Why Am I Here? Exploring The Deeper Purpose Of Life Through The Eyes Of The Soul

There are moments in life when we stop and ask, quietly or loudly, “Why am I here?” I’m sure you have asked yourself this many times. I have, and it’s one of the most profound spiritual questions we can ask, not just about our job or situation, but about the soul’s deeper purpose on Earth.

We can often find ourselves asking the question as we sit waiting for an interview that we’re dreading, or for something that we feel will be of no benefit to us, but we were too afraid to say, “no!” And in deeper moments, we may find ourselves asking this about our entire life. Why are we here, and is there a purpose to our existence?

Sometimes this comes as a whisper in the middle of a peaceful morning. Sometimes it’s a cry for help during particularly bad heartbreak or hardship. However it arrives, this question echoes through lifetimes, through cultures, and through every soul that has ever paused to wonder.

It isn’t just a question of career or circumstance. It’s a question of being. Of existence. Of soul. YOUR soul and YOUR place in the universe.

Let’s go deeper. Let’s look beyond the surface of daily life and that social invitation you’d rather avoid, and explore what spiritual teachings, near-death experiences (NDEs), and soul wisdom reveal about the true purpose of our lives.

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What do spiritual traditions say?

Throughout history, many traditions have taught that life is not random. Instead, they suggest that we are part of a much larger, interconnected design in which our soul is in an eternal quest to learn more and expand itself:

• Hinduism and Buddhism speak of reincarnation, karma, and the soul’s journey towards liberation
• Sufi mysticism sees life as the soul’s remembrance of its divine origin
• In Christian mysticism, earthly life is often described as a training ground for love
• The Ra Material (Law of One) teaches that we are all fragments of the One Infinite Creator, here to learn the lessons of love and unity

Each of these teachings points to a soul purpose: growth, remembrance, and reconnection. Life is seen as an opportunity to peel back the layers of illusion and ego and return to a deeper knowing of self and Source.

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What near-death experiences (NDEs) reveal

Over the past few decades, thousands of people have shared profound accounts of dying and returning to life — and many have come back transformed.

Take Anita Moorjani, who had cancer throughout her body and was in a coma when she had a vivid NDE. In it, she experienced being beyond her body, immersed in unconditional love. She saw how her fear had contributed to her illness and understood that she was here to live her life boldly and joyfully, not in fear. She returned, and within weeks, her cancer disappeared. Her story is chronicled in her book Dying to Be Me.

Dr Eben Alexander, a neurosurgeon who had previously dismissed spiritual experiences, contracted meningitis and fell into a deep coma. During his NDE, he encountered a beautiful, conscious presence that felt deeply familiar and loving. He came back believing that consciousness exists beyond the brain and that love is the foundation of all existence (Proof of Heaven).

Howard Storm, a former atheist and art professor, experienced an initially terrifying NDE followed by an overwhelming encounter with divine beings of light. He returned committed to a life of service, later becoming a pastor and dedicating himself to spiritual work (My Descent into Death).

Mellen-Thomas Benedict went through a lengthy NDE in which he encountered what he described as “The Light” — a source of pure, intelligent love. He was shown visions of humanity’s future, Earth’s energy, and the interconnectedness of all things. He returned with scientific insights and an expanded sense of purpose, becoming a prolific inventor and healer.

Mary C. Neal, an orthopaedic spine surgeon, drowned during a kayaking accident and had a detailed NDE that included meeting spiritual beings and being told about her future purpose. She returned with deep faith and a renewed sense of clarity about her mission to help others heal and reconnect with the divine.

NDEs consistently report messages of unconditional love, interconnectedness, soul missions, and the primacy of love and compassion as the true measure of a life well lived. Many people who have had an NDE return and completely change their way of living, dedicating themselves to serving others in some way. You can read more about NDEs in my NDE article here.

While experiences vary, these stories consistently point to transformation through unconditional love, interconnectedness, and renewed clarity of purpose.

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A soul’s eye view: pre-birth planning and life lessons

Spiritual teachers like Dolores Cannon, Michael Newton, and Matías De Stefano offer strikingly similar views on the soul’s journey.

• Dolores Cannon, through her hypnosis work, described souls planning their lives before birth — choosing parents, challenges, and key themes to explore. She shares many client accounts of souls selecting difficult lifetimes for the growth they offer. In her view, Earth is one of the most challenging and rewarding ‘schools’ in the universe
• Michael Newton, in Journey of Souls, documented detailed accounts of the soul’s journey between lives. Under deep hypnosis, his clients described meeting with guides, being shown a life preview, and selecting their next incarnation based on lessons still to be learned. Key themes include forgiveness, courage, creativity, and compassion

From this view, Earth is not a punishment or test — it’s a rich, vivid playground for the growth of our infinite soul, a classroom full of creative contrast and divine possibility.

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What spiritual teachers say

Abraham-Hicks often reminds us that we are here to follow joy — because when we are joyful, we align with Source. In Ask and It Is Given, Abraham explains that each person comes forth with the intention of expansion through contrast, and our emotions are our guidance system. When we follow joy, we are following the path of least resistance to our highest alignment.

Eckhart Tolle teaches that presence itself is purpose. In The Power of Now, he writes that the mind is constantly trying to find meaning in future achievement, but real purpose is found in being present in the ‘now’ moment — because the now is all there ever is. Awakening, in his teaching, is realising the illusion of separation and becoming aware of our essence as timeless consciousness. Read more about how to live in the now moment.

Ram Dass, in Be Here Now, speaks of life as a vehicle for soul evolution. After his spiritual awakening in India, he embraced service and compassion as core to his purpose. His famous quote, “We’re all just walking each other home,” reminds us that our presence with others can be one of the most sacred offerings.

Matías De Stefano, through his Gaia series Initiation, shares memories of previous lives and ancient civilisations, particularly Atlantis and Khem. Although not empirically validated by science, he teaches that we are all aspects of the same divine Source, each living a different version of the same quest — the exploration of self through experience. He explains that our purpose is collective as well as personal: to help realign the planet with its original harmonic blueprint.

These teachings all share a common thread — that we are here not to conform, suffer, or chase perfection, but to awaken, remember, and embody the divine spark we all carry and to help each other remember.

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What science might say

Although mainstream science doesn’t yet answer many spiritual questions directly, quantum physics does open the door to new ways of seeing and understanding the universe, and one which leans towards the idea that we are all somehow connected.

• The observer effect shows that the act of observation can influence what occurs, suggesting consciousness plays a role in shaping the reality of the observer
• Quantum entanglement suggests that everything is connected at a fundamental level

Integrated Information Theory (IIT): Consciousness as complexity

IIT proposes that consciousness arises from the integration of information within a system. It begins not with physical matter, but with the undeniable reality of subjective experience and works backwards to identify the physical conditions that must exist to support it.

Key ideas include:

• Φ (Phi): A mathematical measure of how much information is integrated in a system. The higher the Φ, the more conscious the system is considered to be.
• Cause-effect structure: Consciousness emerges when elements within a system influence each other in a unified, irreducible way.
• Beyond the brain: IIT suggests that consciousness could exist in any system—biological or artificial—that meets its criteria for integrated information.

Tononi’s theory challenges reductionist views by implying that consciousness is not just a byproduct of brain activity, but a fundamental property of systems with complex, self-referential informational architecture.

Other theorists, like physicist Amit Goswami, argue that consciousness is primary, and the material world emerges from it, not the other way round. In The Self-Aware Universe, Goswami proposes a model in which consciousness is the ground of all being, and our physical reality is a manifestation within it.

Modern studies of consciousness, including research into panpsychism and integrated information theory, are beginning to support the possibility that consciousness is fundamental, not emergent, meaning that it comes before everything else, including what we call ‘matter’.

While not conclusive, these emerging ideas may begin to suggest that consciousness is not confined to the brain, and may be a universal field – meaning your life exists in a much larger web of meaning.

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The universe is asking: Who am I?

At the deepest level, it’s possible that this question — Why am I here? — is not just yours.

It is the universe itself asking about itself through you.

If you are a fractal of the divine, then your life is part of the great experiment of Source Energy exploring itself. Through your laughter, your sorrow, your choices, your creations — the universe is learning what it means to be All That Is.

This view echoes the concept of universal consciousness expanding through lived experience. The question becomes: “What can I become?”

Imagine you were a small child in total awe of the world you lived in, and you wanted to know who you were and what you could become. How would it answer that question? Well, one way would be to try lots of different things out and see which ones worked well for you and which ones didn’t – which ones brought you closer to feeling the best you could be and which ones didn’t. I believe that the Universal Creator is doing that through all of us. We are each individual and unique, yet also part of, and connected to the whole, in the same way that a single drop of water is the same as an ocean. As individuals, we have freewill, meaning that we are free to choose whatever we want, and in doing so, we report back – all the so-called ‘good’ and the so-called ‘bad’. To the universe, they are neither good nor bad – they are all experiences which add to the Akashic records and expand All That Is. So in reality, it doesn’t matter whether you choose to be Desdemona, Othello or Iago. Each character will add to the eternal records through their experiences and learning. And over the course of a few lifetimes, you may choose to play all three characters to give you a fully-rounded experience.

Now this is all an allegory, of course, but it seems to ‘fit the bill’ for me.

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My own reflection

From all I’ve read, witnessed, and experienced, I’ve come to believe this:

We are here because we chose to be here. Not as punishment, not to prove our worth — but to remember our worth and the potential for what we could be.

I believe that we are here to love and to be loved, to create, to fall apart, to grow back stronger, to notice the sunrise, to hold someone’s hand, to cry, to dance in the rain, to rest, to wake up — and to remember that none of it is wasted, ever! All our experiences contribute to the way the universe knows and understands itself. I believe that this is an infinite process, because there are an infinite number of possibilities and choices in any moment, let alone across lifetimes.

My life and your life are not random. They are our creative art, and they are a result of the Divine Creator exploring possibilities. And I believe that is a fantastic and amazing gift.

And perhaps the most sacred purpose of all is simply this: to exist and to be… whatever you want!

“To be, or not to be; that is the question.”

When you learn something new, you see the world (and the quote above) in a different way!

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So what does this mean for your life’s purpose this time around?

If you accept what I have written here, then the next question is, “What have I chosen this time around?” The stories from NDEers point to the idea that we often may have some kind of chosen life purpose that we can follow once we get here, but of course, we are completely free to choose NOT to do it too. And there is and will be no judgement of that from the Divine – only from yourself when you later review your choices.

In our sister article, we look at the difference between our soul’s purpose and what we may call our life’s purpose, which you can read on the site. But for now, let’s leave it that our purpose on Earth is whatever we want it to be, whatever we have chosen this lifetime to experience. Let that idea sit with you for a while and see how it resonates with your own perspective.

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Journal prompts for personal exploration

I always encourage my readers to write a daily journal to record how they feel, the events that are memorable or significant to them, and to recognise patterns in their lives. Here are some journal prompts that you may want to reflect on as you explore this question:

• What brings me alive?
• When do I feel most like myself?
• What lessons seem to repeat in my life?
• What have I come here to experience more deeply?
• If I knew I was a spark of divine light, how would I live today?

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Remember

You are not lost. You are not late. You are not missing your purpose.

You are here. Now, in this moment. Let that realisation come to the front of your consciousness.

For that is the beginning of everything.

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Meta description: “Why am I here? Explore this timeless question through spiritual teachings, NDE stories, and soul insights. Discover your deeper purpose as a divine being having a human experience.”

References

• Moorjani, A. (2012). Dying to Be Me. Hay House.
• Alexander, E. (2012). Proof of Heaven. Simon & Schuster.
• Newton, M. (1994). Journey of Souls. Llewellyn.
• Cannon, D. (2008). Between Death and Life. Ozark Mountain.
• Storm, H. (2000). My Descent into Death. Harmony.
• Benedict, M-T. (various interviews and lectures).
• Neal, M.C. (2012). To Heaven and Back. WaterBrook Press.
• Tolle, E. (1999). The Power of Now. New World Library.
• Hicks, E. & Hicks, J. (2004). Ask and It Is Given. Hay House.
• Dass, R. (1971). Be Here Now. Lama Foundation.
• Goswami, A. (1995). The Self-Aware Universe. Tarcher.
• Ra Material / Law of One (1981–1984). LL Research.
• De Stefano, M. (various interviews and Gaia series: Initiation).
• ITT – Integrated information theory – Wikipedia

 

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