They usually don’t say, “My soul is craving more.” Once we get to the core of their pain, they realize that the challenges they’re experiencing are often symptoms of a soul that is hungry for deeper purpose and meaning. Underneath the symptom is a need to add more soulfulness to their lives.
How do we define the soul?
Since I started writing my book about the healing model I developed called A Journey into Your Soul, I have lived and breathed the word “soul” every day. In my research to understand the soul, the need to differentiate between “soul” and “spirit” emerged. We often use these terms interchangeably, but I believe there is a difference.
I’ll share more in my book, but these are my current, nuanced definitions of “soul” and “spirit” …
Your spirit is your eternal, unlimited, divine spark.
Your Soul is the inner life of your emotions, experiences, history, and purpose that creates your evolutionary journey.
The painful price of being disconnected from your soul.
Growing up in a house that discouraged the expression of emotions taught me to numb my feelings. I escaped to unhealthy coping behaviors, one of which was overeating. Being overweight well into my forties gave me a fake protection shield. It took me years to realize that my weight was just a symptom and deep pain and suffering were underneath it. Beneath the weight was a lack of connection with my soul.
When you live a soulless life, the price you pay is a lack of joy, health, and meaning. I believe that lacking an intimate connection with your soul is the root cause of many imbalances. While our culture is aware of the effects of stress, there isn’t enough understanding about missing soulfulness as the core reason for physical and emotional dis-ease.
Adding soulfulness back into your life.
In his book Care of the Soul: A Guide for Cultivating Depth and Sacredness in Everyday Life, Thomas Moore says, “Soul is not a thing but a quality or dimension of experiencing life and ourselves. It has to do with depth, value, relatedness, heart, and personal substance.”
Most of us think about the soul as something profound, related to “the big stuff,” but Thomas Moore says that the goal of living well is learning how to foster soulfulness into our ordinary lives. Often, the small things, not the big ones, lack a soul connection.
Deepak Chopra’s book Reinventing the Body, Resurrecting the Soul, mirrors Moore’s viewpoint. Chopra says, “Here’s the whole scheme reduced to a simple formulation. “Soul carries the potential. Mind carries the intention. Brain produces the results.”
Self-awareness can help you connect with and listen to your soul’s needs.
Whether you feel unfulfilled in your marriage, family relationships, or work, all these symptoms often point to a loss of soulfulness. They signal that your soul needs more than you’re currently giving it. This emptiness can be filled once you bring more soulfulness into all areas of your life.
If your soul could speak to you, what would she say? What is she craving more of, and what would it look like to give more to her?
If you want to bring more soulfulness into your life, receive answers from the deepest parts of yourself, and get guidance from someone who has truly “been there,” then I invite you to take A Journey Into Your Soul with me.
“The goal of care for the Soul is to give ordinary life the depth and value that come with soulfulness.” -Thomas Moore
