Why Feed Your Soul...and does it like chocolate?

By Amy Phillips-Gary

*November is National Blog Posting Month. I'm going to mix it up a bit here at the Personal Growth Planet blog and try this (at least every weekday-- can't guarantee weekends.). So for November, you'll find shorter daily blogs with weekly themes. Thanks for reading and, as always, I hope you are inspired!

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My friend, Alissa Sorenson, shared a fascinating and heart-stirring account of one of her ancestors in her blog about All Souls Day. In this season of Halloween, Samhain, Dia de los Muertos and All Souls Day our attentions are drawn to the dead.

We honor ancestors and can learn a lot about where we've come from by taking a look back at the lessons of their lives. One question I am asking myself in light of these lessons and death-oriented holidays is this...

How fully alive am I right now?

Even as I respectfully admire and acknowledge those who have come before me, I wonder if I am as engaged and vitally connected in with life as I could be.

It's certainly easy to fall into a dull and numbed kind of existence where you are virtually walking around dead-ened. There are seemingly unending lists of things to do, places to be, responsibilities to fulfill at work, at home and for personal health. In the blink of an eye, your primary existence can become these lists and responsibilities.

What gets lost in the process? Your alive soul.

For me, the soul is a two-fold notion.

Yes, the soul is that part of each of us that is connected in (or not) with a higher source. This can be known as Source, God, Goddess, Allah, Yahweh, Great Spirit or whatever name might resonate.

If you believe in a higher source, the soul is that channel by which guidance, inspiration and even downright rescue can come through. When your soul is healthy and nurtured, you know that something that is you and is also huger than you “has your back” and that somehow it's all going to work out.

There is a certain energy and vibrance that comes with this knowing.

The concept of “soul” can also be expanded and even generalized somewhat. You can actually be agnostic or even an atheist and be open to a sense of soul.

In this broader conception, your soul can be understood as that essence and depth of your being. It is that part of you that transcends personality, socioeconomic status, body size or skin color. The dictionary defines the soul as the “animating principle.”

Without soul, we can easily become robotic and essentially heart-less shells. A deadened-soul life is one in which a person goes through the motions of living but doesn't really do it with presence, zest or even a semblance of vitality.

So no matter how spiritual or non-spiritual you consider yourself to be, today I encourage you to think about your soul. How much of a priority do you place on feeding and connecting in with your soul?

How alive or dead do you tend to be in your day-to-day life?

*Tomorrow read about how to flip out of auto-pilot and begin to re-connect with your soul.
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Huge thanks to Alissa Sorenson pictured above in Dia de los Muertos costume. Face painting by Mik of Big Smiley and photograph by Mollie Hannon.