7DAYS´ INTERVIEW: Sister Ingrid Arnold

WOULD WE EXIST WITHOUT A SOUL

By Sonia Golt

Would we exist without a soul? This is a question we should all ask ourselves sometime especially as we become older and hopefully more spiritual in our ways of living our life.

The soul is a unique, invisible and unexplained thought within our mind. It can be due to a religious upbringing, finding a reason for being here, a spiritual philosophy, the possibilities of an after life - but whatever the meanings, we all seem to have a soul…..

Undoubtedly love plays an important part in our soul's upbringing e.g. finding a soul mate; a loving and nurturing partner enlarges our soul capacity making us more whole, more spiritual and more holy. If we are lucky to have known this sort of loving relationship then we must feel all the better for it. Developing a relationship with our own "inner self" also does the same for us; it enhances our way of life.

If you believe you have a soul then you know it never leaves you except when our body decides to stay behind on earth; that is to say - when our physical body dies. Within our bodies we each carry a different soul; it can be a young soul or an old soul. This is why Tibetan monks say that when a young person leaves this world it is precisely due to their soul being very old, meaning that the soul needs less time on earth to perfect itself so it is ready to depart much earlier.

Each human being can interpret their soul in a different shape or format, a different Colour with different emotions and feelings although it is said to be a light the purest light of all! Some of us look forward to a spiritual re-encounter with other souls on the day we die, especially if we believe in re-incarnation.

This leaves a very open doorway for each and everyone of us to establish our believes, and the purpose of our own soul.

There is of course another word which again is open to a lot of individual interpretations and is very closely linked to the soul. The saying "I love you with my heart and soul" explains this - the word is LOVE - It is a four letter word, like soul, and it has great capacity for feelings and emotions - We cannot buy love but we can make it grow specially into old age where we need more love and can have more time to spend with families to impart our love to them too.

Sometimes it takes a lifetime for love to mature fully but love can grow every day, if we know how to nourish it. We cannot be forced to love anyone or anything, but we can learn to love anyone and anything as circumstances may give rise to love. Having a partner, friend, family member, that is always taking care of you, helping you and loving you encourages you to return that love too and it is also very important to learn to love ourselves, something we do not always know how to do.

Kindness is love, bonding is love, understanding others is love, respecting others is love, encouragement others is love, empathy for others is love. It is incredible that even hate can be conquered with love; envy can be destroyed with love, thinking no evil is love, forgiving is love; not feeling bitterness towards others is love.

Love is the very essence of the soul. Our soul lights up with every good deed of love we make. We should all try to love with our heart and soul. Maybe this quote by Euripides will help us to understand why it is so very important for our soul to love. "It is a good thing to be rich and to be strong, but it is a better thing TO BE LOVED!"

The simple things in life bring the greatest reward and this is heard by many spiritual gurus or priests, men and women of religious and spiritual wisdom.

It is not that long since the Brahma Kumaris opened their first centre in India, that was 1971 - they promote the teachings of meditation and have done so since in over 60 countries. Gibraltar has its own centre from where Sister Ingrid Arnold gives courses on positive thinking, meditation and others by mixing theory and practice into her talks and workshops. These are very interesting and although they may not be teaching you anything you do not already know they open up your mind to new ways of looking at things, at yourself and at life. People seem to be attracted to Meditation because they want to find peace and this provides the right exercise to restore the balance of the mind.

The original meaning of this word is closely seen as a form of healing and when the person does it they can find ways to heal ailments of both the mind and body.

"The main aim of meditation is to experience your soul."

Sister Ingrid, teacher of meditation comes from the Netherlands. During her teenage years she had this urge to want to move from the South to the North of the country in her search for truth. Years later she moved to London and lived there for 6 years.

"I was connected to the International Headquarters of the Brahma Kumaris. Slowly I got more involved in teaching meditation. Well, here I am, playing the role of a teacher."

Why are you now living in Gibraltar?
"In my search for truth, life and its meaning Gibraltar crossed my path and I believe that I am where there is a need for someone like me. I truly believe that we are where we need to be at each point in time. It could be for the self or for others. I think it is usually a combination of both. Life seems to be quite accurate and we are where we need to be, this is what destiny is all about!"

What do you teach?
"It is that same search for truth that many people seem to have that encouraged me to become a teacher with the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University. It took me five years to discover an organization like the Brahma Kumaris. It was for the first time that I came across teachings that not only made sense to me, but also filled the gap that other spiritual teachings left behind. The teachings are immensely deep, although they seem quite general to start with."

What do the Brahma Kumaris stand for?
"The organization started in the nineteen thirties in India in Sindh, now Pakistan and really they fit seamlessly in all societies all over the world. They contain meaningful messages for everybody no matter from what nationally or background, the teachings are amazing even though there are just a few principles. One is: we all are the children of One Parent and yet unique. In this there is unity, equality and respect. It unites us, makes us see each other as equals and respect each other for what we are and makes us experience our specialties. It is through our uniqueness that there is the diversity that makes life as we know it, exciting and there is enough for all, the past, the present and the future. Our Parent is the Supreme Soul. You may prefer to call this Being: God, Allah, Jaweh, Truth, whatever. That's fine with me. I also teach people to see their real form as light, as a tiny point of light that can be the soul or the consciousness. In this way the body becomes an instrument for this tiny point of light. And in this way we make the body move and do actions accordingly."

How would you describe spirituality?
"Spirituality for me is an active process in which I consider myself to be separate and different from this physical world, the world that I see and experience around me, through the senses. In this new view I can discover who I really am and I can see that although I have a relationship with the physical world the physical world is not equal or the same as to what I am. There is, you may call it a creative power, in me that is able to help change something in the world according to my creative power, that which I am."

How would you define peace and happiness?
"Peace is a state of mind that enables me and everyone else to use my/our creative/mental powers to the full, which creates an experience of acceptance and makes 'things' that need to happen fall into place. Peace is allowing things to happen and accepting them as they are meant to be. I would say that happiness comes into the picture where I wholeheartedly appreciate what happens as it is exactly what needed to happen in that specific and given situation. Peace may be there without happiness but happiness must be accompanied by peace."

What exactly is your work now within our community?
"It is to try and teach some of the experiences I gathered though my life so these can help others in the same situations. I try to teach people a new way of thinking so they can too be an example for others. Meditation is a great way of finding new ways of thinking and can, I would say, will always bring new enthusiasm to our life. If it brings a smile into each one's life, then even that is enough!" How can you achieve meditation?
Just by starting, anyone can. In the courses I give we usually bring out things that are not always that obvious. It is like creating a new relationship with what you already know and putting things in a new perspective. Meditation is a purification method, that's why it is a form of healing the mind and making us feel lighter from our problems and anguish in life."

So Ingrid, Sister Ingrid, what will be your message?
"Create some newness in your life every day"

Newness of spirit, of kindness, of love, of emotions, of faith, of hope and of charity and see how different life can then seem. If you haven't already done this maybe it could be your New Year's Resolution.

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