The Two Spirits

One bright day in the jungle I found myself in conversation with one of the elders of the village. We were looking for a bit of shade to stand in as we waited for an emergency medical flight and he glanced to the ground where we both had cast our shadows.

He looked to me and pointed at the shadows saying,"There is one of your spirits." I was intrigued why he phrased it in this way and asked him how many spirits did I have. He chuckled a bit at my ignorance but then proceeded to teach me .

"Dita, we all have two spirits. The one you see today in the sunlight is your 'body spirit'. On a bright moonlit night, you may also cast a shadow, but that is your 'soul spirit'."

I had to ask, Coco, (grand father) what was the difference between the two spirits. He patiently explained to me that the 'body spirit' is like our brain or our intelligence. It exists for survival and is what decides our daily lives. The 'soul spirit' is what we use to understand that which we can not see. When a person dies, his 'body spirit' ceases to exist, but the 'soul spirit' of a good person will continue forever.

"The problem is", he said, "trying to be good enough to keep the 'soul spirit' alive!"

He is right. That is problematic!

I was then able to share with Coco that God had indeed created us with an everlasting 'soul spirit'. Not only was this true, but God also understood that we humans were not capable of being good enough on our own. That is why God, Wanaadi, sent his Son, Jesuuquidito to earth to redeem our 'soul spirits' that they might live forever with Him in paradise.