Soulful

Whatever’s good for your soul, do that.

– Unknown

Definition of Soulful

I looked up the meaning of soulful after a friend recently asked me, “How do you make a home feel soulful?” Webster’s definition of soulful:  full of or expressing feeling or emotion. In thinking about her question, one of my mantras came to mind – it’s not just the way a home looks, it’s the way it feels.

I suppose the feeling of soulfulness is different for everyone. But I think it has something to do with what’s in your heart –  what you treasure in life and what gives your life meaning. Creating a feeling of soulfulness in a home is very personal. But I do believe there are universal threads of soulfulness that unite us, that we all share or relate to.

 Layers of Soulfulness

Nature, art, animals, handmade objects and ancient hand worn objects, things that hold memories, books, photos of friends and family, and sacred objects are the layers I feel add soulfulness to wherever you live. A dear friend who lost her home in the Northern California fires last fall defined a soulful home as one that doesn’t look temporary. A home that shows the beauty of the passage of time where people live out their lives surrounding themselves with the essence of who they are and what calls to them on a deep level.

Sacred Art

There’s something about sacred objects that represent a bigger picture to life that hold a special place in my heart. I have filled my home in Northern New Mexico and Northern California with objects I’ve collected over the years from both areas as well as from my travels.  I do not regard these as religious objects but rather as spiritual icons that serve to comfort and inspire me by what they represent.

The entry to my casita in Santa Fe, where the spiral staircase curves to meet the second floor, had a nicho in the wall when I bought the adobe. I hung a light over it and placed in it an antique statue of Saint Francis of Assisi, who is the patron saint of Santa Fe and animals, both of which I greatly revere.

St. Francis greets casita guests in Santa Fe
St. Francis greets casita guests in Santa Fe
An antique Mexican angel embellishes this simple kiva fireplace
An antique Mexican angel embellishes this simple kiva fireplace

The small family room fireplace is adorned with an antique hand carved angel from Mexico. In my home, I love the presence of angels who have intrigued artists, writers, and ordinary people of every age and culture for centuries. I found the unusual contemporary bronze cross adjacent to the fireplace in a Santa Fe gallery crafted by a local artist.  Its unexpected lighthearted shape surprises me.

The antique brass Hindu god Ganesh, who is the Remover of Obstacles and Lord of Good Fortune, sits on an altar at the top of my stairway in California. He reminds me to be grateful every day for the good fortune in my life.

The antique brass Hindu God Ganesh stands for good fortune
The antique brass Hindu God Ganesh stands for good fortune

Spiritual Symbols of Mindfulness and Compassion

Buddha at peace sitting in mindfulness
Buddha at peace sitting in mindfulness

The ancient black and white marble Buddha originated in Burma (now Myanmar). It occupies a place of honor in my dining room in California encouraging mindfulness of the present moment.

In Chinese Buddhism, Kuan Yin is the bodhisattva or goddess of compassion, mercy, kindness and love. Who would not be served to be reminded of these high-minded virtues to aspire to in everyday life?

This Ancient Kuan Yin has a hollow compartment in her back where prayers are placed
This Ancient Kuan Yin has a hollow compartment in her back where prayers are placed
Spiritual icons remind me to revere the sacred in life
Spiritual icons remind me to revere the sacred in life

A porcelain statue of Mary, a gold-leafed Russian icon of Jesus and a small wooden Buddha from Laos stand beside a primitive wooden cross with a rusted metal heart from New Mexico. A handmade African mud cloth covers this Tibetan Buddhist High Llama altar adorned with bittersweet, candles, angels and sacred icons below a painting by renowned watercolor artist Tom Noble of Taos, who passed in February last year.

A Soulful Home

The soulful presence of altars in my home reminds me there is a bigger picture to life

A soulful home can be filled with layers of objects that represent what has heart and meaning to you, whether it’s a book, a cat, a painting, a view, a spiritual icon or all of these. Look deep inside yourself to find what you treasure in life and then live in it authentically. Fill your home with objects that touch your soul, inspiring and reminding you to stop just for a moment to appreciate and revere the sacredness of life both inside and outside of where you call home.

Yours in Soulfulness,

Toby and Linda Applewhite
I'm not crazy about the cat but I am soulful
I'm not crazy about the cat but I am soulful
Showing 5 comments
  • Lynn
    Reply

    Linda, what a marvelous post. The warm rose and gold tones in your home are so appealing, but you’ve really gone to the heart of the matter. “what you treasure in life and what gives your life meaning” seems the perfect answer to your question of what soulfulness is. The things I’ve collected in my travels or from my family are an important part of my home as well, even though I’ve never thought of them in quite this way.

    In the first photo, is that a tile pattern inset into the wall? I love the color and texture of the terra cotta. The last photo of the altar is spectacular, a feast for the eyes!

  • Joan von Weien
    Reply

    Linda, do you have another book in you? You have really great insight in what makes us respond to the heart and soul of our homes! I look forward to each post.

  • Eileen Bradley Tanfani
    Reply

    What a wonderful post, Linda. Your writing deeply touches me. I am enthralled with sacred objects for their ability to remind me of all that is true and good and real, as you’ve beautifully expressed. Thank you for transporting me for a few minutes with your lovely words.

  • Kathy
    Reply

    Namaste????????

  • Nyla Puccinelli
    Reply

    I wanted to say thank you for letting me share the soul of your home.
    I am very fond of many of the treasures you have chosen to make your homes a soulful place. I simply love the Back and white Buddha in your loving. What a sweet smile, so peaceful. I am a carved angel lover, too.
    What a special lady you are!!

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