Let Your Soul Speak

“When our grieving, demanding intellect surrenders and our hearts soften and open,

the soul’s deep and gracious calls can be heard coming through a grateful heart . . .

and then life changes.”

I wrote this while completing my book about finding the love and mercy of grace during times of profound grief. I offer it now because this one sentence reminds me that I’m able to be more than the fear, sadness and discord around and within me.

I have been grieving the losses in my life, as well as the many changes in the world I had come to understand and accept as my reality for quite some time. Some days it feels as if I’m just holding on to the uncertain seatbelt of a grief-inspired, emotional roller coaster. Still, I believe whether I’m facing a difficult or easier day, healing and peace are possible . . . and my life is always poised to change for the better.

It’s all about trusting my soul will speak . . . and I’ll be a ready listener.

Of course I don’t pretend to have it . . . a crystal clear picture of a soul’s form or structure, its size or placement. But I’ve read and philosophized my way through my fair share of definitions and descriptions in religious and spiritual works, as well as the ideas of writers and philosophers, all to find very similar soul explanations. Simply: Soul is not our body, but a distinct and vital presence apart from our physical selves. Or, to paraphrase C.S. Lewis: You are Soul; you just happen to have a body to encase it.

I’ve come to believe that soul is a spark of the Divine, given to each living being at conception, meant to abide within us as a loving, intelligent presence. Soul is harmony – the peaceful mind, the open heart, the forgiving nature, the truthful speech, the love of all living creatures. It is the core of our being and because of its intimate, spiritual nature, it is the absolute best in each of us.

I’ve been trained to go to my mind with life’s problems, but there are issues to solve that exist beyond my self-involved mind. Soul questions live apart from important tips for climbing a corporate ladder or remembering the number for Door Dash; instead they look for the soul’s harmony . . . understanding why my heart aches, how to forgive the unforgiveable, how to locate the light in the midst of profound darkness. In Rumi’s words:

“The soul has been given its own ears to hear things that the mind does not understand.”

The most intimate relationship we humans have is with their own souls. Anne Lamott’s idea of intimacy helped me refine this belief. She has broken the word into parts that give it a special meaning for her. “Intimacy,” translated, becomes “Into Me I See.” She goes on to say that through intimacy we become the real narrator of our own life. So, it is through conversations with our deepest self, our soul, that we most truthfully and lovingly live out the story we call our life.

Try this: Find a quiet space and close your eyes. Breathe slowly, deeply, and let your heart help you form those intimate, soulful questions. Trust. Be patient as you rest, waiting in silence to feel your own essence speak. Something greater is at work. Quietly . . . Intentionally . . . Listen. And prepare for life to change.

With hope--

Jane