Ask Erin | What's the Difference Between the Soul and the Higher Self?
One of the biggest sources of confusion in spirituality is that everyone uses the same words... but they mean completely different things.
Soul.
Higher Self.
God.
Source.
Spirit.
Consciousness.
Ask ten teachers what these words mean, and you'll probably get ten different answers.
So let's clear this up.
Because once you understand the difference between your highest self and your higher self, so many pieces of the spiritual journey suddenly click into place.
Welcome to Ask Erin.
I'm Erin Werley, a God/Source channeler, bestselling spiritual awakening author, and energy healer, teaching consciousness expansion and soul mission embodiment.
Every week I answer real questions from this community about consciousness, intuition, soul mission, energy healing, God/Source, and what it actually looks like to live an awakened life.
There’s nothing random in our universe…
You’ve been led here for an important reason.
Before we dive in, I'm excited to invite you to join my free Awaken the God Within three-day masterclass. If you're ready to stop searching outside yourself and start living LIT UP from within, click here to join me!
A Note from Erin
I love this question because words matter.
One of the fastest ways to become confused on the spiritual path is assuming everyone is using the same definitions.
They're not.
There's no universal agreement on what the soul is, what the higher self is, or what God Source is.
So when I use these words, I want you to know exactly what I mean.
Not because my definition is the only one.
But because clarity creates power.
Once we have a common language, we can have a much deeper conversation.
Today's Question
"What is the difference between the soul and the higher self? Is there a difference? I've always thought of the higher self as the light being that we are, but I'm curious how you explain the soul and whether we're talking about the same thing."
This is an incredible question.
And the answer changes everything.
Because I don't use the words "higher self" and "highest self" interchangeably.
To me, they're two very different aspects of who we are.
Let's start at the top.
Your Highest Self Is God/Source
At the highest level of your being...
You are God/Source.
You are I Am.
This is oneness frequency…
The oneness that exists within every living being.
This aspect of you isn't trying to accomplish anything.
It isn't chasing purpose.
It isn't trying to heal.
It isn't trying to become more spiritual.
It simply is.
Its deepest desire is presence.
To experience.
To witness.
To enjoy.
To exist.
That's why so many spiritual traditions speak about coming into the present moment.
Because presence is the natural state of God/Source.
God/Source isn't striving.
It isn't judging.
It isn't asking whether you're getting life right.
It simply knows.
It simply is.
Your Higher Self Is Your Soul
This is where my definition begins to differ from many spiritual teachers.
When I talk about your higher self...
I'm talking about your soul.
Your soul is an immortal being of light.
It has lived many lifetimes.
Most likely on Earth.
Very likely on other planets as well.
It has accumulated wisdom.
Experience.
Growth.
Expansion.
Your soul is unique.
It has its own energetic signature.
Its own blueprint.
Its own mission.
Its own reason for incarnating into this lifetime.
But here's the important part.
Your soul isn't separate from God/Source.
Your soul was created by God/Source.
Your soul is an individualized expression of the One.
In the same way that every wave belongs to the ocean...
Every soul belongs to God/Source.
Why Your Soul Feels Different Than God Source
This distinction explains something that confuses so many people.
If God/Source simply wants to experience...
Why do we feel such a powerful drive to create?
To build?
To serve?
To write the book?
To start the business?
To heal?
To teach?
To change the world?
Because that desire doesn't come from God/Source.
It comes from your soul.
Your soul has a mission.
Your soul has a blueprint.
Your soul came into this lifetime intending to create something.
To experience something.
To become something.
That creative drive isn't your ego.
It's your soul remembering why it came here.
Why Fulfillment Matters So Much
Have you ever looked around at your life and thought,
"I have everything I thought I wanted...
So why do I still feel like something's missing?"
That's your soul talking.
Your soul doesn't measure success the way the human mind does.
It doesn't care how much money you make.
How many followers you have.
How impressive your résumé looks.
Your soul has one question.
Am I becoming who I came here to become?
When the answer is yes...
Something inside you comes alive.
You feel lit up from within.
When the answer is no...
You feel restless.
Flat.
Unfulfilled.
Not because you're doing life wrong.
Because your soul is gently nudging you back toward its blueprint.
That feeling isn't a punishment.
It's guidance.
The Two Desires Living Within You
Understanding this distinction completely changed how I experience life.
There are really two movements happening within us at the same time.
God Source is always inviting us into deeper presence.
Your soul is always inviting you into deeper creation.
One says,
"Be."
The other says,
"Create."
One is perfectly content sitting on a mountain watching the sunset forever.
The other says,
"That book needs to be written."
"That conversation needs to happen."
"That person needs your help."
"That dream exists for a reason."
Neither is more spiritual than the other.
They're simply different expressions of who you are.
And together they create a beautiful balance.
Presence without purpose can eventually feel stagnant.
Purpose without presence often becomes burnout.
The magic happens when both are fully embodied.
Why So Many Spiritual People Feel Torn
I see this all the time.
Someone begins awakening.
They discover meditation.
Presence.
Stillness.
Inner peace.
And suddenly they begin wondering...
"Should I even want anything anymore?"
"Is wanting to create coming from my ego?"
Not necessarily.
Often it's coming directly from your soul.
Your soul didn't come here to disappear.
It came here to express itself.
It came here to embody its mission.
It came here to bring something into the world that has never existed before.
The desire to create isn't automatically ego.
Sometimes it's one of the clearest ways your soul communicates with you.
The key is learning the difference between creating from fear...
And creating from soul.
Living as God Source Embodied and Soul Embodied
One of the biggest shifts in my own journey happened when I stopped believing I had to choose between these two parts of myself.
I don't have to choose between presence and purpose.
I don't have to choose between stillness and creation.
I don't have to choose between being deeply at peace and building something meaningful in the world.
I am both.
God/Source embodied.
Soul embodied.
When I understand that...
Everything makes sense.
I can sit in complete presence with my family.
Then wake up the next morning inspired to write.
To teach.
To channel.
To serve.
Neither experience is more spiritual than the other.
They're both expressions of who I truly Am.
This Changes the Way You See Your Life
Once you understand the difference between your highest self and your higher self...
Your entire spiritual journey begins to make more sense.
You stop judging yourself for wanting to create.
You stop believing that presence means giving up your dreams.
You stop confusing spiritual awakening with becoming passive.
Instead...
You recognize that God/Source within you is inviting you into presence.
Your soul is inviting you into purpose.
And your human life becomes the place where those two meet.
That's where soul mission is born.
That's where fulfillment lives.
And that's what it means to live lit up from within!
I'd Love to Answer Your Question
If there's something you've been wrestling with - intuition, consciousness, soul mission, God/Source, soul, spiritual awakening, business, relationships, energy healing, or anything else - I'd love to hear it.
If your question resonates, it may become a future Ask Erin article or YouTube episode.
Join the Conversation
Every week I send a Weekly Guidance channeled email out…
No fluff.
No spiritual bypassing.
Just honest conversations about becoming the most powerful version of you!
→ Join the Free Weekly Guidance Newsletter
Read the Book
Read by millions and with thousands of 5 star reviews, One Truth, One Law: I Am, I Create is your roadmap to oneness, manifestation and the universe.
The Big Metaphysical Questions:
- Who are we?
- Why are we here?
- How does the universe exist?
- How can we access the intuitive voice of God / source / the universe to step into our role as unlimited creators?
Since the beginning of recorded history, humans have longed to find the answers to these most fundamental questions. One Truth, One Law has the answers channeled directly from God.
Everything in our universe is defined by one truth. One truth is the difference between understanding everything or knowing nothing. It’s the difference between being whole or feeling lost.
If you have the courage to set aside what you think you know, this book has the answers you’ve never quite been able to grasp. If you have the courage to read with a truly open mind, you won’t ever have to search for the truth again.
Erin Werley used to feel lost, as if the big questions were unanswerable. Then, one day, she started to receive deposits from her inner voice, which calls itself “I Am.” And everything in her life began to change.
I Am’s intention with this book is not to offer you information that can only come through Werley. It’s to teach you how to access your own inner voice so you’ll be able to make your dreams a reality.
Whether you’re a new seeker or you’ve already awakened, One Truth, One Law is the last book on spirituality you’ll ever feel the need to read.
Ready to read? Click the buy button and order your copy of this life changing book today!
Author
