soul centered: “… Somewhere, somehow, we were touched by something Truly Sacred …” … … “… Learning to live from the soul is part of the healing gift of spiritual practice …” ~ Jonathan Ellerby
About a year ago we explored – briefly – Jonathan Ellerby’s thoughts on Spiritual practice … today we add another – very brief – glimpse into his thoughts on soul centered living … where, he says, awakening to the spirit, naturally, unfolds: “… As we become more aware of the soul and learn more about it, the deepest dimension of who we are begins to reveal itself …” … and … “… we realize that at the heart of our very own soul is the Sacred Source …”
He goes on to add that: “… This is the territory of the mystic where the greatest pain can lead to the greatest freedom; the greatest comfort leads to the greatest despair. Here we navigate the paradoxes of life. We realize that all things are for our healing, including loss, sickness, and death. When we learn to perceive with the spiritual senses, our greatest tragedies are like angels, begging to set us free. This is the domain of the enlightened heart and mind. Healing is the only direction when we live in conscious awareness of our Sacred Source …” … and underscores this with the following poem …
in the stillness
of that dark night
I awakened
to a moment
that held all moments
There was a pure absence
a true presence
a freedom from being and becoming
Looking back now,
my body named it energy
my mind named it consciousness
my heart called it God
but my soul forever knows
nothing can contain
that which is
and gives life
to everything
~ Jonathan Ellerby
On Soul Centered Living …
Below are some of Jonathan’s words on soul centered living (in the chapter The Healing Power of Spirituality: Why a Spiritual Practice Matters from the section Understanding Spirituality):
The soul isn’t a simple aspect of who we are; it has a complex anatomy and many layers. The simplest way to describe the soul would be to call it the “true self”: the preferences, talents/gifts, qualities, and characteristics that naturally bring us joy, vitality, and peace. When we live from the soul, we feel empowered, engaged, and vibrant. We access a natural power, an actual force that contributes to health and happiness.
As we expose and transcend our identification with false roles and expectations, we become free to explore and live from the soul. We find that we have a core self—a basic, innate identity with distinct characteristics. …
This poem and Jonathan’s words (all in italics) above are from his book, Return to the Sacred: Ancient Pathways to Spiritual Awakening, where he takes a deep dive into spirituality that’s a common person’s guide as to what a spiritual practice is including the many traditions – or paths – available for this most important and fascinating journey … in his own words:
“… This book is about the ancient pathways that have led history’s great saints, sages, shamans, and mystics to spiritual awakening. It is about the way we directly experience The Sacred, and always have. It is about how we develop and refine our consciousness …”
All Italicized text is excerpted from Return to the Sacred: Ancient Pathways to Spiritual Awakening By Jonathan H. Ellerby.
Poem from the Introduction of the same book.
Images (edited and logo added): Featured and 1) Sunset over the lake by Imaginechina-Tuchong, 2) Scenery around the lake in mountains at ni by pellinni, 3) Huge basalt stack Hvtserkur on the eastern shore of the Vatnsnes peninsula by AndrewMayovskyy – all purchased from depositphotos, for use only on our website/social channels (these images are not permitted to be shared separate from this post).
