Those undergoing the fifth and final stage of reincarnation are known as old souls. In this stage of soul evolvement there is a search for balance and completion, and an urge to pass on the torch before the end of reincarnation.
Contents
Journey’s End
Having completed the fourth stage of reincarnation*, the soul has come a long way.
- In the first stage, as an “Infant Soul” it learned about physical existence, life and death, and the need for nurturing.
- In the second stage, as a “Baby/Child Soul” it learned about society, culture and community, the need for structure, belonging, and playing a role.
- In the third stage, as a “Young Soul” it learned about free will and self-determination, taking charge of its own destiny, rising to the challenge.
- In the fourth stage, as a “Mature Soul” it learned about co-existence and interrelatedness, taking responsibility for its relationships, honouring difference and otherness.
At last, the soul is ready for the final leg of the journey: the return to unity and the end of reincarnation.
* For an overview of the stages of soul evolution, see Reincarnation: the 35 Steps
In Search of Unity
The Old Soul already has a well-developed sense of independence (from its Young Soul phase) and inter-dependence (from the Mature Soul phase). Now the soul also feels drawn to reconnect with the greater order of things, the underlying cosmic unity.
This does not mean overthrowing the lessons of the previous stages in favour of some nice, fluffy notion of oneness. Rather, it means coming to terms with all of life’s dualities (self and other, love and hate, joy and pain, etc.) as integral to the whole. In fact, the main lesson for Old Souls is to do with finding unity within diversity.
The Dalai Lama (Old Server)
The Realised Self
This return to unity does not involve any loss of individuality, as some imagine. The end of reincarnation — “ascension” or “enlightenment” or what have you — does not mean fading out of existence, dissolving into nothingness.
Rather, the soul completes its adventure as a unique individual, like a distinctive star in the night sky, a completely realised Self.
So to begin this stage, the soul will tend to focus on true self-expression and self-actualization. In other words, seeking experiences and activitiies which provide ultimate personal fulfilment within life on the physical plane.
This could be found in, say, art, science, acting, wine-growing, gardening, flying old aeroplanes, or simply being a grandparent. The soul is not interested in success or fame so much as doing something it loves well, living up to its true potential, and finding inner satisfaction.
Then, towards the end of the stage, there is more of an emphasis on teaching rather than simply learning: passing on the lessons learnt, showing others the way.
For some, especially Old Priest souls, the teaching focus is explicitly spiritual. Many of the world’s great spiritual teachers were/are Old Souls: Buddha, Jesus, Ramana Maharshi, and so on.
But that’s not to say that every self-proclaimed guru is an Old Soul. Far from it. There are spiritual teachers at all stages of reincarnation. But the advanced Old Soul has certain characteristics as a spiritual teacher that stand out from the rest: far-reaching wisdom, great compassion, inner peace, and little or no attachment to material things.
Old Soul Perceptions
In this final cycle on the Earth plane, the soul develops a more holistic perception of self, life and everything as part of a bigger picture. So while a Mature Soul (stage IV) comes to perceive others as its brothers and sisters, an Old Soul (stage V) comes to perceive both self and others as integral parts of a greater whole, all unique yet all essential.
In other words, the individual comes to perceive every thing, every being, every moment, as part of one great tapestry.
The issue now is how to relate to this united reality through one’s own being — how to be at peace with all of the conflicts, how to experience the harmony within all of the diversity.
This involves recognising the validity of each being’s chosen path in life within the broader scheme of things. We are all part of the One, and yet we are many, each pursuing a different path. And no path is wrong. Hence the Old Soul motto: “You do your thing and I’ll do mine.”
Old Soul Lifestyles
Old Souls become more relaxed, laid back and detached in life. Human existence is familiar and manageable, and there are not so many problems or issues to deal with.
The main issues, in fact, are existential rather than material or psychological. A potential pitfall for Old Souls is lapsing into apathy or complacency, no longer caring about life and the world. Unlike Young Souls, they are not driven to complete major projects before they die. As the physical plane begins to lose its allure, an older soul can show signs of being world-weary, even from birth.
Doing their own thing, Old Souls end up pursuing nothing but their own path whilst allowing others to pursue theirs, just perfecting their own abilities, being themselves in life to the best that they can. Many do so through artistic, humanitarian or philosophical endeavours, though for many others their greatest form of self-fulfillment can be something as mundane as gardening. Work, rest and play all become the same thing.
In the end, joy is found in simply being as opposed to doing.
Other Old Soul Characteristics
How can you spot an old soul?
Old Souls have a level of self-assurance that is unusual for souls in other stages. This isn’t the same as the brash confidence or “can-do” attitude of Young Souls. Rather, Old Souls are generally relaxed and philosophical about life, at ease with themselves and others, and have fewer worldly concerns.
That’s not to say that Old Souls have no issues; many clearly do. (We all have issues of some sort right up until our very last life.) But unlike Mature Souls, Old Souls do not let their issues stress them out.
Old Souls tend to emanate a calm, steady quality that has substance, depth or gravitas. In contrast, Young Souls tend to appear frantic and superficial while Mature Souls seem perpetually stressed and assailed by life. You can often hear it in the voice —
- Young Souls tend to talk loud and fast (“I’m right and you know it!”)
- Mature Souls have a sort of soft tone laced with uncertainty (“I’m really not sure I can cope with this …”)
- Old Souls tend to have a slow, deep voice – relaxed, assured and unhurried (“If there’s one thing I know, it’s that I know nothing…”).
This inner calm and depth is also evident in the old soul’s eyes. Whereas Young Souls cannot make eye contact for long, and Mature Souls will do so occasionally, when they’re not too stressed or distracted, Old Souls tend to make direct eye contact with an unflinching gaze. (Note: This is not the same as the cold stare of a psychopath!) They are unafraid to look another in the eyes and see into their heart.
Old Souls are like citizens of the world, not so much identified with their country or culture of origin. They tend to be drawn to the quiet life away from the noise of the city. Old Kings in particular will tend to spend their last lives as homeless, wandering teachers.
Some Notable Old Souls
Old souls who become famous tend to do so by virtue of their mastery, compassion, insight and wisdom rather than ambition.
Many of the finest minds in history have been old souls: Marcus Aurelius (121-180), Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), Carl Jung (1875-1961).
In the arts we have the composer J. S. Bach (1685-1750), the painter Paul Gauguin (1848-1903, now apparently reincarnated as artist Peter Teekamp).
Also the writer Walt Whitman (1819-1892), now apparently reincarnated as the writer/activist Alice Walker.
In the acting profession, there are numerous Old Souls who excel at playing characters who are, essentially, younger souls — mainly because there aren’t that many scripts featuring older soul characters!
Morgan Freeman is well known for the gravitas he brings to every role.
Finally, many of the world’s great spiritual teachers have been late-stage old souls passing on their wisdom: Gurdjieff (1866-1949), Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895-1986), Ramana Maharshi (1879-1950), Anandamayi Ma (1896-1962), Neem Karoli Baba (d. 1973), the Dalai Lama, Ammachi (Mātā Amritanandamayī Devi), and Thich Nhat Hanh.
The End of Reincarnation
There are seven levels to every stage of soul evolution, including this one. After completing the 7th level of the Mature Soul stage, the soul begins its next life as a 1st-level Old Soul. The soul then undergoes the whole cycle of development, one life at a time, until finally it reaches 7th level. This is the final step, step 35, in the 35 steps of reincarnation.
Now, I occasionally meet people who are convinced that they must now be in their final incarnation simply because they are so “spiritual” and have no liking for the material world. This is not how it works.
The goal of evolution is not to escape from the wretched physical plane, despite what many teach. The end of reincarnation is not some sort of reward for good behaviour. Human existence is not a prison, or a wheel of torment, from which only the most worthy gain liberation.
We incarnate because we want to and we choose to. We keep doing it precisely because we want to come to terms with it. We know that in each life we will probably spend several decades not remembering who we are, not remembering our eternal Home, buying into the illusion of separation, experiencing fear. This is the very stuff which inspires us to become more conscious.
Completion occurs when it matters not whether you are incarnate or discarnate: you see through the illusion and you always feel at Home.
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Consider Ramana Maharshi, an Old Scholar and a model of pure enlightenment. Towards the end of his life, some of his students begged him not to die, not to leave them. His answer was: “But where could I possibly go?” He knew that both he and everybody else are already Home, and always will be, having never really left it. → See: Abide As The Self [DVD] |
So the last lifetime is one in which you are very content to be in physical form, using it as an opportunity to teach and enlighten others – or to simply enjoy being physical one last time. If you have issues with being physical, then you still have a way to go.
Cycling Off: The Higher Stages
On completion of the seventh level of the Old Soul stage (or “cycling off”), there is no longer any need or desire to reincarnate. The soul will unify its consciousness with soul mates who have also completed, and it may serve as an elder spirit guide to others still undergoing reincarnation. But there is no longer value to be had in incarnating as a human being.
There are some rare exceptions, however.
A number of old Priest souls such as the philosopher Socrates, the Prophet Mohammed and Mahatma Gandhi are said to have incarnated to become vehicles for a higher level of consciousness capable of inspiring a cultural revolution. The higher consciousness manifested through these individuals only in later life. From that point on, they are referred to in the Michael teachings as “transcendental souls”.
Rarer still, Jesus Christ and the Buddha are said to be examples of old King souls who returned to become the physical embodiment of divine love, pure consciousness and ultimate truth, the Tao itself in human form. In other words, avatars. Again, the transformation did not occur until some point in adulthood. But from then on, these individuals are said to be manifestations of the “infinite soul”.
Recommended reading
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The Michael HandbookA Channeled System For Self UnderstandingJOSÉ STEVENS and SIMON WARWICK-SMITH(Warwick Press, 1990)Amazon link → |
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Journey of SoulsCase Studies of Life Between LivesMICHAEL NEWTON, Ph.D.(Llewellyn, 1994)Amazon link → |
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Old SoulsThe Sages and Mystics of Our WorldALETHEIA LUNA(KINDLE only: Amazon, 2013)Amazon link → |
The Five Stages of Reincarnation
Stage 1 |
Stage 2 |
Stage 3 |
Stage 4 |
Stage 5 |
| Infant Soul | Baby Soul | Young Soul | Mature Soul | Old Soul |
Is Heath Ledger an Old Soul?
Sorry, not sure if Mature or Old. An Artisan I suspect.
So it’s just one state of being? I have a feeling it’s not so limited.
?
Emotions for example… We have many… Being a Christian Paul comes to mind… In the bible Saul becomes Paul in one lifetime… I think that is possible for all beings… The only limits we have are the ones we agree to have… All men agree it would not be good to give birth given the plumbing they have… So they can’t
My point is everything can change if it agrees to it. Souls most of all.
Think of the 4 minute mile first run in 1954 I believe. … Now most trained runners can do it
Hey and what about Michael Jackson, he definitly have an old soul. I can even say it by looking in his eyes..
Michael Jackson has been channeled as 5th level Mature Soul, same as David Bowie, and myself as it happens. Old Souls generally don’t have the same drive to make a big splash and commitment to hard work.
For a good example of an Old soul pop/rock star, take a look at Rodriguez, the subject of the documentary Searching for Sugarman ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKXewWDh1og )
I think your evolvement can become a little higher during a single incarnation. I set up my lesson plan to block myself completely and have had to rely on many Mediums to communicate with the 5th Dimensdion (spirit world). My father bit off more than he could chew and was not a good role model and after remodeling will redo this lesson plan – My mother was (is) quite evolved and voluntered to come in and assist our families Guides in our achieving our lesson plans.
I’m not sure how we evolve because 30yrs ago I had a yellow spirit aura and last week when visiting my favorite, somewhat renowned Medium, Lord Stefano channeled him and indicated my aura is now a light purple. The last five years (in retirement) has been studing spirituality (some religion) and supposing the Source / Creator sparked THIS universe most recently and of course created or directed the creation of all matter in it. It is so easy to understand and accept that everthing and everybody is part of the Christ Consciousness – “I AM that I AM” – and have individuality – but yet we are part of the Source universe plasma of Unconditional Love.
The hardest part is letting go of the emotions of this “rock & roll” dimension and full acceptance of unconditional love for all and everything. As a past Military Man and Electrical Engineer, I meditate a bunch, seek ALL my Guides patience and advice but still find myself become opinionated. And I still have 2 to 3 years left of this incarnation. But complete Love is winning out!
If a younger soul incurs a karmic debt against an older mature or old soul, the older soul will likely have forgiven that debt at the moment it was incurred. Is that debt simply erased or will the Universe exact payment in another way?
As far as I understand it, karma isn’t simply erased if the “victim” forgives the “perpetrator”. Forgiveness will help raise consciousness in that moment and prevent the karmic exchange from escalating, but it does not alter the fact that one has experienced something intense and unexpected due to the choice of another. It is these imposed experiences which, once created, are always returned to their creator through some future interaction. So when it comes to restoring balance (“repaying the debt”), the necessary outcome is for the karma creator to experience the same quality and intensity of feeling at the hands of the same individual.
Now, if a young soul punches you in the nose, it may seem unlikely that as a mature or old soul you would ever have reason or desire to return the punch in a later life. However, for one thing, the physical action (punch) does not have to be exactly the same. Rather, it is the transfer of experience (nose pain, shock, loss of dignity, whatever) that must be of the same quality and intensity. You could, for example, be a doctor who has to break that person’s nose in order to repair it.
Also, remember that during each life we begin at square one (at birth), barely conscious, not bringing our full soul age into focus until aged 35 or so. As a five year old, an Old Soul will act like a Baby Soul. By age ten, more like a Young Soul. By age twenty, like a Mature Soul. So there is ample opportunity in the context of childhood for any karmic experience to be returned to its original creator, even if it would seem utterly out of character in later life.
And also, when the karma is due to be returned the two participants will have agreed to it in their pre-birth life plans, so in the heat of the moment they will both intuitively go along with it, as though in a trance, and the events will unfold with a sort of weird inevitability.
August 10th i woke up dead, and ever since each dream, spiritual text, this article exact, my random baptism date by the 3rd person I ask, I read understanding the Bible in a week, I’ve always been a loner, oul soul. I hurt from others judgment, I never needed anything and never had a thing, I’ve loved the ones who are judged, and I eat with the addicts, gays, everyone most judge. After many proposed, sex is sex unless you love, i cried when at 19 when learning my 1st was expect, and said he is a boy which my biological grandpa will hold and parish to see the bloodline go on. He did. When learning of my 2nd I said damn. I always wanted a girl,but he will be my Halloween baby. He waited 2 weeks after due till Halloween and as we left to be induced her water broke. I said 8 years ago before I got married this year she would leave, so I’d rather travel without my angel. She has, and when I asked our Lord if I can take the weight of her sins I realized the angel I always dreamed of and gave everything to is a sociopath or psychopath and felt thankful and received although a month before I wrote whilesleeping you can come home or stay and hurt tremendously but use your gift to help others. Someone wanted me to meet in an abandoned ally 2 days later, and the dreams keep coming awake and asleep. The word of the world is love, and I AM spread it through every reincarnation with a different parable everyone could understand. Im a confused fella right now, because my dreams and discoveries this year come in death to a 33yo Pisces who’s been a selfless forgiving drug user since 11 born in Missouri now believing the Bible is a manipulation but learned to believe in christ and all other peaceful selfless messages of spreading love in less than a year and understands more than some ever do. Why did it hurt to watch hate fueling the desire at 11 to journey and wear my use for all to see become a spiritual awakening about 3 months before the Pisces of my 33 to stall me so i have to suffer in humility while the purest evil mimicks emotions others believe. November i dreamed my wife died in 2 i get our boy i name meaning attached. If anyone knows anything about this crazy stuff please message. I already understand I’m going to be ridiculed because love gets punished as opposites of the evil before it prevails. Thank you
Joe , I think we are going along the same path or journey.. I would like to speak with you if at all possible.. please email me at michaellirginc@gmail.com
I also wanna say i ended at 23 in the Navy although I can’t kill even an animal, and my dream was to get full disability so I can volunteer as an addition specialist which I surprised doctor’s by knowing it has nothing to with drugs, and after 5 years of waiting i got it and as a client first I felt happier by giving my knowledge than I have in most my life. I hope our father feels our faith that his will be on earth as back at home. Now i haven’t been able to read everything since less than a year, but feb 26 i looked at my zodiac sign for the first time and it marks Pisces as birth of the Christ due to return in 2050 about. I just be maybe God show me something to say acknowledge me and ask.
Was the late JFK an old soul?
Actually, a young soul – which just goes goes to show that young souls can certainly be wise, compassionate and ‘enlightened’ in their own way. Specifically, JFK is said to have been a 6th level Young King with a goal of Acceptance, an Intellectually centered Idealist in the mode of Passion with a chief feature of Martyrdom.
Why do people consider Dostoevsky to be a mature soul? The man had way too much wisdom to impart regarding the human condition to be merely mature I think. I don’t think mature souls necessarily have a monopoly on leading tortured lives, and the stereotype regarding laid back above-it-all old souls probably really only applies to late level old souls. I think the vast majority of “creative geniuses” are old souls frankly, because producing great art often requires a level of wisdom that mature souls often simply don’t possess. The mature soul artists I would say are often the narcissistic “look at me, I’m a great artist” ones like T.S. Eliot, Miles Davis and so on.
A 4th-level Mature soul as channelled by Sarah Chambers:
My understanding is that mature souls are driven by a desire to get everything ‘right’ from every possible perspective, until exhaustion gets the better of them. The stereotypical tortured artist is a mature soul, trying to reconcile the pursuit of inner truth and beauty with multiple other, often conflicting, demands, both internal and external. Painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, for example.
Old souls are driven increasingly by nothing but their own passions and interests and pay little heed to other demands. They are more detached and lack the need to get anything ‘right’. They can also come across as lazy, as they don’t care so much about finishing what they’ve started. (Again, see the documentary Searching For Sugarman for a good example.)
But Barry: To what extent is being a “tortured artist” merely the result of a highly sensitive individual trying to survive in an extremely insensitive world. Suggesting that being an old soul is someone who’s successfully learned to “shut their brain off” feels anti-intellectual to me. I’m sure if the Dalai Lama lived in Chicago or Dallas he’d pretty soon become a “tortured artist” as well. I’m not so sure I can get on board with the idea that spiritual teachings of say a Buddhist nature are the sign of a soul that’s necessarily more evolved than say the intellectual contributions of Nietzsche, Dostoevsky, Kafka and so forth. That’s just me though.
In reply to your last comment (I couldn’t reply to it for some reason?), I can see your point. But I feel that saying a buddhist’s wisdom is more evolved than, say, Nietzsche’s makes it seem as if there is a hierarchy and one is better.
Any soul age has access to great wisdom. We’re all connected to the same source of consciousness after all. It’s just that older souls have more experience and thus are much more likely to reach and express that wisdom. But a baby soul can be wise and a old soul foolish, depending on the circumstance.
So to use your analogy of the Dalai Lama in Chicago: I would imagine that he would not be as easily distracted by the chaos. If he’s had a lot of experience as a soul then he’d have a greater sense of self and a stronger connection to inner peace that a younger soul would.
Thank you, made me feel home at last. 🙂
Wow… I don’t know i’m smiling and feeling so content right now. I’m just thinking about how wonderful everything really is… LIKE ITS SO .. Beautiful.. How everything you think makes 0 sense comes together and entangles with eachother and all of a sudden you just see how it is. I love this so much, it’s easy to get lost in pain and be like “I’ve had enough of this shit.” But when I look at the things that’s been hurting me they don’t hurt anymore they are more like an appreciation for the experience of that pain and how it’s opened an understanding of it. It’s so weird also cause i’m like “What am I? I’m so confused:” And then I start to feel inside and I get this “I know exactly what I am and how I came to be” feeling. It’s just that I try to translate it into words and that doesn’t work that well haha. I also love people so much regardless if they are a baby soul or old soul I feel like they are so special and amazing and I can learn from them just as much regardless of stage and level. Friends say to me “Seriously you can compliment anything!” It’s not like I look at the good side I try to look at all sides of it and then I just get so amazed by how … it works and how it is and how invidual and different it is than me but at the same time it’s just like me, it’s hard to explain!
Mm, thank you very much for writing these articles, they help and heal more than you think.
Hehe ^///^
It feels good to write from the heart even though it can be confusing sometimes.
Even after a soul is completed with all stages of reincarnation. Is it free to have the choice to return to earth and reincarnate more?
Yes, in a way – see:
https://personalityspirituality.net/faq/after-last-reincarnation/
There would be no learning value for the soul itself; it would be in a teaching or coaching capacity, like e.g., Gandhi. There are still cycles of evolution to go through after reincarnation though, so the “learning process” isn’t over as soon as reincarnation is completed.
Michael has said that at the end of a cycle of physical incarnations, which is called a “grand cycle” by Michael, our individual spark of consciousness can choose to start again, as a “baby” soul, in another environment, as a member of another species, for the purpose of new experiences. (One wouldn’t go back to college for the same degree, once one had already graduated.)
In an article by Shepherd Hoodwin (a Michael channel) on the Michaelteachings.com site, he says that the average number of previous grand cycles of those on earth is four. The average number of previous grand cycles of those Michael students who have come to him for channeling is 11-12. Jesus (the essence present before the Infinite Soul took residence) is said to have had 19 previous cycles. (I have been channeled with 12.) We may have those souls we are especially close with in this current cycle who we have known in previous grand cycles.
I found an interesting little study that was done, with channeled info about the previous life forms that eight Michael students had been, in their previous grand cycles. A total of 41 grand cycles among them were charted. People have indeed previously been all of the ‘alien’ species we now hear about in paranormal discussion: Nordics, Grays, Reptilians; Bear, Lion, Bird and other animal-types, Mantids; as well as plant beings, silicone-based life, and other life forms.
http://bigpicturequestions.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Report2-GrandCycles.pdf
But what about even if the soul has completed stages 6, and 7 in the spiritual planes. Will is always be free to have the choice to return to earth? Thank you for responding! 🙂
Yes. Except that it won’t be like one little soul thinking to itself “shall I do that again?” as by then it will, in effect, experience and know itself to be merged with the Tao itself, or the “mind of God”, without any sense of separation from others or from the rest of reality. It will be more like a surge of divine inspiration.
Thank you so much! But It seems really comforting to know that we still have the choice to come back to earth. But when we do, after we have completed the 6,th and 7th cycles, can we still choose to live a normal life, or will it be only for religious beliefs?
I also want to know how old my soul is. I think I’m an old soul. But I don’t think I am as well, because I feel like earth is home.
What would you say are the soul ages of Hitchcock, Scorsese, and Kubrick? Personally, I think Hitch may have been early old. The other two mature most likely, although Scorsese might even be a young soul.
According to my notes, Scorsese is a Young Sage in Dominance.
Hitchcock was a Server with goal of Dominance, I would guess Mature.
Kubrick … not sure TBH … 🙁
EDIT: For what it’s worth, I suspect that Kubrick was the artist Poussin in a former life.
Sorry, but this question has really been bothering me. When we a completely done with all 7 stages of the reincarnation cycle, are we forever free to choose to reincarnate and have the choice to return to live lives on earth?
Also, can we switch between the physical, (earth) , and spiritual (heaven) realms?
Please reply ASAP! Thank you so much! 🙂 🙂
See What happens after our last reincarnation?
Dear Barry,
Is it possible to die and be resuscitated, and then mature from one soul state to another as a result of such an experience?
Are you referring to the near-death experience? I believe that is ineeded one way in which we can “level up” from one soul age level to another with the same body/lifetime, i.e. the experience of death and rebirth. So for example, a 7th level young soul might undergo an NDE and after resuscitation start over as a 1st level mature soul.
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Hi I took a big over dose when I was really down along time ago I collapsed my x husband couldn’t. Pick me up he had to drag me and put me on the sofa and covered me up.. It was like i was floating in the air i could see two people. I knew stood at the side of the house looking at there new extension just been built. Then i seen a bright white light in surrounding total. Blackness in front of the light stood a black figure and a males voice shouting. My name i woke up the next day at 11.10 and when my x said to me look at the state of you i got of the sofa and looked in the mirror. I had blood from my nose and side of my mouth dry… Am still 16 years later keep thinking about it… Is that a near death experience. Thanks for any replys
Definitely an out-of-body experience with some astral elements. Technically, it would be a near-death experience only if your body actually died (heart/brain death), and I don’t know from what you’ve said whether that was the case. Not that it matters!
Oh how very fascinating! As a person who recalls a few of my lifetimes, I found this article very compelling and completely understood. At least once I had read it. Like knowledge that I already knew, yet hadn’t been aware of it until it was presented in such an outstanding way. Thank you for bringing this understanding to the masses. I am sure those who need to find it will find it…. It was timely for me…. much needed as I address a serious challenge in my current life. Namaste…. 🙂
Great to hear. Thank you 🙂
After reading a lot of material on this website I became curious about something. All that is being said is applied to the human species. Other animals like cats and dogs have emotions, consciousness and awareness. Even plants have been proven to be conscious and aware. So where do other animals and plants fall in the grand scheme of things?
Thanks
Wade
All life forms are conscious, but the majority are simply experiencing physical life as participants in a mass co-creation. Very few are self-aware enough to reflect on possible choices and make novel decisions that change reality. The souls who inhabit human beings, however, are doing exactly that – actively evolving themselves their own way, individually and jointly, through karma and free will. Mass co-creation is still part of it, but each of us is individually discovering our uniqueness by asserting ourselves differently. This is why we sometimes envy animals – their lives seem so natural and effortless in comparison.
So what type of souls inhabit animal bodies? Would animals go to the same “heaven” as humans?
Thanks
Wade
The same cosmic consciousness and life force inhabits, or animates, all living things. However, there are different degrees of complexity. There isn’t much individuality and self-awareness in the consciousness of most animal species (insects, fish, etc), though there is some individuality among mammals.
Human beings, in contrast, are very individualised, very self-aware, and very complicated because of the perceptions, emotions and choices that arise with having an ego. The ego is both an obstacle and an evolutionary stimulus – it causes us to feel separate and have a desire for control, which leads to all kinds of conflicts, but eventually we learn to overcome the limitations of ego and bring our higher awareness into life. Among humans, young souls are the most ego-identified. Mature and old souls are learning to transcend ego.
Animals can seem more spiritual to us because they lack ego; this is because they are not animated by consciousness that is on the path of individuation – learning from ego-centric perceptions and choices – which we are. The afterlife consciousness of animals is therefore not as individuated as ours; it is more like a collection of beautiful networks. However, the memory of individual animal life experiences is eternal and always available between lives, so when we die we often see our beloved pets and other creatures. If we meet our pet dog, for example, it’s a combination of doggy consciousness plus the memories of that specific dog’s life and experiences, presenting itself in a form that we know and love. The love felt by pets for us as individual humans is likewise permanent.
Barry, thank you for the great site and sharing your wisdom! It’s a fantastic resource!
With regards to other animals we human animals completely underestimate them and we oveestimate ourselves. I have worked with animals and some of them are more evolved than certain humans!
I notice everyone considers themselves an old soul when asked yet these are the same folks who have idol worship and watch celebrity news and eat Mcdonalds!
Last but not least, I 100% believe in reincarnation, however, I’m not sure I believe in the idea you have to reincarnate X number of times. I believe (or choose to) in free will and that reincarnation is a choice. You may never achieve the highest levels but you can learn lessons on the other planes of existence.
Thank you Max.
Thanks Barry for the insight. I think I have an understanding of what you are explaining to me now.
Cheers
Wade
First of all I would like to say that Barry you are doing a amazing job with this site, I have been reading it for a very long time, I first came across Michael Newton book in 2012 and since then I have been reading everything I came across about this subject. Your comments are very to the core of things, and it is amazing how much energy you have when it comes to explaining everything. I have been wanting to ask, for you help in getting some insight in to the soul stage that I am in right now, simply because for me it is a bit difficult to get the information. I was thinking I could describe myself and than maybe based on that you could give me some information. Since early years I was always interested in adults, and was born according to my mum as already disciplined child. Anger, jealousy, and other ego games seemed like already done lessons, I always had I feeling like this is not my home, and since I was a kid I knew that that old saying ”You only have this life” is not true. I have been meditating since I was 12, I am now 30. 4 Years ago my mum had cancer, and even then I have been able to go in to meditation and to visually cleanse her cancer cells. After that I felt a shift in my mind like I have moved to a higher level. Regarding job to me it is not important the status but that is something that pays the bills so that I could focus on my spiritual life. In the past year I have developed I feeling like all of us being and plants, and animals are connected and that despite of how it looks to us, everything is how it should be, and that the biggest problems are happening because people are not seen each other as a part of one great being. When I have came across the work of Jiddu Krishnamurti and Osho I had a feeling like I was reading my own thoughts. I can easily clean my energy centers and overcome emotional problems. New feelings that have started to show up are that we people are making a mistake by trying to make ourselves safe when in reality we should learn that nothing is sure not even the next breath and to learn to be content in a moment. I have seen in meditation some of my past lives , and try to get an answer from my guides about my soul level, but I have a problem when in comes to trusting my own mind. So my guesses where that maybe I am late mature or maybe first level old. I am not really sure, so any type of opinion you might have is of great importance to me, I am really thankful to you. Also I apologize if I have made some mistakes english is not my native language. All the best to you , and thank you for all your work. Marija
Hi Marija,
It’s hard to give a precise assessment based on a few paragraphs, but my sense from it all would be, like you said, late (7th?) Mature or early Old. 7th level Mature occurred to me because there is a sense of ‘completeness’ about you, like you know what you’re doing and are preparing to move on. There is a level of detachment which is also consistent with an old soul, but presumably early level (or you wouldn’t be so interested in asking!). Hope that helps.
Glad you like the site!
can i talk to you? i am currently undergoing a traumatic experience and need spiritual help.
Barry, fantastic website. I have a fairly simple question; are we only able to communicate with souls who have crossed over IF they are not currently in a new encarnation? Or how does that play out? Thanks!
No, we can communicate with anyone, dead or alive, but usually in our dream state. The major portion of any soul remains ‘Home’ – only a minor portion is involved in human incarnation, so even those incarnate are always still accessible at some level.
Thank you so much Barry, I was thinking the same and I am constantly waving between those two levels, I feel like I was gravitating more towards 1 level old, with some things to handle from a mature circle, but like you said it is very difficult to make a clear vision simply because it is not so black and white, but hearing your opinion has helped me a lot. Thank you again.
My bad it actually turns out I was wrong and I’m a mature soul so that’s why I’m a tad neurotic lol
I’m curious as to the soul age of Shigeru Miyamoto (The creator of the Mario video games)?
once you’ve learned your life lesson do you go home for good?
Yes, but then again we always go home after each and every lifetime. It’s not like we are “exiled” from the Light until we learn all our lessons. We always reside in the Light between our human lives. We just choose to incarnate in order to learn the lessons of individual existence. Then, once we’ve learned it all, there is no longer any value in incarnating (unless we choose to come back one last time as a catalyst for change, such as Gandhi).
The population of the world at the time agriculture emerged in around 10,000 BC have ranged between 1 million and 15 million. The current population is 7.6 billion. If every person now living has reincarnated, then why does the total population grow exponentially with each generation? …makes no sense to me. If you reincarnate from lower life forms why do you not hear of it?
The population of people alive at any given time actually tells us nothing about the total number of souls reincarnating as humans. What if, say, there are actually 100 billion souls reincarnating, but only 7.6 % are incarnate right now? It isn’t the total pool of souls that is increasing exponentially, but simply the percentage who are incarnating at once.
Estimates of past population size are also misleading; they tell us only how many people were alive on average at different points in history, but now how many different people actually lived (were born and died) over a period of time. Fertility and mortality rates affect this number a great deal. (We can estimate the number of lives born over a given period from an estimate of the likely number of births per head of population per year. Today that figure is about 20 births per year for every 1,000 people, but in ancient history it was more like 80.) For example, the average population may have been one billion in the 19th Century, but that doesn’t mean that only one billion individuals lived during that whole century. Many more were born and died — more like two billion overall.
According to estimates by the Population Research Bureau, about 47 billion human beings were born before 1AD, and 60 billion have been born since, adding up to almost 107 billion. That’s a conservative estimate, but it’s enough to give each of us alive today at least 14 past lives.
Barry , I have a question has it been channeled anywhere what soul stage was Elisabeth Haich? I can’t seem to find anything on her anywhere in the michael teachings and by reading her book it seams that she is old soul? Thank you so much.
Marija,
Sorry, I haven’t been able to find anything. She looks like a Priest though.
Thank you very much
Dear Barry, Im a lost soul confused of where my place is. I feel I should be wise, but Im so young in my thoughts. What stage of incarnation am I at?
Thankyou.
Hi Ruth. First question is, how old are you (physically)?
Hi Barry, I have just celebrated the big 40.
My guess (on what little information I have) would be that you’re a mature soul going through what’s called the 4th internal monad, the mid-life stage in which we seek to discover what we are really doing here in this life in order to begin manifesting it, which is most agonising for mature souls. Hence feeling “a lost soul confused of where my place is.”
Hello. I have taken a few tests from Micheal teachings. But Before that, and coming here I thought I was whats considered a mature soul, and after taking some tests it says I am an old soul and a king role. I’m a little young (28), and from further reading says I won’t truly know until a little later. Is that true? but some things here I don’t really desire. For instance I don’t really want to be a homeless wander. . Also I have a very detached view, so much sometimes people get annoyed and think Im uncaring at times
In every life our consciousness awakens from scratch, slowly rising in maturity through all the levels until it reaches the plateau of the soul’s age/level. We don’t reach the top of the plateau until mid-life (35-45). So, for example, an old soul will think & act like a young soul and then a mature soul while in their youth. The old-soul depth of wisdom & compassion will start showing towards mid life.
If you were an old king living your last level/life, you just wouldn’t care whether you were homeless or not. You would be such a master of physical life that everywhere would be home to you.
Barry
Whenever i look at osho’s eyes (photos), i become very silent. As if there’s a merging of two souls.
At 34yo i have lost my desire to go out, meet with friends, go to the malls, etc. I am simply content staying at home and basically be with my dogs.
I have this funny and weird feeling that i’m older than my mom or everyone around me.
I used to do vipassana meditations. But now i stopped all efforts at meditating coz i feel meditation has become automatic. For instance, whenever i get angry, i get really angry and identified with the anger but then after few seconds or minutes, the tendency is to automatically observe my own reaction, feelings, thoughts.
Whenever i feel bad, i don’t even have the desire to feel good. I just stay and sit whatever is in front of me.
I also noticed i have been buying books of osho, anthony de mello, eckhart tolle, papaji, maharshi, adyashanti, jeff foster etc which i never read. It’s as if i know the gist of everything they want to convery already.
Im very much attached to my dogs still but has been detached to people.
I dont watch tv. I dont have social media accounts. I basically cut myself from my social groups.
I still enjoy watching youtube but i feel as though im stalling something.
Im so lazy that i dont do anything really. Just sit, eat, play with dogs and sleep.
Would you have any idea of my soul age?
Personally, I am a young soul who has the chractertics of both a mature and old soul. I’m going to keep it this way for the time being. I want to use my newly found confidence and ambition to control how people perceive me and to help push me over the top against my competitors. I am truly blessed and have the greatest motivation in life
What about babies that are lost in Miscarriage/Stillbirth or a very young age?
My older brother died at 30 minutes old. He was born 12 weeks early, so had problems they couldn’t fix in those days.
I had an early miscarriage at 6 weeks 3 days pregnant. The hospital said my baby’s heart might never have started beating.
Does their very short lives count as a part of the reincarnation stages?
At the soul level, there are various possibilities for such ultra short lives being agreed upon:
– the soul who had initially agreed to be born there simply backs out of the agreement before birth (in this case the mother might sense it);
– a soul wants/needs to experience a certain kind of death for some karmic reason and decides to get it over with ASAP;
– the parents want/need to experience the loss of a baby for some reason as part of their own learning plans.
Thank you Julie for asking that question, is something I very much wonder as well, having had 2 miscarriages and a son that passed away at 40 days old. I am sincerely sorry for your loss.
How do I know which souls type I embody most? I am still so unsure after reading this. I definitely don’t feel like an old soul haha. Can my life life experiences set me back in the process if I don’t handle them properly? I really hope I’m far along in the process, this is pretty exhausting stuff. Maybe I’m just unsure because I’m only 22? Gosh I just don’t know what to think. I hope I grow a lot more before I’m 35. I feel like some crazy cross between the first four stages lol. I feel very lost! I don’t really know much about this anyways.
Hello. Unsure if you’re still answering, but thought I’d give it a shot.
There was a delightful German book on souls/ages that Shepard Hoodwin brought to a party one day.
It talked about soul ages, and functions of the levels.
I feel like i recall the 6th level Mature as being marked as looking inward instead of outward (as far as accomplishment goes. Marveling at the personal development of the self)
I forget which level of young she said was learning about what it meant to have your trust profoundly broken…
It was interesting.
Anyhoo… Do you have any insights on how like, a level 6 Mature, or an Old 2, would appear?
(I’m curious to know comparison. How the layers gel together)
*Thank You Barry* for this post. It has been very helpful!
…I have been reading many articles of this sort (Old Souls), trying to discern where I am in all this**. As I am reading, my heart feels like it wants to burst — in joy — and also deep recognition, and I am often weepy by the end…
**Viewing spirituality from the perspective of reincarnation is relatively new to me. But I have been mystically spiritual since before I was five years old.
…I am so So *SO* weary of this world and have been going back to early childhood — things can be going wonderfully for me in the ordinary sense, and yet I feel spiritually homesick: I. Do. Not. Belong. Here…
…Still, I don’t have all the characteristics of Old Souls, I seem to have bits of all stages in me, but they are good bits, helpful bits. (I have done *MUCH* shadow work in the last two decades (I am 58 years old), and in this time, I have also transitioned into womanhood as a female person (birth-assigned male) who occupies the blurry space between intersex and transsexual.). AND SO I wonder that maybe I am a late-stage Mature Soul? I have a solid recognition of Mature Soul in me, but I don’t have the teary emotional response that I do with Old Soul…
Could I be on the border between stages Or simply in the early stage(s) of Old Soul?
The prior stages, I recognize, but there seems to be no emotional resonance — these stages don’t *move* me.
But I am not a crusty old codger — there is a whimsical sparkle in my eyes and people tell me that I am “radiant,” “authentic,” a “fragrant presence,” and a “beautiful soul.” I make beauty in my surroundings, actively spread random kindness, and though I cherish my alone time, I like beimg around people and I long to be a blessing to others (and I don’t care if it is noticed or reciprocated – sometimes it is, often it is not). I have come through very deep traumas and trials, and I have loved deeply, and most greviously, and in all I strive to live gracefully hoping to improve people’s lives simply by being in their proximity (though I feel spiritually adjacent to people on the other side of the world)…
…This also raises a question in me: I seem to have gone through all these stages in THIS lifetime! Can that be possible t have learned so much in so little (cosmic) time? People who know me have told me I am unusually self-aware, and they have never seen anyone make the quantity and quality of positive life changes I have. Some of these people have seen me up close as I would deal with crippling bits of my shadow, make positive changes that would then open me to new growth with other bits of my shadow (like my childhood rapes, for example)…
…AND also in this search as I awaken (THAT seems clear to me at least), if reincarnation is real than I just want it to end…I am *so weary*…I don’t want to do life anymore, and I have wanted to die since my early childhood (since before the rapes). I feel like I am on carnival ride that is making me sick and I want “off the ride” before I vomit on anyone…and also for decades, I have wanted to be removed from life because I don’t want to be the cause of other’s hurt and suffering. ALL THIS and I exude a whimsical child-likeness (not childish) with wisdom beyond my years (though I look much younger than I am in years).
Barry? Other Souls? Do you have any thoughts about what this means please?
Love, Blessings & Joy!!
Bretta
…Be Kind! Be Kind! And when in doubt, do the kind thing.
…Okay! After more study and soul-searching, I believe my intuition is right that I am an early stage Old Soul. I have considered all the many “tells” in my life experience and how I function, AND I believe I have discovered something that I do not think I have read in any article nor comment, but now seems self-evident:
When our life settles-out past middle age, we will generally “top-out” at our soul age, neither understanding nor really desiring what can be had in the next stage. We all develop from infant up to our soul age but not *significantlu beyond* no matter how old we become in our current life. The 7th level of the current age and 1st level of the next age are liminal places were we blur from one stage to the next, BUT our age will still be evident when our overall life is carefully considered.
When I went back to study all the stages up to Mature, what resonated was my strong familiarity of the Mature stage, along with a profound sense of closure like: “yep, been there and *finished it*!”
Then, I looked at where my development in this life is going, and I see that over the last two decades, I have grown past Mature characteristics into distinctly Old Soul characteristics in wide swaths of my being, attitudes & experience, while clearly leaving many of the problematic parts of Mature Soul behind me. I have not yet “topped-out” in my developement in this life. So I conclude pretty confidently that I am somewhere in the early stage of Old Soul. This analysis fits my intuition, and I now feel very *grounded* in it.
As an aside, I see similarities between Soul Stages/Ages (SS/A) and Spiral Dynamics (SD). Here, I moved through the early SD stages such that the “center of gravity” for me had been in the Yellow (2nd-tier, Integral) stage. But I have long had tendrils of being, knowledge, and experience into the Turquoise stage that have been growing much more numerous and stronger over the last five years. My “center of gravity” is not yet Turquoise, but I feel my “center of gravity” moving out of Yellow and into Tourquise, where I am living more aspects of my life there and I have greater emotional affinity and understanding there. Similar to SS/A, I have not yet “topped-out.” Goodness!!
Anyone, please let me know what you think about all this!
Love, Blessings & Joy
Bretta
…It’s okay to be different!
What would you do if you weren’t afraid?
Growing beyond my comments above, I have realized that I am self-actualized, and I am on the path to self transcendence…this coming so easily now, so naturally.
…What would Love do Now?
I’m only 18 years old rn. Going some psychological problem (depression and anxiety). I’m not fit with society or any religion, felt like something just felt missing if I following them. I hate to stay in one place. I don’t care about job (this is so bad). My bestie, she have mature soul. We still can get along. I’m studying Psychology in University. Everything seem so confusing. I know later I will understand what’s going on. So yeah just go with the flow 👍 not sure what my soul is, I can’t judge. Maybe I could be mature soul (?) Had no idea. Everything just made me tired. I’m a loner too.
this site is amazing. i’m learning so much 🙂
i have a question though. is there any mention of the infinite soul reincarnation in the middle east currently?
reincarnating* sorry
Troy Tolley (channel) is a good one to track for that information.
From 2011: “There is no incarnation of the Infinite Soul at this time in this timeline. There have been many “close-calls,” but it has yet to happen, though several candidates are still alive and well, with a few having opted out, and others added in the past 5 years to replace those. … The candidates at this time range across all Roles, and are up to 12 fragments representing options that cover various demographics. If the manifestation were to occur, we still see the plan being that 5 variations would manifest simultaneously across a female, a child, a homosexual, an African in Africa, and one that could be described as a “wild card.” The messages would be consistent, despite completely separate backgrounds, contexts, and languages. They are living rather “normal” lives and would continue to do so unless the sequences were activated for manifestation.”
From 2017: “Keep in mind that the Infinite Soul has an ongoing roster of potential candidates for Manifestation. Fragments are not “chosen” with a long-term plan or fate set in place, but are chosen as patterns of consciousness, choice, and Karma coalesce toward breaking points for the species. There are hundreds of candidates at any given time.
The dynamic that has been in place for this wave of Infinite Souls has remained unchanged since we first noted it many years ago: 5 Manifestations across the planet to represent/teach from and within various populations. There remains a priority for a strikingly young individual to host, at least one woman, and fragments representing various “minorities” around the world.
One of the problems that can arise for any fragment opting into hosting for the Infinite Soul is the very real dangers that can end or derail the life long before the Infinite Soul can be hosted. Elian Gonzalez is a modern example of a higher profile candidate derailed by when the prospects of hosting emerged, reverting the life back to an isolated and distracted life confined by cultural restrictions.
Other candidates will not be known to you by name and have died as the hosting triggered reactions from those around the individual. In nearly every instance of potential hosting for this Manifestation, the individual is an “unassuming civilian” and not yet in positions of influence, or not interested in these positions, but find themselves in positions that require a push into sustaining higher center functioning more often than normal.
Though we will not point to any individual, we can say that one candidate is among those participating in the resistance where it is known as Standing Rock. This particular candidate is the closest to being locked into fulfilling Agreements with the Infinite Soul than any other candidate. This is not to say that Manifestation is imminent, but the position is primed. Other Manifestations are being negotiated, but may not be obvious in Manifestation until well into the years after Agreements are solidified. … Though we cannot point to individuals as candidates for hosting, we can say that the confirmation of candidacy is likely to begin in 2020.
The actual hosting of the Infinite Soul can only be sustained for up to 30 days before the body would “burn up” with the energy.”
– https://our.truthloveenergy.com/topic/1066-michael-speaks-january-28-2017-when-the-infinite-soul-arrives/?tab=comments#comment-5307
Reincarnation
belongs to no religious group. should only be understood Strictly Spiritual.
ShukagutmarShukagutmal,Life History in part 71yr’s/ What has been spoiled through man’s fault, can be made good again through man’s work. It is not immutable fate that has caused the state of corruption. Then we must see to it that the new way is safely entered upon, so that any re-recurrences may be avoided. The same with debasing attitudes, and fashions, that corrupt human society. To do away with this corruption, in such a way it unfolds in orderly sequence. Non Political, Non Religious,Strictly Spiritual. We respect all political, philosophical, human and faith beliefs. HAVE NOW UNDERSTOOD reincarnation unfolds in orderly sequence. as have showen in my life.Telepathy?
All rights reserved. 1. noun mind-reading, ESP, sixth sense, clairvoyance, extra sensory perception, psychometry, thought transference We expect people to know by telepathy what we are thinking. the communication of ideas, thoughts etc directly from one person’s mind to another person’s mind without the use of hearing, sight etc.
Clairvoyance
Clairvoyance is the ability to gain information about an object, person, location, or physical event through extrasensory perception. Any person who has such ability is said accordingly to be a clairvoyant.
Telekinesis move objects with your mind?
How To Do Telekinesis and Move Objects With Your Mind. Telekinesis (TK), also known as Psychokinesis (PK), is the ability to move an object using your mind. This mental power allows you to levitate or move objects at a distance.
levitation
A representation of a person levitating. Levitation or transvection in the context is the rising of a human body and other objects into the air by means of meditation. Some parapsychology and interpret alleged instances of levitation as the result of spiritual energy.