Seal Skin, Soul Skin
A Meditation by Rev. Cameron Trimble
“What must I give more death to today, in order to generate more life?” – Clarissa Pinkola Estés
A note: This week, I’m away leading my Wyoming Expedition—off-grid with ten amazing humans and over 80 beautiful horses. Since I won’t be writing these meditations in “real time” as I usually do, I’m sharing with you some of the stories I’ll be telling around campfires, on the shores of alpine lakes, and at the edges of high cliffs. These are stories that journey with us—quiet companions that do their work over time as we carry them within. I hope you enjoy them.
There is a story told among northern peoples of the seal woman—a selkie—who lived between two worlds.
She was of the sea, first and always, her seal skin shimmering with the memory of waves and moonlight. But one day, she emerged from the water, shed her skin, and danced on the shore.
A man saw her. Longing stirred. And in his desire to keep her, he hid her seal skin. Without it, she could not return to the sea.
So she stayed.
She bore him a child. She swept the floor, sang lullabies, fed the fire. She tried—truly she did—to love the life she was given. But over time, her skin began to dry. Her eyes lost their luster. Her laughter faded into silence. A deep ache bloomed in her chest, though she could not name it.
Years passed. Until one day, her child found the bundle hidden beneath the floorboards. The seal skin. Her skin. The memory of who she truly was.
The woman wept. She held it to her heart. And though it tore her in two, she wrapped herself in it, kissed her child, and returned to the sea.
This is not a story of abandonment. It is a story of return.
We all have a seal skin—something essential to our being that allows us to dive deep, to feel fully, to belong to ourselves. Many of us, over time, have misplaced it or had it hidden from us. Often with good intentions—love, duty, survival.
But when we live too long without the skin of our soul, something in us begins to fade. We become brittle. Numb. Distant from our joy.
To come home to ourselves is not betrayal. It is necessity.
It may cost us something. There is grief in every awakening. There are no perfect choices. But there is a deeper integrity that calls: to live in rhythm with our true nature, to return to the waters that nourish the soul.
Perhaps you, too, are being called back, not to the past, but to your depths, to the part of you that remembers how to sing underwater.
May you be brave enough to reclaim your seal skin, and wise enough to know it’s never too late to return.
If you would like to listen to this story, here is a beautiful recording by Clarissa Pinkola Estes. I hope you will gift yourself the experience.
We are in this together,
Cameron
Reflection Questions
What part of yourself have you hidden, silenced, or set aside to survive or be accepted?
When was the last time you felt fully yourself—at home in your skin, your soul, your body?
What would it mean to begin returning?
A Prayer for the Day
A Prayer for Returning
Holy Presence, You who dwell in the deep, in the bones of whales and the breath of tides— remind me who I am when I forget. When I trade my knowing for approval, when I live too long on dry land, call me back. Help me retrieve what I once lost. Help me trust what my soul remembers. And when the path home feels uncertain, let your currents carry me. For I was never meant to live apart from myself. I was born of water and story, of spirit and skin. And it is time to come home. Amen.
Spiritual Practice
Reclaiming the Soul’s Skin
Take 20–30 minutes today to journal or walk in silence with this question:
“What is my seal skin?”
In other words: What nourishes your soul? What practices, places, memories, or expressions bring you back to your most authentic self?
Then, write down one small act of return—something you can do this week that feels like putting your seal skin back on. Light a candle and commit to that act, not as a duty, but as a homecoming.
Upcoming Events That Might Be of Interest…
August 11, 2025, 2pm ET - Dr. Andrew Root and I will be hosting a 6 part series on Spirituality in the Secular Age based on his research. The dates are August 11, 18, September 8, 15, and October 6, 13. Register here!
September 4, 4:30pm ET - I will be collaborating with the Anderson Forum for Progressive Theology to host a conversation with Thomas Jay Oord on Open and Relational theology. It’s a FREE event. Register here.
October 15-18, 2025 - Converging 2025: Sing Truth Conference (all musicians invited!) at Northwest Christian Church in Columbus, OH. Register here!
October 23, 30, November 6, 13, 2025, 7pm ET - In Search of a New Story: Reimagining What Comes Next, A 4-Part Online Series with Matthew Fox, Cameron Trimble, and Special Guests. We are living through the unraveling of many old stories—about who we are, why we’re here, and how we are meant to live together on this Earth. As these inherited narratives collapse under the weight of climate crisis, social fragmentation, and spiritual disconnection, the question becomes clear: What story will guide us now? REGISTRATION OPENING SOON!
I drafted a Strategic Framework for Congregations as we move into the coming years of increased authoritarianism around the world. If interested, you can download it here.
If you are a leader or member of a congregation looking for consulting support in visioning, planning, hiring or staffing, please consider Convergence.