Tell us about a deep soul connection that you’ve experienced. I have had a deep soul connection with my ex sister-in-law, she seems to “get” me and understand me better than most people ever have and loves me in spite of what “I” believe are my flaws. Also my best friend gets me as well. I’ve never experienced this with a mate or partner.

Describe one of the most soul-opening moments of your life. My most soul-opening experiences happened years ago, mostly when I lived at home still and then only a few times after 40 and that was astral traveling in my dreams. I used to dream I was flying and I could feel the clouds and the wind as I flew and smell everything as though it was really happening… I would fly over certain places, each one different, and hang out, meet people and have amazing conversations without actually speaking. Sometimes these people would fly with me and we’d go to different places and have amazing experiences together. I think I was teaching people something but really don’t know what it was and actually miss those experiences because they felt very real to me and have no idea why they stopped.

When do you feel your most soulful? Truly feel most soulful when near water or with my dog enjoying nature. The man I’ve been involved with off and on for over 3 and 1/2 years is an ex semi-professional jet ski racer. We used to go to a reservoir and I’d just watch him and his friends as they jet skied, sitting on a rock near the water, and for some reason it gave me a tremendous amount of peace. I used to be afraid of the water because I almost drowned as a kid but decided to get over it as an adult. I did go on his jet ski with him and had an absolute blast which helped me in many ways as well. I first went with him as I was going thru my divorce. It gave me a sense of peace again, and just let the stress of it all melt away.

I especially enjoy walking with my dog and have found a weeping willow tree on our walks that reminds me of the trees I grew up around as a kid in Missouri. They do not grow even 1/3 as large in Colorado but when I found this tree nestled between a few others, I was thrilled! One day I just decided to sit under it on a large boulder and close my eyes… all of a sudden in my mind’s eye I could see this tree multiplying and then vibrating—it was as though we were connecting on some level. I just let it happen and then opened my eyes and began my walk home. As I did so I could smell every single thing, every blade of grass, every flower, every scent carried by the breeze….I  felt very connected to nature at that point and while I do visit that tree and that place relatively often, I have not had the same experience since but just love the tree.

My experience with walking with my dog is more of a bonding and sharing experience with my special pet. Duncan runs and has such a great time. I swear I can hear him laugh and get as excited by everything he sees, smells and discovers, just like me. It’s as though he keeps me childlike, which I love.

Who is one of the most soulful people you know? My friend Narda, who I met on Facebook, is probably the most soulful person I’ve even known. She has a specialness about her that I’ve never found in another human being. She radiates joy and happiness and is on a special journey to open herself up to the wonders and gifts of life and to help others do the same. I feel her love flow to me every time we talk or I see her postings on FB. I believe she was sent to me as a gift from the Universe and she is just very special to me.

What qualities do you feel a soulful relationship has? Acceptance above all, trust, love, understanding, loyalty, support, encouragement—and let’s throw in some humor!

What do you feel your soul’s purpose is? I think my soul’s purpose is to learn, grow, and love myself and help others do the same. I want very much to help others believe in themselves as I had such a difficult time learning this myself. I would like to talk to women especially because I think we’ve been taught to sacrifice ourselves too much in relationships and therefore become invisible. I think we’ve been taught that we have less or no value as a result. The primary relationships in which there is physical intimacy are loaded with unrealistic expectations and I want to understand that it does not have to be that way. I understand that there’s vulnerability at stake but want to believe so much in myself that my sense of self is not threatened because of it and then teach that to other people.

I also want to enjoy everything life has to offer no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, like seeing a butterfly fly from flower to flower.

Connect with Cecily on Facebook.

One of the most soul-opening times of my life was after I survived a near death accident. My soul opened to the world as if everything was brand new to me.

One of the longest-lasting deep soul connections I have is with my beloved cat Libby, or The Liberator. We have a bond that is very uncommon.

I feel most soulful when I am quiet in Nature. Although I usually experience this communing with nature when I am hiking alone, I have experienced it with others as well. I feel very in touch with my soul right here in Tahoe. Whether it be braving the elements to get fresh snow, or floating blissfully in Lake Tahoe, there is just something about this place.

One of the most soulful people I have ever known is my friend Ben. He is a musician beyond compare. His ability to express himself through his guitar is awe inspiring.

I believe a soulful relationship is a living breathing organism, shifting and growing. I believe it is a beautiful dance in which each bows to the others needs and wants while stepping into their own power and claiming what they need. To me it is one of sharing, nurturing, compassion, openness, and listening.

My soul’s purpose is to spread happiness and laughter. I have a gift in that I find it easy to relate to and amuse people. I have undergone a deep transformation in the past two years. Viewing life through a new lens, I am excited to learn all I can.

Say hello to David on Facebook!

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Tell us about a deep soul connection that you’ve experienced. My deep soul connection is with a very, very special friend. He has opened my heart, moved me beyond words, challenged every view I have and is pretty much me, in male form. He has shown me new worlds and possibilities and through challenging me, I have been able to start to release old patterns, hurts and soul-wounds. We may be friends for just another day, another month, another year, perhaps even ’til we die… however long our friendship may last, I will be eternally grateful towards him and will keep him and our connection in my heart.

When do you feel your most soulful? That time would have to be the Summer of 2010, when I realized things were over with my now ex-husband and I. I literally hit rock bottom and was not able to carry on for awhile. I had a mild breakdown (or what I now call a break through—broke through the defenses and false self I had created to “keep me safe” and to earn me approval and love from people). I stayed with my family for about half a year and they helped to get me back to being stable and to recover my self-worth and self esteem. Friends too showered me with love and for the first time, I realized that I did not have to hide my issues and problems… that it was ok to be vulnerable and real about what was going on with me. I started exploring different aspects of myself and started to really question my beliefs in everything. As I started changing, people who felt uncomfortable with that, left my life. I mourned them leaving, but then started seeing that new people were coming in to take their place. I am so extremely grateful for that time, for it has made me who I am today.

I feel soulful when I am fixing a delicious raw food meal, walking in the sun, listening to West African music (specifically the music from Mali) and dancing, laughing with a good friend, meditating, praying and trusting that God and the angels are watching out for me. Lately, I have just been feeling so touched by everything and almost everyone I meet. Life seems so magical these days!

Where have you felt the most in touch with your soul? This is a tie between two places: being near any body of water, and the bathroom. I have always been drawn to water of any sorts (ocean, lake, river, etc). Whenever I get a chance to go to Lake Erie, I feel so connected and grounded. I literally can sit and stare at it for hours, while thinking and sorting out life situations.

What about the bathroom you ask? Well, even as a little girl, I would love to shut myself in there, sit or lay on the floor and hide away from people or life. I loved that it was the one place that people could not just intrude into. It was and is a sanctuary to me. These days I do very little hiding in there (do have a few moments though, seeing that I have a very energetic, almost 5 year old), but lots of sitting on the ground, thinking, reading, meditating and praying. Especially the shower! My best ideas and conversations with myself, God and the angels, happen in there.

Who are the most soulful people you know? My Gran is one of the most amazing and strong people I know. She helped my mom to raise me, after my dad died. My Gran has always been there for me and has seen me at my very best and at my very worst. She has an unwavering faith that has seen her through so many challenging things in life. She is so wise and has been a rock to me. I have no regrets about our relationship and feel blessed that such a wonderful person is in my life.

My other soulful person is my daughter. My Morrigan Rose has challenged me in soooo many ways. She has a HUGE personality and can be quite stubborn! She is almost 5, yet has taught me so much for she is wise beyond her years. I am amazed at how she is so bold, open, friendly and fearless. Everywhere we go, she always makes a friend and because of her I have actually met several amazing people! She is a magical little being and I am thankful for her.

What do you feel your soul’s purpose is? My purpose for being here is to heal people with love, herbs, music/sound and healthy eating. I have started to really run into opportunities, people and situations that are allowing this purpose to begin express itself. I believe as I continue being more authentic and stay in gratitude for everything in my life that this will speed up and I will be fully doing what I was created to do!

I just want to encourage others out there to take chances, live fully! Be who you are and don’t hide it, because you are depriving the world of something special and it is an insult to your Creator to be a false version of yourself. Life WILL and DOES flow as it should when you are who you are. People will come into your life who will truly, truly love you for being YOU!

Thank you Joe and Mali for choosing me to be featured—you guys are wonderful beings!

We’ve been honored to be witnesses to this lovely woman’s transformation in the two years since we began The Soulmate Experience Facebook page. Many people have shared their transformational experiences with following the daily suggestions on our page; Leslie just puts hers into words so well! Read more of her writings at Applauding Humanity, Tell A Story Online, and The Little Black Dress.

I have always liked my face; it’s not a bad face. I have always appreciated my hair; there’s a lot of it. I have always been comfortable with my eyes; who doesn’t like chocolate brown? I have always been okay with my voice; 60 is the new 12 after all.

But my acceptance and love of myself has always stopped at my neck. I have always hated my short legs—I can tie leggings into a bow around my neck. I have always been horrified about my arms—angel wings just aren’t in season. I have always disliked my small feet—stilettos look like mommy dress up time. I have always cringed at my fair skin—white just makes everything look bigger.

You know how some people, even celebrities at times, put their own head shot on a body belonging to someone else? I’ve been tempted to do this so many times, to see how it feels to like the whole enchilada (perhaps that’s my problem—the whole enchilada).

One day I came across this Facebook page called The Soulmate Experience and I saw so much love being showered on the people there: all of the people there, every inch of the people there. I was stunned. You mean there are people out there who actually love themselves from the top of their head to the tips of their toes? No way!

“Those narcissists,” I thought.

But then I started following the teachings there and even contributed my own two cents worth (that’s about all I thought I was worth). And as time went on, I contributed more: 25 cents, 50 cents, a whole dollar. My little thoughts became more positive and more uplifting, and people “liked’ them. And then lo and behold, the beautiful owners of the page quoted me—the words out of the mouth that I kind of liked—on the back of their soon-to-be bestseller book.

And so I started looking at myself with more accepting eyes… tenderly touched my soft white skin… walked around on tippy toes… flapped my arms to soar to new heights. I started to understand that I wasn’t so bad, that the head I loved really wasn’t misplaced on the body that I hated.

I am one entire package. I am unique. I am kinda cool. I am not perfect, but who is? And I deserve, all of me deserves, to be loved not only from the neck up.

This guest post is a gift from Karen Burch. You can enjoy more of her writing at the Facebook page WayPoints by Karen Burch.

I made this piece of art for my 21-year-old daughter, Alanna, for Christmas. The beautiful photo was taken by a dear friend of mine, and I wrote the poem about art and artists — and about Alanna — to go along with it. My daughter is a very talented and amazing artist whose specialty is painting. She’s quite accomplished and well respected for her work, and I’m so very proud of her and her gifts and passions and how hard she’s working to become a successful artist. She has a dream and she’s working hard to make that dream a reality. I respect that, especially because I’m doing much of the same. In that artistic respect, she and I share much common ground. She and I don’t share much other common ground, with the exception of genetics, at the moment, to my great disappointment.

But I wanted to give her something special and meaningful and personal as a Christmas gift, and she was moving into her first apartment by herself in January, so I wanted to make her something beautiful that she could use to decorate her little home. So I took the photo, added the text of the poem onto the image, printed it out, bought a beautiful frame and framed it for her.

I gave it to her a couple days after Christmas and she opened it up. I had hoped that she would understand that I was giving her a little piece of my heat and soul, even though it was an inexpensive gift, and I knew that my gift to her certainly was not on her Christmas list this year.

She unwrapped the gift and opened it up. I told her that I’d made it for her and that I’d written the poem especially for her. She looked at it with an amused smile. I asked her if she liked it and she sort of chuckled, which was not at all the reaction I had expected or hoped for.

She just kind of stood there, speechless, and stared down at at the piece of art I’d made for her that she held in her hands. I wasn’t sure that she really even liked it. Maybe I’m wrong. I don’t know. Maybe she really did like it and even love it, and just couldn’t show it. Maybe she just couldn’t admit that she really liked it.

I asked her why she was laughing. She told me that it was “kind of cheesy.” Then she added that it was like one of “those cheesy inspirational posters.”

“Well, I’m an inspirational writer, you know,” I replied, “and some of those inspirational posters are very beautiful.”

She said, “Well, it’s cheesy, but it’s high-end cheesy.”

Now, cheesy is not normally a complimentary word. And high-end cheesy is pretty much the equivalent of a high-class hooker. However, I didn’t get offended, and I didn’t ask any more questions of her. But I don’t think that she really loved the gift, as I would if anyone ever made me something like that. And in my lifetime, no one has ever made me such a gift. And I wish that I could say that someone had.

I think that first of all, she isn’t at all fond of my writing, which is really sad to me. It’s pretty sad that I can’t get my daughter’s approval and respect for the one thing I know that I do so beautifully, something that others (strangers, really) think highly of me for, and value and appreciate me for. I can’t paint or draw anything beautiful (or even decently), but I can create a beautiful “picture” with my writing. I consider myself an artist with writing, not paint. A piece of paper is my canvas. My fingers are my brushes. Letters and words are my paint. But come to think of it, I could never get my mother’s approval for my beautiful writing, either, when I was a young person. And perhaps this is why I would like to have my daughter’s approval of my writing gift.

I don’t think that she thinks much of inspirational writers, but that’s what I am. Maybe she thinks that inspirational writers and their writing are cheesy. I don’t think that. Maybe she thinks that inspirational writers don’t really put their heart and soul into what they write. I think that I do. Maybe she thinks that inspirational writers aren’t genuine and authentic and they don’t really believe what they write. But I am genuine and authentic and I believe 100% in every word I write, because my writing comes from my own beliefs and my experiences, both ugly and beautiful. My writing doesn’t just tell people, “Have faith, pray and be positive!” I aim to teach people how to become inspired, how to be inspired and inspire others, and I teach them how to have faith, how to change their thinking and use their changed thinking to change their lives for the better. I want to share the gifts I’ve been given. And I want my gifts to be used and enjoyed. I suspect that my gift to my daughter will never be displayed proudly on a wall or on a table in her home. Maybe it even embarasses her. I hope that I’m wrong.

Maybe she just thought the gift was overly sentimental and mushy. Maybe she needs to learn how wonderful it can be to feel overly sentimental and mushy, especially about the love of a daughter. Maybe she thought that the gift was corny or hokey. Maybe she needs to learn how good it feels to be corny and hokey about someone you love. Maybe she didn’t know that the gift was created with unconditional love. Maybe when she has a child of her own she will understand unconditional love. Maybe she was too proud or stubborn to admit that she liked the gift. Maybe she needs to learn that pride can deprive us of giving and accepting love and many other gifts. Maybe she just couldn’t bear to give me credit for creating something beautiful. I did create her, too, didn’t I? Maybe she needs to learn that giving credit where due is crucial in any relationship. Maybe she just can’t accept me for who I am. Maybe she needs to learn to accept people for who they are, just as she demands to be accepted for who she is. Maybe she just can’t appreciate that she has a “cheesy” mom who made her a cheesy gift for Christmas.

But that’s the kind of person I am, I suppose. I guess I’m just a sentimental, mushy, corny, hokey kind of person, and I’m good with that. And I guess if that makes me cheesy, then cheesy I am, and proud to be cheesy I am.

I wish you all an overly sentimental, mushy, corny, hokey and cheesy Mother’s Day and that each day is filled with all that cheesiness — high-end or not — and so much more. May your cheesy love be a brilliant work of art.

This story is from Michelle and Manuel, whose love story you can read here. 

How did you meet? I always dreamed of having a white Persian kitten as a little girl. I think lots of little girls do. I was at work and on a whim wanted to make that dream come true. I found one breeder who offered to bring a Persian kitten to our home that night so we could see how our other fuzzy children would react to him.

I got home from work and told my husband, Manuel, that we were having company. When Tom and the kitten arrived, my breath was taken away! This precious kitten was so small and his body was so pink under his beautiful white coat. His eyes were radiant—a magnificent cooper color I have never seen before. I felt like I could see through those eyes. I knew Powder was here to stay!

Do you feel you and your pet have a spiritual connection? The love between Powder, myself and Manuel is separate, personal and strong. Powder has his way of loving us each his own unwavering way. When he is home alone with me during the day, he is my constant companion. I talk to him and he talks back. If not with a little peep or meow, he gives me a knowing look. I always know what he wants or needs to keep him happy. When “daddy” comes home, I think that is the best part of his day! They are absolutely adorable together. The love between Manuel and Powder is so strong not only can I see it, I can feel it!

What special routines do you have? The amazing way Powder and Manuel play together is so fun to be a part of… I am not sure who is having more fun with “the string”, but they both are having a blast! When Manuel takes his nap, Powder will climb up on his chest and put his precious little head down and cuddle up right on top of him. It makes me smile and can bring a tear to my eye.

Out of our other adorable pets, Powder is the only one allowed in bed. Powder loves to play “Powderoo” when he comes to bed. He turns on his back and wants one of us to tickle his belly and he will get those back legs moving like a little kangaroo!!! It is so hilarious! That’s how he got the “Powderoo” nickname! He makes me laugh so hard that my tummy will hurt!

Powder will let me roll him up and hold him like a little baby. It truly is so sweet. I just rock him and gaze into those amazing cooper eyes. I feel like he can see through my eyes as well. I was not able to have children; maybe he understands that.

How do you feel that you benefit from knowing this animal? I was in an auto accident that left me to deal with a lot of back and pain issues. During the day I am alone, and sometimes will have to relax. I believe that Powder understands that I am in pain and will come up onto the couch with me. He will roll over on his back and cuddle right up next to my body. He touches me with his soft fur and warm little body, I think he tries to make me feel better. It does bring a smile to my face which makes me forget about pain.

Having Powder in our lives is an immense pleasure… Some people may think we are a little crazy, but we would do anything for his health, happiness and well being! He has brought so much love and joy into our lives. He gives back as much as we give.