Transcription of Seven Steps To Soul
1 Seven Steps To Soul A Poetic Journey of Spiritual Awakening By Suzan Caroll PH D Seven Steps to Soul 3 Copyright 2000 by Suzan Caroll All rights Steps to Soul 4 To the one who is dying, soon to be reborn. Seven Steps to Soul 5 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.
2 Seven Steps to Soul 6 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 great for a child to bear.
3 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.
4 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.
5 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.
6 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. Seven Steps to Soul 7 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.
7 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 won t be creating a safe place for them to live.
8 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.
9 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.
10 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 isn t 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.
