Meetings
with the soul
a collection of soul-poems
These poems are written by the people who participated in the
international training course Steps on the Wheel, which took place in
Romania, from 10-19 July 2016.
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List of poems
Introduction ...................................................................................................... 3
The While........................................................................................................... 4
Soulcraft ............................................................................................................ 5
A-gain ................................................................................................................. 6
Why am I here? ................................................................................................. 7
The rock ............................................................................................................. 8
Stop and Listen................................................................................................. 9
Some topics..................................................................................................... 10
Little drop ....................................................................................................... 11
Compass .......................................................................................................... 12
Dear God.......................................................................................................... 13
Who are you .................................................................................................... 14
…....................................................................................................................... 15
The truth.......................................................................................................... 16
Sitting at the end ........................................................................................... 17
The first love story ......................................................................................... 18
Once in a while ............................................................................................... 20
Let yourself washed ...................................................................................... 21
Moving ............................................................................................................. 22
Who am I, You, We? ....................................................................................... 23
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Introduction
Soul poetry is a simple way of accessing our profound thoughts, deep
feelings, powerful visions. It is a way of being vulnerable and honest,
grounded and open, simple and wise. It is a way of letting ourselves
overwhelmed by the revelations of life. Soul poetry shouldn’t be
perceived as the mastery of specialized poets, but rather as a
playground through which we can experience the beautiful realms of
life. Thus, Soul poetry is for each and every one of us.
Bogdan Romanică
What is a “soul poem”?
From the book “Soulcraft” (page 206-208) written by Bill Plokin.
“Poetry, “Soul Speech”, brings together the linguistic, linear part of
the psyche with the imaginal, holistic part, enlisting the thinking
mind in the service of soul, image and feeling. By immersing
ourselves in the rich symbols of verse, we enhance the ego’s ability
to converse with the soul…Not only is the soul content to listen to
this poetry, it is also encouraged to speak up, to join in, to sing its
own song.
Make a habit of reading the soul poets, alone or with friends. Read
each poem loud, very slowly, at least twice at each sitting. Let your
imagination and feeling meander. Memorize some of your favorite
soul poems. Recite them aloud in wild settings. Compose your own
soul poetry and record your dreams in verse. Wander with and in
poems and let your awareness cross boundaries. Make notes, in
verse or prose, on what you find beyond the frontier.”
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The While
Fineke de Jong
(The Netherlands)
One firefly
in the great big darkness
small and vulnerable
but her light so powerful
calling for connection
One human being
on this great Mother Earth
small and vulnerable
but her love so powerful
following the firefly's light
Light and Love meet
both sharing both shining both playing
and both vulnerable
creating something even more powerful
during this great wonderful While.
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Soulcraft
Lucie Klein
(United Kingdom)
Come a little closer, I told my Soul
Come a little closer, I told my Fear,
When the River called and swelled
And in the cradle of the Mountains
Together we felt our way forward
We danced, we whirled, we breathed
And every rising sun on the Eastern peak
Saw a new me shimmering
"Wonderer in the cocoon", "Sorcerer to my Dragon",
"Earth Child" or "Light",
The multitude of my soul names
Only allowed me to be more me
There in the deep Ocean she saw in my eye,
Behind the mask he now holds in his hand,
There is a place where the Soft Animal can love what it truly
loves,
There is a place for the craft of my Soul.
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A-gain
Štefan Schwarc
(Czech Republic)
Born and dying again and again
suffering and loving again and again
forgetting and recognizing again and again
connecting and disconnecting again and again
believing and unbelieving again and again
singing or listening again and again
So give me your GAIN
Gain me a-gain
Distortion on me again
Hall on me again
Echo on me again
Volume on me again
and tune me again
Give me your mike and
plug me or unplugged me.
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Why am I here?
Aude Lemercier
(France)
Because it's the right moment, the right place, the right people.
Because something was calling you and you were enough strong
and brave to answer YES.
Because you want to grow and it's easier to grow together.
Because you want to reconnect yourself and it's easier in the
mountain.
Because you want to fight your fears and it's easier when your
new friends can help you.
Because the happiness is real only if you share it.
Feel connected with every single sign of life.
Feel connected by your body.
Feel connected by your mind.
Feel connected by your heart.
Feel connected by your soul.
Now, you're stronger.
Now, you're more beautiful.
Now, you can spread the word and let your inner light shining.
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The rock
Eleni Michail
(Cyprus)
Today I was a rock.
Not a stone or a pebble,
but a huge gigantic rock
standing on the edge of the mountain.
You may think that a rock is cold and soul-less…
but not me.
I rised with pride and passion
when this mountain was shaped by the lava,
I fought the rain and snow
and provided protection to all insects and birds during the
winter,
I shared knowledge with all trees, animals and people
that came and went throughout the centuries,
But above all, I remain patient
Because I know that whole is more wise than its parts.
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Stop and Listen
Maria Chrysanthou
(Cyprus)
Stop and Listen,
The people around you.
Stop and Listen:
The river is flowing,
The birds are singing,
The wind is whispering.
Stop and Listen
To your heartbeat, listen to your breath.
Stop and Listen
The beauty of silence.
Stop and Listen
People’s pureness.
Stop and Listen
To your body’s needs.
Stop and Listen
The people you love.
Stop and Listen
To yourself.
Just stop… and listen!
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Some topics
Andreia Pinho Alves
(Portugal)
Listen to my body
Feel the moment
Go deeper into myself
Don't feel guilty
Have my time and space
Live in community: taking care of the group and be humble
letting the group take care of me
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Little drop
Ana Maksimović
(Italy/Serbia)
Dear little drop I admire you in rainy days,
when you find a way back to the clouds,
to the lakes and to the pond,
to the ice caps and the mounds.
Dear little drop, I look at you and wonder,
how come you are never lost?
You dance through shapes and forms,
you slide and fade and dwindle.
Today you are a flake that melts between my fingers,
tomorrow a frozen icicle ready to fall.
In the spring you'll be the river,
and in the summer in the ocean you will growl.
How come, little drop, you always know
what to do and where to go?
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Compass
Lou Booth
(United Kingdom)
As a child I know You.
I am You. You are Me.
As I grew, I lost You.
Eventually, I forgot You.
But You kept trying to find Me, to reach Me.
Dancing all around, speaking, showing, touching.
I could not hear, I could not see,
I could not feel You,
I was not open, I could not remember You.
Then I heard the Call,
I accepted Your Invitation.
And ah yes, now I recall You,
From the earth to the skies, the rivers to the sea.
I recognise You.
Always there. Always with Me.
As a child I know You.
I am You. You are Me
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Dear God
Ondrej Dobes
(Czech Republic)
Dear God,
Thank you!
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Who are you
Antonio Cargnello
(Italy)
Who are you to limit that child with your frustrations, with your
artificial sense of good and bad, right and wrong, like and
dislike?
Who are you to delay them from doing what they need to do in
order to nurture their life?
Who are you to whisper in their ears words of fear and shame, of
useless comparisons, of discouragement?
Who are you to swing their minds towards future and past, when
the present is here to offer its deepest gifts and lessons?
YOU ARE THAT CHILD.
that child asking to be seen and not to be watched over, willing
to get rid of his fears by sharing them and not by hiding them,
eager to be guided towards their limits and not to be limited by
guidance.
You, child, are here to unfold the secrets of your playfulness, of
your games of creation and destruction, of your divine nature
that leaked in this world at your very first cry.
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…
Beata Bērziņa
(Latvia)
Light knows it's time
Night knows it's rights
Cow knows it's way
Bell is ringing.
Sun is over top of the hill
Rain empower a small river
Don't exaggerate!
Mountains live along with a time.
Nature is changing.
Human tries to reach the sky.
Sound of drumming is hearable.
Light of fire is seeable.
Stone breaks.
Human change its life.
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The truth
Ognian Gadoularov
(Bulgaria)
I found the way through heart and time in search of Who I Am.
I welcomed back my soul in me and we become a whole.
The water offered me to play and I accepted it.
I haven’t cried for hundred years but tears are home again.
When river, earth and forest speak our heart is there to listen.
There is no fear where we are, the breath is only here.
There is no present, future past, the only thing that’s clear, is
there no any single part.
The Earth is whole and near.
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Sitting at the end
Jana Stara
(Czech Republic)
So you sit here,
Looking around you try to think.
What was it about?
What am I taking out of this?
And no thoughts come.
Just the river passes by,
As if it was cutting through the nothing in you,
Through the silence in you.
And your mind knows this is what you wanted.
That’s why no thoughts come.
The mind has just provided more space for your soul,
But it will not be silent for long.
Your dreams are about to come.
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The first love story
Desislava Baneva
(Bulgaria)
Once upon a time is how stories begin
I listened to many and felt them within
‘Here and now’ is how stories flow
The humans’ natural way to stay and go
And living the moment connects you to THEM
In the ocean of nectar where your soul swam
They are the lovable parents of all beings
And exist beyond the senses and seeings
They are the spirit of 2 in 1
The famine and masculine so well done
Their love is so incredibly unique
That once they got married on a crystal peak
So for us – their children to believe in this love
They expanded into the Universe above
“Here and now’ is how stories flow
The Universe natural way to stay and go
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Here and now they are the SUN and the EARTH
DAD and MAM who gave us birth
And we can see and feel and taste and touch and hear their love
all around
It sustains every being on the ground
‘My dear child, their love manifests in WATER
And it’s for eternity, not for a quarter!
This was once whispered in my ear by a wise Elder
The one who took me home, gave me shelter
Once upon a time is how stories begin
I listened to many and felt them within
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Once in a while
Dani Korai
(The Netherlands)
There once was a while…
In which I saw the beauty of life
in every possible shade of green, blue, grey and brown.
Where hurtful things heal and where healing hurts.
A while in which I saw the most beautiful masks hide even more
beautiful faces,
only to disappear in the dark where only the heart can see.
Where an eternity of work can be swept away within the lifetime
of just one single deep breath.
A while in which I touched a heart with my words
and left the unsaid and the unsayable to the wind.
A while in which there was no
Me,
You,
Us or Them…
There only Is
Even if it only lasts…
for a while.
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Let yourself washed
Bogdan Romanică
(Romania)
The trees speak to you.
They whisper: “Wake up wild soul,
Wake up and jump in the river”.
In the river of life,
and let yourself be cleaned
from the critics and judgments.
Let the cold water wash your body and touch it,
as a lover touches the skin on his love for the first time.
Surrender and make peace with yourself,
your love is you.
21
Moving
Noa Philippon Salinas
(Spain)
Steps over the threshold,
Steps on the wheel
New sisters and brothers
Seeds are growing
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Who am I, You, We?
Jesús Morillas Amat
(Spain)
Who am I?
Who are you?
Who are we?
At the end of the day,
all we have to do is to remember.
At the end of the night,
all we are is their memories
and not ours.
At the end of summer,
coming back from south,
all I have is your voices,
your body movements,
your melodies and your laugh,
your strong energy.
At the end of winter,
coming back from north,
all I am depends on you.
So, who do you want me to be?
But ¡Hey! Do not go so fast.
Please, do not label me.
I am not your impressions.
You only have to remember that...
At the end of life,
we are the moments,
we´ve been just time...
Time shared together.
We have no land
We have no nest neither home
because...we always fly from wave to wave.
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The persons who wrote the poems are youth workers and
trainers from various European countries who participated in the
international training course Steps on the Wheel, activity
coordinated by Dreams for Life organization, from Romania.
The poems were written in the last day of the course in order to
symbolize the training experience.
This collection of poems was compiled by Bogdan Romanică, in
behalf of Dreams for Life organization from Romania.
www.dreamsforlife.ro
The project was implemented with the support of the Erasmus+
Programme of the European Union.
This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission
cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information
contained therein.
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