Non-life Past lives

Thinking about my most prominent past life, it occurs to me that it never really counted as a "life", more like an experience. I'm mostly directing these questions to angels, demons, shadows, etc, but as always, anybody's willing to pitch in an opinion if they want to. Are these particular kin-types really alive? If they're not, and if they can die, then how does that work? How does the reincarnation process work for non-life entities? Any other decent questions would be welcome as well, since I never seem to be able to come up with any good ones most of the time.

I would say yes, they, ie, angelics, demonics, etc, definitely had corporial lives.... tho past that, the memories of other than that? i would suggest that its on a level that we on a "human plane" have yet to really understand, one where life and death dont havethe meaning they do here.

just my thought tho.

The super simplistic answer is yes, I believe these Kin types are really alive. I don't, however, believe that they can "die" in the way that humans die on this plane. However, I believe that death on this plane is bodily, no more, because of the immortality of the soul. I believe that all beings have an immortal soul. An angel, if his or her body is destroyed beyond the point of healing, doesn't die. The soul will simply be rehoused elsewhere, as will the souls of all things, until they're called back and rejoined with the One.

I believe that it is not a person that dies, but a body that dies. I do believe in the death of souls, but that comes from the complete obliteration of the soul to the extent that it will never re-form itself.

I don't believe Angels, Demons or other similar beings (I don't know enough about shadows, though I'm reading up on them a lot more now, thanks to Archer) ever have a body that can die. I believe that when a Human dies, the soul of a Human is released, in the event that said Human is an incarnate Angel or Demon, I believe it is the Angel or Demon that comes out, not the soul of an Angel or Demon.

This follows the expression that you are a soul, you have a body, I believe most beings are complete when they are in a body, but Angels and Demons don't usually have one, the plane where physical bodies cannot travel to is their home.

*nod* That's pretty much the line of thought that I've been traveling for the past few months, Terro, although I always seem to have difficulty putting those deeper thoughts into words.

While I do think those Kin types are "alive", they do not "live" or "die" in the human sense of the words, I don't think. For those out there who believe in Kin (re)incarnation (as a cause, that is), I suppose it's an incarnation (sp?) rather than re-incarnation, if this makes sense.

Terro Wrote:I believe that it is not a person that dies, but a body that dies. I do believe in the death of souls, but that comes from the complete obliteration of the soul to the extent that it will never re-form itself.

I agree with this, very good point. So, yes, as angels/demons/shadows don't seem to have physical bodies in the sense that humans do, it would only make sense that they did not physically die in order to have other lifes. Just, like you (Deros) put it, "experiences".

Given that "shadow" simply means "sentient dark energy squished together in some way" whether or not we count as "alive" is purely a matter of semantics.

As for dying - sure, dissapate the energy, grand, that's all it takes. I don't believe in the soul though so my concept of reincarnation is likely not what you're asking about.

Deros Wrote:Are these particular kin-types really alive?

In my opinion, if someone/thing can realize that they are having an experience, then they are alive. If they cannot, then they are not alive.

For instance, as a demon I could experience things before I incarnated in this body. I didn't have a physical body at the time, but still knowing what I was doing and what was going on around me... well, I felt alive. Whereas, for instance, a pencil may have the experience of writing out a math problem, but it most definitely doesn't realize it's having an experience.

Deros Wrote:How does the reincarnation process work for non-life entities?

I think your soul is what causes you to experience life. I think a soul is pretty much just free-floating sentient energy (whether being a soul in a human body or just floating around). Since reincarnation and the soul go hand-in-hand, then I'd think that being alive is a prerequisite to being able to reincarnate.

(Ugh, sorry for sucking at explaining anything. It's 6am and I haven't had my caffeine yet.)

I believe there is a grand evolution where a being is able to sustain itself without corporeal means. Right now, the human animal needs corporeal sustainance, reguardless if a soul does or does not exist. I believe, reguardless of kintype and the simantics of being 'alive', that a common goal amongst the human animal is to philosophize the possibility of being able to have a 'form' that can concievably sustain itself without the corporeal.

*sneezes*
Tai