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Stages for Soul Transformation, Growth and
 Development that Achieve Soul Freedom
 Article by Margaret Jang of One Source Learning Centre

Nothing in life is static.  Instead, your life involves a progression of stages starting from the day you were born.  If you reflect on your life's journey up until now, you will probably agree that you have already experienced some of the following stages, but not necessarily in any precise order or at any particular pace.  Some stages you may have completed, while some you haven’t yet started or maybe you are stuck and going in circles by continuously repeating others.

Stage 1 - Trauma, Shock or a Life Altering Event
For most, it is all too easy to go through life without really pushing yourself.  You prefer to stay within a safe, comfortable and dependable material-based setting.  Your life becomes routine, where it may encompass getting an education, starting a career, travelling, settling into a committed relationship, raising a family and so on.  Unfortunately, this isn’t always agreeable from your soul’s perspective.  Many go through the “routine” of living only because that is what is expected - to appease or please either family, society or your own belief system about being successful.  You prefer to erect a façade, but because you are an eternal spiritual being living an earthly existence, it is still necessary to fulfill your soul’s contract, which is the agreement that you made while still in the spiritual realm.  Using the the human form as its host, the spirit of your soul can expand its radius of knowledge and increase its vast wisdom through encountering first-hand experiences.  But because humans are creatures of habit, who want guaranteed security, sometimes it is necessary to boot you from your comfort zone in order to make you aware of your greater purpose.  For most, this can only be accomplished through experiencing a major crisis – something that really jump-starts you.  For some, this can be suffering through the death of a close loved one; for others it can be suffering through a serious accident or perhaps contracting a debilitating disease or being diagnosed with a life-threatening illness.  Whatever the reason, it will be enough to give you cause to stop and re-assess your life.  You will begin to question the role that you presently play or the importance of the role that you play and you will undoubtedly wonder if you would rather play a different role.  This stage is the beginning of your soul’s impending transformation.

Stage 2 – Searching for Answers
Once you have been “awakened”, your curiosity will unrelentingly drive you to search for answers to all the niggling and nagging questions that refuse to go away. Pay attention, because this is your soul nudging at you.  At first you may search numerous libraries or browse through bookstores looking at books on self-help, alternative healing, spirituality or New-age material.  Although some of your answers may be satisfied, it still will not be enough to assuage your insistent curiosity and you will continue to feel crazily driven without really understanding why.  This stage is the beginning of your soul’s growth.

Stage 3 – Thirst for Knowledge
Your thirst for knowledge will seem unquenchable and at times you may feel as if you are running around in different directions that lead back to the same circle, only to repeat the process.  Inevitably, you will uncover, seek and try out a multitude of events covering areas that may astound your perception of sensibility.  At this stage it is important to be aware of the areas that really attract your attention and whether you feel comfortable pursuing them.  Your thirst for higher knowledge and wisdom will most likely continue (or should continue until you can no longer think rationally), but at some point you will narrow your scope of interest in order to avoid spreading yourself too thinly.  It is useless to be a Jack or Jill of all trades, but a master at none.  This stage is a continuation of your soul’s growth, which introduces you to a smorgasbord of tidbits just waiting for you to choose and sample.  It is time to unlock hidden talents, interests and qualities that lay dormant.....just waiting to be discovered or used to their fullest potential.

Stage 4 – Questioning Your Sanity
In your quest for answers and knowledge, it is only natural that you will question your sanity.  Climbing out from your comfort zone is quite scary, but is mainly generated from a fear of the unknown.  Quite likely, family and friends will also question your sanity as well.  But don’t be deterred by any criticism, because it is more important to have trust and faith in whatever is propelling your motive.  In other words, pay attention to your intuition!  Your own ego will give you a thousand reasons why you should stay put and to stop your “silly” search.  Ego does not like change and will take every opportunity to create resistance.  Family and friends may feel threatened by your “odd” behaviour and may offer “friendly” advice to “help” you see logic.  You may feel that changing your career or ending a long-term relationship or even moving to another country where the grass might be greener will help you to regain control over your topsy-turvy life.   But generally, this only brings temporary relief.  This stage can be coined as mid-life crisis, because this is when many take a huge spurt in their soul’s growth.

Stage 5 – Feeling Insecure or Sceptical
It is quite normal to feel insecure with decisions that are on the verge of bringing change or have already brought change into your life. Your first concern may be, “What will others think?”  But without worrying about the opinion of others, reflect on whether these are positive changes which make you feel happier, more fulfilled or satisfied, as well as more peaceful and loving.  If you have delved into areas of interest that raise eyebrows (or you may assume that they will) and even push your own scepticism to the limit, assess whether these pursuits add further knowledge, wisdom and positive joy into your life and if so, release your concerns.  As long as you are not consciously causing harm to another person, it is really nobody’s business but your own.  Remember that it is healthy to be sceptical, because this propels you to question authenticity. It also keeps your own truth in perspective, rather than becoming just a sheep in the herd or an ignorant follower.  At this stage, it is time for you to build self-confidence and to remain open-minded, but first you will have to open your heart.

Stage 6 – Joining Like-Minded Groups
This stage promotes your soul’s growth and development.  At some point you will feel that it is necessary to join a group, but not just any group.  Most likely, you will be drawn to the company of like-minded individuals, where you will be understood or where you can ask questions without feeling self-conscious or an odd-ball.  For those who wholeheartedly balk at the very idea of joining a group, be assured that this is the most beneficial step that you can take.  Here, you can gain additional knowledge, as well as develop your learned skills in a comfortable environment.  Many, when they encounter soul transformation, are drawn into the healing arts, metaphysical arts or psychic arts; which require much practice and development in order to acquire proficiency, as well as build necessary self-confidence.  It is important to avoid joining groups that disallow freedom of choice or that discourage personal opinion or growth.  Instead, join a group where you are encouraged to participate, learn and develop at your own personal pace.  It is essential to your development that you receive non-judgemental validation that boosts your confidence and groups can provide vital feedback.  At this stage, you learn about adapting, as well as developing more patience, cooperation and tolerance.

Stage 7 –Teacher or Guru
In order for you to practice and develop your skills of endeavour, you will feel compelled to search for a suitable teacher or for some, a guru.  Just remember when choosing, that you keep certain criteria in perspective.  You want to look for........

1. Someone who encourages you to think for yourself

2. Someone who encourages you to practice, practice and practice

3. Someone who willingly shares knowledge; who doesn’t hold back so-called trade secrets

4. Someone who encourages you to develop your skills to the best of your ability

5. Someone who avoids judging you, embarrassing you or comparing you to others

6. Someone who resists finding fault with your pace of development

7. Someone who willingly releases you when you are ready to move on

8. Someone who resists building a relationship based out of fear, insecurity, domination, power or one of enabling

9. Someone who is undeniably happy about your progress and development

10. Someone who treats you as an equal

Once you leave the guidance of your teacher or guru, you will then be faced with continuing to learn and practice on your own.  Certainly, this requires determination, dedication and commitment, but by now you should have developed enough conviction to practice without someone else nudging you along.  If not, then you will either return to the fold or search for another teacher who can give you additional knowledge or motivation.  Additionally, you may switch gears completely and search for a new interest.  This stage is critical to your soul’s development; therefore, it is important to find a teacher or guru who is not only compatible to your personality, but who also fulfills essential criteria.  At this stage, you must be prepared to listen, to cooperate and to learn, but without losing your own identity.

Stage 8 –Practice and journalizing
Part of your development is to practice, but the other very important aspect is to journalize your daily experiences from your practice sessions.  Without journalizing or keeping a daily diary of your actions, encounters, experiences or outcome, you have no way of comparing your soul’s progress.  It is also important to resist comparing your rate of progress to others; otherwise you set yourself up for defeat.  For those who think that they can remember all the daily details, be assured that this is impossible.  In order to build self-confidence in your abilities, it is necessary to understand and be aware of your developmental progression.  At this stage you learn discipline and more patience.

Stage 9 – Feeling secure and trusting
This isn’t about other people trusting you, after-all, if you cannot develop trust in yourself how can you expect the same vote of confidence from others.  And it isn’t about other people making you feel secure about yourself.  Again, this can only come from within you.  As you continue to investigate and experiment, it is important to realize that you cannot make positive changes in your life if you do not intimately know yourself.  You must first gain an in-depth understanding of your likes and dislikes, your quirks, your fears, your natural gifts, your compatibility, your strengths and weaknesses and so on.  In assessing your attributes, there is no bad and good or right and wrong, because in reality there is no perfect human being.  The important issue is that you acknowledge and accept yourself as a blank slate and that your intention is to strive to feel secure and to build trust in who you are.  Once you make your personal assessment, you can then decide which areas you wish to strengthen, which aspects you wish to relinquish, with whom you need to forgive or in which areas you may lack positive qualities.  This is also an opportunity to build and retain self-love, self-esteem and self-confidence, to the point that once this is achieved, nothing can deprive you of it.  Once you are able to trust yourself, then you can start to trust others.  This stage can be difficult and many times you may waffle with uncertainty, but through continued development, success can be achieved.  At this stage, you may find that you become more vocal, where you are no longer afraid to speak your mind.  But because you can be your own worst critic, development for this stage is made easier with the assistance of a teacher, a guru, a professional or within a group setting.

Stage 10 – Keeping Faith without regret
Although you may be making tremendous progress in your journey, at some point you may be presented with an event that causes you to doubt what you are doing.  Most likely it will be a life-threatening situation, which will make you pause to reflect on your past, present and conceivably whatever the future holds.  This is a life lesson about whether you have complete faith following your chosen pursuit and how to maintain it without any regret.  At this stage, it is very easy to lose focus and instead adopt a cynical attitude.  It is easy to feel regret that you may have made certain sacrifices for nothing.  You may even be tempted to give up or become temporarily side-tracked doing other things.  The real lesson here is to take a deep breath, relax, re-focus and then ponder on this question, “What lesson is your soul trying to learn or what knowledge or wisdom is it trying to receive?”  At this stage, no matter what the odds, you must learn to retain your true focus, while keeping faith that a higher power does exist for the welfare of your soul's greater good.

Stage 11 – The Point of No Return
Once you have embarked along this path, at times you may feel a compulsion to give up.  Your excuses can be endless - you are too busy.....you feel scared.....your family doesn’t approve.....you're too tired.....you feel that you're not good enough.....it's too much work.....or, you would rather be doing other things that you consider more fun.  You can deny your deeper inner feelings and urges and plead ignorance, but sooner or later you will feel that something very profound is missing from your life.  Your soul will keep urging and prompting you to fulfill your spiritual contract; to fulfill your destiny.  So it will continue to throw signs, signals, speed bumps and roadblocks in front of you and each reminder will present more trauma than the last until it gains your undying attention and comprehension.  Again, you are asked to notice, to feel, and to accept what your natural inclinations or gifts are and then to pursue them in order of personal importance.  In your analysis, remember to keep material comfort or sensory pleasures, as well as financial gain out of the equation; otherwise owning to your truth may become tainted.  At this stage, it is important to acknowledge that what you resist will continue to persist until you are prepared to take constructive action.

Stage 12 – sharing with others
When you gain total confidence in the knowledge and wisdom you have acquired in your particular field, it is time to share it with others.  This can be accomplished in various ways, such as through teaching, healing others as a practitioner, writing about useful information through websites, blogs, e-books or publishing a book, facilitating a group or perhaps volunteering your time, service and knowledge to organizations.  Although you may also offer your knowledge, experience and time for a set fee, money will probably not be the primary factor for your efforts.  At this stage, your concern will shift from focusing solely on you and instead, be more focused with helping others find their truth.

Stage 13 – Achieving soul Freedom
Nothing comes easy or is accomplished without hard work and in order to retain soul freedom, it requires on-going vigilant effort.  Indications of achieving soul freedom will present itself in many ways and at many levels, some of which are....

1. You finally experience profound inner feelings of contented joy, peace and bliss.  You know without any doubt that nothing outside of you can provide this or even be a substitute.

2. Despite any mental or physical health infirmity, at some level, whether it is emotional, mental, physical or spiritual, you still feel strong, healthy, vibrant and quite focused to be the best that you can be and thus become a positive inspiration to others.

3. Your present living and working environment bears testament to whether you live a chaos-free or stress-free balanced lifestyle.  Truthfully, your immediate surrounding environment expresses your inner world.  To achieve soul freedom, you must consciously strive to maintain a positive sense, because this represents.....how peacefully you actually live and feel, or .....how sensible you actually are, or .....how organized you actually are, or.....how much in the "present" you actually choose to live.  Be aware that in a negative sense this may represent.....how much chaos is attracted to you, or.....how stressed-out you really feel, or.....how disorganized your life really is, or..... how lazy you have become, or.....how you choose to continue to live in the past.  Note: You cannot accept anything new into your life unless you are prepared to release old clutter.  Likewise, you cannot live totally in the present if you still live amongst useless clutter from the past.

4. You are conscious about how and what you are thinking, because you now realize that thoughts are vibrations of energy that create action, which ultimately creates your reality.

5. You may still encounter a crisis, but now you are in a better position for knowing how to respond to it, thus you avoid becoming overwhelmed and out of control.

6. Status and materialism are no longer the driving forces in your life.  You may still have goals and dreams, but they are not fuelled from ambitious monetary greed.

7. You gain complete control over your life, where you now make your own right-choice, informed decisions without relying on others to do it for you.

8. You are mature and responsible by acknowledging positive ownership for your own actions, decision-making and subsequent re-actions.

9. You maintain personal integrity, which is now foremost on your agenda.  Money, position and power cannot sway you from adhering to your inner truth.

10. You no longer care about the opinion of others and instead feel totally at ease and comfortable with your own knowledgeable perspective.  You may still seek advice from others, but you now filter received information before arriving at your own sensible conclusion.

11. For additional guidance and knowledge, you now listen to and converse with your own inner teacher (at your soul level), which is always connected to the universal source of truth and wisdom.

12. You are consciously committed to the improvement of society.  This may be directed to a single group, to your community, to your country or at a global level.

Many never reach this particular stage, but then others refuse to try or haven’t developed the necessary awareness that they should start.  It doesn’t really matter how long it takes or how many times a stage is repeated, just as long as you give it your best shot and are willing to keep improving.

If you can truthfully attest to finalizing all of these steps, then you can now breathe a sigh of satisfaction, because your soul has at last achieved personal freedom.  Most likely your journey has not been easy, with each stage presenting its own tribulation, but with perseverance it is certainly attainable.  So go ahead, you deserve to give yourself a huge pat on the back, along with a resounding applause of praise!

© Written by Margaret I. Jang, August 10, 2008

About the author: Margaret Jang of One Source Learning Centre, resides in Vancouver, BC and is a writer, a spiritual/inspirational poet, a Reiki Master/Teacher, a healing and intuitive arts teacher focusing on psychic/channelling development, as well as a healing practitioner for Reiki and gemstone therapy.

Note: Articles, poetry and soul inspiring expressions are © Copyright protected - all rights reserved. In order to copy, reprint, publish, quote, electronically transfer, post to websites or blogs, or reproduce in any manner, please obtain written permission from author Margaret I. Jang at admin@onesourcelearn.com.
 

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Disclaimer
The above information is not intended to replace, diagnose, prescribe or treat any ailment or to be used as a replacement for medical treatment or consultation.  It is only intended to enhance your knowledge or general interest and is offered as an alternative and complimentary source of information.   In all cases, it is recommended that you continue to follow medical treatment as prescribed by your medical physician.
 

Margaret Jang at One Source Learning Centre, Vancouver, BC•Workshops•Reiki•Crystal/Gemstone Healing•Psychic/Channelling Development•Spiritual/Inspirational Poetry