Although it may seem that needs are only of the body and mind, the soul does have desires—longings that often translate into needs of the body-mind. However, the perceived needs of the body-mind are filtered through our thoughts and beliefs. They have been developed over our lives and become tainted by misrepresentations of what we think to be our needs and desires. The pure longings of the soul can become harder to access over time, with the build-up and subsequent overlay of externally created ideas, “shoulds,” “can’ts” and “what ifs.”
So, how do we access our true soul desires? First, we must learn how to distinguish perceived needs and desires from true longings. Most actions we take in the course of waking hours stem from real or perceived mental, physical, or emotional needs. Of course, some of these are related to fulfilling actual physical needs, such as eating and sleeping. The rest are creations of the mind that reflect personal and societal thoughts and beliefs. For example, I need a mate to complete me, I need this job to fulfill me, I need the right shoes, I need to show who is boss, I need ice cream now, and on and on.