The “Anima Mundi” has been defined in philosophy as the universal soul. Plato believed that the Anima Mundi acted to the world, as the human soul acts to the human body. He spoke of the cosmos as a living being, with a body, soul, and spirit. The “Anima Mundi” was thus called, The Soul of the World. Some say the profoundness of the soul was minimized by the philosophy of Rene Descartes, in the 17th century. He removed the soul from nature, by stating that all of nature was a machine, including the human body. Science attempted to understand how the body worked, but not why. Western thinking perpetuated this idea by separating science from religion, and allowed science to define the world by it’s own terms. We neglected our souls, and were not conscious of the souls in others; the souls which make living things alive.

On September 11, 2001, the world as we knew it, changed forever. The Soul of the World shuddered. The event left us shaken, bewildered, frightened, enraged, confused, and yet still hopeful. Many of us began to appreciate our lives more than ever before, because the uncertainty and fragility of life made it all the more precious. Our souls were awakened. We must understand that we are part of something much bigger than ourselves; that we are not only part of a living, breathing earth, but part of a universal consciousness. Eastern philosophies have always believed this. The “Anima Mundi” pours forth her blessings upon the world. May we all learn to do the same. an original design by Linda Masselli