Journal of Sacred Work

Days 253-257 – Where is Our Soul?

Double rainbow  When my youngest grandson saw these twin rainbows he said, "That means there are two pots of gold!"

   Maybe more.   

   Any science teacher can explain double rainbows. None can explain why such sights (including the way the car shape mimics the rainbows) move the soul.    

   Nothing is more elusive to the mind than the soul. It is a game of hide & seek. The brain analyzes. The soul dodges capture the way any ghost eludes mortal embrace. 

   "What is precious/ inside us does not/ care to be known by the mind/ in ways that diminish/ its presence," David Whyte writes. To describe love is tantamount to death by textbook. 

   The notion that our most precious gift cannot be "figured out" is a confounding reality & a gorgeous mystery. The idea that even poets cannot define it frustrates professors & scientists alike.

   Minds ask, What is it? How does it work? The soul defies earthly inquiries.

   What should we do? Many answer by dismissing soul & spirit as nonsense. Others seek to explain thus missing Whyte's wisdom that the soul's unfathomable truth "does not/ care to be known by the mind."  Nor can it be. 

   Where, then, is our soul? It is nowhere & everywhere. In other words. The best way to appreciate our spirit is with humility.

   Our mind's assumption that intelligent analysis will "figure out" the soul is arrogance. It is akin to alleging that our eyes should see what they cannot see.

  Humility engages words like "sacred," "holy" & "mysterious." These choices hint rather than answer. 

  Want a glimpse of the soul at work? Watch someone who reaches beyond thinking to give caregiving so beautiful that it makes no sense.

Reverend Erie Chapman

"Double Rainbow" – Family Member Photo

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8 responses to “Days 253-257 – Where is Our Soul?”

  1. Alice Lopez Avatar
    Alice Lopez

    I woke up this morning to watch the whisper of three sailboat shadows lying on the Great Lake. The summer sun rising over their shoulders cast an orchestral wand ,dividing the waters and directing the oboe of the day to sing.

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  2. Erie Chapman Foundation Avatar
    Erie Chapman Foundation

    Alice. Your two sentences are more poetic than my entire post. Welcome to the Journal!

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  3. JVD Avatar
    JVD

    Words? There are no explanations besides Love.
    Over the weekend in my newsfeed I came across an article about the trap of language and the mind-body education. Then today I was listening to a podcast which for a time tried to use words to explain the ever smaller building blocks of our world. There is always a space between spaces. Words can not explain.
    But Erie brings to my mind a thought about our children’s future. Lately it seems students only learn words and numbers so they can pass a test. Learn a skill for a job. If that job goes away, we will reteach you. But what of the soul? What of the spirit? There used to be music classes in school but most have been eliminated because of the cost to teach for the test. Music can be sacred, holy and mysterious. With music, one can soothe the soul and find some spirit (or spirituals).
    Be at a memory care facility during a sing-along and see the magic of music bring lost souls alive with spirit. Favorite songs and tunes can rekindle the mind, bringing up memories. And they can take you on a journey… “Over the Rainbow.”
    The soul is hiding between the rainbows.

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  4. ~liz Wessel Avatar
    ~liz Wessel

    The synergy of nature and form in this photo is a lovely illustration of how Spirit is unfolding all around us and invites us into relationship. How easy to miss if we are distracted and is experienced with our full presence. My attention was so fixed on the arching rainbows that initially, I missed the beautiful symmetry of how they cradled the car.
    Yours is a beautiful expression that moves us from the head to the heart. Thank you for the gift of your spirit, Erie.

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  5. sbeng@att.net Avatar
    sbeng@att.net

    Erie: I love your comment “Want a glimpse of a soul at work? Watch someone who reaches beyond thinking to give care giving so beautiful that it makes no sense?” The mind can dictate and change course any time. When tough time comes the loving and caring soul perseveres and plods on for the benefit of the individual who is being cared for. The giver senses joy when it brings comfort to the comfortless. The receiver of the care is comforted for having such a caring individual.

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  6. erie Avatar
    erie

    Brilliant, JVD. First, “There is always a space between spaces.” and then, “The soul is hiding between the rainbows.” Fantastic. Thanks also for observing the tragic changes in school training that cut out the arts and dismiss the spirit.

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  7. erie Avatar
    erie

    Thank you, Liz. And thanks for noticing the way the car echos the arc of rainbows. There is usually much more in most pictures than most of us see – including in your great mandalas!

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  8. erie Avatar
    erie

    Thank you, Suan – particularly for noticing the way love always goes beyond common sense! You have comforted so many.

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