Soul Food

 

When we want to nourish our bodies we take in nutrients from the food we eat. Nourishing our souls requires us to turn within to connect with our higher self. Spirit is always speaking to us in some way. It calls us to be who we really are, to begin to feed and nourish those qualities that will help us grow stronger as spiritual beings.

So, one might ask how can I find the meaning that will help me grow spiritually? We go within to contemplate, to meditate, we pray, we listen to music that resonates with our soul, we look at beautiful art work that helps us transcend the ordinary, we walk in nature, in short we slow down and rest. In this culture of changing technology and fast food mentality we must slow down and feed our soul what it craves, silence. Some of us are frightened by silence; we want the noise and distraction that silence provides. Our ego wants us to listen to the voices that call us to focus “out there”, rather on the still small voice that leads us to Spirit. Yet, the truth is everything we experience in the outer world begins within. As Ernest Holmes reminds us, “Our thoughts bring about the outer conditions that correspond to our inner convictions”

Barrie Davenport writes that many of us live an “adrenaline lifestyle”. We believe that the more we schedule, multi task, and the longer we work, we are more valuable to society. If that is how we choose to live we leave no room for personal reflection and creative endeavors. She reminds us that the purpose of life is not to produce but to live fully and joyfully. If we do this we serve the world much more than by checking off a to-do list. As Maurice Sendek wrote, “There is more to life than having everything.”