Truth and Its Ever Elusive Journey
- Brainz Magazine
- May 13
- 11 min read
Sheila J. Wood, PhD teaches us how our minds and souls affect our physical well-being. Using her understanding of both science and spirituality, she has developed unique and impactful energy healing modalities. She brings awareness of ancestral and soul lineage energies that are affecting our current health.
What is truth, and can it ever be fully known? In this reflective exploration, intuitive healing coach Dr. Sheila Wood unpacks the layered nature of truth, weaving together inherited wisdom, personal experience, and collective beliefs. From ancestral imprints and energetic footprints to the influence of media, technology, and metaphysical insight, this article invites you on a soul-level journey to discover how truth evolves across lifetimes, cultures, and consciousness. Whether you're a seeker, a skeptic, or somewhere in between, prepare to rethink what it means to truly know.
What is truth?
Those of us who pursue a metaphysical journey seek and nurture our individual ‘truths.’ We often find that these truths seem to morph and change with each bit of acquired knowledge and experience. We continually embrace new ideas that feed both individual and collective truths. As I struggle to find a way to define truth, I land on the perception that our individual truth relies on principles that govern the fundamental roots of the soul. Individual truths are both inherited, truths that live in our DNA and are transmitted to us by our ancestors and past lives, and developed, truths that are incorporated into our energetic footprint as we travel our path, incarnation to incarnation.
Inherited truths
Our inherited truths can be described as those that are a given; those truths that we cannot let go of and that our ancestors passed down to us. What we bring in and incorporate into our existing energy is influenced by the inclinations in our inherited truths. Each bias or inescapable prejudice that we carry in our bloodline either draws us toward or repels us from taking information into our essence and finding a place for that information in our belief system, our library of sorts. Memory storage transforms into action when it is actively used and not neglected. It forms the foundation for words and actions that influence decisions and help establish life systems. This thinking implies that we are not singly unto ourselves but instead a compilation of many who came before us and will come after. Our DNA houses information that has both biological and spiritual implications. It not only transfers our bodily codes that instruct growth and development, but it also transmits energy from the experiences that we have had across many incarnations, energy that remains with us across time.
Individual truths
Developed over time, our individual truth is part of our energetic footprint. It is ever-changing and morphing, depending on what we choose to process, bring in, and add to it. As we proceed to examine new principles and incorporate them into our energy, or not, our individual truth changes, supported by the basis of information that already exists as our energetic footprint. Within a continuum of learning, our ‘once’ beliefs may change slightly when looked at from a different perspective.
An example of what I am trying to say is that those of you reading this article will grow your energy today. Your individual truth, as you know it, may or may not change. You may choose to bring in the parts of this article that resonate with your existing basis of truth (or not) and perhaps walk away with a slightly changed energetic footprint.
An example of both inherited and developed truth is seen in the way PTSD can be mapped onto DNA. The same genetic patterns and information are passed from a pregnant mother to her baby after she experiences trauma, such as witnessing 9/11. This illustrates how emotional energy can be transmitted through DNA and inherited from our bloodline.
Collective truths
Collective truths are beliefs and understandings that we absorb from society, truths that people within a community or culture tend to share. These collective truths often resonate with our personal beliefs and draw us toward information, situations, or opinions that feel familiar. This dynamic creates opportunities for significant change in our lives. The extent and direction of that change depend on how deeply connected we are to the roots of our soul. It also relies on our desire for change and the perseverance we show as we maintain our energetic presence, gather new information, process it, and decide whether to integrate it into our personal truth or discard it.
An example of this is incorporating, with care, things we hear on the news, or excluding things we hear on the news, based on our existing truth. Another example is choosing to construct the principles we live by rather than being totally influenced by what others wish for us.
Some unseen forces that affect our views, affect how they may change, affect how we may react, or affect how we are molded include parental convictions and beliefs, religion, past life experiences, exposure to different cultures and lifestyles, and what we grow up trusting. The aspect of what we grow up trusting is important because it affects open-mindedness. How open-minded we are affects how much we grow. How much we grow affects our metaphysical journey. Our trusted beliefs carry over into our soul’s spiritual development.
Growth at the soul level
Growth at the soul level can go a long way toward eliminating feelings of aloneness, the feeling of being lost, and the feeling of being ungrounded. Once we realize that we are all connected energetically and are part of a bigger whole, our vested interest becomes to contribute to and benefit from the universal energy that surrounds us. As we grow our energetic footprint, it is important to view it in terms of energy that will be transmitted through generations and across time. It is important to understand our influence in the process of contributing to the energy content of the universe. Quality is important and influential. When growth is nurtured at the soul level, this allows our earth journey, and all those that will follow, to flourish.
The key to nurturing your growth is understanding that no one can define who you are at the soul level. Each person creates their own truth. Once you believe that you are truly grounded in your body and soul, though this may take time, you can confidently develop as a contributor to life on Earth. If your contributions differ from what others have told you or what is expected, you may experience some anxiety. This is a natural part of internal growth, and it’s best to embrace and move through that anxiety.
Choosing to suppress or ignore it can lead to feelings of living a forced life, with limited options for alternative thoughts or connections with friends and loved ones. Making such a life decision might mean stepping out on your own, but remember, you're not alone. Your path is influenced by the broader universal energy pattern, so your choices may be part of a larger plan. Most importantly, you are guided and supported, with everything you need to realize your full soul potential.
Understanding the meaning of leadership
As we grow, we will all get to a point where we become leaders and teachers at some level. It is important to understand what leadership is in this context. The term leader has nothing to do with position, status, or number of direct reports, as in a workplace. A leader is anyone who holds her or himself accountable for finding potential in people and processes. A leader creates space for others to perform. People show up, they want to learn, and they want to inspire. We are hardwired for connection, curiosity, and engagement. We crave purpose, so we have a deep desire to create and contribute. We want to take risks, embrace our vulnerabilities, and be courageous. Therefore, we all need to engage with each other, show up beside each other, and learn from each other as we learn to lead with the process of discovering and developing our truths.
The ‘truth’ question: Then and now
My book, Waiting for Elijah: A Walk-Through Time, speaks to the impetus for political upheaval in the 20th century, energy which is reminiscent of what we are going through today. In this book, from 1933 until 2005, the characters put a lot of energy into finding and upholding their truths. Today, due to political leanings, the truth question has become obscure and difficult to rationalize. Change has occurred most recently with the advent of the internet (1990s), social media (2000s), AI (2010s and 2020s), and especially the ubiquitous use of the smartphone (2010s). Some of the communication energies embedded in our world society seem to defy rational thought. Information distribution using these technological developments has inadvertently added another dimension to truth.
Then-and-now similarities include the theme of dominance resulting in the stifling of inclusion, the withdrawal of rights, and the reduction in freedoms. These were, and even now are, largely facilitated by rich and powerful decision-makers in governments worldwide and not necessarily the will of the people. When survival depends on a strong sense of self, such as in times of ethnic cleansing, it becomes doubly important to be resilient.
The difference that we see today, as compared to other eras when oppression reigned, is that AI and the internet now enable information to travel around the globe instantaneously. This information is not necessarily based on fact and is often fraught with innuendo and lies. Trust among societies has diminished as ideologues and iconic symbols emerge to replace solid foundations in truth. It is easier today to accept a truth for yourself that is unwittingly destructive to the cosmic consciousness than to choose a truth that serves the collective and contains embedded solutions. Social media algorithms are set for engagement on social media, not for the best outcome of humanity.
The importance of a strong sense of self
A strong sense of self is when one cannot be dissuaded from beliefs that are deeply embedded in essence energy. As we are seeing currently, and in this book, people often seek to live in a society that aligns with their values and cultural needs. This may mean moving to another continent and starting a new life in another country. As adults, we can weather these storms and come out on top. We must worry, however, about the ability of social media to have lasting influences on the younger generations. Might it be preventing them from knowing themselves without bias or prejudice, which is influenced by the ease of obtaining information that is not factually true? With fact-checking gone from social media, how will we distinguish fabricated information from the truth?
Additionally, when emotions are heightened, individuals, particularly young people, may be influenced by a belief system that lacks a solid foundation, one which excludes the explanation of facts and validation of truth by fact-finding. Diminishing returns around truth cause a switch into survival mode, similarly navigated in childhood. When parents or an aberrantly led government meets external needs, the ability to choose preferentially is lost, and one bends to choose the nearest route to immediate survival.
Does enhanced virtual visibility affect adherence to our own truths?
With the dominance of the internet, personal visibility is at an all-time high, and privacy comes at a premium. This may result in a fear of being ridiculed or having an opinion that is not the same as those who hold power over you or those who hold your livelihood in their hands. Free thinking then becomes a much more limited occurrence. The importance of the stalwart freedom to speak out needs to be a nurtured commodity within a healthy society. Today, podcasts are an excellent way to discuss ideas. The question remains, will people continue to feel safe doing that?
The key to being able to express yourself lies in the strength with which you find and nurture your own truth, and not the truths of external influences. To ensure that we all have such strengths, our voices need to find an avenue for expression, and that expression (within limits of sanity) needs to be heard. Even being heard without overt action is better than not being heard at all.
The idea that we can have what we want at all levels is naïve, but the movement away from what is substantially supportive for the collective that we are experiencing now is alarming. When achieving money and power are the primary motivators, these wants probably originated from unfulfilled basic human needs, the patterns of which were instilled during childhood. The off chance of getting narcissistic personalities to cease and desist in their carnage of free thinkers is nil. When society lets "powerful people" increase their power, it negatively affects those who are focused on quality of life. The seemingly nurturing advantages of quantity over quality will never assuage the want. That unfulfilled yearning tends to feed greed and will remain. Furthermore, efforts to assuage it may leave shrapnel scattered across continents.
Course correction: A high priority for the survival of ‘truth’ integrity
How will internet, social media, and AI course correction happen? What will it take to embed corrective measures ensuring the best for societal norms? Perhaps funding should go to places where something apart from sensationalism rules the social landscape. Information networks will rule our emotions and thus affect our choices. A change for the better on social media, away from simply rewarding engagement, could go a long way toward influencing outcomes around societal well-being.
Yuval Harari, in his book Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI, talks about recognizing truth. He makes the important point that information is not truth. In this information age, people often prefer fiction because it is easily accessible and requires less effort to fact-check. Fiction, by its very nature, is subject to manipulation.
He laments that democratic conversation is collapsing because we get information electronically but cannot discuss our impressions with each other. We get further away from our own truths when we cannot exchange ideas in conversation. He also points out that, historically, democracies have been small compared to larger autocratic societies. Smaller seems to make for more beneficial conversations. Harari begs us to let truth float to the top, which is difficult amid the deafening compulsion of social media. He sees that worldwide, when two sides fight, there is no talk, no conversation. Democratic activity is a conversation where one party speaks, the other listens; the other party speaks, and the former listens. This builds trust. Dictatorships are not built on trust.
All that is needed to collapse a society is to fool people. Today, we use radio and TV as tools to put things into “in-formations.” Richard Dawkins shares with us that ideas (memes) spread like an organism, especially when they are useful to the host. Being a microbiologist, I interpret this as a parasitic relationship.
How do we find gems of truth?
We must decide what goes on the front page of the newspapers. What goes there must be made with rational selection and must be fact-checked. As long as conflict elevates the message, peace will remain elusive. Solutions should be on the front page of any newspaper and should headline any social post.
Humans have been, and will always be, intrigued by events that are savage and tragic, such as 9/11, the witch trials, the crucifixion of Christ, and bullfighting. Perhaps this draw can find a home in a small subsection of information technology, to be accessed separately from the societal hierarchy of “info-nation.”
It is up to us
The only way out of this information versus truth dilemma is to self-correct and self-direct.
For additional writings (newsletters) and information about me, visit me at Sheila Wood. My channeling may be accessed at Medium, and I am available on Facebook.
Read more from Sheila Jeanette Wood
Sheila Jeanette Wood, Intuitive Healing Coach
Sheila J Wood, PhD, is a multifaceted author and Intuitive Healing Coach. Her work as an Energy Healer, Spiritual Medium, and Akashic Records Reader focuses on helping individuals reconcile emotional issues related to ancestral and past life experiences that may impact their current lives. While she can address a wide range of concerns, she has developed modules to target specific aspects of personal development such as self-esteem and phobias. Through her intuitive gifts, Sheila helps to guide others in making empowered choices during their earthly journey. Her approach combines spiritual insight with practical healing methods, making her a valuable resource for those seeking deeper self-understanding.
Reference:
Dawkins, R., 1976. The Selfish Gene. Oxford University Press.
Harari, Y.N., 2024. Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI. Random House, 2024.
