Hi! Most of you know me here. I'm Lena. Things Lena is: a dancer, a writer, a mystic, a nature lover, a shamanic soul, a healer, a teacher, a lover, a friend, a creator, an astrologer, a researcher, a leader, a poet, an actor, a wise elf who would live within an epic fantasy land if she could. 🍃 I've always been a deep feeler. I didn't always have an outlet for this. As a child, it was playing outside, making comedy sketches, and writing. Psychology was always a natural interest of mine, because I have perhaps been, above all, a seeker of truth. I want to understand the psyche. And psyche's first meaning-- before it came to refer to the mind, was soul. 🖤 Soul for me is as James Hillman suggests, "a perspective and not a thing." The early Platonists related to soul as a field of being. The individual was therefore imagined to be inside of soul rather than soul inside the individual. It wasn't until later that philosophers influenced by Christianity imagined the soul as internalized and separate from the world. James Hillman broke from the typical narratives within modern psychology and expanded upon Jung's work but also took it farther, deeper and wider into the field of soul. His persepctive is one of ensouling a world that humanity has "decatheted" from-- that is to say, we've withdrawn our emotional investment from the world structures, cosmologies, rituals and orders that once held us and gave our existence meaning, namely nature itself and our connection to her rhythms. Reweaving soul into life and world, for me, is seeing experience imagistically and symbolically. The beauty of a symbol is that there is never one meaning. The beauty of archetypes is that they embody a spectrum of expressions. I see the psyche as Hillman did-- it's polytheistic. I see identity in a similar way and thus I enjoy exploring new and different parts of myself on the journey of individuation-- which for me ultimately means becoming more ensouled on Earth. The rational mind always wants to pin something down or have a clear teleology for where we are going, but the poetic mind doesn't have this need. It thrives in the numinous, ambiguous dancing of myth and meaning.

Aloha soul brother or sister, Thank You for choosing to be a part of this community! Let this be a sacred space for us all to share authentically with other beings who are here to live a more soulful existence. I believe we are all artists. Our art is at the intersection of where our greatest longing meets our greatest purpose. Whatever your art may be, you are encouraged to share it here. How to navigate this space: Calendar-- check the calendar to see what calls you can join throughout the week/month. More meetings may be added as we expand, so make sure to stay connected there for real-time offerings. The Community board is where you can post your original thoughts, ideas, and works for others to engage with. The idea is that everything relates to our soul's work, our soul's yearings, ponderings, passions, musings etc. All expressions are welcome to the extent that they are honoring of all people and experiences. Please only share to the level of your comfort and ability to take responsibility for yourself. The more you like and comment on the posts of the others, the more this community grows and the more others are likely to read and engage with what you share. Think of this as a more specific, intimate social media of like-minds who wish to engage with more depth than is currenty the culture on other platforms. MAKE YOUR FIRST POST!: Introduce yourself. What brings you to this space and what are you looking forward to learning and discovering here. How can we support you? Specifically, you are invited to respond to the question: What does soul mean to you? We'd also love to hear about what's alive for you in your journey right now, what your creating and calling in etc. Speak from your soul! Share pics, poems songs, pages from a recent book your reading or whatever calls to you. Warmly, Lena