What We Carry, How We Move: A Soulful Reflection on Steps and Stones
Glimpse Ahead: Every path begins with a step, sometimes chosen, sometimes unconscious. In this reflection, we explore the power of steps: the movements we make in response to what we carry, and how each step shapes the terrain of becoming. Steps are more than motion. They are moments of presence, habit, reaction, resistance, and growth. Whether you’re sprinting forward or pausing, you are moving.
Every Journey Has a First Step
I was daydreaming, driving home on a snowy evening, attentive to the road but zoning out at the same time. And it struck me, one of those roadworthy epiphanies that slips in through the side window of the mind. I had been reflecting on my evolving Steps, Stones, and Soul framework, when the thought came fully formed: “stones” aren’t just obstacles, and “steps” aren’t always conscious. Steps happen whether you are aware of them or not. Stones can be resources. There’s a deeper psychology at work, one that merges the soulful with the structural. And as it landed, it felt like something worth sharing, a way of seeing ourselves with more clarity, more compassion, and more possibility.
Stones: Our Inner Landscape
In the language of soul and psychology, stones are not just burdens. They are the foundation we walk on and the weight we carry. They
include our strengths and limitations, our habits and histories, our intentions and impulses. Some are ancient. Others have only recently settled into our pack.
They are what I professionally call our ‘pre-existing conditions.’ The parts of us we must work with no matter how we move forward. Our resilience, our wounds, our talents, our triggers. These are our stones. Some stabilize, others stir. Some slow us, others press us forward. Some wait quietly to be understood and some nag like an impatient teacher. But they are all part of the inner terrain we navigate as we walk the path of change.
Steps: How We Move
Steps are the things we do, or don’t do, in response to our stones. They are the actions, practices, choices, pauses, and rituals that shape our journey. Sometimes they are proactive: we adjust our attitude, change perspectives, we set a boundary, we meditate, we try something new. Sometimes they are reactive: we avoid, we lash out, we become immobilized, we stay stuck. Steps can be conscious or unconscious. Sometimes we move by choice and sometimes we do without knowing why. The results also vary. We may stumble, we may progress, we may expand options, or retreat. Our steps have short and long-term consequences. Not surprisingly the way we move is always evolving. Sometimes helping our progression, our becoming, and at times just reinforcing old patterns. Either way we move.
Even stillness can be a step, sometimes as inertia and resistance. Resistance always says something about what we carry. But stillness can also provide a space for reflection. The mental and emotional motion that invites learning, insight, understanding, and perspective. This rearranges our stones, setting the stage for moving forward to further growth or toward our goals.
We are always stepping, always moving, whether the step is toward retreat or facing challenges with resolve and clarity. Every step is taken from the foundation we have established. Every step reflects a dialogue with the stones we carry.
The Interplay of Steps and Stones
Steps and stones exist in relationship. Stones shape the way we step. Stones shape our posture, our caution, our reach. They hold our optimism, pessimism, and pragmatism. They hold our fears and our hopes. But the influence goes both ways. Our steps slowly shape how we carry our stones. Our steps transform our stones, polishing some, burying others, and making others valuable gems. This interplay can turn burdens into insights, knowledge into wisdom, or reveal strengths we didn’t know we had.
A single step might teach us something about a long-held stone. And sometimes, a single stone calls forth a step we never imagined we could take.
An Invitation to Walk Consciously
This is the path of mindful transformation. The path of recognizing what is within us (stones) and choosing how to engage with it (steps). To walk consciously is not to be perfect. It is to be aware. To walk with kindness for the terrain within, and with hope for the trail ahead.
So ask yourself gently: What am I carrying today? And how will I step in response?
The answer doesn’t have to be grand. Just honest. Just real. Just yours.
~ Rich Liotta, Ph.D.
This post is one of three core reflections introducing the heart of Steps, Stones, and Soul; exploring how we move through life, what shapes us, and who we can become.
Read Three Kinds of Stones: What Hinders, Grounds, and Guides Your Journey: here
Read Soulfulness: Living with Depth, Meaning, and Inner Radiance: here