Free Joint Intentions (Book 9) by Jeff Inlo Page B

represent our souls. That's why I see a direct connection to the answers you seek. If you consider the story in that fashion, the tale takes on a very interesting meaning, especially in regards to your situation."
    "How so?" Ryson wondered.
    "From what you've told me, you're trying to understand more than the acceptance of having a soul, you're trying to appreciate the significance of such an acknowledgment. It's like you've been given a strange gift, but you don't know what to do with it or how to use it."
    "Exactly, and to be honest, I'm not sure how the story you told me offers me any help."
    "It might if you continue to follow the story while keeping my analogy in mind. The tenants were given a responsibility to look after the land, to make sure it prospered. If we continue with the analogy between the land and our souls, you can start to see the connection I'm trying to make between your questions and this passage. It's up to us how we tend to our souls... to make sure they grow and grow properly. Even as we decide how to cultivate our souls, we shouldn't just claim them for our own, pretend there is not a larger concern watching over us. That's the connection. Do you follow me?"
    "I think so."
    "To take it further, we also can't just ignore our spiritual side, just as it seems you don't want to simply forget what you saw. If we ignore the concept of a soul, we go about life focused only on things that matter in this existence. It's like tending a farm for a few cycles of the seasons without regard to how our actions will affect others, both now and in the future. We could overburden the soil, take water away from our neighbors to satisfy our own needs. We could end up ruining the countryside for the sake of a few extra carrots and potatoes."
    "But I'm trying not to ignore what I saw."
    "That's true, but do you realize that there's more to it than your own concerns?"
    "Again, I'm not sure I follow you."
    "Eventually, we're going to be called upon. Someone is going to check up on us to see how we're cultivating our spirit. If we try to ignore those calls, we're going to end up in trouble. What that trouble might be is up to debate. That's why I asked you what you thought would happen to the tenants. I wanted you to consider the consequences before you made the connection between the land and your soul."
    "So the tenants were all supposed to please the landowner? Is that what you're saying about my soul? That I'm supposed to please some Creator?"
    "Be careful about oversimplifying the message. In the tale, the landowner didn't just wish to be pleased. He wanted the farms to be tended in a way in which they would all thrive together. He wanted his messengers heard. He wanted his son recognized. As I said before, it's a complicated issue, but there is direction there if you wish to find it."
    "The direction's a bit fuzzy," Ryson confessed. "I was hoping for something with a bit more clarity."
    Rachael tried to bring her counsel into greater focus.
    "You came to me because you saw your own soul and it created questions for you. I don't have all the answers beyond offering you advise. Grow your spirit in a fashion that it thrives, not only for yourself but with those around you. Pay heed to the messengers who attempt to get your attention. At times, it may seem like we are alone, but we're not."
    "How can I know what will make my spirit thrive? Or what will make it thrive with others? And how do I recognize these messengers? How can I separate them from ordinary people?"
    "Ordinary people often have important messages."
    "So I have to listen to everybody? I'm not sure I can accept that. In all honesty, I've come across some very bad people... and some creatures I would consider completely evil. You don't think I should listen to them, do you?"
    "No, I don't. Trying to determine what's right and what's wrong, what's good and what's evil, can be both the easiest and the hardest thing we ever have to do. But that is the point of