Soul Teachers

Article by Haripriya Suraj, Reiki Master

A Soul Teacher is someone who helps our soul grow and evolve during its time on Earth. These are the people who seemingly push our buttons and make us angry, upset, sad and a whole myriad of emotions that sometimes overwhelm us. These are the people whose presence can turn our lives into a roller coaster ride. These are the people who may have humiliated us, abused us or wronged us in a hundred different ways. These are the people who act as our mirrors and show us exactly what we deny in ourselves. On a positive note, these are the people who challenge our thinking and help us widen our perspective. These are the people who teach us how to love unconditionally and to forgive. These are also the people who encourage us and help us bring out our talents and potential. And lots more.

All of us have many soul teachers during our lifetime. We in turn are soul teachers to many others.

Soul Teachers could be one or more of the following

1. Parents
2. Grandparents
3. Children
4. Siblings
5. Romantic partners
6. Academic teachers
7. Spiritual teachers
8. Friends and family members from our extended network
9. Bosses and co-workers
10. Animals and pets
11. People who help us and the world in different ways
12. Just about anyone else who helps us grow through negative or positive interactions.

Our parents are often our greatest soul teachers. Children who have difficult childhoods make the choice to experience the same well before they incarnate. The soul chooses the set of parents who can help it accomplish its agenda for a specific lifetime. Children who have happy childhoods also learn different kinds of lessons from their chosen set of parents. Irrespective of whether the soul chooses happy experiences or unhappy experiences, the bottom line remains the same- LOVE.

Romantic partners are also great soul teachers. Someone who feels unloved and rejected by a partner must learn the lesson of self love. So, his or her partner is serving a purpose by creating the necessary conditions for that soul to learn about self love. When we love ourselves and are happy with ourselves, we automatically attract the partners who would be able to share that love and happiness with us.

When partners are able to accept their differences and love one another unconditionally, that is a lesson in unconditional love. In the extreme case of abusive relationships also, the lesson is love, though it may not be apparent on the surface. Pain is a teacher. Pain forces people to take stock of their lives, to heal their hearts and to open up to true love again. This does not indicate that one must hang on to abusive relationships. It is perfectly fine to walk away from any kind of abuse. However, rather than get caught up in drama, we can reflect to recognise the lesson that an abusive relationship brought us. Once we recognise the lesson, half the job is done. The remaining job is to heal any pain we may be carrying and set ourselves free. This can be done even after one walks away from abusive people.

While some soul teachers help us grow over years, others may cross our path for just a few moments. Many of us have experienced a moment when someone’s words had a great impact on our lives and probably changed a part of us forever. We may not even know such people personally yet they help our soul. We may happen to meet them in unexpected ways, never to encounter them again.

It is common for many of us to get so entangled in drama that we fail to recognise the valuable soul teachers in our lives. The more someone puts us off, the greater the growth opportunity they present to us. Being aware of this can help us recognise the soul teachers in our lives. As Reiki practitioners, we know that Reiki gently leads us on to the path of spiritual growth. It brings all kinds of challenging people and situations into our lives, while also removing many that do not serve our growth. Everything that Reiki brings to us is a blessing, even when it appears to be far from one.

So, what can we do when we recognise a soul teacher?

1. Look for the lesson that the person or situation is presenting to us.
2. If it is a negative experience, we accept the lesson by healing all associated pain and proceed to make some positive changes in our lives (if necessary).
3. If the experience is positive, we see how we can integrate more of that positivity into our own lives and thereby make it more meaningful and inspiring.

Making the above changes becomes easier when we also practise one or more of the following:

1. Daily Reiki practice
2. Meditating
3. Journaling
4. Requesting help from guides and angels

The first step is to recognise that someone is a Soul Teacher. Do you recognise your Soul teachers?

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Haripriya Suraj is a Reiki Master, Angel Healer, and Spiritual Teacher. She was drawn to Reiki right from her childhood and Reiki went on to become part of her life’s purpose. Reiki is her constant companion from which she derives peace and contentment. She is also deeply connected with the angels, with Angel Healing being an integral part of her Reiki practice. After reaping the fruits of Reiki practice in her life, she was inspired to spread the joy of Reiki and the light of the Angels. Haripriya offers courses in Reiki and Angel Healing as well as distance healing services. She resides in Bangalore, India. Reach Haripriya at angelhealingbangalore@gmail.com and Angel Light on Facebook.