You’ve likely heard someone refer to themselves or someone they meet as having an ‘old soul’ before, but what does that really mean? Unlike our physical age, determining your ‘soul age’ is slightly more complex.
When you ask someone how old they are, in most cases, what we are really asking for is their physical age – the number of years they have been walking the planet in this life. This is a very simple question, marked easily by the passing of time. Our souls, however, don’t age in the same way. The journey of our souls, depending on your beliefs regarding the soul, life here on Earth and the greater Universe, is far bigger than just this one physical life.
In fact, some believe that your soul may have lived many lives before you were even born, experiencing untold adventures, learning important life lessons and more. It is said when we come to Earth our soul no longer remembers these experiences, however, that doesn’t mean that they don’t continue to influence us. With each life, our soul grows and matures, encouraged by our life lessons. It ages not in years, but in levels of advancement.
Each soul must go through the same developmental levels, referred to as Infant, Baby, Young, Mature and Old. While each of these levels can be compared to the life stages that we see in physical development, for example, a young soul is comparable to the ages 13 to 29, the time it takes to reach each of these stages is unique. Combine this with the fact that we don’t know how many lives our soul has experienced before now, and it makes it incredibly challenging to determine.
There is a well-known set of teachings known as The Michael Teachings, said to be a collaboration of 1050 souls. This channeled system shares knowledge about the psychology of the soul, how it impacts our daily actions and the driving force of our society. In teaching the concept of soul age on their website, The Michael Teachings state that, “Soul age refers to how a person has grown from experience on the planet, not just to how many lifetimes he or she has lived. No person, essence or entity is ‘ahead’ or ‘behind’ any other, but is simply occupying another place in the continuous circle leading to and from the Tao.”
Do you feel as though you have a deep wisdom and understanding of the world that exceeds the experiences you have had in this life? Are there lessons you just know as if you have been there before, even though you know you haven’t? These are signs that you may possess an older soul.