February 10, 2008

• Stand Up and Show Your Soul!

  
  One of the most calming and
  powerful actions you can do to intervene in a stormy world is to stand
  up and show your soul. Soul on deck shines like gold in dark times. The
  light of the soul throws sparks, can send up flares, builds signal
  fires, causes proper matters to catch fire. To display the lantern of
  soul in shadowy times like these—to be fierce and to show mercy toward
  others, both, are acts of immense bravery and greatest necessity.
  Struggling souls catch light from other souls who are fully lit and
  willing to show it. If you would help to calm the tumult, this is one
  of the strongest things you can do.
  
  

  - Clarissa Pinkola Estes, from her essay “Letter to a Young Activist During Troubled Times”

  I came across this quote on the website http://www.soulflares.org/ which, by the way, has some cool soul flare stuff.  You know how some quotes seem to just reach out and grab you?  Well, this one did me, particularly that very first line:

  One of the most calming and
  powerful actions
  you can do to intervene in a stormy world
  is to stand
  up and show your soul.

  A major focus of mine at this time in my life is to uncover, discover, accept, honor, and show my soul once buried under oppressive layers of internalized cultural expectations, some of which were very unhealthy for me.  One of the many ways I am trying to do this is by spending as much time as possible immersed reverently in nature which is where I always feel most alive, joyous, grateful, and spiritually connected; also by living a much simpler, less materially focused and burdened life, embracing a much slower pace in this little cabin in the beautiful peaceful nurturing forest, focusing on gratitude, mindfulness, joy, wonder, love, and compassion.  I am extremely grateful that I have the opportunity and capacity to do this, because I am experiencing the greatest inner peace of my life now, despite my apparent failures in functioning; so much greater inner peace now than while leading a life society deemed successful.  In fact in my case, the internal demand I felt for inner peace eclipsed my desire for prestige, and the spiritual reward I am finding makes my long and painful struggles seem well worth the great cost.

  As part of my own process, I am trying to diminish my involvement with what I see as our increasingly cancerous concrete jungles and damagingly insatiable material desires, both of which in my opinion needlessly degrade Earth and clearly distance me from spirit. I am attempting to honor and embrace the “primitive” wisdom of such things as being more moderate in our apetites; being respectful and responsible residents and stewards of an invaluable natural world in which all things are connected and interdependent; decreasing our consumption of natural resources and utilizing those we do use in more sustainable and ecologically friendly ways; trying to practice kindness, tolerance, respect and compassion toward all; generally considering ourselves as a mere part of – not owners of or lords over – Earth and treating her and one another with an attitude of reverance and love.  I suppose I am taking Mahatma Ghandi’s advice in trying to be the change I want so very badly to see in the world.

  A closely related effort is working to fully accept myself exactly as I am – disability and limitations and all – rather than making futile and damaging stabs at being somone I am not quite but who seems more socially acceptable, as that invariably leads to terminal estrangement from my soul, and can ironically also negatively impact those close to me who still want me to be more fully conventionally functional and traditionally successful.  I am trying too to become more authentic in all my interactions with other people, even though it sometimes results in rejection, disapproval, and invalidation.  Sharing candidly on this weblog is one of the ways I am trying to practice being open and honest with other people as I work to accept, honor and show my soul.  I believe that by doing so I will gradually become much more capable of sharing much more fully whatever authentic gifts I might be blessed with.

  The quote above really speaks to me because others brave enough to risk similarly showing their souls continually inspire my own spiritual journey.  It is my hope that I might contribute to this synergistic effort, inspiring yet others to so shine as well, helping spread this calming and empowering and healing energy far and wide.  I am tremendously grateful for the profound sense of inner peace I have discovered in this process, and I thank all of you who also show glimmers of your soul here in this world wide web!
  

  • 9:24 pm
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