Cultivating Inner Qualities

Now that spring is finally here, even in snowy Canada, I’d like to share an exercise that is a great one to do in the spring.

In the Sufi tradition, students work on cultivating and nourishing what are sometimes called ‘soul qualities.’ These qualities come from our core, from presence, from the most authentic and natural part of our being.  As we grow up and become conditioned, we lose track of some of them, while we develop others. Part of what it means to grow into wholeness is to learn how to access these qualities that have been covered or hidden.

One way of doing this is to think of them as seeds you are cultivating and nourishing inside your own being.  Find a pot, fill it with good soil, and plant a seed, or more than one, in the pot. At the same time, choose a quality from the list below, or find one of your own. As you water and care for your seed and watch it emerge and grow, imagine that you are doing the same thing with this quality. Be curious, be playful in the way that you do this. Try thinking of it as a flame you are fanning, or a seed you are watering, rather than something you are lacking.

Discover for yourself how you can call forth this quality. Watch what works and doesn’t work. Listen to your body and your heart. You can focus on it first thing in the morning, and see what the day reveals to you about your quality.

Or you can ask your body, “How would it feel if I was more -----?”

In the list below are the colors associated with some of these soul qualities, called the ‘latifa’ in the Sufi tradition.

* Curiosity and Playfulness-Yellow
* Boldness and courage-Red
* Commitment and persistence, staying the course-White
* Kindness and compassion-Green
* Stillness and depth-Black like the night sky
* Openness and spaciousness-Blue

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“Wherever you are is the entry point” (Kabir)
Shayla Wright
Barefoot Journeys
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