UU minister's sermon describes aspects of soul

Rev. Gabi Parks of Easton, Maryland shares her sermon "Oh, My Soul" from Sunday 19 August 2012. Two years ago Parks attended Convo for Unitarian Universalist ministers held that year in Ottawa. Thomas Moore was the keynote speaker at the event and Parks’ reflection in this sermon incorporates Moore’s opening talk and his writings about soul. In the sermon Parks considers if the soul is a distinct entity, if it is immortal, if it is eternal, how it relates to food and music, and she shares Moore’s definition of a soul mate. She closes the post with her understanding of differences between soul and spirit, ending with: "After listening to all these musings, you still have to go inside yourself, find your own soul, and try to figure it all out!"

Be affected by trees emotionally and intellectually

The blog post "Spiritual Lessons from the Lives of Trees", with musical accompaniment by Louis Armstrong, Vanessa Williams, a Cherokee Morning Song, and others, quotes extensively from Thomas Moore’s book The Re-Enchantment of Everyday Life.

The post begins, "In between loads of laundry and changing sheets, I have been reading Thomas Moore's book, The Re-Enchantment of Everyday Life. The 382-page count was daunting at first because it looked more like a boring textbook, but I am glad now because I want the book to last forever. The poetry, imagination, practicality, and research is insightful and enchanting." The blogger intersperses her observations between long passages from Moore’s book.

In a comment she writes, "I love the book. Thanks for recommending it. It’s quite highlighted even tho I am near the beginning."

What are the differences between soul and spirit?

Mark Dotson begins his blog post, "Distinguishing Between Soul and Spirit", with a quote from Thomas Moore’s book Soul Mates. Dotson follows with his view, "Spirit is really not within the purview of the human mind. It is not earth-bound. It wants nothing to do with the tangled web of earthly activity. All is transcendence. Spirit desires total union with God, to the exclusion of everything else in life. An overemphasis on Spirit produces a person who, as the old saying goes, is so heavenly minded they are no earthly good."

When considering the contrast between soul and spirit, he writes, "Soul loves the tangled web of life on earth. It would rather trudge through the boggy swamps, dark caves, and deep oceans than to soar through the heavens. In Soul is mystery, all the mysteries of the earth and under the earth. Soul is innate in all things, interconnected with all matter. Distinctions between the two are illusory, even though we can speak cataphatically concerning Soul. We can only speak apophatically concerning Spirit."

Dotson’s conclusion, "Our yearning for a so-called 'spiritual life' is actually due to our yearning for a connection to Soul, for we can have very limited concourse with Spirit in this imperfect life. But, even though this life is imperfect, Soul holds treasures far beyond our wildest dreams!" echoes the statement on Thomas Moore’s site, "My life work is an attempt to ground the pure, visionary spirit in the imperfect, intoxicating sensuousness of worldly life."

Feed your soul during these difficult times

Today’s post "Is your soul hungry?" quotes Thomas Moore and suggests ways to live "in [this] time of uninspired pragmatism." Jane mentions music and reading as ways to nourish the soul. She writes, "The soul is like any other living thing. It must be fed, loved, cared for, inspired."

Moore introduces associations with "care" of soul

Family Scholars shares Svetlana Goretaya’s post "Thoughts on Care" in which she quotes Thomas Moore’s definition of "care" from his book, Care of the Soul. Moore writes:

"The word "care" implies a way of responding to expressions of the soul that is not heroic and muscular. Care is what a nurse does, and "nurse" happens to be one of the early meanings of the Greek word therapeia, or therapy. ... Cura, the Latin word used originally in "care of the soul," means several things: attention, devotion, husbandry, adorning the body, healing, managing, being anxious for, and worshiping the gods. It might be a good idea to keep all these meanings in mind as we try to see as concretely as possible how we might make the shift from psychotherapy as we know it today to care of the soul."

Goretaya concludes, "There is something deeply and quietly human and ennobling about this kind of care. Here, care is used as a lead into a wider discussion on psychotherapy — it’s not an exhaustive definition, but being interested in therapy and psychology, it is fascinating to examine and meditate on this particularly rich facet of care."

Runner recommends refreshing re-enchantment

A runner and college instructor advises readers "Rest, Recovery, and Easy Days: It's More Than Just Physical". He describes the "easy" days during a running streak and suggests:

"In one of my favorite books by Thomas Moore called the The Re-enchantment of Everyday Life, Moore argues that in modern society we have become so analytical and scientific in our society that we miss the magical and the awe-inspiring in our daily lives and that this point-of-view does nothing to nourish our souls. He advocates opening the mind to the enchanting and awe-inspiring in daily life by paying more close attention to the magical in the things around us.

This message can apply to our running. Recovery days and easy days are an opportunity to put aside worries about time and distance and appreciate the wonder in our surroundings or even the wonder of our own bodies moving across the ground. Many use easy or recovery days as the time to socialize with fellow runners. This can be a wonderful activity that nourishes the mind and soul, but there is something to be said about the solitary and reflective runs, as well. Wonderful opportunities exist if one just is open to them."

The runner describes a particular trail he enjoys and offers a video for further contemplation.