During Soul Journey, each session will examine one of the five stages outlined in Harry R. Moody and David Carroll's text, The Five Stages of the Soul: Charting the Spiritual Passages That Shape Our Lives
. You will find opportunities for reflection, discussion and further exploration around these five stages during the weekend, preparing you for a new leg of your spiritual journey.
Below is a very brief synopsis of the five stages of the soul that are identified by Moody & Carroll.
The Call includes being called to a new level of spirituality prompted by possibilities such as the voice of a friend or stranger, experiencning a life changing event such as divorce or the death of a loved one or an experience in nature. This may be a call to reflect on one's inner self, to get beyond the confines of one's ordinary reality.
The Search involves finding ways to respond to the call; for example, in approaching God in new ways as seen in different forms of worship, being exposed to new ideas through exploring the spiritual aspects of the arts or gaining new psychological/spiritual insight into oneself.
The Struggle is often the most difficult of the stages as seen in confusion, depression, anxiety, anger, or lament. While this may be the most difficult stage, it is often the most instructive and rewarding. Questions of Who am I? and Why am I here? are common in the struggle.
The Breakthrough includes going beyond one's typical way of experiencing life—this may include a profound sense of love for others, becoming more aware of awesomeness of life or seeing the interconnectness of all of life. The individual may find a new purpose in life in this stage.
The Return is, quite literally, a return to ordinary daily life. There is an application of what one experienced in the breakthrough most often seen in serving others or an exciting return to a past form of one's religious experience within the context of new light.