soul lessons
Did Your Soul Choose Your Life Challenges?
“Oh, why do I have such terrible karma?” or “Why does the universe keep throwing me curveballs?” or “Is God punishing me?” These are questions that clients often ask me when they face struggles in life.
Spirit has repeatedly shown me in many readings over the years that we all have a kind of “architect’s plan” that we design before we incarnate into this life. This soul plan for our life journey lays out the lessons we’re going to learn and the experiences we’re going to have.
This spiritual principle is known by various names (depending on the context or belief system), including our spiritual blueprint, life design, divine plan, life script, soul contract, predestined path, and so on.
I prefer “architect’s plan” because it reminds me of the careful, meticulous planning an architect does when designing a new structure, long before the practical, hands-on construction takes place on site.
Like architects, we calmly and clearly create a plan for our life journey before we incarnate. It is only when we are here in the physical world to embody our plan that we fully experience the intensity and the many dangers and pitfalls that are part of our chosen journey, including all the fear, love, pain, hardship, joy, suffering, and everything in between.
Yes, it is hard to believe that we actually choose to face challenges and difficulties in our lives. But various spiritual traditions and esoteric philosophies tell us that our soul’s path is predestined or planned before we’re born, or at least that we have certain free will choices and options along the way.
Realigning With Your Higher Self
In my readings, I often feel that people’s energy is fragmented — like an incomplete jigsaw puzzle with missing pieces. This fragmentation reflects a general disconnection from the core essence of their being: the higher self.
It’s no surprise that modern life pulls us in countless directions, leaving us feeling stretched, overwhelmed, and out of balance. Between the demands of work, family, and personal goals, the balance of work, rest, play, sleep, and spirit seems to have slipped through our fingers.
Compounding this imbalance is our growing impatience and intolerance. We bristle at delays, resist restrictions, and struggle when life deviates from our carefully laid plans.
Yet frustration and impatience only hinder the natural unfolding of our highest good. The person we are waiting to meet or the opportunity we are longing for may not be ready to enter our lives — or, more likely, we may not be ready to welcome it.
When we feel lost, stuck, confused, or fearful, these are signs of misalignment or disconnection from our higher self. This distortion cuts us off from clear inner guidance and spiritual awareness, leaving us adrift in a sea of doubt, fear, and negativity.
Realigning with our higher essence restores the natural flow of energy, inner wisdom, and divine guidance. We rediscover our wise inner genius, the calm confidence that resides within, and the power to live in harmony with our true essence and fulfill our soul plan.
Keeping Shining Your Soul Light!
We all have a soul light — a radiant energy within us that’s eternal and uniquely ours. It shines brightest when we’re true to ourselves. Each of us is different for a reason, and when we embrace that — especially when others might not understand — we tap into the magic of who we truly are.
When we compare ourselves to others, we lose sight of our own path. We can end up pretending to be someone we’re not, and that’s exhausting. It sets unrealistic expectations and keeps us from letting our true light shine.
Have you ever felt like you don’t fit in? Like you’re just… different? The first step to finding yourself is to step back from trying to fit into other people’s boxes. Sure, it can feel lonely at first, but if you stick with it and trust the process, you’ll find a confidence that’s unshakable. You’ll discover a self-esteem that allows your talents and gifts to flourish.
So many of us get caught up in worrying about what others think. This happens a lot in relationships, especially in the beginning. Maybe you’ve been there: You start dating someone, everything seems great, and then out of nowhere they stop texting or calling. Days go by, maybe even a week, and you wonder, “What did I do wrong?
Our first instinct is usually to blame ourselves. We overthink every little thing, digging up all our insecurities and past hurts. Sometimes it’s like a flood of old memories, bringing back childhood moments or difficult family dynamics. It’s draining, and honestly, it’s not helpful.
What It Means To Align With Your Higher Self
The term “higher self” is a term often used in spirituality, metaphysics, and psychic work, but it can be very confusing. What exactly is it? Is it our subconscious, our conscience, our alter ego, our soul, our spirit?
While these aspects are all related in some way to the higher self, it’s best understood as the most enlightened and transcendent part of our being.
Our soul or spirit is the conscious, evolving part of us in this lifetime, while the higher self is our soul’s highest potential. It is our divine blueprint and our eternal spiritual essence that exists beyond our physical self in the non-physical. It’s the timeless, eternal part of us that embodies the divine essence of who we are.
While the incarnated aspect of soul is the conscious experiencer throughout our lifetime, the higher self is the permanent aspect of the soul that exists in the higher realms.
The higher self is not a separate personality or individual being, but a deeply integrated, higher foundation of our soul. It is like a spiritual archive of all the wisdom, experiences and lessons accumulated from our past lives, as well as our soul contracts and higher purpose for this lifetime, serving as a blueprint for our soul’s evolution and life journey. It reflects the highest aspects of our being.
When we connect with our higher self, we align with this elevated aspect of who we truly are and what we intend to accomplish in this life and the next. This connection gives us clarity and insight into our soul’s path. It allows us to see life from a higher perspective and guides us to make choices that promote personal and spiritual growth. Connecting with the higher self helps us navigate life’s challenges with greater ease and purpose, allowing our soul to evolve and expand.
Everything Happens For A Reason
Challenges, setbacks and disappointments are inevitable in life. Sometimes it can even feel like the entire universe is conspiring against us!
But this perspective is an illusion born of our human experience. Spirit doesn’t desire our failure or suffering. Instead, it seeks to lead us to joy, abundance, and fulfillment.
Many of us, however, fall into the habit of blaming God, Spirit, the Universe, or others for the hardships we face. But to truly grow, we must change this mindset. Instead of dwelling on blame, it’s important to examine the lessons hidden in each challenge. By asking why these situations arose and what we can learn from them, we transform pain into wisdom and setbacks into stepping stones.
Consider the heartache of losing a long-term partner. You may have built a life together – marriage, children, shared dreams – only to wake up one day to abandonment. Questions arise: Why did this happen? What could I have done differently?
It’s important to realize that in most cases these events are not your fault. Free will governs each person’s choices. While her decision to leave may hurt you deeply, it is a reflection of her own path, not your worth. Self-doubt often creeps in, especially for women, as thoughts of inadequacy arise. But self-esteem cannot come from others-it must come from within.
Instead of focusing on what you could have done, consider this: their departure may have been necessary for your growth. Spirit often removes people from our lives to make room for greater blessings. In hindsight, you may realize that staying with that person would have hindered your potential or delayed the arrival of something better.
How Will Saturn Return Impact Your Life?
Saturn return is typically a momentous, but intense time in everyone’s life. This significant astrological event occurs when the planet Saturn returns to the same position it occupied at the time of your birth, typically around the ages of 29, 58, and for some, 88.
It is the completion of a planetary cycle that marks a time of profound personal and spiritual growth, reinvention, and transformation. It’s a time when we may face challenges that force us to confront our deepest fears, limitations, and long-term plans, often pushing us toward greater self-awareness, personal growth, and spiritual maturity.
Known as the “taskmaster” of the zodiac, Saturn represents structure, discipline, responsibility, and life lessons. During a Saturn return, we are faced with the need to take stock of our lives, reevaluate our goals, and solidify our sense of purpose and direction.
Vettius Valens, a renowned astrologer of the ancient Greco-Roman era (c. 120 – c. 175 AD) whose work has greatly influenced modern interpretations of Saturn’s cycles, wrote in his Anthologies, “Saturn delays and restricts, but through patience and perseverance the soul achieves its growth and understanding.”
Any karmic lesson that you have not yet learned, any necessary life challenge that you have not faced, anything that you have avoided, denied or neglected is likely to surface at this time, demanding reconciliation, reevaluation or reckoning, whether you like it or not.
That is why I often tell my clients during a reading, “Learn this lesson and learn it now, while there is still time.” Avoidance, denial, procrastination, and self-deception will not save you from Saturn’s return bringing it right back to your door. In fact, it will only make it much worse and more difficult to resolve.
Our Saturn returns typically occur in three distinct phases during our lifetime, with approximate age ranges based on Saturn’s orbital cycle of about 29.5 years. Each Saturn return serves as a powerful milestone, helping you to develop a more authentic, grounded, and resilient sense of self as you move through the various phases of life.
The Deeper Truth And Wisdom Of Psychic Reading
A good psychic reading offers more than just clarity and peace of mind — it is also a profound catalyst for spiritual growth.
When you have a psychic reading, you and your psychic form a connection on a soul level. This connection feels almost like stepping into another dimension, as you both raise your vibration and access a higher state of consciousness.
This process is both fascinating and mysterious. Often spirit will guide you to a particular psychic, even if you’re not sure why you feel drawn to them. This inner pull is your natural guidance system at work, nudging you toward the person who can provide the insights you need.
The personal issue or life challenge that’s weighing on your mind — whether it’s love, career, business, health, family or friends — is often the key to unlocking a portal of understanding. This portal holds hidden treasures: the spiritual lessons and growth opportunities that await you.
Edgar Cayce, one of the most documented psychics in history, believed that the purpose of psychic readings, or what he called “life readings,” was to provide guidance and insight to help people on their personal and spiritual journeys. He emphasized that these readings provide invaluable information about one’s health and wellness, life purpose, and spiritual growth.
Cayce’s more than 14,000 documented psychic readings often focused on holistic health, addressing the physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of a person’s well-being. He also believed that everyone has the potential to access their own inner guidance and intuition, and that psychic readings could serve as a tool to help us tap into this inner wisdom.