The word “animal” comes from a Latin root that means “soul”. To ancient thinkers, soul was the mysterious force that gave life and breath to the myriad of the earth’s creatures. Some even spoke of a “world soul” or anima mundi that enlivened the whole of nature.
Later, theologians restricted the possession of a soul to human beings. But what is soul or spirit?
Spirit is the channel through which we become conscious of the essence - the inward beauty - that dwells within another living being.