by Shirley Riga
Our soles carry our souls
Years ago a woman came to me for a reading
A stranger I sat with
And I’ll never forget the message
About her feet
Most all of us are born with little feet
So innocent and soft
Uncalloused by the weight of life
Our feet accompany us
On our life’s journey
Standing as witness to our decisions
Our loves, our losses
Our choices and our demands
We make decisions
And our feet comply
We enjoy celebrations
And our feet comply
We mourn losses
And our feet comply
Our feet keep us in the present
Our feet ground us to the earth
Maybe ten years pass
And I see the woman again
With astonishment
she remembers her message
Her feet
She shares her journey
Unknown to her at the time
She walked the slave trail
With her feet
The journey changed her life
As her feet carried her
Complying with her decision
To remember the pain of her people
Bless our feet
here to serve
On our path; on our journey
Keep your eyes on your own feet
Keep your attention on your path
Just as one walks the labyrinth
Our path is our path
Our choice is our choice
Silly message you might say
My feet are my feet
They won’t go away
But once focus is distracted
By other’s feet
We’ve stepped out of the now
Into the judgment game
With eyes down
And breath steady
Gaze at your feet
And feel the alignment
your soul is in your soles
PARTICIPANTS’ REFLECTIONS:
I used to walk the bike path in Santa Monica and learned to keep my eyes on my own feet, to hear my own heart and my thoughts. Otherwise, I see others, what they have, what they are doing, and I judge myself. I also walked the rails at Auschwitz, also to ‘remember the pain of my people.’ I kept my eyes on the path.
Thank you for this reminder. Fear-false evidence appearing real. I need to be looking at myself, do what I need to do, do dishes. Stay in present moment.
I liked the last line “my soul is in my soles”. I am grateful for my temple, my body. I can’t remember the last time I thought of my feet. I take for granted that my feet will work. I am grateful for my feet. It is important to stay in your own lane. I am grateful for the gifts I have. Yesterday, I cut my toenails, which is a hard feat for me since my double hip replacement. And I did it.
I meditated with the awareness of my feet. It was grounding. My anxiety level has been increasing as my life is starting to get complicated again with activities, and I am grateful for this grounding.
It helps us, taking these moments for the practice of silence
I loved the reading. I love the Serenity Prayer. As I thought of what you said, I could feel the serenity to accept the things I cannot change--these are my little feet that have carried me where I've been; the courage to change the things I can—using my feet to take me where I need to go; and the wisdom to know the difference—where I’ve been and where I’m going
I thought about small kids under three years old who can’t just walk, they bounce and stagger. They are learning how to come to terms with their feet. I hike in a heavily wooded area, with many roots. If I don’t keep my attention on my feet, I’ll trip
I remember being in therapy with an energy worker who worked on my body at the same time as I talked. When she got to my feet, she told me how these feet carried me from birth through all life’s ups and downs. They hold memory.
When I walk a labyrinth, I have to look at my feet; it keeps me grounded and present. Our souls are in our feet and so are the rest of our bodies. This is the basis of foot reflexology. Taking care of feet is important.
I meditated on following my own path. Our feet let us stand on what we believe.
I have a magnet that says “Stand your ground, it is sacred.”