Living your soul purpose is a huge factor in whether this crazy incarnation thing we do feels “worth it”. Yet, for many, it feels elusive and unclear. While much of the conversation around soul purpose focuses on finding or achieving it, an equally critical question is: what’s standing in the way?
Want to delve deeper into my best wisdom for connecting with and living your soul purpose? I create a full program called the Soul Purpose Alignment.
Understanding barriers to living your soul purpose is not just about removing them; it’s about creating space for clarity, alignment, and flow. When you address and resolve these obstacles, you can step more fully into your soul’s unique calling, experiencing a life of deeper meaning and satisfaction. Let’s explore some of the most common challenges to living your soul purpose and how to move through them.
Want to go deeper on what’s in the way of living your soul purpose? I talk about this in much more detail in my Practical Shamanism Podcast, specifically episodes 87 and 88. But for now, the cliff notes version of what’s in the way of living your soul purpose is as follows:
1. Emotional Numbing and Unresolved Feelings
Emotional numbing can be a major energy drain, cutting you off from the richness of life and your inner guidance. When emotions are pushed aside rather than resolved, they don’t disappear; they accumulate, creating what might be called an emotional debt. Over time, this debt can resurface as disproportionate reactions or chronic stress.
To live your soul purpose, it’s essential to develop a healthy relationship with your emotions. This involves befriending your feelings, even the messy or uncomfortable ones, and learning to process them effectively. Society often encourages avoidance through toxic positivity or bypassing techniques, but true alignment comes from facing emotions head-on with compassion and mindfulness. Our psychic abilities and intuition are much reduced when our emotions are running high, so leveling the waters first, then asking for meaning of life is going to work better. If this is something you struggle with, you might enjoy my podcast episode 27, “Feeling your Spirit Guides During Times of Stress”
2. Fatigue and Overwhelm
Fatigue—whether physical, mental, or emotional—can cloud your ability to hear the subtle guidance of your soul. When you’re constantly running on empty, it’s hard to engage with anything beyond immediate survival needs.
Rest and repair are not luxuries; they are prerequisites for purpose. Curate your life to minimize unnecessary depletion. Simplify where possible, and prioritize practices that rejuvenate you, such as adequate sleep, nourishing food, and mindful movement. Creating bandwidth in your life is essential for the energy and focus needed to align with your soul’s calling.
3. Living According to Others’ Maps
From a young age, you’re often handed maps of what a “successful” or “good” life should look like. These maps, shaped by parents, society, or cultural expectations, may not align with your authentic self. Living according to someone else’s vision can lead to disconnection and dissatisfaction.
Extracting these inherited maps and tuning into your own unique compass is key. Take time to reflect on what genuinely lights you up, what resonates deeply, and what feels aligned with your values and dreams. Clearing external expectations allows your soul’s guidance to emerge more clearly.
4. Misunderstanding the Nature of Soul Purpose
Many people think of soul purpose as a grand external achievement—something that earns accolades or solves significant collective problems. While impactful work can be part of your soul purpose, it’s often less about what you do and more about what you experience. I’ve spent the last 24 years looking at people’s desires and reasons for incarnating. Richness of the human experience is a completely valid soul purpose. I like the travel analogy- you might plan a trip to study something or volunteer, but you might also travel for fun, fulfillment, and/or diverse life experiences.
Soul purpose is deeply personal. It can involve being a nurturing parent, cultivating joy, or simply learning to embody love and presence. Release rigid definitions of purpose and explore what feels meaningful to you. Your soul’s intention may be more focused on experiences, growth, or connection than on accomplishments.
5. Disconnection from Your Body
Your body is an essential part of your soul’s journey, acting as both a vessel and a guide. However, it’s easy to disconnect from it, especially in a society that often prioritizes mental activity over embodied awareness.
Practices like grounding yoga, qigong, or mindful walking can help you reconnect with your body. Presence in your physical form not only enhances your well-being but also makes it easier to tune into your soul’s guidance. A soul purpose lived out of alignment with your body’s needs is unsustainable.
6. Addiction to Quick Fixes
Addictive behaviors—whether they involve substances, social media, shopping, or sugar—can create cycles that obscure your ability to experience authentic fulfillment. These “quick rewards” often provide temporary relief but can deplete your energy and disrupt your connection to deeper, more sustaining pleasures. Check out my podcast episode #60 on “Authentic Pleasure” here or wherever you listen to podcasts https://practicalshamanism.libsyn.com/060-authentic-pleasure for more on this topic.
Awareness and intentionality are key. Begin by noticing the patterns that take you out of alignment and explore healthier alternatives. For instance, practices like cold plunges, creative expression, or meditation can shift your chemistry in holistic, supportive ways. You don’t have to give up Instagram, online shopping, or the occasional glass of wine, but keeping these to moderation and creating pauses when you reach for them makes a difference.
7. Argument with Reality
When you resist or argue with reality, you expend energy on frustration and rumination rather than productive action. This can keep you stuck in loops of anger or regret, making it difficult to move forward.
Instead, aim to approach reality with clarity and acceptance. This doesn’t mean passivity but rather responding effectively to life’s challenges. Tools like Byron Katie’s “The Work” can help shift unproductive patterns of thought, allowing you to engage with life more creatively and purposefully.
8. Thinking Soul Purpose is Static
Your soul purpose is not a fixed destination; it’s a dynamic journey. It evolves as you grow, reflecting new insights and experiences. Holding onto outdated visions of what your purpose “should” be can create unnecessary tension.
Engage with your purpose as a living conversation. Use the warmer-colder game: notice what feels expansive and alive versus what feels constricting or draining. Trust that your purpose can adapt to meet the evolving needs of your soul.
Clearing the Path to Your Soul Purpose
Living your soul purpose isn’t about discovering a perfect blueprint or following a rigid plan. It’s about engaging with your life’s journey in a way that feels aligned, meaningful, and alive. By addressing these common barriers, you create space for your soul’s guidance to emerge naturally.
Remember, your soul purpose doesn’t need to be grand or widely recognized. What matters most is that it resonates deeply with you, bringing fulfillment and connection as you navigate the beautiful complexity of being human.
Soul Retrieval Supports Soul Purpose
Soul Retrieval remains a cornerstone of my practice and I experience it as being very much in service to living you soul purpose. When parts of your soul are lost due to trauma or significant life events, it can create feelings of fragmentation or disconnection. These missing pieces hold vital energy and insights that are essential to your full engagement with life. Through soul retrieval, these parts are reintegrated, restoring wholeness and access to your authentic self. This renewed sense of inner alignment makes it easier to discern and follow the path your soul intended, bringing clarity and vitality to your journey. Often when I do soul retrieval sessions, the guides volunteer information about the bigger picture of what made you want to incarnate this time.
Additional Resources
Online Courses:
- The Soul Purpose Alignment in the Academy of Practical Shamanism – A comprehensive course on understanding and aligning your life with your Soul Purpose.
Podcast:
- What’s in the Way of Living Your Soul Purpose? Episodes 87 and 88 Practical Shamanism Podcast
- Feeling your Spirit Guides During Times of Stress Episode 27 on the Practical Shamanism Podcast
- Additional Episodes- Search “Soul Purpose” for additional episodes in the Practical Shamanism podcast that address other aspects of this topic.
Shamanic Healing Offers to Help You Live Your Soul Purpose:
- Soul Retrieval- https://handsoverheart.com/soul-retrieval/
- The Soul Purpose Update- https://handsoverheart.com/shamanic-healing/purpose/
