Continuing to consider the content of Guy Claxton's 'The Wayward Mind', here are some more well entries from 'Strange Mythology and Folklore.
ba- In ancient Egyptian mythology, the vehicle of ascent for after death conciousness. The term ba is often translated as vital force or soul but is a complex concept. According to the Book of the Dead, after death the ba rose up out of the body to regard the corpse. Even though it was drawn toward heaven, it depended for its self conciousness on maintaing a relationship with the body. The body had to remain intact in order for the ba to return to it, Ultimately the ba has to liberate itself from the shadow of the tomb so that it could fully enter the heavenly light. portrayed as having a flacons body with a human head.
The Ancient Egyptians believed that a human soul was made up of five element, which is Ren (name), Ba (individual personality), Ka (life force), Sheut (shadow), and Ib (heart).
Ba is one of the important part of the human soul, that makes an individual unique, similar to the notion of ‘personality’ or ‘the person’s individuality’. Egyptian believed that, the ‘Ba’ as an aspect of a soul would live after the body died, and it is sometimes depicted as a human-headed bird flying out of the tomb to join with the ‘Ka’ in the afterlife.
compiled by Angela L. MISSPI
http://mississippi-spi.blogspot.co.uk/2010/08/strange-ghost mythology-folklore.html
The Ancient Egyptians believed that a human soul was made up of five element, which is Ren (name), Ba (individual personality), Ka (life force), Sheut (shadow), and Ib (heart).
Ba is one of the important part of the human soul, that makes an individual unique, similar to the notion of ‘personality’ or ‘the person’s individuality’. Egyptian believed that, the ‘Ba’ as an aspect of a soul would live after the body died, and it is sometimes depicted as a human-headed bird flying out of the tomb to join with the ‘Ka’ in the afterlife.
compiled by Angela L. MISSPI
http://mississippi-spi.blogspot.co.uk/2010/08/strange-ghost mythology-folklore.html
Claxton suggests that the ancient Egyptian Ba is the conceptual precursor to the contemporary notion of the unconscious.