There is an emphasis on the physical. That is understandable. But it is an emphasis that puts the cart before the horse. Your body is not the making of you. Sometimes it is the undoing. Your physical presence is the least of you. Important to you, I understand, but not so significant just the same.

Imagine a golden flame within you that burns. We can say your body is the candle holder that holds the flame. In this case, the flame goes on irrespective of the candle holder. The body is irrelevant to the flame.

This is a slow and steady flame. It is not hot. If it had temperature, it would be cool like the Moon, but this unerring flame is temperatureless. There is no sputtering, and there is no smoke, not even a wisp, this flame of your soul that is golden like the Sun.

No wind blows this perpetual soul flame within you. It is stalwart, your soul. It gives light in a steady stream. It does not flicker even once. It accompanies you everywhere. It goes wherever you go. It is at your mercy, and yet undaunted. Your soul takes everything in its stride. Not one of you on Earth is soulless. Someday you will be bodyless. You will leave the imagined Earth and rise up to Heaven. Where else is there to rise to?

Your attachment grips the physical with the suction of an octopus. Your attachment to physical life grabs and holds on tight, squeezing the very life out of you. You may be attached to the physical, but the physical is not attached to you. It may take pleasure in you, but it can let go of you at the drop of a hat without a backward glance.

If life is an airplane, there comes a time when it drops your body as if you were cargo. Your physical body is useful for only so long as it is. When it has served its usefulness, it bows and backs its way out, leaving you on your own, blessedly independent of it. You always were.

Your body is like a talisman, a rabbit's foot, yet it encumbers you and it is an encumbrance that you like. You can't take your eyes off it. You think you cannot live without it. Truly, you lived without it before, and you can live without it again.

There is nothing stronger than your soul, yet it is invisible to you. You almost don't believe in it, or you make up other names for it. But soul is soul whatever you call it.

Soul is a short word but it takes a long time to say. It has the length of five beats. It courses your physical life. You are dear souls. I wonder what it would be if you called each person you know Soul instead of Joel or Sandy.

What if you called yourself Soul rather than your given name? You might be a little more respectful of yourself. You might even be impressed at what you say to yourself. You might tell a different story. You might come to love your body, not for its physical beauty but of your soul within. Even though your body puts itself first, it is still quite an honor for it to house your soul. Your body is like a clam shell that holds a precious pearl. It is like a jewelry box that you have to open in order to remember what's there.

Heart and soul go together, the two most important aspects of you.