'When we devote no time to the inner life, we lose the habit of soul... If we allow time for soul, we will come to sense its dark and luminous depth.'
John O'Donohue
Making time for soul is about connecting with our innermost self or soul, with the sacred centre at the very core of our being. It is about learning to recognise, trust and tune into this inner voice. It is about creating an internal sacred space in which this most vulnerable part of our being feels welcomed and safe enough to disclose itself.
How does the soul speak to us?
Many of us will have had the experience of hearing a voice which often seems to come from somewhere from inside us. It may seem as if we have heard an actual voice or we may experience it more as a strong sense of having received some kind of message from a deeper part of ourselves. It may be a voice of calling, of warning, of guidance, of intuitive knowing, of wisdom. This is the inner voice of our soul.
Sometimes, the soul also speaks to us though our dreams or through images, symbols or fantasies that seize hold of our attention and are not easily dismissed. In a mysterious way, they seem to haunt us as if there is an important message they are trying to convey. And sometimes the soul ‘shouts’ to us through the emotional distress we experience. This is in a sense ‘the sledgehammer’ the soul resorts to when we remain deaf to its gentler voices. We may descend into a depression that we cannot make sense of. We may be seized by a vague, nameless anxiety that threatens to overwhelm us. We may find ourselves erupting in anger or frustration that seems to come out of nowhere. These are the cries of our soul. They are messages of pain from the very core of our being and they demand to be heard and attended to.
Allowing time for soul
Allowing time for soul in the midst of our busy lives is about committing ourselves to set aside time to turn our attention inwards, to connect more deeply with our innermost self and to develop our capacity to recognise its voice within us. This is, I believe, one of the most important spiritual practices we will ever engage in. Listening to our own soul is one of the greatest gifts we can ever give ourselves.
Creating a sacred space for our soul
'The light of modern consciousness is not gentle or reverent... This neon light is too direct and clear to befriend the shadowed world of the soul. It is not hospitable to what is reserved and hidden.'
John O'Donohue
The soul is essentially reserved. And so we must approach it in a way that respects the shyness and hiddenness of its nature. Rather than trying to expose the soul as the harsh light of modern consciousness seeks to do, we need to learn to wait patiently and reverently for the mystery and depth of the soul to reveal itself to us in its own time and in its own way. We need to be able to bring to our encounters with the soul a willingness to be fully, deeply and lovingly present to our innermost self; a profound sense of wonder, awe and respect for the complexity, mystery and beauty of the soul; and an openness to hearing and trusting the wisdom of its inner voice.
Connecting with your soul
There no ‘right’ ways to do this and so it is about experimenting with different ways of connecting with your soul until you find those that work for you. Here are some of the many ways that I and others have found helpful:
personifying your soul, perhaps drawing on your imagination or on a particular character from mythology, literature, art or film. Alternatively, you might be drawn to use some kind of object to represent your soul – for example, a treasured object such as a pearl or diamond or an animal such as a butterfly, bear or lion
giving your soul a special name that may only be known to you and perhaps the people closest to you
finding or creating one or more visual images that capture something of the nature of your soul as you experience it
keeping a soul journal as a way of entering into an ongoing ‘conversation’ with your soul
writing a series of imaginary dialogues between you (that is, your conscious self) and your soul
writing a poem or song about or to your soul.
©Copyright Kaitlyn Steele 2024
Kaitlyn Steele
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