5 Signs That You’re An Old Soul

If you’re reading this article, chances are that you feel like you don’t really belong in this era and would rather be kicking it with Earnest Hemingway in one of those Great Gatsby themed parties or skinny dipping in the Nile after your long 10 hour shift building the Pyramids. Here are 5 signs that you indeed are an old soul:

1. You feel out of place wherever you are — There’s never a moment where you feel like you finally belong. You feel like everyone’s operating at a certain wavelength and you’re no where near their level on the spectrum. It almost feels like it’s you and an army of others in the room. Point blank, you just don’t fit in and would rather not play into those meaningless mind games that people usually play.
2. You think at a very high level — While there are people out there who are solely concerned about major football players being traded in the off-season, you’re out here concerned about a child in Uganda who’s supposed to be getting the same level of human rights as you. Your intelligence supersedes superficial matters and you have decided to put your minds attention to larger and more meaningful causes in life.
3. You can tell genuine people apart from the fakes — At this point in your spiritual journey you’ve met alot of souls and you can tell who’s being real with you and who’s not. Old souls generally are very reflective and through their karmic cycle have accumulated a wealthy treasure of experiences where they have evolved spiritually. Young souls on the other hand, are still learning and may fall under the trap of our matrix to “fit in” society and as a result lose their individual uniqueness. Old souls on the other hand are unapologetically themselves. We ain’t got no time to fit in.
4. You can “feel” people’s energy — This is an interesting one. By just being around a person for a certain time and in only a brief interaction, you can feel their energy unconsciously. Call it auras, vibes or chakras, you can feel the energy in a room and in a person. If you like their energy then your channels of communication are open and jolly, but if you’re not digging their vibe then you close yourself off. Because ain’t nobody got time for energy vampires!
5. You know that you have a purpose in this life — You have an innate awareness that you were sent on this earth with a purpose. Although you may have moments of doubt and question yourself in all your silly life decisions, each mistake was crucial to help you get to where you are supposed to be. At the end of the day, no matter how heavy or hard it is, you’ll still keep your head up knowing that you have a purpose in this life. And that keeps giving you the fuel and the fire you need to keep on functioning in this young yet ancient life.

So here’s to another lifetime of experiences. I’ll probably be coming out with 5 more qualities in the future but keep doing You! You have a purpose and you’ll get there ☺

The Pains of a Wounded Warrior

Funny ain't it... Life just has a funny sense of humor... In my previous post I seem like I know everything there is about the mundane existence of the Universe but in this post I'll be talking about the exact opposite...I know nothing at all...and on top of that I am not the happiest person in the world...
Life has its perils and nuances of mediocrity.. at times the feeling of living seems difficult and death seems to be the easier decision to cope with life's troubles. Oh the irony of that statement.  Now I have no desire to speak of suicide or killing myself but a true introspective person would understand that the pain we carry throughout our lives can be very intense and debilitating to our fragile psyche.
I feel vulnerable..weak and timid.  I thought I would never see the day where I would say those words and let alone have them describe my current state of being.  But I must say I feel like a worn out punching bag and life is Muhammad Ali running on high testosterone.  I just need a break man... Life can you hear me?  I'm doing the best I can and I'm just a human.  I've been let down by so many people that I have trust issues now.  I was never a cynic but now I get those thoughts before I have to make the extra effort to minimize them.  I feel more comfortable around troubled, broken souls than I ever did before. Maybe its a transformation, maybe its my metamorphosis into becoming the complicated soul I always knew I was.
Is it no coincidence that I have such a huge affinity with James Dean? Many see him as the transcendental rebel archetype but I see him as the troubled little boy who's innocence was taken away by the world.  When I look at myself I see the look of a troubled young man who can't see the face of the innocent child anymore.  I feel like I'm losing a part of myself which is so dear to me.  I feel like the betrayal, the backstabbing and the gossiping has taken away my naivete to believe in the good in people.  
I just don't know who I am anymore... I see the name, I see the face and I hear my voice but It's like it's all completely alien to me.

I hope I can find myself...

Reconnecting with our Higher Selves

Life has proven to me time and time again that miracles do happen! Our greatest moments of turmoil can verily become our silver lining moments which can impart so much wisdom and blessings upon us.  I have become the happiest I can be and I plan to become a happier person.  When I say happy I mean to be able to live to the fullest through experiencing the most of what I achieve to learn in this life.
I have started to practice the art of mindfulness which is to be living fully in the present moment and not to be slowed down by thoughts of the past nor worrying about the future.  To be able to live fully in the present moment is where we can make the biggest miracles happen!
My previous post was a cry for help to the Universe... It's amazing to see that its been over a year now and my life has changed so much. I've gone back to school in JFK University where I am pursuing my dreams of becoming a holistic therapist.  My life has taken such a drastic turn from working at an IT company (which I dreaded!) to going back to the student life.  I love it!!!
My greatest lesson to impart onto the coming generation in regards to our lives is to follow your passion, hear those inner voices which we call intuition and do what makes you happy.  Life is too short to deprive yourself of doing things in the world which are redundant, boring and non-engaging.
Once I started listening to that intuitive voice in my head which some may refer to as spirit guides my life path became clear.  Everything I once imagined to be difficult became easy.  Doors unexpectedly started opening up for me and I started doing things which were both fruitful for my soul and my physical health.
I began to gauge my interest in essential oils (aromatherapy), fung shui practices (salt lamp in my room, light blue color painted in my wall, crystals, positive images in my room) and buying such mystical items as sage, Tibetan crystal bowls.  After I started to 'just do it' instead of pondering....and pondering everything started to become serendipitous for me.  I began to attract meeting wondering, authentic people because I began to acknowledge my true, authentic self.  As I began to listen to those voices in my head my actions began to attract the very things I was looking for in the universe.
My wonderment of travel became crystallized as I started to go everywhere from beaches, forests, mountains to any place which seemed magical to me.  My life started becoming magical.  It's funny how everything can become so amazing once we start doing things which we love.

"Do what makes you happy so others can benefit from your happiness...the World needs this contagious condition"
-Shayan 

The forgotten scent of a smile..

Sometimes in life you forget to smile, sometimes the feelings inside of you are so strong and magnanimously depressing that you think you'll never be happy.  Sometimes you become sad for so long that you forget what it feels like to even be happy.  You try thinking to yourself "no It'll get better, I'll be okay" but another part of you which only sees the glass half empty sucks the life out of your positivity and shadows over it with grief stricken thoughts.  So does this make me a hypocrite? Me? A person who is known for his positive enthusiasm and charm who can succumb to a state like this?..That's your call but who knows in this day and age what the other person is growing through, its as if we've lost our compassion, we no longer care about each others' lives because we've become too entangled into this cyber world of the internet and the facebook era where our sense of happiness triggers on how many 'likes' we get on our status updates.
Sometimes in life your problems become great.  Not just financially necessarily but also in other areas, perhaps even if your financially well off you may be facing a crisis in your love life and so on.
The perils we face in the 21st century are far too great to ignore and far too wide to fix easily.  If only there was a time machine, or if only there was a way we could make all our wishes come true. Well sorry to burst your imaginary bubble there but we live in a dense spectrum of a place we call Earth and unfortunately our superhuman abilities are only a thing of fantasy.  But back to my point...
Sometimes we go through a really phase in our lives. At first everything may seem perfect, like it was meant to be but then its as if everything turned upside down.  Like your wedding turned into a funeral, that kind of analogy so to speak. Then the trials and tribulations you face become almost overbearingly painful at one point and eventually you enter a state of utter sadness and torment which wakes you up in the morning and gets you to sleep at night.  For some people this state may cause them to crack and enter depression, maybe even insanity or thoughts of suicide.  For others they may face their problem like it is a test, and this is where faith comes in.  The only thing a person has in this world is truly 'himself and his connection with God'.  I mean where else can you turn to If the whole world shuns you and gives you no other option but God.  But I believe God is the answer to all our prayers, He is All Knowing, All Wise, the Ultimate Caregiver and loves us unconditionally like a mother does to her child.
In times of tribulations all we can do is be patient and pray to God.  For if we do not discover our spiritual dimensions then we will suffer greatly and then we have no one to answer our prayers.  Pray, pray and pray! God-willing someday your sadness will eventually subside and turn into that great feeling of joy and utter happiness which you were ultimately meant to experience all over again.

The Certainty of Uncertainty

As the old adage goes "we never know what tomorrow brings", this statement will always stay true till the end of times.  Sometimes things may seem so perfect, as if they were meant to be by the higher heavens while other times fate proves us otherwise.  Life takes us many places and brings into our lives many experiences which teach us these valuable lessons.  If there was one lesson I would be certain of, it would be that nothing is certain, no matter the certainty of it.
Now I don't mean to say that things that are certain will fall through, not at all but all I say is that we must be prepared for things to not go our way if they don't go as planned.  Sometimes this is the greatest lesson of life, that life has a life of its own and that maybe we're just placed on this Earth to see how we react to those uncalled-for circumstances.
One saying goes "never be upset that things didn't go as you planned because God had greater plans".  If you keep this close to your heart then you'll never be disappointed because if we leave it up to the Creator to decide for us what is best then we relinquish from ourselves the guilt, pain and failures which we might have blamed ourselves for.  Sometimes its not about the destination but the journey itself which is the greatest lesson in life in our humble experiences.
"Is it better to love and lost it or to not have love at all" is what comes to my mind.  To me love is the most beautiful thing on this God-given Earth.  It's what dreams are made of and from.  It's what gives humans our charm in this Universe and lights up the darkest corners of the abyss.  And with love comes pain that is unimaginable which comes from the uncertainty of love.  Love between 2 lovers is certain, but the uncertainty of the future from those 2 lovers may create such a fear or cognitive torture that love can become the cause of pain in one's mind and heart.
Love is beautiful, pain is temporary and uncertainty is certain in this game of love.  You wish to spend every waking second with your lover, but how can that be achieved when we live in such a dense World where everyday priorities can relinquish that desire.  The only way is to keep that lover in your heart, her memories cherished in your mind and the fragrance of her essence close to your soul.
Sometimes things happen in this World where we might lose that person we so much cherish and desire.  This is the eternal pain of life.  Maybe God has better plans, imagine if the girl of your dreams passes away very young.  Perhaps she was needed in heaven for something greater.  Our lives in this earth are very short-lived and pass by like the blink of an eye.  Don't worry, after you pass away in your short-lived life she'll be waiting for you in heaven with keys to the palace she so lovingly decorated for your arrival.
Your angel awaits..

Social Stigma

Whenever we see a person walking by in the street we will judge them based on their appearance, what they wear, how they talk and how they walk.  The most striking judgement we make is on physical looks and attractiveness.  Suppose that person has a lobsided eye then automatically we'll label them as lobsided.  Suppose that person has a deformed hand then we'll automatically come up with thoughts only about that hand, ignoring the rest of their healthy body.  I don't find this fair, or even acceptable but unfortunately that is the way our minds work.  Our brain always looks for patterns and when something stands out we only tend to focus on that logical ambiguity.
I believe that for people with disabilities, they must be given the opposite treatment in society.  What is a defect in society's standards, should society be held in charge for labeling people according to their physical extremities? Because the way fashion models look these days, society in no shape or form has any validity to make a statement on what is considered beautiful and vice versa.  In essence I believe that people with "disabilities" are more special, for they stand out from the general population.  And put yourself in their shoes, they're aware of that and you staring downright at them in a public place doesn't make their life easier.  Instead you should be more courteous, smile and be extra polite.  Because all they need is approval from the public to put a bright ounce of optimism in their delicate lives.  

The Future of Education

Our current education system is faltered.  Students are assigned particular readings and are tested on specific dates on those on topics.  Everyone learns at the same time at the same pace.  What is wrong here is that everyone learns at their own pace.  Some learn better with visuals, other learn better with experience.  One thing is for certain, schools have become boring and outdated in this aspect.  In the present technological renaissance in which we live in, our iphones and android phones have literally raised our standards for entertainment.  No longer can we sit down for 45 minutes and read black text written on whitepaper in our school textbooks.  This is a major crime for the cognitive development of our future generations.  They deserve better than to be forced down to regurgitate outdated facts and memorize texts which they will all soon pass from their short term memory.
The problem here is that students today need to be focused on the task at hand and if that task fails to please them they will most assuredly not be motivated to accomplish that task, hence playing the role of procrastination.  What education needs to do is to become involving and engage its students to become active participants of learning.
Students today are bombarded with visuals and audio which grabs their attention within full spectrum of colors and sounds.  So why hasn't education not caught on entertainment's advice? Be engaging!
We should implement our education system to actively engage our students to become active learners and become "their own teachers" by garnering intrinsic motives within their psyche and fulfilling the mission of creating a curious learner who actively seeks the answers for his questions. Creativity stems from our subconscious processes which are overlooked by our current schooling system and that is where the insanity lies.  Students must be encouraged to "express themselves" by having a creative atmosphere in schools.  In the end of the day, the best teachers are those who inspire their students to make a change in this World for the better.  Or else mediocre teachers will only create frustrated working class people who may never "amount to anything".  The choice is yours education, make the right one!
A great starting book for the future of education would be to read "Democracy and Education" by John Dewey (1910).