Soulful curiosity? What is that? I haven’t talked about Soul Coaching® in a while so maybe I can address the topic of soul curiosity and what that has to do with Soul Coaching® in the same post!

Seekers Unite!

People who are curious about the subject of soul are often Seekers. Caroline Myss defines the archetype of a Seeker as “one who searches on a path that may begin with earthly curiosity but has at its core the search for God and/or enlightenment.” Not to be confused with “the Mystic, which has the Divine as its sole focus, the Seeker is in search of wisdom and truth, wherever it is to be found.” I used to grapple with that difference but decided it was too hard to be a Mystic while raising four children! I do have God as part of journey though and I remember asking my mother about God at the age of four or five. She said God was everywhere and that really freaked me out when on the toilet! Fortunately the big skirts of the 50’s enabled me to cover myself up…you know, just in case God was really there. (Ew.) Clearly my five year old mind didn’t grasp the subtleties of that philosophy that if God was everywhere, he/she/all that is, would be in me, in all things and all of life, without separation. Ok, I’ll leave that for the Philosophers among you, (which clearly is not one of my archetypes)! But it didn’t stop me from searching.

Where Has Seeking Taken You?

In my life, I’ve explored Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, Native spirituality and Aboriginal traditions, Shamanism, and more, and there is plenty more that I haven’t explored and this is the Seekers way; the Seeker’s mindset. So it was that I found my way to Soul Coaching® and the work of Denise Linn. Professionally, in a practice that started with body-centred psychotherapy, then energy work and dreams, and now grief and bereavement work, more and more often, my clients were talking “spirit” with me and I was becoming their Spiritual Director. I had looked into Spiritual Direction courses but felt they were not balanced, as they focused on one’s spiritual life only. I was trained to work from the premise that emotions and psychological healing had to be addressed as part of the process or spiritual pursuits ran the risk of becoming just one more way to avoid some hard work. I already had one or two of Denise’s books on my shelves; “The Secret Language of Signs” being one of my favourites to use in dream work. When a member in a profession group I was in mentioned she was a Soul Coach, my whole body perked up. I was listening.

I’m Listening

It turns out that is exactly what Soul Coaching is about- listening! And this is exactly what I had been doing for my clients, listening to their hearts and their souls. I was looking for a mentor for this work though, and I found it in Denise. Soul Coaching gave me the tools to teach others how to listen too.

But what is this “soulful curiosity”? I have it and most of the people who come to work with me have it too. It is the desire to know oneself; the desire to listen deeply to one’s heart and clarify one’s purpose in the world. And more, it is the desire to find that spark of God that is within us! Whether you resonate with the description of the Mystic or the Seeker, you are seeking self-knowledge and your inner, most sacred Self and God, (or however you define the Creator). You are ready and willing to clear the clutter from your life in all realms of body, mind, emotions and spirit and discover your essential, soulful self. You want to learn to recognize that voice of your soul as you navigate a more and more stressful and challenging world.

The Winds of Change

Well life is about change, (change is the only constant in the equation of life, after all) and Denise Linn will no longer be training Soul Coaches. She is turning the process over to her Advanced Soul Coaches who do her teacher training and I had decided that I wasn’t going to be one of them. But I had an AHA moment when I realized that I was playing out an old pattern and moreover, I am professionally happiest when I am teaching a group of Seekers who what to learn and grow! So why wouldn’t I want to do that? In that moment, I was listening to my heart and soul! That is what Soul Coaches teach people to do and I was, gratefully, listening to myself for once!

Curiosity Didn’t Kill the Cat

What are you curious about? Do you want to know how intuition works in you, in your life? Are you longing to give yourself breathing space? (I even put it into my latest Vision Board that featured more white space than usual.)

vision board

If you are a Seeker and you’ve felt stuck lately, start with your curiosity. I have a brittle and yellowing copy of Charles Dickens’ The Old Curiosity Shop in my office to remind me to be curious. It was discouraged by my family so I now take every opportunity I have to reparent myself and clear out attitudes and beliefs that aren’t mine. What would you explore or do if there were no negative repercussions? What would you try if you had nothing to lose? Would you explore something in your outer world or would you take an inner journey…or both? Soul Coaches can walk with you and teach you how to listen within. I will be honoured to be training future Soul Coaches in the New Year ( January 2017…An appropriate time for new beginnings!) while I continue to lead Soul Coaching groups as well as working one-on-one with individuals. Contact me if you’d like to ask me about my work. I hope, whether as a client or a student….or a friend, that our paths cross. We will recognize ourselves when they do…. We will be the curious ones! As always, I welcome your comments below!