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January/February 2008 Spirituality
What's Your Soul Type?

by Ainslie MacLeod

Ainslie MacLeod

It's my belief that people who think babies are born as blank slates can't ever have met one. If you've ever spent more than a couple of minutes in the company of a human infant, you'll have seen signs of that little person's individuality.

The reason is that each one of us comes into the world with a complete personality. That's why one baby will be easy-going and placid, while the next will turn diaper-changing into a martial art. And it's why, when we grow up, that we display the wide range of characteristics that distinguish us from one another.

As a psychic, I specialize in connecting my clients with their soul's purpose. One of the first things I look at in any session is who that individual is on a soul level. By uncovering their soul type, I can tell volumes about who that person is and why they're here.

Your soul type is chosen as part of the life plan your soul created before you were even born. Your life plan includes missions to accomplish, fears to be overcome and talents to be developed. Yet it's your soul type that has the biggest influence on who you are.

If we arrive in the world with a particular soul type, how come so many of us have a problem simply being ourselves? Why is self-acceptance so elusive?

The answer is that as soon as we appear on the physical plane, everyone tries to change us. Sensitive boys are encouraged to toughen up. Strong-willed girls are told, "Nice girls don't behave like that." Even the most well-meaning parents will end up molding their children to suit their own requirements.

From "Why can't you be more like your sister," to "You're far too emotional," the message is that who you are is somehow wrong.

And it's not just parents. Teachers, friends and even society itself will push you into behaving in a certain way. By the time you grow up, the real you may be lost beneath a personality based more on other people's expectations than anything else. The subsequent lack of self-acceptance can cause symptoms that range from mild insecurity to long-term misery.

To understand the source of your soul type, allow me to take you back to a time, roughly 55,000 years ago when our species first developed the higher consciousness it has now. Having an elevated soul gave Homo sapiens an increased capacity for rational thought, and led to language, creativity and the ability to transform the world we live in.

Thanks to this new level of consciousness, our early ancestors became aware of distinct personality types among members of the tribe. They saw, for example, that one person made a good leader, while another was better suited to be a hunter. And they recognized that certain individuals were drawn to creativity or enjoyed nurturing children, while others made excellent teachers or storytellers. This ensured that tasks were given to those most suited for the job.

In this modern world, creator types no longer daub the walls of caves with images of bison and antelope. They might, instead, become a web designer, a musician or a film-maker. Steven Spielberg, for example, is a cave painter who just happens to have 21st century technology at his disposal.

Whatever your soul type, you'll have the traits that would at one time have been associated with your role in the tribe. Hunters in the past had to be single-minded in their quest for food. The survival of the tribe depended on it. Nowadays, hunter types display determination, and a loyalty to their fellow hunters that can be readily seen among football players or firefighters.

If you're a thinker type (once the person who kept the history of the tribe alive), then you'll have a more intellectual approach to life. You'll be analytical, skeptical and love a good book. And if you're a spiritualist type, once the tribal shaman or medicine person, you'll exude compassion and a far deeper sense of spirituality than most.

Whether you're a helper type at the wheel of an ambulance, or an educator type imparting your knowledge to a classroom full of kids, your soul type is the real you. That's why discovering and embracing your soul type is the key to self-acceptance.

Understanding your soul type will allow you to move forward with far greater self-confidence, making choices in your career and relationships that support the person you really are. It will help you to create a happier and more fulfilling life. And it will enable you to counter criticism with a heartfelt, "That's just the way I am."

Ainslie MacLeod, a psychic and author of The Instruction: Living the Life Your Soul Intended, lives on Vashon Island in Washington. MacLeod presents a workshop on finding your soul type at New Renaissance Bookshop on Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. Visit www.Soul-World.com.