Who knew it could bring such delight?

Then, over the course of the day, I found myself engaged in four random conversations. Here’s how they went.

The Neighbor

I was sweeping the garage after our proud shelf-building adventure when I heard a “hello” from behind me. I turned to find our neighbor stopping by to introduce himself.

What? I had to remind myself to stop sweeping and engage.

This unsubtle inner dialogue seems like part of the transition from city to town life. In a city surrounded by millions of people, it had become easier to go about my day meaningfully engaging with another human being.

We chatted about this and that, including my work with Mark of the Soul. When he asked for my business card, I was surprised, then thanked him for his interest and said I’d drop one by.

I nearly didn’t follow through. Because, you know…city attitude.

But I took out a card from my wallet and rang my neighbor’s bell.

“Come in,” he said, swinging the door open.

Wow, I thought. When’s the last time that happened?!

We chatted some more, and it felt really good.

The Food Coop

The woman checking out our groceries couldn’t have been more delighted with her slapped-together Halloween costume. She was clad in plaid and sporting a beard.

Her delight was contagious. Soon enough, everyone in line was chuckling. Smiles all around.

This apparently well-informed lumberjane also couldn’t wait to share a tip with us newcomers. Wait until January to become members of the coop.

“You’ll get a bigger dividend at the end of 2027 than you would if you signed up now for 2026,” she explained. “Why join now when you can put it off a couple of months?”

What? You mean they give some of their profits back to their members?

Yep.

Soulful Abundance

After some emails back and forth, I’d been looking forward to meeting the owner of Port Townsend’s crystal shop, Soulful Abundance. I stepped inside, steaming coffee in hand, and took in all the displays.

I’m actually looking for a centerpiece for my altar. Nothing quite reached for me, but these crystal bracelets did.

Amethyst (higher consciousness and ascension)

Clear Quartz (conduit and amplifier)

Obsidian (magic and connection)

Finally, I asked if Jenn was in. When she emerged from the back of the shop, I introduced myself.

“I know who you are,” she said. “Let’s have coffee next week. What’s your schedule like?”

Wait, what’s going on? I’m definitely not in Seattle anymore.

Setting aside my protective instinct, I immediately said yes.

And I can’t wait.

Ice Cream Lady

Just before night fell, I spent at least five minutes talking with an older woman in the grocery store. We were busy ogling the ice creams.

We both agreed that, given the high cost of groceries, ice cream decisions have become strategic. Find one of your favorites on sale, and you’ve got a winner.

I was having trouble with the digital coupon when she handed me the paper coupon for my Ben & Jerry’s.

“Use this,” she said. “And if it doesn’t work, just tell them. They’ll fix it.”

It seemed so natural for her. To give something away.

I wondered. When was the last time someone I didn’t know (but felt like I did after our chat!) offered me something helpful right in the moment?

I’m sure it’s happened before, but it sure feels like a rare thing.

On the way home with my ice cream, on All Hallow’s Eve, or Samhain, if you prefer, I teared up.

I recalled these four delightful exchanges with strangers I’d experience all day.

“Is this who I am?” I asked myself. “Discovering energy and delight in human connection?”

At my core, I believe it is who I am. Like so much in this new era of awakening, it is another remembering.

I’m already noticing my ingrained, but learned, reactions: guardedness, shutting down, or outright ignoring other human beings because I’m on a schedule. Or don’t want to be inconvenienced. Or don’t feel trusting…or trustworthy.

These conversations were eye openers.

It’s connection with others we seek. And it doesn’t matter how mundane the circumstances might seem. Though I have to say, none of those “random” chats felt mundane.

Nor did the task of building garage shelves with Roger. We were in communion simply by creating something together, doing something ordinary, sharing the satisfaction of making our new home our own.

From shelf-building to chatting, each encounter held its own magic.

Its own delight.

In joy and unity, always.

P.S. Speaking of stepping off the sidelines, The Collective’s November Transmission, THE STAGE IS SET, is now available. Give it a listen and see what resonates.

Leave a comment

Share

Subscribe now

Mark of the Soul LLC | All Rights Reserved | markofthesoul.com

Previous articles:

I felt your energetic support along the path, and I’m deeply grateful for the love and encouragement you sent our way.

I’ll return next week with my regular newsletter. Until then, enjoy this clip of our unexpected welcoming committee as we arrived in our new neighborhood. Sophie doesn’t quite know what to make of the new neighbors!

See you next week.

In joy and unity, always.

P.S. There’s still time to experience The Collective’s October Transmission, TURNING THE TIDE. I’d love to hear how it resonates with you, or even if it doesn’t. Feel free to share your reflections in the comments!

Leave a comment

Share MANY PATHS Connected with Mark Jacobs

Subscribe now

Mark of the Soul LLC | All Rights Reserved | markofthesoul.com

Previous articles:

You might think this is about our move to Port Townsend tomorrow.

Rather, I was thinking about this wise, practical phrase I heard long ago:

Pray. Then move your feet.

Prayer isn’t for everyone, and it can certainly take any form one chooses. I liken it to setting an intention.

The words, spoken or silent, aren’t enough. It’s the energy and action behind them, the frequency propelling the intention forward.

In other words: Know your intention. Speak your intention. Align your heart, body, mind, soul, and energy field with your intention. Support your intention with directed action.

Then watch what begins to move into place.

Manifestation may require additional clearing, honing, uprooting, or focusing. It may require more time holding space in prayer for the new to appear. But if we stick with it, follow the guidance that arrives, and continue down the path toward our desire, we’re likely to experience movement. It may be incremental or come all at once.

When you know, you know.

I feel it as an energy “click.” A piece of me, deep inside, clicks into alignment when I realize I know, remember, understand, or reclaim something.

This click has occurred countless times. Most recently, it was when I knew Port Townsend was likely our next home.

My husband and I had several talks about it, and he was on board almost immediately. That surprised me. Still, we decided to continue our due diligence by ramping up our exploration of a dozen or so other towns and small cities across Western Washington. We either visited or researched them exhaustively online.

The compass always returned to Port Townsend.

We made trips there, studied the area, talked with locals and some who had recently moved there, and looked at apartments and homes. We made spreadsheets comparing the cost of living, the pros and cons of city versus town life, owning versus renting, access to nature, supportive medical care, and so much more.

But one thing spoke to me most…how my nervous system responded whenever I approached the place.

It was the silence I noticed whenever I got out of the car, walked the neighborhoods, or stood at the edge of the water. It was the change in my breathing, body tension, and heart rate. It was seeing deer and fawns wandering the streets and parks.

Overall, it was the gentler rhythm I discovered there, allowing my system to find what it had been seeking for some time.

Quiet. The unmistakable absence of obliterating noise.

Intention doesn’t have to be about a thing. We can just as easily intend to move toward a particular way of being, to become a loving presence, express more compassion, or increase our sense of joy. We can intend to connect with our own power or listen for the guidance of another being. An intention can invite a stirring up, a release of the old, or a growing awareness of life falling into place more easily.

I often comment that I am (we are) riding a synchronous wave of energy. Synchronicity is another facet that tells me we made the right decision about where to make our home. So far, our entire transitional journey has encountered few obstacles.

Synchronicity can be its own intention. I have taken prayerful, meditative, and metaphysical actions to call in that kind of intentional energy.

It works. And with regularity.

Nearly every morning before I rise, I align with the highest purpose of the day. I purposefully align the energy of my higher self with Beloved Source, then call to my guides, Archangel Uriel for protection and wisdom, and any other beings who are meant to support the tasks at hand. Each day, these small actions move us closer to readiness for moving day.

Moving day is when? Tomorrow, October 19.

Yikes!

Really, it’s done. But the thing is, it’s always been done. I simply had to keep my visionary third eye on Port Townsend, my energy aligned with intention, and move through the practical steps of sorting, discarding, packing, and all the rest.

Pray. Then move your feet.

Refrain from making it more complicated.

Then keep watch.

You’ll be amazed by the magic.

In joy and unity, always.

Leave a comment

Share MANY PATHS Connected with Mark Jacobs

Subscribe now

Mark of the Soul LLC | All Rights Reserved | markofthesoul.com

Previous articles:

For each of us, and for the human collective.

This era of shift, twist, and turn…discarding, dismantling, and clearing…is upon us now. We are in the thick of it. It will continue for some time, and it shows up differently for every individual soul.

I’m in the throes of major changes now.

A move to a new home, a completely different lifestyle. An advance toward new and joyful energy. Leaving behind what has sustained me my whole life.

The city.

I thrived on its noise. Busyness. The hive activity. Passing people on sidewalks. Watching throngs cross the street, surrounded by skyscrapers, variety, and choice.

But now, it’s too much for my nervous system. What I want at this crucial juncture is silence, accompanied by the choice to return to the bustle whenever I feel like I need some of that kind of energy.

As I move through this soulful transition over the next couple of weeks, please enjoy excerpts from The Collective’s October Transmission—TURNING THE TIDE.

There is no division in terms of your humanity. And let this sink in. For there is no division within humanity. It is only perceived. It is only the illusion of division, because of your reliance upon your thought.

🌀

The turning of the tide has really already begun. It is like, hmm, shall we say, a large ship of steam that wishes to change directions in the middle of the ocean. It takes some moments for the turning of the wheel to begin to feel that direction, shift…that shift takes quite a long time for such a large vessel. The vessel being humanity. And as the ship begins its turn, it has not reached its arc. It has not reach its pinnacle, but it is moving in the direction of the point, and you shall continue to place your hands upon the wheel and continue to steer, to pull, to allow the vessel, the ship, to allow humanity to move into its new dimension, its new awareness, its new way of life upon the planet.

🌀

The tide is washing away that which has come before. Not from your own memory or not from your own experience, for it is the lived experience in your incarnation that is rather important to carry forward into the next dimension, the next way of life, the next unfolding era upon your planet. We do not wish to wash that away. We want you to carry the memory of it, but what is happening is that the tide is also not only washing away that which has gone before, that three-dimensional density, that…the ash of that collapse, the, the negative, traumatic energy that has plagued your planet for too long now. And shifting towards the softer, more intelligent, feminine energy that wishes for all to benefit under the energy of love and compassion and joy…and playfulness. Playfulness is a big part of it.

🌀

The wisdom of the ages is upon you, and this too is what the tide is bringing as it makes it shift. As the tide turns, it unleashes and opens an ageless wisdom, yes? It is always present with you. It has always been present with you. It is within the old and ancient structures. It is within the trees. It is within the earth herself, and it is certainly carried by Gaia herself. It is carried by many, many, many cosmological beings, and star systems, and star families, and star groups, and beings of an ascendant nature. The angelic realm. All the way up from Source. Yes, it is the very light of your being.

🌀

And so this wisdom that you carry, this knowing, this knowledge, shall we say, that you have access to, that you have always had access to shall become more apparent, shall be carried in with the tide. For the tide washes away…and brings in the new wave.

You must choose as an individual soul to carry in the new wave, to allow that which has been to wash away, to allow that which has been to shed, sizzle, burn, wash away. Face it, whatever it is. Allow it to be a part of your story, but do not allow whatever shadow to become the story. That is a way of the past. Allow the shadows to recede from becoming or from its role as the wheel upon which you turn. They are simply shadows.

🌀

May we each find our place at the wheel, carrying forward the wisdom of what has been and embracing the possibilities of what is emerging.

In joy and unity, always.

Private 1:1 Channeling Sessions with The Collective

A few sessions are still available for Friday, October 16. Sessions will resume in late October.

Leave a comment

Share

Subscribe now

Mark of the Soul LLC | All Rights Reserved | markofthesoul.com

Previous articles:

I was remembering one of those moments as I looked again at a painting I created in 2014, one I rediscovered while sorting through my belongings before moving to Port Townsend later this month.

At the time, I wasn’t actively engaged in a spiritual practice. There was no particular discipline I was following. No vocal channeling, no framework other than my choice to simply spend time grounding while paying attention to how I was responding to a world moving and changing at an increasingly rapid pace.

Looking at the painting now, I can see that I was already playing with energy. The energy of my hands. My body. The space around me. Recognizing my aura more deliberately.

Something was moving beyond thought and into sensation.

While fascinating, I didn’t have the language for it yet. And frankly, I wasn’t trying to figure out ways to describe it.

That realization—noticing without explaining—has stayed with me.

We spend so much time trying to understand what is happening through thought. We analyze. We name. We interpret. We look for meaning.

Energy offers another way of knowing.

We can feel it.

Consider the tide. Its movement is ancient and immense, pulled by the moon, shaped by the rhythms of the Earth and the cosmos. The water responds to forces we cannot see, yet we can witness the result.

Something similar happens within us.

There are signals moving through our bodies and our awareness all the time. We can become so accustomed to the humming noise of thought that we miss them.

What happens when we simply feel?

Perhaps we begin by playing with our energy. Moving our hands through the space around us. Noticing sensation. Feeling warmth, tingling, expansion, contraction, movement. Becoming curious.

Then something shifts.

We move from playing with energy to feeling our energy.

And from there, perhaps we allow it to expand.

There is no intention required. No particular outcome to create. No destination to reach.

Just notice.

Feel what is already moving through you.

There is power in that.

And when enough of us begin to feel, rather than simply think our way through the world, something larger begins to happen. Individual currents become a collective movement, like thousands of lights coming on, one by one, until the whole landscape begins to glow.

The tide is turning.

I’ve been exploring this energy in my life now. No question. It is also at the heart of The Collective’s October Transmission, TURNING THE TIDE. Their message is an invitation to notice the shifting ground, feel what is emerging, and recognize that each of us has a steady hand to place upon the wheel.

I explored a little of this in a recent short as well: Pay Attention to What’s Emerging Now.

Maybe that is the invitation for us right now.

Pay attention.

Feel your energy.

Notice what happens when you allow it to expand, simply because it’s ready to.

In joy and unity, always.

✨ Feeling your energy and wondering where it wants to take you?

A few free 30-minute consultation times are still available on Tuesday, October 13 and Friday, October 16.

Mentorship provides a highly personalized container for guidance and growth across spiritual, creative, and professional dimensions.

Leave a comment

Share MANY PATHS Connected with Mark Jacobs

Subscribe now

Mark of the Soul LLC | All Rights Reserved | markofthesoul.com

Previous articles:

When you’re wired to create and receive, how do you know which ideas are truly meant for you and which are simply passing through?

This and so much more was explored when I joined host Dawna Kreis on The Ember Table podcast. The conversation is now live on my YouTube channel.

Have a listen while you’re sitting quietly, out for a walk, getting in your cardio, or cleaning the house. And if something speaks to you, leave a comment. We’d love to hear from you.

As summer comes to a close, I’ve been reflecting on three words that have been deeply present in my life and work lately:

Reciprocity. Synchronicity. Authenticity.

I’m learning that when we consciously fulfill the blueprint we’ve been given, things begin to move.

Not necessarily according to our plans, or on our preferred timeline, but through a kind of reciprocity with the field itself. And with the people who find their way into our orbit.

We show up.

We follow what is calling us.

We create from what is true.

And then, sometimes, the universe responds in ways we could never have orchestrated.

This summer, I had the joy of watching that unfold.

✨ The field expanded. ✨

On YouTube, we grew from 100 to 142 subscribers — a 42% increase.

On Substack, we reached and surpassed my summer goal of 250 subscribers. We now stand at 265.

And Instagram, a complete surprise, quietly grew from 87 to 137 followers, nearly 58% growth.

None of these numbers exist in isolation. And to some, they may not seem remarkable.

But they are to me.

They represent souls choosing to step a little further into the worlds of Mark of the Soul and MANY PATHS Connected.

Reading. Watching. Listening. Responding.

Walking alongside me.

Walking alongside each other.

As we move into fall, I’m setting a couple of new markers:

Instagram? I’m not setting a number there right now. I’m simply grateful to see it growing as another doorway for connection, and curious to see what happens there.

For every person who reads, watches, responds, shares, subscribes, follows, or simply spends a little time here:

Thank you.

Your presence matters more than any metric ever could.

And if you haven’t joined us yet, there’s room for you.

Come into the field.

See what resonates.

Stay awhile.

More than anything, I’m grateful for the reciprocity.

Who knows what might happen next as we consciously step into what we came here to do?

In joy and unity, always.

ICYMI

Francis of Assisi: The First Message

Francis of Assisi & Me: Why He Is Coming Forward Now

This week: Private Channeling Sessions open Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday

Leave a comment

Share MANY PATHS Connected with Mark Jacobs

Subscribe now

Mark of the Soul LLC | All Rights Reserved | markofthesoul.com

Previous articles:

Maybe because I’m 64, and maybe because it’s increasingly challenging to move through the muck of the third dimension.

I don’t feel the weight when I embrace a call to go deeper into mystical exploration, map creative expression, or add a new chapter, as with Francis of Assisi coming through.

Months of preparation to reveal this big, personal, intimate, vulnerable part of me. A trail of heart-felt breadcrumbs that started back in August. The patient but rapidly unfolding timeline.

No problem.

When working in dimensions beyond the third, life and energy flow more easily.

But navigating the stale systems and same old ways of doing everyday life can sometimes feel suffocating.

In October, we’re moving to the other side of Puget Sound, from Seattle to Port Townsend, a small, vibrant town on the Olympic Peninsula.

We purchased a home that allows us to spread out more than we’re used to, 1,600 square feet versus 900. It supports our naturally changing lifestyles: a desire to cook and bake more, have dedicated office and sanctuary spaces, a small yard for growing vegetables, and an EV plug in the garage so we can completely get off gasoline.

The house puts us squarely inside a community of neighbors, probably a good idea for cultivating connection, though I’m still a loner at heart. And it surrounds us with quiet, captivating landscapes. Trees, forests, trails, hills, bike lanes, mountains, and water all around.

But getting there, with all that has to happen between now and mid-October, is where my energy runs thin.

I’ve moved many times in my life, several times across the country, and have always enjoyed the organization involved and the satisfaction of tracking endless lists with focus and clarity.

This time feels different.

Not that I’m unable to organize. It just takes a little longer.

Not that those lists haven’t begun to pile up. They have. They just need consolidating.

After months of devoting significant time to spiritual expansion, giving attention to this very earth-based change is quite a shift.

It’s like walking back across the bridge, from a shore filled with light to one that is darker and hanging on by a frayed thread.

Make no mistake, it’s an exciting time.

I’m not complaining. Not in the slightest.

Just noticing how this later-life transition takes a little more compassion, care, and attention than similar experiences in the past.

And a little more compassion, care, and attention toward ourselves is a good thing. Necessary now more than ever.

Add in others, animals, nature, and the earth, and it becomes the bridge that will move us past the muck.

It’s easier to walk toward the change, toward the light, toward the promise of New Earth than it is to remain trapped in a life we’ve evolved beyond.

Channeled from The Collective

Your month of October, and the months that follow, will see great change. Change will become visible to most of humanity. Not in a way that [humanity] has been upset, but in a way that begins to turn the tide, where you begin to step into your power individually.

And for each individual soul that does this, that understands this, that reaches out and grabs onto their power or wishes to explore it, the collective experience becomes a great fortitude.

ICYMI

Insight Piece: The Space Between Yes and No: Learning to Trust the Pause

Short Bites: Francis of Assisi: The Sainthood Myth or The Light Within You or No Intercessors Needed

In joy and unity, always,

P.S.

This week 👉🏻 Private Channeling Sessions open Tuesday through Saturday

Leave a comment

Share

Subscribe now

Mark of the Soul LLC | All Rights Reserved | markofthesoul.com

Previous articles:

Francis of Assisi: The First Message arrived September 12. I hope you’ll join me at the link later in the piece.

Discernment often leads to an aligned yes or no.

Taking time to be with a request, a persistent nudge, or even mundane household chores allows the flow of energy to clarify the next right action.

The answers that arrive are not always intuitive. Sometimes, they’re emotionally driven, which isn’t the best space for decision-making. Other times, the next step is simply practical.

But the deeper questions, creative pondering, new chapters unfolding, and spiritual doors opening at pace all benefit from listening and discernment before saying yes or no.

For example, I recently said no to an invitation for coffee. I absolutely love good, robust coffee, so I’m usually on board. This time, the invitation instantly made me feel like a sieve, energy already leaking from my field before I even fully considered it. That was my signal, so I declined. Later, I asked myself why.

This person is pleasant enough but the conversation usually revolves around them. Now, I’m a good listener, but when someone repeatedly talks through me or over me no matter what I contribute, that’s a signal. A signal worth paying attention to. I can either address it or further discern the value of the friendship. In this case, our paths are diverging naturally as we each enter completely new chapters.

Sometimes I say yes to new ideas or an unexpected private channeling session too quickly. Saying yes felt like the right answer…in the moment. It seemed right, even intuitive. Yet, not too far down the line, I’ve already begun to regret my decision.

I try to be open to spontaneity, but I also must honor my nature. I’m more of an introvert and enjoy a lot of alone time, though I’m embracing my extroverted self more these days. Certainly that’s apparent in my work here and on YouTube.

Clean, spontaneous decisions don’t lead to regret. More and more, I pause in the space between yes and no, no matter how small or large the question before me feels.

And sometimes, yes is the big answer even when we don’t know how the thing you said yes to will unfold.

That was what happened when The Collective tapped me on the shoulder again in the middle of the night. They said: “Turn on the light, get your laptop, press record.” I did, and I continue to say yes because the experience of working with light-filled beings is unlike anything else in my journey of awakening. I also know that I can say no at any time…and often have when I’m not in the mood to channel or there’s a bathroom to clean. I’m a sovereign being and I’m in charge of my energy, and my time.

But when Francis of Assisi came forward from within The Collective, I definitely paused.

Francis was not unfamiliar to me, but consciously blending with his energy certainly was. I sat with the idea, then the energy. I listened to my higher self. I sought counsel in the Akashic Records. I remained discerning about the connection as I learned more.

The time spent with Francis in this way led to a resounding yes, but it was not without hesitation. Channeling such a figure is pretty incredible and requires a high vibrational frequency. It’s different from The Collective in ways I’ll discuss another time, but the relationship Francis and I have is an intimate one. It has nothing to do with religion and everything to do with joy, playfulness, love…and trust.

Francis has some things to say, and I’ve agreed to help carry the message. We’re in this together, and that feels both good and intuitively right.

I hope you’ll join us for Francis of Assisi: The First Message.

The First Message was many months in the making. It emerged through many channeled sessions, some silently conveyed, some written, and some vocalized. A true collaboration with no script in the end. Just openness, willingness, and trust.

Now that’s the kind of thing to say yes to.

In joy and unity, always.

Leave a comment

Share MANY PATHS Connected with Mark Jacobs

Subscribe now

Mark of the Soul LLC | All Rights Reserved | markofthesoul.com

Previous articles:

We’re moving through a major, albeit glorious, life transition. Preparing to settle into what we believe is our forever home in Port Townsend, Washington.

This chapter has been unfolding since the pandemic, but it took on its own energy a few months back as we darted to and from the farthest upper, western corners of the state. I was feeling into the energy whenever something significant arose. Roger was navigating the process his own way.

Then the portal opened. Port Townsend called from the other side, and everything fell into place. So far, that is. We expect to be there mid-October, and I’ll write more about our move closer to the time.

For now, September belongs to Francis of Assisi.

The Collective hasn’t gone anywhere. They’ll return for their October Transmission. In the meantime, I’ll be adding a few of my own observations here and on YouTube.

Honestly, it’s a lot. The whole summer has been…a lot. August was especially fruitful, insightful, and playful.

Still, a lot.

I don’t feel overwhelmed. On the contrary. When I surrender to the flow, guidance arrives with remarkable efficiency. And, because of the powerful work of our Northwest Light group, I’m buoyed by their energy, love, and curiosity as the moment for Francis of Assisi: The First Message arrives on September 12.

So, you can see why I’m feeling stretched between dimensional realities. The earth calls while the cosmos continues to unfold through me at pace.

It’s also why my energy hygiene has become more frequent and taken on additional protocols.

Just about every day I sense the importance of clearing negative energies that may have latched onto me, consciously or unconsciously. That includes any psychic ties that may have come along.

Each morning, I declare my power and own my sovereignty. My capacity. My unfoldment.

I recognize the expansion of my soul and my energy field. I also recognize the expansion of my humanity, my desire to be grounded here while giving myself permission to soar.

This allows me to embody what has been this summer, what is occurring through me now with Francis, and in the short weeks ahead, our transition to a new lifestyle that will support each of us in our work, our interests, our needs.

It’s nothing short of holding presence.

Understanding my abilities. Remembering who I am.

The energetic hygiene facilitates this remembering. Asking for help in shouldering the energetic load helps me navigate the terrain. The buoys created by generous others, seen or unseen, anchor me even as my field expands in so many directions.

I would also like to add that despite the physical drain I sometimes experience, I carry a peace that is not easily explainable. A clarity that strikes awe in me. Perhaps I don’t need to explain them right now.

Just enjoy the ride. And witness the magic.

ICYMI

Merlin & The Troll’s Warning may add a smile to your day.

Francis of Assisi: The First Message appears early September 12.

More to follow in the weeks ahead.

In joy and unity, always.

Leave a comment

Share

Subscribe now

Mark of the Soul LLC | All Rights Reserved | markofthesoul.com

Previous articles:

Eclipses, both solar and lunar. Timelines accelerating.

August has been a powerful mix of mystical playfulness and practical witnessing, multidimensional presence and earth-based decisions.

From Merlin honoring the forest trolls of the Pacific Northwest to revealing my connection with Francis of Assisi to The Collective’s powerful message in SHIFTING GROUND, there’s been no shortage of unfolding mysteries or journeys to write about and film along the path.

I feel stretched, yet centered. Pulled, yet grounded. In many ways spent, yet fulfilled and excited for what lies ahead.

Many Paths

Lee Harris, an acclaimed channeler and energy intuitive, recently shared that there are many ways to ground yourself. It’s not always about rooting to the Earth. Connection can be galactic, with soul family, or with supportive friends, through Divine Source or even through your guides.

My interpretation of Lee’s words is this: Grounding arrives when your vibrational frequency feels most stable, where your higher self and its energy field are supported, nurtured, and allowed to simply be in their knowing.

Staying the course, holding presence, and shifting ground are callings I’ve written about extensively. The Collective has also brought forward these directives, not in a way that tells us what to do, but in ways that help us navigate the new landscape the entire world finds itself in.

September asks us to embrace this new reality.

To develop resilience by trusting ourselves. To become more discerning about what—or who—we allow into our energetic field.

And to open further to truth, even when that truth challenges structures and paradigms we have held close or relied upon for a very long time.

That includes religion.

And this is where Francis of Assisi enters the story. Not as a soul tied to any religion, but one who transcended it.

If you missed it, I recently shared Francis of Assisi & Me: Why He Is Coming Forward Now, a personal conversation about my unexpected relationship with Francis and how it has taken a surprising turn.

Francis is not replacing The Collective. Something else is happening, something I can’t entirely explain.

But for September, I am making room.

A Different Rhythm

There will be no September Transmission from The Collective.

That is intentional.

These gracious beings aren’t going anywhere. The October Transmission will mark their return.

More than a year ago, Francis of Assisi came forward. After many recorded conversations and private meditations together, I’ve decided to give him room to share his messages.

In the meantime, September belongs to Francis.

I don’t know how many messages there will be, or where this expression will ultimately lead. We’ve been together thousands of years, so we have each other’s trust in whatever unfolds.

I also know that something feels ready to be birthed.

Perhaps that is part of September’s invitation: to find our roots while remaining open. To hold our center without becoming rigid. To practice energetic hygiene without closing ourselves off.

To allow outdated paradigms to crumble when they no longer carry truth.

I’m curious about what will unfold.

Aren’t you?

I hope you’ll join me.

In joy and unity, always.

👉🏻 If you’d like to learn more about me or my work, take some time at my website Mark of the Soul or on Substack MANY PATHS Connected.

Leave a comment

Share MANY PATHS Connected with Mark Jacobs

Subscribe now

Mark of the Soul LLC | All Rights Reserved | markofthesoul.com

Previous articles:

I didn’t seek him out. In fact, it was only when my partner at the time introduced me to Franco Zeffirelli’s 1972 film, Brother Sun, Sister Moon, that I felt an immediate connection to the saint, or so-called saint by the Catholic Church.

I watched that film for the next 20 nights, tears racing down my face like a wild waterfall. I began reading about Francis’ life, the medieval hilltop town of Assisi, and how he evolved in consciousness beyond all religion.

Eventually, my relationship with him became much more personal. Others attuned to auras also shared their experience of his energy hovering around me.

And now, something new is unfolding.

On Saturday, I shared a video about my relationship with Francis, why his presence in my life has become more pronounced, and why I believe he’s coming forward now.

Watch Francis of Assisi & Me: Why He Is Coming Forward Now
or the short announcement Francis of Assisi? Why Me?

What continues to fascinate me about Francis is not simply the historical figure. It’s the people and beings he had around him, the teachers, the ones who listened (that’s me!), the others who chided him or pressed him to compromise his experience of awakening. Through it all, he continued to walk the path, often confused, frustrated, or lost, and wondering if he was the right mentor for others discovering their own mysticism.

After a great inner struggle, he turned inward more deeply, away from the community of voices pestering him, to discover a universal consciousness.

He came to embody a reverence for the Earth.

A profound compassion for those who had been pushed aside by society…and the Church.

A willingness to question the structures and hierarchies of his time.

Francis recognized that the sacred was not somewhere separate from ordinary life, but richly embedded in it. Present in the creatures around him, the soil beneath his bare feet, his relationships with other people, other cosmic beings, and his own soul.

There is something deeply mystical about that. It is very much the energy of August 2026, and I suspect it will extend well beyond this month.

And perhaps that is why Francis feels particularly relevant now.

We are living through a period when many of the structures we have relied upon for identity, security, and meaning are being questioned as they disintegrate before our eyes. The August Transmission from The Collective, SHIFTING GROUND, explored this shift as well, through another lens, inviting us to discover what remains steady within us when the ground beneath us rattles and changes.

Francis brings a different quality to that same territory.

Playfulness. Compassion. Reverence. Connection.

He reminds us that spirituality does not require leaving the world behind, however tempting it may seem. It can mean becoming more fully present to the world we have all come to be part of during this unprecedented Great Shift.

Be present to the earth, her creatures, and other beings.

To one another.

To the divine spark we all share.

And most importantly, stay present to the responsibility that comes with recognizing that connection.

The latter piece is harder for me because it asks me to be increasingly open and vulnerable. Not in a way that violates my boundaries, but in ways that stretch me beyond a self-designed buffer zone.

For more context and a deeper look at my relationship with Francis, watch yesterday’s video:

I don’t know exactly where this relationship will lead or how many messages Francis may want to share. But he clearly has some things to add to the conversation.

I do know there’s already a trust between us, and that this relationship feels both intimate and joyful. Ancient, even. I also know that something about sharing this moment feels right.

Maybe the timing is just another piece of the mystery we’ll come to understand later.

For now, I’m willing to listen. And when it feels true to do so, channel his frequency and share my experience of it.

This is really part of what everyday mysticism asks of us: to be present to the relationships, intuitions, and unexpected invitations that keep showing up, and to stay curious enough to follow them—without fear or favor, as some have said.

Don’t ask me where Francis and I are going next. You’ll find out when I do.

And I’m glad you’re here to find out with me.

In joy and unity, always.

Leave a comment

Share

Subscribe now

Mark of the Soul LLC | All Rights Reserved | markofthesoul.com

Previous articles:

On August 15, I shared a short glimpse of an experience that has been quietly unfolding in my life and work. For now, I’ll simply say this: sometimes the ground shifts because something new is emerging.

There is a particular kind of mysticism that asks us to leave the world behind.

To rise above it. To retreat from the noise. To find that still place where nothing can disturb us.

But perhaps August is asking something different.

Perhaps the invitation is not to escape the shifting ground, but to become more deeply rooted within ourselves while it shifts.

In this month’s Transmission, The Collective speaks of a world in transition—old structures receding, familiar ground becoming less certain, and the sensation of falling into a void. But they offer a different way of understanding that void.

It is not empty.

It’s where something new can be received. Embodied.

That feels important to me because mysticism, at its heart, isn’t about becoming less engaged with life. It is about becoming more deeply present to it.

When we remember who we are beneath the roles, fears, expectations, and structures we’ve inherited, something changes. We begin to recognize that we have more within us than we ever imagined. More wisdom. More capacity. More love. More power.

And then comes the harder question:

What will we do with it? What can we do with it?

The Collective describes this as rebuilding—not simply imagining a different world, but beginning to participate in its creation. To draw our attention toward what we want to reshape rather than endlessly feeding what we want to see disappear.

That isn’t passive spirituality.

It is sacred responsibility.

We cannot control the shifting ground around us. We can’t determine how quickly old structures change or what yet will emerge in their place. But we can choose what we bring to the party.

We can bring compassion.

We can bring courage.

We can bring the wisdom we’ve gathered through everything we’ve lived, from the ancient past to the present moment.

We can bring the particular fire that belongs to us—not a fire that consumes, but one that illuminates and supports.

And perhaps this is where mystical reaches back for practical.

Because everyday mysticism asks something of us.

See clearly. Remember deeply. Choose consciously. Participate fully.

The world does not need to be rubble, or need us to have everything figured out, before we begin.

It needs us to know that what we carry matters.

I often work with people at crossroads. A relationship changes. A career ends. An old identity no longer fits. The familiar ground shifts, and with it comes the uncomfortable question: Who am I now?

These moments are not problems to solve. They’re invitations to discover a deeper source of strength, wisdom, and possibility.

The ground is shifting.

So what will you bring to what comes next?

In joy and unity, always.

💞 Finding yourself at a crossroads…

This is much of the territory I explore with people in my work. If you’re navigating a significant transition and would like to learn more about working together, you can find me at markofthesoul.com.

Leave a comment

Share

Subscribe now

Mark of the Soul LLC | All Rights Reserved | markofthesoul.com

Previous articles:

I remember sitting in meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous listening to people talk about Step 8:

Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.

“I put myself at the top of the list,” some shared about this step.

I cringed. Every time.

And still do.

Because putting themselves first on this really important and profound list often meant they were finding ways to continue engaging with their ego while ignoring the cracks in their reasoning.

In fact, leave the mind out of it. When it comes to this work, toss aside reasoning and intelligence. These probably got you into the rooms of recovery in the first place.

Making things right with yourself doesn’t involve pedicures, a degree, a new relationship, a healthier diet, a gym membership, or that second slice of chocolate cake, though I’m in favor of that all on its own.

Amends to others requires a great deal of contemplation and a full understanding of why amends are needed. The act of making amends may soothe, bring closure, or open old wounds for the other person, business, or institution.

We aren’t making amends for their benefit, for better or worse. We make amends because it’s time to own our behavior and evolve our soul. Today, I might say, it’s time to raise our frequency.

This, too, may sound selfish to some. But the spiritual depth 12-step programs offer is a continuation of looking within yourself. The more we engage with the practices of taking personal inventory, questioning our motives, seeing clearly how we may have harmed another, or turned our backs on our own light, the more we understand that this process is actually the amends toward ourselves we’re seeking.

My own journey of making amends was an experience I’ll always remember, a real threshold moment on the spiritual path I had already begun to embrace.

Many didn’t even remember the circumstances about which I was making amends, and many others accepted my amends with thanks. Some were especially gracious when they had no obligation to be.

I remember one particular amends.

In my later years of high school, I was an arrogant student. Imagine that! I thought I could do things my way and get away with it. I’d already begun drinking whiskey. A little here, a little there.

Mostly, I was just scared all the time.

Years later, when the time arrived to make amends to a teacher, I walked up to their home and rang the bell. When they answered, I explained who I was, thinking they might not remember me.

They didn’t wait for me to finish. They told me they knew who I was and asked why I was there.

I took in a breath, a deep one, and made amends for my behavior and the problems it created.

In no uncertain terms, and in a fiery ball of angry words, they let me know the hurt my actions had caused, and that my amends was neither welcome nor received.

I didn’t try to make myself feel better by explaining further. I just thanked them for their time and left.

I share this because it places something important in perspective. It certainly doesn’t place me in some kind of benevolent light. That would still be arrogance.

What I discovered in that moment was a deeper gratitude.

While I’m grateful for each of the individuals who received my amends, some became carriers for the biggest lessons I’ve learned in this incarnation.

There’s nothing external about this work.

One of the unexpected byproducts of making amends is discovering just how much love you already carry within you. As the layers of guilt, shame, defensiveness, and self-protection begin to fall away, something else becomes easier to see.

Love was there all along—within you, for you, for others. Maybe even for the earth and all her inhabitants.

And there’s nothing external required to remember how to love yourself.

Sure, it’s okay to receive love from another. Or enjoy the unconditional love of an animal. Or feel the warm love that arrives when sunshine bathes your skin.

Yes, find ways to be kinder to yourself. Engage with self-judgment by allowing a little more compassion. Begin to turn your thoughts toward the positive. Ask yourself: what’s the best that can happen?

But are you giving your love as freely?

Are you able to feel love for your body, your mind, your energy field? Are you open to the flow of love found in your heart? Your soul? The whole arc of your life? Are you letting people close to you know you love them?

Making amends makes us right-sized. And it can also open the spiritual floodgates, leaving you feeling whole, connected, and at peace.

Putting yourself first on the amends list is about something much deeper than what you can do to pamper yourself, soften accountability, or avoid a reckoning.

The experience of making amends to others, with all that goes into it before and after the moment, is how you make amends to yourself.

When you’re able to feel yourself expand, connect to your own divinity, or be a witness for someone else’s growth, you’ll experience a love for yourself that has no substitute in person, place, or thing.

Because it’s the love that is at your core.

That is of your heart.

That is your very essence.

When enough people truly understand they are made of love and light, compassion and joy, and cultivate their connection to one another and to what animates their being, this will be the moment the tide turns upon the earth.

The moment a New Earth is born.

Remember who you are.

In joy and unity, always.

ICYMI

SHIFTING GROUND | The Collective’s August Transmission

You Are More Than You’ve Been | A 13-second Short

Learn more about 1:1 Private Sessions with Mark & The Collective

Leave a comment

Share MANY PATHS Connected with Mark Jacobs

Subscribe now

Mark of the Soul LLC | All Rights Reserved | markofthesoul.com

Previous articles:

If you scan the imagery I’ve selected or crafted for these weekly musings, or the posts I’ve shared across social media, you’ll see the evidence. I wish I could tell you that using these gorgeous colors was deliberate. It was not. When I became aware they were showing up with fierce regularity, some part of me began asking why, but it never occurred to me to go deeper.

Then, during Thursday morning’s meditation, a vision arrived.

I was standing before a corn field bathed in lime and yellow. The stalks and their feathery leaves swayed in a summer breeze as far as I could see. Gentle rustling filled my ears.

Words followed:

When the husks fall away, the kernels pop with sweetness.

The message stayed with me all day, and I felt called to share the experience in Substack Notes and with a group of souls I belong to. We call ourselves Northwest Light…for all the reasons you might suspect.

What came back from the group was real gold.

In a moment, I realized why these colors had been so persistent. It wasn’t simply because they represent the summer season. It’s because of what this summer, particularly the month of July, has been for me—an unexpected period of rest, recalibration, and preparation.

I sensed it, but I hadn’t bothered to put words to it. Intuitively, I felt it was important to let the season unfold from the heart and leave my head out of the mix.

Besides incorporating these colors, you’ll find my words have leaned into reclaiming personal power, cultivating love for yourself and others, and learning to trust yourself in this new age of resonance.

Throughout it all, I’ve been inside two energy centers: the solar plexus (yellow) and the heart (green). New growth was taking shape, and that included a strong pull to understand what home really means for me.

The fire of the solar plexus needs the oxygen, or air, of the heart to authentically transmute what powerfully stirs there.

And the rustling of the field isn’t restlessness. It’s an invitation to return to the sacred.

Writers often share lived experience, but what has become clear is that I was offering my own experiences in real time without fully realizing what was unfolding.

August arrives with mystical energy. A renewed sense of playfulness and discovery.

Despite the quiet of last month, I’ve felt this return to mysticism. You may have noticed it in my most recent articles and posts, or in a short video released just yesterday, Not Practical. Mystical.

You’ll also find this wave of new energy woven through The Collective’s August Transmission, SHIFTING GROUND, rounding out the first year of channeling their messages.

Sometimes prompts arrive, and it’s clear they deserve a closer look. Other times, a nudge is just a moment for noticing.

If I had gone against my instinct and dug deeper into the energy moving through me last month in search of answers, I might have missed the gold that is now emerging.

I’m feeling giddy about August. Maybe you are, too.

Because it’s time to remember who we are.

In joy and unity, always.

Leave a comment

Share

Mark of the Soul LLC | All Rights Reserved | markofthesoul.com

Previous articles:

In my field, those who offer intuitive guidance, energy healing, grid work, channeling, coaching, readings, and other modalities often talk about vibration and resonance. Purpose and blueprint. Authenticity and sovereignty.

Much of this work revolves around energetic frequency, and rightly so. Our frequency, even our home frequency, ideally expands, elevates, and shifts as we evolve in our spiritual awareness.

Some might say we each have a baseline frequency. That may be true. I experience it differently. For me, it’s more about feeling where we are in the present moment and recognizing how our perspective has changed or our heart has opened through an extended period of growth.

If we’ve done the inner work, we often feel lighter and calmer. More grounded and less scattered. A few more shadows have dissolved into the mist. We’ve strengthened our energy field.

As that work integrates, we find ourselves standing in a new home frequency.

But what if the frequency of home could be understood more broadly?

In the joy of creativity. The comfort of shelter. The laughter shared with our tribe. The familiarity of our soul group, for those who experience that connection.

Recently, I was a guest on The Ember Table, a podcast hosted by Dawna Kreis. We explored many of these themes, but what struck me most was the space she creates for conversation to unfold naturally. It feels like sitting beside a hearth, tending the fire of curiosity while weaving together lived experience and the new mysteries of multidimensional life.

In a word, Dawna made it feel like home.

Can home be found in sharing, caring, silence, love, or safety?

I believe home is all around us when we realize home is where our heart is.

Simple truth or ancient wisdom?

Does it matter?

Perhaps we’re remembering both because they’ve been here all along.

Can home be found in nature or relationships? In the spiritual and the practical?

Yes.

To all of it.

I recently jotted down a few poignant reflections while writing about the relationship Roger and I share as we consider our next chapter together.

At first, these emerging ideas caught me off guard. Then a new perspective opened, and I felt something unexpected.

Freedom.

When I shared these thoughts, I felt like I’d come home to myself. And perhaps, in a different way, we had come home once again to each other.

🌀There’s still time to watch THE REVEALING, The Collective’s July Transmission, before the next Transmission arrives on August 1.

Its message echoes much of what I’ve shared here. It’s not about what is disclosed in the external world, including the galactic realms. It’s about what is revealed within you as your awareness expands beyond the worlds you’ve known. The deepest disclosure is always personal.

Find home within yourself, right where you are.

August

Speaking for myself, July has been a month of breathing and recalibration. A season of preparation.

Preparing for what, you ask?

I’m not entirely sure. But I sense August—and the months beyond—will carry a very different energy. Many of us may find ourselves integrating a new home frequency. True liberation may find humanity, leading us to live more intentionally, authentically, and powerfully.

July felt practical.

August feels mystical.

A time for the Fire Horse to resume her ride. A thinning of the veil between dimensions. A shifting of the ground beneath old structures, institutions, and governments. A clarion call for the everyday mystic to embody their powers with balance, wisdom, and courage.

Stay awake.

Be aware.

Trust yourself.

In joy and unity, always.

Leave a comment

Share MANY PATHS Connected with Mark Jacobs

Subscribe now

Mark of the Soul LLC | All Rights Reserved | markofthesoul.com

Previous articles:

Last week’s piece, When Hearts Don’t Align With Yours, was received with such warmth. Thank you to everyone who read it, shared it, and took the time to write to me. Your reflections reminded me that many of us are learning the same lesson in our own unique ways.

Earlier this week, I also had the privilege of contributing a guest article, When Intention Becomes Magic, to the wonderful Substack publication Modern Mysticism. It’s right up my alley, and I’m deeply grateful for the invitation…and for the generous welcome their readers extended. Then, yesterday, a new YouTube Short, How to Boost Your Intention, became another expression of the very same theme.

Finally, I introduced the last archetype in my initial series. The Emerging Mystic feels especially close to my heart because it reminds me that spiritual growth isn’t an invitation to leave the world behind. It’s an invitation to bring more of who we truly are into it—with awareness, intention, presence, and yes, a little magic.

Whenever the same message arrives through different forms, I pay attention.

As I’ve sat with all of this, I’ve begun to see a thread connecting these pieces that I hadn’t fully recognized while I was writing them.

Last week, I said:

Freedom begins when we stop handing our power to [other people’s] perceptions.

At the time, I believed I was writing about sovereignty.

In the guest essay, I wrote:

An intention embraced by the whole being becomes a living force.

I thought I was writing about intentional magic and manifestation.

Now I’m wondering if these were always pointing toward the same truth: that authenticity, intention, and sovereignty are not separate practices. They are different ways of returning home to ourselves.

I’ve noticed how quickly my own energy can wander.

A difficult conversation.

An unexpected disappointment.

A fear I thought I’d already moved beyond.

Before I know it, my attention has drifted away from what my heart actually intends. My energy is no longer supporting the life I want to create. It’s supporting the story I’m telling myself instead. And it could be just for that moment.

One thing I’ve noticed is that while old stories may lose their grip, new ones patiently wait for an opening. They often sound more believable because they arrive wearing different clothes.

Lately, one simple question has become part of my daily practice:

Where is my energy?

That question has changed more than I expected.

When my energy follows fear, fear grows stronger.

When it follows someone else’s opinion, I slowly hand them authority over my peace.

When it follows an intention rooted in love, presence, creativity, or service, something within me begins to settle. My thoughts become clearer. My choices become simpler. Life feels less like something I have to force and more like something I can participate in with openness.

Authenticity invites me to know what’s true.
Intention invites me to live in alignment with that truth.
Sovereignty invites me to remain there, even when life offers countless reasons to leave it.

Perhaps that is what coherence really feels like.

Not perfection.

Not certainty.

Just the gentle experience of my heart, soul, mind, body, and energy finally moving in the same direction.

I’m still learning what that looks—and feels—like.

Some days I notice my energy wandering several times before lunch. Other days it feels almost effortless to be at home with myself, agenda or not.

Maybe home isn’t a destination after all.

Maybe it’s the place we return to each time we realign our energy with our deepest truth.

Again and again, each return reminds me that home was never somewhere I needed to find.

It was something I was always meant to remember.

Journal Reflection

Where has your energy been flowing lately? What would change if, today, you gently invited it home?

In joy and unity, always.

Related:

Something in You | The Emerging Mystic

Why Intention Isn’t Enough

Leave a comment

Share

Subscribe now

Mark of the Soul LLC | All Rights Reserved | markofthesoul.com

Previous articles:

It has everything to do with learning how to remain rooted in my own truth when someone else’s perception of me doesn’t match my intentions.

I wish I could tell you that this becomes easy with practice.

It doesn’t.

When we’re misunderstood, criticized, or reduced to a story that feels incomplete, something inside us wants to restore the record. We want to explain ourselves. We want to offer context. We want the other person to see what we know to be true about our own heart.

Sometimes they do.

Sometimes they don’t.

July’s energy feels especially relevant here. I’ve sensed a deeper invitation emerging beneath the surface of everyday life: freedom is not found by attempting to control how others perceive us.

Freedom begins when we stop handing our power to those perceptions.

That doesn’t mean becoming indifferent or dismissing another person’s experience.

Compassion makes room for someone else’s reality. Sovereignty allows us to remain connected to our own. I don’t believe these qualities compete with one another. In fact, they need each other.

Recently, I found myself sitting with the aftermath of a difficult interaction with a new client. What stayed with me was realizing someone had reached conclusions about my character that didn’t reflect my intentions, the care I bring to my work, or the person I know myself to be. Years ago, I would have believed those conclusions more readily than I believed myself. Today, I still feel the sting—but I no longer mistake it for the truth.

As I sat with the experience, I also noticed an old pattern beginning to surface. I wanted to explain more than once. To defend myself. To justify my actions. If I’m honest, part of me wanted to prove I was right.

Instead, I recognized I had walked directly into the lesson.

How often do we allow someone else’s opinion to carry more authority than our own lived experience?

How often does one difficult conversation outweigh years of integrity, growth, sincere effort, and love?

Most of us have been there.

I know I have.

This is where I think many people find themselves on the journey of The Seeker, the first of several archetypes I’ve been exploring. We often imagine the seeker as someone searching for spiritual wisdom, purpose, or a deeper understanding of life. But beneath those outward searches is something even more fundamental.

The Seeker is looking for home.

At first, that search often leads outward. We look for the teacher who will validate us, the relationship that will complete us, the community that will finally understand us, or the approval that tells us we’ve arrived.

Eventually, however, the soul begins nudging something different.

“Come home to yourself,” it says.

That homecoming asks us to release some very old agreements. Perhaps you’ve carried a few of them yourself, like:

• If someone rejects me, I’ve failed.

• If someone misunderstands me, I must convince them.

• If someone is unhappy with me, I am responsible for fixing their feelings.

• If someone criticizes me, my worth has somehow diminished.

Many of us have lived by these flawed agreements for decades without ever realizing they were there. They disguise themselves as kindness, responsibility, or humility, while quietly asking us to abandon ourselves in exchange for not rocking the boat…in other words, tossing our worthiness overboard at the first sign of trouble.

When the soul eventually grows tired of that bargain—and it will—it begins showing us truth instead.

Truth isn’t about being right all the time. It isn’t polished or perfect. It is simply the willingness to remain aligned with what we know in our hearts while allowing others the freedom to see us differently.

That kind of freedom is deeply rooted in self-respect but honors another:
I can honor your experience without abandoning my own; or, I can hear your disappointment without accepting every conclusion you’ve drawn about me.

It reminds us that compassion and healthy boundaries are not opposites. They are companions.

As we enter the second half of 2026, I continue feeling into the invitation, both in my own life and in the messages coming through from The Collective. We are being asked to stand more fully in our own experience—not by becoming louder, harder, or more defensive, but by becoming more deeply anchored in who we are.

There is a profound difference between defending ourselves and holding our presence.

One searches for validation.

The other embodies sovereign awareness.

And freedom from believing that these experiences have the authority to define who we are is a precious freedom, indeed.

My responsibility is to live in alignment with my own heart and purpose. To act with integrity. To continue showing up. To continue serving. To continue growing.

And to remember that my worth has never belonged to someone else’s opinion.

It never did.

It never will again.

Journal Reflection

Where have I allowed another person’s perception of me to carry more authority than my own inner knowing? And what would become possible if I gently reclaimed that authority today?

In joy and unity always,

Share

Leave a comment

Mark of the Soul LLC | All Rights Reserved | markofthesoul.com

Previous articles:

This one feels different.

July has me wondering what my soul has been trying to say all along—beneath the striving, beneath the noise, beneath the last old stories that continue to shape how I move through this world.

I don’t hear the soul shout.

I believe it patiently waits until we’re willing to become still enough to listen.

When we do, what comes forward isn’t always a detailed plan. Sometimes it’s simply a deeper knowing. A new sense of direction. A vision that feels too alive to ignore. A clear invitation to become more fully ourselves.

I’ve realized that one of the loudest stories I’ve carried is the belief that I somehow had to become more before I was enough. More accomplished. More polished. More certain. More aligned.

That realization landed at the heart of my recent Soul Talk, Breaking Up with ‘Never Enough.’ It wasn’t simply about self-worth. It marked another turning point for me—a conscious decision to stop measuring my life against impossible standards and start trusting that my presence has value today, exactly as it is.

Perhaps that’s one of the most courageous things any of us can do.

To break up with the tired story of “not enough.”

To stop waiting for permission.

To stop postponing our voice, our radiance, or the gifts we’ve come here to share.

I’ve begun to notice that once we truly listen to the soul, something else naturally follows. We become more intentional—not because we have another goal to achieve, but because our lives begin organizing themselves around what matters most. We follow the energy of what feels deeply true, allowing each choice, encounter, and step forward to reveal a little more of who we are becoming.

Maybe that’s what sovereignty really feels like.

Not standing above anyone else.

Standing fully within ourselves.

As July unfolds, I wonder what part of you has been patiently waiting to emerge. What old agreement is ready to be liberated? What deeper knowing has been asking for your attention?

Whatever it is, I hope you trust yourself enough to take one small step toward it.

Sometimes that’s all the soul has ever been asking of us.

In joy and unity, always.

Leave a comment

Share MANY PATHS Connected with Mark Jacobs

Subscribe now

Mark of the Soul LLC | All Rights Reserved | markofthesoul.com

Previous Articles:

To notice it. To embody it. To trust that our presence matters, even when the world feels noisy, uncertain, or in transition.

As the month comes to a close, I find myself reflecting on what happened when so many of us accepted that invitation.

The response to HOLDING PRESENCE, The Collective’s June Transmission, became the most-watched monthly Transmission to date, reaching nearly as many viewers in its first two days as previous Transmissions reached over the course of an entire month. And those who need to hear the message are still finding it.

At the same time, my personal video inside the enchanted Saint Edward Park, Breaking Up with “Never Enough,” found a wider audience, as did the short video Why Being Yourself Isn’t So Terrifying.

Here on Substack, PRESENCE: What Does It Actually Mean? sparked thoughtful conversations, comments, and restacks. Subscriber growth accelerated on both Substack and YouTube. And June became the busiest month yet for channeling sessions and other offerings with new and returning clients.

I don’t share these things as a scorecard.

I share them because they seem to be pointing toward something larger.

Common threads are beginning to emerge.

People are asking deeper questions. They are seeking authentic connection. They are becoming more curious about their inner lives, their intuition, their purpose, and their place within a rapidly changing world, a world many no longer recognize.

July invites us to open to what our presence has been preparing us for. In short, something is revealing itself.

The Collective’s July Transmission, THE REVEALING, explores this very theme. After a month focused on presence, we are now asked to notice what becomes visible when we stop running from ourselves. Despite references to the galactic spheres—or perhaps because of them—their message ultimately finds its roots deep within your soul.

What comes online when we stop minimizing our gifts?

What comes into awareness when we allow our voice, sovereignty, and radiance?

Who emerges through our newly empowered presence?

For many, the answers may not arrive as a dramatic awakening.

It may arrive as a subtle knowing.

A creative impulse that won’t go away.

A truth that is ready to be spoken.

A deeper trust in one’s own power.

A recognition that parts of yourself may no longer feel familiar, and who you are becoming has been underneath all along.

WAYS TO WORK TOGETHER

✨ Channeled Sessions with Mark & The Collective
Wednesday—Sunday

💛 Consultations for Mentorship or Coaching
Tuesday & Friday

Curious whether this work is right for you? Learn more at markofthesoul.com.

AFFIRMATIONS FOR JULY

I trust what is awakening within me.

My light, my voice, and my purpose shine with courage and grace.

As we move into July and toward the Independence Day holiday here in the United States, I find myself feeling grateful. Independence is really about liberation, and humanity has already begun to demonstrate its liberation from old structures and systems that want to keep us small, exhausted, unconscious, and addicted.

As I do my part in this Great Shift—and you do yours—I feel grateful for every view, comment, conversation, session, restack, share, email, and act of acknowledgment or encouragement.

Grateful for those who continue showing up for their most authentic selves.

Grateful for the extraordinary community forming here on Substack, YouTube, and elsewhere, where thoughtful engagement and support continue to feel refreshingly genuine in a noisy, digital world.

And grateful for the opportunity to bring my own true presence to these times.

The world does not always stop to celebrate our growth. Sometimes we must pause long enough to recognize it ourselves.

Not because we are above anyone else.

But because every soul is worthy of being seen.

Every soul is worthy of remembering the light it came here to express.

Acknowledging how far you’ve come—in this lifetime or across many—is an act of self-love. When that acknowledgment arrives from others, receive it fully.

Thank you for bringing your presence to this field.

I look forward to discovering what reveals itself next.

In joy and unity, always.

Leave a comment

Share

Subscribe now

Mark of the Soul LLC | All Rights Reserved | markofthesoul.com

Previous:

The presence of your being. The presence of your magic, the presence of your awakening, the presence of your divinity. It is where you can begin to grasp the very nature of your being—that you are of a spiritual nature, of the highest vibration.
— The Collective

Your being is your greatest contribution.
— Richard Rudd

Transformation is not about becoming someone else. It is about revealing the deeper self that has always been present.
— David Clements (paraphrased)

For weeks I’ve been sitting with the word Presence.

The more I sit with it, the more another word begins to emerge.

Being.

Awareness of your presence can lead to simply being—in stillness, in the moment, in your own skin. And being can lead to an elevated awareness of your presence as you move through your days.

The two are in constant conversation.

Presence invites being.
Being deepens presence.

What we are revealing is what has always been there.

Being with your being.

That simple phrase has become a practice for me.

My spiritual path stopped being about acquiring more—more wisdom, more understanding, more practices, more connection. For some time now, it has been about uncovering.

Layer after layer has fallen away until what remains feels undeniably familiar.

There is no surprise in the familiarity, though there are many experiences that still surprise me. This is part of the magic of being.

Being is not inactivity. It asks for willingness, consciousness, awareness, and the courage to witness what is unfolding within and around us. It asks us to stop measuring ourselves by what we produce and begin recognizing ourselves by what we embody.

This week’s new Soul Talk with Mark, Breaking Up with “Never Enough,” explores another facet of this same journey. When we begin acknowledging our being instead of proving our worth, the story of never enough starts to lose its grip.

Becoming is not about adding anything at all. It is about revealing the being that has been patiently waiting beneath every role, every fear, every achievement, and every expectation.

In that revealing comes remembering.

Remembering that your presence matters.
Remembering that your energy communicates before your words do.
Remembering that your very existence contributes something unique to the world around you.

The spiritual path, as I have come to know it, is less about accumulation than uncovering. What remains is not something new being created, but something ancient being recognized.

As though it has been waiting all along. Because it has.

Share MANY PATHS Connected with Mark Jacobs

Lao Tzu wrote, “At the center of your being you have the answer.”

The Zs, as channeled through Lee Harris, often remind us—in essence—that our embodied frequency speaks more clearly than our striving ever could. These are paraphrased reflections rather than exact wording, but the essence remains: what we are being communicates more powerfully than what we are doing.

Separated by centuries and expressed through different languages, these teachings point toward the same ancient truth. Wisdom does not belong to the past or the present. It resides within us, waiting for attention.

Being is allowing that wisdom to surface once again.

Being is remembering who you are.

🌻 In reverence for the Solstice, an invocation known as The Deer’s Cry, probably of druidic origin:

I arise today through the strength of the heavens—
Light of Sun,
Radiance of Moon,
Splendor of Fire,
Speed of Lightning,
Swiftness of Wind,
Depth of Sea,
Stability of Earth,
Firmness of Rock.

In joy and unity, always.

🌀 Channeled Sessions with The Collective
Wednesday through Sunday

💚 Coaching & Mentorship Consultations
Tuesday and Friday

Leave a comment

Share

Subscribe now

Mark of the Soul LLC | All Rights Reserved | markofthesoul.com

Previous articles: