The Old Soul

Fritz Perls, the founder of Gestalt Therapy, coined a statement that was later named “The Gestalt Prayer” and was widely quoted during the 1960’s and 1970’s:
"I do my thing and you do your thing.
I am not in this world to live up to your expectations,
and you are not in this world to live up to mine.
You are you and I am I
and if, by chance, we find each other
it's beautiful.”
The conclusion of the original statement: “If not, it can’t be helped,” was quoted less often—no doubt because it didn’t have the same flavor of idealism and poetry as the first part.

This viewpoint— including its less popular conclusion —is, by its nature, that of an Old Soul. Old Souls will welcome those they feel an affinity with. If the connection is not perceived to be present they will simply go their own way.
Olds don’t try to convince others to live as they do. Likewise, if other people attempt to force their values or ways of living on the Old Soul, they’re likely to find themselves talking to a closed door.
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Much that can be said about an Old Soul is what would be said about an old person.
They are storehouses of knowledge and understanding but, in spite of that, they do not usually accomplish very much. To the other soul ages they probably appear lazy.
In fact, they’re just tired. World-weary. Tired of having bodies to care for. Tired of fighting against the odds and losing.
You'll find Old Souls quietly recycling or giving food or money to organizations that fight hunger. You’re unlikely to find them marching for either cause. It’s not that they don’t care. They do. They’re just tired and, possibly, a bit cynical. They’ve seen it all before —the marches and the demonstrations — after which everyone went home and nothing changed.

At the moment, as the world emerges from the Young Soul cycle, the Old Souls on the planet have much to feel tired and cynical about. As the Mature Soul era gears up, Olds might become invigorated as they begin seeing accomplishments in caring for the planet, for instance, or more personal [as opposed to corporate] matters beginning to be addressed. Check back in a few decades or centuries as the Mature mindsets take hold of the planet as a whole.

Old Souls often have difficulty with self-esteem because their perceptions and values are not shared by the rest of society. They are out-of-step with the majority and they feel it. They are likely to sense how different they are from the norm and may even think that perhaps they don’t belong on this planet.
At the moment, they are fairly rare, comprising about eleven percent of the population. On the fringes of society, they obey the rules of their cultures only as required to get by without causing trouble.

It is rare for an Old Soul to make a great contribution to society. They have largely given up on the world and it just doesn't seem worth the effort to put a lot of energy into things that won’t last anyway. Material things just decay, so why invest in that?
Obviously, Young Souls and Old Souls are direct opposites. In fact, Olds are far more similar to Infants than they are to Young Souls.
If they do make themselves noticed, Old Souls are perceived by most of the 3 younger soul ages to be ‘far out’ or eccentric. So, generally speaking, the Old folks do not even try to communicate with them though they may spend time with Infants teaching them the rudiments of planetary life.

Often, Old Souls can feel so tired that they're ready to just lie down and die. Like a person in the last decade of life, the Old Soul is "winding down", preparing for death, settling the estate, and tying up loose ends. The Old Soul is clearing the way for its final break with the physical plane.

In their social lives, Old Souls are often loners. They go their own way, caring little for societal norms. They have very little interest in casual relationships, such as coworkers and neighbors. Even their sense of connection to blood relatives is not very strong.
When they do get involved, it is often because there is a strong spiritual bond. Either there is a karmic attachment (past-life association), or an agreement — a contract made between lifetimes — to conduct a relationship.

When Old Souls do seek companionship, they often do so in metaphysical groups — astrology and tarot classes, psychic endeavors, and so on. Here they will be most likely to meet those with whom they have spiritual connections. They seek out the few others who are like themselves and share similar interests. This is not usually for the purpose of business advancements like Young Souls, or for psychological comfort like Mature Souls, but just to share being with other Old Souls.

If the basis for psychological intimacy is not quickly apparent to Old Souls, they will not put themselves through much trouble to develop it. It is difficult for Old Souls to create unions with people that they have not known in numerous past lifetimes.

Old Souls are individualistic — they believe that people can do whatever they want to do, so long as they don't hurt anyone else. Olds do not want to change the world — they want to just let it be. You might say they have the ultimate "laissez faire" (leave it alone) attitude — let nature take its course and don't interfere with the system.
One reason for their loner behavior is the fact that Old Souls are careful about creating new karma of any sort. Anything that will encourage a continuation of involvement with the physical plane is to be avoided. Old Souls are in the process of removing themselves from entanglement with the usual affairs of life.
As a rule, Olds just want outta here. They want to move off the planet completely and ties to other people can slow that process down.
As occurs with all soul ages, the personality can have its own ideas on this and other matters. So, an individual can seek relationships with others, even now. But, the personality will be on its own and won't receive any help from the Soul in forging such ties. It can be done but it will be much more difficult than it would have been at any earlier age except the Infant level.

Like Infant Souls, it is unusual for Old Souls to pursue a career as such. Of course, they take on occupations in order to make ends meet, but these are not the main interest in life. Most often a job will be sought which does not overly challenge the Old Soul. This leaves the soul with enough spare energy to pursue its real purposes: resolving karmic entanglements and pursuing truth.
Check out the gardener puttering on the Young Soul’s gated estate. You might find an Old Soul quietly contemplating the meaning of life while pruning the roses.

Old Souls have very few psychological problems to deal with. Presumably, they’ve mostly been worked through in previous lifetimes. But Old Souls do have one significant problem: they are subject to depression. All the Soul Ages can experience depression— but especially the Old Soul. To them, life seems contrived. They sense that it is all a game and they no longer want to play.
The material pursuits of Young Souls seem quite futile to them. Even the Mature Soul's excitement about newfound truth seems passé. In short, Old Souls may suffer from boredom. This ennui can severely limit an Old Soul's happiness, and be a source of misunderstanding for younger Souls who are enjoying life. Whether he understands it consciously or not, the Old Soul simply wants to graduate from the physical plane.

Old Souls are typically easy for other people to get along with. They are usually agreeable. The worst that can be said about Old Souls is that they are often detached. Younger Souls do not understand this, although they may admire the fact that an Old Soul can remain cool in situations that younger Souls might find upsetting.
There is not much in an Old Soul that can offend a younger Soul, though there is much that can be misunderstood. To some it may seem that Old Souls do not care. It is more accurate to say that they are aloof. They do not make much input into what is going on around them, and do not have a strong investment in any particular outcome.

At the instinctive level, Old Souls understand the big lesson of the whole maturation cycle: ‘Be nonjudgmental’. What they cannot abide, Old Souls simply avoid. Rarely do they seek to change things.

Old Souls tend to follow the path of least resistance. Younger Souls regard this as sheer laziness — a lack of drive and willpower. This trait has its advantages and disadvantages. The positive side is that Olds are gracious when it comes to dealing with other people. The disadvantage is that they may lack the initiative to accomplish things that could be done. They often come up with innovative ideas because of their previous experiences, but they lack the energy to bring them to fruition.

All this is not to give Olds an excuse for laziness. Once an Old Soul realizes the cause of this condition, it can take steps to mitigate it or direct it wisely. In fact, this can help the Soul move toward its goal of moving off the planet as it begins to accomplish some of the tasks it may need to complete prior to leaving.

Old Souls are, generally, ethical. They do not have to be taught right and wrong by parents or society. There is some socializing to be done when they are children of course, but the programming for integrity is inborn. It is as if they are grown-up even when they are children.
They feel, to themselves and to others, as if they are older than their chronological age. They are conscientious. They are not usually jealous, envious or possessive — any one of which would involve attachment to other people. They are usually gentle toward the faults of others. The harsh perceptions often present in younger souls are absent. They rarely perceive actions as being truly evil. Rather, they regard things that cause suffering as foolish and immature and they seek to cure the cause of the problem by educating and gentle persuasion.

The nations primarily populated by Old souls—Switzerland, Holland, and Iceland, for instance—value their independence and neutrality on political issues. Switzerland plays host to the Young Soul nations at Geneva peace talks, but does not get involved in their Young Soul do-it-my-way games.
If Old Souls care anything for politics, they will be pacifists. Most often they are simply apolitical — they do not get involved at all.

Old Souls are casual and easygoing about almost everything. Not much is a big deal to them. Almost never are they outrageous or outlandish. They are rarely concerned with outward appearances. They’re unlikely to follow [or even know] the latest fashion. In extreme cases they can even appear sloppy. They rarely care if they’re perceived by others as strange in dress or mannerism.

Old Souls pursue education with the same casual attitude as they do everything else in life. Grades are of very little value to them. Even the learning itself isn't all that important unless it furthers a specific life task. They concentrate what little energy they have on understanding the reasons for things being the way they are.

Old Souls rarely participate in organized religion. They are often drawn, instead, to metaphysics, mysticism, philosophy, and the occult in their quest for understanding.

At the moment, it can be said that Old Souls are at the most difficult Age. The difficulty isn’t caused, as it is for Mature Souls, by angst and psychological turmoil. Rather it occurs because they don’t seem to fit in with the rest of the world:
In the first place, they are definitely out of step with society and don't really care about formal institutions. Often the Olds, themselves, do not understand why this is happening and it can take a toll on them.
In the second place, they are often too world-weary to do what needs to be done to solve their own problems. Since they tend to follow the path of least resistance, unless they feel internal and external forces pushing them, they don't go anywhere or do anything. They may be able to help others solve their problems but be unable to have much effect on their own. This can lead to loneliness.
In the third place, there is a certain arrogance in Old Souls who may feel they cannot learn from younger souls. They are aware of their maturity, even if only subliminally, and regard younger souls as foolish. This isn't all that wise, really. There is always much to learn, including from one's juniors.
In the fourth place, there is very little left that Old souls want to experience in life. They feel like they have done it all — so why bother to do more? This contributes to the boredom and even the depression mentioned earlier.

Even sex is not highly prized by Old Souls. They are usually competent, but a lack of interest in it, and the lack of passion for it can be disconcerting to younger Souls who still pursue sexual experience avidly.
Old Souls are often hedonistic and sensual, however, and can have a bawdy sense of humor.
Olds are often androgynous (having balanced masculine and feminine characteristics), and bisexuality may be a part of their lifestyle. Gender identification is often weak at this age because of subconscious contact with the whole psyche, which includes both masculine and feminine characteristics.
What Old Souls seek in romantic relationships is a "soul mate" — someone to whom they can relate on a soul level.

Most of the tasks that are left for the Old Soul to complete have to do with being, rather than doing (like the Young Soul) or feeling (like the Mature Soul). The Old Soul just is. Olds simply experience life as it passes through their consciousness. Not unlike the Infant Soul, this can lead to a simple life lived simply.