What Is An Old Soul and How to Recognize If You Are One
Have you ever been told that you are an old soul?
We chisel and hack at the monolithic weight of the world, chipping off minute grains of happiness wherein resides the promise of an answer to the ever-abiding question: At the core, who are we? Or more specifically, who or what are we on a soul-level?
I’ve pondered this question many times throughout my life, and if you are an old soul, chances are that you have also investigated this aspect or yourself.
I can recall being three years old and being frustrated when adults treated me like a child. I distinctly remember thinking, “I am not three years old. That may be my chronological age, but I am not three years old.”
This age-body disconnect stayed with me until my mid-thirties when I realized that, although I’m always going to be an old soul on the inside, I can also bridge a connection to this earthly shell and thank it for all it does for me.
Science is beginning to validate the premise of the old soul. Journalist Tom Shroder wrote Old Souls: The Scientific Search for Proof of Past Lives, a systematic inquiry that studied children who claim to remember incidents from past lives.
Shroder’s methodology was conducted alongside psychologist Dr. Ian Stevenson, as they delved into the lives of children and families touched by this phenomenon, changing from skeptic to believer after coming face-to-face with concrete evidence without any other explanation.
Have you ever thought that you were an old soul or an empath? Well, chances are that if you are one, you are also the other.
Empaths are people who can and do absorb the emotions of those around them. They feel everything on a level much deeper than most.
Rather than merely being able to understand the emotions of others, they can actually feel the emotions of others, as if they were their own.
Old souls, on the other hand, are souls who have visited this planet quite a few times. They’ve experienced many lives and, the more that they visit Earth, the more that they have learned. While our bodies may be young, our souls can be much older.
Old Soul Empaths
Old soul empaths are people who can absorb the emotions of others and are without a doubt old souls.
If you find public places to be overwhelming and often feel the pain of others on a deeper level, all the while maintaining a presence that is beyond your years, you may very well be an old soul empath.
Take a look at the checklist below. If you identify with at least eight out of these ten things, you are probably an old soul empath.
Does This Sound Like You?
1. You are spiritually inclined.
You think of most things from a spiritual perspective. Everything relates back to something else. You are forever connecting the dots.
2. Being in crowded places is overwhelming.
When you are out and about in crowded places, you are being overwhelmed with emotions. This makes it hard to sift through and take them all in. You do not do well in large groups or crowds. If you are going out, you have to prepare beforehand.
3. You are a bit of a loner.
You have friends, but you mostly keep to a small circle and don’t plan to expand it. You like to do things alone because you tend to get more done that way and emotions are not bombarding you.
4. You have a strong sense of intuition.
Your intuition works far better than the intuitions of others. You can sense things people rarely notice. This puts you at a great advantage.
5. You are not materialistic.
You do not need ‘things’ in life to be happy. Everything is replaceable that is not alive. You know that constantly buying stuff is not going to make your life any better than it already is.
6. You tend to be able to “read” other people.
You can tell when someone had bad intentions toward you or someone else. Reading people is something with which you have been gifted for many years now. People just give off different vibes that you can sense.
7. People often come to you for advice, even strangers.
People are drawn to you. Those who come across you cannot help but open up. Your aura is bright and warm.
8. You feel old.
Old souls naturally feel older than their physical bodies. Do you feel as if you are 50 when you are only 40? This is a great example.
9. You feel the need to help others.
You want to help others. You are drawn to a life of doing things for other people. Sometimes you let yourself down as a result, but you have to remind yourself that self-care is also important.
10. You can think about things from an open perspective.
You can see what people are feeling and, in most cases, the reasons behind these feelings, as well. You are able to see both sides of an issue rather than merely the side that you are given.
How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?
— Satchel Paige
Old souls serve a wonderful purpose here on Earth. We use our wisdom that we have attained through many lifetimes to pass down to others, so that we may have a peaceful, happier world. We see life differently than most people and have a unique sense of how to approach the world with an open mind, and a strong will that keeps us grounded in our convictions.
An old soul sees through ancient eyes and understands with an ancient heart.
