Partners in evolution - personality and soul

Two friends of mine, a couple a few years older than me, are a source of constant entertainment to me. Why? Because their relationship mirrors perfectly the way the soul and the personality relate to each other – at least until the point on our path where the personality accepts the sovereignty of the soul.Let me explain what I mean. Have you ever been in a situation where you weren’t sure which step to take because two ‘sides’ of you were pulling in different directions? I remember this being a big feature of my life as a magazine editor in  in my twenties - I would take forever to make a life decision - whether to change job,  end a relationship, move to a different country... because I hadn't yet sussed how to tune in to the voice of my soul. And so I would endlessly vacillate, not knowing what part of myself to make the decision from.The soul will always steer us in ways that invite us to grow, whereas the personality or ego self can steer us on a path of instant gratification, quick-win pleasures and, more often than not, away from the pain that, if we're willing to feel it, may actually help us grow. Of course, the path of the personality is not always the easier option - the path of the soul as I've experienced it is often imbued with a sense of ease and flow. But the personality self will always have a different agenda than the soul, at least until it understands what is going on and makes a choice to support the soul and be guided by it.And so, with my friends, it's like she - in her tendency to choose friends that stretch her and encourage her outside her comfort zone, towards positive thought, healthy foods, lightness of being and laughter, endless unfolding and development, free from fear - represents the soul and he, in his need for instant gratification, getting pulled around by everything from a love of sugary things, to getting wrapped up in front of the telly, chiding and undermining when someone near him expresses too much positivity and doing what he can to drag those around him into his mire of negative thought, represents the personality - at its worst.She is the one using all the 'muscle' in the relationship - gently and lovingly steering him in a direction that might serve him and letting his digs and negative comments simply wash over her, while she gently steers her way around him.My friend tells me that a lot of people question why she is in this relationship - and remark that it is 'holding her back' and it's probably true in many senses. But that of course is her choice.When our being is not yet governed by the soul, we can get ourselves into a right old pickle in our lives - and this was what this partnership was reflecting back to me. Until we cotton on to what is going on, make the choice and use the full force of the personality to support the soul and help bring what we feel is divinely given into being.Just think what my friends could accomplish if he gave up his resistance and chose to follow the path of the soul too!Are you allowing your soul to guide your personality, or are the two fighting for supremacy within you?This picture, by local (late) artist George Watts, depicts beautifully the relationship between the soul and the personality, when it allows itself to be guided. What do you think?