A French philosopher once said "We are not human beings seeking a spiritual experience, we are spiritual beings having a human experience." Souls live many lives (reincarnate) and are not created anew with the birth of a body. It's a great question, though, to ask when they take up residence in a new body. I again have to refer to the work of Dr Michael Newton, and his book "Journey of Souls". Based on hundreds of sessions with patients under deep regressive hypnosis, our souls normally take up residence in a new fetus after the first trimester. The subjects all indicate that the human nervous system and brain are not sufficiently developed to support a soul prior to that time, and there is little to do. Souls actually come and go several times prior to birth of the body, but spend their time prior to birth creating a relationship with the body. Sounds odd, I know, but the book is great, and I highly recommend it!
No, a new incarnation is a new soul experience, but is the same soul, but one that has evolved since the last incarnation. Some souls return and haven't evolved, so they just repeat the same incarnation again. I soul always exists, but an incarnation really begins when the soul is in a human body and chooses of its own free will to be there.
A reincarnating soul chooses the life it enters based many times on the need of experiences it requires to evolve...such as patience,tolerance etc.Each succeeding incarnations follow the same path. We chose our parents because the fulfill part of what the soul requires.
I am not sure..I mean I think the brain and our hyperthalmic system is responsbile for our emotional sate of being. What we think and our reactions to various situations contribute to our emotional state of being. It is one of the things that most of us recognize. How much the soul feels about our current emotional state is one of the things we need to consider maybe.
I think that the soul don't necessarily feels, my perception of the soul is that it is what we are, if that makes any sense... I think that the soul is our essence, what it makes us unique beings, but it's kind of confusing though.
Right on, knitmehere! That explains it. We feel because our chemical reactions do it such way. I personally find this theory to be conclusive. Therefore, in case a soul exists, which I highly doubt, it couldn't really "feel" as you imply. Well, probably feel some other things, but not in the same way a sentient human does.