I got to my study at the college only find a note on my door. That is not a normal thing during this pandemic, since people don’t casually visit other folk’s places. I looked at the note. The first thing I did (which is probably what I always do) was to look at the name at the bottom of the note. I was curious who left the note and, secondarily, what the note said. I was excited and sad to see that it was from a younger friend of mine who now lives in California. It seemed obvious I had a visitor and I missed it. The note confirmed that she was in town and had come by to say hello.
Rather than letting the sadness dominate and leave it at that, I called my friend and we agreed to meet for tea later in the afternoon. She told me she had a friend with her, which meant that I had had two visitors---even better. Afternoon came and so did the two gals---one a close friend of mine and another person whom I met for the first time. It was nice to see her again and to have a chance to catch up on life as we both have been living it. I also enjoyed briefly getting to know her friend.
It might have been only that: a meeting between two friends. Reflecting on it, however, brought some insight and gratitude. As I reflected on it, I realized this was more than a nice meeting between two good friends, although it was that to be sure. I realized it actually was a meeting between two souls. This insight that we were souls meeting brought a sense of gratitude. Let me detail.
I understand that many people today have no real clue what soul might mean. And of course, others assume it is something we have that ultimately goes to heaven. Probably there is a host of others who don’t believe in soul at all. It is also likely true that most people have not really thought much about it, so if they were asked what a soul is, they wouldn’t be able to articulate it.
So it is that I offer what the late psychiatrist, Gerald May, tells us. May not only was a psychiatrist, but he also spent much of his working years at a spirituality center in DC. He has helped me think about spiritual things, but in a psychologically responsible way. He says in his book, Will and Spirit, that “we can take soul to mean the fundamental essence of a person….Thus soul and spirit are not ‘things’ in which one may choose to believe or not believe. They are simply descriptive aspects of our existence, the one referring to our essence…” (32) Let’s unpack this definition.
Key is understanding that soul is the very essence of who we are. Soul is the real “me,” if you will. Soul talks about my heart, the core of my being. As a spiritual person, soul points to the fact that I am made in the image of God. I like it that May says that a soul is not a thing, like my lungs or leg are things. Surgeons cannot operate and find it. And yet, every day we are revealing some aspects of our soul.
It may be that we normally don’t even know anything about our soul. Said this way is to admit that I actually don’t even know myself. This is precisely the point. In my own case, I recognize that for most of my growing up years, I did not really know who I was. Oh, I knew my name, my address and my likes/dislikes. I would have assumed that I knew who I was, but in retrospect, I actually did not. My critique of contemporary culture is that culture’s goal is to form us into people who behave the way culture wants us to act.
Constantly, we are bombarded with advertisements to buy things, wear this and do that. Cynically, I am not in the image of God, but rather exist in the image of Fifth Avenue, Amazon or Nike---whatever websites and places we buy stuff to fit our identity. It was only when I began to take my own spiritual discovery and journey seriously that I was aware I was doing soul work. It is a quest---with a lot of questions! I am not sure we ever “get it,” but I do think we can become more and more who we are at our core. I am grateful for my own journey and for others who are making the same journey.
This brings me back to my visit with my friend. Even though she is relatively young compared to me, she has been on a soul journey since I met her in college. She never had a class with me but was part of a group I lead called “Soul Work.” I know she is continuing to do this soul quest. That is why I was eager to see her and catch up on where she has been and where she is going.
The conversation was good. And it was genuine. There are no secrets. All we are hoping to discover is the fundamental essence of who we are. If I can have some sense of that “place,” then I can attempt to live from that soul-place and act out of it. That will be where deep love emerges---the love that drives the quest for justice for all. It is the kind of love that can heal folks of the unfortunate racism that still plagues our society. It is nice to see the same work and goal in another one---especially a younger one.
When two souls meet, it may not be heaven, but it is good! And if we can do some soul work with and for others, maybe there will be less hell on earth!
Those of us who have read theology or, perhaps, those who are people of faith and are old enough might well recognize this title as a reminder of the late Jewish philosopher and theologian, Martin Buber. I remember reading Buber’s book, I and Thou , when I was in college in the 1960s. It was already a famous book by then. I am not sure I fully understood it, but that would not be the last time I read it. It has been a while since I looked at the book. Buber came up in a conversation with a friend who asked if I had seen the recent article by David Brooks? I had not seen it, but when I was told about it, I knew I would quickly locate and read that piece. I very much like what Brooks decides to write about and what he contributes to societal conversation. I wish more people read him and took him seriously. ...
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