Loving Your Soul

Teabag Tarot....what an incredible, crazy, wonderful statement to awaken to!

Love. Your. Soul.

The words themselves, run together into a sentence as they are, appear simple to the point of being a no-brainer. Yet the number of people I see who clearly do not love their souls astounds me.

Clearly I don't always love my soul. I don't think about it, consider how the consequences of my actions reflect the care I have, or do not have, for my soul. When I allow stress to take over my life to the point where I eat everything in sight or sit around the house in a stupor....then I'm not showing care for my soul.

I don't show care for my soul when I disrespect myself. That can be by talking in a way that others may approve of, but that is not healthy for me ~ like gossiping or making fun of others. Or it can be the way I carry myself, from wearing clothing to "fit in" to using language I may or may not otherwise use or smoking. It isn't about whether or not I do any of these things, the actions themselves are neutral. It's about my intention when I do them.

Loving my soul ~ loving your soul ~ takes practice and presence. It takes paying attention to my thoughts and intentions. Sometimes it also means taking time to be alone so that I can check in with my soul, recognize how it responds when I act or speak or move or dress certain ways. I want to love my soul. That's where the entire practice begins.

How do you show love for your soul? What practices do you have to stay in touch with your soul? Do you recognize its rhythm? What will you do to keep in touch with that part of you?

Stand Your Ground

I love how perfectly answers arrive when I ask, What do I need for today?

I randomly opened Pocket Guide to Spirit Animals to Skunk. My first reaction was laughte. Spirit was toying with me! Then I read the entry:
"Be assertive and stand your ground..... Make your self-respect and dignity a top priority, offering the same respect to others.
You're taking yourself far too seriously and need to relax, play, and trust that everything else is all right.
It's a good time to deal directly and honestly with that person in your life you find so irritating and overbearing."

After reading that, my immediate response was to laugh out loud with a "what the hell?" attitude. It fits entirely with my current situation. In general, I have no difficulty standing my ground. Like the skunk, I am the ultimate peacemaker ~ sometimes allowing others to run over me in order to keep the peace. What I need in my life right now is the discernment of whether peacemaking is the right option or respectfully and firmly standing my ground. I don't need to scream or demand when I do that ~ or get whiny or bitchy. I can be self-confident and self-assured, showing respect to all (myself included). I don't need to "put on airs" either. Standing my ground, if it's fair and reasonable, is enough.

What do you do to stand your ground? In what area or areas of your life might that be an important rule? What can you learn from Skunk?