Soul Work

I begin this day with reflection on yesterday and what I realize and am grateful for is the way in which I have had many "soul" experiences.  As I spent time in solitude and wrote about my day, I realized there were several ways in which my soul was fed:

•  Through morning prayer and solitude.  
• Through writing in my blog (finally....after a month away!)
• Through doing spiritual direction.  One of the directees told me that she has spent time with Parker Palmer's writings lately and that brought me to peruse that book today.
• Through going to the movies - Audrey and I saw "The Death of Stalin" which was a comic and horrifying look at the transition of power in Russia following the death of Stalin.  
• Through attending "Women Writing for a Change."  What I realized this morning is that listening to the writing of others is really a time of reflecting on the human condition and this amazing journey through life that we are all on.

This morning I began the day perusing my copy of A Hidden Wholeness by Parker Palmer.  One of the blessings of underlining books is that you can then just read those sentences and spend time with the thoughts and words that had meant something to you on your first reading. Here is some of what I underlinds:

"There are places in our landscapes of our lives where no one can accompany us."  (this is the reason that solitude is so important.)

"Community is equally essential to rejoining soul and role".

"The soul can feel safe only in relationships that possess certain qualities."

"This is the first, wildest and wisest thing I know - that the soul exists and that it is built entirely out of attentiveness."

I have a true self when my self protective heart opens up and another person's joy or suffering fills me as if it were my own."

After this I spent a few moments with the lectionary of the day.  It included both God revealing Nebuchadnezzer's dream to Daniel and in Acts 4, a prayer of boldness for the believers:


 ²⁷ For in this city, in fact, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, gathered together against your holy servant^[d] Jesus, whom you anointed, ²⁸ to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. ²⁹ And now, Lord, look at their threats, and grant to your servants^[e] to speak your word with all boldness, ³⁰ while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant^[f] Jesus.” 
  ³¹ When they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness.

I share all this to say that the conclusion I come to  - again and again and again - is that God can be trusted.  And that what I want in my life is to be faithful to doing the soul work that brings life.
Clearly, soul work is more than a few minutes of devotion in the morning.  It is developing a life of attentiveness so that we can see God is really working in this wounded and wounding world.  When we see it - then we can trust it and join in and bring whatever healing help we have to offer.

Here is an appropriate blessing from Maxine Shonk which really says everything I just wrote with clarity.

May the God of AWARENESS be with you.  May you always be attentive to God's activity in our life and in tune with God's desire for you.
May your awareness of God's total love for you bring you to a keen appreciation of the gift of your creation.
And may this awareness move you to an appreciation of all created beings as expressions of God's love.
May the God of AWARENESS bless you.