus, literally, breath, from spirare to blow, breathe;
vital principle held to give life to physical organisms
http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dic tionary&va=spirit

The vital principle or animating force within living things.
http://ultralingua.com/onlinedictionary/index. html?service=ee&text=spirit

the animating or vitalizing

[VS Prasad]

Spirit (continued):

courage, energy, and determination.
http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/spirit?vi ew=uk

the animating or vitalizing essence or force that motivates, invigorates or energizes someone or something.
http://www.allwords.com/query.php?SearchType=3 &Keyword=spirit&goquery=Find+it%21&Language=EN G

spirit away - to remove something from a place quickly and secretly
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key =spirit.away*1+0&dict=P

Spirit is the same as Prana of Hindu Upanishads - vitalizing essence that invigorates or energizes a body.
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Prana

Prana does not survive death. That which survives death
and reincarnates into another body is soul.
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Prana

[Octavius]

Mundane? What, you expect it to be more exciting? Pah!

Perhaps when you take the mind body and spirit away, you are left with the soul that is analogous to a spiritual entity which we would never knowingly recognise as a familiar being. It is just the comfort factor systemic within those that believe in a �soul� that they would recognise the soul of someone they knew. We often say their spirit lives on, but in that I would understand it as being the spirit of their earthly life encoded within our memories. I don�t really imagine going up to heaven post expiry and embracing my dad. But it�s a nice thought, and brings me comfort on my darkest days. Whether fanciful or not.

Whether that dearly departed soul is in a form we would recognise, or one that retains or miraculously loses its earthly or bodily inflections is merely down to personal belief and personal preference.

[chakka35]

evedawn, I find it odd that you should believe in something and then ask the rest of us what it is. Shoudn't you be telling us?