You Do Not Have To Stay When Your Soul Wants To Go
You do not have to stay when your soul wants to go.
I do not care if you have the highest paying job, the most loving partner, the grandest house in town; you do not have to stay.
If your life looks perfect on the outside, people envy your acquisitions, partnerships, career or lifestyle; you do not have to stay.
If you worked hard for it, if you wanted it so badly it left a resounding ache in your bones, if you thought it was your purpose or your dream; you do not have to stay.
If your soul is not connected to your reality, I beg of you to listen. There is a set of guiding principles in yoga called the Yamas and Niyamas. One of the principles is called Satya, or truthfulness.
Truthfulness is a word we learn at a young age.
We are asked to tell the truth. In other words, we are scolded and punished if we lie. Yet, in that way truthfulness is only limited to our words.
I would like to expand the definition.
Your truth might be a synonym with intuition, longing, soul mission, dharma or life path. It might show up as a nagging sensation, reminding you of a dream you have ignored. It may also look like a rigidity, a hardness in your way of life.
At the most extreme end of the spectrum, a truth that is deeply suppressed hardens in the marrow of our bones like sediment of a river left to dry up.
Another yoga principle is Asteya—non-stealing. If you study the yamas and niyamas, you will learn, each new principle builds on the last. It’s impossible for me to think of truthfulness without recognising non-stealing.
Many people believe following their truth is a selfish act. They believe they are required to abide by a universal set of arbitrary guiding principles: go to school, go to college, meet your life partner, have a career, have children, buy a house; and maybe if you are lucky enough to retire, then you can live your dreams.
Allow me the liberty to change the narrative—it is selfish to ignore your truth.
It is selfish to stay in a relationship, partnership or marriage that does not feel like truth. It is selfish to stay in a career, job, or life path that feels inauthentic. And it is selfish to devote your life to anything that causes you to suffer.
I am not talking about the universal human experiences of boredom, sadness, anger or restlessness. These are natural emotional reactions to life events that will always surface, even when we are living our truth.
I am talking about a deep suffering caused by years of ignoring a pull towards something other than the life you chose. I am talking about a severed limb. That lost piece of your soul that follows you around, and haunts you when your mind begins to drift.
You were not meant for this life.
If you are attaching yourself to a relationship that feels inauthentic, irreparable or simply untrue, you are stealing. You are stealing yourself from the love and happiness you truly deserve. You are stealing that experience from your partner as well.
If you remain in a situation because you feel like you owe it to yourself or others to stay, you are stealing that experience from someone else.
If you stay in a job simply because others tell you how lucky, blessed and grateful you should be; but you do not feel that within yourself, give it away to someone who will.
I know it’s hard. Humans love routine. Even the most suppressing and depressing routine can leave us with a sense of familiarity and comfort that keeps us stuck. It’s terrifying to walk into the unknown with nothing but a nagging and an inner truth that tells you it is the right path.
But I believe in your truth.
I have leapt into the great unknown many times, and each time it terrifies me. I constantly second-guess myself and wonder if I’m making a huge mistake.
It is so tempting to stay within the structure and routine of a life that I build. But it is not my truth. Each and every time I follow the gentle tug of truth at my back, my belief in it grows.
A friend recently told me about something called a truth cord. She described it as a cord in the metaphysical world, (metaphorical if you will) which connects us to our highest truth. When we tap into it, we experience a deep knowing. This is how I understand it.
I experience this knowing when I teach yoga, write, counsel and read oracle cards. I am able to speak to others and inspire change, because I am open to receiving the messages of my highest truth.
This is what the yogis call holding space and acting as a clear channel. This is what I call, downloading my purpose.
I know that the logical mind reading this may have picked apart every aspect of this article. I know your shadow self has come up with a million reasons why you are not capable of listening to your truth.
But I also know, your heart and soul are listening. I know, the nagging of your truth is pulling on your heart like strings of a guitar. Can you hear the beautiful melody?
You do not have to stay when your soul wants to go.
You do not owe anyone your life.
And you have but one life to live, and one very big purpose to fulfil.
I hope you will listen and begin to recognise the nagging as a calling from your soul, asking you to come home.