The soul is the core of an individual. In Kabbalah, it is named the primary or divine light. The soul is a fluctuation of light born out of the planet's consciousness. Old teachings say that human was made in God's image and likeness. It is not about the physical body but the soul.
Samsara Circle
The soul cannot live and gain experience; that is why we have to be born in physical bodies. The soul cannot return to God because it will lose itself in the ocean of consciousness. Thus, a soul has to enter the cycle of birth and death or the Samsara circle. As the soul develops throughout the reincarnation process, it gains individuality, not to be confused with Ego.
Ego
In the beginning, the Ego creates a barrier between the soul and the outer world. It is like an egg, a protective shell to the not yet born organism. But once the body forms, it has to pop the cover, which is no longer protective but is a pure limitation. The shell and parts of it are Qlippoths, built on dark energies. It is overcoming these Qlippoths once a human (animal) turns into a divine being (God).
Usually, people describe and identify themselves with a physical body that they can see in the mirror. Sometimes they also identify themselves as personalities that got born into this life. Then there is a mix of influences, such as education, family, and experiences.
This personality is a point of focus from which the world is perceived. The body will inevitably fail when people die, and death will destroy their personality. From the Soul point of view, the world in which the character lives, with its desires and intents, is just an illusion. Imagine there is a screen, and there is someone who watches it. People forget that they are just observers; they lose themselves in events on the screen.
Many things in life depend on the point of perception. If a person is linking himself, "I am the body," he will be living a life of suffering due to attachment to impermanent things that cause suffering and pain. Imagine if you sit down in a car, and you need to drive from point A to point B. But then you forget yourself, you think you are the car. The Soul does not have sufficient energy compared to the world and the body. To cultivate soul energy, spiritual practice is not enough. Power can be developed through authentic experiences that permanently change a person.
Self-Development is the purpose of living.
In the end, the actual goal of any real esoteric and magical tradition is the development of the human soul. A long way has to be passed before it will even be possible to work with it and develop it. A human has to overcome all his inner faults and defects and reach an awakening. Countless schools and teachers develop to fulfill and satisfy the ego. Who trains to gain power, obtain siddhis, rule over someone else, and boost their satisfaction and image.
Schools built for egoistic purposes do not change anything in this world. The ego is a fundamental barrier to self-development. Adepts in such schools may develop some physical and energy-bodies abilities, but they will not bring anything to the next life. Many people spend their whole life developing something that will die. The tiny percentage grows siddhis, but they will have to start from the beginning in the next life.
When people die, they lose control over their spirit, which detaches from the physical body and falls into nothingness. Then they exist in a sort of uncontrollable dream. Cultivators with a high level of soul development lose no awareness of the death process and can reincarnate their will or live on the subtle world planes.
Subconsciousness in Esoteric Arts
The Subconscious is a part of consciousness that is usually hidden. It consists of previous reincarnations, some of which could be more active, hibernating. These reincarnations may have had skills in distinct areas. If they are busy, learning these skills goes much easier and faster. If you were good at something a few hundred years ago, you might not be as good now, but you can recover to that level. Some people are born with talents. For example, some kids can make music or arts like an experienced master would do.
During the first stage of life, the subconscious forms a new personality under outside world influence. These previous reincarnations can be more active in the first 10-12 years of life. Some parents believe that any kid can become a master if taught early. That is possible if you have been a master in a previous life and if you get in contact with that reincarnation. If you do the same things from life to life, then you get better results without even realizing it.
An Adept who has been doing spiritual development for the whole life will most likely come back to it in the next life. Something inside them will be calling or dragging them the right way through life.
Neirong (c) 2015