The Rhythm of the Soul: A Journey Back to the Life We Love

In a world constantly urging us to move faster, accomplish more, and be someone we are not, there lies a quieter truth: that the life we seek, the life we are meant to live, is not something to chase, but something to return to. It is a rhythm, a pulse, that resides deep within us. It is as ancient as the first winds that swept across the earth, as tender as the first light of dawn. And yet, so often, we lose touch with it. The clamor of the external world – its expectations, its demands, its distractions – takes us further from the sacredness of our own being. In that distance, we experience the dissonance of not living in tune with the song of our own heart. We become like leaves scattered in a storm, swept away by forces beyond our control. Yet, if we allow ourselves to pause, to listen, we may hear the voice of our own rhythm calling us back. And in that return, we find the life we love.

The idea that each individual carries a unique rhythm within them, a natural pulse that governs their path in life, has been expressed by countless thinkers and poets throughout history. Carl Jung, the Swiss psychiatrist and mystic, spoke of the process of individuation—the journey of becoming one’s true self—as a return to a primal state of wholeness, a reconnection with a deeper truth. "The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are," Jung wrote. This “becoming” is not about striving to be someone else but surrendering to the truth of who we already are, beneath the layers of societal conditioning and external expectations.

This is the invitation of the rhythm of the soul, which is not something to be created or earned, but something we must listen to and align with. It is already there, embedded in the very fabric of our being. "There is a rhythm in the depths of your being, a pulse that beats in the stillness of your soul," as it is beautifully described in the opening of the passage we are contemplating. The stillness of the soul is not a place of emptiness but a sanctuary where we can hear the quiet voice of our true nature, waiting to be heard. When we surrender to this voice, we begin to live in harmony with the world itself.

For centuries, poets, philosophers, and mystics have explored this theme of returning to one’s true self and living in harmony with the rhythms of nature. In his "Meditations," Marcus Aurelius wrote, “Everything that happens is part of the natural order of the world.” His Stoic philosophy teaches that we are most fulfilled when we live in accordance with nature, not when we fight against it or seek to impose our will upon it. This, in essence, is what the rhythm of the soul asks of us – not to struggle against the current of life but to flow with it, to align ourselves with the deeper truths that govern the world and our being.

"The River" by John Singer Sargent

The poet and naturalist John Muir, whose life was a celebration of communion with nature, spoke of the sacredness of returning to the heart’s true rhythm. He wrote, “In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.” Nature itself is a reflection of the rhythm we seek within ourselves. The trees that sway in the wind, the waves that crash upon the shore, the mountains that stand unmoving through the ages—all of these are expressions of a deep, ancient pulse. To listen to these natural rhythms is to attune ourselves to our own inner pulse. It is no accident that, in moments of stillness, we often find ourselves drawn to nature as a way of reconnecting with the truth of who we are. Nature does not hurry, does not strive. It simply is, and in this being, it reflects the profound beauty of being human.

Yet, in the rush of modern life, we often forget to listen. “So often we find ourselves straying from this rhythm,” the passage poignantly reflects. We are pulled in a thousand directions, each one demanding our attention, our energy, our time. The cacophony of the world becomes overwhelming, drowning out the quiet call of our own heart. We forget that within us lies a stillness, a voice that speaks not in the rush of noise, but in the gentle whisper of truth. This is the voice of the soul, the voice that calls us back to ourselves.

Philosopher and poet Rainer Maria Rilke, in his "Letters to a Young Poet," captured this sentiment beautifully when he wrote, “You must change your life.” In that simple command lies the understanding that true transformation comes not through striving but through a return. A return to the rhythm that is uniquely our own, a return to the deep, quiet knowing that has always resided within us. The transformation that occurs when we allow ourselves to listen to this inner voice is not an effortful one, but a quiet unfolding, a surrendering to the deeper currents of life.

To live the life we love, then, is not an act of achievement or striving. It is an act of surrender and alignment. As the passage so elegantly expresses, “When we allow ourselves to live the life we love, something extraordinary happens.” It is as though the world itself begins to align with us, as if the very winds and tides, the dawns and dusks, are listening to the song of our soul and responding in kind. In this alignment, we become part of the greater harmony that exists in the world. We are no longer separate from the world around us but deeply intertwined with it, woven into the same fabric that holds the stars, the mountains, and the rivers. As poet Mary Oliver so eloquently asked in her poem "The Summer Day," “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” In that question lies an invitation: to listen to the rhythm of your heart, to surrender to it, and to live in harmony with it.

The peace that arises from living in tune with our own nature is not a peace that depends on external circumstances. It is the peace that comes from knowing that we are exactly where we are meant to be, that we are living the life we were always meant to live. The great hunger of the soul arises not when we fall short of external expectations, but when we deny our own truth, when we live according to the dictates of others rather than the quiet song of our own heart. The famine we sometimes feel is not because the world is barren, but because we have fallen out of rhythm with our true nature.

But if we can return to that rhythm, if we can listen once again to the voice that has always known our path, we will find that the blessings we seek are not distant or unreachable. They are already here, woven into the very fabric of our lives. The joy, the peace, the love, the meaning—we do not need to search for them outside of ourselves. They are found in the quiet embrace of our own truth, in the stillness that is the birthplace of all things.

As we walk through life, let us remember to listen. Let us remember that the rhythm of our soul is always there, waiting for us to return to it. When we do, we will find that the life we love is not a distant dream, but a reality waiting to be lived. It is already there, woven into the fabric of our being, and when we allow ourselves to step into it, we will find ourselves living in harmony with the world itself. We will find the fullness of life, not in the noise and the rush, but in the quiet surrender to the truth of who we are. And in that surrender, we will know peace. We will know joy. And we will know, without a doubt, that we are finally home.

All my Love and Light,
An