Ancientrails hit its size limit on my host, 1&1, and has to be moved to a larger venue. Bill Schmidt is working on that right now. It took a bit of time to realize what was wrong. I’ll be back online as soon as possible. Thanks
Soul
Lughnasa State Fair Moon
The soul. As probably understood most of the time (in the West): a non-material component of the body-mind-soul combination that makes up all human beings. This third component floats free at death, off to any number of possible outcomes depending on your belief: heaven, reincarnation, nirvana, Elysian Fields, Valhalla or hell. Usually the soul’s journey after life is believed to have some correlation with adherence to one moral code or another. Might be karma, might be sin, might be courage and bravery, might be heroic stature.
If your belief aligns with any of these understandings, then the third phase, as the one we know for certain ends with the terminal phase and the terminal moment, becomes critical, a blessed time when spirituality and spiritual attentiveness prepares you for the afterlife. Not gonna say how you might do this because it entails too many variables but the menu certainly includes: retreats, meditation, reading, prayer, perhaps engagement with a community of fellow travelers. It also includes attention to the past if you feel making amends or restitution or penance is part of your journey.
And if you’ve been so engaged prior to the third phase, congratulations. Now this kind of personal work can become a key thread in your life.
The soul: As I understand it at the moment. Roughly equivalent to the Self, a holistic view of the you that is body-mind-soul. Now. In this understanding the third phase stands as a blessed time when you can become more of who you already are. It can mean jettisoning the persona-pack you’ve carried in the world of work for a persona more consonant with the Self. If you’re lucky enough to come into the third phase with a persona and Self in healthy dialogue, you’re in good shape. This time can then be an extended exploration of the unique gift you are to this world.
Soul work: These two perspectives, one tied if loosely to religious tradition, and the other tied closely to the humanist tradition in Western culture are not exclusive of each other. That is, both ancientrails can overlap in any one individual.
Next time: what then might we do?
