To everything there is a season, and
a time to every purpose under heaven.
Ecclesiastes 3:1
As we know, all things in the natural world go through change cycles repeatedly throughout their lifetimes. In the plant world, these changes take place like clockwork. Life renews itself every spring, comes into full bloom and expression during summer, renders its harvest in the fall and dies away in winter.
We don't question this process in the plant world as we tend our gardens. We cooperate with it. We water and fertilize and pull the weeds, and thus help the garden grow and achieve its full potential. If we give the garden what it needs, it will reward us with luscious, strong, beautiful plants that bring us great joy. And come late fall, the plants will begin to wither and die and no amount of water and fertilizer will change this cycle. It is time for them to die, and we accept this season of death.
A time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up
that which is planted
Ecclesiastes 3:2
The seasons of most human lives take place over a much longer arc of time than that of plants, yet many a child has been born and lived its life within the cycle of one rotation of the earth on its axis. Or less. Some human lives come in and out of existence on this plane in only a matter of moments; a breath here, and gone. And no amount of medical intervention will change this. Apparently, it was time for them to die.
What we can never know is just why that was so. We can never know what purpose was served by this short-lived life. We can only have faith and trust that a purpose was served. Perhaps the purpose was to teach us about such things as faith and trust, hard lessons for the ego. For the soul however, these lessons are a piece of cake. This is the very "stuff" from which the soul crafts a life.
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and
a time to build up.
Ecclesiastes 3:3
Other human lives enter this realm, already seeming to carry the weight of many lifetimes in their bones. These are the ones we call the "old souls." These are the ones who come with a wisdom, already known and expressed in the youth of their seasons. The marriage of youth (in the body) and elderhood (in the soul) and the sweet possibility of a life lived all the way out to its edges, a full on, full out, full volume life. A long human life lived right from the beginning with a rich appreciation for imagination and beauty, for love and loss. A rich appreciation for every kind of theme and harmony life itself, offers itself to the world.
A time to weep, and
a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and
a time to dance
Ecclesiastes 3:4
These lives of ours; these souls of ours, cycle through their seasons, but to the one who lives a mindful life -- a soulful life -- change cycles will take place within an aware consciousness that embraces the process and cooperates with it.
Awareness of the soul's process and how to nurture it greases the skids and makes for a much less bumpy ride. The aware humans will not fight the natural order of the soul, which in order to be true to itself (and it must always be true to itself) does not hesitate to shake things up, empty the container, slough off the toxic wastes of being human and start over.
A time to cast away stones, and
a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and
a time to refrain from embracing
Ecclesiastes 3:5
Lacking this critical awareness of the soul's seasons, we'll suffer our journey through the slings and arrows, resisting the process and creating suffering. But to the soul, even our resistance and suffering is purposeful, more grist for the mill. The soul is patient. It has eternity to get this right.
Modern religions might have adopted the idea of the soul that lives on, but the eternality of the soul has been celebrated throughout human history. From the ancient drawings of the cave dwellers in southern France, to the temples built to guard and ferry the souls of the pharaohs in ancient Egypt, to man's earliest creation mythologies in Sumeria, the human story has always included the story of its soul.
Some people have a hard time with this idea. Some say there is no such thing as the soul. Some say it is only the electrical and chemical changes taking place in the brain, or it is only behavior, or memory or conditioning. Some argue that the soul is a flight of fancy, some are turned off by an association with religion, calling it a kind of "supernatural ghost". Some dismiss the soul as irrelevant in today's world. Some make room in their belief systems for "something" that is beyond the human realm, but have a hard time calling it "soul".
My own idea of what the soul is and how it operates has been deeply imprinted by my study of archetypal psychology and the work of Dr. James Hillman, the father and founder of archetypal psychology and an approach to working with the psyche that addresses the primacy of the soul and its process in shaping our human experience.
From Sanford L. Drob's interview with Hillman in the New Kabbalah on the the soul:
For Hillman the classical problems of philosophy, theology and psychology "what it is to be truly human, how to love, why to live, and what is emotion, value, justice, change, body, God, soul and madness in our lives", as well as the more immediate problems of sex, money, power, family, health, etc. are all insoluble, their eternal purpose simply "to provide the base of soul-making" (Hillman 1977, p. 149). "There is a secret love hiding in each problem, problems are 'secret blessings' that sustain and deepen our souls (Hillman, 1983, p. 181). This view is also Hegelian. Hegel, following Fichte, based his entire philosophical system on the idea that the conflicts, contradictions, puzzles and enigmas of the world serve the single teleological purpose of providing an arena for the development of humanity's, and hence, the world's spirit. Hillman's view hardly seems different, except that in place of Hegel's 'Geist' (mind or spirit) we have Hillman's 'soul'. The view is also Jungian as well, for it holds that the essence of psychological life is the deepening of the psyche's own experience, which for Jung is tantamount to the process of individuation."
So whether or not you agree or can even remotely align with the idea or concept of a human soul, there are thinkers throughout human history who, while not necessarily agreeing on the word, have given the subject of that part of human existence which transcends body and mind, which is more than the sum of its parts, a great deal of thought and consideration.
This is what I'm calling "soul". And as such, it has its seasons.
A time to rend, and a time to sow;
a time to keep silence, and
a time to speak
Ecclesiastes 3:6
Some of those seasons will be characterized by silence. When a soul winter has set in for what seems eternity, like the plants in the garden, the soul goes dormant and we're called to enter the deep, still, inner silence. In an earlier post, The Soul of Winter, I wrote:
The soul continually calls us to make the journey to the farthest reaches of our own interior, to places the light of awareness has never reached so that we too, might be rewarded with the riches of renewal and restoration. However to do so, we must be willing shed the skin of the ordinary world in order to enter the darkness. We are being invited to go deep and journey through darkness into those inner realms. A journey that is both frightening and empowering.
And the soul has a season to speak out. In last week's post, Social_Construct commented:
I'm not going to even hazard a guess as to what a soul is. I'm not that smart, or enlightened, or possessed with, what might be termed, the particular intuition required to resolve such matters as souls and all that may encompass. Perhaps, at some time, all the questions that filter through my mind, regarding the smallest elements to the largest expanses this universe holds, will be answered. But, for now, I find myself contented with my curiosity and my place here amongst my fellows. And I do take comfort, delight, and knowledge from those willing to share their wisdoms and insights. Thank you.
Thank you, Social_Construct. This is why I write here, and this why I give a personal response to almost everyone who leaves a comment, so that we might be in a dialogue together, a process in which we learn from each other what life looks and feels like where the rubber meets the road.
Personally, I would not want to live a life without a generous portion of soul on the menu! Without a conscious awareness of my own soul's process, life for me would be colorless and dry. And so there is something calling my soul to be in a collective discovery process by writing about this topic right now and sharing it here. Hopefully, it serves you as it's serving me. I'd love to hear from you, how all this resonates.
If you're up for it, next week, let's begin exploring the "soul" of things. What would YOU put in the hopper for such a discussion? What do you want to know the soul of? Food, beauty, money, sex, power, love? I'm up for this if you are.
If this is your thing, come pay a visit to Rx For The Soul, my personal blog and website, where you'll find more thoughts and offerings about the soul and about beings learning to be human.
Click here for information about the next session of LIfe Fitness Coaching Boot Camp, starting June 29.
For personal contact, I can be reached at judith@judithrich.com or on Facebook.
Follow Dr. Judith Rich on Twitter: www.twitter.com/dr_judithrich
Lewis Richmond: Adulthood, Elderhood, Buddhahood: The Stages of a Spiritual Life
Dr. Judith Rich: The Soul of Relationships
I agree.
"a generous portion of soul on the menu!"
a beautiful song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCuzDVmH7lw
cycles and seasons.. we walk together forward..
Indeed, what a soulful song! The French and other cultures seem to get it much more than Americans. I can't imagine an American TV program giving airtime to such an act as this, yet it's beautiful.
That share deserves a fanning! Allow me to be the first..........
Best,
Judith
since I know nothing about Dr. Hillman. Did he pre-date Jung (the theoretician
associated with describing archetypal psychology, according to my understanding?)
I'll try and research him on my own. Meanwhile, any clarification which you provide
will be much appreciated. Thanks again.
Thanks for your question.
In a very tiny nutshell, Dr. James Hillman was inspired by Carl Jung's work. then went beyond to evolve a psychology of the soul, archetypal psychology. Jung first described the archetypes, Hillman developed a whole school of psychology around the concept of "soul-making".
Here's a link to an excellent source of information about Hillman:
http://mythosandlogos.com/Hillman.html
On this site you'll find links to more sites containing his work and writings. He is still alive and lecturing, the founder of Pacifica Institute in CA. You'll find many videos of his lectures on You Tube. By all means, if this interests you, do check him out.
Blessings,
Judith
It has always been an uncertainty - soul - as we can't touch it or necessarily se it and yet it has always been spoken of in an out of relgions.
When I lived in India and trained to be a Swami - yogi - we learned about Atman - Sanskrit - meaning soul.
You/we are Atman we learned. It was great as it was so clear- I am Atman meant I am the true Self - soul.
It goes to the core of our being - that which is authentic-
We all speak of soulmate - soulfriend - all I really know is to be 'real'
and of course we all like soul food and soul music- which to me comes to - be cool- ha
Love- ya - soul sistah
Ed
Don't you love the experience of being someone's "soul" person? A soul mate, or soul sister, soul brother..... a very special connection!
And here's what also gets me about that..... this can happen at the level of heart between two people who have never met! Like you and me......
This soul connection is ineffable, takes place in the space between words, breaths, yet is communicated across oceans where it is present. It is a kind of knowing, a recognition, almost a reunion of sorts, yes?
In that there is only one tribe and we're all members, a soul relationship seems to reflect that truth more clearly. Who knows why this is so? I'm just grateful to be blessed with a soul brother the likes of you, dear friend.
Love you!
Judith
Lacking a council of wise elders to help keep the soul's perspective in mind is exactly how we lose our way. Our lives naturally become preoccuied in the here and now. When something hugely out of the norm hits us- we come face to face with the soul's presence.
great post!
k
I wonder, what the soul of Mother Earth is feeling right now? She is bleeding profusely and we are impotent to stop it. Or what is the soul of America right now? We are angry, polarized, at war with each other. We have lost our humanity.
There is so much to explore on this topic.... we could be here awhile. I could be here awhile. This material has me in its grip! You know how that goes..... I'm surrendered.
Thanks so much for coming along for the ride!
I do love you dear soul sistah,
Judith
Thanks Judith, for bringing all this back for me.
Love,
Cara
This goes way beyond the domain of language, to the mystery, another realm the soul revels in.
Thank you, Cara, for sharing your revelation as it also sparked one of my own.
Blessings and much love,
Judith
I am in an interesting position. I am an atheist who gets supremely annoyed by other atheists who see words like "soul" and immediately shut off their brains. So I bring to this discussion my own world-view, unwrapping your word "soul" and trying to fit its meaning into the box in my brain that seems to fit the best.
So when I read your article, this is what I see. Personality ("self") is a complex web of beliefs, experiences, and expectations. You can visualize it as a cloud or a dense spider-web of interacting pieces: your values, your memories, your priorities, your expectations. They interact, they feed off of eachother. Over time, they create a dynamics of their own: like a whirlpool formed in the current. As it becomes more complex, patterns emerge. The system responds to some things more than others: you become "settled", you become "established". Your become wise.... or you become entrenched.
This is the image that floats through my head when I read your treatise on "soul".
I love how the discussion here weaves together a tapestry made from all the different points of view. I so appreciate yours! If everyone saw this subject identically, a boring discussion it would be.
Instead, I think this IS how the soul works, "like a whirlpool formed in the current. As it becomes more complex, patterns emerge".... this image really fits for me.
The soul as I see it is akin to a master chef, adept at taking whatever is available and crafting a magnificent dish complete with intricate textures and flavors. Imagination is what stirs the soul and yours stirred mine!
FANNED!
All the best to you,
Judith
There's another shortcut to what I was saying:
How about Goldmans Sachs starts to actually mean what they say when they say that they are all about
GIVING BACK
?
Triple :-)
I promised that I didn't want to sound enigmatic.
Here's the proof. There's an awfully short version of all I was saying.
It reads:
You break it, you buy it.
addressed to Goldman Sachs, concerning the wealth of nations (or humanity, if you prefer. It also depends on marketing considerations.)
:-)
I do not deny that my comments on this could be viewed as a comment on the question (somehow out there) of whether of not it is some kind of judaism that drives Goldman Sachs.
Maybe that's so. But it's also an old hat that Lurianic mysticism is very similar to swabian pietism. Which is a german protestant thing.
And it's also similar to some other spiritual traditions.
So there's no danger coming from this link.
I know it's stepping out on a limb, but it may actually be the right time to bring this up.
Not in a scientific way, though. Not even in a featured comment in a column of a print-medium. But in the living section of HuffPost. As a comment to Dr. Judith Rich.
In my opinion, there is every reason to dive into the depths of these kinds of analysis, but I wouldn't go so far as to claim that 'the soul' encompasses material things. That's more than a rejection of scientism - understood as the view that science and only science matters. It would be dangerously close to occultism. Or alchemy. :-)
Which only serves to reinforce my favorite point that studying the depths of the soul is a good idea, but bad investment advice - even for Goldman Sachs.
I'm not trying to be enigmatic. I'm just saying that unleashing the forces of chaos (or Jungian archetypes or Lurianic mysticism) or of the soul is a good idea for people who have the power to go full circle and reach the phase of tikkun - but not for those who seek confirmation for their self-destructive impulses or (which is worse) seek to justify those impulses by some kind of magic.
I very much agree with the caution that the discussion (on the site to which you link and which I find very intersting) puts forward when it comes to gauging the positive use of psychopathology.
It sure sounds easy when one comes across it for the first time, almost like an insistence on a Hollywood happy end. But it's not that. It's much deeper - and that continues to hold even if it is likely that many Hollywood happy-end scriptwriters are Kabbalists in secret or 'out'.
It's about the growth of the soul, not about it's destruction. And the reasons for insisting on that are overwhelming. (the hippocratic oath being only one reason for that - it seems necessary to mention that it is not really suspended by the insights being brought to the forefront with this kind of approach).
Since I have neither theosophical nor scientistic inclinations, I can only agree with the Martin Buber quote in that paper that 'it is the exalted melancholy of our fate that every thou must become an it, every godly perspective must become an earthly one'.
This is awesome. And when we're done with this, we WILL know the soul of things. :-)
What's so funny? (did I hear anyone laugh?) Means we will live forever, of course. How would we get done before that? No way. No biggie, either.
I read Sanford L. Drob's paper on Hillman, and I found it very informative - also in terms of understanding where you're coming from - thoughtwise.
It certainly does more than clarify why the question of the 'existence' or 'immortality' of the soul isn't a question you worry much about. And there's no good reason to do that, because the phenomena and needs taken on in that tradition Hillman and Drob write about are more than sufficient to warrant the use of that term. There may be some disagreement on detail, but it's clear enough what this is about. Since the discussions about whether that's scientific or whether it's 'school medicine' are not on the plate here, we may as well cut to the chase.
The chase being 'achieved chaos.' Sounds good, right? :-)
At least that's what the folks at Goldman must have thought when they came across it - after all, it promises to be a way of turning dirt into gold. Well, nobody said it was easy.
But there's hope, isn't there? The paper says that 'part of the very meaning of love, for example, is that it is deepened through chaos, suffering and adversity'.
I love the way you have brought those wonderful words from Ecclesiastes into your post. They were put to for me very soulful music by the Byrds.
Soul for me is one of those words which has more than one meaning. Soul music, soul food etc is not quite the same as I understand soul to be as the divine spark, or spiritual essence, certainly in humans and probably animals too.
I see the soul evolving through an upward spiral as it gathers experiences, and with them understanding. I also see soul as the loving one, detached as it participates fully in whatever is taking place.
The magic for me as I am growing to understand it is that of living in the present moment, the now. Still a ways to go with that as I have a strong will which sometimes rides roughshod over the finer senses that are available to me.
How about the soul of now?
With love, appreciation and blessings to you,
Anne
Whew! Thinking about the "now-ness" of now and all that is swirling around the ethers....... at least here in the States. With the oil spill and the daily political rants, the soul of "now" feels quite angry here. It's definitely challenging to be "in the world", and not get sucked into the noise of it all.
Great fodder for a future discovery!
Thanks so much for stopping by, Miss Anne and for adding to this conversation.
Much love,
Judith
For now, I am not the one responsible for correcting oil spills or government decision. There may be more about this in my post this weekend - still waiting for the Still Small Voice to tell me!
Blessings,
Anne
The soul, being, as you say, the "inner truth" of something....... how are we humans touched by the soul of things? Is there an impact on us when we're aware of something's essence? What is that impact?
Great food for thought and further discussion!
Blessings,
Judith