The Soul (continued)

What we need to remember is that the soul is the finest part of us. It is wise, compassionate and loving. It is also bigger than you are. That’s because we have been given bodies to live in, and bodies tend to need care and maintenance, and they are concerned with immediate impulses. When you’re hungry you know it, and it’s not easy to wait. If you wait long enough your body may start to show signs of stress and that will stop you thinking about anything else at all. The soul may be focused on thoughts of eternity, but if your stomach is growling it may be hard to stay focused. Eventually hunger can remove compassion from our lives altogether, and leave people fighting over crusts.

Our souls have come to these limited and limiting human bodies for a reason. That reason is simple – it’s only when we’re in our bodies that we can heal our psychic wounds. This is what lies at the heart of all major religions. We can only heal ourselves here on earth. If we get this work done then we may get to “heaven” as it is variously defined, or nirvana, as the Buddhists see it, or we may achieve a release from the wheel of incarnation that the Hindus hold sacred.

The message is everywhere the same. We are here to heal our souls and help to heal each other.

This is soul work.

When I wrote my book on Memoir writing I used that term, soul work, because that is what I saw happening. By bringing their past experiences to the surface and exploring them the writers moved beyond the pain and into a place of loving understanding. If that’s not healing I’m not sure what would qualify. As they shared their tales the writers educated each other in the ways healing worked.

That is soul work, also. That’s what we’re here for.