An ensouled world

Or, The Shamanistic Mindset

This morning I awoke from a dream where I was talking to Marc, an old friend who died about 10 years ago.

As I was making my coffee this morning I thought I saw a robin in the lemon tree outside our kitchen window. A long time ago robins were seen as a sign from the afterlife. We don’t really have robins here.

This morning as I jumped in the car, Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind” came on the radio. Marc grew up not far from Jay-Z’s neighborhood, and we used to talk about this song a lot. He loved to discuss the places mentioned in the song, and explain things in the lyrics that only a New Yorker would understand.

Synchronicity is defined as meaningful coincidence. Is any of this meaningful?

I think I get to decide.

I like to believe that we live in an ensouled world. I like to believe that every moment is soaked in meaning, shimmering with significance, woven through with poetry.

I’m sure philosophers have a more sophisticated word for this way of being, but in my thoughts I have referred to it as a shamanistic mindset. And I think that’s a really important way to navigate our experiences on this planet.

Do I think that Marc is trying to reach through the veil to have a chat? I’m gonna go with no.

But is it possible that the Universe is, for whatever reason, reminding me to honor the part of myself that resonates with Marc’s memory? I think it is.

And this morning it made me stop and have a slightly tearful moment of gratitude for the lessons he taught me about music, about friendship, and about life in the world. And gratitude for this mysterious existence in this ensouled world.

My very best,

Philip

PS I am writing late today. Hopefully earlier tomorrow.