Back in the nineteen nineties books and conversations about ‘soul’ were popping up everywhere. There were books on the care of the soul, the soul’s code, the archaeology of soul, in search of the soul, the heart of the soul, soul friends, soul making and even chicken soup for the soul. Soul was big business. Twenty plus years later it appears we have forgotten about soul and or simply moved beyond it. Our new technologies seem to have displaced our soul, our bridge to the deeper meanings and mysteries of life.

What gives significance to your life and how has it changed over the years? Are you experiencing more intimacy in the life you’re living today or more isolation? Do you feel more connected with yourself, your environment, your job, your relationships, your inner being and the world you live in or more disconnected? Have the new innovative social media technologies and world wide web communications made you feel more safe and secure, less so or no different? Are you feeling a river of joy flowing through you or no?

Maybe the difficulty here is that we’re so caught up in the ego’s concerns for comfort, control and command performances that we simply are not aware of our connection with the larger dimensions and different orders of reality. When significance and the meaning of life is overly attached to external realities we strive in the outer realms of reality and mostly ignore the inner realms. Body, mind and soul can be considered different orders of reality, each having its own perspective, its own hierarchies of value.

It’s been recognized that the reality of the body is constructed through emotions and  sense perceptions. The mind’s reality is built from ideas and concepts that differ from physical data. The soul’s reality is based on what really matters to us, the meaning of life and its significance. When we experience something we call ‘soulful’ we’re expressing an experience of deep meaning and significance. The soul becomes the invisible something within that silently speaks to our purpose for being here.

To live with soul is to be connected to a genuineness and depth that resides within to help us discover our essence, destiny, mission, uniqueness, genius, and connection to Source through the acorn that we are. The propensity for most of us however is to shine the shell of the acorn rather than to awaken and cultivate the seed within. We become fascinated with the visibles on the earth plane and forget the invisibles. Instead of listening and learning from the ‘still small voice’ of the seed, soul within, we neglect it.

Various traditions teach us that soul lies between deep understanding and unconsciousness which I call ‘over-standing.’ This over-standing is the unconscious ego personality that thinks it knows everything and that life is all about me, me, me. It dwells in pride, scorn, indifference guilt, apathy, grief, fear, craving, anger, and so many other maladies that infect our bodies and minds. The deep understanding on the other side of the divide dwells in affirmation, courage, trust, inspiration, acceptance, meaning, love, joy, serenity,  peace and the many other uplifting energies of our highest callings.

This metaphorical ‘in between space’ within us is where our thoughts words and deeds travel on their way out into the world. Because our personality, ego is developed in the first half of life and the soul is for the most part ignored, the ego informs us in ways that divide and separate. We get angry when we could be in joy. We move to fear when we could be trusting. We drop into judgement when we could be in affirmation and the list goes on. As we awaken to the soul as a bridge, a portal between these two polarities; it can be a  reconciling, transforming agent to create new arisings.

This is where stilling, calming, centering, meditating and presencing come in. These practices open the space between the inner divide and give us  the real possibility of moving from our conditioned knee jerk ego reactions to our deepest longings for meaning, significance and caring soulful responses. Seeing the soul as a bridge, a portal gives us an image that helps us make the journey into a whole new way of being and doing. Here we are re-imagining biology, psychology and spirituality to see them as one. Here theory and practice come together. Living with soul makes us Whole.

• The open secret here is learning to remain within while going out. When you observe yourself tensing up, wanting to argue, making a judgement, growing in anger or apathy; stop and drop into deep understanding. Stand on the bridge between the downward spiral of ego centrism and the upward spiral of affirmation, acceptance and appreciation. Listen to the silent call of your soul to higher ground. Cross over, move through and feel the joyful flow of the river of Life drawing you into greater wholeness.
• When faced with any decision large and small, find the bridge and rest in it. Feel the energies from the persona, ego and the energies from the soul, essence of being. Make the decision to move where the loving companion presence is. As you cross through this portal, feel the shift. When you reach the other side, stop and listen for Listen deeply with your body, mind and soul until you trust the intention.
• As you walk through your day, be aware of the roads traveled and less traveled. Remember, when you walk in harmony with your soul you’ll feel the joyful flow of a living river moving in you and reconnecting you with peacefulness and well-being. You may come and go from it but it’s always with you; flowing, companioning, guiding, opening you to your destiny, your highest callings. Listen, listen, listen and follow your souls call into a new aliveness of being, belonging, meaning and fulfillment…..