The notion of the soul is so confusing to so many. We hear the phrase: body, mind & soul; or body, mind, spirit and think: Okay, I can feel my body and I understand the idea of thinking. But what and where is my soul?...
Our souls are the most differentiating aspect of our humanity. The soul lives in us as the ever flowing stream spoken of by Jesus, she is the strength Moses sought in the mountains of Sinai and the beauty dreamed about by poets. If we think of our souls as the part of us most free of the pull of the world, then perhaps our souls can be a source of healing. The journey back to our soul is worth making. As we learn to become more in touch with our souls, we become more able to be present to others. Communing with the soul, means leaving words behind. The journey may begin with words like the ones below that I included in a previous meditation. I hope you will visit these words again. After the words, though, the soul speaks to us in other ways.
No Words
Tigers talk only with children.
What about souls?
What if I asked you to listen to yours?
Would her whisper travel a pathway to your
heart?
Would she sing spring gold,
hum summer lavender,
celebrate autumn’s ticker tape parade,
chant plainsong to winter’s still quilt?
I say the soul lacks seasons. I say she lives ever-
green in mountain air, muscled with light, breath-
ing soft beneath the ocean.
I say she speaks without words,
is heard without ears,
& felt without hands.
I say no scars mark her skin,
for scars line hearts not souls.
I say the heart catches all arrows, bleeds,
seeks soul’s comfort.
The eyes of the soul hold holy light.
Her hands know where to touch.
Her ears hear the heart’s moan.
Her lips heal.
I say tigers talk.
hearts bleed,
& only the soul knows the true & ancient music.
Rest in her arms.
Listen to her wordless song.
Let her hands heal.
