An Introduction to Soul Birth
March 5, 2012
But at last I understood from William Blake and van Gogh and other great men, and from myself - from the truth that is in me (and which I have at last learned to declare and stand up for, as I am trying to persuade you to stand up for your inner truth)- at last I understood that writing was this: an impulse to share with other people a feeling or truth that I myself had. Not to preach to them, but to give it to them if they cared to hear it. If they did not-fine. They did not need to listen. That was all right too. And I would never fall into those two extremes (both lies) of saying: "I have nothing to say and am of no importance and have no gift"; or "The public doesn't want good stuff." When I learned all of this then I could write freely and jovially..."~ Brenda Ueland
And so it is that I speak to you about why I write from my soul to yours. For it is only within your soul that you will discover Truth. Therefore, I ask that you read these words with openness and let them stir something within. If no stirring occurs then you let it go and move on forth. For even a stiring of what may be consider negative, is a stirring of sorts and carries a message that needs to be listened to.
The ego speaks from criticism, where as the soul ponders and dwells. I invite you to dwell upon these words. For in writing I am witnessing my own Soul's birth, for this is part of my journey - my integration towards wholeness. I am sharing this intimate story with enthusiasm and with a subtle hope that it inspires something within your soul.
Of course it would be grand of me to expect that you will understand or even appreciate all of these words. For you may despise them and disagree and yet, I am still writing because that is what speaks deeply within. To not would be the death of me. And I have faced many deaths and the one constant that has not perished in this internal chaos is this Soul's voice.
Out of desire and generosity and a will to be alive, I share with you an experience, a blueprint, a framework that has greatly helped me navigate my own Soul's labor and birth. For without these sacred teachings, passed down to me through story telling, I am not sure how I would have found my way through the dark night of the soul; An internal landscape of dank despair, debilitating pain, and the quicksand of grief.
Now, how does one speak to these matters? To the experience of a Soul's birth, a Soul's awakening and transformation, an emergence? This journey of awakening the sleeping giant, the quest of the grail, and slaying the beasts? How does one speak in a manner that ignites a familiar knowing within; a way in which you can almost feel the subtle nuances of it all and the magnificent power that exists in us all?
You see, you can witness the transformation of the Caterpillar to butterfly; Yet you cannotknow deep within your core what that experience was like for that particular butterfly. You can witness one or a thousand births and never know what that felt like for the mother. You can express empathy, offer love and nurturing care. You can have an idea about how it felt, based on your personal experiences with birth itself; yet you can never know what happened on a cellular level.
So how does one write about these matters? For what I am speaking to is not and intellectual process; it can only be known through doing and experiencing yourself. Each labor is unique to the Mother and each soul birth (a journey of inner transformation) is unique to the individual. I can speak to what I have witnessed in others, and yet, can never know their internal experience - I can guess. And that guess is based on my personal understanding of my own navigation of life's labor pains. Therefore, what I am offering you is a spiritual framework (inspired by women's experiences of instinctive undisturbed birthing and sacred midwifery*) that can be used to assist you in navigating your internal soul's experience with life's labor pains.
In my humble opinion (and please try them on for yourself) these Truth's can help inspire courage, determination, purpose, and a way through the chaotic experience of grief, despair, pain and inner rage. For me, they became the grace under fire that was so desperately needed. So, in these writings, I am speaking about both my personal and perceptual experience. For I was both the experienced and the Witness of the experience; and the Teacher and the guardian of the birth space - I midwifed my own Soul's birth.
May I be so bold to say that we all need to be midwifed in this sacred way and we all need to be the Midwife of our own Soul's quest. And so, I am honored that you have chosen to venture deeper into these muddy waters and birthing tides. It is my deepest hope that in the end, you too will find the courage, faith, determination, spark of inspiration, and trust in the process of your Soul's Birth.
Posted by Jennifer Summerfeldt. Posted In : soul birth
