Whether you’re just starting out on your spiritual journey or have been aiming or enlightenment for decades, sooner or later you’re bound to come across the idea of being a lightworker.

When you first hear of this concept, it can sound a little confusing, and many people wonder how they can tell if it’s an idea that applies to them. Are you a light worker simply because you’ve chosen a spiritual path? Do you have to be a light worker in order to be enlightened?

In this post we’ll take a look at some of the common light worker signs and symptoms, so that you can decide if the term applies to you.

What Is A Spiritual Lightworker? Meaning and Definition

Firstly, let’s clarify, what, exactly a lightworker is.

A spiritual light worker refers to a soul who has come to this incarnation for the purpose of helping to raise the vibratory field of the planet, and aid others in their paths to enlightenment.

Often, lightworkers are also called old souls, since many are towards the end of their own reincarnation cycle, and come in service before moving on to the next part of their spiritual journey.

What complicates the matter is that there is no single path all lightworkers follow, nor is there one defining characteristic you can use in order to tell that you are one. Not only that, but many people never become consciously aware that they are, in fact, performing this service, and even if you haven’t been acting as a spiritually evolved person in the past, you can always change course and activate your light body.

So, how can you tell if you are a lightworker?

Related Post: 15 Spiritual Questions to Ask Yourself, Right Now.

Signs and Symptoms: How To Know If You Are a Lightworker

Before you continue to the list below, it’s important to note that no single characteristics is “the trait” that makes you a lightworker. Instead, I encourage you to read the list and reflect on how many of these ideas apply to you, and in what ways. If you feel that several of the signs apply to you, then there’s a good chance you are a light worker, even if you don’t consciously recognize that fact.

That said, here are the symptoms:

1. You are very spiritual. For most lightworkers, spirituality plays an extremely important role in their lives. This may or may not come through the form of traditional religions, but it almost always involves a strong commitment to personal development and spiritual growth.
2. You are joyful and light-hearted. As you evolve on your own journey, you begin to realize that judgment and negative are obstacles you create for yourself. Thus, you begin to focus more on the joyful, positive aspects of life, and you tend to develop beliefs that are more carefree, understanding the perfection of all that is around you.
3. You are an empath. Empaths are individuals who are sensitive to the energy around them. This can come in many forms, but it is often a sensitivity to emotions, both your own emotional states and those of people around you.
4. Your work focuses on serving others. Lightworkers tend to have lives that center around others. This does not mean you have to be Mother Theresa, however. Simply having a job that fundamentally helps others (such as being a teacher or a medical provider) shows your soul’s orientation to improving and lifting up the planet.
5. You are highly intuitive. When you are intuitive, you are more in touch with your own inner nature. You are reflective and introspective, and you will follow your gut feelings even when you have no logical reason for doing so.
6. You follow your own guidance, even when others disagree or it is not the traditional path. This goes along with being intuitive. Lightworkers know their paths, and aren’t afraid to move towards their aims, even when the going gets tough or others don’t understand the reasons behind their actions.
7. You have high self-esteem. Fundamentally, you believe you are worthy. You know that you come from universal energy, and that you are a perfect expression of joy-bliss-love-light. You express this with warmth and humble confidence.
8. You have overcome a big struggle. Many believe that lightworkers lead easy, effortless lives, but this is not true. Often, the most advanced spiritual practitioners are those who have faced the biggest challenges. The key point is how they respond to that challenge, and eventually learn to see the value and growth inherent in struggle
9. You are extremely compassionate. Lightworkers see the world with an eye towards oneness, and look beyond the immediate physical causes around them. This empowers them to practice loving kindness and compassion every day, as they can see the world from another’s perspective without judging that individual.
10. You are a healer. Often, light workers may be healers, whether in the established medical community, or via an alternative channel working with spiritual energy. From yoga teachers to reiki or massage therapists, they help to cleanse other people’s chakras, release negativity from the body, and open the individual to become more receptive to positive energy.
11. You see the good in everyone. When you are truly compassionate, you understand that people always act at the level of their own consciousness. This viewpoint allows you to see the good intentions behind their actions, even when you may disagree with the action itself. You understand, fundamentally, that the other person is playing a role for you, and is on his/her own path.
12. You value love, above all else. Most importantly, spiritual lightworkers are loving individuals. You can often see this love radiate from them, whether it comes from a soft, kind glance or a feeling of positive and love that emanates around them. Lightworkers know that everything is love, and everything is worthy of love.

Read more about the top spiritual traits, and how you can develop higher awareness.

Or, check out these common obstacles to spiritual growth, and learn how to overcome them.