As we live out our stories, we start to realize that they are not original.

Although the details of the stories vary from individual to individual, the themes and motifs are timeless, basic archetypes that replay endlessly: heroes and villains; sin and redemption; the divine and the diabolical; forbidden lust and unconditional love.

We’re fascinated because we can identify some aspect of our souls in those stories. The drama of these stories is more compelling and more dramatic than fiction because they resonate in our soul.

So now we can redefine our definition of the soul. The soul is the confluence of meanings, contexts, relationships, and mythical stories or archetypal themes that give rise to everyday thoughts, memories, and desires (conditioned by karma) that create the stories in which we participate.

When you get in touch with your soul, you see the whole script for the drama. You understand. You still participate in the story, but now you participate joyously, consciously, and fully. Each moment takes on a deeper quality that comes from appreciation of what it means in the context of your life.

Adapted from The Essential: Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire by Deepak Chopra (Harmony Books, 2007).