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Soul Sparkle

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Bioluminescence. Bodies that glow from within. In the words of Julia Baird, these luminous beings have enchanted us for centuries and become something akin to “glowing missionaries of wonder [and] emissaries of awe” (1). These pieces of plankton that we can't even see among our waters begin to glow so bright enough that they become sirens, commanding the attention of every soul that passes by.

Now I ask you to stretch your minds back further reader; haven’t you stumbled upon people that are just as magical? Souls who emit so much joy, radiate such kindness, or brim with such a thirst for life that you can’t help but become drawn to them? Early explorers described those bioluminescent waves of the ocean as sea sparkles. And in that spirit, I invite you to ask what it is that makes people like them sparkle.

Because surely, there is something that has glowed in the life and works of Van Gogh that has wandering souls becoming drawn to his art centuries later. Something about the passion in the voices of activists like Greta Thunberg and Rosa Parks or in the lyrical power of artists like Elvis and Taylor Swift. Or that magic in a loving parent’s touch or a friend’s determination to help you smile again. Even as I write, a dozen memories rise to the surface of moments when I was pulled away from a darkness I did not believe I could survive. All because of another soul’s glow.

And today, I want to go a step further. Sea sparkle is as rare a phenomenon as soul sparkle. But every piece of plankton (and over 70% of all ocean creatures for that matter) has the potential to glow. And I believe the same applies to you and I. It simply becomes a matter of finding a source that is powerful enough. Ask yourself, what passion, what dream, or what goal empowers you from within? And how do we harness its power? Even the light of noctiluca plankton remains dormant until they sense a possible danger in the water (most commonly the pressure from a wave) and over time natural selection has favoured their instinct to take the risk by activating their unique survival mechanism rather than ignore or otherwise avoid facing the danger. And for us to activate our own glow, it becomes a similar matter of being willing to risk something to pursue those passions (be it an ‘unstable’ career choice, a key investment or an emotionally vulnerable conversation). To quote the old adage, ‘no risk, no reward’.

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  1. E-Concepts Sigi Jöttkandt