Spiritual Entities: Defining the Term

Spirits

Posted by J. Goodwin - November 29, 2011 Comments 0

Spiritual Entities: Defining the Term

Often times we use the word “spirit” or “spiritual entities” to refer to something mystical, but what exactly do the words mean, and what are the origins of the term “spirit?” This is what I’m going to delve into in today’s post, the first I’ll be making on spirits.

Consciousness or being

The word, “spirit,” actually has its roots in Latin. It comes from the Latin word, spiritus, which means “breath.” Originally in the Latin language, spirit did have both positive and negative connotations and was additionally used with different meanings. Nowadays, the word spirit often symbolizes a person’s consciousness or being. It’s also used along with the word “soul.” Usually, a spirit directly contrasts with one’s body which is often taken as physical as opposed to the spiritual nature of the spirit.

Ghosts

The word “spirit” does also refer to a ghost in certain texts. This does also tie over with its other meaning, possibly referring to a manifestation of the spirit of someone who has died. In many texts and beliefs, people see such spirits as the “lost” or wandering spirits of the deceased, which have survived the death of the body but still remain alive in consciousness.

Immaterial entities

Within many cultures across the world, the word “spirit” or its equivalent is commonly used to refer to non-physical entities, perhaps even demons or gods. In fact, one very famous example is the reference to the Holy Spirit in Christianity.

With various and quite differing meanings, the study of the use of the terms, “spirits,” and “spiritual entities,” is very interesting. Looking at spirits from such a lens also reveals inner workings of the various religions and cultures around the world, from ghosts, demons, deities, to inner “psyche.”