Soul Levels

Dr. Michael Newton was a highly acclaimed international spiritual regressionist, who discovered how to enable people to access the wisdom of the spirit world and their higher guidance whilst living their lives. Known as a pioneer of afterlife exploration, his dedicated research over 30 years mapped for us all insight into our Life Between Lives as presented in his books Journey of Souls and Destiny of Souls. One of his findings after tens of thousands of case studies was that there is a distribution in the level of development of souls – classed as beginner, intermediate, and advanced souls.

Souls go through a progression of training during their experiences both incarnate and in the spirit world. We have not all reached the same level of advancement in our spiritual development. Some, like Jesus or the Buddha, have reached levels that demonstrate that they have achieved an understanding of reality that exceeds that of the rest of us.

Newton wrote, “I believe almost three-quarters of all souls who inhabit human bodies on Earth today are still in the early stages of development. I know this is a grossly discouraging statement because it means most of the human population is operating at the lower end of their training. . . . Nevertheless, I see the possibility that we may have only a few hundred thousand people [souls] on Earth at level V [Highly Advanced].”

When we look around and witness others that seem to be unawakened, understand that their soul progression may not be the same as ours. With this perspective, one must exercise additional patience in expecting others to perceive and interact with the world in the same way that we do. Some have further to go than others. But then, we all labor along the path of enlightenment here at Schoolhouse Earth on our way to becoming more advanced souls.

Soul Levels According to Michael Newton

The Beginner Soul

There are two types of beginner souls: souls who are truly young in terms of exposure to an existence out of the spirit world, and souls who have been reincarnating on Earth for a long period of relative time, but still remain immature.

I believe almost three-quarters of all souls who inhabit human bodies on Earth today are still in the early stages of development. Souls end their incarnation on Earth when they reach full maturity.

The beginner soul may live a number of lives in a state of confusion and ineffectiveness, influenced by an Earth curriculum which is different from the coherence and supportive harmony of the spirit world. Less developed souls are inclined to surrender their will to the controlling aspects of human society, with a socioeconomic structure which causes a large proportion of people to be subordinate to others. The inexperienced soul tends to be stifled by a lack of independent thinking. They also lean towards being self-centered and don't easily accept others for who they are. Every soul was once a beginner.

The Intermediate Soul

Once our souls advance into the intermediate ranges of development, group cluster activity is considerably reduced. This does not mean we return to the kind of isolation that occurs with novice souls. Souls evolving into the middle development level have less association with primary groups because they have acquired the maturity and experience for operating more independently. These souls are also reducing the number of their incarnations.

These souls are at last ready for more serious responsibilities. The relationship we have with our guides now changes from teacher-student to one of colleagues working together. Since our old guides have acquired new student groups, it is now our turn to develop teaching skills which will eventually qualify us for the responsibilities of being a guide to someone else.

This is a significant stage for souls in their development because now they are given increased responsibilities for younger souls. The status of a guide is not given to us all at once, however.

As with many other aspects of soul life, we are carefully tested. The intermediate levels are trial periods for potential teachers. Our mentors assign us a soul to look after, and then evaluate our leadership performance both in and out of physical incarnations.

Only if this preliminary training is successful are we allowed to function even at the level of a junior guide. Not everyone is suited for teaching, but this does not keep us from becoming an advanced soul. Guides, like everyone else, have different abilities and talents, as well as shortcomings. By the time we reach the advanced level, our soul aptitudes are well known in the spirit world. We are given occupational duties commensurate with our abilities. Different avenues of approach to learning eventually bring all of us to the same end in acquiring spiritual wholeness.

The Advanced Soul

People on Earth who possess souls which are both old and highly advanced are scarce. A person whose maturity is this high doesn't seek out a regression therapist to resolve life-plan conflicts. In most cases, they are here as incarnated guides. Having mastered the fundamental issues most of us wrestle with daily, the advanced soul is more interested in making small refinements toward specific tasks.

We may recognize them when they appear as public figures, however, it is more usual for the advanced soul to go about their good works in a quiet, unassuming manner. Without displaying self-indulgence, their fulfillment comes from improving the lives of other people. They focus less on institutional matters and more on enhancing individual human values.

The mark of an advanced spirit is one who has patience with society and shows extraordinary coping skills. Most prominent is their exceptional insight. This is not to say life has no karmic pitfalls for them, otherwise they probably wouldn't be here at all. They may be found in all walks of life, but are frequently in the helping professions or combating social injustice in some fashion. The advanced soul radiates composure, kindness, and understanding toward others. Not being motivated by self-interest, they may disregard their own physical needs and live in reduced circumstances.