004 | The Soul | #HUEBASICS
Going back to basics. Your cheat sheet to The Happy Hue method.
Your soul is your essence. It’s what sets you apart from all others—that core part of you that defies the confines of the material world. It dances in the realm of infinity. It’s the source of you at your most foundational level. It’s where your authentic self calls home; it’s the backbone of your most genuine sense of who you are.
Some call the soul their intuitive self, others their eternal essence, but the soul is the part of you that defines your uniqueness. Your soul mirrors your energy, as your soul's states express the shifting waves you emanate.
Your soul is your vibe. Your soul is that vivacious spirit that encodes who you are. It’s a marker of your humanity and the birthplace of your creativity. Your soul is the frequencies you project, the vibration you attract. Your soul are the characteristics you embody, the values and collective nature of what makes you quintessentially you.
Part of sleep's magic is withheld in the power of dreams. REM (rapid eye movement) sleep is when you dream the most. Scientists theorise that this is when you connect with your subconscious mind.
I speculate that dreams also allow you to rejuvenate your brain, mind, body, and soul because as you eliminate or integrate the wealth of knowledge from your day, the different stages of sleep allow you to process the finer details. Though without any memory of it, you unknowingly converse with your subconscious while in slumber.
These moments are beyond your awareness. They happen in the structural and cellular levels of the brain while you’re asleep. You do nothing but enjoy your moments of peace.
Dreaming, though, is a gateway into your soul. It exists in the realm of infinity. It is a shared experience that occurs nightly—a window into your greatest truths, yet all appearing in the arena of your subconscious. I believe dreaming is one of the ways evolution progressed to soothe your soul. Sleep is your soul’s quiet time.
Your soul is vivacious. Its modes of rest and recovery can take many forms. Whether it’s a moving piece of music, an enigmatic performance, the vibrancy of the textures in an art piece, or the radiance of your interaction with a loved one— there are many sources for inspired yet restful reprise.
Some days, your heart needs excitement, inspiration, awe, and wonder. On other days, your soul craves peaceful moments to gather or even longs for solitude. Find those moments of contentment, warmth, and peace. Your heart is your greatest compass here.
Though there are common threads in us, what our souls find restful and rejuvenating, the real rituals are entirely subjective. Look for the things and the moments that restore your spirit.
Training the soul is about cultivating your character, virtues, wisdom, moral code, and values to enhance your spiritual well-being. While religion can have a role in training your soul, religious or spiritual regimens aren’t mandatory for all, as others may find more secular approaches more satisfactory.
Your preferences and beliefs will depend on a range of criteria. From history, culture, surroundings, circumstances, and even your level of curiosity, how you train your soul is also about understanding what you need in your life at the moment.
There isn’t a right or a wrong. It’s an inherently personal endeavour. It’s more about self-awareness as you ebb and flow through the different stages of your life. It’s also about noticing when it’s your time to explore, expand, or be still and observe. It’s about identifying what suits you best—your current needs, goals, beliefs, and future dreams.
You’ll experiment, and the latest trends might tempt you. But, you’ll question based on what you seek or what you feel fits. While daily meditations work for some, others prefer weekly Sunday mass. You might even be curious to try what your idols are fashioning, but ultimately, it’s all about what tickles your spirit and excites you!
There is a type of training that you feel adds value to your inner stability. What’s best is to execute the things that soothe you but also challenge your soul to grow—resilience, empathy, compassion, grace, kindness, generosity, contentment and the myriad of enhancing qualities that recalibrate your soul.
Do more of the things that make your soul feel whole; seek out the actions that fill you. With compassion and contentment, the aim is to train with things, tools, and actions that spark something more profound.
Nourishment for the soul is about maintaining the things essential to your thriving. For example, as social creatures, maintaining deep and close relationships is essential nourishment for your soul; without which, your spirit will wither—and, in the extreme, might even lead to death. Scientists have even discovered that loneliness can lead to shortened lifespans.
Yet the type of friendships you maintain are unique to you. They are as subjective as your preferences for other soul-nurturing activities. While some find high-intensity physical exercise soul-enhancing, others may prefer yoga or brisk walking. Perhaps you prefer sketching delphiniums, while others prefer yogic colouring books instead. As always, as you venture through life, the matter of soul nourishment is an intimate endeavour—that’s also ever-changing.
Aside from the need for social interactions, safe shelter, and warm food, few things are universally soul-nourishing— especially not for all eight billion of us. It’s up to you to decide what your soul finds essential.
Stimulation is different from nourishment in that stimulation is like sunshine. Sunshine beams on plants so that they can grow through photosynthesis, but too much sunlight scorches these same plants. In comparison, nourishment is like water and the rich nutrients in the soil. These elements are the building blocks of energy for these plants to thrive. Without either, the plants will wither or die, regardless of how much sunlight they get.
So, while nourishment is essential to keep your soul alive, stimulation is the in-betweens. Though non-essential, stimulations are uplifting pleasantries to have in your arsenal. Yet what stimulates your soul also requires you time to explore. Excavate the things that ignite you deeply and water them.
Find the things that excite. Magnetise towards the moments that energise. The things that cause wonder and surprise. Honour those moments of serendipity. The stimulations your soul craves are those that spark surprise and joy internally and eternally, like the blossoming of tulips in spring.
The best stimulations are those that inspire—those moments that catch you by surprise and fill your soul with undeniable appreciation. In those finite seconds, where you find yourself suddenly brimming with gratitude—elated, in awe, and holding back a smile. But don’t hold it back because gratitude and happiness have plenty of health benefits, too! So, if all is a loss, remember to check in with your soul too.
“Lack of certain types of social connection linked with higher risk of dying early, study finds.” | 2023 | CNN Health
“Health benefits of gratitude.” | 2023 | UCLA Health
Thanks for reading!
My ambition is to build this space into a thriving, engaged community of like-minded, curious souls. I am grateful for your time each week and for your support!
If you enjoyed reading this, please share it with someone or subscribe to support my newsletter.
If you’re already a paying subscriber, remember that the more people you refer who subscribe, the higher the chances you’ll receive a free month! As the algorithm decides this on my behalf, please make sure to share it using the link below.
NEVER MISS A POST…
Subscribe to receive the latest weekly newsletters to celebrate our paths to LIVE BEYOND. Receive updates straight to your inbox that aim to equip and empower you.
You’ll receive one newsletter a week, with intermittent content on other weeks—some of which will be accessible to paying patrons only.
What did you think about today’s posts?
Leave a comment or say hello. I’d love to hear from you.