The great sages throughout time have recognized that we are born with seeds of the soul, but they must be nurtured if they are to flower.
We are not born perfect, but we are born with a potential beyond anything we can currently imagine. That potential is a gift, but to fulfill it requires effort. This need to put in effort is true for every aspect of our being.
We don’t learn to walk unless we pull ourselves up and start toddling — and falling down a lot.
We don’t learn to read unless we focus our attention on the page and start sounding out syllables.
Even a musical genius has to put in effort (although it may feel more like love) to master an instrument fully and write down the music that floats in the air, falling on ears with a special talent to hear it.
And the same is true of the soul — the part of us that bridges heaven and earth. We must learn to listen for its subtle messages, and make choices that sacrifice the desires of our lower nature in favor of joining ourselves to the celestial.
The great sages throughout time have recognized that we are born with seeds of the soul, but it is not inevitable that they will fully develop. They must be nurtured if they are to flower. Here are some examples…
One who rejects instruction is the foe of his own soul.
— Valerian (422)
The union of the soul with soul and spirit with spirit in accordance with the sowing of the word brings growth to the seed sown and produces life. Everyone who is educated in obedience to his educator becomes a son.
— Clement Of Alexandria (159)
One of the marvels of the world
is the sight of a soul sitting in prison
with the key in his hand.
— Jalal Al Din Rumi (1207)
Origen says the soul’s quest of God comes by self-observation. If she knew herself she would know God also.
— Meister Eckhart (1260)
The very discovery of these hidden things is in itself a purifying experience! The soul needs to discover what is inside. The self nature needs to see what it really is, and what it is like — right to the very bottom.
— Jeanne Guyon (1647)
In this patient, though uncheered obedience, we become prepared for light. The soul gathers force.
— William E. Channing (1780)
Every great tradition speaks of our responsibility to make something of the gift we’ve been given of a nascent soul. Our very wish to fulfill this great task sets us on the journey that will, if we will stay with it, finally bring us to the wholeness, peace, and love that are awaiting us.
Here Are Some Helpful Insights to Get You Started on Nurturing the Seeds of Your Soul
Nurturing the seeds of your soul does take work, but you are born to succeed at it. Here to give you information and encouragement are some words by Guy Finley on the Success of the Soul.
We should never measure ourselves according to what we think our possibilities are — as all such estimations are always limited conclusions reached by a self that secretly evaluates it own past in order to measure what may be its future; rather we ought to have faith in the “impossible,” as the soul is created to transcend itself and all that went before and into its earthly birth!
Just as the achievement of a Higher state of itself is built right into the physical body that is properly exercised, whereby it becomes stronger for what it is made to do, so too does there exist an invisible system of spiritual success built into the willing soul; only in the subtler realms of spiritual works true success of the soul is realized by the conscious abandonment of the self that would succeed according to its own will.
The mastery of anything, including ourselves, begins with the faith that we are not here on earth to be perfected according to an image we hold of ourselves, but rather to allow Perfection to work its way upon us… So that only the awareness of something Greater than ourselves can draw us into a Greatness beyond ourselves, if we will it so.
True faith, as it concerns the success of the soul, is born of a Love that doesn’t just “hope in things unseen,” but that sees the potential of its fulfillment before its time, and then acts as though it already is.
Until one understands the true purpose of his life on this earth, he cannot hope to know the true meaning of success of the soul.
Is there something in your own tradition that speaks of our responsibility to nurture the seeds of our soul? If so, please share a quotation about it with us. We all benefit when one of us shares an important truth. So, please click here to submit your quotation to the OneJourney Living Book!
Best wishes,
Dr. Ellen Dickstein
The OneJourney Project
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