The Voice of Your Soul

Our soul. We all have one, but what is it really? Is it our higher self? Is our soul our superconscious mind, the place in our minds at the center of our subconscious where we connect with our real identity, collective wisdom and innate intelligence? Perhaps it’s simply our conscience and inner voice? Is our soul our aura, the energetic and colorful field that surrounds our physical body?

And where does our soul come from? How did our soul wind up with our body and mind?

How well do you connect and know your soul? Is your soul your guiding light, or just some random concept you pay little attention to in your daily life?

So many questions! Questions as old as mankind and time itself.

I’m an old soul. I’ve known that since I was a child. This life I find myself in today is not my first go-round and likely won’t be my last. Reincarnation is a touchy subject for some. For me, personally, when I first learned of it, reincarnation explained everything to me. Such as how I knew things beyond my experience, why people and places were so very familiar at first meeting, and why I knew there was a purpose for my life, if only I could figure it all out. And I find it was very comforting to know that while my body will die and return to the earth, my soul is infinite. If death were truly the end of everything, life would indeed have no meaning whatsoever.

Some people call their soul their Higher Self. Others call it their conscience or intuition. Whatever you call your soul, to me, is just semantics. What I do think is important it learning to feel and hear the guidance our souls long to give us, our soul’s voice. When we are frenetically busy, worried or simply disinterested, it is very hard to connect with our soul. Sometimes it takes life events such as an illness, accident or heartbreak to make us listen. It needn’t be so hard.

We are all here in earth school to learn, balance our karma and to spiritually grow. We come into our lives with a type of soul amnesia so that we don’t taint our experience with preconceived notions, judgment or fear. We choose the life we are born into. We choose the people we will experience our lives with, be they teachers, lovers, friends or enemies. We make an agreement, a soul contract if you will, to experience and learn specific lessons in our lives, even if the lessons are painful, especially if they are painful. Sometimes, when life feels hard, it’s a bitter pill to swallow accepting that we are exactly where our soul needs us to be to grow. Yet somehow, I like to think, it softens the blow to know that the lessons we learn from our pain are the greatest teachers. And in our pain, we often surrender and release the notion of control, making it easier to hear our soul. After all, God has a plan for each of us and our souls know it. Nothing happens by accident. We are blessed and cursed with free will. We make choices every day, some in our best interests and others setting us back a few paces. And it’s all okay in the ebb and flow of life.

When I was studying the Artist’s Way with Julia Cameron, she had a lovely phrase for our soul’s voice. She called it “marching orders.” I’ve experienced marching orders many times in my life – when ideas came to me seemingly out of nowhere, and making little sense, but knowing in my heart that it was a path I had to take. Marching orders are answered prayers. The results from following my marching orders changed my life in ways beyond my imagination, always for the better. I’ve ignored marching orders, too, only to find they are annoyingly persistent, growing ever louder until I pay attention and get in step.

Our souls like to speak to us through our feelings. When an idea comes to us and we feel joy, excitement and peace, we know we are responding to a message from our soul. If an idea comes to us that elicits a response of fear or doubt, it’s more likely we are hearing our ego not our soul.  Our egos are like the cranky relative who always rains on our parade. Our soul’s voice inspires, uplifts and thrills us.

You will know it is your soul speaking rather than your ego when the message is strong but compassionate and kind. Our ego is the critical voice that says, “Who do you think you are to try?” but our soul says, “How about you try this?” And sometimes our soul gives us marching orders, “You really must try this.”

One of the easiest ways to hear the voice of your soul is to sit in quiet contemplation. Meditation allows us to quiet the noisy monkey-mind so that the answers to our dilemmas and prayers can be heard. But if you find meditation difficult, there are many ways to quiet your mind and body long enough to listen. Moving meditations are a favorite of mine. Getting outside and taking a nature walk, alone and without people noise is very effective for quieting the mind, breathing in fresh air and letting your thoughts go. Uncensored writing in a journal, for your eyes only, is also an effective way to allow your soul’s voice to come through. Write whatever your chatty monkey-mind wants to express until it’s finished, and then the real messages can flow.

Don’t give up on a more traditional meditation. There’s a reason it is called a meditation practice, it gets easier with time and effort. Simply find a comfortable and quiet place to sit, close your eyes, breathe deeply and see what happens.

Dreams are another way our souls send us messages. Ask to remember your dreams as you drift off to sleep and that the messages be clear and easily understood. I’ve never been good at dream interpretation and symbolism, so I ask that I receive dream messages in ways that I will understand.

Take some quiet time today and just listen, without judgment or preconceived notions, to the voice of your soul. Ask for guidance and quiet your mind. Breathe in possibilities and breathe out limitations and fear, and allow answers to come. And then act upon the guidance.

Your soul will thank you for it.