It is this year twenty years ago that I came upon a book in one of the gorgeous bookshops of Cape Town, South Africa. Those bookshops for me, coming freshly from Nairobi where I had lived for five years, were an oasis of luxury and opulence. Wisdom, knowledge, new ideas, curiosity all lay there before me, on bookshelf after bookshelf. Furthermore, I hadn’t just come from a place where good, interesting and eye-opening books were hard to come by, I had also lost track of myself and was in need of new ideas, new visions, new approaches. To be honest: I was a bit of a mess. My love life had all but collapsed, my professional life was stuck, depressions had become a fixture of my life, together with anxiety, despair, and self-loathing. I needed fresh ideas, fresh books. And so it was that I found “Care of the Soul“, by Thomas Moore.
In his book, Moore makes the case to step away from a fixing, medical mentality towards the soul and its processes and mood. The soul, he writes, doesn’t need curing – it needs care: attention, compassion, curiosity, connection. To me, this came as a revelation for its foundation is: acceptance. There isn’t necessarily anything wrong with me, even though I feel all these feelings, and experience their overwhelming hold over me, at times.
Thomas Moore continues to inspire me, even twenty years later. His kindness and openness, his sharpness of insight and his depth of knowledge and understanding provide guidelines for me, as a man and as a counsellor. His approach to the soul and to life is woven through everything I do, personally and professionally. So I keep reading his books, and reread them when I want or need.
The Essence of Soul Psychology
Moore reminds his readers of the rich tapestry of human experience, woven with threads of joy, sorrow, love, and loss. Soul Psychology, as Moore so eloquently describes, in one of his most recent books,Soul Therapy, is not a quest for heroism or a journey towards self-actualization. Instead, it is a gentle exploration of the inner self, a humble acceptance of our human frailty, and a celebration of our capacity for love, compassion, and connection. It is a psychology of the soul, of the deepest, most authentic part of ourselves.
In the realm of Soul Psychology, we are not heroes embarking on epic quests, but humble pilgrims on a journey of self-discovery. We are not striving for greatness, but for understanding; not for achievement, but for acceptance. We are not seeking to conquer the world, but to connect with it, to see ourselves reflected in the world around us and to recognize our interconnectedness with all of life.
Soul Psychology emphasises the full spectrum of being human, and Moore sets it apart from what seems to dominate so much of our contemporary ideas of psychology, and counselling, and therapy. The dominant model is to “fix” our frailties and help us return to being as productive as we can possibly be. Moore labels it heroic psychology, in which heroes rescue victims, or heroes heroically fix themselves, and pull themselves up by their bootstraps.
The Light of Apollo and Dionysus: Archetypal Psychology and the Greek Pantheon
Soul Pyschology, on the other hand, is deeply rooted in the tradition of archetypal psychology, which draws on the wisdom of the ancient Greeks and their pantheon of gods. Each god, each goddess, represents a different aspect of the human psyche, a different facet of our being. They are not distant, abstract entities, but intimate companions on our journey, guiding us, challenging us, and helping us to understand ourselves more deeply.
Consider, for example, the god Apollo, the god of light and reason. In the light of Apollo, we see the world clearly, objectively. We see things as they are, not as we wish them to be. But Apollo’s light is not the only light. There is also the light of Dionysus, the god of wine and ecstasy, who illuminates the irrational, the chaotic, the passionate aspects of our being. Both lights are necessary for a full understanding of ourselves. We need Apollo’s light to see the world clearly, but we also need Dionysus’s light to see the world deeply, to see beyond the surface and into the depths of our being.
Anam Cara: The Soul Friend in Our Journey
In the tradition of Soul Psychology, we also find the concept of anam cara, a beautiful Gaelic term that translates as ‘soul friend.’ An anam cara is a companion of the soul, someone who understands us at the deepest level, who sees us as we truly are, and who loves us unconditionally. In the presence of an anam cara, we feel seen, heard, and accepted. We feel safe to reveal our true selves, to share our deepest fears and hopes, our joys and sorrows.
In his book, Soul Psychology, Thomas Moore beautifully articulates the importance of cultivating these soulful relationships.
In the presence of an anam cara, the surface noise of our lives falls away, and we can hear the whispers of our own souls. We can hear the quiet voice of our own inner wisdom, guiding us, comforting us, reminding us of who we truly are.
Moore communicates a wisdom that speaks to the deepest part of us, that honours our humanity, and that celebrates our capacity for love, compassion, and connection. It is a wisdom that reminds us that we are not alone on our journey, that we are part of a larger whole, interconnected with all of life.
In Soul Psychology, Moore invites his readers to embark on the process of becoming, of unfolding, of discovering who you truly are. That process itself, or so I have experienced in the last twenty years, there is serenity to be found, and joy, and a deep sense of belonging.