Your Soul Knows

“Your soul knows the geography of your destiny. Your soul alone has the map of your future therefore you can trust this indirect, oblique side of yourself. If you do, it will take you where you need to go, but more important than that, it will teach you a kindness of rhythm in your journey.”

John O’Donohue (Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom)

          I find myself writing about soul a lot these days. I think I’m trying to figure out what it is, which voice it is among the inner chorus, and exactly where it resides within me. As I grow older, I feel closer to soul than I do to personality or ego. We humans are so complex—especially in our psyche, but as we go through the stages of development, some parts of us become more dominant than others. And then, you begin to hear distinct voices for each of them. For example: Take a look at the sunrise outside my window this morning. It’s now 6:30 a.m. and I’ve been up for more than an hour. My personality chastised me at five o’clock, saying “Why are you getting up so early? You are retired. You could stay in bed as long as you want.” And then, this happens—this sky on fire—and my soul says, “This is why I got you up in darkness. How could you possibly miss this?”

          Your soul knows your destiny, and it knows how to get you there. Salmon trust it. That is why they return to the river of their spawning no matter how far away it may be. They don’t consider other rivers; they don’t say, “To heck with that long journey, I’m staying put!” They just start swimming and soul shows them the way. “That’s instinct,” you say. “That’s the way they are programmed. They don’t have this higher brain giving them other options.” And I say, how do you know? And besides, we have instinct, too. We just overrule it. Our ego says, “No, I’m in charge here. I’m going this way.” So, the soul shrugs, throws up its hands, and ques-up another lesson for us to learn. That’s how we get so lost.

          If you allow soul to direct you, you will find, as John O’Donohue said, “the kindness of rhythm in your journey.” Your soul knows the geography. It knows the best route through rough terrain. It knows good places to rest. Springs where you can drink the water and refresh yourself. Trust it to take you where you need to go, and to show you all the beauty along the way.

                                                  In the Spirit,

                                                  Jane