Soul

The term soul commonly connotes a human element that is not physical, but vital, energizing, and indestructible. It coexists with the living human body from birth, or before, and remains until the time of death. Subsequently, and according to the cultural myths of a society, there are a number of tasks and responsibilities performed by the soul. Although African religion presents a great diversity of thinking regarding the number of souls possessed by a host, for example, there are nonetheless common threads as a survey of several African traditions will reveal.

The ancient Egyptians described several elements that make up a person. The Ba is the element that most fits the definition of soul. It was eternal, dwelled in heaven, could change its shape, and was able to speak to its mummy. The Ba resided in the Ka, which is best described as the individual's personality and as having a separate existence. The Ka could move about on its own, become a heaven dweller, and inhabit inanimate objects. The Sabu, the spiritual body, was regarded as incorruptible and had the ability to speak to the soul.

Another of the soul's companions and much like the soul is the Kbaibit. The latter is spoken of as a shadow that is always near the soul. It could exist outside the body, could go anywhere, and was able to ingest funeral offerings left at tomb sites. Another component common to both humans and gods was the Khu. It is said to invest the Khat, physical body, with a shining brightness, and it became a heavenly inhabitant after death. The Sekhem is a term that is often translated as power, but it is also believed to be a human factor having a heavenly existence. All of these components plus the Ren, the name of the individual, were a part of a human being's natural existence forming a close-knit relationship that gave great importance to the preservation of the natural body.

Yoruba teachings speak of multiple souls. The first is represented as the breath of life received at birth from God. The second is called a shadow, and the third is called the Ori, head. The latter is partially in the head and is considered to be the ego. The remaining portion, the guardian soul, is located in the heavens. Yorubas attach great [Page 627]importance to studying a body of knowledge referred to as the Oral Scriptures. They teach that by this study one's soul is advanced; the aspirant's earthly consciousness, Ori, is raised to the level of a heavenly consciousness called Iponri. A devotee's destiny, Ayanmo, is to achieve inner realization of divinity and to live on the material plane as an example of this achievement.

Death is not a finality because the spirit person is then brought before Olofin, the son of God, where a recounting of the spirit person's life on Earth takes place. The reward for living a righteous life is eternal life granted by the Supreme Deity. The spirit person is transformed into rain that falls into bodies of water on Earth. At this point, a further change takes place in which the rain is turned into stone. During a ceremony, relatives of the deceased visit a nearby lake or stream and search for the rain stones by touch and affinity. The stones are then wrapped in the same color cloth as the protecting deity of the deceased. Inside the home, these stones are placed in a clay bowl that becomes a shrine where the family members conduct rituals and offer prayers.

...