Joel, aka A Soul Called Joel, is a Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter who grew up singing gospel songs with his seven siblings. In 2022 he released his new album, Love and Liberation. In addition to his musical career, Joel is a certified meditation teacher, a life coach, poet and author of the R.I.S.E. journal.

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Joel Cross

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 JOEL CROSS, aka A Soul Called Joel, is a Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter. He
 grew up singing gospel songs with his seven siblings. In 2022, he released
 his new album called Love and Liberation. The well of his creativity and
 passion is deeply spiritual. In addition to his musical career, Joel is a
 certified meditation teacher, a life coach, poet and author of the
 R.I.S.E. journal. He is interviewed by
 JANMARIE CONNOR.
</h4>

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<h4>
 How’s your heart feeling today?
</h4>


 Q. It’s wonderful to finally speak with you. Someone sent me a link to
 your Instagram feed with the instruction, “Check this guy out!” I did and
 immediately knew what inspired her to share. Shall I tell you my 30-second
 experience on Instagram as I recorded it in my journal?



 JC:
 Yes, please do.



 Q: A lovely man with a wide-brimmed hat, bright smile, peaceful presence,
 surrounded by mountains, trees, azure sky, and birdsong greets me, and
 thousands of his followers.



 “Hello, beautiful souls. How’s – your – heart?”



 My soul, surprised at being directly addressed, cooperates. I move my
 attention inward to assess. He does the same. With eyes closed, he takes a
 deep breath, places hand on heart, and he waits, waits, waits. I feel an
 inner impulse, a wave of energy, lightness. A slow, contagious smile spreads
 across his face, and mine. At that moment, I’m reminded of something my
 mentor and Guide often said, “The heart speaks!” And on cue, I hear a rich,
 baritone voice:



 “May you be open so that you may heal. And may the fruits of love,
 compassion, and peace grace your lips – always.Much love and light.”



 Can you describe what’s happening when you pause and tune into your heart?
 You seemed to be having a nice chat with it.



 JC:
 I get that question a lot, but I haven’t really answered it publicly yet.
 What I’ve discovered in my own meta-meditation, connecting with my heart
 center, is that the heart is always speaking. But we are rarely listening.



 As I ask the question, “How’s your heart feeling today?” I connect
 to a space within that I’ve grown quite familiar within my practice. When I
 close my eyes, I can literally see my heart in bloom. Often, I see it as a
 flower – I see it open. I can feel its energy, its love exuding from its
 center. And then I hear very clearly whatever the blessing is for that
 moment. I also get asked, “Do you prepare these blessings in advance?” No,
 never. It’s as you describe it. I can feel it, which is a beautiful thing.


<h4>
 My story
</h4>


 Q. Most people don’t arrive at the kind of depth you’re expressing here
 without a story. Can you share a little of your story with us?



 JC:
 I definitely have a story. I’ve come to recognize that the greatest wisdom
 is always experience.



 I was raised in a big family with seven siblings. My parents were very
 religious, from the Christian tradition, and my dad is a Baptist preacher.
 The common question in our household was, “What is spirit saying?”
 So, there was always this query to connect and tap in.


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 <figure>
 <img
 alt=""
 class="has-img-center lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/flow2_b1c59a175e.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-13T10:56:42.772Z"
 />
 </figure>
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 As I got older, there were some things in that tradition that were
 challenging and troubling for me, that didn’t resonate with who I felt like
 I authentically was. There was a disconnect from my family for a while, as I
 was reconnecting to my truth. They didn’t understand my departure from their
 tradition. One of my greatest fears was not to be accepted by my parents. I
 was considered the perfect son, the baby boy, right? I felt like an outcast
 for a long time, as we were all trying to figure each other out. There was a
 lot of turmoil.



 Until one day. I remember standing in the kitchen, and I surrendered my need
 for suffering. I surrendered my need to be a victim. I surrendered my need
 to be superior to anybody else. And I surrendered my need to see any other
 being as anything less than divine. In that moment, even though I
 experienced some heavy hurt, I felt so light. I started experiencing joy.


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<hr />

<h4 class="has-text-align-center">
 I surrendered my need to see any other being as anything less than
 divine. In that moment, even though I experienced some heavy hurt,
 I felt so light. I started experiencing joy.
</h4>

<hr />

<hr class="vertical-space1" />


 I followed my intuition and went for a walk. Did you ever read Neale Donald
 Walsh’s book, Conversations with God? During that walk I felt like
 I had my own version of that, except for me it was a conversation with
 B.O.B., a playful acronym for the Big Ole Beautiful, which is nature for me.
 I felt like I was communing with nature. I had a bird’s eye view of our
 existence. And from that vantage point, I recognized that we’re all just
 trying to find grounding from our hurt, from our misunderstandings in this
 world, so that we can find clarity. And from that comes healing,
 transformation, transcending patterns, and evolving into a more heart-felt
 experience.


<h4>
 The R.I.S.E. Journal
</h4>


 Q. I understand that journaling has played a big part in your personal
 transformation. So much so that you’ve developed and published the
 R.I.S.E. Journal. Can you tell us about that?



 JC:
 Growing up, I was a decent student. I didn’t have to study much. Then I got
 to college and I was a horrible student. A friend of mine, whose nickname
 was Chief, said, “Joel, all you must do is write it down. Copy it from the
 book until you can recite it from memory.” So, I would just write and write.
 A few years later, I was in a moment of deep heartbreak with a girl I was
 seeing. It ended abruptly and I was hurt. Sleepless nights for months. And
 finally, intuitively, in the middle of the night, I got up, grabbed my
 college notebook and began to write everything that I was feeling. About an
 hour and twenty pages later, I had a perfect night’s sleep for the first
 time. I was like, “I don’t know what this journaling thing is about, but
 I’ve got to investigate this.”



 My R.I.S.E. Journal process has four parts. It starts with
 R, which stands for Release. I just let everything out, all
 that energy I was feeling or thinking, to clear my canvas. Next comes
 I, which is connected to all the heart questions. The
 foundational question I ask is, “How’s your heart?” But there are
 so many other heart questions:
 What am I longing for? What am I afraid to hear myself say? &nbsp;My heart would speak and so I would write it down. Which leads to the
 S for Self-awareness, through the real wisdom right at our
 core, that scared space. I didn’t want to end this journaling process with
 any heaviness. That’s where the E comes, which stands for
 Empowerment. I learned about intentions and affirmations through Louise Hay
 and that remains a strong part of my practice. It’s been 15 years now and
 the R.I.S.E. journaling process has changed my life.


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 <figure>
 <img
 alt=""
 class="has-img-center lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/flow3_0e9cafd596.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-13T10:58:03.102Z"
 />
 </figure>
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<h4>
 Love and liberation
</h4>


 Q. I’m part of the Heartfulness Institute. Each night at 9 p.m. local
 time, we align our hearts with people all over the world with a beautiful
 intention for peace. The intention establishes lightness and peace within
 ourselves, and then radiates this lightness and peace outward into the
 world. When I listened to your new album, Love and Liberation, it
 had an enchanting quality and effect, like that9 p.m. intention. It’s
 clearly coming from deep within your soul. Where has this inspiration come
 from?



 JC:
 My heart and my higher self. That is where my inspiration comes from. Around
 2020, I felt there was a shift happening in my life. Much of my process has
 been about surrender. So, I left New York City and went to Texas, stayed
 with family and worked through some of the disconnect I mentioned, to do
 some deep healing. In the process, I knew I was supposed to travel the
 country and record in nature. I told my friends, I think I’m going to get a
 field recorder and find remote locations with great energy. When I feel the
 call, I’m going to hit record and play.


<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<div>
 <figure>
 <img
 alt=""
 class="has-img-center lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/flow4_2d75108e78.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-13T10:59:18.132Z"
 />
 </figure>
</div>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />


 I got a camper, and ended up in Maine. One early morning, I felt called to
 follow a remote trail. I ended up on a beach where the energy was palpable.
 I set up my camera and my guitar, and all I heard was “play.” This
 was the shift which gave birth to a new direction and the song,
 Flow.


<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<hr />

<h4 class="has-text-align-center">
 I recognized that we’re all just trying to find grounding from our
 hurt, from our misunderstandings in this world, so that we can find
 clarity. And from that comes healing, transformation, transcending
 patterns, and evolving into a more heart-felt experience.
</h4>

<hr />

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<div>
 <figure>
 <img
 alt=""
 class="has-img-center lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/flow5_96444d651c.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-13T11:01:03.668Z"
 />
 </figure>
</div>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<hr />

<h4 class="has-text-align-center">
 I surrendered my need to see any other being as anything less than
 divine. In that moment, even though I experienced some heavy hurt,
 I felt so light. I started experiencing joy.
</h4>

<hr />

<hr class="vertical-space1" />


 Q. You introduce the album by speaking of the power of self-love and
 surrender, and ask us to “connect with something deep within ourselves and
 as we listen, to open our hearts, quiet our minds, go inward and rise
 upward.” I don’t know of any other artist that helps the listener in such
 a beautiful way to receive what you’re pouring out from your heart. How
 did this come to you?



 JC:
 About 7 years ago, I’d had a beautiful guided meditation, and I was in that
 flow state. I had a very clear download: “What if there was a meditation that didn’t have a linear guide. What if
 the listening of the music immediately brought you to that space where you
 could listen and connect to your own inner guidance?”



 I held that intention, which inspired the phrase, “poetic resonance
 meditation,” which paints a picture for you to climb into, and you can
 connect to your own flow, your own self-love experience. Also, not long
 after, I had that moment with B.O.B.I had a divine inner knowing that the
 next step of my healing was to help support the healing of others in a very
 intentional way.



 It’s been affirmed by so many people entering that heart space with me,
 whether it’s on Instagram or through the music, we all feel that presence.
 It’s at the core of our humanity. As an empath, once I learned to ground
 myself, I learned that I could also emanate. That’s something that’s very
 important to me with the music.


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<div>
 <figure>
 <img
 alt=""
 class="has-img-center lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/flow6_e8b4ad0dcd.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-13T11:19:31.905Z"
 />
 </figure>
</div>

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<h4>
 Global harmony
</h4>


 Q: Since we’re meeting together on this important International Day of
 Peace, in a world with so much chaos and strife,&nbsp;how do you make the
 connection between the illumination of self-love and its essential
 relationship with global harmony? &nbsp;



 JC:
 Self-love gets a bad rap sometimes, because it’s assumed that it’s a synonym
 for selfishness. Self-love isn’t about me over you. It’s recognizing that I
 see the world as I see myself. So if I’m dealing with a lack of self-worth,
 unworthiness, or even self-hatred, I’m going to receive the world that way.



 The energy that you hold is the energy that will unfold, which is why there
 is so much discord in the world. I’ve discovered as I love myself more, and
 I’m able to recognize, “Okay, I’m triggered right now by this person in my
 life. Let me tend to me first, and figure out why this situation brought up
 feelings of anger, frustration, discord, turmoil,” that usually it’s an old
 story, which isn’t serving me well.It’s ready to be let go of. Peace really
 must start here [points to heart].


I say it like this in my poem,

<h4>I’m the Love of my Life</h4>


 For my purpose is not to outshine another. My purpose has always been
 to do my share, in the shining of us all. For as one shines so
 does another. And as I am able to see myself more clearly, it
 becomes far easier, to see you too. 

<hr />


<hr class="vertical-space1" />


 You can watch and listen to Flow at
 <a href="https://www.heartfulnessinstitute.org/peaceintention"
 >https://www.heartfulnessinstitute.org/peaceintention</a
 >.



 You can find Joel and listen to his music on his website,
 <a href="https://www.asoulcalledjoel.com/"
 >https://www.asoulcalledjoel.com/</a
 >.


<hr />

<h4 class="has-text-align-center">
 Illustrations by JASMEE MUDGAL
</h4>

<hr />

Joel Cross

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