There’s one question that often turns up whenever the discussion is about reincarnation, soul mates, or karma: What is an old soul? What are its characteristics?

An old soul may be defined as “a person who has had many incarnations on earth and has learned the lessons in previous lives.”

Now he has come to share this knowledge and wisdom with his contemporary humans who may not have as many lifetimes as he have had.

The signs

The idea of an old soul is, therefore, very much linked to belief in reincarnation and karma. If one does not believe in reincarnation, he cannot talk about old souls.

And what are the signs of an old soul? A quick search on the Internet yields the following characteristics which I have slightly modified according to my understanding of it.

1. “You feel yourself to be a solitary loner.” Not exactly a loner, but you find yourself preferring the company of people older than you. You cannot stand the activities and interests of your own age group.

You are not really antisocial but you prefer to socialize with people who think or feel the way you do.

2. “You love the pursuit of truth, knowledge and wisdom.” Old souls prefer to talk and read about ideas or intellectual things, rather than about politics, movie stars or the current love life of Kris Aquino.

3. “You are spiritually inclined.” Note that I did not say “religiously inclined.” For old souls, there’s a vast difference between religiosity and spirituality. Being religious means adopting or following the beliefs, doctrines and rituals of a particular religion. Being spiritual has no connection with any particular church or religion, but one who has a direct and personal relationship with the divine, or with God, if you want to use that term.

4. “You are aware of the impermanence or transience of life.” Old souls know that nothing is permanent and that they will not live forever. They are constantly reminded of their own mortality. Therefore, they no longer fear death.

5. “You tend to be thoughtful and introspective.” Old souls, as indicated above, tend to think a lot about the bigger issues in life and are not bothered much by purely mundane things. They reflect on the meaning and impact of their thoughts and actions on others.

6. “You see the bigger picture.” An old soul sees the whole picture rather than just the parts, the forest rather than the trees, the essence of things rather than the accidental aspects.

7. “You are not materialistic.” Although old souls are not really against material wealth, its pursuit is not their main concern, but higher spiritual truth and development. Maybe that’s why few really old souls are filthy rich.

8. “You are precocious as a child.” Old souls tend to understand concepts far advanced for their age. They are also extraordinarily curious about their surroundings or environment. They ask their elders the most baffling questions.

9. “You just feel old.” Even at a young age, old souls feel that they are old or that they were born too far ahead of their time. They find themselves often misunderstood because they view things from a different perspective. They may be more interested in ancient history and civilizations than in current events.

1. “You feel you have lived before.” Old souls often have déjà vu experiences, especially when going inside old cathedrals or churches. They feel they had been there. And they can often describe what’s in a place they have never visited nor seen.

Why population grows

But weren’t souls created at the same time and, therefore, there cannot be such thing as new or old souls? Good question. Although all souls may have been created at one moment or instant, not all souls incarnate on earth at the same time. That’s why population grows.

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