Caring for the Soul. Pt 1.

When we consider the concept of "soul", it is impossible to define precisely what exactly "soul" is. The concept of soulfulness can be attributed to emotions, connections, music, etc. According to the book, "Care of the Soul" by Thomas Moore, "Soul" is not a thing by a quality or dimension of experiencing life & ourselves. One particular thing that sparked my interest in this book was it's attempt of closing the gap between Religion and Spirituality; a topic that I would consider myself to be particularly passionate about.

In this book, Moore suggests that in order to close the gap between Religion & Spirituality, would require reforming our entire understanding of Psychology; this is because Psychology & Spirituality must be seen as ONE.

Difficult to grasp, I know... but stay with me.

Thomas Moore shares his perspective by saying that this new paradigm suggests the end of psychology as we have known it altogether because it is essentially modern, secular, & ego centered. A new idea, a new language, and new traditions must be developed on which to base our theory & practice. Some of the most common issues in today's society include feelings of emptiness, meaninglessness, depression, disillusionment, loss of values, addiction, yearning for acceptance or personal fulfillment, & a hunger for meaning or spirituality. The common denominator amongst these issues is that they all reflect a loss of soul & suggest to what it is our souls crave. Unfortunately, we have all been victims to yearning for attention, validation, sexual fulfillment, material things, toxic relationships, etc. We tend to try & satisfy these needs in the not so healthiest ways & form a false belief that we can achieve fulfilment outside of ourselves. It is important that we understand that- without soul, nothing will fully satisfy us.

Roman writer Aphuleius once said, "everyone should know that you can't live in any other way than by cultivating the soul."