Wherever You Stand, Be The Soul Of That Place”

“Wherever you stand, be the Soul of that place.”

― Rumi

When I first saw this quote from Rumi, I was completely drawn in and filled with curiosity.

• What does that mean – “wherever you stand, be the soul of that place”?  
• How often am I open and present enough to be the soul or essence of something? anything? me?
• What does “soul” mean?

soul – the immaterial essence, animating principle, or actuating cause of an individual life
 

Wherever you stand, be the soul of that place.

Taking a breath and a few quiet seconds, I notice a little more in my field of awareness. A sense of movement in my upper body shifting to open, shoulders relaxing back, my chest elevating to allowing more space as I sit with the idea.

Wherever you stand, be the soul of that place.

Where do I stand? On a cliff looking out over the river, in a doctor’s waiting room, in an office or restaurant, looking in your eyes, a community center, singing on a stage with three or a hundred other people, in a line at the grocery store, lost in a forest, on the edge of a fog-covered mountain, nose pressed to the airplane window as it screams across the sky, floating on top of the ocean wearing a mask and a toothy-grin as the giant sea turtle swims by, quietly listening to a client or friend share their story. Never alone…really. Always in relationship to someone or something. Another breath…another quiet moment and I feel my inner arms extend left and right opening to embrace…

Where you stand, be the soul of that place.

Equality, diversity, freedom, connectedness, music, puppies, love, nature, exploring, learning, curious about the something-greater-than-me that is the source of me. Another breath, the back of my chest moves out as it fills with the gift of life. I notice how the space above me and out around me is now part of me.

Where you stand, be the soul of that place.

Can I be the proverbial “drop of ocean”? How can I be the soul of humanity, the essence of who we are, interconnected here on planet Earth, with some still so stunningly unaware? The animator. The cause. Awareness beckons me inward and finds that place inside me. Breathing and quiet and deeper still.

Where you stand, be the soul of that place.

What does it take to stand and be the soul of that place? Willingness to be there, a genuine desire to know in a deeper way, the essence. A beginner’s mind. Inner eyes to look and see. Inner ears to listen and hear. Inner wisdom to experience the fullness. An expanding heart and a mindful way of BE-ing…because it is impossible to take in another’s story and not be changed at the very core of our being.

Where you stand, be the soul of that place.

How is it for you to be the soul of that place where you stand?

Blessings,
Kim