Spiritual Awakening
We’ve all heard the term Spiritual Awakening, but what does it mean exactly? How do you know if you are having one?
What is a Spiritual Awakening?
A Spiritual Awakening is a call to higher consciousness and deeper mental awareness. The process of spiritual awakening brings about personal transformation and a shift in one’s worldview. When someone goes through a spiritual awakening they experience a shift in their mental framework.
What Causes A Spiritual Awakening?
For many a spiritual awakening is brought about by a life-changing event. For others it is a gradual and subtle shift.
Common Catalysts For Spiritual Awakening
A traumatic experience
Major life-changing events-a divorce, the death of a loved one, or a serious illness can classify as a life-changing event.
An existential crisis
Also known as the Dark Night of the soul. During an existential crisis, an individual begins to question the meaning and purpose of life. It is often accompanied by depression or followed by a life-changing experience but is not always the case.
Near-death Experience (NDE)
This is an occurrence in which a person comes very close to dying or who died and came back bringing memories of a spiritual experience of meeting with friends and family that had died.
A Natural Awakening
This is an involuntary process of awakening. It takes place after engaging in a practice that produces a shift in conscious awareness. Practices that can activate a greater conscious awareness are:
Meditation, Mindfulness, Developing a deep sense of connection with caring for plants or animals, Self-transformational practice.
What Is The Process Like?
It is important to note the process of spiritual awakening is different for everyone. Yet, here's an idea of what you may experience.
1. The Initiation
At the onset of spiritual awakening you may begin to encounter inner turmoil or a sense of feeling disconnected from this world. You will also develop an awareness of the ego as separate from yourself, and acknowledge a greater energy at work within this universe.
This initiation into the journey of awakening often occurs after a life-changing event or experience. During this time you will feel a call to look inward and begin the process of self-evaluation.
2. The Query
A spiritual awakening opens your eyes to the areas of your life in need of healing. After the process has started you may move into a period of questioning as you confront limiting beliefs and negative behavioral patterns. If you were following a religious path you may also experience a dismantling of this belief system as you seek to make sense of this world.
3. The Quest
On the path to spiritual awakening, you may begin to inquire about various spiritual practices as a means to gain a sense of divine wisdom and deepen your understanding of this world. This can be through attending spiritual centers of worship, reading sacred texts or doing research on other religions.
4. Integration
During your spiritual awakening journey light is shed on the wounds within your soul in order for you to seek healing. As these wounds are revealed, you'll feel compelled to seek support through the form of traditional therapy, spiritual guidance, coaching services and spiritual healing practices.
As you seek healing and guidance, you are clearing out negative thought patterns and making room for divine knowledge and wisdom to flow through. Healing helps to shift into a new paradigm and elevate your conscious mind.
5. Oneness With The Universe
At this point, you will experience a sense of oneness with the universe. You may loose your sense of self-identity (or separateness from the universe). In psychology this is described as the death of the ego. Ego death, is a complete loss of ones sense of self or subjective self-identity.
The Symptoms -
What Does A Spiritual Awakening Feel like?
As you go through a spiritual awakening you may feel a variety of symptoms from time to time. Especially, each time you experience a shift or up-leveling in your consciousness. Here are some symptoms you may experience:
Hypersensitivity & Heightened awareness - An increase in intuition and sense of awareness. Becoming more in tune with the environment around you. Becoming more empathetic towards others.
Overwhelming feelings of love - God is love. As you are experiencing an elevation in your conscious awareness you will be in increased contact with this divine love.
Lucid Dreams - These are dreams in which you are aware of the fact that you are dreaming or feel as if you are awake within the dream.
Synchronicities - These are simultaneously occurring events that appear to be related to each other. Feelings of De Ja Vu - This is having an experience that feels as if it occurred before or feels familiar.
Extreme peace and calm - Feeling a profound sense of inner peace.
Disillusion - This is feeling like you're in a dream-like state while awake in the current reality. You know you are awake, but yet you feel as if your life is a dream. This feeling is brought on by the dismantling of previous perceptions of reality.
Loneliness - Having difficulty connecting with family and peers on a deeper level. Feeling as if they don't understand you may bring about feelings of isolation.
Superiority Complex - Being caught up in a state of judgment of others. Feeling better or more enlightened than the people around you.
Disconnected - This is feeling a lack of attachment to this world. You may desire to find a new spiritually fulfilling career or devote your life to sacred endeavors. Or, you may lack interest in your peers.
Spiritual awakening is an on-going and natural process throughout our life. We all continue to grow and mature spiritually.