many people ask, what is a spiritual awakening?

Often there is a misconception around the idea of Spiritual Awakening that it will be similar to being struck by a warm fuzzy bolt of love and light that will completely change the person’s life in an instant, making spiritual practices and personal healing a breeze. But in reality, in my experience, Spiritual Awakenings are rarely like this.  

The process of Awakening is often messy, and ongoing.  With epiphany moments that are sometimes only recognised as part of the journey long afterwards.

So what does having a spiritual awakening even mean?

 When someone is Spiritually Awakened they go through an impactful inner change, and will begin to question things like their purpose and long held beliefs.  They begin to take steps towards living to their full potential. 

One of the key signs of awakening is living a more conscious life, that is, making conscious decisions about both the big and small stuff of life – breaking old pattens, and stepping away from old relationships, that no longer serve.

Alongside striving to put in place patterns and practices that will support the awakening journey – this can come in all shapes and sizes, from yoga to walking barefoot in the woods; from journaling to shamanic journeying, and everything in-between.

how long does a spiritual awakening take?

Honestly, it’s a lifetimes work!

It will often contain many epiphany and upleveling moments.

Spiritual Awakening is a cyclic process…

The more awakened someone becomes the more likely they are to take a look at their habits and personal healing, the more likely they are to make conscious decisions about how they live, the more awakened they become.

I am always very wary of people who claim to be awakened, enlightened, or transcended – to me it’s a warning sign that they may be stuck where they are, rather than continuing to look in the mirror and be mindful of how they’re living.

why is spiritual awakening a messy process?

The self introspection that comes with a Spiritual Awakening can lead to upset and guilt when looking at past behaviours and situations – maybe there are things now you’re beginning to live consciously that you wish you’d done differently in the past.

Healing old emotional wounds can be tough too, as well as bringing forgiveness into situations where you’ve held anger, grief, or shame from past situations.

My Spiritual Awakening process has definitely involved more than a few nights of grief, anger, and feeling more than a little shit about myself – my snotty nose running, along with the tears from my eyes.  It’s all part of the process that enables us to continue on our journey of spiritual awakening, rather than becoming stagnant and stuck.

Can you make yourself have a spiritual awakening?

 The simplest answer to this is NO, you can’t force the process.

However, by adopting processes and practices that support a Spiritual Awakening, such as daily journaling and meditation, you might just find that you’re actually in the middle of your awakening journey anyway without even initially knowing it.

Try not to force it – focus on the living of a conscious life, rather than on the actual awakening.  It will come, and sometimes you won’t even realise until you’ve been through it.

what should you do if you think you’re having a spiritual awakening?

Well that’s somewhat up to you, but here’s some things I’d recommend…

Get some support where you can – Tell a friend of trusted confidant what you think is happening, seek out a local spiritual circle of group that you can sit with, look for channels on social media that share idea.

Track your progress – journaling is the simplest way to do this.  A once a day journaling routine can be life changing, as well as helping you see how far forward you’ve come.

Go easy on yourself – there will undoubtedly be times when you’ll get the making conscious decisions thing wrong, don’t beat yourself up! Every step on your awakening journey is a positive one, creating space for learning just as much as celebrating getting it right. 

what has been your experience of spiritual awakening?

Leave me a comment to let me know what Spiritual Awakening means to you.