Stand still. The trees ahead and bushes beside you
are not lost. Wherever you are is called Here,
and you must treat it as a powerful stranger,
must ask permission to know it and be known.
The forest breathes. Listen. It answers,
I have made this place around you.
If you leave it, you may come back again, saying Here.
No two trees are the same to Raven.
No two branches are the same to Wren.
If what a tree or a bush does is lost on you,
you are surely lost. Stand still. The forest knows
where you are. You must let it find you.~ David Wagoner (Lost, Traveling Light)
Your soul is not only your true nature, it is your true place in nature. We’re all born to occupy, serve and nurture our place within the ecosystem of the universe. But these days we have come to perceive existence as something to consume and use, rather than to truly Be in and appreciate.
A few years ago I had an experience in the Australian outback. On a walk, I found a beautiful stone lodged into the earth. After picking it up and admiring it for a bit, I put it back down and continued walking. The Aborigine that was with me laughed, shook his head in disbelief and exclaimed, “It’s strange! Usually white man always wants to own everything he sees and touches.” Unless the stone had significant spiritual value to me, I realized that the stone was only beautiful when in its own setting. Away from the Outback, the sand dunes, the sun, the stone simply becomes a “thing.”
Similarly, we belong not only to a spiritual realm, but a physical realm. Did you know that we all have at least one soul place in the physical world? A soul place is a special site or spot where we experience unique feelings of belonging, empowerment and energetic rejuvenation.
Many eco-centered cultures knew of soul places. The Australian aborigines, for instance, believe that each person has one place in the natural world where they most belong; a place that is as much part of him as he is part of it. In finding that place, we also find our true selves.
What Are Power Places?
Indigenous cultures and shamans have known for thousands of years that there are special places in nature that have a sacred personal connection to us. Unlike our modern disconnected cultures, their awareness of the Spirit realm allowed them to create ceremonies that were specifically aimed at initiating them into spiritual maturity through nature-based practices.
Here in Australia for example, the aborigines have a cultural tradition called the “Walkabout.” A walkabout occurs when an aboriginal youth wanders through the bush completely alone for weeks, sometimes months. As the youth wanders, they avoid all human interaction, going in search for a place they feel at home.
Another example can be found within the indigenous people of the Sahara, the Tuareg. Saharan women who are pregnant occasionally wander into the nearby desert with the intention of finding, or being found by, a sacred site. This sacred site will be the place of birthing their children. These women report not feeling alone or scared because they feel a great depth of relationship with the other-than-humans living there.
Soul places aren’t only personal – they can also be collective. Examples of collective soul places include Bear Butte in Wyoming and Uluru in Australia. There are also human-made power places such as the Great Pyramids in Egypt, the megalithic temple of Stonehenge, and the mind-boggling subterranean passageways at Chavín de Huantar.
How to Find Your Individual Sanctuary
Most shamans have special places in nature that hold personal significance to them. These places might be locations where they enter the Spirit realm, or places where they first experienced their callings or spirit guides. A power, or soul place can be anywhere: it doesn’t have to be in a far away exotic land.
Your power/soul place, for instance, could be a physical place a dear one passed away. Your soul place could be near a river or park, or a childhood home filled with memories. Your soul place could even be the restaurant where your partner proposed to you. Our power places can be virtually anywhere.
So how do you find your power place? The most important thing to look out for is a place that allows you to experience deep emotions. Pay attention to any place that feels intimate to you, a place that allows you to experience timeless moments of Presence. These places will facilitate your ability to go beyond your five senses and touch something deeper. The place where these moments of transcendence occur leave a strong mark in our souls.
10 Signs You’ve Found Your Soul Place
When you’re in your soul place, you may feel/think the following way:
- If it’s a new place, you’ll feel a sense of familiarity.
- Colors may look brighter, almost like a surrealist painting (this happened to me in my first encounter with my soul place).
- You’ll feel a greater sense of harmony and ease.
- You might intuitively sense that “you’re finally home and can rest now.”
- The outer terrain synchronizes with your interior landscape – it’s almost as though they’ve been waiting for each other.
- Even if there’s external chaos in this place, you’ll still feel internally peaceful.
- You’ll feel inspired and have bursts of creative thought.
- You’ll feel a new sense of freedom and joy.
- You’ll feel introspective and will get to know yourself in deeper ways.
- You’ll feel recharged and energized.
Sometimes our power places can also be imagined places within our minds. If you’ve ever entered altered states of consciousness and pierced the veil of reality, you’ll realize that there’s no distinction between each of the different layers of reality. In other words, the places within our minds exists in the world just as much as the places within the world exist within our minds.
Your Soul Is Not Only Yours, It’s Also the World’s
Today, wherever you stand,
Be the soul of that place. ~ Rumi (The Essential Rumi)
The universe cannot be completely itself until you become completely yourself. Your soul is IN and OF the world, like a ripple in a river, a wave in the ocean, or a flaming twig in a fire.
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The world’s greatest flames all found their sacred places: Moses on Mount Sinai, Jesus in the desert, Muhammad in a cave outside Mecca, Buddha under the bodhi tree.
Your place of power is more than a sanctuary. It is a place (or places) in the universe where you feel at home, where you feel that forces, beyond your control and that which you do not fully understand, support you in your quest toward self-fulfillment.
Where is your Soul Place? Let me know in the comments.
Thank you for the article, truly eye opening. I believe I find my soul place every time I watch snowflakes fall to Earth or when I am under water. Also when I am among trees in the forrest, exploring a crack in the mountain or walking barefoot in nature, specially in sand, grass or ocean. I also find this place when I am deeply lost in creating my photography, which usually involves people and nature :)
I discovered my soul place while visiting Scotland with my partner who is from the ancient Kingdom of Fife. In this little corner of East coast Scotland, I have never felt more at home. I don’t know if it is the deep history that goes back a couple thousand years or the energy that the ancient stones contain, from which the great and ruined castles were built from but it was like going back to something I dreamed of from when I was kid. My love of castles and history, British history in particular,have always been something I enjoyed studying and researching. So I go and explore a total 7 castles in my two visits to Scotland, what American does that? My favorite castles were always the partially ruined ones and the ones with the most interesting historical importance. My favorite being Loch Leven castle, located on an Island in the middle of Loch Leven,which is where Queen Mary of Scots was imprisoned before she escaped to England. So much history, so much old energy in Scotland. I swear I might have been Scottish in a past life.
I never knew that a place I have never been to could make you feel so rejuvenated, so whole and so at ease. The greenery, the rolling hills with sheep grazing, the rough and windy North sea, the jagged coast line were all new and brilliant but familiar at the same time. I would love to live in Scotland one day. It is my second home country away from my home in the Western United States. And I am proud that my child has that rich heritage she can claim as her own. Side note, when we go back again to visit family, I plan on exploring some more Scottish castles.
Rainforest in Tambopata, Peru! Been going back as many times as possible since 2005. I CRAVE it. I’ve found that I long to live in the woods or at least around large trees; oaks are my favorite. We are talking about moving close to either Miami or Houston for my husband’s work. The thought of being in the city or not having big trees close by makes my stomach feel sick in a way that I can not possibly explain to my husband. How do you convey this longing for your soul place to someone that has no clue what that means?
Yes I have found mine I was in crisis and somehow stumbled across a town. the most at ease I’ve ever felt in a long time I couldn’t explain it but i can’t stay since it would mean being homeless but why show me this it’s torture. And I try to rationalize if it’s where I really want to be or not but seriously I try not to think about it. There’s also a very magical bridge near by where alot of things have happened in my life there and a couple other places I find sacred near me I feel I must leave soon to travel the world yet I’m torn to leave it all
When I was in Japan, around Miyajima Island, I could have sworn the trees were more green and nature was more brilliant than I’d ever seen. I kept telling people because it was almost unbelievable, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. It surreal. We just laughed about it because they didn’t understand what I was saying and I didn’t understand what I was seeing. Thank you for this article.
Agh There’s an exact location that I was overwhelmed with emotions. When I arrived with my husband and 3 sons by my side, I uncontrollably teared up. But it wasn’t anything I’ve ever felt before in my 34 years of life! It is an exact beach land location on Cape Cod. I told my husband I couldn’t really explain the feeling other than an extreme serenity and peace in my soul. My exact words were “this is where my soul belongs”. We arrived here as the sun was setting and there was not a single person anywhere in site. I’ve been to many beaches all throughout the east coast of America and although they were all beautiful and peaceful it was not the same feeling. For whatever reason this exact location feels like this is where I’m supposed to be. My spirit and soul belong to this location. I though I was crazy bc no one could relate to what I was telling them. I can try to explain it Like the feeling you’ve ever gotten that you knew you were in the wrong place at the wrong time and you could feel danger ahead. So you knew you had to leave. Well this is the exact opposite. This is where your soul is meant to be and to stay there. Upon returning home from our vacation I felt intense sadness. Like my body is being drawn like a magnet to the Cape location. So now it’s my life goal to move there and by a house as close to that location as possible. Thank you for sharing this so I don’t feel alone in this intense Soul place feeling!!
This is very cool.. I baught a self made necklace from a world traveler en he said it had something to do with a shaman.. I was in a hurry and just heard him say that.. Didn’t really listen to the rest of it.. Just like in the movies, which I wasn’t after for.. It was 25 euro’s.. And when I put it on in the summer at when the sun’s down.. I feel a realll cool special feeling.. Exactly like you desrcribe above.. And it doesn’t scare me at all.. I love it.. I get a reall cozy feeling from it.. The colors are much intense, I feel more relaxed and confident..
Hi, can someone please delete my previous comment on which I reply rigth now. I would be very gratefull. Everyone can find my on google under my name, so it was a bit of a mistake. Which I learned from now. Thanks already then! I hope it works.
Thankyou for the article. I especially liked the principle of the places within our mind exist in the world just as much as the places in the world exist within our minds. Very deep and profound sentence to me. Struck a chord. Also you quoted something from Rumi and that is who I am planning on reading up on shortly. A little synchronicity for the day. Thankyou.
I immediately recognized my ‘soul place’ by the scent of the air. I felt right at home (& at peace). I visit the spot as often as I can. I knew there was something about it but reading your article it al becomes more clear. Now I know what to call it and why I feel so safe when I visit that particular (& special) piece of nature :) Thanks for the interesting article, I’ll be back for more of your writings (already a fan) :)
Palatine Hill in Rome. The sense of having been there and feeling an unusual uplifted feeling of familiarity overwhelmed me. I had no idea at that time that there was a place like that for me. It was intense and beautiful this feeling.
I truly feel happy at the beach when is low tide and I can have my feet in the tiny transparent waves that come.. I feel really connected with myself :)
Rivers. Any river or stream I’ve come across feels like home.
In a little valley in Oregon… I lived in California for 40 years and after my spiritual awakening felt the tug to move… on my first visit to this place in Oregon I felt such joy and that I was home… just as your article describes… the room we rented for the visit was 1111… ha!
River, mountains and a rainbow; you’ve found heaven! :)
Hey guy, can you please delete my previous comment under my full name? It’s bad for my energy because my full name is in it. It’s the same name as my email.
Wooooooow! I see 1’s alllllll the time! Where I’m at now does not feel like home. I was overcome with emotion when I was looking at a picture of the Philippines! I couldn’t stop crying!
Soul Arch: Danville avenues, Virginia fields, The Bay of Plenty’s perfect feels.
Right here, The Bay on fire, Padraigin’s soul did never tire, early autumn light off shores, the welcome warm breeze that bronzed bodied ecstasy did cause, flying across the turquoise indigo silken surface, how I do miss her sighhing salty kiss, none shall ever emulate the time, the space, the place that The Eagle did for decades surreally trace.
the Ocean always feels like home
With ocean I never feel alone ;-)
Beautiful spot, I can see why you’d find it a place of power :)
In the mountains behind Big Sur on the central coast of California. Some pix here: https://www.facebook.com/tuffley/media_set?set=a.10153560700212279.1073741836.671037278&type=3
Where mountains meet ocean, I’m not surprised you’ve felt such a special connection there. When we did Esalen we were mesmerized by the natural beauty around Big Sur.