The ultimate goal of the soul is to seek, to experience,
and to understand the marvelous wonder of existence.
Enlightenment is achieved when one finds perfection and
unconditional love in all experiences. This progresses
through eons of time, with each lifetime gaining,
unfolding, and developing new awareness— every
experience of every lifetime adds to the whole of the soul.
You are forever expanding and accumulating information
consciously and unconsciously. Although our physical being
does not, the soul remembers in perfect detail every
experience ever had; every thought ever thought; every
word, feeling, smell, scene, and taste ever known. It all
is categorized and remembered. This creates a particular
energy: The energy of you.

There is a cause and effect inherent in everything,
including thoughts. The soul not only seeks experience, it
also seeks itself. The soul is the divinity of God and
unconditional love incarnate. The secret of life is not in
pointing fingers at everybody else and judging their
behaviors or beliefs, but in looking closely at self and
noticing what choices you make for yourself and where those
choices take you. Are they based in fear or love? Are they
for your highest good? Are you adding positively or
negatively to life as a whole, including all life on the
planet? This, my friend, is a full time job. Do not worry
about what you have done; stay focused on what you are
doing. Karma is balanced through love. Love is the most
powerful and greatest energy of the universe, and it will
positively affect even the most adverse situations. It is
the ultimate healer. It is God. It can be used to heal and
balance any situation in the universe.

The universe is based on and created from love. Anything
not of love will create an imbalance, and the universe will
strive to put this energy into balance. This balancing is
not about punishment and reward, but it is about natural
consequences. Striking out at others, grievances,
unforgiveness, hatred, violence, anger, fear, and jealousy
all have an energy to them, and there will be a reaction if
this is the energy you choose to display. This energy is
real and will affect you even if your attitudes remain as
thoughts only. You will feel the effects of your negative
attitudes and actions because they will become enormous
obstacles to the growth of your soul. Make note that I am
not saying these attitudes are wrong, but that they do
constitute an extremely dense energy that will inhibit your
own enlightenment. Remember, to seek enlightenment is to
seek love.

The enlightenment of the soul is based in love and walking
the spiritual path from the heart. Being aware and
conscious means making deliberate choices to exhibit love,
no matter what situation or life condition you find
yourself in. This change always involves personal work and
commitment to the process of change. It can be complex, and
you may feel like you are beating your head against a wall.
Truly, the soul is complex, vast, immortal, interconnected,
and multifaceted. This makes healing and change also
complex and vast. However, when you are working with love
as a tool, you are using the most powerful force in the
universe, and the results can be miraculous.

I have personally found that when I feel blocked in my own
growth, it is often wise to seek someone who works with
energy and is not invested in my personal issues. This
helps achieve clarity. Spiritual growth can often be
facilitated by someone who works with energy and the
healing of the soul. In some situations, our obstacles
might stem from soul loss that occurred earlier in life or
from circumstances of another lifetime and are not present
in our conscious mind. The spirits have taught me that the
care of the soul is the first concern, and that the soul is
a composite of all that you have ever experienced in all
lifetimes. This complexity of the soul creates multilevels
of healing and makes growth possible.

About the Author:

Jan Engels-Smith promotes self-healing, empowerment, better
communities, a healthy world and conducts workshops in
shamanism & journeying. Her book, Becoming Yourself is at
http://www.LightSong.net . Jan's a Licensed Counselor.
She's done over 2,000 soul retrievals. She is the founder
of LightSong School of Shamanic Studies, a Chemical
Dependency Specialist, and Marriage Therapist. She is a
water-pourer for sweat lodge, a minister, a Reiki Master.