Souls

Somehow this seems fitting for my first post on this blog.

I was watching my daughter and thinking about when the soul inhabits the body. Is it prior to birth? If so do things that happen to the developing fetus affect the soul? Does she love Elvis because mom does, because mom played alot of the King to her in the womb or both? If only because she heard it, why doesn't she have the same love for classical music, big band, Cat Stevens, Oingo Boingo and so on?

Is it at the moment of birth, with that usually tramatic first breath?

What about later still, what if the soul is just another part to develop as we grow? And yes, I know that our consciousness grows as we do, as our awareness develops but is that the same as a soul?

I'm leaning toward a development theory. That we are born with a seed of a soul, it grows up as we do, twisted by conditions, same as we are, but at its heart inherently only a soul, not good, not evil, not belonging to some Higher Power.

I believe it is the core energy of us, the part that goes on to whatever our next stage is when this flesh is done.