For some the soul is light, beauty, music, creation, and for billions of people, the soul is religious. For millennia, religion has given many people a connection with the inner self and a place in the world. But the roots of spirituality do not only grow from theistic beliefs. Over a billion people in the world ascribe to secular representations instead, some even rejecting the idea of the soul entirely. As new branches grow every day, the roots explored here could never truly capture the world’s vast array of beliefs.
Image by Erin Irby