5 Ways to Discover Your Soul’s Path
We are much more than our careers, jobs, and daily activities.
Many of us (myself included) find it all too easy to live a closed-off existence, indulging in meaningless distractions. It’s so easy to feel that life is meaningless when we perceive ourselves as cogs in the world’s machine. Sometimes we just need to entertain and engross ourselves in pleasurable pursuits or escapism in order to come back to center and begin anew.
And that’s OK. But what happens when we start to wake up? What happens when we no longer want to distract ourselves from the emptiness, shallowness, and inescapable loneliness that pervades so much of our lives in this modern age?
Really, there’s so much more to us as a species than we really know. There is so much more to the world. You and I have the most magnificent qualities within us imaginable, and yet we subconsciously hide and protect our soul’s gifts from the world.
We are much more than our careers, jobs, and daily activities. We have within us all that we need to create wonderful, fulfilling, and mystically connected lives. Each of us has a personal destiny with multiple callings, passions, and purposes. We are multi-faceted beings, and if we look closely and listen quietly, we can hear our soul whisper, giving hints to our true calling and ultimate destiny.
All throughout history, indigenous cultures around the globe have known that, as spiritual beings, we must embark on a spiritual journey into the depths and unknown shadows of ourselves.
There is a spark in your soul, ready to be ignited. There is a space in your soul, ready to be filled. Do you feel it?
To quote Rumi: “The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you. Don’t go back to sleep. You must ask for what you really want. Don’t go back to sleep. People are going back and forth across the doorsill where the two worlds touch. The door is round and open. Don’t go back to sleep.”
The Archetypal Hero’s Journey
Since the dawn of time, people have felt a pull toward something larger than themselves.
Indigenous cultures had tales that told of fulfilling one’s destiny, or what Joseph Campbell called the “Call to Adventure”.
We all hear this call at least once in our life. Listen closely; your soul is asking you to answer that primordial call of truth, passion, and destiny. Because when we listen and answer our soul’s call, we can start to reclaim our authentic and harmonious nature.
The heroine/hero archetype dates back to the beginning of time. The Greek’s told the tale of Orpheus, who dived into the underworld to rescue his bride Eurydice from Hades. The Nordic culture had their warrior-hero Beowulf, and the Sumerians told of Inanna who fought her sister in the shadow world. Today we have the Star Wars saga, where the young Skywalkers embark on a quest of self-discovery to find their past, and instead discover their true nature—heroism.
All throughout history, cultures have told stories of souls who struggled through challenges to find themselves.
And fundamentally, these heroes represent our own spiritual journeys of discovery, as we leave everything comfortable behind, journey into unknown territory, encounter countless challenges, and ultimately attain a sense of renewed fulfillment and wisdom.
5 Ways to Discover Your Soul’s Path
Each of us has a unique spiritual journey before us, which constantly challenges and enriches our lives. This journey never ends; just when you think that you’ve reached the final level, another awakening or obstacle pushes you to reach higher, to dream bigger, and to foster more compassion for others.
So, it’s natural to feel daunted during our journey to spiritual enlightenment. But as someone who has dedicated most of their life to the spiritual journey, here is my advice.
1. Determine the purpose of your journey.
Deliberately think about why you are embarking on a spiritual path. What are you seeking? Do you have a specific intention or goal? Is there something that you’d like to achieve?
There are many reasons why we undertake a spiritual journey, and everyone’s answer will vary. Some want to figure out their life’s purpose, while others aim to discover their truth, be free from addiction or trauma, or experience enlightenment. There’s no correct answer. Just remember that your purpose will naturally shift and expand as your journey continues.
2. Proceed with lightness.
Neuroscience shows that we learn the most when we’re in our element having fun— so make time to play. The journey is far more enjoyable when we approach it from a place of love, joy, and connection. Only you can walk your unique path, so embrace what you are meant to do and who you are meant to be.
3. Take time to discover what resonates with you.
Approach spirituality with a curious mindset while embracing the fundamental purpose of the spiritual path, which is to profoundly transform and grow.
Take time to experiment and learn, whether that involves reading spiritual books, watching YouTube videos, attending seminars, or seeking our spiritual teachers. It’s perfectly OK to change your mind or switch to something completely different. What’s important is that we remain true to ourselves and follow what resonates with our soul, so that we can fully absorb the lessons and intrinsic essential truths, making way for deep wisdom.
Listen to your intuition and discover what ignites your soul. What calls to you on a spiritual level? What do you think about the most?
4. Journal about your experiences and learnings.
We hear so much about journaling, but it’s for a reason. Writing helps us to make sense of our experiences, feel heard without judgment, and keep a handy recording to reference down the road.
Use a physical notebook or online space that is dedicated to recording your ideas, discoveries, challenges, triumphs, thoughts, and teachings. It doesn’t need to be fancy; my personal favorite is to keep a spiral-bound notebook, which is inexpensive, easy to obtain, and great for jotting down thoughts and then filing away.
And don’t worry about writing perfectly. Write what’s in your heart, because this will be an invaluable tool for you and you alone. If writing doesn’t appeal to you or you’d like to switch things up, try painting, singing, playing an instrument, recording videos, creating murals or collages, or anything that appeals to your creative side where you get in the flow.
5. Absorb and assimilate what you’ve learned.
It takes great strength of character to integrate and actively embody what you’ve learned. If you’ve extensively studied compassion on your journey, you may find that you begin to embody compassion in the figurative sense. Quite simply, become the change that you’ve been seeking, so that every part of your life is saturated with the essence of your unearthings and realizations.
There are numerous ways to integrate and embody your spirituality, and some of these techniques include:
Inner child work
Meditation
Mindfulness
Shadow work
Self-love
Deep reflections
Really, any technique or practice that helps you to slow down, be introspective, and go inwards while encouraging present moment awareness will help you to integrate and embody what you experience.
Finding your spiritual path is a life quest, it requires integrity, authenticity, and a commitment to unearthing all that distracts you from your purpose.
And remember: our spiritual journey requires that we seek out healing and balance in a multitude of forms because any journey that we undertake is incomplete without psychological healing.
Because when we go beyond the outer quest for comfort and success and plunge into the cavernous spaces within, we often find the surest answers.