I remember a distinct moment—one of the very first memories I recall having. I must have been around 3 or 4 years old, standing in front of a mirror, studying my face, my eyes, my body. Suddenly, a thought I couldn’t shake came to me: “Why am I here? Why have I chosen this body and these people as my parents? Why am I here again?”

It was a strange sensation, as if I wasn’t really myself in flesh and bone, the person I was seeing in the mirror. It felt like I’d accessed some greater, unseen part of myself—wiser and somehow beyond the reality my body was experiencing. Oddly, it didn’t scare me. Instead, I felt a calm sense of familiarity, as though it was the most natural thing to ask myself these questions and look at my parents as if they were strangers I’d somehow chosen to raise me before I came into earthly form.

The moment passed quickly; the feeling didn’t last more than a couple of seconds. But it’s stayed with me ever since, vivid as ever. Sometimes I wonder: Was it a glimpse into a “soul memory,” a fragment of a previous incarnation surfacing momentarily? I wasn’t sure, but as I grew older, I started noticing a particular feeling—a “gut instinct”—that seemed to point me toward people I felt I’d met before.

From around age seven, this sense of recognition became almost a companion. Whether at school, college, or work, I’d have a feeling about certain individuals, almost as if my soul were whispering, “Ah, we meet again.” I felt it with my closest friends, past relationships, and nearly everyone who’s left a lasting impact on me. So far, it’s never led me astray.

Reflecting on these patterns, I can see how they mirror the three essential dimensions of human experience: body, mind, and spirit. The body processes feelings and reactions. The mind handles thoughts, fears, and self-awareness, guiding us and shaping our reality. But the spirit—our soul—goes beyond. It’s the energy within us that experiences life through an earthly form, untethered by rules or attachments, floating freely as it seeks new lessons and connections.

For me, some of these lessons have been about connection itself. Time and again, I’ve found myself in relationships and friendships that are either long-distance or with people who are emotionally unavailable. I throw myself into these connections, trying to bridge the gaps and fix the emotional distance, hoping I can change things by giving everything I have. Yet, despite my efforts, I remain stuck in a pattern that feels unbreakable. Perhaps it’s a karmic lesson in detachment or in letting go of the need to “fix” others. Each time I face it, the lesson feels a bit clearer, pushing me toward a deeper understanding of myself and of what genuine connection should feel like.

There are countless frameworks that might explain this kind of inner knowing, these otherworldly experiences. Hypnotherapist Michael Newton suggests one such theory: a soul progression of exactly 35 stages of reincarnation. This journey includes five stages of consciousness and soul lessons, with each stage encompassing seven lifetimes. The soul moves from an infant stage to child, young, mature, and, eventually, old—each cycle bringing new layers of karmic lessons.

According to this theory, before each reincarnation, there’s an “intermission period” beyond earthly constraints, where the soul chooses its next life. Like a skilled chess player planning moves, the soul arranges its path, selecting family, life experiences, struggles, and soul connections. This process becomes a cycle—birth, death, rebirth—and with it, the accumulation of karmic lessons.

In this way, each soul stage becomes a chapter in our journey, moving us from pure instinct to wisdom. As humans mature psychologically and emotionally, our souls evolve across lifetimes, each bringing new lessons and deeper understanding.

  • Infant Soul: This stage is all about basic survival and understanding the physical world. The soul learns trust, safety, and the essentials of community, like a child finding their footing.
  • Child Soul: Here, the soul begins to grasp societal rules and structured roles, like a student learning to follow guidelines. Stability and predictability dominate as the soul prepares to push boundaries in the next stage.
  • Young Soul: In this stage, the soul focuses on individuality and success, pursuing ambition and freedom. Lifetimes here are driven by ego, with the soul exploring limits and gradually realizing the emptiness of purely material pursuits.
  • Mature Soul: With maturity comes introspection. The soul values emotional connections and self-awareness, focusing on healing and personal growth. This prepares it for the broader, more humanitarian perspective of the next stage.
  • Old Soul: Finally, the old soul stage is marked by wisdom and detachment. These lifetimes center on transcending ego and seeking simplicity, as the soul becomes aligned with universal essence and prepares for the end of reincarnation.

Where does karma fit into all of this? Karma is often viewed negatively as a debt or punishment. But to me, it’s simply a soul lesson that insists on being learned. The more we ignore it, the more insistent it becomes. If we don’t integrate the lesson, we’re bound to repeat it, often in harsher forms, until we finally recognize and learn from it.

How many times have we found ourselves stuck in a pattern that only seems to worsen until we can no longer ignore it? Karma has a way of making sure it hurts enough to learn. And how painful it gets depends on how willing we are to detach.

Ultimately, the purpose is to find joy in living—the highs and lows, the pains and wonders alike. To flow with life rather than resist it. To detach from ego, beliefs, people, experiences, relationships, material gain… and to live solely for the nourishment of the soul.

It’s a long journey. Are you ready for it?