Hey @Clayboyn! Long time no cross-paths but I'm glad I landed on your latest post and as (almost) always, the universe has revealed a synchronicity in our thoughts. So just wanted to drop ya a few lines :)
In a lucid dream I came to think of the idea that "we don't exist as a separate entity from the rest of existence." does have a flipside, namely being that we may not be a separate identity in terms of substance, but I believe we are in terms of function.
I believe according to my own observations and understandings that the energy that creates a flower or a me is identical. Energy is energy. In its purest form, it is undifferentiated, pure creative and intelligent loving potential. The phrase "God is Energy" and "Energy is God" makes perfect sense to me.
However, the purpose of a flower and the purpose of me is not the same. And I do believe that the notion of "Soul", which comes with a form of individuation, is necessary to the extent that purpose follows form, and there can be no form that performs all purposes.
The formless form is Energy.
Therefore though all things are made of, animated, powered, structured, whatever you will, by energy; energy by itself cannot actually do anything except give rise to forms, from which all functions of intelligence and experience and consciousness take shape.
Therefore I do believe there is something to be said about an individual soul, or a group of souls. I believe that as individual human beings, especially those with an apprehension for matters that go beyond mere physics and the simple basic roles performed by organic life... Those capable of reflecting on "invisible matters", by their very presence on Earth but also in other dimensions (dream, psychic, etc) are able to navigate these dimensions and experiences and actually find meaning in them is because there is an intelligent coordinator making all the energy (pure raw potential) collapse in a way that actually causes expansion, development, experience, growth, evolution, and so forth.
I think that Soul and God, which could be put as Creator and Creature, or whichever dialectic computes (Self and Other; Spirit and Matter) is the very difference between form (consciousness) and formlessness (energy) that you are, if I'm not mistaken, suggesting doesn't exist?
Though I agree that in a complete void there would be no differentiation, the fact that that we have consciousness and that it seems to fill the void, makes me think there is a powerful differentiation and separation between what I simply refer to as "God" and "Soul".
In fact, I think it is appropriate to speak of "My God" and "My Soul", specifically because of this difference.
Otherwise "My Soul" would also be "Your Soul" and the "Soul of Everything".
I do believe in the "Master Mind" and it is even possible that unlike Energy/God, my "Soul" is not truly eternal, at least in any individual form it may take...
Personally, I feel I will keep evolving for ever until I reach the point where I am infinite potential across all dimensions having experienced every consciousness at which point I am all that is and is not and there is no difference between "I" or anything else, and that is the point at which I am pure potential, pure energy, or simply "God".
Then I am not "A Soul" but "All Souls"... "Allah/God/Buddha" whatever lol.
Illusions are real until we ascend to a higher level and then we realize "Oh, it was just an illusion".
Life is an illusion to the recently departed but to us, it is "real"... It is a dimension that we inhabit and project our consciousness into...
Okay enough lines lol back to work! xD
Curious to know whether you feel you might agree with some of this or if rather, you have another 'flipside" way of looking at it that might invalidate everything I've been feeling...
All of this just based on a powerful lucid dream that gave me quite a good bit of insight into the nature of "Soul" as opposed to other dreams and experiences I've had that gave me insight into "Energy/Potential/God"
RE: Inspiro Philosophy: Existentialism