Soul Truth
There are but a few things we can ever really know to be true about this life. But we have, at least, unparalleled access to the truth of our own selves. Despite the age old wisdom of “know thyself,” however, this is still not something many of us learn to make a priority. And what seems to happen to the human spirit when the truth of one’s soul is not fully known, shared and appreciated, is atrophy at best. Indeed this particular brokenness of spirit is behind much of the pain that pervades our families, communities and world. What if we imagined, as many great souls have proclaimed, that there really is no greater cause for our hearts’ allegiance than giving our soul truth the chance to be known and experienced? How would that reshape our living?
My experience with the enlivening power of following soul truth, after the debilitation of giving other imperatives priority, has been shaping my life in ways I never would have imagined. I look forward to sharing a little of my journey with you and inviting us, anew, into deepening relationship with our soul truths as this New Year commences.
David Ruffin is a Unitarian Universalist minister, artist and educator who came to Vermont for a sabbatical two and a half years ago and hasn’t been able to leave. Early in his ministry he founded the alternative community, The Sanctuary Boston, a spiritual home for young adults and other seekers not finding a fit in more traditional church environments. He then served as Assistant Minister at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, OK. Prior to ministry, David worked as an actor and singer based in New York City and still takes great joy in music and the arts. Since coming to Vermont, David has dived into sustainable agriculture and outdoor education, working with the Metta Earth Institute in Lincoln, VT, Crows Path’s Field School in Burlington, and the Walden Project, an alternative outdoor school program of Vergennes Union High School.