Authentic Power

 

Soul Power

“You used to think you were powerful when you resisted your emotions, when you held back and didn’t express yourself. You thought power came from being who you thought you should be, instead of who you are. Now you have learned that only when you are who you really are, can true power come.”

Melody Beattie (Journey to the Heart, p.53; Harper San Francisco, 1996)

          Most of us spend half a lifetime trying to be who we think we should be. Either we align with our parents’ ideas of who we must be, or we fashion ourselves as the exact opposite. Either way, it is our parents’ template. Somewhere around mid-life, we discover an emptiness within us and, at the same time, a deep longing for something we cannot name. What we long for is our soul, our soul’s way of expressing itself in the world. The emptiness we feel is its absence, so we go looking for a “soulmate.” Sometimes we even find that person. They personify our soul, and in the best of circumstances, they guide us to an authentic expression of that soul. Not everyone finds that soulmate, however. These people set out on a voyage of self-discovery akin to Homer’s Odysseus in the Odyssey. It is filled with pitfalls and twists of fate. Most of us recognize, in hindsight, that the trials and tribulation we faced on our journey led us to our soul’s purpose.

          Each of us has a certain amount of power to exert in the world. That power is determined by how closely we align ourselves with our soul’s purpose. It may not have anything to do with your profession, or who your friends are, or how wide your sphere of influence is. It has everything to do with how well you know yourself. How comfortable you are in your own skin. It is about standing on your own feet with confidence and humility. We must be living from our own authentic self to wield true and lasting power. At least, to wield power for the good.

          One way or another, we all make our way to soul, and soul receives us home. In the best of all worlds, we find our way in time to use our power for the greater good. We make an imprint on the world’s soul and advance humanity’s evolution. It’s not about what you do, it’s about who you are. If you are fully yourself—mind, body, and soul—everything you do will carry that authentic power, and the world will be better because of it.

                                                  In the Spirit,

                                                  Jane