Ain’t We Got SoulAin’t We Got Soul

Political, Religious, and Political, Religious, and Transcendent Features of Soul Transcendent Features of Soul

CareCare

SessionsSessions

11stst –Political, religious, and transcendent –Political, religious, and transcendent realms of soul carerealms of soul care

22ndnd –Healthy and sick souls –Healthy and sick souls

33rdrd –Care of one’s soul –Care of one’s soul

PremisesPremises

EmbodiedEmbodied

RelationalRelational

Shaped by timeShaped by time

Shaped by cultureShaped by culture

Complex & variedComplex & varied

Flourishing of the SoulFlourishing of the Soul

Individual and shared experiences of Individual and shared experiences of being alive and real.being alive and real. – Meaning and meaningfulnessMeaning and meaningfulness– Purpose and purposefulnessPurpose and purposefulness– Immanence and transcendenceImmanence and transcendence– Agency and surrenderAgency and surrender

Embodiment

Relationality

Time

Culture

Complexity

Political RealmPolitical RealmOrders social relationships for the sake of Orders social relationships for the sake of human flourishing human flourishing

Aim and function of the polis is justiceAim and function of the polis is justice– Justice is founded on recognition and Justice is founded on recognition and

treatment of the Other as person.treatment of the Other as person.– Justice is founded on repair of relationships of Justice is founded on repair of relationships of

misrecognition (impersonalization & misrecognition (impersonalization & depersonalization) depersonalization)

Political RealmPolitical Realm

VirtueVirtue– Phronesis—practical wisdomPhronesis—practical wisdom

Acknowledge and preserve the dignity of other Acknowledge and preserve the dignity of other human beingshuman beings

The labor of emotional intelligence in encountering The labor of emotional intelligence in encountering the Otherthe Other

Political RealmPolitical Realm

Ministry educationMinistry education– Student & supervisorStudent & supervisor– Traditions of care & justiceTraditions of care & justice

Contexts of care of soulsContexts of care of souls

Religious RealmReligious Realm

Foundation and purpose of religion—Foundation and purpose of religion—community & communion (fellowship)community & communion (fellowship)

Virtues—love and hospitalityVirtues—love and hospitality

Religious RealmReligious Realm

For one human being to love another human For one human being to love another human being: that is perhaps the most difficult task that being: that is perhaps the most difficult task that has been given to us, the ultimate, the final has been given to us, the ultimate, the final problem and proof, the work for which all other problem and proof, the work for which all other work is merely preparation…. Love does not at work is merely preparation…. Love does not at first mean merging, surrendering, and uniting first mean merging, surrendering, and uniting with another person…. Rather, it is a high with another person…. Rather, it is a high inducement for the individual to ripen, to become inducement for the individual to ripen, to become something in himself, to become world, to something in himself, to become world, to become world in himself become world in himself for another’sfor another’s sake. sake. (Rilke)(Rilke)

Transcendent RealmTranscendent Realm

Encounter with and reverence of the Encounter with and reverence of the wholly Otherwholly Other

Virtue—compassion Virtue—compassion – Compassion requires the double movement of Compassion requires the double movement of

surpassing and surrendering. surpassing and surrendering.

SummarySummary

Souls

Political RealmAim—JusticeVirtue—Phronesis

Religious RealmAim—CommunityVirtues—Love and Hospitality

Transcendent RealmAim—Encounter with Wholly OtherVirtue—Compassion

Care of SoulsCare of Souls

Sick and Healthy SoulsSick and Healthy Souls

Soul DiagnosisSoul Diagnosis

Caveats Caveats – Diagnosis involves both grasping and Diagnosis involves both grasping and

distorting the Otherdistorting the Other– Reductionism Reductionism – Overlooking systemic contributions to sick & Overlooking systemic contributions to sick &

healthy soulshealthy souls– Diagnoses are culturally contingentDiagnoses are culturally contingent– Diagnoses should be relationalDiagnoses should be relational– Degrees of soul sickness (or health)Degrees of soul sickness (or health)

Soul SicknessSoul Sickness

The distortion of various psycho-social The distortion of various psycho-social capacities, which result in the loss or capacities, which result in the loss or attenuation of persons’ subjective and attenuation of persons’ subjective and intersubjective sense of aliveness, intersubjective sense of aliveness, meaningfulness, purposefulness, and meaningfulness, purposefulness, and belonging.belonging.

Agency (subjective and Agency (subjective and intersubjective)intersubjective)– FreedomFreedom– SpontaneitySpontaneity– PassionPassion– Authorship/Authenticity Authorship/Authenticity

(vocation/avocation) (vocation/avocation) – AccountabilityAccountability

Distortions of AgencyDistortions of Agency– Bondage/Compulsions/Bondage/Compulsions/

Obsessions/Addictions/Obsessions/Addictions/PassivityPassivity

– Rigid structure & control of the Rigid structure & control of the future/fear and denial of the future/fear and denial of the pastpast

– Indifference/Killing off Indifference/Killing off desire/Anhedonia desire/Anhedonia

– Acquiescence/Submission Acquiescence/Submission (versus surrender)/Reactive (versus surrender)/Reactive or rebelliousness/False selfor rebelliousness/False self

– Blame/Victim Blame/Victim identity/Denial/Dissociation identity/Denial/Dissociation

HEALTHY SOULS SICK SOULS

Emotional Emotional IntelligenceIntelligence– Recognition and Recognition and

appropriate articulation appropriate articulation of one’s feelingsof one’s feelings

– Recognition and Recognition and containment of the containment of the Other’s emotional Other’s emotional experiencesexperiences

– Repair of emotional dis-Repair of emotional dis-ruptionsruptions

Distortions of Distortions of Emotional Intelligence Emotional Intelligence – Lack of…Lack of…– Acting out one’s feelingsActing out one’s feelings– Avoidance/DismissalAvoidance/Dismissal– Rejection of self-Rejection of self-

reflectionreflection

HEALTHY SOULS SICK SOULS

PlayPlay– Curiosity Curiosity – Openness to NoveltyOpenness to Novelty– ImaginationImagination– HumorHumor

Distortions of PlayDistortions of Play

– IncuriousIncurious

– Boredom/Depression/Boredom/Depression/Despair/FutilityDespair/Futility

– Just the facts (Freud)/Overly Just the facts (Freud)/Overly rationalrational

– Rigidity Rigidity

– Defense against vulnerability Defense against vulnerability

– Fear of change/NostalgiaFear of change/Nostalgia

– Fear of differenceFear of difference

– Fear of Fear of failure/Shame/Inadequacy failure/Shame/Inadequacy

HEALTHY SOULS SICK SOULS

ReverenceReverence– IrreverenceIrreverence– AweAwe

Distortions of ReverenceDistortions of Reverence– Overly seriousOverly serious– Overly cynical and skeptical Overly cynical and skeptical

(lack of hope)(lack of hope)– Resentment/bitternessResentment/bitterness– WishingWishing

HEALTHY SOULS SICK SOULS

MysteryMystery– Acceptance of Acceptance of

ambiguity and paradoxambiguity and paradox– Acceptance and use of Acceptance and use of

ignoranceignorance– Surrender to not-Surrender to not-

knowingknowing

Distortions of MysteryDistortions of Mystery– CertaintyCertainty– Fear of doubt & ambiguityFear of doubt & ambiguity– Forms of subjugationForms of subjugation

HEALTHY SOULS SICK SOULS

IntimacyIntimacy– Desire/Will for Desire/Will for

belongingnessbelongingness– Acceptance of the Acceptance of the

paradox of likeness in paradox of likeness in difference and difference and difference in likenessdifference in likeness

– Desire and work for Desire and work for relational repairrelational repair

– Capacity for solitudeCapacity for solitude

Distortions of IntimacyDistortions of Intimacy– Isolation/Compulsive Isolation/Compulsive

togethernesstogetherness– Identity politicsIdentity politics– Pseudo repairsPseudo repairs

HEALTHY SOULS SICK SOULS

Categories of DiagnosesCategories of DiagnosesAGENCY

INTIMACY

REVERENCEEMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

MYSTERY

PLAY

Care for One’s SoulCare for One’s Soul

Soul care and self careSoul care and self care

Soul CareSoul Care– Cultivating the capacities of reverence and Cultivating the capacities of reverence and

aweawe– Possessing the capacity for self-reflective Possessing the capacity for self-reflective

critique of one’s milieu critique of one’s milieu – Withdrawal is for the sake of returnWithdrawal is for the sake of return

Care for One’s SoulCare for One’s Soul

Context—work/ministryContext—work/ministry– How is the social context conducive to How is the social context conducive to

cultivating souls?cultivating souls?– How is my ministry enlivening?How is my ministry enlivening?

Care for One’s SoulCare for One’s Soul

Political realm and phronesis—practical Political realm and phronesis—practical wisdomwisdom

Religious realm and love and hospitalityReligious realm and love and hospitality

Transcendent realm and compassionTranscendent realm and compassion