This seems like a simple yes-or-no question. But people aren’t simple objects you can place in a category. People are rich, multi-layered patterns of energy. Everyone has a soul inside them, and that soul is made of pure, divine light.

You might have opinions about people and their behavior. But saying someone is all good or all bad isn’t accurate. People are much more complex than that.

Understanding Energy and Consciousness

Everyone expresses their unique energy in each moment. Imagine a scale—like a thermometer—that measures consciousness. You might think the low end is the ‘evil’ range and the high end is the ‘good’ range. But here’s the important part: people don’t stay at one fixed point on this scale. We all move up and down throughout our lives.

Of course, you can see the difference between someone like Mother Teresa, who helped the poor, and Attila the Hun, who led brutal wars. But even Attila’s soul wasn’t one hundred percent evil. His actions were terrible, but his soul—the divine spark within him—remained pure.

PRACTICE: Finding Your Own Divine Spark

Close your eyes and take three deep breaths. Place your hand over your heart. Can you feel the warmth there? That’s where your soul lives—a spark of pure divine light that has been with you since before you were born. Take a moment to acknowledge this light within you. No matter what mistakes you’ve made, this light remains pure and unchanged.

The Soul’s Journey: Learning Through Many Lifetimes

To understand what’s really happening with behavior—good or bad—you need to know that everyone has a soul made of divine substance. Over countless lifetimes, each soul learns and grows. Souls learn by doing and making mistakes. That’s how all of us learned.

Think about learning to ride a bike. You probably fell down many times before you got it right. Souls learn in a similar way, but with much bigger lessons. When you make a mistake in one lifetime, your soul looks back and says, ‘I won’t make that mistake again.’

Baby Souls and Older Souls

When a soul is brand new—what we call a ‘baby soul’—it hasn’t learned how to use its gift of free will wisely. Just like a baby learning to walk falls down many times, a baby soul makes clumsy choices. They don’t yet understand how their actions affect others.

If you’re reading this, you’re likely an older soul with more experience. You’ve learned many lessons over many lifetimes. Things that seem obvious to you—like treating people with kindness—aren’t obvious to younger souls yet. They’re still learning.

For example, you know you shouldn’t drive your car on the sidewalk where people walk. The consequences would be terrible. But a very young soul might not fully understand consequences yet. When you see their thoughtless behavior, you might call them evil. But they’re really just confused and learning.

PRACTICE: Remembering Your Own Learning Journey

Think of a mistake you made when you were younger—maybe you hurt someone’s feelings without meaning to, or broke something important. Remember how you felt when you realized what you’d done. That feeling of regret helped you learn. Now imagine that every person who does harmful things today is going through their own learning process, just like you did. Take a moment to send understanding to someone you’ve judged harshly.

The Mirror: What ‘Bad’ People Show Us

Here’s a deeper lesson: everyone is a mirror for you. When you want to label certain people as ‘evil,’ ask yourself why. Often, putting someone in the ‘bad’ category is convenient. You don’t have to think about their reasons, and you don’t have to look at yourself. It’s simple: they’re bad, you’re good, and that’s that.

But if their example is a mirror for you, what are they reflecting? This is hard for many people to think about. The truth is: we’re all on the same scale of consciousness. We all move up and down on it based on our thoughts and actions.

When you assume you’re all good, you might miss the subtle ways you’re moving out of balance. Maybe you’re not committing terrible crimes, but are there small ways you’re unkind to yourself or others? Maybe you gossip, hold grudges, or ignore someone in need. These aren’t the same as major harm, but they show we’re all learning similar lessons—just at different levels.

PRACTICE: Using the Mirror of Others

Think of someone whose behavior really bothers you. What specifically upsets you about them? Now ask yourself: Is there any tiny way I do something similar? For example, if someone’s anger bothers you, do you ever get irritated? If someone’s dishonesty bothers you, are there small ways you’re not completely honest? This isn’t about judging yourself—it’s about understanding. The person who bothers you is showing you something you’re still working on at a more subtle level.

What Happens When People Seem ‘Empty’ or ‘Not There’

Many people notice something strange when looking into the eyes of someone who’s done terrible things. Either the person seems ‘not home’—like nobody’s there—or you get the creepy feeling that someone else is looking out through their eyes. What’s happening?

Trauma and Fragmentation

When someone experiences severe trauma—whether from war, abuse, or overwhelming experiences—their soul can become fragmented. Imagine dropping a mirror and it shatters into pieces. The mirror is still there, but it’s broken apart.

A traumatized person might show only certain parts of themselves—maybe only anger or fear—because other parts are hidden or locked away. They’ve disconnected from the full range of their soul as a way to protect themselves from pain.

Sometimes you’ll see a blank, vacant look in people who’ve done horrible things. They’ve stayed partially disconnected from their body as protection. In this disconnected state, one part of their soul might do something that other parts are completely unaware of.

When Another Spirit Influences Someone

Sometimes when someone is fragmented from trauma, they can be influenced by another lost soul or troubled spirit. This is what some people call ‘possession.’ It’s not like in scary movies—it’s more like a weakened person being influenced by confused or negative energy.

Not all traumatized people experience this, but when someone is possessed, they were usually traumatized first, which left them open to this influence. These are still not ‘evil’ people—they’re deeply lost and disconnected from their divine source.

Staying Connected to Your Own Soul

The good news is that you can strengthen your connection to your soul and protect yourself from becoming fragmented or influenced by negative energies. Here’s how:

• Stay aware of your heart center – Your heart is where your soul connects to your body. When you feel confused or upset, place your hand on your heart and take deep breaths.
• Recognize your divine essence daily – Remember that no matter what mistakes you make, your core is pure divine light. This light can never be destroyed or damaged.
• Use your heart as your guide – When your mind is confused or your emotions are overwhelming, your heart knows the truth. Ask your heart what feels right, and listen for the answer.
• Stay integrated between body and soul – Do things that help you feel present in your body: exercise, spend time in nature, create art, dance, or simply breathe consciously.

PRACTICE: Strengthening Your Soul-Body Connection

Sit comfortably and close your eyes. Imagine a beautiful golden light in the center of your chest—this is your soul. Take a deep breath in, and as you breathe in, imagine this golden light getting brighter. As you breathe out, imagine the light spreading throughout your entire body, filling every cell. Do this for five breaths. This practice strengthens the partnership between your body and your soul, keeping you integrated and protected.

Letting Go of Judgment

When you realize that everyone—even people who do terrible things—is learning and growing through their soul’s journey, something shifts. You can let go of the category of ‘truly evil people’ and see them for what they really are: souls going through very difficult lessons.

This doesn’t mean you approve of bad behavior or that there shouldn’t be consequences for harmful actions. It means you understand there’s more to the story. You see people in the context of their soul’s long journey through many lifetimes.

When you let go of judgment about others, you also let go of self-judgment. You recognize that humanity is learning—maybe more slowly than you’d like—but moving forward. The divine spark within every person is always there, waiting to be recognized, no matter how faint it seems.

PRACTICE: Activate a Flow of Universal Light to Lost Souls

Think of someone in the news who has done something harmful. Instead of judging them, try this: Close your eyes and imagine that person’s divine spark—the pure light at their core that they’ve forgotten about. See it as a tiny, dim light deep inside them, covered by layers of pain, trauma, and confusion. Now imagine positive sparkling energy from the universe sending a beam of love and healing toward that dim light. You don’t have to approve of what they did. You’re simply acknowledging their soul and activating a blessing, sent from the universe, for their healing. Even a small blessing might help them remember who they truly are.

Your Contribution to the Universe

Here’s something empowering to understand: your soul was given free will so you could add your unique light to the universe. Every moment you choose love, understanding, and connection, you’re contributing something valuable. You’re helping the whole universe evolve.

Yes, ‘bad’ behavior will continue because there will always be younger souls learning their early lessons. But that doesn’t mean your efforts don’t matter. By all means, do what you can to create a positive world. Your contribution is important. Just do it with an honest understanding that the universe is always learning and evolving.

The people you think of as evil will evolve over time—maybe over many lifetimes, but they will evolve. When you see everything from this expanded perspective of time, it helps you feel less overwhelmed by the problems of today. You can see that humanity is slowly but surely moving toward higher spiritual consciousness.

PRACTICE: Recognizing Your Higher Reference Point

When you feel upset, angry, or judgmental, pause. Place your hand on your heart and ask: ‘What does my soul—my highest self—know about this situation?’ Your lower mind might say, ‘This is terrible! This person is evil!’ But your soul has a higher perspective. It might show you understanding, compassion, or patience. Your soul remembers that everyone is learning, including you. By checking in with your heart and soul instead of just your reactive mind and emotions, you access your inner divine wisdom. This becomes your higher reference point—a place of truth you can always return to.

A Daily Practice for Living from Your Soul

You now have information that many people never discover. Here’s what you can do with it right now and every day:

• Tune into your breathing. Notice the gentle rhythm of your breath moving in and out.
• Feel the light of your soul in your body. That warm, glowing presence in your heart center is always with you.
• Thank your soul for all the hard work over your many lifetimes that led to your spiritual discoveries.
• Thank the cosmic consciousness—the divine universe—for everything you’ve experienced and learned.
• Thank all the souls who are showing you mirrors that help you learn and grow.
• Send blessings to people who are struggling or lost. A little blessing might help them, and it definitely makes the universe more pleasant.

Remember: Everyone is somewhere on the scale of consciousness. Everyone is learning and evolving at their own pace. Learn what you can from people around you, and let their mirror teach you what you need to know about yourself.

No matter how lost someone’s soul seems to be, their divine spark is still there. It may be faint, and they may not recover significantly for many lifetimes, but their pure essence remains eternal and unchanged.

Thank you for being the unique soul that you are. Your contribution is making a positive difference in the universe. May you walk in grace each day.

Key Points to Remember

• No one is completely evil—everyone has a pure divine spark within them, even if it’s deeply hidden.
• People express bad behavior because they’re younger souls still learning, or they’re lost and fragmented from trauma.
• Everyone is on the same scale of consciousness, moving up and down based on their choices.
• People who bother you are mirrors showing you subtle lessons you’re still learning.
• Your heart and soul are your higher reference points—more reliable than your reactive mind and emotions.
• Staying connected between your body and soul protects you and helps you contribute your unique light to the universe.
• Letting go of judgment about others helps you let go of self-judgment too.
• Everyone is evolving toward higher consciousness, even if it takes many lifetimes.

Joel Bruce Wallach