Soul to Soul: Awakening in the Other
By Ben Klocek 1 min read
Editor’s note: this letter was sent to the Soil, Soul and Spirit list in early 2022, ahead of the first Soul Course.
Hi Friends,
Many thanks for your enthusiasm for the series, Alchemical Dew, Pathogens and Immune response. So many good questions were asked and Dennis gave us a view into the germ/terrain worldview conflict that’s been playing out in our science culture for hundreds of years.
At the end of the day, much of the current conflict in our world arises out of increasing individuality, which Steiner called “consciousness soul. This increasing individuality makes it harder to be empathetic with perspectives that differ from our own, resulting in polarization, “othering”, and tribalism.
The antidote to all this is to learn how to “awaken in the other” as Dennis says. To be able to engage with the inner life of another human in such a way that you can understand why they think, feel and act the way they do, even if you don’t agree.
This is the heart of soul to soul work.
For a deep exploration of soul work alongside practical exercises – the fruit of Dennis’ life-long work with the soul, see: The Soul Course
Just beginning the soul work?
Below are several suggestions that can get you started exploring the soul with Dennis.
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On a side note: In a recent conversation, Dennis drew a distinction between soul work for oneself as meditation and soul work for working with others as dyad work. (Dyad means two individuals in dialog.)
If you think of meditation soul work as understanding your own soul, and clearing the triggers and blocks from your life (see the Inner Work for Contemporary Humans lecture series), then soul to soul dyad work involves being in conversation with others, whether it be in a meeting, over a meal with family, or over the internet. The upcoming Soul Course focuses on becoming better at this second form of soul work.
Warmly,
Ben Klocek
Soul Articles
Ben Klocek
Ben Klocek, web designer, teacher, and Sacramento Waldorf School alumni, has worked in tech for over 20 years. He has been studying and lecturing on how our use of screen technology affects our lives, and promoting the work of his father Dennis Klocek through Soil, Soul and Spirit (this website). He is the father of two, ages 13 and 16, and is an avid naturalist, artist, and gardener.
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