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Tara Byrne4 min

How to Take a Soul Walk to Tap into Your Soul’s Guidance

November 6, 2023

by Tara Byrne

Have you ever longed to discover your soul’s truth about something? Or sensed that your fearful thoughts are obscuring a deeper truth that lies hidden below the surface? Taking a Soul Walk can help you get clarity.

What’s a Soul Walk?

A Soul Walk is an intentional walk in nature that connects us with our inner truth by bringing us face to face with signs and messages from the natural world. It’s free, simple and accessible to anyone. All you need is an hour of your time, and a place to walk outside.

Why align with your soul?

Each of us has a sacred design – a blueprint of who we are intended to become. And we’re given the exact abilities, qualities and experiences we need to help that seed grow and thrive. But most of us don’t grow up with people who know how to recognise and nurture our deepest truths. Instead, we’re encouraged to obey, behave, and do what’s expected. We learn what we’re told we should know, instead of who we really are. And little by little, we lose touch with the only guidance we can really rely on: that of our soul. A Soul Walk is a first step towards discovering the path our soul would have us take. When we follow our soul’s path consistently, we find a completely different life unfolds: one that takes us in the direction of joy, expansion and fulfilment. A Soul Walk can be particularly helpful when we:

Are at a crossroads in life, and need wisdom to help us move forward
Know what we need to do, but need confirmation of our intuition
Feel confused, and want to understand the deeper meaning of something.

A step-by-step guide to doing a Soul Walk

1. Decide where to go. The wilder the place, the better. But if you’re limited to city streets, that’s fine too. Soul can speak to us wherever we are. 2. Choose your time. Dawn and dusk are powerful, because the veil between ‘our’ world and the dream world is at its thinnest. Set aside at least an hour for your walk. 3. Get clear on your intention or question. You can use a yes or no question, like: ‘Is it in alignment with my soul to leave this job?’ or ‘Is this course right for me now?’ Or you can ask for guidance in a more open-ended way. For example: ‘Please show me how I can connect with like-minded people in my community.’ 4. Shift into soul mode. To hear our soul’s messages, we need to shift from our ego mind to soul awareness. So before you leave, spend 15 minutes meditating, praying or being with your intention. 5. Go for your walk. Dress comfortably, bring water and switch off your phone. Let Soul lead the way. Hold your intention lightly in the background. Try not to figure out if what you’re seeing ‘means’ something. Just stay in your body, and enjoy being outside.

How to know when you’re seeing a sign

You’ll probably see a lot of birds, insects and trees on your walk. How do you know when one of these holds a special message for you? Your body will tell you. Your body is your number one soul-sensing tool, and it has ways of letting you know when something matters. You might see a hundred birds out on your walk. And then you look up at a certain moment, and one passes overhead – and you get goosebumps. That’s a sign that particular bird has something to tell you. Sometimes, signs are even more obvious – like when animals behave in unusual ways. I went out at dawn one morning, to try to decide whether to train as a Soul Purpose Guide. As I sat at the edge of a wood, a deer appeared from behind the trees. It walked straight up to me, and its gaze locked onto mine, as if it were challenging me to embrace this next step on my path. (When I later discovered that one of the course’s past teachers had been Harley Swiftdeer, it made my conviction even stronger!) It's so tempting to try and decode what we see on the spot. But it’s working with our signs in non-linear ways that will unlock their treasure.

After your walk

Make a note of what you saw, felt and sensed. Then work with your signs in one or more of the ways below.

Move around as the bird, animal or stone. How does it feel in your body? What qualities does it bring you? How can you weave these into your life?
Write a letter to yourself as the sign. No editing or judging. Just let its wisdom pour onto the page.
Draw your sign. What do you notice in your body?
Speak to your sign. What do you want to say to the river? Let your soul speak.

Overcoming resistance and moving forward

Resistance is a constant companion on the soul path, because really being true to ourselves puts us on a collision course with the part of us that wants to stay safe and not rock the boat. If you notice resistance to the guidance you get (you might feel it as a ‘no’ in your body), let it be there. Let it tell you how it’s feeling. Sometimes, all resistance needs is to be heard. At others, we need to allow the scared part of us to develop trust gradually, as we walk the path of soul more consistently. Eventually, you’ll be able to move forward in a more soulful way. Your Soul Walk is just one step on your soul’s journey. Your life’s path is about learning to let soul lead the way more of the time. One thing’s guaranteed: if you’re already feeling inspired to do a Soul Walk, you can be sure that there’s important guidance waiting for you.

Tara Byrne

Tara Byrne is a Purpose Guide, Shamanic Healer and Health Coach who sold her home and lived for a year in the Amazon jungle, after following her soul’s guidance. She helps people find their purpose, overcome resistance and heal energetic wounds, so they can stop searching and start living the life they were born for. To learn how to connect with your soul, download her free ‘Learn to speak soul’ guide.