What is the soul?

Nothing like a very heavy question before bed... The truth is I do not know for sure what the soul is, but I have some ideas. I believe the soul is the essential part of ourselves that moves through life with us. It is a kind of rock in our centre--an indelible, certainty that defines who we really are once all the window dressing and incidentals are stripped away. It is the real self, unvarnished and true, honest and unadorned. It is the part of ourselves that knows who we are and what is necessary, true and valuable for each of us. It holds our longings to encourage us to fulfill our true nature. It causes us guilt and shame when we stray too far from our essential nature. It whispers in our ears and scratches at our necks...listen please...let me show you the way. We feel despair when we do not listen; hopelessness when we lose faith in our ability to manifest the calling of this persistent and insistent voice from within. When we do follow the call...life is amazing...because we have trusted in the incorporeal, unseen and omnipresent spirit that guides our life...