What limits the soul and body. Big medical encyclopedia. Harmony of soul and body

A selection of answers that were received during spiritualistic seances from spirits of high rank. The sessions were held at a variety of times and through several mediums. The material was systematized by Kardec and with appropriate comments and additions.

Purpose of incarnation

What is the purpose of the incarnation of spirits?

– “God imputes incarnation in order to lead spirits to perfection; For some it is redemption, for others it is an assignment. But to achieve perfection, they must endure all the vicissitudes of bodily existence: this is redemption. The incarnation also has another goal, and this is the direct involvement of the spirit in the universal work of creation; In order to achieve this goal, in each world he takes for himself a body that would be in harmony with the basic matter of a given world, in order to carry out Divine orders there. Everything is arranged so that, while promoting the common cause, he himself advances.”

Does a spirit that has followed the path of good from the very beginning have a need for incarnation?

– “Everyone is created simple and ignorant; they are trained in the battles and torments of bodily life. God, in fairness, could not give them happiness without labor and work and, consequently, without merit.”

However, then, what is the use of spirits moving along the path of goodness if this does not free them from the hardships of bodily life?

- “The benefit is that they come to the goal faster; and the hardships of life are often the consequences of the imperfection of the spirit itself; less imperfection - less torment; whoever is not envious, not jealous, not stingy, not ambitious... will not have the suffering that these shortcomings give rise to.”

About the soul

What is the soul?

- “Incarnate Spirit.”

What was the soul before joining the body?

It turns out that souls and spirits are absolutely the same thing?

“Yes, souls are nothing more than spirits. Before connecting with the body, the soul is one of the intelligent beings that inhabit and temporarily put on a fleshy shell in order to purify itself and acquire knowledge and experience.”

Is there anything else in a person besides soul and body?

- “There is an intermediary ligament that connects the soul and body.”

What is the nature of this link?

– “Semi-material, that is, intermediate between spirit and body. And it is necessary that it be just like that, or the spirit and body could not communicate with each other. With the help of this very connection, spirit influences matter, and vice versa.”

Note. Man is thus formed from three constituent parts:

1. Bodies, or material beings, analogous to animals and animated by the same vital principle;

2. Soul, or embodied spirit, for which the body serves as an abode;

3. The mediating principle, or perisprit, of the material substance, which serves as the spirit’s first shell and connects the soul with the body.

Is the soul independent of the vital principle?

– “The body is only a shell; we repeat this to you all the time.”

Is it possible for a body to exist without a soul?

“Yes, and yet, as soon as the body dies, the soul leaves it. Before birth there is no final union between soul and body; but after this union has occurred, the death of the body breaks the threads connecting it with the soul, and the soul leaves it. Organic life can animate a body without a soul, but the soul cannot exist in a body devoid of organic life.”

What would our body be if there was no soul in it?

- “A foolish piece of meat, anything but a person.”

One and the same spirit, is it capable of incarnating into two different bodies at the same time?

- “No, the spirit is not divisible and cannot revive two different creatures at the same time.”

What can be said about the opinion of those who consider the soul as the beginning of material life?

– “This is a matter of words, not substance; we don't attach any importance to it; start by understanding yourself."

Some of the spirits, and before them some of their philosophers, defined the soul as a spiritualizing spark emanating from the great Whole; Why is this a contradiction?

– “There are no contradictions here; it all depends on the meaning of the words. Why don’t you have one word for every thing?”

Note. The word “soul” is used to express quite different concepts. Someone calls this the vital principle, and if we use figurative expressions, then it is quite possible in this sense to say that “the soul is a spiritualizing spark emanating from the great Whole.” Last words give indications of the universal source of life, part of which is assimilated by every living being and returns to the Whole of this being.

This idea does not exclude the idea of ​​a moral being, independent, distinct from matter and preserving its individuality. And this being is also called “soul,” and it is in this sense that it is possible to say that the soul is an embodied spirit. Giving the soul different definitions, the spirits spoke according to the meaning they attached to the word, and according to the earthly ideas with which they were still imbued. All this is due to the insufficiency and imperfection of human language, which does not have one word for each idea, which is the source of many misunderstandings and disputes: this is why the Higher Spirits tell us to first find out the meaning of the word.

Is there any truth in the opinion of those who believe that the soul is external to the body, and it surrounds it, and is not located inside?

– “The soul is not locked in the body, like a bird in a cage; it radiates and pours outward, like light through a glass bell or like sound around a sound source; in this sense, it is possible to say that it is external, but because of this the soul does not become a shell of the body. The soul has two shells: one is thin and light, this is the first, the one you call perisprit; the other is gross, material and heavy: this is the body. The soul is the center of all these shells, like a nut inside a shell.”

What can be said about the theory according to which the soul of children is supplemented and completed in each life period?

- “The spirit is one; it is complete in both children and adults; Only the organs or instruments of manifestation of the soul develop and are supplemented. This is again a consequence taken for a cause.”

Why don't all spirits define the soul in the same way?

– “Not all spirits are equally enlightened about these matters; there are still limited spirits who do not understand abstract things; it is just like the children among you; There are also pseudo-scientific spirits who throw around words in order to give themselves significance: this again happens with you. And yet, the knowledgeable spirits themselves can be explained in different ways, with other words and expressions that have essentially the same meaning, especially when it comes to things that your tongue is powerless to express clearly; and then images and comparisons are needed, which you, however, understand literally.”

What should be understood by the “world soul”?

– “This is the universal vital and intelligent principle from which individuals are born. But those who use these words often do not understand themselves. The word “soul” is so malleable that everyone interprets it according to the will of their imagination. Sometimes the soul was also attributed to your planet, the Earth; by this we must understand the totality of devoted and selfless spirits who, when you listen to them, guide your actions along the path of good and who are the viceroys of the Almighty on your planet.”

How could it happen that so many ancient and modern philosophers spent ages arguing about psychological science without finding the truth?

– “Such people were the harbingers of the eternal spiritualistic Teaching; they paved the way. They were people and, of course, they could be mistaken; often they accepted their own ideas for the light of truth; but their very errors, revealing all the pros and cons, served to indicate the truth. Moreover, among these misconceptions there are great truths, which comparison will allow you to discover.”

Is the soul located in any specific and specific place in the body?

“No, but it is preferably found in the heads of great thinkers and all those who think a lot, and in the hearts of those who feel a lot and all whose actions are filled with philanthropy.”

What can be said about the opinion of those who place the soul in a certain center of vitality?

“This means that the spirit lives more in this part of your organization, because that is where all sensations lead. But those who place it in what they call the center of vitality confuse it with the vital fluid or principle. At least, we can say that the location of the soul is most likely in those organs that serve for intellectual and moral manifestations.”

Materialism

Why do anatomists, physiologists, and those involved in the natural sciences in general so often adhere to materialism?

“Physiologists reduce everything to what they see or what they are able to see. This is just human pride, imagining itself to be omniscient and which cannot allow the very idea that anything can surpass human understanding. Their very knowledge fills such people with arrogance; they believe that there can be nothing hidden from them in nature.”

Isn’t it unfortunate that materialism is a consequence of those very researches that, on the contrary, should have shown man the superiority and greatness of the Reason that rules the Universe? Is it possible to conclude from this that these studies are dangerous?

“It is not true that materialism is a consequence of these studies: only man himself draws false conclusions from these studies, because he is capable of abusing anything, even the most beautiful. Non-existence, however, can be more terrifying than they want to show, and the so-called “freethinkers” have more bluster than real courage. Most of them are materialists only because they have nothing to fill this void; at the abyss opening before them, show them a point of support - and they will rush to grab the opportunity to escape.”

Note. There are people who, due to some distortion of their minds, do not see in organic beings anything other than the action of matter, and reduce all our thoughts and actions to it. In the human body they could only see an electric machine; they studied the mechanism of life only as the work of the organs of the body; they could often see how life fades away with the breaking of the connecting thread, but they saw nothing more than this thread; they looked to see if there was anything left there, and because they did not find anything except dead matter, because they did not see, nor could they catch it in any way, they concluded from this that everything can be explained by the properties of matter and that, therefore, death means the absolute disappearance of thought, the non-existence of consciousness - a sad conclusion, if only it were so: because then they would become aimless; man would have been created only to think only about himself and to place above all his pleasures and the satisfaction of his material appetites; social bonds would be severed, and the most sacred feelings and affections would be irretrievably lost and broken.

Fortunately, such ideas are quite far from being universal; one might even say that they are not generally accepted and limited, representing only individual opinions, because they have not been elevated to doctrine anywhere. A society based on such principles would carry within itself the germ of its disintegration, and its members would devour each other like wild beasts.

A person has an instinctive thought that not everything ends for him with life; he has an instinctive aversion to nothingness. In vain he drives away thoughts of the inevitable future: when the last moment comes, there are few who would not ask themselves what will happen to him; because there is something heartbreaking in the very idea of ​​​​departing from life irrevocably. In reality, who could look with indifference at his complete and final separation from everything that is dear to him, from everything that he loves? Who could look dispassionately at the bottomless abyss of nothingness opening up before him, in which all our abilities and strengths, all our hopes will forever sink, and say to himself:

"Yes! There will be nothing left of me, nothing, only emptiness. Everything is over for me irrevocably, a few more days - and the very memory of me will be erased from the memory of those who survived me, and soon there will be no trace left of my stay on this planet. Even the good I have done will be forgotten by the ungrateful to whom I have obliged. And there is nothing, nothing to somehow brighten up all this, and the only thing that awaits me is that worms will gnaw on my body!

This picture is so creepy, so chillingly creepy! Religion teaches us that this is not possible, and reason confirms this to us; but this future existence, vague and uncertain, does not contain anything that would satisfy our love for the positive, and this is precisely what gives rise to doubt in many. Let us have a soul, but what is the human soul? Does it have any form or appearance? Is she a limited being or an indeterminate one? Some say that she is the breath of God, others that she is a spark, others that she is a part of the great Whole, a vital and intelligent principle; but what does all this tell us? What does it matter to us whether we have a soul, if afterwards it is lost in the vastness, like a drop in the ocean?!

Loss of individuality – isn’t this the same thing for us as non-existence? They also say that the soul is immaterial; but not a single immaterial thing can somehow relate to us; for us it is nothing. Faith in spiritual life teaches us that we will be happy or unhappy depending on the good and evil we have done; but what is it then, this happiness awaiting us in the Kingdom of God? Is hellfire a reality or a symbol? The church itself understands him precisely in this in the last sense, but what is this suffering then? In a word, what is being done, what is being observed in the other world that awaits us all? No one, they say, has ever returned from there to tell us this.

But this is precisely what is wrong, this is precisely what is wrong, because the purpose, its historical mission is to enlighten us on this matter, so that not by reasoning, but with the help of the facts themselves, allow us to touch with our hands the future of this and see it with your own eyes.

There are people who want to get to the bottom of the root cause of everything. They ask themselves questions that others do not care about because, in their opinion, they have no practical application. What comes first – the soul or the body? What is a soul anyway? What connection exists between soul and body?

Answering these questions, revealing these abstract categories, helps these people feel that there is meaning in life. System-vector psychology of Yuri Burlan determines their owners and fully satisfies their lack of knowledge of the structure of man and the world. In particular, it provides answers to the following question: why do we see the world as we are accustomed to seeing it, and not otherwise?

Illusion one: the feeling of one’s own uniqueness

The human soul and body are closely interconnected, to approximately the same extent as organs in one organism. It’s just that the soul, aka the psyche, is an “organ” that is not visible. Despite this, both the physical and metaphysical parts of a person live in a single system and determine each other. Psychosomatics - the effect of mental state on health - has been known for a long time. Does this mechanism work the other way around? Do body features determine our psychological sensations?

From the moment of birth until death, a person feels only himself. Your hunger and cold, your joy and pain. Some are able to sympathize with the condition of another person, but it is impossible to go beyond the boundaries of the closed capsule of one’s own body. Everyone feels separate from others, experiencing apparent autonomy. This “condition of the game” is one of the reasons for the first and very important psychological experience - the feeling of one’s own uniqueness.

The background of each person is accompanied by feeling of loneliness. This “curse” is imposed by the nature of our physical body.

However, this perception of reality is an illusion.

Indeed, each person’s body is a separate, closed system. But mentally we are not isolated, but on the contrary, we are connected into a single “organism” collective unconscious- one for all people.

Illusion two: first I receive, then I give

There is another feature of the body that we project onto psychological aspects. Every person has desires both physically and mentally. To satisfy a bodily desire, you first need to consume inside in order to give out. That is, first taking water and food, and then cleansing, obtaining energy for action. And nothing else.

In the psyche, this principle is reversed. To satisfy a mental deficiency, you first need make an effort that is, give it away, and only then comes pleasure. In other words, you first need to take a creative action, and pleasure will flow during the process and after.

Thus, the body, accustomed to receiving - eating, drinking, breathing, sleeping - misleads a person. And if you measure soul and body with one yardstick, then you can break your fate. After all, the desire to receive pleasure only for oneself, internally, without giving anything away with body and soul, deprives a person of pleasure from life.

So is it worth living according to the principles of a limited and finite body or changing your focus to the endless expanses of the unconscious?

Reality as it is

According to the system-vector psychology of Yuri Burlan, the human psyche is made up of vectors - innate groups of desires and properties. There are eight of them in nature; modern residents of large cities, as a rule, have an average of three to five.

A person is born with, relatively speaking, a perfect body: everyone has, plus or minus, the same set of organs and body parts. But the psyche of one person, his individual unconscious, is only a fragment. Relatively speaking, with our souls, each of us is an element, a component of one whole - the collective unconscious.

One person, for example, is born with. He is nimble, dexterous, calculating - never your benefit won't miss it. Another person with, his exact opposite - unhurried, attentive to detail, diligent and with an encyclopedic memory - adores learn and teach others.

A visual person is born with a powerful emotional amplitude ranging from fear to love. He cannot live without travel, art, vivid emotional experiences. His “elder brother” is a man with a sound vector. Quiet, loving to be in silence, darkness and solitude, reflecting on the world and himself: "What is a sense of life?"

People are different. They are born with different or similar sets of vectors, receive different development in childhood, and later go through different life paths... However, everyone is present with their psyche, like a piece of a mosaic, in the overall picture of the unconscious. And we all influence each other with our states.

People survive only together. Man is a social species. That is why understanding the structural features and development of the psyche of a species gives a person enormous advantages in life.

Harmony of soul and body

Despite the fact that this knowledge is not about material things, it is still completely practical, allowing you to radically change the quality of a person’s life.

Illusions of worldview formed by the body in any case affect the quality of a person’s life, even if he is not aware of their existence. Some live their whole lives with a feeling of melancholy, enduring loneliness, to the point of absolute despair. Others lament that they cannot take everything from life - they are looking for a source of feeling happiness, joy, satisfaction and cannot find it, not understanding the basic principles of the structure and work of the psyche, not realizing that they live in illusions.

Finding connections between soul and body, between our desires and possibilities means getting rid of old problems, find joy in life. Every person can get such a result if he fully reveals all the secrets of the unconscious. Learns the nature of each vector and the mechanisms of interaction between vectors. Will define its vector set and, accordingly, its place, your meaning in this world.

Tens of thousands of people have already decided to do this and reported positive results. Here are three of them:

“Worldwide misconceptions. In our world, there are many wrong attitudes and misconceptions that come to our minds and limit our development. During the training process, there is a rethinking, awareness of the causes and correction of incorrect attitudes and misconceptions, picked up during life from other conscientiously lost ones. As an example, I’ll give you one instruction that psychologists from pseudo-psychology give us, it’s called this: love yourself, don’t give a damn about others, causing harm to people. The correct attitude is to love your neighbor as yourself. During the training, there is a process of understanding why this is so and not otherwise, there is an awareness of the reasons and does not cause any contradictions.”

“Thank you for the opportunity to feel more happiness in this life, to feel the taste of life in all its manifestations. Feel life itself and touch what we call the meaning of life. To say with confidence that God exists. See beauty where before it was difficult to see it. Look at those around you with a clear, open gaze.

Thank you for the opportunity to smile more often. Just from understanding other people. Thank you for the opportunity to understand the world in which we live by looking into the human soul. Accept the world of another person as your own, feel his desires, see the world through his eyes, share his suffering, do not pass by in Hard time– this is real happiness!”

“I lived in some kind of unreal world I invented. Lived with illusions that had nothing to do with real life. Now I look back and feel fear from understanding what all this could lead to.

Problems, or rather, what I used to call problems, are no longer such. My view of them completely changed; they ceased to exist for me. I now clearly differentiate my states, my desires, feelings and thoughts. I understand their roots. Now I know myself more than ever before, and this is an incomparable thrill!”

You can get to know yourself better at the free online training "".

The spine (columna vertebralis) is formed from 31-32 vertebrae (vertebrae). There are 7 cervical (vertebrae cervicales), 12 thoracic (vertebrae thoracicae), 5 lumbar (vertebrae lumbales), 5 sacral (vertebrae sacrales) vertebrae fused into one bone - the sacrum (os sacrum), and 2 - 3 coccygeal (vertebrae coccygeae) vertebra.

Vertebrae

35. Thoracic vertebra (VIII).
1 - processus articularis superior;
2 - fovea costalis superior;
3 - corpus vertebrae;
4 - fovea costalis inferior;
5 - incisura vertebralis interior;
6 - processus articularis inferior;
7 - processus spinosus;
8 - processus transversus;
9 - fovea costalis transversalis.

Thoracic vertebrae(vertebrae thoracicae) (Fig. 35). The posterior ends of the ribs articulate with them. They differ from the lumbar vertebrae in that the transverse dimensions of their bodies are smaller. The shape of the thoracic vertebral bodies approaches a triangle. At the upper and lower edges of the lateral parts of the body there are pits (fovea costalis superior et inferior). The upper and lower fossae are places for articulation with the head of the corresponding rib. The 1st vertebra has a fossa on the upper edge for connection with the 1st rib and on the lower edge for connection with the 2nd rib. The X vertebra has a fossa only on the upper edge. The XI and XII thoracic vertebrae each have one fossa for the corresponding ribs. An arch (arcus vertebrae) is attached to the posterior surface of the vertebral body by two legs (pedunculi arcus vertebrae), which have small notches. The arch limits the posterior vertebral foramen (for. vertebrale). Transverse processes (processus transversi) extend from the arch to the right and left. They are well developed, which is explained by the greater load due to the attachment of the ribs to them. On the anterior side of the I - X transverse processes, closer to their apex, there is an articular fossa (fovea costalis transversalis) - a place of articulation with the tubercles of the ribs. The spinous process (processus spinosus) is directed backwards. It starts from the posterior surface of the arch, faces back and down, thinner and narrower than the corresponding process of the lumbar vertebra. From the upper and lower edges of the arch, paired upper and lower articular processes (processus articulares superiores et inferiores) begin. The articular areas are located in the frontal plane.

36. Lumbar vertebra (III).
1 - corpus vertebrae;
2 - incisura vertebralis interior;
3 - processus articularis inferior;
4 - processus spinosus;
5 - processus costarius;
6 - processus articularis superior;
7 - incisura vertebralis superior.

Lumbar vertebrae(vertebrae lumbales) (Fig. 36). The lumbar vertebra has the largest dimensions of the body and spinous process.

The body (corpus) is oval in shape, its width prevails over its height. An arch (arcus) is attached to its posterior surface by two legs (pedunculi arcus vertebrae), which participate in the formation of the vertebral foramen (for. vertebrale), which has an oval or round shape. The processes are attached to the vertebral arch: at the back - the spinous process (processus spinosi), which has the shape of a wide plate, flattened on the sides and somewhat thickened at the end, on the right and left - the transverse processes (processus transversi), on the top and bottom - the paired articular processes (processus articulares) . In the III - V vertebrae, the articular surfaces of the processes are oval.

At the place of attachment of the pedicles of the arch to the vertebral body there are notches, more noticeable on the lower edge than on the upper (incisura vertebralis superior et inferior), which in the entire spinal column limit the intervertebral foramen (for. intervertebrale).

37. Cervical vertebra (VI).
1 - corpus vertebrae;
2 - tuberculum anterius;
3 - tuberculum posterius;
4 - processus spinosus;
5 - processus articularis superior.

Cervical vertebrae(vertebrae cervicales). I and II cervical vertebrae have character traits buildings and are described independently. The III - VII cervical vertebrae (Fig. 37) resemble the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae in structure, differing from the latter in the size of the parts. The upper edge of the body of the cervical vertebrae is groove-shaped concave in the sagittal plane, the transverse processes are presented in the form of an anterior tubercle (tuberculum anterius) (reduced ribs), a posterior tubercle (tuberculum posterius) (reduced transverse processes), and between them there is a transverse foramen (for. transversum) . The apices of the spinous processes are bifurcated. In the VII vertebra, the spinous process protrudes posteriorly more than the processes of other vertebrae, and is palpable through the skin, so the VII vertebra is called protruding (vertebra prominens).

38. Cervical vertebra (I).

1 - arcus anterior;
2 - fovea articularis inferior;
3 - for. transversarium;
4 - processus transversus;
5 - arcus posterior;
6 - processus costarius;
7 - fovea dentis.

The first cervical vertebra - the atlas (Fig. 38) has anterior and posterior arches (arcus anterior et posterior), which are fused with paired lateral masses (massae laterales). On the upper and lower surfaces of the lateral thickenings there are articular platforms: the upper ellipsoidal is the place of articulation with the condyles of the occipital bone, the lower spherical is the place of connection with the articular surface of the third cervical vertebra. The body of the first vertebra is absent. On the outside of the anterior arch there is an anterior tubercle (tuberculum anterius), on the posterior surface of the arch there is a tooth fossa (fovea dentis), the place of articulation with the odontoid process of the II vertebra. On the posterior arch is the posterior tubercle (tuberculum posterius).

39. Cervical vertebra (II).
1 - corpus vertebrae;
2 - fades articularis anterior;
3 - dens;
4 - fades articularis posterior;
5 - lamina arcus vertebrae;
6 - processus spinosus;
7 - processus articularis inferior;
8 - processus transversus;
9 - for. transversarium;
10 - fades articularis superior)

The second cervical vertebra is the axial vertebra (axis) (Fig. 39).

On top surface its body has an odontoid process (dens), which represents the body of the first cervical vertebra that has moved here. Outside and behind the tooth there are two, anterior and posterior, articular surfaces (fades articulares anterior et posterior) for the formation of joints with the fossa of the anterior arch of the atlas and its transverse ligament (lig. transversum).

Sacrum(sacrum) (Fig. 40) after 16 years represents the fused 5 vertebrae of the sacral spine. Its upper part is expanded, showing the articular processes and the entrance to the sacral canal. The lower part of the sacrum is narrowed and has an opening for the sacral canal. On the anterior concave and posterior convex surfaces of the sacrum there are 4 pairs of foramina (forr. sacralia pelvina et dorsalia), similar to the intervertebral foramina. The bone substance located lateral to these openings (massae laterales) is formed by fusion of rudiments of the ribs and transverse processes of the vertebrae. On the lateral surfaces of the sacrum there are ear-shaped articular platforms (facies auriculares), behind them there are tuberosities (tuberositas sacrales). On the posterior surface of the sacrum, from the fusion of the spinous processes, the median sacral crest (crista sacralis mediana) is formed, the articular ones - the intermediate sacral crest (crista sacralis intermedia), the transverse ones - the lateral sacral crest (crista sacralis lateralis).

40. Sacrum. A - front view: 1 - basis ossis sacri; 2 - processus articularis superior; 3 - pars lateralis; 4 - lineae transversae; 5 - forr. sacralia pelvina; 6 - apex ossis sacri. B - rear view: 1 - canalis sacralis; 2 - processus articularis superior; 3 - tuberositas sacralis; 4 - crista sacralis intermedia; 5 - crista sacralis mediana; 6 - hiatus sacralis; 7 - cornu sacrale; 8 - forr. sacralia dorsalia; 9 - crista sacralis lateralis.

Coccyx(os coccygis) is formed by the fusion of 2-3 vertebrae and connects to the apex of the sacrum.

Ossification. From the ventromedial surface of the somites (see Initial stages of embryogenesis), a group of mesenchymal cells unites into the sclerotome, which surround the notochord, giving rise to the vertebrae. From two rudiments of adjacent sclerotomes, at the site of their contact, the cartilaginous core of the body of the future vertebra is formed. Such secondary segmentation contributes to the fact that the myotomes are fused at their ends with two adjacent somites (Fig. 41). At the 6th week of embryonic development, cartilage tissue is formed at the site of the mesenchymal anlage. The first ossification nuclei appear in the body of the XII thoracic vertebra at 6-7 weeks. In the remaining thoracic and lumbar vertebrae, ossification nuclei appear by the end of the 12th week, in the cervical and two upper sacral vertebrae - at the end of the 16th week. At this time, three paired ossification nuclei are formed in the cartilage behind the vertebral foramen: the legs of the arch are formed from the anterior ones, the lamina of the arch and the base of the spinous process are formed from the lateral-posterior one, and the base of the transverse process is formed from the transverse nucleus. Only in the 2nd year of life, starting from the cervical vertebrae, a complete bone arch is formed. In a 4-year-old child, the arches of the 1st cervical, 5th lumbar, 1st, 4th and 5th sacral vertebrae are still wide open. Their closure occurs in the 7th year.

41. Scheme of vertebral development (according to Clar). 1 - somite; 2 - myotome; 3 - discus intervertebralis; 4 - muscles; 5 - vertebrae developing from parts of two somites.

42. Scheme of ossification of the lumbar vertebra (according to Andronescu).
1 - primary middle nucleus;
2 - upper epiphyseal ring of ossification;
3 - lower epiphyseal ring;
4 - primary anterolateral and transverse ossification nuclei;
5 - secondary inferior articular nucleus;
6 - primary posterolateral nucleus;
7 - secondary ossification nucleus of the spinous process;
8 - secondary transverse core;
9 - secondary ossification nucleus mastoid process;
10 - secondary superarticular ossification nucleus.

In adolescence, secondary ossification nuclei appear at the vertebral bodies, having the form of plates (epiphyseal rings) (Fig. 42). Starting from the age of 15, initially at the thoracic vertebrae and ending with the lumbar vertebrae, synostosis of the epiphyseal rings to the vertebral bodies occurs.

A certain feature is the ossification of the I and II cervical vertebrae. At the 16th week, two primary nuclei appear in the tooth, which fuse with the vertebral body only in the 4th-5th year of life.

Anomalies. The most common anomaly in the development of vertebrae is non-fusion of their arches (spondylolysis) mainly in the sacrum, which contributes to the development of spina bifida. Less commonly observed is non-fusion of the halves of the vertebral bodies with each other. There is a complete absence of vertebral bodies (asomy), absence of half of the vertebral body (hemisomy), cessation of growth of the vertebral body in height (congenital platyspondyly).

Everything in the world is a manifestation of the divine triune principle. Spirit, soul and body are three unified elements of all things: be it a plant, an animal, a person or a cosmic body.

Energy, in contact with matter, gives rise to interaction, the essence of which is life. All living things are alive only by this constant movement. Metabolic processes occur non-stop in cells. Electrons spin around atomic nuclei. Planets move around their suns. It is impossible to imagine life without this movement, just as it is impossible to imagine that the movement would suddenly stop.

Spirit

The entire Universe was created by spiritual creative energy. And this spiritual energy is the love of the Creator. As St. Luke wrote in his time:

“Love cannot be contained within itself, for its main property is the need to be poured out on someone or something, and this need led to God’s creation of the world.”
Luka Voino-Yasenetsky

Spirit is the divine fire pouring out from the Primary Source and breathing life into a frozen form. And just as energy cannot exist at rest, so the nature of the spirit is eternal movement. The spirit is immortal, just as energy is immortal.

Energy is converted into matter, matter is converted into energy. Energy never disappears, but only changes its form. Therefore, the divine spirit is everywhere and in everything. It is not for nothing that in many traditions God has been likened to the Sun, which gives life to everything on earth. Plants use the energy of photons emitted by the Sun to build their own chemical bonds. For example flora we clearly see how energy, merging with material form, gives birth to life. The same energy of light, undergoing multiple transformations, passes through the entire hierarchical chain of the natural world, creating a riotous variety of species along its path. And in everything, absolutely everything, movement never stops for a moment. This is how presence of mind manifests itself.

A photon of light can be absorbed by an electron, changing the state of the latter - bringing it to a new energy level. But one day, the electron will return to its original position and release the captured photon. The death of a physical form is not the end at all, but only another transformation of life-giving energy, when the spirit leaves its temporary container and returns to the original world of light. The body will one day return to where it came from - into the bosom of nature, and the spirit, which is energy, will again gain freedom and freely flow to where a new incarnation awaits it.

When the spirit leaves the body, matter crumbles into bricks: atoms and quanta. Only presence of mind can unite these bricks into a single system. The system is observed in everything: both in the Micro- and Macrocosm. An atom, a cell, an organism, a solar system—all these are systems. different levels reality. Together they form a hierarchy of worlds.

Spirit is present on all levels. Movement is a sign of presence of mind. In the world of physics there is such a movement. expressed by the energy of the quantum. In a free state, energy manifests itself, for example, as a stream of photons of light. In the “captured” state, the quantum transfers its energy to the electron, forming a magnetic field around an even denser nucleus. The death of the physical means the release of quantum energy in the form of photons of light or an electromagnetic field.

Soul

The soul is born at the meeting of the divine spark and the material form - spirit and body. She moves as nonstop as all living things. And its path is by default directed towards development and evolution. The souls of living beings, step by step, go through a long path of rebirth, so that each time they become more complex and improved, one day they will be born in human form.

Yes, everything has a soul. But only the human soul, as the pinnacle of evolution of the biological world, is endowed with complete freedom to choose its path. Choice is the highest gift of the Creator. And it is precisely the possibility of self-determination that makes us like God.

If a person had no choice, there would be no evil, suffering and lies. But then there would be no individuality and creativity. For for everyone there would be only one way. Life would be like a strict algorithm of actions. Such a life would have no meaning and would be similar to the life of biorobots who do not ask themselves questions, do not think, do not feel, do not analyze, but simply do what is set by someone’s built-in program.

In truth, the above is already quite similar to modern world. After all, many people do not use their opportunity to choose. But despite this, everyone has a multidimensional structure called a soul. And everyone has the power to direct their soul towards the path of evolution.

Body

The body is only a temporary container for the finer structures of the human essence. Some classify it as a mortal body of the soul, while others call it only an instrument of the soul on the path of evolution. Both are true. But at the same time, it is worth remembering that spirit, soul and body are inseparable as long as a person is a person. Without a body, we will not be able to interact with the material world. But without spirit and soul, the body turns to dust.

Yes, the physical form is only a reflection of the soul, and it is not eternal. But those who belittle the importance of preserving the bodily shell throughout life are wrong. The body was given to us by Mother Earth so that we have the opportunity to gain experience in her world, necessary for the evolution of our soul. And careless attitude towards your body is the same violation as carelessness towards the subtle world. Therefore, there is nothing wrong with taking care of your body. On the contrary, it is important and necessary. You should keep him clean, give him proper rest and listen to his wishes. After all, many desires come from instincts that are given to us for the purpose of survival in the world of matter. Ignoring instincts can lead to undesirable consequences, just like following too much instinctual impulses alone. Remember, life is constant search golden mean. And our incarnation in the world of matter is a training ground where souls, through trial and error, learn to find their middle path.

Physical form is a reflection of the soul, the extreme degree of materialization of the subtle in the dense.

Spirit, soul and body make up every individual unit of the world: be it an atom, an animal, a person or a planet. All living things are consciousness. Some units of consciousness have gone further in their development, some less. After all, from the level of the planet, it may seem that a person is like a microparticle with electrons rotating around the nucleus.

Only these three elements of the universe together organize the movement of life, manifested in development and improvement. One would not exist without the other. After all, light is visible only when it has something to reflect from.

The soul of a person rises to heaven, the soul of an animal descends to earth. - Koeles, 3:21

A person can never be happy if he does not take care of his soul as well as his body. - Rebbe

What is the soul?

Have you ever shed tears without apparent reason, overwhelmed by deep sadness? This is the gentle voice of your soul, which complains and seeks to attract your attention. She wants you to take care of her, at least as much as you take care of your body.

Have you ever experienced a truly holy moment in your life when, despite the constant turmoil around you, you felt a deep sense of reverence? It is also the voice of your soul, expressing deep satisfaction at its inherent communion with the forces of spirituality.

We use the words body and soul all the time in different contexts. But do we know what they really mean? What is the nature of the soul? What is its relationship with the body?

The soul is the only part of life that directly reflects our connection with G-d, our Creator. And although the soul is intangible and hidden inside the body, it is the basis of what we are. If the body contains the material aspects of our life, then the soul contains the spiritual aspects. The body is primarily concerned with satisfying its physical needs. This does not mean that it is inherently bad. Not at all. It was created by G-d, initially neutral and endowed with great potential for performing good deeds. But only the soul instills energy in him, directs him to good deeds and connects him with the Divine. The soul is extraordinary in nature, for “the flame of G-d is the soul of man” (Book of Proverbs, 20:27).

There is an inherent dichotomy between the tangible nature of the body and the transcendental nature of the soul. Look closely at the candle flame - it approximately corresponds to your soul. The flame rises upward, as if striving for G-d, but the wick pulls it back to the ground. In the same way, your soul constantly strives upward, while the body pulls you back through its constant need to obtain sustenance or satisfy the desire for pleasure. The question for each of us is whether we choose to exist in the form of a flame that rises upward, or in the form of a wick that drags us down.

For you to be a moral and healthy person, your body and soul must work in harmony. One should not choose one over the other, self-indulgence or asceticism. You can and should unite body and soul. And this means their fusion, ensuring the fulfillment of the purpose for which we appeared in this world: to lead a meaningful, fruitful and virtuous life, to transform this physical world into a cozy abode for spirituality and Divinity. Each of us carries out what is prescribed to him, using his specific abilities and talents (be it a teacher or educator, a businessman or a scientist). It is important for each of us to realize our purpose and implement it through our lifestyle every minute, daily, annually in accordance with the laws of G-d.

The dichotomy of body and soul manifests itself everywhere and in many ways: form and function, matter and energy, materialism and spirituality. For example, all the words printed in a book, on a page, represent the body, and the ideas they express represent the soul. This is true for every aspect of our world, because the world itself consists of body and soul, of its material and spiritual components with which life supplies it. The first step towards creating unity in the world, towards the spiritualization of material components, is first of all for each of us to unite our own body and soul.

To lead a meaningful life means to penetrate into the outer, material layer and connect with the energy contained in it. Is not simple task, because the body operates with the senses (vision, hearing, smell, taste, touch), and the soul deals with the area of ​​the supersensitive (emotions, conscience, intellect and, most importantly, subconscious spiritual forces). The energy contained in this layer cannot, as physicists say, be quantified. What cannot be measured usually contains an element of mystery. This is not only power, it is the power we call life. And we have just begun to discover some elements of life.

Many of us are preoccupied with the search for inner peace, happiness, silence, and the search for our soul. However, are we using the right tools in this search? Created to be highly dependent on the senses, we often believe that they are the only ones at our disposal. And how difficult it is to comprehend your soul using only the five senses! It’s about the same as trying to hear music with your eyes. Nevertheless, the call of the soul is so strong that we never stop trying.

Why is it important to know what kind of soul you are?

Because the senses are so dominant, they almost have to be abandoned in order to determine what is inside. If forced to temporarily give up your sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch, what would you be left with? Such a thought may initially lead to despair: you would be left with nothing. But this is not so, you are left with yourself. We need sense organs only to interact with outside world, with the world outside ourselves. You don't need eyes to see yourself or ears to hear yourself. You know that you are here without using any senses. It's just knowledge, awareness, a very special feeling.

Thus, we remain completely alive without our senses. However, without a soul there is no life. Yes, there is a physical struggle for survival, but life (as we understand it) always involves a search for meaning, a search for the soul, a search for G-d. The scientist who studies the laws of nature feels the urge to lift the veil and see what is happening beyond our outer senses. A child taking apart his toy is interested in the same thing. He wants to know the secret that makes this toy move. This curiosity is the essence of human nature.

The same thing happens with our life. Without knowing what forces move us, including the soul, we will never understand ourselves. And if we are not interested in how the soul works, we will not be able to take care of it. Fortunately, the soul thirsting for food makes us aware of this. No matter how long you manage to appease her, distracting her with material well-being, she will always resume her complaints, telling you that you are losing part of your life. This can take the form of anxiety, feelings of aimlessness, emptiness, or a craving for something more.

Without putting the soul to the test, it is impossible to achieve personal development. It is the soul that expresses dissatisfaction, which is an incentive for development. As long as the body's selfish needs are satisfied, it has no desire to improve. The soul gives life direction and unity. The material world, the world of the body, falls apart. The soul turns out to be the basis around which all our physical activity is united. If we were to watch the material drives of our body for a whole day, we would see it moving in a circle or under the influence of vaguely expressed impulses of desire and randomly selecting the stimuli that attract it at the moment. The soul connects all these fragments, connects the trivial with the primary, the material with the spiritual.

In addition, the soul teaches modesty. Unlike the body, which is selfish, the soul is humble. It gives us the ability to rise above ourselves and be sensitive to the needs of others. With the passivity of the soul, the egoistic desires of the body can enslave us and ultimately even destroy us. The soul is our outstanding side, which, as already said, like a candle flame, constantly strives upward, strives to reunite us with G-d. The body may try to keep us on earth, but the soul is determined to lift us to heaven.

One authoritative rabbi was told how as a child he played with other children. They all climbed up the ladder, but everyone, except the future rabbi, was afraid to climb too high. Later his grandfather asked him; “Why weren’t you afraid to climb higher than others?” “Because they, going up, looked down,” the boy explained. “They saw how high they had climbed, and that’s why they were afraid. I climbed up and looked up. It seemed to me that I was still low, and this encouraged me to continue to climb.”

How to explain the conflict between body and soul?

There is a continuous struggle between body and soul. All conflicts between people arise due to the dichotomy of body and soul, the tension between our bodily self and the need for the sublime. What explains this?

The fact is that B-r created bodies and souls separately, in two stages. On the first, He collected dust from the ground, on the second, He breathed breath and soul into it (Breishis, 2:7). This was done so that a person remembers that in life there are two different forces, material and spiritual. The material occupies a relatively low position, like dust on the earth, the spiritual appears from the most incomprehensible place - from G-d.

In the beginning, body and soul were one. The body recognized its role as a means of expression of the soul, and the soul recognized its need for the body to express the will of G‑d. Therefore, Adam and Eve were “not ashamed” of their nakedness (Breishis 2:25), for it was as natural as the nakedness of a newborn child.

However, the first sin caused a feeling of awkwardness. An independent egoistic “I” was born, divorced from the will and intentions of G‑d. Adam and Eve's "eyes were opened" and they felt ashamed of their nakedness (Breishis 3:7) because they experienced that their bodies were different in essence. They decided that their relationship was different from G‑dly intended. One human essence split into two - into material and spiritual desires. From this moment on, our destiny involves restoring harmony between body and soul.

We are truly made up of two different elements, just like the twin brothers Jacob and Esau, who struggled in their mother's womb. Jacob was a harmless man, a spiritual person. Esav is a warrior, “man of the field.” The body is the warrior within us, the aggressive force. In the material world, the body is called upon to protect the vulnerable soul. On the other hand, a body without a soul would be a dangerous aggressor that has neither purpose nor conscience.

And yet this split persists. For the soul, the body from the very beginning represents the constant desire to indulge its whims. While the soul seeks spiritual ecstasy, the body takes care of food and sleep. For the body, the soul is a source of constant trouble, interference; it is the conscience that limits its behavior.

How can we explain that G-d created the preconditions for such a conflict? Apparently, because the soul needs to test its strength, and the body needs to be improved, and the tension between them contributes to both. Ultimately, body and soul must understand that they are stronger when they act together. It is the persistence of the body that provides the soul with creative abilities, and the guidance of the soul that encourages the body to focus its power on good deeds. A rushing river has a certain amount of energy. When this river is blocked by a dam, its tamed energy is concentrated and increased many times over.

What should be our impact on this conflict?

To overcome the contradictions between body and soul, it is necessary first of all to recognize their existence and determine the nature of these two forces. Believing that we are a single organism, we experience intense confusion that can paralyze us. Moving back and forth between issues of soul and body, we are not aware of the need for their merging, we are sometimes virtuous, sometimes selfish. Our motivated actions are replaced by slowness and indecision.

We eliminate the tension between body and soul not by denying one of the partners, but by integrating them to solve one problem - the spiritualization of the body. All the forces and all the experience of the body are aimed at helping the noble and sublime aspirations of the soul.

The only way to unite body and soul is to recognize that G-d is much higher than our limited selves, higher than both body and soul. This requires a certain humility, because it is human nature to strive for self-expression. Due to its elevated nature, the soul is able to rise above selfishness more quickly than the body. Through study and good deeds, she can discipline the body, help it realize its true purpose, achieve a high position, and resist its strength, aroused by its own needs. We may experience “spiritual arrogance,” withdrawing from others without caring for the body and its needs. However, asceticism is not an acceptable solution. G‑d gave us the body so that we could improve and elevate it, and join it to the soul on its path.

The conflict between body and soul can be resolved if the soul is not prevented from striving upward to the sublime. What does this mean in practical terms? This means realizing that you are not an absolutely material person. Yes, we have to eat and drink and pay bills. But that's not why we're here. We are here to bring the best to our souls and improve our bodies. Because of the physical nature of the body, we can get stuck in the mire of material things. The resulting sadness causes your soul to complain. Listen to her complaints and take more care of her. Listen to your inner voice, which expresses doubt and sadness when you show interest only in material problems. Believe this voice.

But even when your soul craves the sublime, it should not forget about your body and material needs. Our sages teach: “Run like a deer to do the will of your Father in heaven” (Teachings of the Fathers, 5:20). The soul must run, it must thirst, but run like a deer. Just as the deer, even in flight, “turns its head back to the place from which it flees” (Zohar, II:14a), your uncontrollable desire for the sublime must constantly turn your gaze to the physical reality from which you are fleeing and realize that any flight to heaven presupposes a return to earth.

Once you recognize your soul, you should begin to study the mechanism of its operation. You understand that the soul is coming from a higher, spiritual place and is trying to bring G-dliness into your life. You will learn that the soul is what guides you to a life full of meaning. To take care of her, you must study the wisdom of G-d, know this wisdom. Prayer serves as an emotional ladder that connects you to the earth. Prayer, not materialism, provides you with a real home, a place within your body where the soul can find peace and perspective. This is why it is important to pray at the beginning of the day - it will direct your everyday material world into the proper direction.

And finally, you must remember that the body and soul come together when you commit moral actions. It is not enough to inspire and educate the soul. It is necessary to ensure a partnership between the soul and the body. Help a neighbor in trouble, listen stranger who finds himself in a difficult situation, provide food or clothing to someone who needs it. All this becomes more important than just good deeds, a vital force that brings joy to your soul, and a means of directing your physical body to corresponding actions in the spiritual realm. Responsiveness and good deeds lead to the complete immersion of the soul in our life, its release of warmth and the power of a real flame, lifting and elevating the body.

Once a man went to the city to visit a great sage. It turned out that the sage lives in a dilapidated shack on the outskirts. There was nothing in the house except a squashed bed and a table littered with books, at which an old man sat, immersed in reading. The guest approached him with a question:

-Where does the sage live?

“It’s me you’re looking for,” the old man explained to him. -What surprised you so much?

- I don't understand. You are a great sage, you have many students. Your name is known throughout the country. You must live in a palace.

- Where do you live? - asked the old man.

– I live in a mansion, a big, rich house.

– How do you make a living?

The guest told the owner of the shack that he was a merchant and went to Big city for goods, which he then resells to local merchants. The old man listened attentively, then asked where he was staying in a foreign city.

“In a small room at an inn,” the merchant said.

“If someone visited you in this small room, he might ask you; "Why you, wealthy man, do you live in such a poor room? And you could answer:

“I’m just passing through and not for long. Everything I need is here. Come to my real house and you will see that it is completely different.” The same is true for my shelter. I'm just passing through here. This material world is just a road. In my real house everything looks different. Come to my spiritual home, and you will see that I live in a palace.

How do we care for our soul?

Currently, the battle between body and soul is very intense. The material world in which our body is immersed is experiencing a period of unprecedented prosperity. Our standard of living is high, we have technology that allows us to solve many problems. At the same time, our soul, both individual and collective, craves food.

Today we must take care of the soul more than ever before. Education and morality are the main food for her. That is why it is so important to begin studying and modeling spiritual values ​​as early as possible. The task is not to prevent the battle between body and soul, but to understand the purpose of this battle in order to accept the challenge of battle. If the body accepts the primacy of the soul and makes peace with its twin, the tension between them can be curbed. The body then becomes a force that lifts the soul to a higher place than it could occupy by acting on its own.

The harmony between your body and soul extends to the whole world and helps to unite the body and soul, the material and spiritual of the entire universe. Thus, the key to meaning and happiness in your life is in your hands. It is an understanding of the symmetry and rhythm of your own body and your soul.

The next time you look in the mirror, ask yourself, “What do I see in front of me? I recognize my body, but can I discover the soul inside it? I pay attention to all my bodily needs, but am I taking enough care of my tender soul? Finally, I know the one I need. But do I know someone who needs me?

One day, the Rebbe advised a gifted student to use his free time to convince his friends to continue not only their university studies, but also their spiritual ones.

“My schedule is already quite busy, I don’t know if I can add anything to it,” said the young man.

– Frankly speaking, I don’t understand where you get the strength and endurance to work like this.

- Every person has both a body and a soul, It is like a bird and its wings. If the bird did not know that wings give it the ability to fly, they would only be a burden for it. The wings allow her to rise to the skies. We all have wings - our souls - that can lift us as high as we need to fly. We all must learn to use them,” the Rebbe explained.

Adapted presentation.

From the book “Towards a Life Full of Meaning”