Soul Place – What Are They and Do We All Have One?

glenmckenzie(justabitfurther)

January 31

Each of us, whether we believe it or not, has a special place we run to at times. We blast our way at all costs to wherever that "place" is to dwell in that sense of "inner peace."

We might not know we're doing it, but we are.

We've all heard or uttered the phrase, " I feel most at peace when I'm in the forest; or mountains; or at the sea." Or something similar in nature. It may even be the beachy type waterfront in the large city you live in.

It seems these days, we live in a world where it is exceedingly difficult to be "at peace" whether globally or in our own inner peace.

Which makes it all that more imperative to find that place that gives us that inner peace. A place that when we arrive, we know instantaneously that "I'm home." A place where our soul is a rest.

One thing that has been bouncing around in my mind for the past several weeks is the idea of "why are people attracted or drawn to a particular spot or place?"

Phrases like:

"Algonquin Park or a national park is my special place; I feel most at peace there"
"I can't help it. When I'm in the mountains it's like being home."
"The seashore calls me and when I'm there it's like heaven to me."
"I feel a presence when I'm out in the forest, in the trees, and in the streams. It's where I'm supposed to be."

I wondered if there was any substance to this, other than a purely intellectual exercise or response.

We often hear from friends or even tell ourselves that, "such and such a place is where I feel most at home." But, when pressed as to why they feel that "this place is like being home," all I ever get for a response is "Well because it just is." Or something along those lines.

For most of us, that answer should be enough, but it got me to thinking that maybe the "why" is much deeper.

That is the reason why are people attracted or drawn to a particular spot or "Soul Place" that is almost or is spiritual in nature.

After doing a bit of reading, I came across the concept or idea of "Soul Place."

So, what is a "Soul Place?"

Good question and without getting into a long discourse on the meaning of "soul," this is what I've been able to glean about all of us having and/or needing to find our "soul place."

It doesn't take being much of a rocket scientist and no disrespect to rocket scientists, but we live at a time where our existence tends to be based on consumption and consuming A LOT, rather than something else.

This "something else" is the idea of each of us being born(obviously), not to necessarily consume(yes, we need to consume to some extent), but to also engage, serve, and nurture our place within the ecosystem of the universe.

As such, our soul is simply not our true nature, but also it is our true place in nature.

In as much as our soul may have a spiritual dimension, it also has a physical domain to it as well.

The concept of a "Soul Place" is very personal and will be different for each person.

But, from what I've read, we all have at least one soul place on the planet and it will be personal - very personal.

So, a soul place is a special site, spot, or location where we experience an exceedingly personal and unique feeling of belonging, acceptance, energy, and renewal.

This sounds pretty fantastic to me.

Finding Your Soul Place

Here are some things I came across to help discern if you think you've found your "soul place."

you'll feel a sense of familiarity
a greater sense of harmony and ease
might intuitively sense that "you're finally home and can rest now"
if there's external chaos in this place, you'll still feel internally peaceful
feel inspired and have bursts of creative thought
you are content with simply "being there"
feel a new sense of freedom and joy
feel introspective and will get to know yourself in deeper ways
feel recharged and energized

So, what does all this mean?

I think the purpose of looking into this a bit more and then posting about it is to create a dialogue, because if there is one point in the history of humanity that we need to find our "soul place", this is likely it.

If you haven't figured it out already, I really don't know much about "Soul Places", although I have blogged on something close to it Thoughts From The Wilderness - Why The Outdoors, from back a few years ago.