Imagine knowing what your soul came to this world to do. Instead of living a life of trial and error, live your soul’s purpose. Gain a valuable understanding of what is truly fulfilling and bring joys and happiness to you and those around you. Get a clearer sense of what this life is about and how you can do your best in it.
Contents
NEW COURSE: Awakening To Your Soul’s Purpose
The Difference Between Life’s Purpose and Soul’s Purpose
It is important to differentiate life’s purpose from soul’s purpose. First, we need to define soul for the sake of eliminating any confusion about the point of view with which I use the word.
Defining Soul
A computer is an apt metaphor for soul. Inside a computer are all of the components that make the computer work.
- There’s a drive for long-term file storage like our brain and body have memory of events.
- There are individual components that have separate functions but work together to make the computer achieve tasks like the organs of our body.
- The computer has interfaces such as a screen and a keyboard for input from the outside world and output back to the outside world just like our senses and our brain.
- There is an evolution of computer’s components that improves its function and abilities over time like we are able to learn and optimize our physical and mental achievements in a measurable way.
- The computer has no concept of where it was manufactured or who created it.
- The computer has a nice case in which all of the components fit. This is essential because having components laying around connected by wires exposes them to the outside world possibly causing harm.
The soul is like the computer case in that is has a purpose which is to protect the computer. You might repair the computer when it’s broken, replace parts, or reconfigure the software. Sometimes the operating system needs to be reinstalled or simply rebooted. The parts inside are unaware that they’re in a case. This is similar to the amnesia of humans to recall their origins or place in the universe.
Soul’s Purpose
The purpose of the soul is to take care of the human it contains. It’s trying to help us remember that we are much more than the experience we’re having right now on Earth. It’s trying to help us remember that we’re created in the image of creation; that we’re pure potential. However, it’s just a case. The case has access to a much greater world around it but it can’t directly communicate with what’s inside itself. The components inside can’t hear it speak. Our soul’s purpose is to get us to listen, to see, to feel the love and beauty of creation that’s just beyond our comprehension.
Life’s Purpose
The purpose of life is simple… it’s to live. That’s why the greatest challenge that any being will ever have is to not die. I was listening to a recording of Alan Watts somewhere along my travels. I remember him saying, “The purpose of life is to live it.”
To say that life has a purpose in and of itself would imply that there is a God that created life for a specific reason. I tend to think that there is no specific reason, but rather an expression. Creation as a natural force is simply doing what it always does and evolving. I like to call it the Creative Force of the Universe (CFU).
In Creation
In my esoteric studies, I’ve come to understand a perspective that life is a manifestation of creation wanting to know all that it is. This implies a singular “consciousness” or “motion of spirit” that differentiates itself into parts. It does this in order to have contrast and duality. (Note: consciousness, spirit, and self are words reflecting human experiences. They are part of a greater spectrum whose edges are unattainable to us.)
In sacred geometry, a division begins the separation of a circle. As the one becomes two, they form the vesica piscis.
This establishes the basis for the trinity. The singularity becomes duality and the two overlap to show that they’re not separate. Each half contains part of the other which can be seen in the familiar yin yang symbol.
Defining Life
The premise of this philosophy is that all of life exists within a polarity of opposites: growth and decay; birth and death; light and dark; chaos and order. This is occurring in nature constantly, like a pendulum swinging either fast or slow between these opposites. These opposites also exist in the nature of all living creatures. They’re also expressed in the mind, emotions, physical form, and spirit. Examples of expression might be:
- Mind – deciding between this and that and the qualities on which we based our decision.
- Emotions – love and hate or desire and rejection.
- Physical form – hunger and satiety or inhalation and exhalation.
- Spirit – exaltation and diminution or embrace and aversion.
In this philosophy, it’s important to differentiate it from a more mainstream perspective that God creative life for humans. I would say rather that the CFU is doing what it does simply because that’s what it is. It’s a creative force that creates. It in and of what it is, is doing what it does. I try to avoid using the word “self”. That would personify a force so powerful and fantastic that it greatly minimizes it by doing so. This means that creation expands and contracts within the spectrum of opposites in order to be. Interestingly, one of the most powerful ways to experience this is by experiencing non-duality. That’s a much larger topic for exploration.
To sum this up: Life’s purpose is a process of the Creative Force of the Universe experiencing itself. It does this through the dualistic forces that it creates to experience what it is in all it’s fullness.
What is Life’s Purpose According to the Bible?
There is no one clear or direct pronouncement of life’s purpose in the bible. There are many teachings about how one may aspire to be the best one can be. God gave commandments that could be followed to attain self mastery and attain the kingdom of heaven. There are examples of what to do and what not to do to live a righteous life. This is not a scholarly approach. Rather it’s a reference to a book that asks the question, what is life’s purpose?
In Rick Warren’s book, “The Purpose Driven Life” he describes three metaphors for God’s view of life. They are it being a test, a trust, and a temporary assignment. Examples he uses to support these are:
Tests
- God testing Adam and Eve in Genesis 2-3
- God testing Hezekiah in 2 Chronicles 32
Trust
- The story of the 5 talents in Matthew 25
- Discussion of money and riches in Luke 16
Life as a temporary assignment
- Asking God for awareness of mortality in Psalms 39
- David acknowledging his spiritual origin in Psalms 119
Rick says, “The pursuit of happiness is not what life is about! Only as we realize that life is a test, a trust, and a temporary assignment in preparation for eternity will the appeal of these good, but secondary things lose their grip on our lives.”
I’ll leave it to the reader to go deeper into the stories themselves. As with most stories in the bible, they need context and a deeper consideration to uncover their true meaning.
“Without a purpose, life is motion without meaning, activity without direction, and events without reason. Without a purpose, life is trivial, petty, and pointless.”
~Rick Warren
I try to view spirituality from many different perspectives, not just one. You may be interested in reading, Can Spirituality Exist Without God?
A final note: In contrast to what the bible says, the Buddha might say something different. He might say the purpose of life is to learn to detach from suffering with compassion to escape the cycle of death and rebirth.
How to Find the Soul’s Purpose
If the soul has a purpose, it implies that there’s a consciousness driving it. For many religious folks, that consciousness is God. In this discussion, I’ve talked about the soul as a container holding our human experience. This an expression of the force of creation. The soul is experiencing our individual self as an expression of creation as it exists on Earth. It’s experiencing a greater reality that our limited human experience can’t fathom. So, you might say that the soul’s purpose is to connect the two. However, the soul itself is just an interface to a higher level of creation. A greater level of the universal consciousness or mind that accompanies that primordial creative force. It does not have its own consciousness or self as we experience self. The soul is the expression of creation in which we’re enveloped.
The soul does operate like a blueprint. It has a design like the computer case we spoke of. That design is based upon the energy or vibration of the physical environment. Our physical environment is our solar system, our planet, and our parents. We can use self inquiry to get to the heart of the matter. Discover what is drawn into our blueprint. We can use Past Life Regression to ask our Superconscious what it has to say about our soul’s purpose. And… we can use one of my favorite tools, Soul’s Purpose Astrology.
Self Inquiry
One of the best ways to begin is to observe the most prominent archetypes that you exhibit in everyday life. Archetypes are a concept proposed by Dr. Carl Jung, a collaborator with Dr. Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis. Carl Jung might say the meaning of life is to fulfill the potential of our own authentic being. Jung’s theory is something he calls the collective unconscious. It’s a kind of repository of mind in which all human psychological traits are stored and exchanged. In this repository are the developed and reused archetypes. These archetypes are like universal personality types or forces that are most commonly exhibited by people. Examples would be: Wise Old Man, Trickster, Great Mother, Transformation, etc.
Talent
Another thing that helps define who you are is your innate talents, and those that you’re working on. Talents are defined by the obvious abilities that you have to make something happen. This could be something mental, emotional, physical, or spiritual. For instance, you may have been born with the ability to deeply listen to someone at the emotional level. However, you may lack the experience on the mental level to know how to help the person. You may be a naturally fast runner but haven’t learned how to catch a flying ball.
Ideals
Lastly, our ideals are a marker for the way we would like to experience life unfold. It’s our appreciating the things we most identify with, enjoy, and would like to have more of. We take notice of what’s around us in our immediate environments like home and work and want to improve. We take in the greater environment of society and culture in honor and reverence to what appeals to us.
Download a PDF questionnaire to help you determine your soul’s purpose.
Soul’s Purpose Astrology
I’m a huge proponent of using astrology to understand the soul’s purpose. There are scientific naysayers that claim astrology is superstition. Frankly, in my experience, anyone who says that has never studied it. It is the oldest science on the planet. Some religious zealots might say that it’s the work of the devil. Well, the Three Wise Men followed a star to Bethlehem, not a GPS signal. I could go on about that but I’ll save it for another article. I would say them that just because you don’t believe in gravity doesn’t mean it’s not happening to you.
Using astrology is a way to determine the natural forces that are at work upon a person’s life. It’s similar to using science to describe gravity. Scientists cannot tell you why gravity functions as it does (though they’re working hard at it). But they can describe how it functions right down to the rate at which things will fall. They can describe the weight of an object in relation to the amount of force gravity will have upon it. They can also describe the affect of other forces like pressure and wind upon the object that’s falling.
Purpose in Natural Forces
In a similar way, the movement of the planets have an affect on the human psyche. They can explain experiences of depression, exhilaration, confidence, doubt, ease and difficulty. They also describe a host of other experiences that affect our thinking, feeling, spiritual awareness, and even our health. Like scientists describing gravity, astrologers describe planetary motion. Interestingly, astrologers have been observing these affects for more than 2000 years. And if you consider how long agriculturalists have been planting by the moon cycles, it’s many thousands of years.
Unfortunately, trying to understand the soul’s purpose without the help of an astrologer will take you a lot of study. But it can be so amazingly revealing it’s a mistake NOT to have a Soul’s Purpose Astrology chart done.
Clarifying the Soul’s Purpose
What if you had a clear understanding of what traits you’re trying to develop and what traits you’re trying to leave behind? How would it be if you knew what profession you’d be most happy aspiring that would truly fulfill you in life? What if you had a clear understanding of what talents you came into this life with, but weren’t intended to rest your laurels on. Many of these things that come naturally to us because they won’t ever lead to personal satisfaction? What if you knew clearly that you didn’t come into this life to be a family person but rather a personal adventurer? You could leave behind all those insistent demands from your mom and dad once and for all. You’d know that they would never truly lead to happiness.
There are so many things a good chart reading can tell you that might otherwise spend years of trial and error trying to figure out.
If you’re interested in a Soul’s Purpose Astrology session, contact me for a free consultation to see if this is right for you.
What Life’s Purpose is Not
Life’s purpose is to live, to survive, to thrive, and I would add, to self regulate. It’s our inability to self regulate that is at odds with nature and each other. Our manufacturing growth trend urges us to not only consume, but consume more than we would ever need. This is to make ourselves happy, and if the supplier is more wealthy, they too will be happy. Self regulation is also at odds with competition. We’re at risk if we limit our growth and expansion. We inevitably go down as the loser because there’s always someone that wants what we have and is ready to take it.
Life’s purpose is to teach us that just because we can doesn’t mean we should. Whatever it was that caused our prefrontal cortex to grow and provide us with free will and reason also provided us with a responsibility. That responsibility is for us to care for all of life, not just other humans.
These abilities we have are not to be taken for granted. The fragility of our ecosystem depends on us to act responsibly and with care and compassion. Life is giving us a chance to develop in the right way. The opportunity is living with all of life in symbiosis.
Humans as Guides
The Hebrew bible reads, “To rule over” as in the Latin, regere “to guide”. God gave us the Earth and all the creatures on it to guide. God gave all animals and humans the seed-bearing plants, trees, and all green plants for food. Our arrogance has misled us into translating that passage into “dominion” over creation. This has set up a great disaster in the making and has misled our life’s purpose. We’re being led into a darker passage that starves for the light of reason and understanding. We only need to stop to see that light and be guided by it.
In Conclusion
Understanding your soul’s purpose is an invaluable part of living a life in accord with higher purpose. It goes beyond the lifetime you’re experiencing now. You may be incarnating in part of a larger theme carried over many lifetimes. To gain a greater understanding of the many lives you’ve lived, read What is Past Life Regression and How Does it Work? If you feel certain that you want to explore Past Life Regression, set up a consultation with me to talk about it.
NEW COURSE: Awakening To Your Soul’s Purpose
You may also want to consider and Soul’s Purpose Astrology Reading.
