The existence of souls has been a longstanding topic of debate, with perspectives varying across cultures and religions besides spiritual and scientific realms. Science primarily explains consciousness and identity through brain functions and neurological processes. In religion, souls are considered a matter of cultural faith intertwined with religious beliefs rather than empirical scrutiny.

Further, the soul is also commonly associated with an afterlife and the continuation of life beyond our earthly existence. It is considered the immortal force driving thoughts and emotions independent of the body and brain. Mysteries surrounding conception, death, shifts in consciousness during dreams, and even essential mental functions like memory and imagination suggest the presence of a life force distinct from our physical form.

For those who hold spiritual beliefs, the soul is that flow of energy that puts some spiritual power into biological life, just like a car is useless until there is a flow of electrical power or fossil fuel to make it alive. The soul is seen as the transcendental movement of spiritual energy, representing the essence of an individual. Despite advances in neuroscience shedding light on brain functions, how the nature of the self, the “I,” observes and experiences the inner self remains a puzzle. 

Without this metaphysical conscious principle, the brain is lifeless, lacking awareness. The soul is the designation that indicates the superconscious section of the mind where thoughts are unconditional, unchanging, and pure observation in choiceless awareness, either spontaneously in eureka or silently witnessing the mind as the witness-er. 

When we say, “my body and mind,” it implies something beyond the physical and mental aspects. This divine perspective sees an individual as gross energy in the form of a body, subtle as the mind, and formless core energy reflected as the soul. I reiterate the soul is the essence of conscious perception, operating spontaneously and intuitively without interference from cognition. It helps to check and guide the mind functioning in the duality to choose between this and that here and there for its likes and dislikes in identifications and attachments, primarily for its emotional desires in selfishness and ego. 

The human mind has this unique power of choice not easily present in other living creatures, the embodiment of material prowess. It performs better in expressing one’s preferences and controlling one’s goals and aspirations while simultaneously creating a higher degree of selfishness for its ‘me and mine.’    

The soul awakens in the now in any present moment existentially, without interference from those analytical and discretionary thoughts assuming the role of an observing self. It does not actively participate in the functional activities of the cognitive mind. Still, it observes the mind-body connection, engaged in the game of life in dualities while remaining aloof and only involved in observation.

Understanding the soul requires grasping the concepts of non-duality and duality. The cognitive mind operates in duality, dealing with opposites in making choices based on relative factors. The soul, representing the core of non-dual awareness in the mind, impartially witnesses the thoughts and activities of the conscious and subconscious mind.

Spirit or aware energy is the subjective self of ‘who you are’; the soul, on the other hand, observes the objective part of ‘what you are’ in quantum and content, represented by the body and mind. One can awaken the soul through alert observation and mindfulness, transcending the emotional play of dualities in thought and action.

In this perspective, the soul signifies a metaphysical aspect comprising waves of absolute non-dual aware energy, referred to as the spirit or the universal self. It makes the mind aware and conscious—an individualized component of the universal essence, creating uniqueness in every mind.

In conclusion, beliefs about souls are shaped by culture, religion, and philosophy, going beyond scientific explanations into spirituality, metaphysics, and individual faith. Achieving a universally accepted conclusion on the existence of souls may prove challenging due to the diversity of perspectives.