I think that all makes sense in terms of the levels of darkness, it’s just frustrating that Bungie has left us to fill in the holes on this point.
As for the issue of Christianity and the soul; as far as I’m aware Bungie tends to use the older “pagan” religions as sources and has tended to stay away from the Abrahamic religions.
I think there’s a lot more to the idea of our ghost using the spark of light to map and store our DNA. I just still don’t know how exo consciousness and personhood fits into the situation.
Then in the case of the pagan religions, the soul of the dead person goes to Hades for essentially the same thing. Presumably, the Guardian soul is called back before it completes its journey to the Fields of Elysium or Valhalla.
To mention a faith a lot forget: Druidry.
There are three states: Here, Inbetween, After. Here is literally here and now. Inbetween is like a storage, a doorway between Here and After, whereas After is the place you move to (and when you’re reborn, you go back to Inbetween first). Your soul will stay Inbetween for many reasons (like if you’re still having something unresolved, or your will means you don’t want to go). So on a very technical basis, it would easily be possible for a Ghost to summon you or recall you back from there.
Thinking of it as the Guardian’s soul or consciousness entering a state of In Between makes a lot of sense where thanatonautics are concerned.
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I think it could also be goodness of your heart. After there are lots of remains from the collapse. Why us?
Or there might be some logic to it that we are missing.
The Cabal call our ghost : De-something. Off to read what it is
Probably like engram technology.
If I recall correctly, there are two mentions of something similar to this “In Between” state you mentioned.
One of them is Legends: The Black Garden, where Pujari jumps to the acid lakes of Venus to “die” and see some strange visions about the Black Garden.
The other one is Ghost Fragment: Exo 2. where an Exo guardian “dies” with the purpose of getting some of their memories back. However, it is implied that at the last experiment, he does not return from the dead as Pujari does.
I think guardians do have some kind of an “In Between” place where they experience things (like memories or visions).
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And I just KNOW there’s a group of Warlocks who kill themselves to experience visions!
But I can’t remember their* name or the item that refrences them!
Anyone know?
Thanatonauts are the ones you’re talkin about.
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Thank you so much!
What would we do without you Red?
Just doing my job, your friendly neighborhood spider-ma… I mean, moderator. 
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I know I haven’t been in this thread (hope you don’t mind) but this really reminds me of in the books of sorrow how Oryx and his siblings keep killing each other to increase their power. Just a thought although maybe the warlocks who killed themselves where trying that philosophy. My opinion on the ressurecting of guardians is exactly that. I think they live and die but whenever they die they need to be brought back by the ghost’s light. Also something which wasn’t mentioned is what happens to guardians who grow old without dying? (Inbetween wars) Do they just stay dead until the light needs them again?
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To answer your question I don’t believe guardians age once they’re first reanimated by their ghost. If you remember at the beginning of Rise of Iron, Saladin was the same age in the SIVA Production Complex as he is now. It could be something the ghosts do. I would assume if our ghost can heal otherwise mortal wounds before we die, they could preserve our guardian’s age.
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I guess the light makes them immortal then. Except if the darkness consumes them for itself. Then they die.
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I don’t think the actual Light makes us immortal. The Light, one which filters through the Ghost, is what revives us.
The thing is, without our Light - our own, specific spark - we can’t be revived.
