How Old Is Your Soul?

The concept of soul ages isn’t exactly new or unique. Religions that espouse reincarnation are built on this very concept. But can you tell? Is there some say to determine if a person’s soul is young, old, or somewhere in between? (We’re just going under the assumption that there are souls, otherwise this particular article is even more pointless.) What does it matter?

I think I can state with nearly total and complete equivocation that sometimes, with some people, you can probably get a sense of their soul’s age. You’ve seen them. There is that person who obviously possesses a very young or even a new soul. They find wonder throughout their somewhat naive lives. It’s like everything is new to them. One the other hand, you can also find people who find wonder in things in a different way, like it’s a reconnect with something long beloved. The wonder is often less frenetic, but seems deeper, as if there is a greater appreciation of the wondrous than just the obvious.

These extremes of view can be found regardless of a person’s age. I’ve known several very mature and intelligent people who still are enthusiastically drawn to something that they’ve never seen before. Conversely, there are not a few children I’ve met over the years who have an almost eerie ease with the world around them, like they are watching some beloved movie for the 646th time. These examples (of young/new and old souls) are usually agreed upon rather quickly.

Does this mean that there is necessarily reincarnation? No. There’s no reason that a long-experienced soul can’t have that sort of maturity even if they are only corporeal once in their entire existence. The more innocent versions, I do think, are more likely to be either relatively young in the lifetime of souls sense, or are captivated by the new experience of having life.

The idea that souls pass through life many times is often presented as a sort of learning process. You pass through a lifetime to learn something that your soul hasn’t acquired yet. Sometimes, it might be trying to practice a previous live’s knowledge (e.g. learning how to be independent), or gaining a new perspective (e.g. an abuser seeing what it is like to be the abused).

Of course there is the question of whether the distribution of souls is a bell curve or an S-curve. Are in-process souls the overwhelming majority of souls? New souls? Old souls? I’m more inclined to think that it would be more of a bell curve. So many people don’t have wonder and are instead sort of flailing about in a sort of trial and error approach.

But what are these souls? That’s a good question. I’ve always sort of liked a movie that many people pass on (it can be a little slow) called Made in Heaven. Basically…souls are souls. They aren’t angels and anything equally as extraordinary. They are just souls. (To experience that sort of extraordinary soul in a body, watch Michael—it will make you smile.)

What happens when like souls meet? It would be so easy to say that they’d be soul mates, but I think it’s much more complicated than that. Sure, I think that old souls often favor old souls and new souls favor new souls, but I don’t think it’s quite that clear. Sometimes it’s necessary to have a balance. Experience joins with wonder. Innocence modifying cynicism. So many combinations. It’s those in the vast middle (assuming a bell curve) that sort of stumble about. They try to find the puzzle piece that fits, but it’s tough to find one that doesn’t have to be forced in some way.

What are my thoughts about me and the people around me? I’ve long felt like not only an old soul, but an old soul on the last trip through. All my life, things have seemed so familiar. Even as far back as childhood, I’ve tested out (in pop- and professional tests) as being more like someone in their 60s or 70s.

Many of the people in my life have been young or old souls. It’s been an interesting mix. The ages of the people has never actually factored in. I know people in their 80s who are clearly young souls, as are some children still in single-digits. I’ve also known children that have an innate depth of old-soul understanding that I’m awed.

Oh, I guess before I wrap this up I should make some mention of past life memories. I don’t have those. Of those that do, I’m kind of amazed at how many were of the nobility. Me? Though I remember nothing of any possible trip through, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if I had been a servant, or a night watchman, or some such many times in the past. Nothing particularly noteworthy. Just some bloke getting by.

What about you? What sort of soul do you think you are? Someone new who finds wonder in everything? Someone towards the end of the journey who has always found the world a familiar place? Maybe you are happily ensconced in the middle, getting to still enjoy the new while gradually learning life lessons along the way?

[poll id=”8″]