Meditations for the Soul

An Owner’s Manual for the Soul
One good thing about these harrowing times is the proliferation of books and apps encouraging mindfulness, to the point that one can almost define a new “Be Here Now” genre. As a psychiatrist, I have seen first hand the effects of Worry with a capital W, which can be defined as a mentally fabricated projection of negative events into the future, followed by bringing the emotions of those figments of the imagination into the present and attaching to them emotionally and physically (e.g. hypertension), thus making them real. The journey of those thoughts from dire future hypotheses to the present brings with it the fight or flight stress hormones that damage our organ systems and make it hard to think straight.A goal of mindfulness is to counteract the stress hormones and worried thoughts with a sense of perspective, that things are OK, here, in this moment. Mindfulness makes space for love, empathy and calmness, releasing endorphins and serotonin, pushing out the worry and its destructive chemicals. We can fight the imagined fire-breathing dragon of the future with the sword of the present moment. The fire is not hot.Dr. Neale Lundgren’s new work, “Meditations for the Soul,” is an interesting and I think unique addition to the Be Here Now genre.I started reading it cover-to-cover, then realized it was maybe meant to be consumed a short chapter per day to get the full effect of the process. Then I got a little impatient/curious and decided to surge forward to get a better view of the whole map. I was rewarded with a realization about the book: it’s not really a book.Actually, it’s more like an owner’s manual! Read through it start to finish, as you would a new car manual; then, if your tire goes flat, you can go to the section on tires. It even gives you tools. If the chain is too loose on your saw, you can read how to tighten it.If you have problems in a relationship, you can go to the chapter “The Four Relationships.” If there’s an issue with your companion, you can go to “The Great Romance.” If you are angry at someone, try “Heart Yoga.” Feeling tired? Depressed? Lonely? Alienated? Afraid? Go to the relevant short chapter, follow the meditation and the awareness exercise, then put the manual down. There’s no pressure to follow formulaic instructions. They are there if you need them and are interested. If life is good and you want to “deepen” your practice, just pick a chapter. It would be interesting to do this daily. You are encouraged by the author to interact with the ideas presented. If there’s a recommended visualization, you can alter it to make it your own. The chapters may morph into different shapes when re-read.The Self is like a car: it runs great at first, but there are no warranties in life. Things break down; regular maintenance is needed. The Soul is there to help with problems of the Self, and this manual helps you find where to look. And just as you can upgrade your car, you can work on making your Self better.”Meditations for the Soul” is just what we need in this hurried, Worried, ADD world. I believe it could work equally well for those interested in beginning a search for understanding the nature of the Soul and its relationship to the Self, and for those who are further along this path of discovery.