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RAISON D'ÊTRE

.

Our soul isn’t owned or

conflated with any

religious organization.

Nor is it something

that can be bartered away

or sold to the devil.

.

Our soul is precious.

It’s worth immeasurable.

Connecting us in

undeniable ways.

Unique in its own creative

potential, yet whole as

one sacred presence.

.

Soul is you, me, us.

Inner and outer.

Individual and collective.

In the land and of the land.

An animating force

of life’s amazing grace.

.

So beloved, don’t hide this

vital power under a bushel.

Let love’s light shine forth from

within this holy incarnate life.

Not as your societal purpose

but as your reason of being.

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beautiful!

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Yes! Beautiful.

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This is beautiful, Julie! What a blessing and dream for the world!

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I was always told my soul was the real me,

The true self trapped inside this body

Like a canary in a cage.

But what if my soul

Is a story my body is telling,

Weaving together these living cells

Into something beautiful?

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yes, it's a story the body is telling, I love this idea

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*soul story*

Yes!

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Yes! The body and soul weaving together a life, a story, a journey, meaning...

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Soul tired - deeper

than bone, weary, but somehow

my heart is so full.

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I always find it fascinating that two seemingly conflicting feelings can exist at the same time. Reminding me that they aren't really ever separate, the soul contains it all. Beautiful A.

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That is beautiful. I also feel it

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Nice. Sometimes I just want to shut the door and sit with my full heart.

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Lovely!

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“soul” she types,

as if it’s simply

another four letter word;

but when my eyes

convey the sound

of this alphabetic quadrilateral

to my mind,

it sparks a cosmic grounding

beyond my fathoms.

It’s often conflated

with the heart,

but once you find a way

to let it find you,

it’s clear that it comes

from a place much deeper.

“marrow” is the closest

I’ve come to imagining

its depth and breadth:

a core location where,

not only who we are,

but also

who we’re meant to become

is both sourced

and sent forth.

I’ve often felt it as

a place we go to

but, truth be told,

it’s the place we come from.

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love this!

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"I’ve often felt it as a place we go to but, truth be told, it’s the place we come from." YES! There is no destination, only here!

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Very nice, Todd!

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I loved this Kaitlin and it sparked a poem in me which built on a line from your work (which I allude to).

“I feel this in my soul.”

But do you?

“I am tired down to my soul.”

But are you?

I once read

That a poet said

Of our souls they

“Just are.”

So let me feel this exhaustion in my body.

Let me carry the weight of a thousand worlds in my mind.

But as for my soul,

Let it be.

And as another poet said

“It is well.”

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yes yes, beautiful and giving so much permission to just be. thank you!

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Peace like a river....

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This is wonderful, Karri! I love the flow and cadence, and the questions framing the insights to come. It is well with our souls!

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“Hide it under a bushel? No!”

The children shout like

it’s the only thing that matters

They say it again louder

Not knowing what a bushel

even is

Not caring because they

know better than anyone

what it means to let

your little light shine

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I love that "not caring because they know better than anyone what it means to let your little light shine."

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This is so incredible, Grace. What a wonderful way to use "This Little Light..."

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“Presence embodied…”

my breathing is beginning to relax.

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Today I feel

Disconnected

From my soul.

But I like

To think

It's off

Somewhere -

Resting

In a field of

Flowers -

Just waiting

For me to

Give it

The high sign.

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It knows its momma.🙂

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I love this Sarah! What a wonderful notion--our souls "off somewhere, resting in a field of flowers." So beauitful!

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Soul

Soulful?

Soulmate?

Soulless?

What is my soul?

Something deep, just

Out of reach

Undisclosed depths of inner

Love

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It's all you.

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This is so creative and well done, Jane!

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oooowwwwwww!

I feel...

good?

Do do Do do Do do Do

nice?

sugar and spice?

.

who knows

.

Now

to the heart

of the question

of soul

.

Does one not first

need to BE

in order to have?

in order to feel?

.

At what point

does the basic

question of mere

existence of self

get out of the way

so as to open to

the possibility

of participation

in

the

sweet

soothing

succulent

sensational

susurration of

SOUL

.

oh

.

.

package deal

.

.

.

I'll take it

.

I feel...

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Good. Like I knew I would.

Hey, Maceo, take me to the bridge.

Yeowwwwwwsssssuhhh.

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What a lovely compliment to the soul, so beautifully and simply described. It is

spirit, eternal and belongs to the Divine from whence she came.

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reflecting on the soul

this morning

that part given

at birth

when God breathes

God's spirit

into us

the most holy

part of us

reminds us

who we are

guiding us beyond

the passions

of bodies, emotions, and wills

keeping us connected

to the divine and each other

whether we realize it

or have no idea

a sacred beacon

of hope and light

shepherding us towards home

our truest self

emanating from within

that hears us

being called

to our vacation and avocation

where our greatest passion

ties to the world's greatest needs

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This is so beautiful Kaitlin! 🫶🏽

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It was a long work day, and the poem I thought of writing got bumped by this one, which seemed to have more soul!

Soul

^

Soulful and

Full of soul.

The sole of my foot and

Soul of our spirit.

When I was young

I would just as soon ignore soul.

Not talk about it, this weird

Fuzzy place between heart,

Spirit, human and god.

Our souls would take flight.

even as our bodies wore out

bound for heaven, hell, purgatory,

or god forbid, Limbo.

Enough to scare the sacred right out of you.

Church school debate—

Do animals have souls?

Teacher scowls, but if my dog, which is

God spelled correctly, has no soul

isn’t that its own limbo?

Years came on and I found lots of soul.

In music, in song, in poetry,

and always in nature.

In the struggles for justice and freedom,

Human rights and equity,

Loving kindness and compassion.

The touch of a partner,

The smile of a friend,

The healing from a community gathering

To celebrate another life ended too soon.

There is plenty of soul there.

We don’t need theologians and clerics

To define soul for us, or tell us

Who or what does not have it.

Rather, we can breathe into its possibilities.

The promise of rivers flowing from me to you,

Oceans surviving after we are gone,

Love standing tall

After all of the hate has gone.

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Oh Larry this is so beautiful. And I love the part about dog souls, and I agree. Thank you for sharing!!

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Thank you Kaitlin for this nice comment!

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I feel messy and incomplete

Growing pains

And lessons on repeat

The world seems to whisper

Of my defeat.

It’s just my temporary body suit

And human mind in cahoots

For the comforting illusion

Of control

Obscuring the truth

That every beautiful soul

Is, and always has been,

Perfectly whole.

The Universe

Cheers me on wildly

As verse by verse

My soul lives its own

Inspired poetry.

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This is splendid, Janine! I love "obscuring the truth that every beautiful soul is, and always has been, perfectly whole." So much wisdom and blessing. Thank you!

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The rhythm tugs me along.

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My soul craves:

Connection

Understanding

Unconditional love

Beauty

Green

Love

As the deer pants for water, so my soul pants for you!

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My soul craves green 💚

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Very nice, Gloria!

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