Life and Soul

Case History

“Outside and inside, life and soul, appear as parallels in 'case history.' A case history is a biography of historical events in which one took part: family, school, work, illness, war, love. The soul history often neglects entirely some or many of these events and spontaneously invents fictions and 'inscapes' without major outer correlations. The biography of the soul concerns experience. It seems not to follow the one-way direction of the flow of time, and it is reported best by emotions, dreams, and fantasies.”

James Hillman

Social work and science put a lot of weight on case history as a determinant of outcome. We look at a person's biological history, genetic history, family history, to determine the cause of particular personality traits and defects. We attempt to trace, by looking at a person's history, which life experiences went into making them who they are as adults. Those things do matter, but less than we might think. Yes, there are genetic markers for many diseases and conditions: cancer, heart disease, mental illness, diabetes, addiction, and many others. We know which markers are dominant and which are recessive, but even so, two people may carry the same marker, and one will develop the associated condition, and one will not—and we don't know why that is true. Perhaps this is where soul comes into play.

Part of the soul lives in this body—your body, my body—but is connected to something greater—something beyond this body and its history. Anyone who has birthed children knows that they come here intact—that is, they are who they are from the very beginning, before they have a history to speak of. Their nature is already determined—some are quiet, some loud and fretful, some are simply happy and easy-going, others are turbulent from the get-go. Even when they have exactly the same genetics, as in the case of identical twins, they may be radically different in their attitudes and nature.

We can discover who we are soul-wise, by carefully observing what we most love. What are we drawn to, what sets us alight. In our idle moments, what do we think about, dream about? In the words of James Hillman, “Soul imagines and plays...” Most of the “case history” traits can change with time—our work life, who we marry, our capabilities, our name and appearance—all are alterable. But soul is not subject to such linear markers. It is free of time constraints and has, in essence, its own life. Soul will create experiences that push us toward wholeness, even if those experiences are painful and disruptive to our outer existence. Often, our soul crises provide the catalyst for major change in our historical life.

I wonder if you are as aware of the nature of your soul as you are of your outer, historical existence. The soul is what attaches us to eternity, to divine guidance; it is the true essence of our identity. I hope you connect with yours today.

                                                       In the Spirit,

                                                           Jane