How can you be sure of your soul purpose or life purpose?

[wanchain]

Could someone share their insight and experience on this topic?

How do you find out about your purpose in this lifetime? How can you be sure that that is what you are here for in this lifetime? Is it an unmistakably clear feeling or thought that you are meant to be here to do such and such? If you are not doing what you're here to do, does it feel ... like a very rough ride or how does it feel?

W.

[essvass]

Thank you Wanchain for asking a very good question. The only thing I can do here is join you in your question. Yet, I think very few people are here for just one purpose.

My own questions are much more desperate. I know there books and programs for sale that promise to help you recognize your purpose. I looked at them half-heartedly and personally did not get anywhere and at this point in my life I am not in the position to seek help through psychics, hypnosis and alike. I only know that it is hard to live without a gift or a calling and I don't know where to find those. I guess we ARE living our purpose in this lifetime and if it does not feel good our life purpose is to make our life meaningful. How -- is another question.

When you say 'life purpose' do you mean something like a meaningful occupation, i.e. being Mother Theresa, a gifted artist, or a psychic medium who is able to comfort many people, or emotional/spiritual progress, i.e. being a caring father of four who did not pay child support in his/her previous incarnation?

[Shrek]

My life purpose is happiness
Me and people around me.
I want the real happiness from inside like many wise man told us

[LadyMay]

I was told by my soul during an OBE. It was clear as daylight for me.

Originally Posted by wanchain

Could someone share their insight and experience on this topic?

How do you find out about your purpose in this lifetime? How can you be sure that that is what you are here for in this lifetime? Is it an unmistakably clear feeling or thought that you are meant to be here to do such and such? If you are not doing what you're here to do, does it feel ... like a very rough ride or how does it feel?

W.

There's a very simple way to find out. Sit yourself down and imagine you'd never existed in the first place, how different would the Lives of the people around you be? Your True Self won't let you go too far wrong, if you're heading off in the wrong direction it'll take you by the scruff of the neck and set you back on course again. That rough ride might well be your purpose. If you were meant to be somewhere else doing something else, you would be.

Originally Posted by essvass

I looked at them half-heartedly and personally did not get anywhere and at this point in my life I am not in the position to seek help through psychics, hypnosis and alike. I only know that it is hard to live without a gift or a calling and I don't know where to find those. I guess we ARE living our purpose in this lifetime and if it does not feel good our life purpose is to make our life meaningful. How -- is another question.

You looked at them half-heartedly, there's your indicator. Half-hearted means it wasn't for you. We are not all meant to be gurus and gifted people, if that had been your choice to be as Spirit then you'd be one, or you might become one in the future. The problems begin when we get this fairy story ideal of what a Spiritual Life should be like, and when it isn't somehow something's wrong and it gets silly from there. Make your Life meaningful to you and the people around you, do what feels right for you and throw 'supposed to' out of the window.

Hi Wanchain,

I am probably like a needle stuck in a record groove (I am old enough to have grown up with vinyl records ) but I believe that one reaches an understanding of these things through some form of meditation. I am of the Yogic school of thought which encourages the loss of ego in order to find one's self. I believe it may be a proverb: "In order to find yourself, you must lose yourself." (Or words to that effect - the Ghandi version might be slightly different to what I mean!)

Many people on here will recommend such works as "The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle (and I agree with them). I am not entirely sure if he personally follows Yogic principles but he seems to be in that ball park area. He also seems to recommend active meditation as opposed to passive. You may like his work - it is very inspirational. I am also a big fan of an older book "Guide to Yoga Meditation" By Richard Hittleman which is a bit more cerebral. He was definitely a practitioner of Yoga.

Going back even older and older I have a distinct liking of Ramana Marharshi. I believe that he is the one who Richard Hittleman was taught by. Yoga philosophy is not out of date and never will be. I does not matter what walk of life you come from, it still works as a definitive study of the self and existence.

Bottom line: within these things I have mentioned, I believe that you will find the answers you are looking for. That is not a guarantee though and it may not be for some people. I try to avoid thinking about it so much and instead meditate on universal mind (or consciousness) in Yoga. This is like a meditation on the self (not ego).

Originally Posted by Greenslade

The problems begin when we get this fairy story ideal of what a Spiritual Life should be like, and when it isn't somehow something's wrong and it gets silly from there.

That really resonates with me.

Sometimes it appears, from certain angles, that the spiritual position seems whimsical and impractical. Spirituality is often about embracing practicality. I am not trying to down-play some people's interest in mystical pursuits. I have no problems with that at all. It is to each their own. It must however be understood that a spiritual life is often about practicality and not necessarily always mysticism.

Originally Posted by Cheesus Toast

That really resonates with me.

Sometimes it appears, from certain angles, that the spiritual position seems whimsical and impractical. Spirituality is often about embracing practicality. I am not trying to down-play some people's interest in mystical pursuits. I have no problems with that at all. It is to each their own. It must however be understood that a spiritual life is often about practicality and not necessarily always mysticism.

I'm a rebel and don't you forget it. Grrrrr

I'm very much a believe and let believe kinda guy and when you step back from it all there's a very different picture that comes through. It's all good consciousness, it's all good polarised energy bouncing around like the inside of a lava lamp when you turn the light on and the heat up. It all adds colour to 'All That Is'. If we are indeed Spirit on a human Journey, if all is Spirit ... (you get the idea) then it makes no sense to me at all that what happens in this plane/dimension is somehow totally unrelated to Spirit. The cornerstones of Spirituality have contradicted themselves - but not. It's all Spirituality. Everything. Everybody. All of it. Mysticism is a part of it but not all of it. Perhaps the greatest mystery of all time is ourselves, perhaps the most awesome things in the Universe are ourselves. Doesn't 'All That Is' include us, aren't we a part of it already? Seems not sometimes.

[kkfern]

it will find you. you just have to recognize it. it will repeat in your path. most do not even recognize they are already on target. they look at others and try to emulate. but they are already who THEY are.

kk

Originally Posted by Greenslade

I'm a rebel and don't you forget it. Grrrrr

I'm very much a believe and let believe kinda guy and when you step back from it all there's a very different picture that comes through. It's all good consciousness, it's all good polarised energy bouncing around like the inside of a lava lamp when you turn the light on and the heat up. It all adds colour to 'All That Is'. If we are indeed Spirit on a human Journey, if all is Spirit ... (you get the idea) then it makes no sense to me at all that what happens in this plane/dimension is somehow totally unrelated to Spirit. The cornerstones of Spirituality have contradicted themselves - but not. It's all Spirituality. Everything. Everybody. All of it. Mysticism is a part of it but not all of it. Perhaps the greatest mystery of all time is ourselves, perhaps the most awesome things in the Universe are ourselves. Doesn't 'All That Is' include us, aren't we a part of it already? Seems not sometimes.

I don't want to sound like I am agreeing with you all the time but we do seem to have similar ideals (even in the other thread about smoking I agree with the majority of what you say). I think it is great to have a holistic approach to all things. I have a non-duality perspective of existence - idealism (philosophical) basically. I am someone who likes Yoga but I do find it a little rigid in some respects. I like to think I am reasonably open to new things and I am not locked within the Yogic way of thinking.