My wife Jennifer and I recently returned from being immersed in Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. Prior to our journey, many people had told us of the exquisite beauty of that part of the world. And yet, despite all these testimonies, we were both stunned by nature’s handiwork. Turquoise colored lakes and rivers, glacier crowned mountains, and forest draped valleys left us unable to say much more than “wow!”
Being in Banff provided a smorgasbord for the senses as we feasted on the sublime grandeur that lay before us. But the impact of what we were seeing, hearing, and feeling went beyond our senses. Our hearts and spirits were profoundly inspired and blessed as well. Seeing the beauty around us evoked joy and gratitude deep within us.
Being out in the natural world often elicits feelings of joy, whether we’re in Banff or in our own backyard. But joy can also arise not from what we see around us but from what is happening within us.
As the Persian poet and mystic Rumi has noted, “when you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy.” Watching a river meander through a valley is a joyful reality. But having a river of joy coursing within us is an even greater reality. And that happens, as Rumi rightly notes, when we do things from our souls.
Unfortunately, in Western culture, we don’t get much guidance in how to do things from our souls. Rather than encouraging us to discover what brings us purpose and joy, we’re shepherded through a process that puts a premium on being productive and “successful.” Making a living takes precedence over making a life. We create an ego-centered, ego-driven existence rather than manifesting the longings of our own souls.
The epidemics of depression, anxiety, and despair in our modern world testifies to what living apart from soul does to our humanity, both individually and collectively.
Learning how to do things from soul is, I believe, the most crucial task of each human life. While acquiring such learning is not easy in our times, thankfully, it is possible as our souls continually whisper to us, giving us clues to what it longs to express in our lives.
Soul musings:
–Thinking back to when you were a child, were there occasions when you felt a river of joy moving within you? Where were you and what were you doing? When was the last time you sensed that river of joy within?
