Seven Steps To Soul
A Poetic Journey of Spiritual Awakening
Suzan Caroll
Copyright ฎ 2000 by Suzan Caroll
All rights reserved.
To the one who is dying, soon to be reborn.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank Kathleen and Barbara, two whom I helped and who helped me in return. It was they who first saw my hidden poet and encouraged me to revel it. I also wish to thank Wyn for her editing and my husband for his support and appreciation of my poetry.
THE FIRST STEP
Childhood ~ A Life Begins and Soon Forgets
The seven sections of this book represent seven processes that align us with our Soul. When our Soul enters our body at birth we forget most of our greater Self, but our inner child holds that secret for us until we are ready to remember. But why do we forget? Most of us are taught to forget by the people in our world that no longer remember. And, often, we forget because of painful events that are too greafor a child to bear. In the process of that forgetting we lose the happy memories as well. We also forget because our emotional reactions to the world around us blur our memory and interrupt our connection to the portion of ourselves that remembers. Therefore, we must learn to hear, express, and release our emotions without judgment or criticism.
This process often takes years because most of us have
learned in our childhood that it is not safe to be completely open
and honest ~ with others or ourselves. We must learn to NOT judge our emotional
reactions or we will not feel safe enough to bring them to the surface.
THE SECOND STEP
Emotions ~ Healing the Pain
Often the first emotions that we finally allow ourselves to realize and express are painful ones because they are the memories that we pushed way in our early life. It is not until we can balance these painful emotions with emotions of comfort and happiness that we can find peace. This peace, of course, is fleeting because there is always a new catalyst to react to. But, if we can clear our past, we can experience each moment in a clear and present way.
Then, we will not be as buffeted about by the
challenges of everyday life.
THE THIRD STEP
Thoughts ~ Learning to Think from Within
Once we have gained the ability to experience our emotions and not repress them, or become trapped in them, we find that our thoughts often push us back into negativity. Then we must allow ourselves to again listen, listen to our Self. When we were trapped in, or repressing, our emotions it was impossible to hear our thoughts. But, when our emotional body has calmed, our thoughts come to our attention. Can we choose our thoughts or are they our jailer who thrusts our daily portion before us without asking our opinion?
Only when we can listen to the still small voice within can we discriminate between the thoughts that are ours and the thoughts that we have learned, or taken on, from others.
THE FOURTH STEP
Relationships ~ Learning to Love Ourselves, Others, and the Planet
Relationships are that which allows us to learn about love and the healing power that it holds. However, whatever conflict we hold inside ourselves will be mirrored out to the relationships around us. If we can learn to love ourselves, then we can forgive our past and create a new future. Only in loving ourselves can we allow ourselves to trust enough to freely love another. When we have truly permitted love into our hearts and lives we can realize that each of us is a portion of a greater whole. This whole is our planet. If we do not love our planet, we are not being loving to our people for we wont be creating a safe place for them to live. Once our hearts are filled with love, our sphere of concern widens and a responsibility to all life grows. This responsibility to all life is the dominion of the Goddess.
The Goddess is the beacon of power of love. This power of love is an energy field and it is not limited to women or even to humans. The power of the Goddess finds our mates, bears our children, and holds our families together. The Goddess nurtures, heals, and grows our seeds of our creativity into manifestation. Men may also live the power of the Goddess, and more of them are doing so every day. Balancing of the God and Goddess within us which allows us to create and maintain relationships that are co-operative and peaceful.
THE FIFTH STEP
Creativity ~ Becoming a Vessel of Light
When love has healed our past and calmed our thoughts and emotions, renewed hope often enters our awareness. Creativity can then enter our life and we can begin to free the shackles of limitation that were taken on during a life of separation ~ separation from the awareness of our true Self. If we can open up our hearts and minds, we can allow the light of a new beginning to take root in our consciousness and fill us with the light of our creative potential. However, first we must confront our fear of judgment, from others and from ourselves, so that we can be the vessel of light that was always our Destiny. But to do that we must change, and, in order to change, we must face the unknown.
THE SIXTH STEP
Imagination ~ The Joining of Worlds
Imagination is that portion of us that is childlike. It isnt real. Or is it?
Could it be that our imagination is a powerful tool that we can use to mold our dreams into a future ~ into a NOW? If we can take the risk to enter the unknown, we may find that we are so important that our imagination is the thread that ties us to our Soul and hence to all of life. Through our imagination we can create a portal between our outer world and the rich inner worlds of Soul where everything is possible ~ if only we can imagine. And, we are our own gatekeepers.
THE SEVENTH STEP
Freedom ~ Living in Surrender
At first, Soul may seem far away and separate from our
everyday life. But, once our imagination has paved a path and
initiated a communication with our Self, we can begin to bring our Soul into our
mundane world. This bringing in of the energy and guidance of our Soul is
best accomplished if we can totally surrendering to it. Our Soul is the
portion of us that our inner child never forgot. Can we believe as adults what we knew as
children? Can we believe that we deserve our Souls presence in our
daily life and allow it to work within and through us? Can we accept the guidance
that our Soul constantly and consistently offers? There are many questions to be asked. To find our own
answers we must go inside ~ inside ourselves. The answers may
change with every quest. It is this search that makes up our life.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ~ Where is Home?
CHILDHOOD ~ A Life Begins and Soon Forgets
~ Remembering Childhood ~
1
Being Different
..
15
2
.Childhood
16
3
.The Journey
..19
~ Taking Childhoods Gift ~
4
.Power
22
5
.The Penny
.24
6
..The Present
26
~ Growing Up ~
7
.Limitations
28
8
.The Question
..29
9
.The Change
30
~ Keeping the Connection ~
10
The Golden Cord
.34
11
The Children
37
12
The First Step to Soul
..39
EMOTIONS ~ Healing the Pain
~ Awakening Feelings ~
1
.Playfulness
43
2
.Guilt
45
3
.Fear
.47
~ Finding Courage ~
4
.Confrontation
51
5
.The Circle of Fear
..52
6
.A Souls Remorse
..54
~ Remembering Happiness ~
7
.The Darkness
.56
8
.The Road
58
9
.Remember More
.
61
Seven Steps to Soul
3
~ Living in Peace ~
10
The Cliff
..64
11
Message from the Master
.66
12
The Second Step to Soul
68
THOUGHTS ~ Learning to Think from Inside
~ Listening to Thoughts ~
1
.The Circus
..73
2
.The Bird
..75
3
.The Sea
76
~ Hearing the Self ~
4
.Voices
..79
5
.The Threshold
81
6
.Remember
..
82
~ Clearing the Mind ~
7
.Yard work
..
84
8
..Protection
...86
9
..Continue
.88
~ Being the Self ~
10
My Self
92
11
The Core of Consciousness
...
93
12
Completion
94
13
The Third Step to Soul
..95
RELATIONSHIPS ~ Learning to love
Self, Others and the Planet
~ Healing the Hurt ~
1
.The Warrior and the Maiden
100
2
The Maiden, The Mother, The
Priestess
...102
3
.Awaken
104
~ Opening the Heart ~
4
.My Heart
.106
5
.The Lesson of Love
.108
6
.Sharing
.109
~ Living in Love ~
7
.The Storm
.112
8
.I Miss You
114
9
.Love
...115
Seven Steps to Soul
4
~ Loving the Planet ~
10
Arise
117
11
The Call
....119
12
The Fourth Step to Soul
.122
CREATIVITY ~ Becoming a Vessel of
Light
~ Finding the Light ~
1
Faerie Night
.127
2
Far Away
..129
3
The Highway
130
~ Accepting the Light ~
4
A Message
132
5
The Treasure
133
6
The Cup
135
~ Expressing Creativity ~
7
The Call of Spring
138
8
.The Flower
..140
9
.The Lilies
..142
~ Becoming a Vessel ~
10
A Vessel of Light
145
11
Within This Moment
..146
12
The Fifth Step to Soul
.147
IMAGINATION ~ The Joining of Worlds
~ Imagining Inner Worlds ~
1
.The Tunnel
..152
2
.The Pond
..154
3
.The Other Side
...
.156
~ Visiting the Other Side ~
4
.Moments
..
158
5
.The Rose
...160
6
.Transformation
163
~ Joining the Worlds ~
7
.The Inner Goddess
.
167
8
..I Remember Faerie
.168
9
..The Comfort of Trees
.
171
~Living in Both Worlds ~
10
.Home
175
Seven Steps to Soul
5
11
.The Distant Shore
176
12
.The Sixth Step to Soul
. .178
FREEDOM ~ Living in Surrender
~ Traveling the Path ~
1
.Now and Forever
..184
2
.The Path of Soul
185
3
.The River
187
4
.The Current
192
~ Finding the Soul ~
5
.Who Am I?
198
6
.Merging With the Goddess
.199
7
.Awareness
.
201
~ Merging with Soul ~
8
..All That Is
.203
9
..The Stream of Light
.206
10
I AM
..210
~ Surrendering to Soul ~
11
Surrender
..212
12
Beloved One
.214
13
The Seventh Step to Soul
216
EPILOGUE ~ Patterns