Lover of Soul and Inviter to the Dance
“When I heard those words, “You are Lover of Soul and Inviter to the Dance” I knew their truth.”
A few years ago, I was walking down a path at Gilmont Conference Center in east Texas, on my way up to the Chapel in the Sky. I was in one of those times of deep reflection on the journey of my life. I had left full-time church ministry a few years earlier to begin a path that I now call my Wild Mustang journey. As I was walking through Gilmont, I was wondering if I had missed something.
The question that kept going through my head was “who am I?” “Who am I?” In the moment, regardless of all the experiences and trips and conversations I had had, I did not know who I was, in the depth of my being. Yes, I am pastor, husband, father, son, brother, Christ-follower, Presbyterian, American. But all those seemed surface-level in that moment, though they are deeply meaningful to me.
WHO AM I? Me? As I turned onto the trail to go up to Chapel in the Sky, I paused and looked at a tall pine tree, surrounded by two other pine trees, forming a trinity. I stared at the top of this very tall tree and asked “Who am I?”
I heard an instant response. “You are Lover of Soul and Inviter to the Dance.” The response popped so quickly into my head I wondered where it came from. I was still looking at the pine tree and knew instantly the tree had shared this truth with me. This was not the first time a tree or bush or animal had communicated with me. Or the Divine has communicated with me through the connection I made to this pine tree.
When I heard those words, “You are Lover of Soul and Inviter to the Dance” I knew their truth. That’s who I am. I wasn’t really clear what the words meant or even what that lover of soul and inviter to the dance looks like. But I knew in the depth of my being that’s who I am.
I begin this blog today as a way to live into this calling to be Lover of Soul and Inviter to the Dance. I want to share stories about how loving of soul has shown up for me. Not just my soul, but souls I have encountered along the way, human and non-human. I want to speak of this dance to which we are all invited each and every day, a dance of life, of light and shadow, of going down and coming up. I invite you on this journey with me.
I believe we live in an adolescent society, where the focus of living is “I want what I want when I want it.” This adolescent society has given us a patho-society, a society that is not well: high depression and suicide rates, high addiction rates, global warming, ongoing wars, terrible pandemics. To be an adult is to live out of one’s soul, out of who we are in the depth of our being. Each of us has a unique calling that is ours to manifest, bring into this world. The journey to adulthood involves a cocoon of transformation or a womb for new birth or a tomb of death to the ego being in charge. The journey to adulthood requires this transformation or new birth or death that the adolescent resists. This is why we have adolescents who are 60-70 years old and running companies and countries. (Much of my understanding of the soul comes from the work of Bill Plotkin.)
My hope and prayer is that this blog will be a help for people on the journey to adulthood, on the journey to discover who they are and to live out of the depth of their soul. I hope to do this by sharing stories, giving invitations, engaging in loving soul and inviting to the dance. My intent is to post a new blog each week. Thank you for all who will join me on this journey.