A spiritual awakening can be beautiful, but it can also be lonely, confusing, and alienating. Spiritual awakenings are the beginning of an initiation on your spiritual path. If we never experience a spiritual awakening, then we end up pursuing the emptiness in life like power, fame, and money attempting to find happiness. Spiritual awakenings come when we least expect it, so there is no planning ahead. They simply come into your life like a dangerous storm, but are able to unearth the treasures hidden in your life. These spiritual awakenings will come exactly when you need them the most.
If you have experienced a spiritual awakening, then you can see the truth of the world, past all the illusions. You will realize nothing in the external world can bring true fulfillment. This will leave you craving something more to help you feel whole. As you thirst for direction, allow this article to help guide you to a better understanding and provide information you may need to understand what is happening.
Spiritual Awakening Defined
A spiritual awakening, often called a spiritual ascension, means to wake up to life. You will start to question old habits, beliefs, and even social conditioning with the understanding that there is more to life than what we are often taught. Questions like what is my purpose and what occurs after death will occur during this time. This time will stir the deepest questions that are in us, even though we have been too scared to ask before. Once you experience this, you may search for God or a Divine being.
Spiritual awakenings are a natural product of an evolving soul that is maturing and expanding. This is a time of a deepening connection. The more we connect, the more we are transformed. As we embody our soul further, we can find lasting and true freedom, love, and peace. The process may feel disturbing or painful initially, but it leads to a more meaningful life. Life will feel like it does not make sense, but this traumatic experience is necessary for your soul expansion.
Numerous circumstances can trigger a spiritual awakening. Some are spontaneous, but others are triggered by accidents, life-threatening illnesses, trauma, tragedies, and even life crises. Some are even caused by temperament like being an empath or old soul as these people are more attuned to the transcendent side of life. Some are even triggered by twin flame relationships. However, generally speaking, a spiritual awakening happens in conjunction with the Dark Night of the Soul.
Those who are highly sensitive to the suffering of others and are deep thinkers may have gone through or are going through the Dark Night of the Soul. This is a time when we feel cut off from a higher power. The more aware you become of this disconnect, the higher the chances this is what you are experiencing. Going through this time is entwined with spiritual awakening. The Dark Night is used to prepare us, hearts and minds, for a consciousness upgrade. The old must be stripped away to make room for the new. The Dark Night of the Soul is for the destruction of the old and make way for the new. This is the life/death circle and at its core, the experience is raw, difficult, and primal in nature. Still, it is just a stage and it will eventually fade. There are ways to speed up this stage of the Dark Night, like doing inner work which can speed things up, but it is still a process that needs to run its course.
Signs of being in a Dark Night include:
- Feeling isolated from everything
- Feeling abandoned by your higher power
- Low or melancholic mood continuously
- Lost feeling
- Feeling horror and despair when observing things in the world
- A sense of existential dread
- Deep tiredness
- Lack of motivation
- Loss of interest
- Pondering of the deep questions
- Feeling of not belonging on the planet
There are many other signs, but these are the most likely.
Stages of a Spiritual Awakening
The process of the spiritual awakening is multi-layered, complex, and somewhat different for everyone. Though it cannot be fit into neat categories that perfectly describe everyone’s experiences. However, the following are the stages in general that will help you understand the flow of this overall process.
Unhappiness, Lost Feelings, and Despondency – In this initial stage, you are feeling the Dark Night of the Soul. This is defined by confusion, alienation, and great unhappiness, often with depression. You are likely searching for something you cannot define, but there is an emptiness that needs filled.
Shifting Perspectives – You will start to perceive reality in a different manner and seeing through the delusions of society. You may be disturbed by suffering and the hopelessness of the world. You will no longer be in your complacent unawareness from before.
Seeking Meaning and Answers – You will start or continue asking the deep questions in search of a life purpose and meaning. You may dabble in the esoteric fields, self-help, and metaphysical for truth. This is the beginning of the spiritual search.
Finding Answers and Having Breakthroughs – After soul searching, you will find practices, teachers, and beliefs that ease the existential suffering as old patterns dissolve and the soul begins to emerge. You may have periods of enlightenment and even mystical experiences that give you a glimpse of the nature of reality. This is usually a joyful, hopeful, and connected time.
Disillusionment and Feeling Lost (Again) – Life is all about movement. Within the spiritual awakening process, there is an abb and flow as well. In this stage, you may become bored with the practices that were recently a focus and disillusioned with all as you crave something even deeper. You may have felt connected to the Divine, yet once again feel totally separated. This can be disturbing and upsetting. At the same time, you may experience many breakthroughs mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. They could feel superficial because you still crave authenticity. The unhappiness will motivate you to continue the search.
Deeper Inner Work – You are no longer interested in dabbling in surface practices of spirituality. The pain you feel inside serves as a motivator for inner work. You may become a dedicated student of mindfulness, shadow work, or meditation.
Integration, Joy, Expansion – In this final stage, integration is taking the spiritual lessons learned from inner work and applying them to your daily life. This is a conscious and naturally occurring habit in spiritual practices. This is a time of long-lasting, deep change and often unity with the Divine. Still, this is never guaranteed because it is a gift from Life. Life will become less about you and more about us as a collective. Above all, you will feel connected, peaceful, and aligned.
These stages may move back and forth, which is why each spiritual awakening is unique.
Spiritual Awakening Symptoms
Even if you are not sure which stage you are in or what has already occurred, there are certain symptoms that come with a spiritual awakening that are often emotional, but also psychological or physical. Some of the most common are shared below.
- Feeling like life is false
- Craving purpose and meaning
- Asking deep questions
- Realizing lots of what you have been taught is false
- Feeling lost and alone
- Seeing through society’s illusions
- Seeing how unhappy most people are
- A desire to purge your life
- Deep empathy and compassion
- Desire aloneness
- Conversations appear shallow
- You want to quit your job
- Desire authenticity and truth
- Anxiety and depression
- Awareness of negative habits
- See everyone as One
- Sensitive
- Desire to make the world better
- Synchronicity
- Deep understanding of self
- More curiosity and wonder
- Unconditional love
Physical Symptoms
Physical symptoms differ among people, but below are some common to many.
- Amplified senses that appear intensified
- New food intolerances or allergies
- A change in sleeping patterns, more, less, or disturbed
- Vivid, bizarre, scary, or intense dreams
- Dizziness and lightheadedness
- Weight changes, gaining or losing
- Change in eating habits with the same things not being appealing or a craving for new foods
- Energy changes, usually less energy
- Change in sex drive, either increase or decrease
- Decreased immune functions that will lead to an increased system
These will likely be felt one or two at a time, but if they exist do seek medical attention to make sure there is no physical reasons for the change.
Myths About Spiritual Awakening
Though spiritual awakenings occur for many people, there are still myths surrounding the spiritual journey that are quite common. The first is that as soon as you are spiritually awakened, you are instantly enlightened. The reality is that this happens gradually over time and growth. Another myth is that being spiritually awake means you will always be light, blissful, and feel love. The reality is you may go through these feelings, but they come and go with other emotions. Myth three is that only a few rare people experience awakening symptoms, but many people will go through this in their lifetime.
While not myths, there are also a few common questions around spiritual awakenings. One is why they happen. The answer is that they occur when our soul is ready for a transformation. This leads people to wonder how long it lasts. The answer is a lifetime because once it starts, it does not end. We need to honor it. After a spiritual awakening has occurred, explore different spiritual paths, do inner work, and stay grounded while continuing to evolve. If you wonder why you had a spiritual awakening the answer is simple, life decided you were ready.