One’s self-identity begins to shift with the work of purification. The sense of isolation forged by the separated self gradually gives way to one’s awareness of the essential unity of all souls. The love, joy, and sense of purpose that belong to the true Self become part of daily living.
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Soul Identity is the third of ten phases in our journey.
The quotes below reflect our experiences.
“Soul recognition has been growing in me for a long time. But now there is a clear realisation of the soul as the ever-present Observer—a silent ‘witness’ to all activities promulgated by the little self. The shift for me came through the experience of group work under Ashramic guidance. In the clarity of this higher light, a bridge between the personality and the soul began to grow, becoming more alive and more visible to the mind’s eye.”
“After many years of challenging situations, I find myself at home with a group of dedicated and effective disciples. The unimaginable threads of circumstance that led me here can only be explained by the fact that the Soul was directing the life experience, despite the whims of the personality. This has demonstrated to me that the soul truly does control the outer form. If such awareness is occurring in us, it is also occurring in many others and suggests that a new world formed by awakened souls, aligned with divine purpose, is inevitable.”
“Through participation in this group, I see the world differently and react differently. I feel less separate and can see life through a larger lens than before. My interactions with people have changed. The connective energy that flows from the Ashram through the group is powerful—it embraces us, and we respond to it. As I write this, I almost feel that I shouldn’t use the word ‘I,’ as I don’t feel like an individual ‘I’ anymore.”
“Years ago, I started to understand that we actually are all one. I began to grasp the interconnectedness of our souls—ALL souls—and to realize that every hurt and act of kindness, every challenge and victory, affects us all. The human experiment in separation from God will soon end because we are experiencing that we are actually one…and one with the Source of life.”
“Our meditations have led me to heightened soul awareness, reminding me to see everything through the eyes of the soul. I’ve experienced a re-run of my life from earliest childhood to now and can recognize my soul as an inner core of truth that has run like a golden thread through all the challenges I have faced. When emotions dominate, the personality suffers greatly. But my soul is as serene as a pool of still water.”
“Knowing that one is a soul brings a new awareness that is defined by love. There is a selfless attitude towards life that feels so different from being an isolated personality.”
“A massive shift occurs when we allow the Soul to direct our lives. When we learn to listen with the inner ear to the promptings of the soul, the personality is transformed into its instrument and everything becomes possible.”
“The soul arouses the love of beauty in us along with the sense of brotherhood and a strong impulse toward the greater good. There is a desire to express the light of the soul in the world. I’m aware that the process of transformation has only begun in me, but my attention is always directed toward revealing the presence of the soul, often hidden behind a veil of words.”
“Most times, the light of the soul is obscured by the barriers and boundaries of the mundane world. But in the company of souls of a resonant frequency, in conversations nourished by thoughts about the inner world, the hidden nature of the soul comes to light and one glimpses a different way of being."
“In meditation, I had a vision of the future awaiting us. I felt an irrepressible sense of joy while radiating love, and a feeling of being a light that was merging with other lights in total freedom. It was a feast for the soul.”
“By living in soul consciousness much of the time, it is easier to release the lower energy of the personality when it arises and to return to the beauty, love and wholeness of the soul’s vibration.
“I know that it is fear, born of ignorance and mistaken identity, that keeps my personality bound and contracted. The unconscious choices made in this state are not life-giving and they compound my suffering. I know that the antidote to fear is love, which can be accessed from my higher nature as a soul. I know that embracing the present moment as my true Self expands my life experience, bringing joy, gratitude, peace, creativity, and compassion.”
“There are things I know to be true. I do not know these things from books or knowledge imparted by others. This knowledge is something deep that pulses in every cell of my body, and I don’t need to justify or prove it to anyone. However, I rejoice when others find these truths for themselves.”
“Perceiving the love, joy, and beauty in all things … in every thought, every action, every encounter … allows me to conceive of a new world created by conscious, loving souls.”
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Unveiling the Secret of the Soul:
An Essay
“When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy.”
― Rumi
Rumi, the great poet, scholar, and Sufi mystic was the embodiment of a fully awakened soul. A disciple of truth, he was initiated into the secrets and mysteries of the inner life. Through his poetry and spiritual teachings, Rumi revealed to humanity the essence of the true Self. Remarkably, though he lived during the Persian empire of the 13th century, at the time of Genghis Khan, his writings have left their mark upon awakening souls across the globe for over eight centuries.
Rumi was described as follows by a contemporary translator and interpreter of his writings:1
"Rumi is one of the great souls, and one of the great spiritual teachers. He shows us our glory. He wants us to be more alive, to wake up... He wants us to see our beauty, in the mirror and in each other."
This passage, along with Rumi’s words above, offer important clues about what it means to achieve identification with the Soul. What follows are a few thoughts about this state of being.
Acting from the soul. We might call this ‘Inspired Living’—taking direction and action in our lives from the higher self. This entails becoming receptive to inner guidance and following the promptings of our souls, ‘the better angels of our nature.’
Experiencing joy. The Ageless Wisdom describes joy as a primary quality of the soul. The state of joy arises when the heart opens and the lower and higher selves become aligned through love. When this occurs, the mind registers the grace flowing from this love, arousing feelings of pure joy.
Feeling a river moving within you. This phrase evokes the stream of love, light, and power that flows through an awakened soul who is open to spiritual impression, living life under divine inspiration.
Rumi’s interpreter describes him as both ‘a great soul’ and a ‘great spiritual teacher.’ A great soul is one who is able to act as a mediator between Divine Mind and human intelligence, serving to bring divine purpose into expression in the world. Rumi’s works have been preparing human minds for the emergence of the Soul for many centuries. Now, on the threshold of the ‘Age of the Soul,’ his works contribute directly to the plan of evolution.
Genuine spiritual teachers are Self-realized individuals who take their place in the Great Chain of Being as mediators between that which is of a finer vibration and that of a coarser vibration. They are beings who have entered a state of awareness from which they can see in two directions—above and below. They are the intuitives of the world who have the capacity to register divine ideas transmitted from ‘on high’ and share them with humanity.
Teachers like Rumi help us to see the beauty of the human soul, inspiring us to live from the awareness of our true Selves. By their living example and their creative works, they ‘show us our glory.’ The wisdom teachings tell us that the soul holds ‘the secret of the hidden glory.’ When we expose this secret lying within ourselves and express our true identity as souls, we glorify God. The secret is that the nature of the human soul is divine. By treading the path that reveals our essence as fragments of the divine, we bring the inner beauty of the soul into visible expression in our world.
1 Coleman Barks, poets.org