The Seven Layers of Soul: Kabbalah vs. Eastern Hun-Po Systems
BY NICOLE LAU
You don't have one soul.
You have multiple souls—layers of consciousness operating at different levels, from the densest physical to the most refined spiritual.
The Kabbalists knew this. They mapped five levels of soul (some traditions say seven).
The Taoists knew this. They described three Hun (魂) and seven Po (魄)—ten souls total.
The Egyptians knew this. They identified seven components of the complete human being.
Different numbers. Different names. Different cultural contexts.
Same structure: The soul is layered, not monolithic.
And when you understand these layers, you gain a map of your own multi-dimensional being.
The Kabbalistic Soul: Five (or Seven) Levels
In Kabbalah, the soul is not one thing. It's a nested hierarchy of five (or seven) levels, each corresponding to a different world and level of consciousness.
The Five Primary Levels (from lowest to highest):
1. Nefesh (נפש) — The Animal Soul
- Meaning: "Breath," "life force," "vital soul"
- Level: Physical, instinctual, survival-oriented
- Function: Animates the body, drives basic needs (food, sex, safety)
- World: Assiah (עשיה) — World of Action/Matter
- Location: Resides in the blood and liver
- After death: Remains with the body in the grave
Nefesh is what you share with animals—the biological life force.
2. Ruach (רוח) — The Spirit/Wind
- Meaning: "Wind," "spirit," "breath"
- Level: Emotional, moral, ethical
- Function: Seat of emotions, moral choice, personality
- World: Yetzirah (יצירה) — World of Formation
- Location: Resides in the heart
- After death: Undergoes purification (Gehinnom/purgatory)
Ruach is your personality, your emotional life, your moral compass.
3. Neshamah (נשמה) — The Divine Soul
- Meaning: "Breath of God," "divine soul"
- Level: Intellectual, spiritual, divine
- Function: Capacity for abstract thought, spiritual awareness, connection to God
- World: Briah (בריאה) — World of Creation
- Location: Resides in the brain
- After death: Returns to its divine source
Neshamah is the divine spark within you—the part that is literally "breath of God."
The Two Higher Levels (accessible to few):
4. Chayah (חיה) — The Living Essence
- Meaning: "Life," "living one"
- Level: Transcendent, beyond individual consciousness
- Function: Connection to collective soul of Israel, unity consciousness
- World: Atziluth (אצילות) — World of Emanation
- Access: Only through deep mystical practice
5. Yechidah (יחידה) — The Singular Unity
- Meaning: "Singular," "unique," "unified"
- Level: Absolute unity with Ein Sof (the Infinite)
- Function: The point where individual soul merges with God
- World: Beyond all worlds, in Ein Sof itself
- Access: Only in rare moments of complete union
Some traditions add two more:
6. Guf (גוף) — The Physical Body (below Nefesh)
7. Tzelem (צלם) — The Divine Image (the "shadow" or reflection of the divine)
This creates a seven-level system.
The Taoist Soul: Three Hun and Seven Po
In Taoist cosmology, humans don't have one soul—they have ten souls:
Three Hun (魂) — Ethereal Souls (Yang)
The Hun are Yang souls—light, rising, spiritual, connected to heaven:
1. Tai Guang (胎光) — "Embryonic Light"
- The highest Hun, connected to Shen (神) — spirit/consciousness
- Resides in the head/upper dantian
- Governs spiritual awareness, vision, higher consciousness
- After death: Rises to heaven
2. Shuang Ling (爽靈) — "Refreshing Spirit"
- The middle Hun, connected to Qi (氣) — energy/breath
- Resides in the heart/middle dantian
- Governs emotions, dreams, imagination
- After death: Wanders between heaven and earth
3. You Jing (幽精) — "Hidden Essence"
- The lowest Hun, connected to Jing (精) — essence/vitality
- Resides in the liver
- Governs vitality, life force, connection to ancestors
- After death: Lingers near the body
Seven Po (魄) — Corporeal Souls (Yin)
The Po are Yin souls—heavy, sinking, instinctual, connected to earth:
- Shi Gou (尸狗) — "Corpse Dog" — Governs decay, death instinct
- Fu Shi (伏矢) — "Hidden Arrow" — Governs aggression, violence
- Que Yin (雀陰) — "Sparrow Yin" — Governs sexuality, reproduction
- Tun Zei (吞賊) — "Swallowing Thief" — Governs appetite, consumption
- Fei Du (非毒) — "Non-Poison" — Governs elimination, purging
- Chu Hui (除穢) — "Removing Filth" — Governs cleansing, purification
- Chou Fei (臭肺) — "Stinking Lungs" — Governs breath, respiration
The Po reside in the lungs and govern all bodily functions, instincts, reflexes.
After death: The Po sink into the earth with the body.
The Taoist Understanding:
- The Hun connect you to heaven, spirit, consciousness (like Neshamah, Ruach)
- The Po connect you to earth, body, instinct (like Nefesh, Guf)
- Spiritual practice: Cultivate the Hun, refine the Po
- Goal: Harmonize Hun and Po, unite heaven and earth within
The Structural Correspondence
Let's map the parallel:
| Level | Kabbalah | Taoism | Function | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 (Highest) | Yechidah (יחידה) | — | Unity with Infinite | Absolute divine |
| 6 | Chayah (חיה) | — | Collective consciousness | Transcendent |
| 5 | Neshamah (נשמה) | Tai Guang (胎光) 1st Hun | Divine soul, spiritual awareness | Spiritual/Yang |
| 4 | Ruach (רוח) | Shuang Ling (爽靈) 2nd Hun | Emotions, personality, dreams | Emotional/Yang |
| 3 | — | You Jing (幽精) 3rd Hun | Vitality, ancestral connection | Vital/Yang |
| 2 | Nefesh (נפש) | Seven Po (魄) collectively | Animal soul, instincts, body | Instinctual/Yin |
| 1 (Lowest) | Guf (גוף) | Physical body | Physical form | Material/Yin |
The correspondence is clear:
- Upper levels (Neshamah, Chayah, Yechidah / Hun) — Spiritual, rising, Yang, connected to heaven
- Lower levels (Nefesh, Guf / Po) — Physical, sinking, Yin, connected to earth
- Middle level (Ruach) — Mediating, emotional, personality
The Egyptian Seven Souls
For comparison, the ancient Egyptians also recognized seven components:
- Khat (𓎡𓄿𓏏) — Physical body
- Ka (𓂓) — Vital force, life energy (like Nefesh/Po)
- Ba (𓅡) — Personality, individual soul (like Ruach/Hun)
- Ab (𓇋𓃀) — Heart, seat of consciousness
- Ren (𓂋𓈖) — True name, identity
- Sheut (𓆄𓅱𓏏) — Shadow, unconscious
- Akh (𓄿𓆼) — Transfigured spirit, immortal self (like Neshamah)
Same pattern: Multiple layers from physical to divine.
Why This Matters for Practice
Understanding the layered soul gives you:
1. Multi-Level Awareness
You can identify which level needs attention. Is your Nefesh/Po (body/instinct) out of balance? Is your Ruach/Hun (emotion/spirit) neglected? Is your Neshamah (divine connection) dormant?
2. Targeted Practice
Different practices work on different levels:
- Physical practice (yoga, qigong) — Works on Guf/Nefesh/Po (body/vital soul)
- Emotional work (therapy, shadow work) — Works on Ruach/middle Hun (personality/emotion)
- Meditation, prayer — Works on Neshamah/upper Hun (divine soul/spirit)
- Mystical practice — Accesses Chayah/Yechidah (transcendent levels)
3. Death Understanding
You understand that different parts go different places:
- The body/Po/Nefesh returns to earth
- The personality/Ruach undergoes purification
- The divine soul/Hun/Neshamah returns to its source
Death is not annihilation—it's separation of the layers.
The Operational Truth
Here's what all traditions agree on:
- The soul is not monolithic—it has multiple layers
- These layers range from physical/instinctual to divine/spiritual
- The layers are nested—each contains and transcends the previous
- Different layers have different destinies after death
- Spiritual practice is cultivating the higher layers while harmonizing all
- Wholeness requires integration of all levels, not escape from the lower
This is not theory. This is the structure of your being.
Practice: Seven-Layer Soul Scan
Sit in stillness. Scan your seven layers:
Layer 1 — Physical Body (Guf): How does your body feel? Tense? Relaxed? Vital? Depleted?
Layer 2 — Vital Soul (Nefesh/Po): How are your instincts? Appetite? Sleep? Sexual energy? Basic drives?
Layer 3 — Emotional Soul (Ruach/middle Hun): What emotions are present? What's the quality of your heart?
Layer 4 — Mental Soul: What's the quality of your thoughts? Clear? Scattered? Focused? Confused?
Layer 5 — Divine Soul (Neshamah/upper Hun): Do you feel connected to something higher? Is there spiritual awareness?
Layer 6 — Transcendent Soul (Chayah): Can you sense a connection beyond your individual self? To humanity? To all beings?
Layer 7 — Unity (Yechidah): Is there a sense of absolute oneness? Even a glimpse?
Notice: Which layers are active? Which are dormant?
Most people live only in layers 1-3 (body, instinct, emotion).
Spiritual practice is activating layers 4-7.
But wholeness is integrating all seven.
You are not one soul.
You are seven souls.
A complete spectrum from earth to heaven.
Next in series: Alchemical Imagery as a Map of Psychological Transformation
