Put your ear down close to your soul and listen hard. ~Anne Sexton
Is life challenging you to take a bigger leap? Do you feel you are flying blind with an invisible co-pilot? Often times, the soul calls to us in the midst of a crises. When pieces of your heart are all over the floor there’s a quickening that seems to come from the beyond.
In those moments it’s difficult to pull our attention away from the hurt, fear or disappointment. Our mind searches for how to clean up the mess – not what is the greater learning. The heart feels raw – not ready to expand. You might be experiencing a soul call!
“Ah,” says the heart. “I’ve been waiting for this. But there’s static on the line.” Learning how to shift frequencies and tune in to the soul channels requires us to get quiet, get present and get out of the way.
How to Tune In to the Soul
“Oh soul,
you worry too much.
You have seen your own strength.
You have seen your own beauty.
You have seen your golden wings.
Of anything less,
why do you worry?
You are in truth
the soul, of the soul, of the soul.” ~ Rumi
In the past few weeks as The Holy Month of Ramadhan set in, I could feel my soul calling out to me. There was a feeling of utter necessity in that call from my soul and I just had to answer.
So here is what I did to Tune into my soul’s call:
- I Got Quiet –
Soul speaks through stillness. Finding a quiet time to go within, silence the monkey mind through breathing or chanting allows the body to settle and relax. Then we hear the deep stirrings of the sound that quickens the heart.
Soul listening is tuning in. When we dial in the frequency a profound peace and well-being floods our body. Operating from an inner place of peace, rather than fear or anxiety, permeates the space in which we move and have our being.
Soul time is expansive, not hurried or driven. A patient of mine remarked the other day, ” I always thought my stress came from having too much to do and an inability to say ‘no’. Now I realize that if I continually see with my soul eye’s there’s plenty of time. I am content. There’s not a lot of wasted energy and time spent in worry, or anxiety about doing it right. AND I get so much more done.”
- I Got Present –
Turning inside away from the world and its distractions feels foreign to your reactive human nature. “Won’t life be boring?” your head asks. Soul’s agenda is learning, growth, expansion and revelation. Regrets about the past or worrying about the future takes energy and focus away from what is here – now.
All “channels” to and from the divine must be cleared of obstructions. A channel can be anything that serves to receive inspiring thoughts, intuitive hunches, body sensations, heart openings or light “Pay Attention” taps on the shoulder. The most common distortions are caused by old beliefs about our ‘story’. Because the human nature’s job is to maintain the status quo of ‘what has come before’ it can kick up quite a bit of doubt and confusion. Compassion, acceptance, loving and patience (all attributes of the soul) equip the cocreator when old conditioning reminds you of past mistakes, the cost of not being right or in control, and fear of failure.
- I Got Out of the Way –
Messages from the Soul provide direction and reassurance. Many times the message is to do nothing. Asking for and living the highest good reminds me that spirit’s timing can test the best of intentions to stay patient. Getting limiting actions, beliefs and fears out of the way brings in new discoveries about the nature of God.
1. The highest good teaches me about God. It’s like saying, “God, this is yours. I don’t’ have any idea what needs to happen here really. I know what I would like, but I don’t see the bigger picture. You do. So I’m letting and allowing you to show me the revelation so I can grow in my understanding of you.”
2. The highest good invites me to stay neutral and impersonal. As a Spiritual Counselor I can let go of a desired outcome saying, “I wonder how God is going to work this one out?” or “OK God, do your stuff. I am looking forward to seeing the highest good in this situation.”
Imagine a world in which relationships are woven of heavens instead of hells? Imagine a planet of people so committed to inner growth and expansiveness that no one would be allowed to go hungry or homeless? Impossible, you say? Idealistic? To the soul, who lives in limitlessness and knows your magnificence, the answers to these dilemmas are already present. Ask today to see with those eyes and respond to the call. All will be blissful and blessed.
As I asked all through last month, I got answers, I got clarity, I “got” life. I often thought, enlightenment was meant for saints who leave the world and go into wilderness to achieve it. But this past month clarified one thing for me- Enlightenment is within, no matter what your geographical location or life situation. We need not go for retreats to listen to the call of our soul….all we need to do is live from the heart and operate intuitively. I bare witness….enlightenment, bliss, God….its all achievable right here in life. The best part, I lived my life normally in the worldly sense, but I operated from the heart which led me to answer the call of my soul.
What are your thoughts on this topic? When was the last time your soul called out for attention? How do you give your soul attention? How do you answer the call of Your soul? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
With Immense Love & Gratitude,
~Zeenat~
Counseling Psychologist/Spiritual Counselor
Motivational Speaker/Naturopath
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Zeenat,
I think being away from the internet and all its distractions opens that space within for enlightenment. I’m glad you found it. I agree that enlightenment in the form of shifts in consciousness or A-ha moments can come from anywhere. You could be driving and read something on a bill board that could blow your mind and change the course of your life so, you never know.
Thanks so much for linking to my post too.
xoxo,
Angela
Hi Angela,
Youre so right…those amazing A-ha moments can come from literally anywhere…you can be reading a bottle label and something can click na.. 🙂
Be it enlightenment or bliss….its right here up for grabs.
Thank you for your lovely comment here and for all your support.
Much Love~
As a new reader, I enjoyed this post! Enlightenment is definitely within – but we all are almost always seeking it outside of ourselves.
Hi Vishnu,
I love that you are a new reader…and am so so happy that you enjoyed this post 🙂 We human beings are kindof conditioned to looking for love, bliss enlightenment and happiness on the outside…when in all reality its all already withIN us.
Thank you so much for your lovely comment here. I hope to see you more often here sharing your gorgeous thoughts.
Much Love~
What a wonderful timely post this is for me Zeenat. I keep getting the message to really focus on love and listening to and asking my guides, god and angels for help. I have noticed some resistance even though I have been journaling the same message this week. Love your process too. I have that call right now as i believe part of my current healing journey is a journey of my soul, as well as being about self-love.
I am about to take more time to get quiet, get present and get out of my own way and really listen to my intuition, my higher self
love and hugs
Suzie♡♡♡
Darling Suzie,
I’m happy this post comes at a good time for you..as the process was truly a blissful one for me 🙂
I hope and pray and send you lots of love and light…for your speedy blissful healing.
Lets get together on skype and help our higher selves.
Lots of loving coming your way…
Be happy and healed my friend.
Love always~
Zeenat,
These are three powerful words and elements of spiritual awakening: stillness, presence (looking within), and surrender. Thank you for lighting the way.
In my tradition the word “retreat” means to set boundaries. You didn’t go on solitary retreat, but you did set boundaries by taking time to be still and look within. So I see this as one form of retreat.
Yes, there are many “householders” who have achieved enlightenment. But I would say there was always some form of “retreat” though perhaps not the solitary retreat in the wilderness.
All my love to you.
Hi sweet Sandra,
I have noticed that most spiritual traditions…no matter which side they come from essentially have the same principles for spiritual growth. They just word them differently with subtle differences.
I agree with you…although I was not going or in a retreat…but i was in a state of retreat nonetheless. That kind of detachment makes for amazing clarity too 🙂
Love right back sweetie!
I believe that the soul consists of its sufferings. For the soul that cures its own sufferings dies. ~Antonio Porchia, Voces, 1943, translated from Spanish by W.S. Merwin
————–
I will conquer myself,
I will dig up the pride.
I will take scissors
and cut out the beggar.
I will take a crowbar
and pry out the broken
pieces. -Anne Sexton
————–
The moon is no door. It is a face in its own right.
White as a knuckle and terribly upset.
It drags the sea after it like a dark crime; it is quiet
With the O-gape of complete despair. – Sylvia Plath
————–
And I say only
with my arms stretched out into that stone place,
what is your death
but an old belonging,
a mole that fell out
of one of your poems?
(O friend,
while the moon’s bad,
and the king’s gone,
and the queen’s at her wit’s end
the bar fly ought to sing!)- Anne Sexton
————
Master of beauty, craftsman of the snowflake,
inimitable contriver,
endower of Earth so gorgeous & different from the boring Moon,
thank you for such as it is my gift.
You have come to my rescue again & again
in my impassable, sometimes despairing years.
You have allowed my brilliant friends to destroy themselves
and I am still here, severely damaged, but functioning. – John Berryman
http://apurposemoreobscure.blogspot.com/2006/09/john-berryman-address-to-lord.html
————–
So while I think of it,
let me paint a thank-you on my palm
for this God, this laughter of the morning,
lest it go unspoken.
The Joy that isn’t shared, I’ve heard,
dies young. – Anne Sexton
————–
Dear Zeenat,
Since you opened this post about the *soul* with Anne Sexton’s quote I felt a need to offer words from these other “Confessionalist” writers.
What I glean from post and poets is that while the soul “consist of its sufferings” we can view the *moon* having *magical* beauty and therefore preserve ‘body’ and ‘soul’, only if we open our channels to the divine by clearing obstructions.
“The most common distortions are caused by old beliefs about our ‘story’.”
“Enlightenment is within, no matter what your geographical location or life situation.”
“The best part, I lived my life normally in the worldly sense, but I operated from the heart which led me to answer the call of my soul.”
I would like to offer perhaps the most beautiful song ever delivered by an artist. This soundtrack was recorded during the final years of Anne Sexton’s life:
Your *Soul Brother*
Rand
Oh Rand my soul brother….thank you thank you…Anne Sexton is one of the most phenomenal writers and i do look upto her writing style.
All you share here is so so precious dear one. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
DEAR ZEENAT,
First of all let me thank you for your hard effort to put up this blog!!!
It`s my first time to write here but I have been reading most of your post for the last 2months (I guess).
I am not sure how to express or to put my feelings and thoughts into letters but the post really moved me and gave motivation to try to find out what my souls has things to speak. Well, I have been thinking to take some time and really reflect to my life and to see whether I am living the life (that I wanted/dreamed), unfortunately, every time, i get distracted by others things…
I do hope that I will be able to find the enlightenment too without going into wilderness….
cheers,
Beautiful Zeenat, the timing of this post is perfect. September started out rough, and I’ve had a couple rough days this week, even! I’ve been reminded through higher powers to let go and let God as you said. This was brilliant, “God, this is yours. I don’t’ have any idea what needs to happen here really. I know what I would like, but I don’t see the bigger picture. You do. So I’m letting and allowing you to show me the revelation so I can grow in my understanding of you.” Thank you, dear Zeenat, for this inspirational post. It might be one of your best yet!
And here’s to a peaceful, clear tomorrow (and all tomorrows). With love ~ Megan
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