The ethnologist observed an Aboriginal group stopping periodically on their journey for no apparent reason. When asked, the Aboriginal people replied they were waiting for their souls, as the souls would stop to experience things the body could not register. Their souls take nourishment from beauty, knowledge, wisdom, community, justice, and fellowship.

1. One day, a group of Australian aborigines were wandering about an arid landscape,
accompanied by an ethnologist. This ethnologist, who was carefully making note of
all his adventures, observed that from time to time, the group, composed primarily
of men and women, would stop for a rather long time. They would not stop to eat,
look at something, sit, or rest. They would just stop. After two or three stops, the
ethnologist asked them why.
“It is very simple,” they replied, “we are awaiting our souls.”
The ethnologist then understood that every once in a while, the souls would stop
along the path to look, feel, or listen to something that the body could not or would
not register.”
Our souls have invisible needs that are concealed to the body. They take
nourishment from the world’s beauty … from knowledge, from education, from
wisdom … from sharing, from justice, and from brotherhood.
Excerpt from “L’Âme du Monde” by Frédéric Lenoir (NiL, 2012) »
Words & Photographs by Madelyn Mulvaney
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2. How do I take nourishment from the world for my soul? Oh! It’s so hard to choose; I
could go on and on. But here, let me share a handful with you.
“Last night I heard the rain in my sleep and
it was so soft, rhythmic, romantic. It was? No, it
was lonely maybe. And sad. But today the flowers
are blooming and the light is pretty, rippling gold
on my couch near the window. It is Tuesday and
the sunshine is enough.”
I trust the writing process, and writing is a
way to make sense of emotions that I am unsure
of. Writing helps me splash into something that
will realign my course. Pen in hand, I coax
something true to the surface.
2. Flowers. Periwinkle and plum. Flowers uplift
my soul. They make my home happy, my studio
positively glow. When I carry them home, they
make me walk taller.
3. I love to chop wood. It makes me feel so
strong, present, and small worries fall away
with each crack of the blade. Cheeks flush, eyes
sparkle. My breath becomes even and true. It
brings out the best in me. »
1. The writing life. I simply need to write. In the morning, leaning with pen into
those things that tug at my heart. The heavy things particularly, for that is where
the transformation lies. Emotions are persistent nudges asking me to burrow deep
and turn over the voice inside that needs to be heard. So I give my soul a chance to
breathe in the early morning quiet. I listen and write, listen and write. With practice
there is a dawning in my words (flickering, struggling, arching ink). I often feel
resistance and my scribbling may look a bit like this:
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3. 4. One of the most special things is a
picnic! In a secret spot on the crest of a
field. Baguette, cheese, garden tomatoes,
olives, and clementines. Homemade plum
jam and a good bottle of wine.
5. Reading. A paperback in the woods,
hermited away in the crook of a tree.
This week’s books: Anne Lamott’s “Small
Victories,” “Outside the Lines,” — a
fabulous grown-up coloring book, by the
way — and “Your Illustrated Guide to
Becoming One with the Universe.” Oh!
And “Wild” by Emily Hughes. (I am a fan
of bookshops.)
6. Sometimes what I need most, of course,
is to cry.
7. Letting things go. Less really is more.
Gifting things away I really don’t need.
Making more space for love, for flowers,
for hugs, singing, good conversation, tea,
and naps.
8. Champagne. For no reason at all, which is the best reason of all.
9. Conversation. Where do you feel most like yourself? How do you like your coffee? Music!
Birds! Dreams and something beautiful you felt today.
10. Also, there is this: Saying, “Yes!” to my passion, The Luminous Elephant, my beautiful
studio. Let me tell you, this business is taking my everything. But it is a way to gift my everything
as well. In this dance of life, I truly have experienced that the universe wants us to share our gifts
and in its own magical way, it will flutter synchronicities (feathers) our way. In return, we have
to learn to listen to our heart, follow a feeling, and then act on the feeling. When we act on that
feeling, it becomes pure soul when expressed. There is only one of each of us, and the world is a
better place when we connect with our unique gifts and share them with the world.
That’s quite simply what happened with me and The Luminous Elephant Studio. There I was
one day, peering in the dirty windows of a much-neglected corner space at 10th and Trimble. And
inside the longing sort of welled up — may I be your teacher, please? I just needed a special little
space to grow. A space to collaborate, create, share, and grow.
And so here I am. It feels especially right. Yes! »
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4. 11. A long, handwritten letter.
14. Now this is something. Forests, rivers, streams, and lakes. Hugging trees! The
coming and going of spirit clamoring for the whole of my attention. The secrets of
the universe revealed. Washing my hair in a waterfall, collecting tiny things along
the shore for a window ledge in my home. Picking berries in the raspberry patch
beside the river. Starry nights, billowing clouds zooming in the sky — I can hear
my soul singing. If you are lucky enough to be in the mountains, you are lucky
enough. Gather those wildflowers, girl!
15. Love, love, love. Cuddling my kids, hugging my friends, and snuggling my
animals. As I walk by strangers in the street, I send beautiful, uplifting thoughts
their way. I tell them, “You are loved, you are seen, you are so beautiful.”
Enduring, magnificent love.
16. And then, of course, there is always dark coffee in a French press. Oh joy!
“Look at that sea, girls — all silver and shadow and vision
of things not seen. We couldn’t enjoy its loveliness any more
if we had millions of dollars and ropes of diamonds.”
— L.M. Montgomery, “Anne of Green Gables”
13. A care package for a friend feeling a bit downhearted in a simple, recycled,
cardboard box. Dark chocolate, a beautiful used book, yogi teabags, a crisp
apple, and one perfect, small sketchbook. Also a sprig of evergreen and a little,
red paint box.
“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as
sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the
storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn.”
— John Muir
12. The sea. Dear, deepest, most beautiful sea!
Where would I be without your deep soul? The
one place I always go when I feel like being
alone and at rest.
17. Still, I wish to speak of turquoise. Often I find myself stringing a necklace
together with sandalwood beads, pale opal rounds, and seeds of turquoise. Did
you know turquoise is most beautiful in hue in the evening of a full moon? That
it changes color depending on the mood of the wearer of the stone? That at
times the color vanishes altogether and appears air green? To protect yourself
from lightning, the Navajo say, wear a bead of turquoise in your hair. But most
compellingly, I learned that turquoise is the stone of faith, truth, and peace, and
has a glorious effect on the heart — and who doesn’t like to supply their heart?
I’m in. »
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5. 18. More on love. I have a handwritten quote in my
studio on my inspiration board: “Love isn’t a state of
perfect caring. It is an active noun-like struggle. To
love someone is to strive to accept that person exactly
the way he or she is, right here and now.” I work on
this practice every single day. I read these words so
often and this practice helps grow my soul, perhaps
more than anything out there. Living for love,
Madelyn Mulvaney believes in love and magic and
exquisite human connection. She belongs to a very
happy family. She cherishes her children Tess and
Noah with all of her heart and soul, and you can share
more of her beautiful life at madelynmulvaney.com.
pouring myself into my relationships. Loving each
and every one of them exactly the way he or she is,
right here, right now. This, this supplies my heart.
19. And last but not least. Gratitude. Every day. I
make a list. And I am filled to brimming once more.
20. Oh, one more thing now that I think about it.
Oatmeal. Irish oatmeal! The breakfast of poets. My
soul loves oatmeal! ≈
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6. There are certain things in our lives that touch us right down to our very
souls. For some, a simple cup of coffee offers much more than a dose of
caffeine. Likewise, the act of knitting isn’t always about the act of creating.
The more we realize what brings us this type of
nourishment, the better equipped we are to provide it
when we need it.
Take note of some of the simple things you do
that bring you soul nourishment. They can be simple
activities, foods … just about anything.
PROMPT
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