“I used to be conceited once but now I know I’m brilliant” – Rodney Turner

LOL, my dad (Rodney Turner) was a character, always the joker and always the one to say something outrageous, however, sometimes he spoke some gems. In all seriousness, the above statement taken literally is outrageous, pompous and a little cheeky but when we understand our true nature as souls the statement get some legs. You see, all of us from the single cell organism to biologically complex humans are essentially souls having a physical experience and what is the nature of the soul? It is as brilliant as the sun and it “illuminates the entire body by consciousness,” says Krishna in the classic scripture known as the Bhagavad-gita.

My father may not have understood the spiritual significance of his comically-motivated statement during his physical presence here on earth but I’m sure he did when he had to leave his body at death.

Death is our greatest teacher with old-age a close second. Both of which provide clues to our true eternal nature as a soul. As we age, things start to break down or stop working the way they used to. As young men, we are motivated by sex and our body responds accordingly.  But, as we get older, sex is not as motivational as it once was and our aging bodies comply. The same can be said of our voracious appetites as teenagers. I remember well how much food I could easily digest in one sitting, whereas now at age 54 I have to be more mindful of how much my stomach can digest.

Wrinkles, reduced vision, hearing, and memory are all reminders (clues) that this body (temple) we call “home” is on borrowed time and at any time it can be taken away and we will be forced to evacuate and move to another physical shell. Unless of course, we are successful in raising our awareness to such a state that we are fully detached from this material world and purified of the ensnaring desires of lust, greed, and anger. Then, according to the Bhagavad-gita, we can transcend the bond of material nature and move into the higher spiritual frequencies.

The fact is, as souls, we are truly brilliant in all aspect, for just as a spark has the same quality as fire, we as a soul have the same qualities as the Creator, only in smaller quantity. It may take us many thousands of physical bodies to awaken to this truth but eventually, our ultimate success is assured. My dad, in all his quirkiness, was actually onto something and it is one of the fondest memories I have of him. He would often say this after potting a ball on the pool table and his natural confidence rubbed off on me, however, it was not until many years later when I decided to become a monk that his statement revealed its true worth.

Thanks, dad.

PS. In my latest book, SOUL POWER I go into great detail about our true nature as souls. Get your copy here.