Nourish-
to feed or sustain with substances necessary for life or growth; to
promote growth; to maintain or support; to nurture.
Soul-
the immaterial essence, animating principle or actuating cause of an
individual; the spiritual principle embodied in human beings, all
rational and spiritual beings or the universe; a person's total self.
The
holistic health field abounds with articles and books all teaching a
variety of ways to nurture our souls. What exactly does all this mean
and why is so important? Our soul being the very essence of whom and
what we are is our life force and therefore it needs food on a regular
basis to sustain us and prevent us from becoming stagnant and
unfulfilled with life. So what is nourishing to the soul? The things
that make you feel whole, alive, and one with the universe (or God) is
your soul food. This will vary from individual to individual, as our
souls are very unique and complex, although many of us have some
commonalities. Some common sources of soul food are nature, music,
dancing, deep relationships, meditation, walking, prayer and many
more.
My
most important source of soul food is nature. Doing things like
spending time by the lake, taking walks and country rides, admiring
the cloud formations, feeding and watching the birds, feeding a stray
cat, gazing at the stars and moon. These are what are most nourishing
me. Nature is my lifeline. It rejuvenates me and helps me to go on. It
makes me feel alive, full of life and connected to the universe. There
is nothing more nourishing to me than spending a day on a blanket by
my favorite lake and being intimate with nature, especially on a warm
fall day when the leaves are bursting with color. Spending it with
someone I love and engaging in deep conversation is even better.
Writing,
reading, certain types of music and singing along, dancing, deep
relationships and prayer also nurture me. You can discover your soul
food by listening to the yearnings of your soul, by being still and
tuning into your deepest voice within. Your soul will guide you to
what it needs. Don't ignore it and don't put it off. Once you learn
what you need, nourish it on a regular basis. If we neglect our soul
then it becomes hungry and searches for food in the wrong places,
which is destructive to our lives and zaps us of our life sustaining
energy. After years and years of neglect one becomes disconnected from
their soul and gets lost.
Our
world is sadly full of people who neglect their souls and the
consequences of this are seen all around us in the level of
addictions, violence, crime, depression, suicide, lack of compassion
and respect for one another, divorce and destruction of our planet
exhibited in our society. Our culture has not been very good at
teaching us how to avoid this, perhaps because we were unaware for a
long period of time, but slowly this is changing one by one.
Don't
neglect your soul! Listen to it, nourish it, and feed it everyday. It
is as important as feeding your hungry stomach. If you have neglected
your soul, it is never too late to start again. The soul has an
amazing ability to recover and flourish in splendor once again.
