Photo by Greg Rakozy on Unsplash
Along with the What do I want? exercise, Yvonne recommended a book. Like the exercise, the book recommendation came repeatedly. Like before, I was annoyed by the repetition. It was Care of the Soul: A Guide for Cultivating Depth and Sacredness in Everyday Life by Charles Moore (link).
Truthfully, I was annoyed because I have a tendency to resist even the teachers I admire, love, and trust the most—Yvonne being one of them. And then there was the fact that I had never finished reading the book. Each time, I’d read a few pages, and put it back down. As of today, I still haven’t finished it. I’m a good student, but not an impeccable one. 😉 Each time I return to this book, I learn something new—a depth, that I yearn for, but I struggle to allow myself on a daily basis. Here’s why.
Humans are made of spirit, soul, body, and mind. Many people use soul and spirit interchangeably, but it isn’t so.
Spirit is the part of us that unites with the whole—some call it nature, some universal energy, some God. Soul is the part of us that connects our spirit to our body. Why would an infinite, ever-living, ever-expanding spirit choose to be in a limited body? The answer is soul. Whether your “thing” is a fancy car or good food, the soul connects us to life with the weirdest “fancies” as the British would say. Here are some of mine: sunsets on the sea, dandelions that spring through cracks, buttercups, spicy chocolate, artichoke lasagna, fuzzy warm socks, a lit fireplace any time of day…etc. etc. etc.
Our body is the most visible parts of ourselves. Most people think of body as the physical body that we touch, see, and smell. Other people may say that there are our ethereal bodies, too: layers of energy that surround our physical body and takes on some of its characteristics for those selected few who can see auras. As Anodea Judith says in Eastern Body, Western Mind: Psychology and the Chakra System As a Path to the Self, there are two energetic currents in each of us, one towards more freedom and more spirit, and one towards more individuality, more soul. We are most healthy when there is a balance of the two.
Image by: Eastern Body Western Mind, Anodea Judith
In the Care of the Soul, Charles Moore, shows a pathway for getting in deep, intimate connection with our soul. Each time I start reading the book, it opens my eyes to a whole view of life that a typically neglect in my day-in, day-out to do lists and hustles. I tend to be very hard on myself. Expecting myself to be productive and efficient day-in, and day-out. As I read, I begin to feel a deeper yearning for fresh air, good food, people I love, nature. Then somehow, each time I begin reading, I interrupt the process, until I pick it up again.
That piece that I discovered last year about me, this yearning to see the seasons change in Italy (See prior post) was so powerful precisely because it was soul-driven, not mind driven. It had me feel connected to the land in a very, very profound way, something that was new to me. But it also had me connected to myself, which was just as surprising. This want wasn’t about my career, my family, of my healing journey, things I care deeply about. I wanted it because I wanted it. Just because. A soul-yearning.
Since this discovery, I’ve been allowing my soul a LOT more time in my daily life. I’ve given up the 12-hour workdays that have propelled me through the past 10 years. I’m noticing when I read blogs and books, even when I spend time with someone, there is a subtle quality to their presence when, they too, value and are in tuned into their soul. The joy that the yearnings of my soul bring is profound.
As this 100-day channel evolves, my goal is to give voice to my soul, and the joy that comes from it. I aim to tend to the subtle parts of me, to show and reveal parts I rarely write about.
As I do, I hope to inspire you to live the joys of your soul, too.