RUAH- Divine breath March 10, 2008

The many meanings of the Hebrew term ruah, used in the Bible to designate the Spirit, seem to give rise to some confusion. Indeed. in a given text, it is often not possible to determine the exact meaning of the word. One might waver between wind and breath, between breath and spirit, or between created spirit and the divine Spirit.

This multiplicity however has a certain wealth, for it establishes a fruitful communication between so many realities. In this regard it is better to give up in part the pretences of neat reasoning in order to embrace broader perspectives. When we think of the Holy Spirit, it is useful to remember that his biblica1 name means “breath”, and that it is related to the powerful blowing of the wind and to our own intimate breathing

Rather than clinging to an over-intellectual and arid concept, we will find it helpful to take in this wealth of images and facts. Translations unfortunately are unable to convey them to us completely, for they are often obliged to choose other terms. To render the Hebrew word ruah, the Greek translation of the Septuagint uses twenty-four different terms and so does not permit one to see all the connections between the texts of the Hebrew Bible.

To end this terminological analysis of the Old Testament texts concerning ruah, we can say that the breath of God appears in them as the power that gives life to creatures. It appears as a profound reality of God which works deep within man. It appears as a manifestation of God’s dynamism which is communicated to creatures

Please find below clarification from Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi

“The Self is the Spirit. This Spirit resides in the heart of every human being and is in a witness-like state. The Spirit is the projection of God Almighty, while the Kundalini is the projection of the power of God, of His desire which is the Primordial Mother, or you can call it Adi Shakti, Holy Ghost or Athena.

So the Kundalini is the projection of the Holy Ghost, while the Spirit is the projection of God Almighty. The All-pervading Power of love is the power of the Primordial Mother, which creates and evolves, and does all the living work.”