Intimate
Conversations
“Those
doing soul work, who want the searing truth more than solace or applause, know
each other right away. Those who want something else turn and take a seat in
another room. Soul makers find each other’s company.”
Rumi
I don’t
know about you, but I’m not good at small talk. I’m a total drudge at cocktail
parties. I have no idea how to “work the room.” I’ve given myself permission
not to even try. Lots of people seem to find small talk interesting and come away
from it feeling light and happy and as though they have loads of friends. Some
of us walk away thinking it was a big waste of time. I wonder about you—do you
like making small talk? About the weather, about the latest celebrity news,
what’s happening with Harry and Megan, how about that Crimson Tide, and such. There's a time and place for it, of course.
Perhaps
Rumi was right all those centuries ago when he made the comment, “soul makers
find each other’s company.” We are intimacy seekers when we are with others. The
problem is that sometimes soul work and soul conversations are hard. They can
poke places that are still raw and cause them to bleed again. They can be like abrading
a burn—painful but necessary for healing. That’s why some folks are happy to “take
a seat in another room.”
Last week
at Coffee Klatch, we talked about what we want done with our bodies, or our
ashes, after we die. Death is the final taboo, isn’t it? We are squeamish about
it—as though talking about it might be an invitation to make the passage. And yet,
we’re all going to die—just as we were all born from a woman’s body (also a
taboo subject). I think as we emerge from the shadows of the pandemic, those of
us who want to dive deeply into the mystery of life and the fact that we
survived when others didn’t, will be having more conversations about death and
grief and what happens afterward. Where do we go if our souls are eternal? Now
that the darkness is passing, processing our experience of the last 15 months
begins.
Are you
a soul seeker? I hope you are. I hope you are having deep conversations with
your soul mates. Those conversations are our most intimate connection with life—even
when the topic happens to be death.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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