A Mystic's Journal by Laurie Conrad.

The Soul and Divine Love continued: A Mystic’s Journal Entry: March 2, 2007

Friday, March 2

11 p.m.

Another e-mail from my friend, this evening. She wrote: "Thanks for your thoughtful reflection on reciprocity..... and its higher realization. I think I'm following you on this train of thought, but I'm not sure. When you say "You have known reciprocity, and I know for a fact that you have" ... are you referring to the contact with higher Love? Contact with Divine Love or with my own soul? This might need a slight bit more clarification. Most of us earth bound beings tend not to think of our souls as "a relationship" we're having. I often think that people don't understand the concept of the Soul. They know what "soul mates" are but they don't know what their own souls are. If you could step down the knowledge and clear that up for a few folks, that would be a real service."

I had to laugh at my friend’s message: to define "soul" would be a very long discussion and treatise, and undoubtedly endless volumes of books are devoted to that very topic. I am not a theologian. But my definition of soul is a simple one: the soul is my true Self, the part of me that is only luminous Divine Light and Love; the part of me that is in some mysterious way directly connected to God and therefore eternal; the part of me that will still exist when my physical body ceases to function and exist. And this luminous soul is not encased in my physical body; if anything my physical body resides within the soul. And this soul has embedded within it certain powers and abilities that the physical mind and body uses during its life on earth; the source of all that we are capable of rests in the soul, and ultimately can be traced back to the Divine Itself.

As for my thoughts on reciprocity - I was speaking of my friend’s personal relationships with others. But I consider my relationship with God and the soul my most precious relationships. Therefore, I was a bit mystified by my friend’s words: "Most of us earth bound beings tend not to think of our souls as "a relationship" we're having." For me it is a very important and continuing relationship ... an essential one.

I will write her back this evening.