I am most curious about this thing we call ‘soul’. There was a time when I must have assumed I knew what it meant. I certainly don’t assume that any more. This, despite the fact that that I have read Thomas Moore’s Care of The Soul and Soul Mates as well as James Hillman’s The Soul’s Code.
References to the soul are plentiful and varied, ranging from the religious to the secular. Catholics, for instance, dedicate one day of the year to the Souls in Purgatory. Buddhists refer to the souls or spirits or ghosts of their ancestors and to which they pay great respect. Most people have, at some point in their lives, been lured by the promise of romance and fulfillment with a ‘soul mate’. And I have sometimes described places or cities I have visited and/or lived in as ‘soul-less’ or, contrastingly, ‘rich with soul’.
In these latter references, I have used the word ‘soul’ rather than ‘spirit’ in a deliberate and cognitively distinguishable, though not definable, way. By that I mean that I have felt or sensed a distinction between soul and spirit but have not been able to define the former. So I am curious to know or at least have some communicable understanding of this notion I seem to have and which I seem to tacitly know or understand on some level.
Perhaps I wish to draw that hidden (dare I say ‘cellular’?) understanding into the narrower space of my rational mind. Why? Perhaps because I recognize that the process of questioning and analysis might help me uncover some aspect of myself that has thus far remained hidden in the dim alleys of my imagination and the securely bolted rooms of my desires!
So, I shall begin my adventure of discovery. I shall look for maps and signs in the works of those who seem to know the soul. I shall offer these directions to my own wisdom mind and take note of its responses. And I shall share my search with you as best as I can. In the meantime, if you have some suggestions for me about the sources I can draw on including your personal experiences, thoughts and even questions, please do share them with me. It could help me pack an interesting ‘travel bag’!
Love Always, Lucy
How shall I serve you, my Love?
For Online and Offline Mentoring/Meditation/Workshops/Retreats Contact lucy@lucylopez.net
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Hi Lucy,
Bon voyage! I suggest you read Carl Jung, especially his autobiography, Memories, Dreams, Reflections. Also, Thomas Moore’s other books. Barque, a blog dedicated to Moore’s work is associated with a forum at http://thomasmoore.ning.com . After free registration, you can discuss your interests with other Barque members. You may want to keep a journal of your dreams and record them over an extended period of time. By replacing “knowing” with “imagining” in the carry-on, you’ll have a trip worthy of postcards home.
Barque, what a delightful comment, cheerful wishes and excellent suggestions! Thank you. I shall follow up, first stop being your blog :-)
Not to detract from the fascinating interest of this subject – or the wisdom of seeking the resource of enlightened writings – but I seriously question the ultimate validity of an objective study of the soul, as opposed to the subjective observation and discovery that meditative disciplines bring.
Surely such objective study will appeal mainly to the intellect, to the imagination – provide you with alternatives, different contexts and perhaps different imagery – all of which will only increase the conceptual aspects of your understanding, rather than enlighten through direct personal experience.
I question the validity of reading recipe books to satisfy hunger.
Hi ellumbra,
Lucy’s trip itinerary can include a both/and approach with intellect and imagination. She needn’t visit sites only associated with one or the other. I didn’t mean to suggest reading a recipe book to satisfy hunger. My recommendations are maps to show where the food may be harvested. Sometimes meditative disciplines are helped by a guide. Have you read Thomas Moore’s books?
Hi Barque – good to meet you – I fear my comment may have appeared a little obtuse – but it was purely from my own observations, finding eventually that any form of conceptualisation, even supplied by inspirational imagery or reading material, confused the stark honesty of experience in meditation. Although I admit that it is comforting to find resonance in other people’s writings – and found it virtually impossible to not create my very own conceptual images, in vain efforts to translate the deep and intimate encounters into something I could start to understand.
Truly, it was just the lightest of advice – I would not dare to offer anything more than a fluid – entirely disposable opinion. Nor would I attempt to impose on an ever changing landscape – and render it impotent by definition.
It was the softest whisper . . .
I have not read any of the Thomas Moore books – what would they whisper to me?
. . . and I too am looking forward to reading Lucy’s postcards . . .
I believe Moore’s writings suggest that one’s inner wisdom and own experience to be more trustworthy guides than any descriptions of another’s voyages and observations. Yes, I too look foward to Lucy’s missives about her adventures.