At this point in your evolution, you undergo a profound 180-degree shift as your focus moves from exploring the outer world to exploring the world within. This search for the meaning of life is called the Quest, and it will carry you from here all the way through to your final lifetime on Earth at the end of Level 10. The Quest is the pursuit of self-knowledge. It begins with your desire to understand the purpose of life and gradually transforms into a desire to understand the purpose of one particular life: your own.
You develop the ability to look inward, examining your own thoughts, feelings, and motivations with growing clarity.
Your newfound introspection can turn against you, creating deep inner conflicts over issues like your spiritual beliefs or personal identity.
Instead of accepting conventional wisdom, you now question everything. Thanks to this shift in perspective, the guilelessness of your earlier soul ages is replaced with healthy skepticism. You begin to see that the world isn't quite the place those in authority tell you it is.
When your soul was much younger, you used to put up with injustice in the belief that you'd get your reward in the hereafter. Now you're not so compliant. You want more fairness for yourself and those around you, and you want it in this life, not the next. For that reason, you're drawn to trade unions, cooperatives, and other organizations that offer mutual support.
You no longer accept conventional wisdom at face value. You want to understand for yourself. The world as presented by authority figures no longer satisfies you, and you feel compelled to look deeper.
You explore yourself through literature, art, and understanding what makes people tick. Other people become fascinating creatures to you, and learning about them helps you learn what you, yourself, are all about. You're creative, though rarely innovative at this stage.
The fear that once made you wary of those who appear different begins to loosen its grip. Having reincarnated many times in a variety of races and cultures, you develop a natural acceptance. This also helps you lose the fear of death that afflicts so many younger souls.
You're beginning to find materialism shallow, yet you're not quite sure where true happiness lies. You sense a need for deeper meaning in your life. You may even describe yourself as spiritual rather than religious.
As the Illusion takes a less prominent role in your life, you gravitate toward pacifism. Your discomfort with armed conflict grows for two reasons: first, multiple lifetimes on the battlefield have taught you about the futility of war; second, your newfound introspection creates a dawning awareness that all of us humans are actually connected.
As this consciousness grows, you lose the will to rule and dominate. You see that diplomacy and cooperation are actually the best way to have your needs met.
Level 6 marks a turning point in your soul's journey. The outward striving of your younger years gives way to a rich inner life. Your newfound introspection, while sometimes leading to self-doubt and inner conflict, is the very tool that propels you forward. By looking inward and questioning the world around you, you lay the foundation for the creative breakthroughs and deeper understanding that await you at the next level.
"The unexamined life is not worth living"
- Socrates