Quote “When you look at your neighbour’s work, you see it for what it is. When you look at your own work, you see it for what it isn’t.”
Author: Peter Thornton A full-time professional calligrapher and artist for over forty years, Peter Thornton is a Fellow of the Calligraphy and Lettering Arts Society (C.L.A.S.) with an international reputation as a gifted teacher and calligrapher. His lighthearted wit and playful approach to teaching brings students eager to learn from him in workshops he has offered throughout the world. He has authored several books and is known for his exploration of the visually and acoustically exciting world of ‘musicalligraphy’ – a combination of sound and letters.
Soul-Questions
1. Have you ever looked at your own work, art, project, business, life and seen “what it isn’t”? * In your journal, reflect on some moments in your life when you’ve compared your work, art, projects, efforts in sports activities, hobbies etc. with another; seen perfection in their work, but saw nothing like it when you’ve considered your own.
2. Do you put pressure on yourself in other areas of your life, relationships?* If so, consider an example and write about it in your journal.
3. Do others see you as a perfectionist? * Are they accurate?
4. If they are accurate, does your perfectionism interfere with any of your relationships? * If so, how?
5. Are you comfortable with this aspect of your personality? * If you are not comfortable being a perfectionist, what might you do to ease up on yourself so that you can spend less time being self-critical?
6. When someone expresses appreciation of your work, art, efforts, are you able to reply with sincerity and say “thank you”? Or is your response apologetic, self-deprecation? * In your journal, reflect on your response.
7. If you find it difficult to reply with just a simple “thank you,” for whatever reasons,in your journal, reflect on what steps you might take to otherwise reply the next time someone appreciates your art, your friendship, the gift you made them … or expresses appreciation of you.
******************** How to use “Soulistry Soul-Questions” You may want to begin a Journal so your responses are all in one place.
From time to time, a quotation will appear along with accompanying Soul-Questions. Write the quotation. Add the first question and write your response.
Take your time in writing your replies. This is your time – these are your answers.
Then at your leisure, add the second Soul-Question and respond and continue on. Btw, it helps to put the date after each Soul-Question response.
The “Soul-Questions” group on Facebook can be found www.facebook.com/groups/soulquestions
The “Soul-Questions” website and individual quotes/soul-questions can be found www.soulistry.com/soul-questions-blog-posts
Quote “Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tunes without the words and never stops at all.”
Author A prolific American poet, Emily Dickinson (1830 – 1886) was considered to be an eccentric by local neighbours, living much of her life in isolation.
Soul-Questions 1. Dickinson makes a connection between ‘hope’ and the ‘soul’ … a spiritual connection. Do you relate to hope as a spiritual connection? * If so, how? * If not, how do you relate to hope?
2. In the past, when you’ve gone through a personal situation that begs the “where is the hope?” question, how/where did you find hope?
3. In situations such as COVID19 and its consequences, who/where do you turn for guidance, counsel – hope?
4. Are you someone who asks for / seeks guidance, counsel, encouragement, hope in difficult times or do you struggle alone? * If the latter, why? * If the former, what prevents you from reaching out / seeking help/guidance
5. Are you open to being a hope-filled / hopeful person? * Are you being open to hope? * If not, what could you do to become open?
******************** How to use “Soulistry Soul-Questions” You may want to begin a Journal so your responses are all in one place.
From time to time, a quotation will appear along with accompanying Soul-Questions. Write the quotation. Add the first question and write your response.
Take your time in writing your replies. This is your time – these are your answers.
Then at your leisure, add the second Soul-Question and respond and continue on. Btw, it helps to put the date after each Soul-Question response.
A Facebook friend wrote, echoing the unspoken words of so many: “I just don’t know what to think. I am so confused. I see people standing by our fence, drinking, laughing, celebrating. No masks. No distancing. I see graduates being visited by friends inside their home, sitting close together, hugging. No masks. No distancing. I see friends at the park shoulder to shoulder laughing, touching. No masks. No distancing. Photo after photo on my feed. Big smiles. Feeling good. Is this over, the pandemic? Can we really go back to doing what we did before? I guess all these people I see are young and maybe have no compromising conditions, so contracting the virus won’t be a big deal. I guess their children will be safe, too. I guess the people at the grocery store will be fine. Maybe they have all been tested or recovered and they know for certain they are not spreaders. I don’t know. So maybe I should mind my own business.I guess we’re all going to be fine. And if not, well, that’s the way it goes. Too bad for me. I’ll just have to suck it up.
I read and reread those words and prayed and replied.
I share that reply in the hopes that it may address the confusion others may be experiencing.
**************** You ask: “Is this over, the pandemic?” Answer: “No!”
You ask: “Can we really go back to doing what we did before?” Answer: “No!”
You write … “I guess all these people I see are young and maybe have no compromising conditions, so contracting the virus won’t be a big deal. I guess their children will be safe, too. I guess the people at the grocery store will be fine.” Response: “No!” Contracting the virus WILL BE a big deal. Their children may not be safe. The people at the grocery store may not be fine.
Then you write: “Maybe they have all been tested or recovered and they know for certain they are not spreaders.” Response: “No!”
And then you write: “maybe I should mind my own business.” Response: “No!” What is happening IS your business. Just watch and see what happens in two weeks from now — numbers will explode.
And then you make an assumption: “I guess we’re all going to be fine.” Response: “No!” We’re all NOT going to be fine. We’re not all fine now. We’ve not all been fine the past two months.
And finally you wrote: “And if not, well, that’s the way it goes. Too bad for me. I’ll just have to suck it up.” Response: “No!” You don’t have to suck it up. Keep wearing your mask – keep asking the questions – be using your brain to sort this thing out – keep learning from the scientists – keep caring for yourself – keep on keeping on.
I’m so sorry, my friend … sorry that there are people around you who don’t get it … don’t believe it … don’t use their commonsense … don’t listen to the scientific and historical evidence … don’t wear a mask … don’t practice social distancing. I’m sorry for all of us who are in similar situations.
We must ignore the naysayers, conspiracy enthusiasts, selfish people who think the world belongs to them.
What can we do? We can take care of ourselves and our loved ones — wear our mask, practice social distancing, wash our hands often and well, cough into our elbow.
Btw, that’s not fear talking. That’s love talking. Keep talking love. Keep practicing love. We will get through this – together. June xox
An aside: This Iris is the first to bloom this year in the back yard. It speaks to me of love – of hope – of life!
Quote “What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the signs and sorrows. That is what love looks like.”
Author: Augustine (354-430 CE) was a Latin-speaking theologian and philosopher born in present-day Algeria. He was a key figure in the development of Western Christianity.
Soul-Questions
1. The ancient Greeks had four words for love: agape (unconditional love) eros (intimate love) philia (friendship love) storgē (natural affection such as felt by parents for children and vice versa)
In your journal, reflect on how you have expressed love in its various forms in the past for family, friend, colleague, stranger, the world.
2. Was the love you showed, expressed verbally? monetarily? physically? emotionally? politically? prayerfully? in an action-oriented way? … simply by your presence? a visit? a card? a handmade gift? a phone call? social media?
3. Journal about an incident where the love you felt was expressed with “hands to help” …
“feet to hasten to the poor and needy” …
“eyes to see misery and want” …
“ears to hear the signs and sorrow” …
4. Are words sufficient to express love or are actions also an integral part of expressing love?
In your journal, consider a situation with someone you say you love but the other tells you that they receive a different message because your actions don’t reflect your words.
5. What can you do to bring the love you say you have for an individual, so that they feel loved by you in both word and action?
6. Consider ways you might express your love that are different from the ways you have expressed love in the past.
In your journal, reflect on situations when you have felt loved … deeply loved … by a parent, child, partner, spouse, God, pet, stranger.
How to use “Soulistry Soul-Questions” You may want to begin a Journal so your responses are all in one place.
From time to time, a quotation will appear along with accompanying Soul-Questions. Write the quotation. Add the first question and write your response.
Take your time in writing your replies. This is your time – these are your answers.
Then at your leisure, add the second Soul-Question and respond and continue on. Btw, it helps to put the date after each Soul-Question response.
The “Soul-Questions” group on Facebook can be found www.facebook.com/groups/soulquestions
The “Soul-Questions” website and individual quotes/soul-questions can be found www.soulistry.com/soul-questions-blog-posts
“My courage does not roar. It whispers to my heart. It makes me dig deep and find it in my soul to fight on.” <Kim Fitzsimmons>
It takes courage to go to work these days as an ‘essential services’ provider. You valiantly and selflessly serve long hours at potentially great cost to you and your families. We continue to hold you close in our hearts and pray for your protection. We are grateful … grateful beyond measure. Thank you for letting the courage that whispers to your heart help you dig deep and find it in your soul to fight on.
In spite of any personal situation we may be dealing with … in spite of any seas we may need to confront … in spite of where we are on the aging scale … in spite of what is happening in this world at this time … in spite of COVID19, may we face each moment with that indefinable spirit that enables us to deal with what-must-be-faced day-by-day, moment-by-moment.
Courage, my friends. Courage. And when we no longer have any courage, may we remember that somewhere in the world, people are praying for courage for those who are needing it. We are stronger than we may think we are.
The initial shock of COVID19 has hit. Grief is emerging as people deal with the loss COVID19 is bringing: … issues of death and dying because of a diagnosis of COVID19 … loss of income because their place of employment has been shut down … loss of freedom because schools, parks, businesses, swimming pools, recreation centres, pubs, theatres, conferences, etc. are closed … loss of control over lives … and more.
How to deal with the stress of it all? How to maintain some sense of emotional stability? How to find peace in the panic?
Perhaps the words of a woman who lived centuries ago, will help. Dame Julian of Norwich wrote something very simple at a difficult time in her life. She wrote this: “All shall be well. All shall be well. And all manner of thing shall be well.”
As a grief counsellor, I’ve found it helpful to encourage people, when they find themselves in a difficult situation, to use Dame Julian’s words with a conscious pattern of breathing gently, deeply, slowly and properly.
We breathe, but not always properly. And at times of stress, our breathing becomes more and more shallow which can lead to further stress. One way to test how you breathe is to place your hands in front of you on your belly/tummy with the longest fingers gently touching. As you breathe in, check to see if your shoulders are moving up or if your fingers are gently moving apart. Hopefully, it’s the latter. Keep practicing until you’re able to do this.
Then, using Dame Julian’s words, consciously doing some gentle, deep, slow breathing, try following this:
1. Gently inhaling … say/whisper/think/pray “All shall be well.” 2. Gently exhaling … say/whisper/think/pray “All shall be well.” 3. Gently inhaling … say/whisper/think/pray “And all manner of thing 4. Gently exhaling … say/whisper/think/pray “Shall be well.”
Then just sit for a few moments. Sit in the calm. Sit in the peace.
By doing the above, you have slowed down your breathing, brought oxygen into your body and welcomed a gentle reduction in your anxiety. Peace. Maybe just for a moment – or a few moments – but peace.
And, there is more. While Dame Julian’s words don’t say that “All IS well,” the words offer a hopeful message to our brain that “all SHALL BE well.”
When we combine Dame Julian’s words with a pattern of conscious breathing, we are sending positive messages to our body and our mind. “All shall be well.”
It will take time, but “all shall be well” and we will get through COVID19 – together.
Breathe, my Soulistry friends. Breathe in ruach, peace, hope. “All shall be well. All shall be well. And all manner of thing shall be well.”
