Emerson's Over-SoulA citizen of Concord, denizen of philosophy, a Mr. Emerson recently informed me of his observations of a peculiar phenomenon which he nicknamed Over-Soul. I wish, rather than bickering over particular details, to interpret the general meaning and nature of this universal specimen. Emerson thoughtfully argues that we, as rational and sentient beings, know and must, without question and by virtue of our existence, know certainty when it is presented to us. He further believes that such carnal understanding of being can be derived from such works of Shakespeare, Plato, and other mostly dead white men. But what is this visceral understanding, this indescribable wonder? And where does it come from? I will argue that this is meaning, and that it comes from intelligence. Here, I will undertake to discover its origin, existence and implication. Meaning, of course, names neither time nor space, a knowledge. It resides entirely in the mind of the individual, but it is found in all perceptions. Meaning is what passes for truth and rests on the soul. Only an individual mind can discern it, and the true man can find it under every stone, or in a real stroke of oil, or between two pages. We will only really be able to know the meaning. Every genuine person seeks it and finds it. All potentially rational entities are capable of appreciating this meaning and using it. It captivates all true men and permeates the intelligent universe. I dare say that Sense is the divine wood from which Mr. Emerson's Supreme Soul is carved. The revelations, the insight, the common basis of conversation that it describes cannot be derived from anything other than the meaning of the ultimate plot. We see deeply because we see meaning, and we experience this enduring meaning in “the mind which is of great simplicity.” Our common ground of humanity is the appreciation of meaning. But what is the precise relationship between Sense and the Over-Soul? No simple sentence can describe it, but I will try to characterize it. The Over-Soul is a continuous, ethereal entity that dances with intelligence; Meaning is a coherent abstraction that hides in the mind. All laws derive from the Over-Soul, but laws only exist because they have the perfection of Meaning. The Over-Soul occasionally visits its clients; but Sense awaits its suitors. The Over-Soul is active, while Sense exists passively, awaiting new life in each understanding mind..