FreudLike

 Soul: The spirit or essence of a person usually thought to consist of one's thoughts and personality; life, energy, vigor.

Psyche:  The human mind as the central force in thought, emotion, and behavior of an individual; the human soul, mind, or spirit.  (Ed. Note: This appears to be a ten dollar word for soul.  I'm not being critical here, either.  I understand psychiatrists need to justify medical school with some fancy lingo.  How much could they charge saying:"Dude, you need to put some soul into your life.")

Meaning: The value, importance, point, or significance (of something beyond the fact of that thing's existence).

So if you're into Freud here are his three basic components of the human personality:

Ego:  The most central part of the mind, which mediates with one's surrounding; the self, especially with a sense of self-importance.

Id: The unconscious impulsive component of the personality.

Superego: The part of the mind that acts as a self-critical conscience, reflecting social standards that have been learnt.

So, in my case, the Id is the size of a jumbo jet and the superego is about as big as a paper airplane.  My ego, the moderating part of the human personality usually says: "Ah, fuck it." and lets the Id run wild.  "Party!!" screams my Id.

Individuation: The distinction of the individual from the general or the universal.  

This is an interesting concept.  It teaches me that the sooner I get a handle on my self as distinct from all of the other influences of the world the happier I'll be.  It's not them - it's me.  Quit trying to base my happiness or my sense of self on outside stuff.  It's none of my business, all of that stuff.  It's the stuff's business.

"Rather than ask, what does my tribe demand of me, what will win me collective approval, what will please my parents, we ask, what do the gods intend through me?"  Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life   James Hollis

"Enter the dark wood where there was no path, for it is a shameful thing to take a path that someone has trod before."  Text from The Holy Grail

The question I have to ask myself is does this path diminish me or does it enlarge me?