On Saturday afternoon, I traveled to Denver with my friends Amy and Maria to encourage people to register to vote. With our handmade signs and optimistic hearts, we engaged as many people we could. Most had registered, and we were happy to learn that many had already voted.
We began our visit to the Westwood neighborhood with a delicious lunch on a restaurant patio. I was immediately struck by the cacophony of the city–motorcycles roaring, loud music blaring from the open windows of cars racing by, the sound of a metal sign being knocked over by the wind. Since Covid has pretty much isolated me to my own foothills neighborhood, it has been months since I’ve spent time in a more populous area. I have to admit, it rattled me a bit.
And it made me think about all of the “noise” I consume whether I’m in the city or not—the constant barrage that often blocks me from hearing my own truth.
You know it well. At the moment it includes the incessant political advertising that is now even texted directly to our phones. And in all seasons, it’s the persistent marketing of goods and services, the 24-hour news cycle, the “facts” and opinions continually pushed through social media, the well-intentioned viewpoints of friends and relatives, even our own negative self-talk. We can make a judgement about whether this is good or bad, useful or not, but that doesn’t really matter. What matters–to me anyway–is whether I am listening to my own deeper truth. You might call it the soul voice.
It feels essential for me at this time to ask myself, what is true for me? and to really listen to the answer. To tune in to something much greater than the endless chatter. To hear what my soul voice wants to say.
There are lots of ways to access this deeper truth, this soul voice. For me it always includes leaving the distractions of the day-to-day and the spinning mind space and landing my awareness in my body. A simple focus on my breath can take me there, but I have to be intentional.
Listening to my soul voice always brings me peace. She speaks about dreams and possibilities. Her counsel is wise, generally offering a point of view I would not have considered had I not taken the time to ask. Often, she piques my curiosity. My soul voice doesn’t say judgmental or mean things about me or other people, she doesn’t compare or compete, she doesn’t fight. My soul voice is compassionate, and she never, ever lies.
My soul voice always speaks from a place of love, never from a place of fear. That’s how I recognize her. If it sounds like worry, it’s not my soul voice.
My afternoon in the city was a productive one, and it felt good to use my voice to promote something as deeply important to me as voting. Turns out, I wouldn’t have thought to make such an effort had I not taken time to listen to my soul voice.
