Post eleven of fourteen, in section About Awakening
If awareness is the timeless, spaceless light that connects us all from the outside, then the soul is the eternal, flowing darkness that connects us all from the inside.
Awareness is the clarity of the mind, while the soul is the intuitive felt sense of mystery. Awareness is the consciousness that makes it possible to know that experience is happening. Soulfulness is the interconnected meaning that creates order in the cosmos.
We need both of these things; you cannot have light without dark or dark without light. A plant cannot grow without the nutrients of the rich, dark soil, nor without the light of the sun.
They are separate, but non-dual. The light and dark are like matrices that play off each other and interweave through space-time creating the tapestry of experience. Together the light and dark create the depth that immerses you in life.
Anatman
Anatman is one of the core beliefs of traditional Buddhism and one translation of it is no-soul. It is pointing towards the idea that people do not have a permanent, separate self in the way that they tend to imagine they do; there is a deeper layer of truth that it is possible to awaken to that is more empty and interconnected.
While I believe in the soul, I can understand a way that this idea of no-soul could be included in a wholesome way. In the same way that people do not have a piece of awareness that is only ‘you’, people also do not have a piece of soul that is only ‘you’. Ultimately soulfulness and meaning is shared across the entirety of humanity and the Universe. It is the higher cosmic order that stops things being an incomprehensible chaotic mess. The Universl Soul is an interconnected web of meaning that people are participants in.
From an awakened perspective, the mind is a sense organ. Minds connect with interconnected experience and turn this experience into thoughts, ideas and perceptions, in the same way the eye turns experience into something that is visible. On a soul level, people are like intuitive sense organs; their intuition connects with the underlying meaning and resonance that is rippling through the Universe and experience.
Once this more interconnected context is understood, it’s also important to include that people do experience life as a unique essence or soul. While their ‘self’ might be fundamentally fluid and interconnected there are things that make an individual different from the rest of experience, for example, the unique ways that they process the world and the individual purpose that they are uniquely fitted to serve.
From the perspective of non-self, you can’t separate a person from the interconnected set of circumstances that created their experience – they are a sum of their context. But from the perspective of having a soul, neither can you boil someone’s experience down to just impersonal and generic ingredients – they hold a deeply personal and unique way of experiencing that nothing or no-one else is able to fully replicate. In this way, you are a unique soul in the world.
Soul, Archetypal Realm, Cosmos, Karma, Synchronicity, Mystery, Magic
The language that I use to describe the soulful aspect of experience is very fluid. This is because it is the part of experience where meaning and resonance arises from and meaning depends on context, so the best language to use will depend on the context it is being used in.
It is the part of experience that is abstract from the body, the heart and the mind. This ineffable or abstract part of experience exists separately from the more fixed, concrete or logical aspects.
It is the aspect of experience that is mystical, magical, creative and ineffable.
Modern Western culture mostly focuses on the mind or awareness aspect of experience as the place where the truth of reality or experience can be found. This is reflected through both science and most meditative practices – most people believe that meditation practice is something people do with their minds. But it is just as important to connect to these more intuitive depths of experience.
It is much more meaningful and rich to work towards a spirituality of wholeness and balance between these different elements of experience; the logical, clear side of the mind, and the ineffable, mysterious side of the soul. It’s also much more reflective of the true nature of reality.
There are different aspects and qualities of the soulful part of experience that emerge in different contexts. Here are some ways of understanding the soul through different lenses and with different language.
Soul
The soul is the part of experience where creative life force is arising from. It is what drives you forward in your deepest desires and fullest expressions in the world. For example, the things people describe as soulful tend to be expressions of deep creativity.
When someone talks about a soul mate, they are describing a person who they connect with on some deep, inexplicable level. The connection is inspiring in a way that they feel that their life force is in some way met, seen, or being fuelled.
This life force can also be described as eros and the soul often has a lot of erotic energy connected with it. Opening to your sexuality and deepest desires is another way of accessing this part of yourself.
The Archetypal or Shamanic Realm
The archetypal realm is rich with symbolism, but it also has a lot of physical energy held in it. This can be quite mystical, but it can also be really simple.
You can feel an example of this energetic and archetypal realm in action. If you put on a power outfit and your favourite song and stand up tall, you can feel how the way you experience yourself is different to if you are cuddled up on the sofa in your favourite sweat pants. It creates an entire vibe that you are immersed in.
Through accessing more archetypal ways of being, you are freed up from being stuck in your fixed idea of yourself. For example, by embracing the part of you that is a fierce warrior, you can find it easier to stand up for something or say no. By embracing the part of you that is a soft animal you can learn to be gentler with yourself and others.
One of my favourite examples of this was hearing someone describe how when things are challenging and they’ve run out of motivation, they pretend they are their own assistant. They are no longer themselves, they become their own assistant and just get on with the thing they need to do.
Archetypes can give people free rein to access different parts of themselves without getting hung up on what it says about them. Connecting to this more archetypal part of experience makes it possible to feel that everyone is embodying different characters and playing different roles in life all the time. You can notice how this comes out through individual behaviours and spot the ways that it ripples across humanity.
Archetypes can be explicitly used to access part of yourself that you have rejected, or pushed into shadow, in order to liberate that energy and find a more natural freedom of expression. They can also be used to understand your essence more, by describing the archetypes that you naturally gravitate towards.
The archetypal realm can also be used to work with the imagination and heal trauma. An example is by meeting ideal archetypal figures who can help you on your journey, either in your imaginative world or in real life.
The shamanic aspect is noticing how these underlying energies are moving through experience under the surface all the time and you can become a channel for making them conscious through things like psychedelics, deep meditative states, or creative practices.
It’s also possible to open to the archetypal or shamanic realm through dreams and imaginal practice. In these realms it’s possible to be taken on a journey through the symbolism and energy that you need to experience in order to see things clearly, to process emotions, to move forward in life, or to heal aspects of yourself.
Cosmos
I use the word cosmos to describe the interconnected meaning that infuses the entire Universe.
Without some kind of cosmic order, the entirety of experience would be an incomprehensible and chaotic mess. There needs to be some degree of interconnected meaning in order for the whole thing to function.
This cosmic order includes everything – all the stars and planets, every animal and insect, the computer or phone you are reading this on, the tiny sensations in your fingertips, the deep-sense of awe, and the nagging sense of doubt. Every single tiny thing that happens is shaping and contributing to the cosmos.
An aspect of understanding this cosmic story or cosmic soul is recognising that on some level we are all one organism. In the same way that the bacteria in your gut are all working together to keep you happy and alive and it would be absurd to think of individual bacterias, humanity or the Earth could be seen as being like this for the Universe.
It’s possible to get glimpses of this greater whole when experiencing deep synchronicities. Synchronicities can you show you the way that everyone and everything is moving in sync with itself; from this perspective the entire Universe is like a flock of starlings.
Seeing the world in this way can help you feel more relaxed about whether you are getting things right or wrong. You don’t know how your actions as an individual impacts the wider story or what role you are here to play in the greater cosmic story, so there is more space to embrace where you currently find yourself.
Karma
Karma builds on the idea of the cosmos. I use this when I am specifically talking about the ways in which the Universe is improving itself all the time.
The Universe does not exist separately to us. We are the Universe and so it is our actions that create a better world.
I believe that it’s important to have a nuanced understand of karma. I do not believe that people deserve the suffering they experience in this lifetime nor do I believe that that is a very compassionate or wholesome frame to hold.
History is so complex and full with so much darkness and difficulty. Some of the darkness and difficulty emerged through human creation but a lot of it is created from the brutal laws of nature that humans have had to survive through. Life is hard for most humans in most of history.
There is such a tangled web of grit, determination, suffering, heart-ache, and difficulty that has led to you being here in this moment. In your lifetime and all the lifetimes preceding it. Of course there is going to be some pain in your experience.
I do believe that the one of the main ways to transform suffering is for individuals to show up and take responsibility for not repeating the cycle. This can mean changing your behaviour, but it can also mean being willing to meet yourself and others in this moment with a compassionate presence. To be willing to feel the emotions that are here and do the things that need to be done.
An understanding of karma can be inspirational for dark times. It can help people see how suffering is a meaningful part of the whole.
Karma can also help support the understanding that if you have the courage to be present with challenging things you can transmute them or hold them in a way that means that the cycle won’t continue. With this lens, suffering and purifying can be seen as being in service to transforming the painful energies and patterns that have arisen in this world and this Universe.
Synchronicity
Synchronicities are moments that are connected via meaning rather than linear time. They can be magical and incredibly potent moments to experience as one-offs, but it’s also possible to understand the entire Universe as an unfolding synchronicity.
Every moment is a meaningful meeting of the symbolic and the physical, designed to alchemise, reveal something, and move the story forward.
The physical and the symbolic dance together to reveal the Universe to itself through a creative unfolding that is being orchestrated from outside of space-time.
Mystery
When I talk about mystery, it is this part of experience that I am talking about. It is the part of experience that we will never fully understand. The soul cannot be understood, only expressed, and each moment is revealing something fresh and new.
Magic
There is a lot more magic in this Universe than most people believe is possible. As you start to open your senses to the soul realm you may start to see all the ways in which the Universe is moving in supernatural and meaningful ways.
If you are connected to the depths of experience in yourself it becomes possible to move energies and transform your experience with things like ritual, the imaginal and human connection.
It’s also possible to see more deeply into the Universe, yourself and other people than most people can begin to fathom.
Magic isn’t really something that you can control – to reach these deeper layers of reality in a meaningful way typically takes an enormous amount of surrender and open-heartedness. You are opening to the natural ways in which energies move and the Universe tells its story, rather than gaining power or control. The magic is everywhere, waiting to be noticed.
How This Moment Meets The Story
I do not believe that we are blank canvases. I believe that everyone is a unique individual and is here to contribute different parts to the story.
You don’t need to understand the entirety of the cosmic soul or story in order to be a full expression of your being. In fact, the story is so endlessly complex that it’s not possible to understand the entire thing and this in itself is liberating. It gives you space to connect with who you are in this moment in a wholehearted way.
Connecting to soul and soulfulness happens by opening yourself to the depths of your natural life force and allowing it to express itself freely through you. This sounds quite lofty – but it could be as simple as allowing yourself to feel what you feel about someone or something without judgement. Giving yourself permission to want what you want, or to be who you feel you really are. To hold a space of love and understanding for the depths of your experience to blossom into.
Why is This Important?
A lot of religion and spirituality has at best failed to explore this area of experience and at worst denied it exists or encouraged people to completely shut the door to it.
It’s not possible to open to divinity, sacredness or being present in this moment in a non-dual way without sincerely accepting what is unfolding in your experience. This needs to include this more feminine, archetypal, soulful and mysterious part of experience. The part that can’t be understood or controlled, but is more of a mystical, ineffable and symbolic revealing.
Closing off this part also shuts the door to a large part of what makes life beautiful and meaningful. Eros, life-force, creativity, magic, and suffering are what makes life interesting, joyful, and attractive.
The soul is the ways in which you feel inexplicably drawn to certain people, places, or things. You find certain words or images utterly compelling. You feel a strong urge to create something or contribute to life in some way.
This is what makes life meaningful. Spirituality needs to include all this aliveness, alongside the ability to cultivate calm clarity. This way people can feel inspired to connect to something more wholesome for the benefit of themselves and all beings.