Beyond the Surface, Seeing with the Soul.

This past weekend, Rowynn and I took a trip to Lily Dale, a historic lakeside spiritualist community that always feels like stepping into another world. It was their Fall Fest weekend, filled with workshops, laughter, kids and adults dressed like fairies, and the cozy hum of autumn energy moving through the trees.

We spent part of the weekend exploring the many offerings like table tipping, spoon bending, and other fascinating experiences that blend play with Spirit. But Saturday morning held one of my favorite moments, an incredible sound bath that was both beautiful and healing.

Any time I’m in a group setting or around a lot of people, I naturally tune into the energy of the room before I notice anything else. The first thing I register about a person isn’t their face, their clothes, or the way they look. It’s their energy.

A woman came in after we were seated, and her presence immediately stood out. Her energy felt calm, open, and kind. I felt like I knew her and had the pull to call out for her to come sit beside us, and I’m so glad I did. I couldn’t tell you what color her sweater was or if she wore makeup, but I knew her field felt gentle and familiar. It was like recognizing an old friend through vibration rather than memory.

During the sound bath, I received a message from Spirit. I saw blue ocean water, vast, calm, and deep, and then a blue whale suspended in the depths. As Spirit guided me deeper, I saw angler fish, the creatures that live in the dark, glowing with their own strange light. They are intimidating to look at, but they serve their purpose in the ecosystem of the deep.

The message was clear. We must be willing to go into the deep, darker places within ourselves in order to heal. We can’t stay on the surface where it’s bright and comfortable and expect to find the truth. The knowledge we need, our soul’s medicine, lives in the depths.

Just like the ocean, people hold worlds beneath the surface. The depth of who we are isn’t in the clothes we wear or the makeup on our face. It’s in the frequency we carry, the way our energy moves through the world.

On Sunday after church, we wandered through one of Lily Dale’s small metaphysical shops, shelves lined with crystals, statues, and jewelry sparkling in the cases.

When I pick up a stone, I start by reading the little card about its meaning. Then I hold it to see if that is the energy I’m feeling, or if it feels like something else. Sometimes it doesn’t have a feeling at all. I let the stone speak. I notice the subtle hum in my palm, the warmth or coolness, the shift in my own energy field.

Of course, I’m drawn to the ones that sparkle, but I’ve learned that what glitters isn’t always what resonates. Some of the most powerful stones are the quiet, unassuming ones, the ones that don’t demand attention but hold steady, ancient wisdom. I believe this is true of people too.

We live in a world obsessed with appearances, with curated perfection and image. We’re taught to measure worth by what someone wears, how they look, or how put together their life seems online. But real connection doesn’t live in appearances. It lives in the unseen, in the resonance between souls, in the vibration of kindness, and in the presence of authenticity.

Energy doesn’t lie. Some of the most radiant souls I’ve ever met didn’t shine because of what they wore or owned. They glowed because of how they made people feel. You can feel peace just standing next to them. You can feel seen without a word. That kind of beauty can’t be filtered, bought, or faked.

During a conversation we were having, Rowynn made an insightful point:

“When we judge someone by their appearance, we aren’t coming from love.”

And she’s right. Spirit doesn’t care about what we look like. What matters is how we show up. Do we move through the world with love or with judgment? Do we meet others with compassion or with coldness?

Life becomes infinitely richer when we choose to look beyond the surface, to sense instead of assume, to feel instead of analyze. When we slow down enough to notice energy, the whole world begins to shimmer with aliveness.

I thought about the vision I received during the sound bath, the image of the whale and the angler fish, and I realized how much it mirrors the spiritual path itself. The whale represents our vast, wise, soulful nature, the part of us that can move gracefully through deep emotion and still carry peace. The angler fish, luminous in the darkness, reminds us that even in the shadowed depths there is always light. It may look strange or unsettling, but it teaches us that illumination is born within the dark, not in spite of it.

The surface may be sunny and easy to swim in, but the treasures of transformation live below. When we’re brave enough to descend, to meet our own depths with compassion, we discover the quiet radiance that has been there all along. Like the angler fish, we learn to carry our light through the deep.

And maybe that’s what it truly means to see with the soul.

To recognize the light in others.

To honor the wisdom in our own shadows.

And to remember that real beauty, the lasting kind, lives far beneath the surface.