Finding Your Soul Purpose With 3 Simple Steps
Spirituality, Entrepreneurship
And if you are reading this, you would probably know what I mean.
Or perhaps, you would have noticed the nudges, the synchronicity, the signs or the wondering of what “could be”.
What is the life you truly desire? Do you believe you hold an inherent purpose and gift in this present physical life?
I do— because your gifts never forget you.
Your Swadharma
Many of us spend our years away completely unaware of our soul purpose or our soul gifts. We go to school (for those who are fortunate to), we go to university, we get a job, we do traditional work, we travel, we fall in love, we make money, we lose money and the list goes on. We see that in our peers, we see it in our parents and most times, these timelines exist within ourselves too.
In yogic wisdom, swardharma refers to your personal, higher purpose. It is the source of your greatest ananda, also known as your deepest pleasure or bliss. Your purpose does not feel dull, exhaustible, or difficult. Rather, you carry a profound pleasure when you are living in its light. Traditional work is something that feels just like a job and you feel depleted after doing it. But when you are grounded from your swabhav and working from there, it almost feels like you are plugged to an inexhaustible source of energy and doing more eventually energizes you.
What work in your life thus far felt like “traditional work” and what work in your life felt like your swadharma?
My Story
I never really had trouble dismantling structures and expectations and listening to my heart’s desire.
I just knew deeply, intuitively that certain things were just not meant for me— including the typical 9-5 pm corporate jobs. But there were times where I gave into my fears and allowed my mind to decide my life and I have definitely spent some months confined to those structures. But my higher self and intuition always knew and those jobs quickly fell away. My higher self whispered and the Universe nudged me again and again. In my profession, I was fortunate to spend many years of my life as a diving instructor working in various parts of the world. It gave me ananda living one of my greatest passions, I was living my art of instructing and showing others the underwater world where not many knew about.
But it was not my swadharma.
I knew deeply that I was meant for something different and greater. It was hard to explain it in words, so I started becoming an observer and held greater awareness to many experiences/events/emotions/triggers in my life, including observing myself. I knew deep down, I have an inherent purpose in this present incarnation.
In 2019, I created Arawme to empower, inspire and uplift others. I wasn’t sure then, but I knew I was a step closer to living my most aligned life; of calling; and of truth with Arawme— and so here I am! It has since morphed in its mission and is dedicated to the journey of remembrance, of cultivating your authenticity and aligning your life with your values and your truth.
what about you? What is your bliss?
What is your ananda and how can you get in touch with it?
Stepping into my soul purpose is not one without challenges, it involves great inner work and courage and listening very attentively to the inner guidance within you. But I promise you, once you claim your soul purpose and live a life on your inherent truth and alignment— you become the unstoppable, most empowered version of you that you never known. Read on to find out below what are the 3 simple steps to find it.
the intersection
It is no accident that what you have been through in your soul journey thus far—including you reading this article, a coincidence.
Your soul consciousness chose this; all of it including the sweet spot where the above four quadrants meet.
Begin by exploring all the knowledge and skills you have gained through your education, training and life experiences. There is a reason why you have been educated in a specific field instead of the other and gone through specific life experiences unlike others. They hold subtle clues to the building block of who you are and meant to be.
Next, consider what your innate gifts might be. Think of what are you known for to others. Ask a few close confidantes on what are they naturally drawn to you or what made them think of you right away. What do they come to consult you about? What about you made them feel truly comfortable? It could be anything from your music, your ability to think rationally, your compassion, your financial expertise, your confidence, your innate strength etc. Our gifts are shaped not directly because of our life experience but what is innate within our aura.
You my darling, have something that works naturally and fluidly within you that you don’t have to try too hard in— and that is your gift.
Next, think about what you will be doing if you had all the money, support, inspirations, time and system you needed. Think about what will you be doing, where will you be if all your present responsibilities and duties cease to exist right now? What will you be doing in your life? Oftentimes, we have the answers to these questions quite quickly but we are quick to reject it too.
Lastly, take a look at the missing pieces/gaps in the world right now. Carry a deeper lens and look in your family, your friends, your community, your country and even the world. What is it in the world that is absent but is so needed right this point. What positive desires do you hold deep down within you that you desire to make a difference in; what kind of legacy do you desire to leave behind? In what ways can you do to make a difference in the world?
The above diagram defines the questions to guide you on what your higher soul purpose is. The goal is to find the sweet spot where the four quadrants meet. We do this via a “Higher-Self Dialogue” that consists of 3 steps.
Higher Self
Our higher self is not a separate entity. It is, however, a part of us.
It is the knowing or awakened aspects of ourselves. It is always accessible for you and only wants the best for you. It is through your higher self that your deepest truths and hidden knowledge are accessed. Unlike our ego self (which exists in all of us) our higher self holds no space for prejudice, jealousy, judgments or ego. Your higher self is caring, patient, compassionate, nurturing, loving and above all, wise. It is another part of you that exists in your subconscious mind that knows the way. A part of you that believes in you, fully accepts you, and is your number one fan. Most importantly, your higher self is always available for you to tap and align with. He/she is your invisible and formidable partner in life. When we learn to acknowledge and honor our higher self in us, the more we can step into our own truth and authenticity.
In this “Higher-Self Dialogue” practice, we will be navigating our higher purpose through a combination of deep meditation, automatic writing, inner child work and other psycho-spiritual tools to access the wisdom and deeper knowing by honoring our creative inner child and wise higher self.
The “Higher-Self Dialogue” consists of 3 steps:
Opening Your Heart and Embodying The Inner Child
Opening The Mind and Accessing The Higher Self
Integrating and Accepting Your Power Symbol and Personal Myth
Opening Your Heart and Embodying The Inner Child
Begin by creating a sacred space for this practice. Find a comfortable position on a chair with legs firmly on the ground or sit crossed legged. Find a quiet moment with yourself where you will be undisturbed. Smudge your room with palo santo/sage if you do have them. Light some candles and/or put on solfeggio frequencies music in the background. The goal of your sacred space is to feel as relaxed as possible.
Keep your eyes closed as you channel your presence by focusing on your breath. Take a few minutes or as long as you need to.
Bring into your mind your inner child self. Recall your younger self when you were about 5-6 years old. Recall when was the first time your inner child felt fear, insecurity, judgment, confusion or loss. See your inner child you right in front of you staring back at you. Honor him/her in all their emotions.
As a parent would, gently hold and place your hands over your inner child and give him/her a tight embrace.
Visualize a white light around both of you, protecting as you both enveloped together. Send a deep metta (lovingkindness) to your inner child. “ May you be safe, may you be healthy, may you be happy and may you live life with ease.”
Visualize the deepest harmonious energy from both of your inner child and your adult self. Breathe deeply and reconcile the childlike curiosity, playfulness and joy that you may have forgotten. Tap into the creative source of adventure and play which your inner child is here to remind you and know that this awareness is always accessible to you.
Articulate any questions you may have for your inner child self and be open for the conversation to be fluid- without expectations or agenda.
From this place of integration, take a blank piece of paper and draw the above diagram and start channeling your answer to each of them. Allow the thoughts to flow fluidly without expectations and judgments. Articulate with clarity the key question presented- What is my higher purpose?
2. Opening The Mind and Accessing The Higher Self
Once you have clearly articulated your key question around your higher purpose, stand up very slowly and stand behind the back of the chair/ stand behind your original crossed legged sitting position.
Imagine your ego self sitting in front of you on the chair/original sitting position. Keeping your eyes closed, place your feet shoulder-width apart and stand firm and tall.
Visualize a beam of white light cascading into you and visualize you as the powerful, formidable, invisible partner of your ego self.
Visualize you as your higher self.
Call upon your higher self as you feel it entering you. The higher consciousness is enveloped with profound wisdom, clarity, truth, love, understanding and compassion.
Hold up and place both of your arms on the shoulders of your ego self. With deep wisdom and your highest power, visualize a stream of consciousness channeling through you as you let it flow to your ego-self. Allow yourself to be a receptive, non-judgemental and succinct container. Allow any words to flow through you as you speak to your ego self.
Once the tap of consciousness has streamed, gently sit down with a piece of blank paper and start automatic writing again.
Write anything and everything that comes to you and allow clarity to flow and emerge through your words.
Let go of your mind’s desire for control and allow your intuition to unfold.
If it comes with as a word/statement, fill it up in the center box of “My Higher Purpose”.
3. Integrating and Accepting Your Power Symbol and Personal Myth
Once you are done writing, head over to a comfortable position or lay on your bed if you prefer.
Close your eyes and take this moment to relax.
Imagine that you are walking in a beautiful forest with the most perfect blue skies with the sounds of birds chirping in the air. Notice the wondering fragrance in the air as you hear the sound of the river flowing as you are walking along a trail.
As you follow the trail and deepen into the forest, you notice the foliage and bushes getting thicker and darker- but you are undeterred.
Within you, you could sense that something magical and powerful is awaiting you in the forest. And that whatever it might be is already making your excited and joyful already.
As you step into this clearing with dappled sunlight around you, you notice a large mirror with a white veil over it.
There is no one in sight but just you and the mirror. You run over to the stream on the side and wash your foot, your hands and your face in the clean running water.
As you step forward to the mirror to lift the veil, you feel empowered as your truest and purest self.
With a deep breath, you remove the veil. Take this time to gaze into the inner scape the mirror is showing you.
Shortly, from the other side of the mirror, you notice someone/something approaching you. This is a symbol, someone or something which you come to recognize as the unique symbol of your power. What is it? Who is it?
You then notice a powerful light and energy radiating out of this object or being—calling you out to reach out, acknowledge and receive it.
The moment you held it in your hand, you immediately felt a profound sensation in your body and your body starts lighting up. “I am this, I am this, I am this.”
This power symbol is uniquely yours and you hold it in your hand and notice its shape, texture, and patterns.
When you are ready, step out of your meditation and with a black piece of paper, and pen, create your power symbol the way you remember it.
Activate your imagination, intuition and your memory and draw/sketch it. The object should appeal to not only your heart, your head or your gut— but all of it together.
Lastly. consider the following questions below:
My presence: How will I cultivate it?
My power: How will I exercise it?
My pleasure: How will I find it?
Using a blank piece of paper again, tell your unique story in a third person. Drawing inspirations from the earlier practices and led by your intuition, answer the following questions:
Who is she/he?
What is the unique gift that empowers him/her?
Where is he/she going?
What is the higher purpose that energizes him/her?
What is getting in him/her way?
What obstacles does he/she need to overcome?
How will he/she get there?
What resources/inspiration can he/she draw upon from?
The truth is, we spend so much of our time ignoring our soul purpose or searching for it elsewhere externally instead of looking for it within. Most of the wisdom and guidance we mindlessly search for externally is already there, we just need to trust and tap into it. The “Higher-Self Dialogue” practice is a structured approach conceived by Nilma Bhat and Raj Sisodia of Shakti Leadership: Embracing Masculine & Feminine Power In Business. I highly recommend a deeper read into it if you feel called to.
When you are in touch with the gifts that you embody as well as the higher purpose you are here to bring into this world, you will also be able to touch the lives of others to find this spark that they have long forgotten too. Each of us holds a higher purpose when we incarnate on this Earth, our job is to rediscover it and share our medicine with the world. Feel free to comment below on how the practice benefitted you. A huge hug your way dear one.
Sources: Bhat, Nilma, and Sisodia. Rajendra. Shakti Leadership: Embracing Masculine & Feminine Power In Business. Berrett-Koehler, 2016.
Love,
Sylvia
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I am Sylvia— the founder, writer, intuitive healer, and human design reader of Arawme. “Arawme” is basically, a raw me put together.
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