Bless the Lord, O my soul. And all that is within me, bless his holy name.
This sentence has always felt like a calming balm for me. I think it’s because there is an implicit distinction between head and heart, between body and soul. This acknowledges a deep truth for me, or at least a understanding that I’ve lived with for decades. I understand that I have one body, and that it includes head, heart, soul, sinews, spirit. And I know people who live as if it’s all the same, all the time. When they speak, it seems to come from a soft place of the soul. But that is not how I’ve navigated this world.
The vast majority of the time, I work from my head. I absolutely believe it’s informed and sometimes integrated with my soul, but sometimes it’s definitely not. So for me to hear the sentence, “Bless the Lord, O my soul”, is a very familiar sentiment. It’s my thoughts and head asking my soul to engage. Of course, I think my soul knows this, and doesn’t really need my thoughts to be quite so directive. But this sentence validates my experience that my head and soul are sometimes not on the same page.
This is a sentence that lets my head do what it does…. It thinks, and perhaps over-thinks. This sentence also engages my deeper, genuine soul. All that is within me, bless his holy name. I get a warm feeling reciting this phrase. It’s as if my mind invokes my soul, and then they both melt in to one grateful, God-blessing being.
This morning, I’m thinking about how I might spend more time in that integrated mind/soul state. I can’t do this by simply realigning my understanding that it’s all one and all connected. That denies my lived experience. Rather, I need to acknowledge that these two aspects of my self are strong, valid and useful. And then invite them into more of a collaborative dance.
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