Before you are born, you have a soul contract. You chose to be in this World before you were born, you weren't born by chance. You have a soul mission to fulfill. Once it's done, you die and reencarnate as another being.
@ Emma, hello. Welcome to SoM. While nobody knows the exact answer, as someone who believes in reincarnation and has worked with spirits since childhood, your soul is the you that lives on. It's the spark of magickal energy that moves from one life to the next. This could be seen from the atheist standpoint of [to quote The Lion King] "when we die, our bodies become the grass, and the antelope eat the grass" energy isn't destroyed, it evolves. It can also be seen from a reincarnation standpoint that when we die, it's our soul that returns as another life. It can be seen from a Christian view that in death, it's our soul that lives on in the afterlife. Many believe we're spirits inhabiting a physical form which will return to the spiritual realm one day. Ultimately, your "why do we have souls" is more "we are our souls" that spark of life nobody can really define [the "nature" of nurture verses nature] is our souls.
@ Jofpika the belief of a soul contract isn't held true by all, but the belief is you agree to be born so you can example save a million children. You are born with no clue about this contract. You might go through your lifetime, maybe sign a petition or donate food to a shelter, but no kids are saved. You die and are reborn. In this lifetime, let's say you die saving a child from a burning building. That's 1 child. You are reborn needing 999,999 more lives. In this lifetime, let's say for whatever reason, you decide you want to help build a hospital. While you didn't save a child from danger like in your previous life, your efforts have made something that will help children for generations. You were completely unaware that was your soul contract, but each time you die, your spirit remembers everything and realizes what they keep returning to earth to do. Now that you've saved these million kids, you can make a new contract to come to earth. [Personally, while I like this idea, it doesn't resonate with me]
@ maurice0., some believe you choose a soul contract to come to earth. Not everyone. [I certainly don't] And many believe your soul chooses to be reborn. While Some believe you are instantly reborn, others [like myself] believe your spirit rests for a time. In the case of traumatic deaths or an unwillingness to let go of the living, you can become a spirit. My grandpa died before I or any of his grandkids were born, but we all knew him because his spirit stayed in our grandmother's house for over 30 years. We all saw him, we all knew when he was around. My grandmother even confirmed a number of times he was still in the house. My grandmother died in 2021. [both of them even visited me to say goodbye] When we returned home for the funeral, the house was cold and empty. Both of their spirits were gone. You have a choice if you wish to stay or be reborn. Once you're reborn, I feel you don't choose. The universe uses your energy how it needs it. You could be reborn as a faerie, or an astral being. You could be an alien on a distant planet. A house cat. Grass. Crystal. A star. Who knows! We never really die, our energy changes form. That's what our soul is. Furthermore, I strongly believe we have a choice in what we become because we also have cultures and faiths that work with our ancestors. If the moment you die, you become a tree, how can our ancestors visit us in visions? [yes, you could argue subconscious makeup of constructs, but I like to believe it's guiding spirits]
Im sorry, but I do believe once human if you reincarnate to life on Earth you will be human once again, you cant be a bird, dog or anything but human. You can however reincarnate to a spiritual being, a dragon, god, angel esetra, but this will be in another plane of existence.
Too me it does not make sense we can reincarnate into any animals, plants we like. Dna has to play a role even in the magical world.
I also agree with you Odd3n, it always made more sense to me that as being a human on earth and after passing away, your soul recycles into another person if one chooses to reincarnate, I never found the appeal in being an animal. But hey, that’s what makes sense to me. I’d always prefer to move up and become an astral entity once my time is up. :p
There are many who look at incarnation as climbing a ladder..
There is an adage I read once long ago, and though I can't remember the exact words it is easily re-written many ways.
"I died a slug, and was born a snake. I died a snake, and was born a bird. I died a bird and was born a wolf. I died a wolf and was born a man. Never has death made me a lesser being."
Incarnation to me is like development through iteration. "Do it again, but a little better this time."
