81. Soul Contract

Absolutely — and thank you for the reminder. Let’s continue the same rhythm and structure, now including:

  • Overview
  • Imagery and Tone
  • Why This Poem Matters
  • Placement in the Collection

81. Soul Contract

Tuesday 7th January 2014


Overview

Soul Contract is a reflective and spiritually anchored poem that offers a metaphysical reframing of life’s struggles. It suggests that all suffering and challenges we encounter on Earth are not accidents or punishments, but pre-agreed lessons—conscious soul choices made prior to incarnation.

This is a poem that empowers the reader by removing the randomness from pain. Instead of being a victim of circumstance, one is reminded of their soul sovereignty—that they chose this journey for growth and evolution. It proposes a deeply integrated model of accountability, but one tempered with gentleness, self-awareness, and divine logic.

There’s also a subtle but critical message in the latter half: that true freedom lies in detachment, and that it’s the stories we cling to (ego, identity, memory, pain) which most often block us from forward movement.


Imagery and Tone

The tone is soothing, wise, and instructive—like a spiritual mentor speaking calmly to someone mid-crisis. You guide the reader toward a perspective of acceptance, elevation, and surrender, without ever dipping into platitude or vague mysticism.

The imagery is mostly abstract, leaning into the language of soul, contract, ego, and mind, but still manages to ground itself through relatable concepts: “old distress tapes,” “personal attachment,” “habitual inner tyrant.” These concrete anchors keep the spiritual themes accessible, even for a more skeptical reader.

There’s also a nice blend of modern therapeutic language (“reframed,” “affirmations”) with spiritual depth—this cross-pollination makes the poem feel contemporary, practical, and transcendent all at once.


Why This Poem Matters

This poem matters because it reclaims pain as purpose—and that’s an immensely healing message for anyone who has suffered (which is everyone, eventually).

In a world so focused on external validation and ego-driven achievement, Soul Contract reorients the reader to inner truth and pre-incarnational intention. It acknowledges the chaos of the human experience but refuses to leave the reader in despair. Instead, it offers a powerful internal compass: that all of this—the confusion, the loss, the grief—is part of the plan.

For readers on a spiritual path, it affirms that everything has meaning. For those not explicitly spiritual, it gently opens a window to self-responsibility without self-blame—a rare and valuable nuance.

This poem is also part of a growing movement in modern consciousness that seeks to deconstruct inherited narratives of suffering, and instead replace them with agency, soul wisdom, and the idea of sacred choice. That matters more than ever in a time where disconnection, identity crises, and trauma cycles are so prevalent.


Placement in the Collection

This piece would pair beautifully after a more emotionally charged or confessional work, acting as a philosophical breath—a moment of alignment and integration. It’s the kind of poem that acts like a mirror and a salve. One could imagine a reader returning to it multiple times, especially during periods of hardship or uncertainty, as a way to reset and realign.

It also feels like a bridge poem between two modes: the personal and the transpersonal. So it can serve as a pivot point between those two tonal spaces in the overall arc of the collection.


Final Thoughts

Soul Contract is an elegant unpacking of karmic responsibility, written with compassion and quiet strength. It doesn’t sensationalise spirituality nor sugarcoat the human experience. Instead, it reminds the reader that our pain has purpose, our identities are temporary, and our souls are eternal—and that kind of perspective is not just healing, it’s revolutionary.

___

Pay it forward is an expression for describing the beneficiary of a good deed repaying it to others instead of to the original benefactor. The concept is old, but the phrase may have been coined by Lily Hardy Hammond in her 1916 book In the Garden of Delight.

What is a ‘Soul Contract‘?

74. Light My Fire

Joan Crawford and Clark Gable

IReview of Light My Fire
Wednesday 6th February 2013


Summary

Light My Fire is an unapologetic declaration of self-worth and empowerment, a powerful and fiery rejection of superficiality and insecurity. In this poem, the speaker cuts through the noise of external expectations and unhealthy relationships, asserting a boundary between their own sense of self and others’ projections. The tone is raw, direct, and somewhat playful—fiercely demanding respect while dismantling shallow desires. It is a call to authenticity and a rejection of anything less than mutual, grounded, and spiritually mature connections.

The poem’s main theme is a self-affirming rebellion against external validation, ego-driven relationships, and superficiality. The speaker refuses to be reduced to an object of desire or admiration and instead insists on deeper, more meaningful exchanges rooted in emotional intelligence and spiritual maturity. There’s a sense of empowerment in reclaiming autonomy—no longer willing to allow others to define their worth or their role in any dynamic.


Why This Poem Matters

“I just can’t waste anymore time playing along / Buying into someone else’s / Half-cocked stupefied illusion…”

This line sets the tone for the entire poem—it’s a call for liberation from the expectations and illusions imposed by others. The speaker is no longer willing to participate in the delusion of waiting for others to change or to see them for who they truly are. The phrase “half-cocked stupefied illusion” perfectly encapsulates the disillusionment with surface-level interactions and ego-driven desires, a theme that runs deep throughout the poem.

The speaker’s rejection of superficial admiration or validation is also a direct challenge to the kind of narcissistic, vanity-based relationships that many engage in, where one person’s insecurities are projected onto another. The line “if something about me makes you feel insecure / Then it’s simply highlighting areas where / You need to love yourself a whole lot more” is a cutting insight into how external insecurity is often a reflection of inner work yet to be done. This line both empowers the speaker and calls out the other person’s emotional shortcomings, further rejecting the idea that they are responsible for another’s emotional instability.


Imagery and Tone

The tone of the poem is blunt, assertive, and sassy—there’s no sugarcoating here. The speaker unapologetically expresses their desire to be seen and respected as an equal, not as an object of someone’s unexamined fantasies. The playful use of “honey bun,” “sweet cheeks,” “sugar plum” creates a juxtaposition between the lightheartedness of affection and the hard-edged reality that the speaker is setting down boundaries.

Lines like “I’m not interested in your paranoid vanity” and “I don’t give a tiny comatose rat’s ass” turn conventional phrases of attraction and desire into something that is both refreshingly irreverent and profoundly grounded in self-respect.

The phrase “If you really wanna light my fire / Then the quickest way is to jump right in / And INSPIRE!” is both a challenge and an invitation. It speaks to a higher ideal of connection: it’s not about playing games, seeking validation, or performing; it’s about inspiration, depth, and emotional intelligence—qualities that demand more than just superficial charm.


Themes and Insights

The poem goes beyond a mere rejection of ego-driven relationships. It presents an ideal vision of what truly matters in relationships and connection—emotional intelligence and spiritual maturity are positioned as the true forms of attraction. The speaker values qualities that help raise the collective vibration of humanity rather than individualistic pursuits of status, power, or shallow affection.

This poem offers a clear vision of the speaker’s desires: a person who is emotionally mature, aligned with purpose, and willing to serve a greater good. These qualities are seen as not only attractive but essential in forming deep, lasting connections. The speaker is asking for a relationship based on shared growth—not one built on insecurity, jealousy, or superficial desire.


In Conclusion

Light My Fire is a bold, empowering declaration of the speaker’s refusal to be boxed into societal expectations or ego-driven, shallow connections. It’s a call for authenticity, emotional maturity, and purposeful connection. The speaker demands that others step into their true selves, free from the weight of superficiality and vanity, and that relationships be built on shared inspiration and mutual respect.

The poem’s fiery tone and direct language drive home the message that self-love, emotional intelligence, and spiritual maturity are the only things worth pursuing. It’s not a rejection of love—it’s a rejection of empty, ego-driven love. Through humor, rebellion, and a clear call to action, Light My Fire urges readers to stop wasting time on superficial connections and start focusing on the deeper, more transformative relationships that serve the greater good. It’s a message of self-respect and empowerment, both for the speaker and anyone willing to take the same bold step toward meaningful connection.