The Difference Between Spirit and Soul • Lecture by Branden Sablan

from August 2nd, 2026

We welcome you to watch/listen to the video, read the transcript below, and/or share your thoughts in the comments!

About the Lecturer

Branden Sablan grew up in Norfolk, Virginia, and has worked on Navy ships since 2001. His lifelong curiosity about both science and spirituality led him to explore many different religions before discovering metaphysics. Branden found the Chapel in October 2024, became an active member two weeks later, and was baptized by Rev. Bill Whitley that November. Since then, he has felt a strong calling to serve. You can often find him supporting Sunday Services and the Psychic Fair in person, as well as opening the Chapel on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays for our Spiritual & Psychic Development class, helping others join both in person and online. Branden serves on the board of directors as the vice president and is a Chapel Spiritual Healer.

https://youtu.be/HtQaCq0SIR8

Introduction by Rev. Bettye Mason

As some of you know, I have been here for many years, and I've seen the Chapel go through been in growth stages since its birth. And one of the things that has been a great concern to me — it's to see it continue to grow.

And in order for that to happen, we would need to support and encourage the next generation to step into positions of leadership. And I feel that we are experiencing that right now.

And today's speaker, Branden Sablan, as part of the next generation of leadership, as well as many others here in the room. Now, Branden grew up in Norfolk, Virginia. And he worked in the Navy. He’s worked on Navy ships since 2001, and his lifelong curiosity about both science and spirituality led him to explore many different religions before discovering metaphysics.

He found the Chapel in 2024. Became an active member two weeks later, and was baptized by Reverend Whitley that November. I remember that. And later on, I tell you all what I told him. After that baptism, first time I met him. Since then, he has felt a strong calling to serve.

And you can often find him supporting Sunday services, Psychic Fair in person, as well as opening the Chapel on the second and fourth Thursdays for our spiritual and development class, helping others join both in person and online. He also serves… now, this young man has done a lot in two years, less than two years. He also serves on the board of directors as vice president, and he is a Chapel spiritual healer.

And as you all know, I also call him my adopted son. So please join me in welcoming our speaker today, Branden Sablan.

Lecture by Branden Sablan

Opening

Oh, thank you so much, Reverend Bettye. When I first presided, it was for… Reverend Bettye. Thank you. Now she presides for me. I'm so, I'm so blessed. Alright, so, good morning, everybody. How are y'all doing this morning?

Today, I want to speak on something that is both ancient and deeply personal. The difference between the spirit and the soul.

These two words are used often together. And sometimes we use them as if they mean the same thing. We say, she has a beautiful soul, or he has a strong spirit. We speak of spiritual growth, soul healing, soul purpose, and the presence of spirit.

But when we slow down and listen beneath the words, we begin to… we begin to feel that there is a subtle difference. And understanding that difference can help us understand ourselves more clearly.

It can help us understand why we sometimes feel divided within. Why part of us knows the truth, but another part still hurts. While part of us feels eternal and connected to God, yet another part carries memories, emotions. Wounds, desires… and lessons.

So today, let us gently explore this question. What is the spirit, and what is the soul?

Understanding the Spirit

The Spirit is the purest part of us. It is the breath of God within us. It is the divine spark. It is the part of us that is never broken. Never lost. Never damaged, and… never separate from the Creator.

Your spirit does not need to be healed in the same way the personality or emotions need healing. Your spirit is already whole. It is the eternal light within you. The spirit is that sacred place in you that knows.

It knows that life is more than the body. It knows that love is the highest truth. It knows that God is not far away, but present within all and around us. It knows that we are connected to one another through something greater than our physical eyes can see.

Spirit is not bound by fear. Spirit is not ruled by time. Spirit is not limited by age. History, mistakes, or human… labels.

The Spirit is your direct connection to the divine source. When we say someone is in spirit, we often mean that they are living from inspiration, faith, courage, and divine awareness. The word spirit is closely connected to breath. In many traditions, spirit is understood as breath of life.

In that sense, every breath is a reminder that God is still moving through us. When you breathe in peace, you are remembering spirit. When you feel guided by something higher, you're listening to spirit. When love rises in you beyond logic, that is spirit. When you forgive what the ego wanted to hold onto, that is spirit. When you stand back up after life has knocked you down. That is spirit. Spirit is the eternal flame. It is the part of you that comes from God and returns to God. Because it has never truly been outside of God.

Understanding the Soul

Now, the soul is also sacred. But it has a different side. If the Spirit is the divine sparkle, well, the soul is a sacred traveler. The soul is the part of us that experiences, learns, remembers, grows, evolves, and carries wisdom from one chapter to another.

The soul is where our lessons are held. It is where our joys, griefs, longings, relationships, karmic patterns. Gifts and spiritual growth are gathered. The soul is the storybook of our becoming. It carries the impressions of what we have lived through. It carries what we came here to learn. It carries a deeper calling of our life, and it is part of us that asks. Why am I here? What am I meant to learn? What am I meant to heal? And how am… how am I meant to love? And what is my purpose?

The soul has depth, it has memory, it has feelings, and it has longing. That is why we speak of soul healing. Not because the soul is bad or weak, but because the soul carries the record of experience. The soul may carry wounds from childhood, from relationships, from past lives. From ancestral patterns, or from moments when we forget who we truly are.

The soul can feel heavy, they can feel tired. It can feel homesick from God. The soul can feel called towards something it cannot explain, and yet the soul is beautiful, because it is always growing toward the light. The soul is not separate from spirit. Rather, the soul is learning how to remember spirit.

One way to understand the difference is this. The spirit is what we are in our divine essence. The soul is who we are becoming through experience. The spirit is eternal light. The soul is the journey of the light through many lessons. The Spirit is pure being. The soul is… sacred becoming.

The Spirit says, I am one with God. The soul says, I am learning how to live as one with God. The spirit is the flame. The soul is a lamp that carries a flame through the world. The spirit is music. The soul is the song being written through our lives.

The Role of Personality

Now, to understand this even more clearly, we can also speak of the personality.

The personality is the human self we know day to day. It includes our name, body, habits, opinions. Preferences, fears, likes, dislikes. An identity in this lifetime.

The personality says, this is my job. This is my family. This is what happens to me. This is what I want. And this is what I fear.

The personality is not bad. It is the earthly instrument through which the soul expresses itself. But sometimes the personality forgets that it is not the whole self. When the personality is disconnected from the soul and spirit, it may live only through fear, survival, control. Comparison or pain.

But when the personality aligns with the soul, life gains meaning. And when the soul aligns with the spirit, life becomes sacred. That is the spiritual path. Bringing the human self, the soul self and the spirit self into harmony.

Healing and Remembering

Much of our suffering comes from forgetting who we truly are. The soul enters this world and begins gathering experiences. Some are beautiful. Some are painful. Some teachers love… and some teach us boundaries. Some teach us patience, forgiveness, and some teaches self-worth.

But through pain, the soul can begin to identify with the wound. We may begin to say, I am what happens to me. I am my mistake. I am my fear. I am my anger. I am my grief. I am not enough. I am alone.

But Spirit whispers something deeper. You are still loved. You are still connected, and you are still divine. You are more than what happened. You are more than what you lost. You're more than what you fear.

The soul heals when it remembers spirit. That is why spiritual practice matters. Prayer. Meditation. Forgiveness. Energy healing. Sacred music. Worship, silence, service, and love of all help.

All help the soul remember its divine origin. They help us come back into alignment.

This is an important distinction. Your spirit is already whole. Your soul is learning how to experience that holiness. Your spirit is already free. Your soul is releasing what made it forget freedom. Your spirit already knows God. Your soul is awakening to that knowing. Your spirit already lives in love. Your soul is learning how to choose love, even after pain.

This is why we should be gentle with ourselves. Sometimes we judge ourselves harshly because we think spiritual people should never struggle.

But struggle does not mean you are not spiritual. In fact, being spiritual often means the soul is in a classroom.

The question is not, why am I struggling? If I am spiritual. The better question is… what is my soul learning through this, and how can I allow spirit to guide me? The question changes everything.

Spirit Unites, Soul Individualizes

Another way to understand the difference is this. Spirit is universal. Soul is individual.

Spirit is the divine flowing through life, and all… in all aspects. It is the same sacred breath that moves through every person, every creature, every tree, ocean, and star. Spirit reminds us that we are one.

But the soul gives us a … unique path. Your soul has its own lessons. Your soul has its own gifts, its own calling. This soul has its own way of expressing divine light.

So while spirit unites us, the soul individualizes us. This is why we can honor both unity and uniqueness. At that level of spirit, we are one family. At that level, it's so… each of us has a sacred journey. No two souls are exactly the same in their experiences. Their lessons, or their expressions, and yet all souls rooted in the same Spirit.

That is beautiful. We are one light shined through many windows.

Living the Understanding

So how do we live with this understanding? We begin by listening intently. When fear speaks, we pause. When anger rises, we breathe. When grief visits, we honor it.

When old wounds return, we do not shame them. We ask, what part of my soul needs to love right now? Then we turn them towards Spirit. We pray. We breathe. We become still. And we ask for guidance. We remember that divine presence is within us.

The Spirit does not shame the soul for hurting. The Spirit comforts the soul. Spirit illuminates the soul. Spirit leads the soul home. And over time, the soul becomes less ruled by pain, and more guided by wisdom. That is healing.

Healing does not always mean that past disappears. Sometimes healing means that past no longer controls the meaning of who we are. The soul still remembers, but it remembers through love instead of fear.

So today, I invite you to gently ask yourself. Where in my life has my soul been carrying something heavy? Where have I forgotten the light of my spirit? Where am I… being invited to heal. Grow. Forgive. Release, or awaken. Most importantly, how can I let my spirit lead?

Because when spirit leads, the soul finds peace. When spirit leads, the mind becomes clearer. When spirit leads, the heart becomes softer. When spirit leads, the body becomes the temple. When spirit leads, relationships become sacred classrooms. And when spirit leads, even pain can become wisdom.

Closing Reflection and Prayer

So in closing. The spirit and the soul are not enemies. They are not separate in the way two objects are separate. They're more like… light and journey. The spirit is the divine light. Soul is the journey that learns to carry the light consciously. The Spirit is your internal, eternal connection to God. The soul is your sacred path of growing, healing, and remembrance. And the human life is where the great mystery unfolds.

So may we honor the spirit within us as pure, divine, and eternal. May we honor the soul within us as brave, wise. Learning and becoming. May we be gentle with the parts of ourselves still healing. May we listen more deeply to the voices of spirit. And may our souls remember what they have always known. We come from love. We are guided by love. We are healed through love. And one day, fully awake, we return home.

You know… just wanna say a quick prayer before I finish…

Divine spirit, the source of all life, awaken our souls to the light within. May our spirit remain connected to your wisdom, and may our soul grow through love, peace, and compassion. Guide us to live with purpose. To honor the sacred presence within ourselves and one another. And to walk each day in harmony with the Divine. So it is. Thank you all.