This week, I am sharing a poem with you from our Soul Matters resource. It’s one I haven’t been able to fit into a service this month as we’ve explored the Practice of Imagination. I really love this poem and it is quite a thing to imagine! I wonder…what if? But what if we could somehow really put our soul on display? What would it look like? What sort of creative ways could we make it happen?

Rev. Tess Baumberger is the minister at the UU church in Essex, MA. I have never met her and I only know her through the beautiful pieces she submits to Soul Matters. You may likely recognize the name as I use her work often in services. Enjoy! It has been a blessing practicing imagination with all of you this month!

Soul Lifts

Rev. Tess Baumberger

Wouldn’t it be great if you could take a picture of your soul?

Then when your mother wanted to brag about you she could show people the picture and say,

“That’s my daughter, doesn’t she have a beautiful soul, all sparkly and many-colored and flowing all around her?”

Wouldn’t it be great if we walked around surrounded by our souls,

so that they were the first things people saw instead of the last things?

Then people would judge us by who we really are instead of how we look.

Imagine no more racism, ageism, sexism, fatism, shortism, homophobia.

Imagine falling in love with who a person is,

just by looking at them.

It would be a kind of cloaking device,

hiding physical faults, defects or even perfections. I’d want it to be mandatory.

Then people would work at making their souls more attractive

instead of their bodies and faces.

Imagine people knowing by your soul that you really need a hug.

Imagine people helping each other and their souls changing colors

or growing.

Imagine soul gyms

with exercises to get your sagging soul in shape. Imagine the long lines forming for soul-lifts

at churches, temples, mosques, synagogues

or nature’s grand cathedrals.