Some books I hold to supply to inward guild to acquire a spiritual reminder or a spiritual boost. One of those books is my friend Alan Jones’ book, Soul Making. I discovery reading Jones a challenge, simply e'er rewarding. However, I likewise know that when I assign that majority inward 1 of my spirituality classes, the students seldom similar it! That unremarkably makes me a niggling sad. It is equally if the students spend upwardly a niggling operate of me.
I mean value Jones’ majority is hence of import to me because it came at a fourth dimension when I was inward a meaning spiritual increase phase. Simultaneously, I was likewise trying to figure out whether I could learn spirituality and, if so, how I would exercise it. The sentiment of “soul making” was an eye-opener for me. Growing upwardly inward a fairly rural Quaker coming together (church), I had entirely heard that linguistic communication that affirmed people “had” souls. Of course, at expiry the soul left the trunk together with for many folks, the soul is what went to heaven.
I never sentiment much almost that. When y'all listen materials similar that equally a kid, y'all unremarkably convey it at facial expression upwardly value. At to the lowest degree I did. So I assumed I “had” a soul. But together with hence inward college I was asked to read classic authors together with to larn to think, analyze together with brand upwardly my ain mind. I withal regard that equally a rattling good for y'all process. I know religious fundamentalists exercise non regard it equally healthy; inward fact, that is a threat. But I am non a religious fundamentalist, hence I am ok alongside thinking, analyzing together with withal making upwardly my ain mind.
I mean value Jones’ majority is hence of import to me because it came at a fourth dimension when I was inward a meaning spiritual increase phase. Simultaneously, I was likewise trying to figure out whether I could learn spirituality and, if so, how I would exercise it. The sentiment of “soul making” was an eye-opener for me. Growing upwardly inward a fairly rural Quaker coming together (church), I had entirely heard that linguistic communication that affirmed people “had” souls. Of course, at expiry the soul left the trunk together with for many folks, the soul is what went to heaven.
I never sentiment much almost that. When y'all listen materials similar that equally a kid, y'all unremarkably convey it at facial expression upwardly value. At to the lowest degree I did. So I assumed I “had” a soul. But together with hence inward college I was asked to read classic authors together with to larn to think, analyze together with brand upwardly my ain mind. I withal regard that equally a rattling good for y'all process. I know religious fundamentalists exercise non regard it equally healthy; inward fact, that is a threat. But I am non a religious fundamentalist, hence I am ok alongside thinking, analyzing together with withal making upwardly my ain mind.
So I read Alan Jones together with others who suggested that nosotros “are” souls. I began to regard my soul to a greater extent than equally an animating spirit. I learned the linguistic communication of soul is closely related to the sentiment of spirit. Spirit is similar air current or breath. It was slow to connect soul to breath. If I quite breathing, I “lose” my soul. That does non necessarily hateful my soul “dies.” But it does hateful when I quit breathing, my soul (my spirit) transforms---that is, it takes on some other form. When I die, I no longer volition survive an embodied soul, equally I am now.
But I exercise non desire to verbalize almost death. Instead I desire to verbalize almost dear together with life together with how those connect to soul. It is hither that I latch onto 1 of my favorite lines from Jones’ book, Soul Making. He says, “Love is a gift or it is nothing. Insofar equally nosotros are able to spend upwardly strategies of possessiveness together with manipulation, the weather condition are already laid for the evolution of existent soul making, existent loving.” I discovery sentences similar that riveting. It speaks of a truth deeper than I mean value I have got yet known, simply to which I am drawn.
For a long time, I have got been convinced that life together with dear locomote together---real life at least. I am certain y'all tin alive without love, simply it is non existent life. And equally much equally it chagrins me, I am confident that Jones is correct: dear is a gift. For some of us, this is fearful. It causes us to fright because nosotros are afraid nosotros won’t survive given the gift. And if nosotros tumble out to have got been given the gift of love, nosotros are tempted to hoard it out of fright that nosotros volition never survive given whatever more. We regard dear equally a scarce commodity.
But it’s non similar that. Love is a gift together with the Giver offers it lavishly. The Holy One deals alongside an abundance strategy, non a scarcity model. But some of us discovery this difficult to believe---that is, nosotros have got niggling faith. So nosotros are tempted to manipulate our situations to create or compel love. Jones is quite right to advise us to spend upwardly such strategies of manipulation together with coercion. I actually can’t compel y'all to dear me. I tin sweat together with y'all may have got to imitation it. But genuine dear is a gift. I tin entirely have together with tell “thanks.”
I similar how Jones links existent soul making together with existent loving. Again that seems deeply truthful to me inward ways I in all probability cannot articulate. And I tin add together that existent soul making together with existent loving amount to existent living. That is what the whole spiritual journeying is almost equally far equally I am concerned. I am on that journey. I am rattling content to telephone phone it soul making.
I am happy to telephone phone this soul making cardiac development. Of course, I am playing unopen to alongside the give-and-take for “heart.” Soul making is aught to a greater extent than than the evolution of my heart---its enlargement, softening together with deepening. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 middle developing inward this fashion non entirely becomes to a greater extent than together with to a greater extent than a loving heart. It becomes a compassionate heart. When this happens, nosotros rightly laid out to verbalize almost that somebody equally a somebody “with a middle for the world.” That is a large heart!
I am certain that a big-hearted somebody is a deeply soulful person. This sort of somebody would survive hence soulful that it would survive evident when y'all come upwardly into the presence of that person. Their existence would exude soulfulness. They would reek of the Spirit’s scent. Just existence alongside them makes y'all experience improve together with to a greater extent than well.
That sort of somebody models the soul making process. Somehow they have got done existent soul making. I am certain it is coming to know the gift of love, accepting it together with incarnating it inward such a agency they acquire ambassadors of the Spirit inward our world.
But I exercise non desire to verbalize almost death. Instead I desire to verbalize almost dear together with life together with how those connect to soul. It is hither that I latch onto 1 of my favorite lines from Jones’ book, Soul Making. He says, “Love is a gift or it is nothing. Insofar equally nosotros are able to spend upwardly strategies of possessiveness together with manipulation, the weather condition are already laid for the evolution of existent soul making, existent loving.” I discovery sentences similar that riveting. It speaks of a truth deeper than I mean value I have got yet known, simply to which I am drawn.
For a long time, I have got been convinced that life together with dear locomote together---real life at least. I am certain y'all tin alive without love, simply it is non existent life. And equally much equally it chagrins me, I am confident that Jones is correct: dear is a gift. For some of us, this is fearful. It causes us to fright because nosotros are afraid nosotros won’t survive given the gift. And if nosotros tumble out to have got been given the gift of love, nosotros are tempted to hoard it out of fright that nosotros volition never survive given whatever more. We regard dear equally a scarce commodity.
But it’s non similar that. Love is a gift together with the Giver offers it lavishly. The Holy One deals alongside an abundance strategy, non a scarcity model. But some of us discovery this difficult to believe---that is, nosotros have got niggling faith. So nosotros are tempted to manipulate our situations to create or compel love. Jones is quite right to advise us to spend upwardly such strategies of manipulation together with coercion. I actually can’t compel y'all to dear me. I tin sweat together with y'all may have got to imitation it. But genuine dear is a gift. I tin entirely have together with tell “thanks.”
I similar how Jones links existent soul making together with existent loving. Again that seems deeply truthful to me inward ways I in all probability cannot articulate. And I tin add together that existent soul making together with existent loving amount to existent living. That is what the whole spiritual journeying is almost equally far equally I am concerned. I am on that journey. I am rattling content to telephone phone it soul making.
I am happy to telephone phone this soul making cardiac development. Of course, I am playing unopen to alongside the give-and-take for “heart.” Soul making is aught to a greater extent than than the evolution of my heart---its enlargement, softening together with deepening. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 middle developing inward this fashion non entirely becomes to a greater extent than together with to a greater extent than a loving heart. It becomes a compassionate heart. When this happens, nosotros rightly laid out to verbalize almost that somebody equally a somebody “with a middle for the world.” That is a large heart!
I am certain that a big-hearted somebody is a deeply soulful person. This sort of somebody would survive hence soulful that it would survive evident when y'all come upwardly into the presence of that person. Their existence would exude soulfulness. They would reek of the Spirit’s scent. Just existence alongside them makes y'all experience improve together with to a greater extent than well.
That sort of somebody models the soul making process. Somehow they have got done existent soul making. I am certain it is coming to know the gift of love, accepting it together with incarnating it inward such a agency they acquire ambassadors of the Spirit inward our world.
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