As a relatively new member of the order, and as someone who has spent much of his life in the company of animals, I am curious as to whether or not the Order has any teachings relating to the conscious awareness and souls of our animal companions.
In the view of the order, do animals possess an immortal soul or a spirit of a type identical to or similar to that possessed by humans? Did those souls continue after physical dissolution and experience eternity? And is the possession of such a soul or spirit uniform throughout the created world, or does it vary in character from one species to the next?
Any guidance or information you can share in this matter will be gratefully appreciated.
Replies
Thanks to Soror Deborah - discovered the book - ESSAYS OF A MODERN MYSTIC - also has a chapter on the question: "Do Animals Have Souls?"
Essays of a Modern Mystic by H. Spencer Lewis (rosicrucian.org)
Dear Frater
My personal thoughts- in addition to our Order's recognition of the sentiousness and beingness of animals - indicates that their ability to express selfhood and love is evidence of their soul nature.
Oh dude, there are whole dissertations on the love of the animal kingdom. Cheers and Welcome!!!
Hi William - was thinking of you again today when responding to a thread on the Rosicrucian Park page - 'Developing Unconditional Love For All Living Creatures' - which you may care to have look at:
https://rosicruciancommunity.org/group/rosicrucianpark/forum/develo...
Chapter 16 of Harvey Spencer Lewis's book - Mansions of the Soul - addresses the question of whether animals have souls. The excerpt below begins the Chapter - along with a link to the book:
"THE QUESTION OFTEN arises as to whether animals lower
in species than the human being have souls and what becomes
of these souls after transition. Again this question occasionally
implies that each animal has a distinct and separate soul which is in
nowise connected with any other soul of the universe."
"We cannot know of the so-called animal soul what we have been
able to learn regarding the human soul for obvious reasons, but we do
know that there is an Oversoul essence for all of the animal kingdom
as there is for the human beings of the universe. This universal
soul essence pervades the bodies of every living thing in the animal
kingdom. Incidentally we may add that there is also a universal soul
essence for every living thing in the vegetable and mineral kingdoms."
rosicrucian.org/rosicrucian-books-mansions-of-the-soul
Much gratitude for this new Truth and Wisdom. PEACE PROFOUND!
Greetings George, Much gratitude for this perspective. Constrained or unconstrained is more objective. I have loved teachings about other orders of thought, how the ideas are presented without any emotional bias. This feels that way. Thank you, and PEACE PROFOUND.
Many thanks, Fr. George.
H. Spencer Lewis also touched on this subject in his book "Mansions of the Soul." He dedicated a chapter to the soul of animals. I think you'd find it very interesting.
Many thanks, frater Colby!
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