In the Soul Health Blog, Dr. Kelly elevates the understanding of the soul by explaining
its influence on various aspects of the human condition. She brings to light hard to
understand dynamics of everyday life and bridges up-to-date scientific research related
to the body and mind aspects of everyday life with the less-known soul-based factors
that impact our individual experience.
Truth is a tricky thing. In some cases it is law-based term, but in my world it is one that directly impacts the experience of every soul. It seems everything that is on the news these days relates to whether or not someone is telling the truth, defending the truth or trying to find the real truth, which could relate to anything from politicians and criminals to aliens and what happens after death.
As those who follow my work know, I’m all about bringing the soul back to life. My mission is to get the word and understanding of it back into the mainstream. However, in the process of writing the introduction to my upcoming book, Anxiety: Body, Mind and Soul for my Soul of Psychology series I decided to add a brief history of the word soul.
Some sort of tragedy happens every day, whether it be a world event or something that goes terribly wrong in our day. Lately, the devastating fires in Maui have weighed heavily on my heart and soul. Some of the heaviness comes from having recently visited Kaua’i, one of the neighboring Hawaiian Islands. My main memory of my journey relates to the soothing energy of the area. Now I imagine the shock, overwhelm and destruction. What keeps going through my mind, though, is the opportunity for transformation and renewal that will eventually appear on the horizon.
We don’t think of our own evolution as part of changing for the sake of the greater good. Shifting our thoughts, perspective, behaviors, values or anything else is hard and we tend to become very self-focused when undergoing difficult times. And these are certainly difficult times. But has there ever really been a time in history when everyone around the world is at peace and getting along? The answer is a hard “no”.
This seems like such a Utopian concept—to accept everyone as they are and just live our lives connected to other sentient beings with no judgment, comparison or need to please anyone. For the truth is that comparison is poison to our soul. The assessment of whether we measure up to others is the first act in diminishing ourselves and our inner self. When we place judgment on whether or not we fit in, will be accepted by others or are good enough in some way, we don’t need anyone else as enemies—we already have one living right inside our own skin.
The soul needs presence to expand and evolve. It is the experience of “being” within a situation or moment, both observing and consciously participating in the awareness of second-by-second evolution. This is much like listening deeply to the ticking of a clock. We can’t stop time, but we can stop ourselves from overlooking or ignoring what each instance brings. Each one offers an opportunity to capture and integrate awareness and experiences that might otherwise have been lost.
To be human is to be broken, flawed or fragmented. We all have wounds and our ultimate task is to find and reclaim the parts of us that will once again make us feel whole. This is the journey to soul health, one that takes many lifetimes to accomplish.
We remember the many times we went against our gut instinct and experienced remorse by not following that quiet voice within.
Researchers, Roese and Summerville say, “Opportunity breeds regret.” How can this be?
Opportunity is the ultimate dream. It offers hope for all possibilities, options and fantasy. But the reality is, it can come with a cost if we don’t take action once opportunity arises. Our soul’s path can become seriously detoured or misaligned if we don’t listen to what our inner truth has to say. Scientists agree.
Everyone wants to know where their life is going and yet nearly no one’s goes as planned. Still, when you look back over the details and events of your journey through conscious eyes, your soul’s path may make more sense.