The Language of the Soul: Active Listening as a Form of Spiritual Healing
Jessica Frey, MD, West Virginia University
In the late stages of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s, language is reduced, altered, and sometimes even absent. When words and language fail, silence often predominates. However, family members commonly witness a different form of communication: breathing as a second language. The spaces in between, the pauses, and the sighs become an invaluable method of communication between the patient and the caregiver. Using gematria and the root system of Hebrew language for analysis, we will explore the connection between breathing and the soul, and how that translates to meaningful healing in conditions for which there is no medical cure.
The Hebrew word for soul or spirit is “ruach.” The Hebrew letters that compose the word “ruach” include resh, vav, and chet. These letters are important from a pictorial sense, as each letter from the root word corresponds to a part of the body. The letter resh is rounded and somewhat circular at the top similar in appearance to a bowed head, and literally translates to “head.” The letter vav is a slender, linear letter which literally means “hook or peg” and means to connect parts to form a whole. From a gematria perspective, vav represents the number six, which is reminiscent of the 6 days it took to create the universe and therefore represents a unifying element. From a metaphorical perspective, vav is therefore the unifying element in the body that connects the head with the feet. The letter chet is symmetric with two vertical lines coming downward from a central horizontal connector, similar in appearance to a set of legs. From a gematria standpoint, chet represents the number eight and is associated with life, the essential foundation upon which we stand. Therefore, the letters that form the Hebrew word for soul or “ruach” literally have the appearance of a human being’s body, with each of the letters representing the head, torso, and feet, respectively.
An alternative word for soul is “nefesh” which comes from the root meaning “to breathe.” A body may be intact but the soul gives breath to the body, both literally and figuratively, and only then is it truly whole. This becomes even clearer when analyzing the Hebrew words for man and fire, both of which are derived from the same root letters alef and shin. Just as a fire needs oxygen to thrive, human beings need souls to thrive. Both fire and human beings are therefore fed by the same thing: breath.
The language of breathing is therefore the language of the soul. In patients for whom language may no longer be their primary means of communication, actively listening to the patient takes on spiritual meaning. Although medicine is limited in what can be done to cure the body, an individual’s personhood and identity can still be acknowledged through a spiritual lens. In the absence of words, we can still listen to a patient’s soul through the pattern of their breath and being.
The Hebrew word for soul or spirit is “ruach.” The Hebrew letters that compose the word “ruach” include resh, vav, and chet. These letters are important from a pictorial sense, as each letter from the root word corresponds to a part of the body. The letter resh is rounded and somewhat circular at the top similar in appearance to a bowed head, and literally translates to “head.” The letter vav is a slender, linear letter which literally means “hook or peg” and means to connect parts to form a whole. From a gematria perspective, vav represents the number six, which is reminiscent of the 6 days it took to create the universe and therefore represents a unifying element. From a metaphorical perspective, vav is therefore the unifying element in the body that connects the head with the feet. The letter chet is symmetric with two vertical lines coming downward from a central horizontal connector, similar in appearance to a set of legs. From a gematria standpoint, chet represents the number eight and is associated with life, the essential foundation upon which we stand. Therefore, the letters that form the Hebrew word for soul or “ruach” literally have the appearance of a human being’s body, with each of the letters representing the head, torso, and feet, respectively.
An alternative word for soul is “nefesh” which comes from the root meaning “to breathe.” A body may be intact but the soul gives breath to the body, both literally and figuratively, and only then is it truly whole. This becomes even clearer when analyzing the Hebrew words for man and fire, both of which are derived from the same root letters alef and shin. Just as a fire needs oxygen to thrive, human beings need souls to thrive. Both fire and human beings are therefore fed by the same thing: breath.
The language of breathing is therefore the language of the soul. In patients for whom language may no longer be their primary means of communication, actively listening to the patient takes on spiritual meaning. Although medicine is limited in what can be done to cure the body, an individual’s personhood and identity can still be acknowledged through a spiritual lens. In the absence of words, we can still listen to a patient’s soul through the pattern of their breath and being.