September
10, 2001
Soul-Searching
“What
if your contribution to the world and the fulfillment of your own happiness is
not dependent upon discovering a better method of prayer or technique of
meditation, not dependent upon reading the right book or attending the right
seminar, but upon really seeing and deeply appreciating yourself and the world
as they are right now?”
from
the Prelude to The Dance by Oriah Mountain Dreamer
soul-searching
n : examination of one’s conscience especially
with regard to motives and values.
definition
from Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary
I have often used the term soul-searching to describe
a contemplative state entered when faced with a major decision or problem.
It seems that the soul is searched when it comes to issues revolving
around business, family, and my own life when simple logic is not enough.
Whether through contemplation, prayer, meditation or other ritual or
technique, I seek answers and direction from my direct connection to the Divine,
my soul.
As a follow-up to her best-selling book, The
Invitation, Oriah Mountain Dreamer has written another poem that will no doubt
be passed around via the Internet. The
Dance seems to challenge us to not go looking beyond what is already in our
possession, our soul, to find our place in the world and our connection to each
other and God. By searching our
soul and looking within, we begin to know our true potential.
She says that the starting point for contributing to
the world and becoming personally fulfilled is through appreciation for how
things currently exist. I have
trouble looking at the world and appreciating it as it is right now.
In an age that offers so much access to the diversity we should see as a
blessing, discrimination and hatred exist all around us.
Freedom is denied to people, hunger is a reality to people in every
country, and when a group once hated is accepted, another takes its place.
It is also difficult at times to really see and
deeply appreciate myself as I am right now.
I still see untapped potential, wasted energy, and hurtful actions
towards others. The notion of not
having any New Year’s resolutions because I am so at peace with myself is
incomprehensible.
Then again when I reread the quote from The Dance
and combine it with the notion of soul-searching, I have a different view of the
world and myself. The word
appreciate simply means to “grasp the nature, worth, quality, or
significance” of something or someone. You
can appreciate the world we live in and still be troubled by certain aspects
because the very nature of the world is change. I can find more right than wrong and if I choose to make
things better, I shift from complaining to solving.
This also holds true with myself.
Through soul-searching I have found answers to issues
that seem to appear out of nowhere. That
idea should not be so amazing if you believe in the connection of souls to each
other and the Divine or God. A
search is an exercise of discovery and the more I look I find the limitations
and boundaries I thought existed within my soul were only my ego’s roadblocks.
As life continues to throw new challenges my way I am
beginning to recognize the power of true soul-searching.
Starting from a position of appreciation (understanding my worth and
significance) for the world and myself, including all the inherent flaws, I
awaken the soul to the answers I seek.
With respect, acceptance, and love,
Richard
©
Richard D. Olson and Awaken The Soul, 2001;
Edited by Janice E. Olson
Excerpt from The Dance: Moving to the Rhythms of
Your True Self by Oriah Mountain Dreamer; Copyright 2001; HaperCollins
Publishers