Known by many names — heart, psyche, creative potential, the True Self, Holy Spirit, Christ Consciousness, the Buddha Nature, Spirit Guide, Wisdom Figure — soul is that essence deep within whose wise and true voice is like no other. And this transcendent voice is not just in some of us. It’s in every one of us. The pulsating, vibrant center of our being, synergistically bridges body, mind, and spirit into one dynamic, cohesive whole.
Isn’t this what we all long for? Isn’t this what all the great religions, especially the mystical ones, are guiding us to know? Don’t we all seek to guide our one and only life from deep within rather than from without? Yet we know that tuning into the Voice of Soul is a spiritual reality, which stands apart from the practice of any specific religion, any inspirational book we read; any simplistic psychological solution. Soul can’t be taught. It must be caught.
We live in an amazing time. The potential for personal transformation is accelerated even as the destruction of old forms presses forward with startling force. Astrology reveals that “we are in a shift comparable in magnitude to 500 years ago, when much of the world realized that the Earth was not flat, nor was it the center of the universe, but rather a sphere orbiting around the Sun.” Ongoing planetary aspects are “helping to transmit information from sources far beyond our normal range and awakening many people to their true identity and purpose”. (The Mountain Astrologer)
We’d have to be on drugs not to notice. Evidence of the change is all around us. And so we ask: What’s going on? What next? What is my role in this evolutionary shift? Soul stands in the midst of it all, day after day, night after night, its unfailing beam seeks to pierce our personal darkness with life-guiding messages. But how do we see? How do we know? Like AA says, “It works if you work it.” This is reality: Our world isn’t flat. It’s round. There is a center. We need to go there. A lot. More than we ever have before. Guaranteed, with all the shakin’ goin’ on, we’ll be a mess until we do.
What works for you? How do you still your mind, calm your body, settle your emotions and listen to your soul?
~ Meditate?
~ Pray?
~ Commune with nature?
~ Yoga?
~ Body Work?
~ A road trip with no destination in mind?
~ Focused, non competitive exercise--hiking, climbing, rowing?
~ A long soaking bath?
~ Music?
~ Art?
~ Contemplation?
~ Gardening?
~ Watching children and animals play?
~ Horseback Riding?
~ Honest writing which includes questions and sitting still until the answers come?
~ Safe loving relationships where someone listens, lets you talk, offers no solutions, and then lets you be?
~ Retreat?
~ Travel to far away places where no one knows your name?
Sometimes joining in a time-focused, soul-searching group, will jump start your process. Listening to experiences of like-minded others can be inspiring. Sharing your own intuitive awareness validates your experience. Just knowing that you are not alone, that we are all more alike than different, can be all the encouragement you need.
The possibilities are as endless as we are. Try one, try them all. Whatever you do, be gentle with yourself. Silence the voice of discouragement. Set your intention. Open to the possibilities. Keep on. Expect the unexpected.
A soulful world is created one person at a time. Until one day we reach critical mass and experience a universal transformation of consciousness. A tale about monkeys illustrates the principle:
As the story goes, scientists hoped to demonstrate the adaptive power of primates. Monkeys -so like humans - were likely subjects. So they populated three deserted island with monkeys and sweet potatoes. Poor monkeys. Everyone knows they love bananas. Although sweet potatoes have the same chemical make-up, and are therefore capable of sustaining monkey life, the monkeys weren’t going for it.
Day by day, the monkeys grew hungrier and meaner. Quarrels broke out. Nobody was happy. Then one day, one smart little monkey dragged a hairy sweet potato to the water’s edge, washed it, polished it, and ate the whole thing. One monkey slept peacefully that night.
Then one day another monkey on another island ate a sweet potato, then another, and another. A definite adaptive trend had begun. On the day that the 100th monkey washed and ate sweet potatoes, every monkey on every island simultaneously did the same thing.
What a relief. There is hope for both monkeys and humans.
