7 Ways to Find Your True Path Through Soul Searching
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You have a sense that you have no direction in life.
You are bored of your work, your relationships are, at most, average, your friendships are dull and hollow, you feel like you are dead inside, and you have lost the enthusiasm for life that you once had…
Are you able to identify with any of these emotions or life experiences?
Existential crises are becoming more widespread, and it’s possible that you may be living through one right now.
If you can relate to this, read on.
In other words, you’ve reached a crossroads in your life: you’re experiencing feelings of immobility and you’re beginning to want for a life with more purpose.
The question now is, what can be done to alleviate this gnawing anxiety?
Searching one’s inner self
It’s possible that you’ve heard of this word before, but you probably didn’t pay much attention to it or give it much significance.
Is that the case?
The reason I’m writing to you today is to bring to your attention two things: first, that you have arrived at this post for a purpose, and second, that exploring one’s own soul is an essential component of every life journey in this planet.
In this piece, I will explain both the why and the how of the situation.
What Exactly Does it Mean to Search One’s Soul? (Definition)
To put it another way, soul seeking is the process of looking for solutions to the challenges and issues that come up in life.
When most people use the term “soul searching,” they are referring to the process of discovering the truth and the source of one’s pleasure by examining one’s own thoughts, routines, and reasons for doing things.
However, there is another, more profound meaning to probing one’s soul.
A journey back to one’s essential self is at the heart of the practice of “soul searching.” It is a journey to discover your true nature or soul; it is a spiritual path.
This trip may be taken rather literally.
In most cases, this event also signals the beginning of a path toward spiritual enlightenment.
Why the Experience of Soul Decay Is at the Heart of Soul Searching
Why do some of us have such a strong need, even a compulsion, to undertake some introspection? in order to discover what is profound, real, genuine, and meaningful?
The solution is a loss of the soul.
We experience feelings of anxiety, depression, loneliness, and isolation, as well as a persistent dissatisfaction with life, when we are cut off from our souls.
In order to conquer this suffering, we need to reacquaint ourselves with the element of ourselves that is the most essential, primal, and vital.
Since the beginning of time, indigenous and shamanic civilizations have had an understanding of the problem of soul loss, which is becoming an increasingly widespread pandemic in our modern world.
In this day and age of technology, in a culture driven by materialistic aspirations and egotism, we are being farther and further detached from the wild, primordial, and unrefined core of our existence.
According to what Gary Zukav writes:
The requirements of the spirit have not received any of our focus as of yet.
We have not given any thought to the necessities that must be met by the soul in order for it to be healthy.
We have not conducted any research on the soul, nor have we attempted to assist it in achieving the conditions essential for its growth and wellbeing.
Due to the fact that we have been using all five senses, we have concentrated on the body as well as the personality.
We have a comprehensive understanding of the physical equipment that the soul utilizes when it takes on a human form during an incarnation.
Amino acids, neurotransmitters, chromosomes, and enzymes are all things that we are familiar with, but the soul is something that we do not understand.
So, what precisely is meant by the term “soul loss”?
In our article on the subject of soul loss, we explain that:
When we go through an experience known as Soul Loss, a portion of our soul, also known as our living essence, ‘hides’ or withdraws from us.
This prevents us from fully realizing our actual potential and experiencing our completeness as human beings.
Sometimes whole elements of our psyches are entirely repressed or shut out, and other times they are just ignored.
There are a lot of different things that might induce soul loss.
The following is a list of some of the most popular explanations:
A challenging childhood, such as one marred by emotional, physical, psychological, or sexual abuse; separation; immigration; the loss of a family member; abandonment; bullying; or any combination of these experiences.
Adults who have had a traumatic event, such as the loss of a job, living in poverty, being raped or assaulted, going through a divorce, having challenges with their mental health, being alone, having loved ones pass away, or being discriminated against.
Social programming
Brainwashing of a religious nature
An unhealthy relationship with technology and entertainment (i.e., a form of numbing and escapism)
Trauma inherited from your ancestors
Materialism
The scientific and reductionist basis for society’s ideals and institutions
… and I could go on and on.
Essentially, the loss of one’s soul may be caused by anything that endangers our bodily, mental, or emotional survival, as well as by any habit or ideology that is addicting, one-sided, or repressive.
As a consequence of this, the majority of us are plagued with an uneasy, growing sense that something is off…
There is something that is lacking.
No matter how well-liked, prosperous, or gorgeous we are, we just can’t bring ourselves to be content with ourselves or our circumstances.
There is always something that is lacking.
The link that we have with our own souls is also severed.
19 Signs You’re a Lost Soul
The majority of individuals in our world are, in point of fact, wandering souls.
They are unaware of the expansive seas of their True Nature, they have no interest in exploring those waters, and they have never done so.
Instead, they are entirely driven by their ego, also known as their false self, which has been cultivated from birth forward as a defense mechanism against the overwhelming enormity of life.
Even when such individuals begin to hear the Soul’s need to be recognized and set free, they repress it nevertheless.
Because it is simpler, less threatening, and less confronting, they go back to the ideas, routines, and institutions in society that support mindlessness and soullessness.
However, at some point, the need will become so overwhelming that they will have no option but to listen.
This stage of the journey of spiritual awakening marks the beginning of the disintegration of the ego and the beginning of the flowering of our Soul or True Nature.
However, there is a state that exists between life and death known as limbo.
These wandering spirits make their home in this void.
In this state of limbo, the dance between the old, which is fading away, and the new, which is not yet materializing, is keenly felt.
One has feelings of being trapped, lost, empty, alone, and afraid.
At the same time as there is a strong desire to revert to previous ways of being, there is also a deep feeling of discontentment with all that is now taking place.
If you find yourself in this state of limbo, you can start to feel the following symptoms:
You have a persistent feeling of lethargy and exhaustion.
You are devoid of drive, and you lack a sense of calm.
You feel alone
You are dissatisfied with the way your life is going.
You have an insatiable need for more.
You have been relegated to the role of the family’s misfit or outcast.
You have a tendency to become irritated and cranky rather regularly.
You are going through a quarter life crisis or a mid life crisis right now.
You have a greater propensity to develop addictions.
You have a hard time not hating yourself.
You keep looking for ways to dull the discomfort, but nothing helps.
You feel essentially ‘broken’
You battle with anxiety and existential despair on a daily basis.
You get the sensation that there is something missing from you.
You are uninterested and resentful toward other people and the way life is.
You get a sense of being trapped and abandoned.
You have a hard time not feeling hollow on the inside.
You have lost any sense of who you are now.
You are interested in gaining an understanding of everything’s purpose.
Are you able to empathize?
If that’s the case, you shouldn’t feel too alone.
You have successfully entered the club for lost souls.
Motto: I can’t get no, satisfaction.
How to Do Some Reflection and Introspection (7 Paths)
Because we experience a sense of disconnection from oneness, we first go on a journey—a search for fulfillment, a seek to return to our roots.
— Jeff Foster
In the current, secularized understanding of the phrase, doing a soul search is not difficult.
All that is required of us is to engage in some self-reflection and to pose some penetrating questions to ourselves.
For youthful, bright-eyed searchers, traveling is often recommended as an excellent approach to do soul searching.
But seeking one’s soul in the way that the phrase is used spiritually is a considerably more difficult endeavor.
It is more difficult to pin down, more slippery, and more convoluted.
In spite of this, I believe it to be the most worthwhile and significant endeavor that has ever been attempted.
What could possibly be more important than establishing a connection with your natural, essential, and spiritual Essence?
If you are looking for answers to problems that pertain to everyday concerns (such as what career am I best suited for, should I get married, etc.), then the advice that follow may not be enough to satisfy you.
Continue reading if, on the other hand, you want to go further, understand how to be true to yourself, find yourself, and merge with your true nature:
1. Become comfortable with being alone
When it comes to doing some introspective work, your best ally will be some time alone in nature.
Just go your own way.
In this chaotic and loud environment, how else are you supposed to listen to the hushed utterances of your soul?
The correct response is that it is incredibly difficult unless you have years of experience with intensive meditation training (which, to be clear, the vast majority of people do not have).
Therefore, ensure that you set up time and space on a consistent basis to be alone, away from other people, and with no interruptions from technology (digital people are still people).
Consider devoting anything from 10 minutes to half an hour (or even more) of your time every day to an activity of your choosing.
You may choose something inactive, like meditation, or something active, like going for a walk in the woods.
Either way, there are options.
Recognize the amount of energy you have and go with the flow.
Finding oneself may be accomplished in a simple but effective manner by following these steps.
2. Investigate the characteristics of your ego
Your ego is your fake self; it’s the mask you wear when you interact with the outside world.
If your soul is your true nature, then your ego is your false self.
Your ego is similar to a cloud in many ways.
It gives the impression of having shape, yet in reality, it is always shifting and transforming.
Have you ever considered the possibility that you adopt a distinct persona depending on who you are interacting with?
Yep.
This is an example of your ego at work; it is not stable, and, in essence, it is a false portrayal of who you really are.
The unfortunate truth is that our ego really thinks it is who we are at our core.
Because it is so certain that it is genuine, it will resist any effort to deconstruct it because it views such an endeavor as a potential danger to its life.
As a result, development of any type is highly challenging due to the fact that the ego is always working to defend itself.
As we can see, one of the most important steps in the process of looking for one’s soul is to investigate the nature of one’s ego and learn how to gently see through it.
In fact, it is the single most significant obstacle in the way of appreciating and embracing who you really are.
Explore your ego in a variety of ways by doing things like:
Writing down your ideas, self-beliefs, habits, loves, and dislikes, among other things, in a journal is known as journaling.
Investigating oneself by repeatedly questioning, “Who am I?” By witnessing what transforms, fades, or passes away (these are the components of your ego); ironically, we learn who we are by gaining an understanding of who we are not.
Meditation is the practice of being aware of one’s own thoughts and the narratives that are created by the mind.
These three simple activities have the potential to have a significant influence on your capacity to see things as they really are and to have direct experience of the reality of who you are at your core.
3. Establish a relationship with the you of your childhood
Dr.
Neal Marshall Goldsmith is both an author and a psychotherapist, and he writes as follows:
The soul is that part of us that is the most fundamental, the most profound, and the most genuine aspect of who we are.
The traits of your Soul that were there when you were first conceived are stored in your “inner child.” And, to your relief, getting in touch with your inner kid is not quite as challenging as you may think.
I’ve written a lot on working with your inner child in the past on this page, but to recap, here are a few techniques to connect with the person you were when you were younger:
Compose a letter to your inner child and send it to yourself.
Visualize yourself as your younger self (there are many for free on youtube)
Examine some old photographs to reconnect with your inner kid.
Engage in an activity that you, when you were younger, enjoyed when you were channeling your inner kid.
Take a calm and collected approach to these things.
Consider your younger self and make some observations, such as whether or not they smiled more.
Was she more in tune with her feelings and intuition?
Did she seem to be more inquisitive and imaginative?
Consider both the current and past versions of yourself.
Which aspects of your childhood can you bring into your adult life to make it more fulfilling?
4. Contemplate, examine, and imagine your future self
The journey to one’s own soul is an adventure within oneself.
As a result, the activities and stages you follow on the path to discovering your inner Center will often ask you to engage in introspection and contemplation.
These two characteristics are improved via the practice of visualization, which also enables you to regain information and direction through the use of your imagination.
In his book “The Book of Awakening,” the poet and philosopher Mark Nepo describes a stunning image, which is as follows:
Simply shut your eyes and focus on your breathing as you make your way under your problems; this is how a scuba diver makes his or her way to the depth of quiet that is always waiting beneath the roiling of the waves.
Now, think of two activities that you like doing in your spare time, such as going for a run, painting, singing, observing birds, gardening, or reading.
Consider in your meditation what it is about each of them that gives you a sense of being alive.
Keep what they both have in common in front of you, and while you take deep, even breaths, feel the spot of grace that these precious things reflect inside you.
This particular instance of contemplation, introspection, and imagery is ideal for soul seeking because it brings you into contact with the core of your Soul, which is your fundamental sense of aliveness.
You are free to create or listen to any vision that strikes your fancy; the only requirement is that it be soul-centered.
5. Make a connection with the natural world and the wild side that is inside you
The human soul may experience remarkable restoration and revitalization via time spent in nature.
We have a tendency to see ourselves as apart from the natural world.
After all, we are human, which places us “above” nature, right?
Wrong.
We are an integral component of the natural world.
All of the animalistic, carnal, and physical components of our bodies, including our blood, bones, hair, and skin, are derived from the soil.
The human soul has been tamed and tamed over the course of ages, yet it has not lost its natural, basically wild essence.
We are not wild in the sense that we are unmanageable or feral; rather, we are wild in the sense that the core of our being is inherently free and cannot be completely subdued by any other force.
At our very essence, everyone of us is a free spirit.
This is shown by acts of valor, the primal shrieks of delivery, the grunts of lovemaking, and the belly-deep chuckles of merriment.
To join with a fundamental aspect of the Soul requires that one come in touch with their inherent wildness, sometimes known as their “inner wolf,” and this is something that may be readily rediscovered in the natural world.
Reestablishing a connection with nature is neither challenging nor laborious.
The only thing that is necessary is to spend a few minutes each day outdoors, examining the clouds, the animals, the trees, and the light rays that are penetrating through the clouds with careful attention.
If you are fortunate enough to live near a nature reserve, you could enjoy engaging in the Japanese tradition of forest bathing, also known as shinrin-yoku, or bringing a picnic blanket and enjoying the outdoors.
Even if you live in the middle of a metropolis, there are always plenty of opportunities to get in touch with nature.
Visit the nearby park, download some sounds of nature to your phone, and pick up a plant in a container.
When your heart is open, there are many ways in which nature may work its way into your life; it can crawl, dig, weave, or sprout its way in.
6. Ask some soul probing questions
Questions are a straightforward and easy approach to get to the bottom of your own particular reality.
In addition, living genuinely is living authentically, which means showing due regard for the character of one’s own Soul.
During your voyage of introspection, you may find it helpful to ask yourself some of the following questions, among others:
Just who am I?
What do I want to achieve with my life?
What exactly is the point of living?
Where do I really fit in this world?
What is there about me that is genuine?
Where do I find the inauthentic parts of me?
What does it mean to be happy in my opinion?
What would make me feel genuinely complete?
Where exactly does my ego become a barrier?
What are some of the characteristics of my soul?
What kind of imprint do I want to make on the world?
These are just a few examples of questions to ask yourself while you’re doing some deep thinking; feel free to come up with your own and ask them.
You may also find it helpful to transform these inquiries into journaling prompts so that you can frequently reflect on and respond to them.
Get additional information about how to keep a journal.
7. Locate a spot that speaks to your soul
Does it make no sense?
I’ll explain.
A physical area that profoundly calls to you is known as a “soul place” because it communicates with your soul.
It’s possible that you’ll be overcome with sentimental yearning for this location, as well as a feeling of profound resonance and an almost supernatural meaning.
It’s possible for a soul place to be something as ordinary as your garden, as pristine as a spot in the woods, or as spiritually significant as a religious monument (such as Stonehenge, Uluru, Notre Dame Cathedral, etc.).
You will get the impression that you have finally “found home,” as well as a profound sensation of growth and calm, when you visit these locations.
What has occurred is that you have discovered an outward depiction of the heaven that is inside you, and this heaven may now be accessed.
Because of this, Soul locations have such a profound effect on us.
On the other side, your soul space is an experience that you have within yourself of your true nature.
During times of prayer, contemplation, altered levels of consciousness, and in-depth meditation, we often find ourselves inhabiting the realms of our souls.
According to what Mark Nepo writes,
An unencumbered location is given to each individual at birth; this point is free of ambition and humiliation, free of fear and stress, and free of expectations and regrets.
This spot is the umbilical spot of grace, the place where each of us was first touched by God.
This privileged location is the source of peace in the world.
This location is referred to as the psyche by psychologists, the soul by theologians, the seat of the unconscious by Carl Jung, the inwardness by Rilke, the qalb by Sufis, and the center of our love by Jesus.
To know this spot of inwardness is to know who we are, not by surface markers of identity such as where we work, what we wear, or how we like to be addressed, but rather by sensing our place in relation to the infinite and by inhabiting that space.
To know this spot of inwardness is to know who we are.
To be able to occupy this soul place, we need to break through the walls of the ego through a variety of different kinds of inner work—this is the doing side of things.
On the other hand, there is the aspect of being; we need a practice that will assist us in developing an inner calm and silence.
And in my experience, meditation is the most effective means there is to achieve this condition.
Meditation and other forms of inner practice bring us closer and closer to becoming fully embodied expressions of our true nature.
And ultimately, we find out that, according to the writings of the Turkish poet and Sufi mystic Yunus Emre:
I am the drop that holds the ocean within it.
What a wonderful thing it would be to be an ocean tucked away within an endless drop.
***
To undertake a trip of the spirit is to set out on the most important and rewarding adventure that this life has to offer: the search for one’s soul.
I have high hopes that this essay, together with the advice that I have provided, will motivate you to go even deeper and reconnect with the core of who you really are.
In closing, I’d like to leave you with this really moving and introspective phrase written by the German poet and writer Herman Hesse:
Every birth brings with it the anguish of being severed from the All, of being confined within limitations, of being severed from God, and of experiencing the pain of being born again and again.
The enlargement of the soul to the point that it is once again able to embrace the All signifies that the soul has successfully reunited with God, which brings about the breakdown of the agonizing process of individuation.
Wait!
Wait a minute before you go.
Tell me:
What kinds of challenges have you had to overcome in your quest for self-discovery?
What are the victories?
I really hope that we can keep in touch.
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