SoulTending.com

Today is Santa Claus day. It is a very, very special day. It’s a day that European children await with both excitement and apprehension. It’s the day when Santa Claus knocks on your door to pay you a visit. It’s the day when you want to hide behind your Mom, yet she is the one to open the door and let Santa and his black fellow in.

The whole family awaits the presence of Santa Claus. The living room is tidy and neat. There is a fire burning in the stove. Hot cider sweetens the air. Candles are lit and the kids are on their best behavior. Because Santa is here for a reason.

He has come a long way through snow and the dark forests where he lives. He brought his big, heavy book with him, where all your misdeeds and hopefully some of your good deeds got recorded. Santa’s black fellow is a spindly guy, with dirty hands and face and a big burlap sack.

You are hiding behind mom’s skirt and peeking out once in a while. Santa opens his big, heavy book, puts on his glasses and starts to read out your name:”Who in this room is ….(fill in your name)?” Your dad nudges you forward. Barely audible you say:”That’s me.”

Santa Claus says: “Come forward child, so I can have a good look at you. - My, my, you have grown since last year. I surely could use a healthy, strong child like you to help me in the forest for a year. Let’s see how many misdeeds you have done. Maybe your parents would be happy to have you live with me in the coming year.” Santa proceeds to share with everybody in the room what you have done, good or bad.

At the end you have a chance to appease him, by sharing a special song or poem you have learned. Santa then says:”My black fellow here has brought his burlap sack to scoop you up and carry you with us into the forests. It looks like you have been doing good this year so you will be spared for now. Take these treats of peanuts, mandarin oranges and a few small chocolate pieces and share them with everybody. Let’s go black fellow and see if we have better luck in the next house.”

There is an ad in front of me that says: “The Gift They’ll Treasure This Holiday.” It has an image of the DVD Pirates of the Caribbean, Dead Man’s Chest. Underneath it says:”Grab it on DVD December 5″.

So today is the day. Run out there fellow bloggers and get that DVD.

Or maybe not so fast…Let’s see here, I am a big fan of Johnny Depp. I was absolutely enthralled by his master work performance, where he brought the amazing character of Captain Jack Sparrow to life. The first time I sat in the Theater and saw Pirates of the Caribbean, The Curse of the Black Pearl, I amazed myself, because I had to laugh so many times. I was totally mesmerized whenever Captain Jack Sparrow showed up. He did touch something in my soul and yes I went back to the Theaters for more viewings of The Curse of the Black Pearl.

However, I would not do that for the sequel, Pirates of the Caribbean, Dead Man’s Chest. Naturally, I could not wait to see more of the adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow. Patiently I waited to see him on the big screen again. Johnny Depp as Semi-God for some indigenous people? Well, that certainly works for me. I would say I enjoyed the first quarter of the movie. The rest of it I spent between: “Okay I’ve seen enough. I want to leave now.” and the hope that it will get better and I can be brought to laughter by Johnny Depp’s character again. It did not happen, which wasn’t Johnny’s fault.

The movie makers played a little bit too much in the special effects department for my taste. I believe the huge success of Pirates of the Caribbean, The Curse of the Black Pearl has first and foremost to do with the spirited character of Captain Jack Sparrow and the addition of a romantic love story, beautifully embodied by Keira Knightly and Orlando Bloom. This first movie had soul. Pirates of the Caribbean, Dead Man’s Chest by comparison was disappointing and full of gore. My soul did not appreciate the time I spent sitting through the second Pirates of the Caribbean.

So there you have it. If you want to run out and buy me a gift, make it Pirates of the Caribbean, The Curse of the Black Pearl. Or better yet, dress up as Captain Black Sparrow or any other pirate of your own making, make a video and send it to me. I would certainly enjoy that and who knows it might even make me laugh. Play and have fun, let your imagination soar.

The following is an excerpt of the book Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach:

“In order to know a semblance of serenity during the days of our lives, we also need to discover Time’s twin nature, which the ancient Greeks called chronos and kairos.

Chronos is clocks, deadlines, watches, calendars, agendas, planners, schedules, beepers. Chronos is time at her worst. Chronos keeps track. Chronos is a delusion of grandeur. Chronos is running the Marine Corps marathon in heels. In chronos we think only of ourselves. Chronos is the world’s time.

Kairos is transcendence, infinity, reverence, joy, passion, love, the Sacred. Kairos is intimacy with the Real. Kairos is time at her best. Kairos lets go. In kairos we escape the dungeon of self. Kairos is a Schubert waltz in nineteenth-century Vienna with your soul mate. Kairos is Soul’s time.

We exist in chronos. We long for kairos. That is our duality. Chronos requires speed so that it won’t be wasted. Kairos requires space so that it might be savored. We do in chronos. In kairos we are allowed to be.

We think we’ve never known kairos, but we have: when making love, when meditating or praying, when lost in music’s rapture or literature’s reverie, when planting bulbs or pulling weeds, when watching over a sleeping child, when reading the Sunday comics together in bed, when delighting in a sunset, when exulting in our passions. We know joy in kairos, glimpse beauty in kairos, remember what it means to be alive in kairos, reconnect with our Divinity in kairos.

So how do we exchange chronos for kairos?
- By slowing down
- By concentrating on one thing at a time
- By going about whatever we are doing as if it were the only thing worth doing at that moment.
- By pretending we have all the time in the world, so that our subconscious will kick in and make it so.
- By making time.
- By taking time.
- It only takes a moment to cross over from chronos into kairos, but it does take a moment.
All that kairos asks is our willingness to stop running long enough to hear the music of the spheres.
Today, be willing to join in the dance.
Now you’re in kairos.”

We all go through difficult times. Share your favorite prayer here, so that others may find strength from it as well.

Hollywood is fueled by money. Let’s show Hollywood what we want to see more of and what we are definitely tired of. This is also a great place to share about movies that are independent and do things outside the box. Please share your insights and comments here.

There are so many books on self-help, religion, spirituality and philosophy out there, that cover aspects of the soul. Let’s create a directory of must-reads if you are serious about understanding and tending the soul. There will be excerpts of books as well which will shed light onto specific topics of soul tending.

Our world at present is ruled by money. To change our world into a more soulful place, we as consumers need to distinguish what is nourishing and what is disturbing to our soul. Let’s use this platform to share the consumer goods that stired your emotions, engaged your thinking and soothed your soul. Please share your experience, post a comment.

Welcome to SoulTending.com a blog that explores how to embody, connect to and tend to the soul within oneself and everything that exists.

SoulTending.com is a place where we can gather and reconnect to what it means to be tending soul(s) in the fast paced, industrial, technological and ever changing world we live in.

Where to begin? The soul is elusive, yet real. What does it taste like, look like, feel like? How can I tend something so elusive?

My mind is bothered; peace, peace. If the mind is in fact an empty vessel, what do I fill it with? Being drawn to something, knowing what it is. Creating the space for it to grow. Creating a supportive environment to grow in. All these are things a gardener does.

One of my favorite sayings is: “Have time to smell the roses.” Whenever I am confused about how to tend to the chaotic life, I spend time in a nature garden. I weed, fertilize or start something from seed. Soul tending is very similar to caring for a plant. The seeds you plant matter, the soil matters.