is a soul capable of being split?

[alternatingSelves]

this is something that's been on my mind for a long time.
what do you believe is the nature of a soul? is it solid, unchangeable, unbreaking? or is it capable of being split, molded, and changed?
for example, if someone has multiple personalities. would each personality have a section of the soul? would they be reborn in the afterlife? or would they rejoin the whole once the body died? do they all share a soul, or do they each have a section of it? does the soul split with the mind, or is it a constant whole?

(note: this is not a place to discuss whether or not you believe in multiple personality disorder. if you do not agree that it is a real diagnosis, please keep that to yourself. I am simply asking about the soul-based ramifications of the disorder. I appreciate your understanding )

[monsno_leedra]

Re: is a soul capable of being split?

Within most shamanic type practices is the notion of shattered or fragmented soul / spirit fragments. A soul / spirit may shatter for any number of reasons and the fragmented piece may take on any possible identities or remain frozen in time. For instance a child who suffers a traumatic incident may experience a fragment being created due to the incident and that soul fragment forever trapped at the age of occurrence. For the remainder of their life that fragment potentially hiding away in the persons psychological makeup or an aspect that may rear its presence under certain conditions.

In many instances a practitioner will go into journey work and try to locate the missing aspects and get them to reunite with the original. Where it becomes exceptionally difficult is that fragments may take on a life of their own and try to dominate or refuse to re-join with the hole. An aspect may have been created due to an animal type response so the fragment is more animal than human in its manners and reactions. An aspect may have been fractured in such a way as to time lock it in a repetitive cycle and almost blocked off from the whole. Almost like a bad dream they are unable to escape from so live over and over and over.

Most practitioners I know will only attempt such a rejoining after spending time with the person and then only attempt to rejoin fragments with great care. It is very much a face to face process and may involve a lot of journey work, hypnotic type practices, gifting, and close work with ones allies and guides. In many ways it is considered to be extremely dangerous to both the practitioner and the one being aided. Nor is it an instant fix as the shard that is being rejoined may take days, weeks or longer to be fully re-intergrated into the whole.

In many ways the practitioner is acting like a psychologist at the time but also as a guide and seeker upon the mental landscape of the persons mind they are attempting to aid.

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I will add the disclaimer that it is never something that is entered into lightly nor done without the potential of shattering the practitioners own mind as well. As such there has to be an extreme commitment to doing it and a willingness to surrender to the practitioner to a degree. Think of it like how one may have to manipulate a child to do certain things the child is unwilling to do but needs to do for their own safety.

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I wrote this some time ago but it may interest you so will present it here.

One of the things that one hears of on a shamanic type pathwalk is the notion of "Soul Retrievals". It is a common ideal that seems to have become a mainstay part of the neoshamanic pathwalk of the Healer Shaman. Yet just what is Soul Retrieval?

This is one of those ask a hundred people and get a hundred different answers. So in that light of no answer being fully correct and none fully incorrect I shall place my perspective upon the cyber page for discussion.

I was told once that what we call Soul Retrieval today is a far cry from what the Native American's meant when they utilized the concept. In the movie "WIND TALKERS" one of the Navajo Codetalkers experiences fear as he goes into combat. Another codetalker basically performs a soul retrieval upon him through the usage of smoke and prayer to call the bravery back into his body and allow him to overcome the fear. Once his soul is recovered and the retrieval completed he is again able to face the world and function.

In the above scenario the soul became fractured when the "fear" dominated him and caused his bravery to leave. In this scenario one might say the "Soul Retrieval" was to bring back a component of his makeup and make him whole once again. His fear was put in place and his bravery was called back and balanced his fear. With the return of his bravery was also the return of his manhood and energy.

That is one form of Soul Retrieval that is used to make the person whole again. Granted much of this form is based upon a belief and acceptance of one's place within the culture and understanding.

Another form is perhaps more clinical in nature, that of facing the fractured element of self. A little bit on the dangerous side of things for the Shamanic practitioner must become one with the person to be healed. At times merging their energy with that of the one to be healed and entering the internal landscape of the psyche.

Once merged the shamanic practitioner searches for the missing elements and tries to get them to rejoin the greater soul. Demanding in the sense that a fracture may have occurred due to some traumatic event, due to some extreme injury to the body or even something of a traumatic nature the person has buried and will not face or accept.
Pretty clear that this form is recognized as a Psychologist works. One must speak to the shards as individuals and bring them back into the whole. Yet also work with the whole to make the merger as painfree and complete as possible.

The last form of Soul Retrieval is a little harder to comprehend. Like the movie "Harry Potter" one may have fragments of their soul infused into material items. Granted not to the extent as portrayed in the Potter movies but close enough.

These are almost memories that attach the person to some item of usually great importance to them. One may find it in rings, weapons, and possessions of nearly any sort actually. Sometimes they are seen more as a cursed item than a soul fragment that continues to hold onto a physical item long after the body has expired and the soul passed on. One might even say this part calls for the shamanic practitioner to be an exorcist to rid the object of the possessing soul fragment.

In some groups this was seen as negative and destructive to the greater soul. Many groups utilizing Spirit Keepers to help the fragments release their hold to their physical items and pass them on to other's that might continue to use them and gain from that possession of the item.

Usually the hardest to release are those fragments that are bound to items that the person was strongly attached to but was never able to give away or let go of. This is also the category that grieves for a passed soul can cause the creation of. Their grief and pain trapping a fragment in the item they cling to as a sacred token of the person they cared so deeply for.

Unlike the Horacrux of the Potter movies, which had to be physically destroyed, the trapped fragments simply have to be released to move on. Sometimes easy to do, other times well lets just say it may take a couple of people to get them to let go.

So there you have it, "Soul Retrieval”, as I understand it on a minor scale. Not to say I am only right and others wrong or even to imply such simply how I view the topic of discussion.

Look forward to any responses from those that wish to share their position on the subject.

[Tarn]

Re: is a soul capable of being split?

Very interesting read.

My first question is: What happens if (I'll use me as the example) I pass one without recovering this shard of my soul? Am I forever without it? Will it return to me when it becomes released? Does it follow me when I die?

The last form of Soul Retrieval is a little harder to comprehend. Like the movie "Harry Potter" one may have fragments of their soul infused into material items.

Let us say that I shard of my soul went into my binkie (security object of some type). What happens when I get rid of my binkie? First lets say that binkie was a rock, and got tossed out in the yard where it will exist for the next dozen centuries or so, undesturbed? Also, what if binkie was a blanket that ends up burned or in a garbage dump where it decays? Does the parting from the object mean that I part from that shard of my soul? Does that shard exist on with the rock for how ever long? Does that part of my soul cease to exist when the blanket decays?

Sorry to bombard you with questions but this is really quite interesting. I know that you are not an "expert" on it, you have told me that. But I do want to hear your answers.

[volcaniclastic]

Re: is a soul capable of being split?

I'm curious to see Masked's response.

[monsno_leedra]

Re: is a soul capable of being split?

.. My first question is: What happens if (I'll use me as the example) I pass one without recovering this shard of my soul? Am I forever without it? Will it return to me when it becomes released? Does it follow me when I die?

Just my opinion so be forwarned that others may see it differently.

I do think it possible to pass without recovering an aspect of the self. Yet it is still connected in that it is an energy attachment as long as it has not gained a self realization and acquired a sense of self. On average I think it highly unlikely that a soul / spirit fragment can split apart and become self aware. In many ways to achieve such an independent though and self awareness would require the fragment to consume and take the place of the true self. In many ways sort of similar to what unfolds in the movie The Dark Half by Steven King where the twin tries to take over the life of the surviving force.

In most instances I think the split shard will physically die along with the person who lost it. Many times they were separated yet one exists within the energy of the other. Thus when the person dies the energy of the shard's fragment is reunited with the main energy.

Let us say that I shard of my soul went into my binkie (security object of some type). What happens when I get rid of my binkie? First lets say that binkie was a rock, and got tossed out in the yard where it will exist for the next dozen centuries or so, undesturbed? Also, what if binkie was a blanket that ends up burned or in a garbage dump where it decays? Does the parting from the object mean that I part from that shard of my soul? Does that shard exist on with the rock for how ever long? Does that part of my soul cease to exist when the blanket decays?

Unless there was some traumatic force which in-pacted upon you and the loss or removal of that binkie then I do not think such a fragment would occur. It would be part of the evolution of the greater spirit / soul and its experiences. Granted an aspect of the soul / spirit may never advance beyond the youth that was connected to the binkie but in that instance the soul / spirit is not fragmented but becomes a memory experience that is held and eventually absorbed into the makeup of the spirit / soul as a whole. The memory retains and to an extent a attachment to it from the eternal child within each of us. Creating a place of safety or comfort we can retreat to when the need arises.

However, lets say your in a horrific car accident where your not only injured but the binkie serves to remind you of that accident when you see it or think about it. Under those conditions the soul / spirit is fragmented because of the traumatic event and the binkie becomes the trigger that connects the fragment to the original soul / spirit. It remains within but separates from the main spirit / soul and becomes encased or wrapped up in a barrier which the person tries to separate themselves from. You have a fragment that in essence separates itself from further development and contact with the evolving soul / spirit of the person. Yet still resides within the energy that makes up the person, only it is no longer actively attached or acted upon yet may still echo upon or influence the persons active mind. A recurring nightmare type situation potentially as the fragment is created but possibly lessons over time as the fragment is buried within and hidden or ignored.

Where it gets ugly is when its a trapped fragment or shard that you have no control over. Consider your heavily attached to a person on many levels. Now one item you have means something great to you and your energy and presence is heavily connected to that item. Normally you'd release your hold and attachment to the item either by passing it to another or intending to pass it to another and release your hold upon it. But lets say something happens and you die but the person your connected to refuses to release the item as it holds you and by retaining it they hold you as well. They in essences create a forced soul fragment because they force an aspect of your soul energy to be connected to the item. You find it many times with wedding rings, watches, combs, mirrors, etc or even things like weapons, tools, etc. In part you end up with your soul energy being both dead energy and living energy memory which creates a negative influence. Almost a cursed item in that it has a direct connection to death energy and connects to an energy that is more crossed than present and living.

In many area's you have those who act as Spirit Keeper's whose job is to provide a house, form or inbetween to allow the deceased spirit to release its connection to the living and its desires for such. In some ways its a morning period that lasts up to a year in some practices. It can be very demanding as your trying to aide the spirit in severing any links that continue to hold it earth bound. Other times it can also be dangerous as you have to aide the fragments to release their own restrictions which also may hold the person earth bound. The message that just has to be delivered, the task that has to be finished, untrapping the aspect that has been time locked so doesn't even realize it has died, etc.

This is in my opinion how many haunts or spectre's are formed and some ghost that are not of the spot impression or echo upon a place or time. The thing is the connection can be so strong that nothing can be done. Consider the story of Resurection Mary of Chicago, she still tries to get home and nothing can release her spirit.

Sorry to bombard you with questions but this is really quite interesting. I know that you are not an "expert" on it, you have told me that. But I do want to hear your answers.

Not a problem, I admit in this one there are so many variables that its hard to give a one size fits all answer, even more so when you consider what we key on is different for each person.

[B. de Corbin]

Re: is a soul capable of being split?

In Alchemy, what is commonly referred to as "the soul" has three parts - the soul (feelings), the spirit (thinking), and the body (the matrix).

None of them can exist independently of the others - if one goes away, the other two will wander off also, back into the mysterious unknown.

So no - the soul can not be split, without losing the whole bag o' cats.

[Tarn]

Re: is a soul capable of being split?

Just my opinion so be forwarned that others may see it differently.

That is exactly, and all that I am asking of you; your opinion.

Either I misunderstood your reply, or you misunderstood my question. So let me rephrase it better, if I can.

You mentioned that a shard of one's spirit could attach to an object. You indicated that it would be a traumatic event that would cause the type of split that would produce a shard of one's to attach to an object. It is that type of attachment that I ask about. No matter what the object is, or what the trauma was, let's say that a shard of my spirit has attached to an object. In that light I ask: What happens to that part of my spirit when:
1. I get rid of the object, either giving or throwing it away?
2. the object continues to exist after I have left this life?
3. the object no longer exists, it is destroyed or decays?

You may have answered these questions and I simply failed to understand. Sorry if that's the case.

I do believe that all living being have a spirit. I accept that "inanimate" objects, like a rock, have a spirit; but I'm not able to understand how, as I don't see them as having life. But then they could have life, and I just don't see that yet. So the aspect of a shard of my spirit attaching to an object intrigues me.

I know that a person's "energy" can be picked up by objects. Wedding rings, a favorite tie, tarot cards, gems (especially quartz), and the like. I know that some "spells" work better if you have an object that belonged to the person you are cast the spell for, or upon. I don't know, is this just a person's "energy" attaching to the object, or is it a part of the person's "spirit"?

So the idea that a part of my spirit attaching to an object is not an alien concept to me. I just need more understanding of it.

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Removed a reply to B. de Corbin

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None of them can exist independently of the others - if one goes away, the other two will wander off also, back into the mysterious unknown.

So does this mean that the spirit ceases to exist... or dies?
Or would it be more like the spirit returns to the under/otherworld?
And if that were to happen to someone, how would that affect their mortal body?

[monsno_leedra]

Re: is a soul capable of being split?

That is exactly, and all that I am asking of you; your opinion.

Either I misunderstood your reply, or you misunderstood my question. So let me rephrase it better, if I can.

You mentioned that a shard of one's spirit could attach to an object. You indicated that it would be a traumatic event that would cause the type of split that would produce a shard of one's to attach to an object. It is that type of attachment that I ask about. No matter what the object is, or what the trauma was, let's say that a shard of my spirit has attached to an object. In that light I ask: What happens to that part of my spirit when:
1. I get rid of the object, either giving or throwing it away?

If you have a soul fragment that is attached to an object my understanding in regards to question one is that it will remain but it sort of goes insane or crazy. Being no longer in your possession nor attached via your energy presence it will begin to collapse unless it can find a way to maintain itself. As it weakens it's ability to maintain a sense of presence and cohesion will fade over time. It will in essence become an echo or image imprinted upon the thing but any sense of self awareness or reason will be gone. The loss of awareness of self the main difference between this and something like the fragment echo left upon a favorite item. I suppose one might equate it to a sense that one is created by usage and association while the other is created from being violently ripped away with the memory of that violent act its only memory.

2. the object continues to exist after I have left this life?

In each instance I am aware of dealing with continued existence it relied heavily upon the item that held the fragment being either in the possession of a former loved one or family line or located at a place the person was heavily connected to when it was created.

Consider slave houses where an item is heavily cursed by the fragment of a former slave who was beaten, raped, tortured, etc upon a bed or in a given room. An aspect of that person continues to function in that room with the pain so great that it literely sustains itself upon the energy and emotion of the place it occurred. Yet the fragment is time trapped in that it is forever re-experiencing the final traumatic event which ended its life or the entirety of events bleed into one distorted memory for the fragment in question. Yet remove that item from the location or possession of the family and it fades until it eventually vanishes.

The same sense of traumatic imprinting or creation can also occur when another forces an aspect of your presence and energy to become trapped within an item. Their own force of will and emotions keeps a fragment of the person trapped within some item they hold onto and create a barrier that basically prevents the energy from being released. I admit at times I am uncertain as to whether that is a true fragment or simply a construct that resembles the former person and based upon the former persons energy and identity.

3. the object no longer exists, it is destroyed or decays?

If it no longer exists for what ever reason then the fragment will normally fade away. However, if the object is part of a larger location I believe it is possible the fragment will latch onto something else in the area that was present at the time of creation. Using the slave quarters for example, the initial object is the bed yet the whip, chains, other objects in the room may also hold aspects of the same fragment and it simply changes its point of focus until all the objects are gone or the main object is removed.

I do believe that all living being have a spirit. I accept that "inanimate" objects, like a rock, have a spirit; but I'm not able to understand how, as I don't see them as having life. But then they could have life, and I just don't see that yet. So the aspect of a shard of my spirit attaching to an object intrigues me.

Never really knew where it came from only that I was introduced early on is that of Manitou. I found out later it is a Native word, sorry can't think of the actual nation at the moment it originated from or with. In some capacities it functions the same as Great Spirit or the Great Unknowable and known as Gitchi Manitou. In other capacities it is understood that all things have a essence or spirit that manifests within it regardless of whether it be a natural creation or a manmade creation. As such one can call upon or connect to an aspect of a things manitou, perhaps even merging with it.

One aspect that intrigued me was that one might birth them self through attaching their energy upon another thing. It is a really hoki movie but the notion was part of the basis of a movie Tony Curtis did titled The MANITOU. A powerful practitioner basically causes his body to be reformed and born from the mark upon another person. Granted the movie is a fantasy / horror but it was one aspect I had heard of being possible long before I ever saw the movie or it was made for that matter.

I know that a person's "energy" can be picked up by objects. Wedding rings, a favorite tie, tarot cards, gems (especially quartz), and the like. I know that some "spells" work better if you have an object that belonged to the person you are cast the spell for, or upon. I don't know, is this just a person's "energy" attaching to the object, or is it a part of the person's "spirit"?

Under normal conditions I think its just their energy that infuses the item which is why most imagery is very limited and usually a singular powerful event. Yet on rare occasions I think a fragment is created and the item is aware of itself and is active not reflective or passive in how it works. To the point of being able to possess the wearer or a person in a given place if they stay long enough.

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Not part of what your asking about but another soul fragment is one that deals with a Sin Eater. A Sin Eater is or was a person that came to the funeral supper of a deceased person and ate their sins. Usually there was a special meal made that was supposed to contains the sins and aspects of the person and the Sin Eater would eat the meal thus eating and destroying the sin fragments taking them upon himself / herself.

Not a very common practice and was very regional from what I recall but still another aspect of soul / spirit fragments.

[thalassa]

Re: is a soul capable of being split?

-
So does this mean that the spirit ceases to exist... or dies?
Or would it be more like the spirit returns to the under/otherworld?
And if that were to happen to someone, how would that affect their mortal body?

I'm not Corbin, so I can't answer for him, but I agree with something similar to what he has stated:

In Alchemy, what is commonly referred to as "the soul" has three parts - the soul (feelings), the spirit (thinking), and the body (the matrix).

None of them can exist independently of the others - if one goes away, the other two will wander off also, back into the mysterious unknown.

So no - the soul can not be split, without losing the whole bag o' cats.

For me, I think that what people consider one's "soul" to be our consciousness. I think that our consciouness is dependent on our mental (thinking), emotional (feeling), and physical (body)--the ways in which we interact with the world. If, for some reason, the body is "compromised", then it will be compensated for via the other aspects. If one uses their ability to think less (look at American politics right now), then the physical and emotional parts of our consciousness take over. If you truly "lose" the abilities of one of those aspects (whether by injury or a partitioning/sequestering of sorts), then you're in trouble (not that its great to equate the two to one another, but think about a serial killer or an accident victim in a long term coma)...and I'll not here that losing one of these is not the same as being differently abled in them. These three aspects (IMO) aren't necessairly equal in some amorphous "quantity", but rather are in a sort of equilibrium that leads to a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.

With regards to the OP...

this is something that's been on my mind for a long time.
what do you believe is the nature of a soul? is it solid, unchangeable, unbreaking? or is it capable of being split, molded, and changed?
for example, if someone has multiple personalities. would each personality have a section of the soul? would they be reborn in the afterlife? or would they rejoin the whole once the body died? do they all share a soul, or do they each have a section of it? does the soul split with the mind, or is it a constant whole?

I think that the nature of the soul (in terms of composition, existence, etc) is ultimately unknowable. With that being said, I do NOT think that it is unchangable or undamagable (or unrepairable). I do though, think that it is unbreakable, it that it cannot be dismantled or taken apart without killing or maiming to unrecognizability the individual.

With regards to multiple personalities, I think that it is biological in nature--the body (specifically the brain) isn't working normally and/or optimally, which either directly causes or indirectly causes of multiple personality disorder--the expression of one's consciousness has been altered in a way that is generally debilitating.

[monsno_leedra]

Re: is a soul capable of being split?

Something else to consider perhaps from another culture

The ancient Egyptians believed that a human soul was made up of five parts: the Ren, the Ba, the Ka, the Sheut, and the Ib. In addition to these components of the soul there was the human body (called the ha, occasionally a plural haw, meaning approximately sum of bodily parts). The other souls were aakhu, khaibut, and khat

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_soul

[Optimistic discord]

Re: is a soul capable of being split?

this is something that's been on my mind for a long time.
what do you believe is the nature of a soul? is it solid, unchangeable, unbreaking? or is it capable of being split, molded, and changed?
for example, if someone has multiple personalities. would each personality have a section of the soul? would they be reborn in the afterlife? or would they rejoin the whole once the body died? do they all share a soul, or do they each have a section of it? does the soul split with the mind, or is it a constant whole?

(note: this is not a place to discuss whether or not you believe in multiple personality disorder. if you do not agree that it is a real diagnosis, please keep that to yourself. I am simply asking about the soul-based ramifications of the disorder. I appreciate your understanding )

For my beliefs our "being" is a multifaceted thing:

The Lich
The Hyge
The Mynd
Blad
The Hama
The Fetch

And other parts (I am to tired to list all):
It was a commonplace belief that parts of a persons soul could be passed on to other people/left in items/ lost/destroyed. The tradition of naming offspring after an ancestor was an attempt to gain favourable traits from that ancestor.
The ancestor is not weakened by this action.
Some of those fragments are sentient and capable of independant action and thought and represent not just an individual but also their familial lineage.
It was easily possible for one individual to have its soul shared by descendents, stored in items for common use, shared with a family, and to then also reincarnate in full totality. Complicated but best understood if you leave maths out of the equation

Even when christianity rose in dominance as the religion of my ancestors the multifaceted soul was still accepted, though it did start to "lose" facets as time went on. Eventually only four or five being recognised.

Death and the soul were a lot more complicated for our ancestors than we tend to think, people did not really "die", they tended to just go elsewhere. Family would visit burial mounds with meals and new equipment for the departed, they remained to be called upon for help/advice. Depending on your beliefs and the time, they could become gods/elves/demons.

[Tarn]

Re: is a soul capable of being split?

monsno_leedra;

Quite a bit to consider. It will take some time, but I think I can digest what you've said. A bit of it has given me a little insight on why some spirits seem to linger where there seems to be no reason for them to remain. And why some "evil" spirits would cause difficulties. It's not so much that they are evil, they are just pissed off. I don't know if that is true or not; but it is a different viewpoint and very worth looking at.

I differ on the idea of the spirit energy fading away, though. A minor point and not one of contention. I believe that energy cannot be created or destroyed; but it can be converted. So at this point I'm leaning toward that part of the spirit ending up either returning to the original spirit, or managing to join with another spirit that is lacking a bit. Or at least that concept will do for now until I gain a better understanding of the subject.

Thanks so much for your thoughts.

[volcaniclastic]

Re: is a soul capable of being split?

this is something that's been on my mind for a long time.
what do you believe is the nature of a soul? is it solid, unchangeable, unbreaking? or is it capable of being split, molded, and changed?
for example, if someone has multiple personalities. would each personality have a section of the soul? would they be reborn in the afterlife? or would they rejoin the whole once the body died? do they all share a soul, or do they each have a section of it? does the soul split with the mind, or is it a constant whole?

I don't think I really believe we have a soul, but in the instance you suggested, if we did indeed have souls, I think the soul would belong to one mind, and be shared by the multiple personalities.

...I think.

[monsno_leedra]

Re: is a soul capable of being split?

monsno_leedra;

Quite a bit to consider. It will take some time, but I think I can digest what you've said. A bit of it has given me a little insight on why some spirits seem to linger where there seems to be no reason for them to remain. And why some "evil" spirits would cause difficulties. It's not so much that they are evil, they are just pissed off. I don't know if that is true or not; but it is a different viewpoint and very worth looking at.

I differ on the idea of the spirit energy fading away, though. A minor point and not one of contention. I believe that energy cannot be created or destroyed; but it can be converted. So at this point I'm leaning toward that part of the spirit ending up either returning to the original spirit, or managing to join with another spirit that is lacking a bit. Or at least that concept will do for now until I gain a better understanding of the subject.

Thanks so much for your thoughts.

I should point out that to me the fading of energy is the imprint upon it not the energy itself. I see energy as neutral until it is acted upon which then makes it positive or negative. I've always though of energy as being and only the charge upon it changes so I don't even think about it when I speak about it. A failure on my end in this case for sure.

[B. de Corbin]

Re: is a soul capable of being split?

So does this mean that the spirit ceases to exist... or dies?
Or would it be more like the spirit returns to the under/otherworld?
And if that were to happen to someone, how would that affect their mortal body?

Philosophically, much as Thalassa said.

Technically, here's an easy way to understand it -

Sodium chloride (NaCl)is common table salt. It is created when sodium (Na) interacts with chlorine (Cl). Both sodium and chlorine are highly toxic, yet, the combination is nice and tasty, and not nearly as toxic.

Think of the body as "salt," the spirit as "sodium," and the soul as "chlorine."

The question "Where does the salt go when you separate the sodium from the chlorine?" is a meaningless question because there IS no salt when sodium and chlorine are separated.

So I can't answer the question about what happens when body, spirit, and/or soul are separated. There is no answer except to say that they go back to what they were before they combined...