To answer these questions and more, we asked the experts. Don't worry; we got the scoop on how to begin yours, too. The notion of the spiritual awakening has been around for centuries and can be observed in a variety of cultures and religions around the world. Call it "nirvana"; call it " enlightenment "; call it "bliss"; a spiritual awakening begins the moment a person can step back and "awake" to their life with a new sense of being in this world. Spiritual awakenings can be mildly unnerving at first, as they often cause us to grapple with questions like, Who am I, and why am I here?
But there can also be a certain element of wonder and excitement when we find ourselves suddenly feeling very much alive. The idea of the spiritual awakening was popularized in the Western world by famed psychiatrist Carl Jung who described the process as coming back to the original Self , but the experience of rising to a higher state of consciousness has always been an intrinsic part of what it means to be human.
A spiritual awakening can be triggered by anything, from the completely mundane to the completely life-altering. According to spiritual author Shannon Kaiser , a few common causes include life-changing events i. As professional intuitive and the author of Angel Intuition , Tanya Carroll Richardson explains, ultimately, anything that encourages or forces you to "look at your life from a more spiritual perspective" can set you on a path toward awakening.
Here are some signs that you're going through a spiritual awakening or are about to embark on one:. At first, the spiritual awakening process can feel overwhelming and confusing. It can feel like everything you thought to be true about your life was a lie, and as such, Kaiser explains, you may feel "disconnected and detached from the things and people you used to enjoy.
Richardson notes a spiritual awakening will likely cause you to revise your spiritual beliefs or adopt significant new ones. Whether that means connecting deeply with a new religion or belief or quitting your job to pursue your real passion, your priorities are likely different now. Not only is your waking life more vivid as a result of a spiritual awakening, but your dream life may become more vivid too, Kaiser says. The meanings of your dreams and how they connect to your journey may become more apparent as well.
If you're frequently experiencing mind-blowing synchronicities, like thinking about someone and randomly running into them the next day, or seeing angel numbers all the time, that's a sign you're on your spiritual path, Kaiser says. There can be no doubt: Spiritual awakenings are transformative, and the people in your life won't always be able to appreciate that.
Richardson suggests asking loved ones to respect what you're going through, reminding them that they don't have to resonate with your awakening. As Richardson notes, it will be hard to ignore the call from your spiritual side as you go through this process.
The desire to find meaning and fulfillment within your spirituality will likely become one of your biggest priorities. Another sign, according to Richardson, is having newly heightened intuition or new intuitive abilities showing up. They were always there, buried beneath the layers of your ego , and now that you've awakened, you feel much more in tune with yourself. In addition to that heightened intuition, Kaiser says you'll be able to sense any inauthentic or manipulative behavior when someone is deceiving you, as well.
As you figure out your own spiritual path, Richardson notes, you also become more accepting of the idea that everyone else is on their own unique path, too. Things like winning arguments or convincing people of your views don't matter as much anymore. As you begin "realizing that every living thing is inherently worthy and equal," Richardson says, you will feel called to be of service, whether to people, to animals, or to the environment.
It's important to you that you have a cause you can get behind to make your life feel purposeful. It may not be about changing your current roles or jobs, Richardson adds, but just approaching what you're already doing with a deeper sense of service. According to Kaiser, during an awakening, your spiritual teachers may "appear everywhere with perfect timing to help you. Spiritual awakenings are no easy undertaking, and while there's hope for enlightenment on the other side, it can feel very lonely, as Kaiser explains.
It's isolating to have your whole life flipped upside down, especially if the other people in your life aren't quite on the same wave. While you may feel less connected to your friends at family at first, you will feel more connected to nature, Kaiser and Richardson agree. From plants to animals to the world as a whole, you will sense your interconnectedness to it all, and it may be quite moving. According to both Richardson and Kaiser, senses will often become heightened during spiritual awakenings, as you become more tuned in to the present moment.
Along with heightened awareness and senses, Kaiser adds you may have other bodily sensations too. Sleep disturbances are not uncommon. A number of physical symptoms can accompany spiritual awakenings too, Kaiser says, like fatigue and brain fog. Though of course, these symptoms could also be a sign of a medical condition, so don't necessarily write them off as nothing. As your spiritual life begins to transform, so will your day-to-day life, including habits and routines, Kaiser notes.
Perhaps now you make it a priority to spend time in nature or meditate, or you've ditched old habits that were no longer serving you. Again, spiritual awakenings aren't easy, and the alienation and ego-shattering realizations that occur can make anyone feel like they are living in a new reality. According to Richardson, as you begin feeling more connected to the world around you, you'll also have increased empathy regarding the suffering of others.
The prevalence of suffering may feel impossible to ignore, hence why you now feel more called to be of service. On top of feeling more empathetic, Richardson says those going through spiritual awakenings likely "feel more compassionate toward others—while still wanting to hold them accountable.
And lastly, now that you've "awakened" to your life, you probably have a childlike wonder and curiosity for the world around you, even when things get tough. You could say the actual "spiritual awakening" is just the first step on the long path to enlightenment. It helps to see examples of people who are simultaneously flawed but striving to live a good life with a focus on the greater good.
People who model being spiritually awake but not perfect are what is needed to make being awakened feel possible. The following are 10 signs of spiritual awakening. One of the first signs of awakening is noticing.
You may be going through life on autopilot without giving much thought to who you are, what you want, and why you are here. Having these questions pop up is like turning on a light in a previously dark room. If you are aware that you are witnessing how you do life, you may be asking yourself:.
The first step in growth is always the awareness of the present moment followed by an impulse to change something. Whether you are aware of it or not, you have attachments. Attachments are how you define yourself. You may define yourself by the car you drive, the shoes you wear, what you eat, who you spend time with, who you vote for, what you read, and how you spend your money. Think about your true self as your pulse. Over the years, you take on beliefs or descriptions about yourself based on what your parents, your friends, the media, and even science tells you.
Look at each belief as a veil. Every layer is another bit of fabric. Once you become aware of the veil, it becomes transparent. Still there but you can see right through it. Think of inner peace as being unflappable.
The Dalai Lama describes inner peace like stubbing his toe—he still experiences an emotional charge, but it is fleeting. Inner peace is like a magnifier of positive emotions and a wet blanket over negative ones. Download the Chopra App for personalized well-being guidance you can access whenever you need it. Have you ever thought of an old friend from high school only to run into them in an airport the next day?
Have you ever heard your phone ring and known it was your mother before looking? Have you ever felt an immediate and irrational dislike for someone or experienced the feeling when first meeting someone that you already know them? These are all signs of intuition. If thoughts, objects, and individuals all have energy, spiritually awoken human beings seem more apt to connect with this energy on a regular basis.
Along the same lines as intuition, there is that feeling that the universe is conspiring to make something happen. Your new neighbor has a San Diego license plate, and your barber mentions they were just in San Diego last weekend, then you turn on the TV and a San Diego tourism advertisement is playing.
Some might call this coincidence, but others believe that these subtle signs are guiding you. Ultimately, this led me to a fabulous new contract and some connections I could have never made if I had not registered.
If a single act has triggered a chain of events that feel like destiny, you just might be awakening! Empathy is your ability to feel what others are feeling, to try on a new perspective.
Compassion is an action that is inspired by your empathy. One area of compassion that is often forgotten is self-compassion. According to Kristin Neff, self-compassion researcher, self-compassion is composed of three main components:. If you are experiencing the above components, you are on the path toward spiritual awakening.
A wise teacher, Barry Bears Kaufman , once said that all fear is really a fear of death. All fear decreases generally as an individual becomes more awakened. This might be due to the lack of attachment. Your own demise seems less tragic when you focus on living in the present and stop worrying so much about the future or regretting the past.
When consciousness is seen as transcending a physical body, the loss of this body feels less tragic. Seeing death as inevitable, as part of your process, allows for peace and removes fear.
With an awakening comes confidence and a deep sense of self-worth. Gone is the need to conform to cultural norms or remain politically correct. Instead, a real complete sense of satisfaction with who you are and the choices you make abounds. People like Jay Shetty and Eckhart Tolle have massive followings because of how they show up in this world, not because they know a magical Instagram algorithm.
The act of being themselves is one of their most appealing traits. I don't doubt you will find more than one affinity if you are awakening ; that is merely the mating instinct. It was as if the spirit of life and the awakening spring had given back the soul to her youth and bade her rejoice. New Word List Word List.
Save This Word! See synonyms for awakening on Thesaurus. We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms. Words nearby awakening AWACS , await , Awaji , awake , awaken , awakening , award , awardee , award wage , aware , awareness.
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