Written by Kirsti Formoso, MSc. Transpersonal Psychology, BSc. Psychology

Are you wondering if you are spiritually awake or on the path to spiritual awakening? Or even what a spiritual awakening is?

Perhaps you are experiencing changes in yourself and your understanding of reality. You may be becoming more sensitive, intuitive and curious about the true nature of life.

Or perhaps you’re finding that you no longer resonate with old friends because your identity is shifting. These are all normal experiences as we awaken to our spiritual selves.

I've been on a spiritual path for about 30 years. This blog is an overview of what it means to be spiritually awakened from my perspective.

I've included types of spiritual awakenings, tips and tricks and things not to trip up on.

If you've got any questions or want to add something, feel free to use the comment box below, the WhatsApp widget or the contact button.

RESEARCHING SPIRITUAL AWAKENING & SPIRITUAL GROWTH

I’m a transpersonal psychologist, so my understanding of the spiritual awakening process comes from an academic background in transpersonal psychology. In simple terms, transpersonal psychology is spiritual psychology.

This subfield of psychology researches and explores the relationship between psyche and spirit. Transpersonal theory suggests that our spirituality is something that has the potential to grow and develop over time. We can call this developmental path spiritual awakening.

WHAT IS SPIRITUAL AWAKENING?

Spiritual awakening is a process. It is the process of waking up to the truth of who we are. Our true nature. An awakening to our spiritual dimension. To the fact that there is more to life than meets the eye. More to life than the material world we see before us.

Spiritual awakening is a route back to our true selves. A gradual process. Spiritual awakening is the realisation that we are not our bodies, and we are not our minds.

It is coming to the point of self-discovery, knowing the truth of who we are experientially, and orienting our personal selves in that direction every day of our waking life.

If you’re just starting out on your spiritual journey and looking for guidance on finding your unique path to self-transcendence and enlightenment, feel free to head over to my article How to Start Your Spiritual Journey and Evolve on the Path. In it, you’ll find information about signs and stages on your spiritual path and how to navigate the pitfalls and challenges.

TYPES OF SPIRITUAL AWAKENING

Many people tend to think of spiritual awakening as one ultimate thing that happens. But really, it's a collection of spiritual awakening experiences that, once integrated, lead to the unfolding of one's spiritual self and a reconnection to a deeper self. Each spiritual awakening experience leads to more spiritual awakening.

There are many types of spiritual awakening. In transpersonal psychology, they’re called EHEs. To find out if you’ve had one, head over to my blog on EHEs, where you’ll find a list of spiritual experiences that lead to spiritual awakening.

You might also find my spiritual experiences glossary useful, as it explains the differences between many different types of unitive mystical type experiences.

WHAT SPIRITUAL AWAKENING IS NOT

Spiritual awakening is not being able to do the scorpion yoga pose, a destination, an identity, an event, or something we have total control over. There are many misconceptions in the Western world about spirituality and the true meaning of being spiritually awake.

In service to you, I'm hoping this article helps you understand what it means to be spiritually awake, what it's like to be in a spiritual awakening process, and what you can do to support your self-exploration and awakening.

WHAT DOES SPIRITUAL AWAKENING FEEL LIKE

Because spiritual awakening is a gradual process unique to each individual soul, it's difficult to say what it feels like for anyone else. In my own experience, spiritual awakening has felt very different at different times. And while many people share experiences, like mystical experiences, experiences are just experiences and can distract you from what you are searching for. Or, more importantly, what you are.

Spiritual awakening can be a bumpy ride at times, so below, I will talk about some experiences because, in some ways, it can be helpful. Still, experiences and events are just occurrences that happen spontaneously and come and go. Put little weight or emphasis on them, for they will distract you from the truth.

HOW DO I KNOW IF I AM SPIRITUALLY AWAKE?

This is a question that can plague us on our spiritual path. As I said, awakening is a process. I like to think that my path, or spiritual awakening process, was littered with spiritual revelations, followed by a mild mystical experience and then a full-blown, extended mystical experience.

Each revelation led to subtle personal transformation and a deeper meaning of the transcendent spiritual dimension. Each felt like an awakening.

But when you experience universal consciousness and non-duality, you know you are awake. It's like coming out of the dream of Maya. It's an experience that stays with you for the rest of your life; it's life-changing and gives you a profound sense of your true nature.

At this point, there's no doubt that you are spiritually awake, and there is no question of spiritual awakening stages. And yet, the spiritual journey continues. But now, there is a knowing, a knowing of who you are. The question becomes, how do I orient myself here in daily life?

SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATION

We go through many spiritual transformations along our path of spiritual awakening. Transformation is inevitable as we awaken to deeper truths about ourselves and the nature of reality. While spiritual awakening is a gradual process that continually evolves and unfolds as we awaken to deeper truths, spiritual transformation can be abrupt, profound and life-changing. It is often marked by profound spiritual experiences.

SPIRITUAL TRANSCENDENT EXPERIENCES

There are hundreds of spiritual transcendent experiences, or EHE, that can potentially wake people up from their egoic dream state. This can be a gradual awakening, an event that creates spiritual curiosity in us, or makes us question our prior beliefs or understanding. On the other hand, the EHE can be a more profound event that stops us in our tracks and demands we re-evaluate what we know to be true about ourselves and the world around us.

Mystical experiences are probably the most powerful of spiritual experiences you’ll encounter as you awaken spiritually. They give us a glimpse of non-duality and what it means to be enlightened. They transform us and orient us back to our true selves, where real, profound inner transformation can be found.

You’ll find plenty of support and information on mystical experiences throughout this website. If you’re not sure what a mystical experience is, read What is a Mystical Experience? Signs, Triggers and Real-Life Examples.

If you think you’ve had a non-dual or mystical experience find out about mystical experience questionnaires here.

PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS OF SPIRITUAL AWAKENING

Not everyone has physical signs and symptoms of spiritual awakening, but it's an important topic for those who do, especially if you’ve had a Kundalini awakening.

Kundalini awakening experiences are often accompanied by intense physical symptoms described as lightning and energy coursing through the body. During these episodes, people experience physical sensations such as involuntary shaking, shivering, throbbing, and pulsating in the physical body. They can also experience nervous system sensitivities, paranormal activity, visual perception anomalies, and intense ego death.

A Kundalini experience can be very challenging to process and requires expert assistance from practitioners who understand the Kundalini awakening experience. However, it's not easy to find such practitioners.

If you are experiencing a Kundalini awakening, I recommend finding a Transpersonal Psychologist to support you through your journey. Some

Transpersonal Psychologists are very knowledgeable about EHE, such as Kundalini. While others may not specialise in Kundalini awakening, spiritual experiences, spiritual awakenings or spiritual crises, they will have an in-depth understanding of the broader spectrum of human experience and spiritual growth.

They will have a deep understanding of transpersonal psychology, which is all about the transcendent and transformative spiritual path. Therefore, they are probably the most adept practitioner to support you through your journey.

Walking your own path for spiritual awakenings

SPIRITUAL AWAKENING PROCESS

In its broadest sense, spiritual awakening can be seen as a path or a cyclical journey. It's a process. A unique process that shares many similarities with the spiritual paths of other people, but is unique all the same.

As we move deeper and deeper into our true selves and transcend the ego, we each have different challenges and struggles. We each find different ways to overcome the ego's pull and, gradually, transcend the ego's grip, and orient ourselves towards something far greater. Our spiritual states become traits.

Some people like to think of the spiritual awakening process as stages, and while this doesn't resonate with me, the spiritual awakening stages can be helpful in understanding your spiritual awakening process. But keep in mind, spiritual development is not a linear thing. It’s organic, cyclical, and it ebbs and flows.

SPIRITUAL AWAKENING STAGES

Stage 1 - Awakening

This first stage can start at any time in life. For some, it starts very young; for others, it starts much later. It can be sudden with a powerful spiritual experience or a gradual unfolding.

Either way, the awareness of a spiritual dimension and pure consciousness calls us to reflect, question, and be open to the unknown. You might find that your spiritual curiosity is increasing as you ponder the true nature of reality.

Stage 2 – Shifting perspectives

The increased awareness and more profound sense of the spiritual dimension cause us to shift our perspectives. This, again, can be sudden or gradual. However, a sudden shift in spiritual insights will always require a period of integration.

Our understanding of the world and our belief systems start to change. We may experience heightened awareness and increased empathy, which causes our perspectives to be different from those around us.

Stage 3 - Seeking

This may be the longest stage and can keep us entangled for many years, if not lifetimes. The ego likes to seek. For while it is seeking, it is living, existing, and in command. It seeks that which is within and needs no seeking, and yet we find ourselves seeking even when we have already found what we are looking for.

While seeking is an important part of spiritual awakening, it should not distract us from beingness or living in the present moment.

Stage 4 - Internal dissonance

Once we have truly discovered what we are seeking, we find that we are that, and at the same time, we are not that. We know ourselves to be pure unconditional love, yet we reside within the bounds of the ego, replete with its fears for survival, conditioned programming, and behavioural patterns.

A struggle to reconcile what we know ourselves to be in truth and what we are in reality begins. We yearn to kill the ego and be the unconditional no-self. And once again, the ego takes us on a path of seeking and struggle. We’re lured back into the ego’s stories, moving us further from the truth.

Stage 5 – Disillusionment and feeling lost again

Believing we are different from what we have found. Believing that we have lost what we have found. Believing that we will never get back to what we have found. We become disillusioned with spirit and spiritual awakening. Sometimes, we turn our backs on spirituality and spiritual awakening, distracting ourselves once again in the world of matter and maya.

Stage 6 – Deeper inner work and soul work

If we are wise, we work on our psychological dimension in preparation for that which is true, for we can not hold the light if we can not be trusted with our most basic superpower, our thoughts. This is an invitation to self-inquiry and an exploration of the inner self. While we want to transcend, it is a call for deep psychological work and transformation. A call for integrity and truth.

Stage 7 - Merging into oneness

Finally, so sick of living with and in ego, we surrender into the abyss. We let go of the clutches of what we thought was real and merge into truth. We transcend the ego, and our transcendence becomes more stable. The transcending state becomes a trait. Profound inner peace is your perfume.

In reality, these are not distinct stages but dynamic, changing, interchanging, overlapping processes and experiences. We may cycle through them many times, ebbing and flowing with ease or discomfort. Each time, it offers us the opportunity to grow more into our true selves.

SPIRITUAL ENLIGHTENMENT

So it makes sense that the spiritual life is about spiritual enlightenment, but what does it mean, and is it different from spiritual awakening? (Read more about that here). I stopped using spiritual enlightenment as a concept a while ago. It seems to have so much baggage around it. It seems like an unattainable God-like state. A state of no ego. And it can be a dangerous concept. If we are living in a human body, we have an ego. End of. The human body can not survive without ego.

Instead, I prefer to use the terms liberation or liberated. This simply means being liberated from the clutches of the ego. A liberated person has an ego just like anyone else. And their ego can sit in the driver's seat at any moment; they are not God-like.

However, I consider a liberated person to be someone who has tamed the ego to a large extent. A higher self is more prominent and keeps the ego in check. They are liberated from the trials and tribulations with which the ego is so entwined. But the ego sits, cunningly waiting for its moment, and faced with a unique situation, any liberated person's ego could swoop in and drive the car away!

WHAT TRIGGERS THE SPIRITUAL AWAKENING PROCESS?

It’s difficult to say what triggers someone to begin to open up to spiritual truths. For each person, it is something different. For some, it’s a deep knowing that’s always been there, or a revelation, a moment of heightened sense of awe, heightened intuition, or a glimpse of truth.

And once the veil is cracked, the door opens to more triggers of awakening. I saw many people begin their spiritual awakening at the ashram when I did my first yoga teacher training in 2005. Every day opened their eyes to new ideas, truths, and inspirations.

For others, it can be the passing of a loved one or a life-threatening illness that requires them to reflect on their beliefs about the afterlife. Psychological crisis and trauma can also crack the illusion of Maya and open the doors of awakening.

For others, their awakening can be quite an abrupt and life-changing experience, especially if they have a profound EHE, like a mystical experience, near-death experience or entity encounter.

Research suggests that once on the path of spiritual awakening, it is more likely that we will experience more events that will trigger more profound spiritual experiences and transform us in our continued and evolving spiritual awakening.

The spiritual awakening process is never-ending and yet magical.

PRACTICES TO SUPPORT YOUR SPIRITUAL AWAKENING

There is an abundance of spiritual texts and practices that can help both trigger spiritual awakenings and support you along your path. Remember, don't get caught up in the practice. It's just a tool.

People tend to think of spiritual practices like yoga, tai chi, meditation, and breathwork. These practices have been developed over centuries to move you forward on your spiritual path and promote self-transcendence.

But, recently, neuroscience has been able to enlighten us about what’s going on in the brain during these practices, and there are some surprising hobbies that have a very similar effect and could even be thought of as spiritual hobbies.

For a balanced awakening, it's essential to balance the more spiritual side with the psychological. Taking this two-pronged inner-work approach will protect you and help you along your journey, making it smoother and faster, but sadly, no less bumpy.

Diving into our psyche can sometimes be messy, so while I wholeheartedly advocate engaging in depth-psychological and therapy work, try dipping into positive psychology too. Positive psychology helps us on the conscious level by providing great concepts and tools for self-discovery, like discovering our strengths and virtues.

While the two-pronged psycho-spiritual approach is most sustainable, you may sometimes want to commit to a more integral personal and spiritual development program. My Accelerated Personal Development Program is an intense program of commitment to yourself, and it has the potential to ignite and fast-track your personal and spiritual development rapidly.

STAYING IN THE PRESENT MOMENT

I think mindfulness, self-reflection, and present-moment self-awareness are the most important practices and skills you can develop to support your spiritual awakening. They help keep your feet grounded and your head in reality.

Combine present-moment self-awareness and an integrity practice, and you've got yourself a powerful framework for navigating spiritual awakening. It is not a glamorous ride. It takes discipline, courage, determination, and an open heart. But, of all the practices, this is the most potent and protective combination for your spiritual awakening journey.

THE POWER OF NATURE

Many people going through spiritual awakening are drawn to the natural world. Research suggests that nature can trigger mystical enlightening experiences. There's something about nature, the stillness, the energy. It can hold us, no matter where we are or what is going on for us. Tap into the power of nature to support you in your spiritual awakening. Spend time in nature.

EXAMPLES OF AWAKENED PEOPLE AND SPIRITUAL TEACHERS

Most of the most spiritually awakened people keep quiet. They are not ones to brag about their spirituality or how spiritual they are. But some spiritually awakened people do go on to teach and share their wisdom, and as a result, some have found themselves in the public eye. There are many amazing spiritual teachers out there, but be warned, there are also many who have done harm.

Here are a few examples of awakened teachers who are either alive or recently passed. I am not recommending any of these teachers, you have to find what resonates with you.

Eckhart Tolle
Mooji
Adyashanti
Thich Nhat Hanh
Ram Dass
Rupert Spira
Tara Brach
Jack Kornfield
Salvadore Poe
Pema Chödrön

PITFALLS ON THE SPIRITUAL PATH

🔶 Getting caught up in the practice

In today's spiritual supermarket, there are so many practices, tools, and experiences to choose from. They're all interesting, fun, and exciting, but I often see people mistake the practice for the destination. People get so caught up in the practice that they forget it's just a tool, like a car. The car is not important. It's just to get you to your destination. In the same way, the practice is not important. It's just to get you somewhere else.

But people are so busy checking out their wheels, fixating on the fancy lights, plugged into the car computer, listening to the radio, they forget to go anywhere. They mistake the mode of transport for the destination instead of seeing it for what it is: a tool. Forgetting what lies ahead, they absorb themselves in the practice and become a master of scorpion.

🔶 Chasing spiritual experiences

I get it! There's an endless variety of spiritual experiences out there, and they’re all wonderful and promote spiritual awakening, but chasing them is just another distraction from what really matters. Research suggests that many people who have had a spiritual experience spend much of their lives trying to get back to that experience - you can’t. It’s in the past and doesn’t exist, and neither does the person who had it; you’ve moved on.

Chasing experiences is the ego’s way to keep you seeking and distracted. Stay focused on beingness, and experiences will come, but don’t go chasing. Be beingness for the sake of beingness, not for heightened spiritual experiences that the ego loves to share.

🔶 Creating a spiritual identity

Close behind, with all the excitement of stepping into their spiritual journey, many people forget it's a journey and think it's an identity. Don't make spirituality your identity. Spiritual fashion doesn't make you more spiritual. Qualities like integrity, honesty, love, and compassion make you more spiritual, not crystals and yurts.

🔶 Spiritual bypassing

Getting all egotistical that you're spiritual and awake, and everyone else is asleep. The most spiritual people I've ever met don't identify with spirituality at all. But many a time, I've seen people touting they're spiritual, and yet they're the first to lie, cheat, steal, and stab you in the back.

Spend as much time on your depth psychology and understanding your emotional body as you do on the yoga mat or meditation cushion. In the long run, spiritual bypassing doesn't serve anyone. Do the work.

So, don't think everyone in your spiritual circles is pure and innocent. A lot of people who have woken up to some extent have not bothered to keep their egos in check, address their inappropriate behaviours, root out their shadows, and deal with their psychological problems. Spiritual bypassing is a real problem in spiritual communities. Do the work!

🔶 Gurus aren't gods - over-reliance on external guidance

There are many fallen gurus in this world who have been bestowed with wisdom and truth, and yet they have tripped up on their ego and shadows and ended up causing great harm and suffering to themselves and those around them. Osho, Bikram Choudhury, and Robert Augustus Masters are examples.

Which brings me to my next point. It's great if you find a teacher that you resonate with, but don't be in a rush and take anyone. It took me about 25 years to find a teacher who touched my soul. And it was so worth the wait. I feel so much gratitude to them now.

But I don't see this teacher as some God-like being. Like everyone else, they inhabit a human body with an ego.

Follow a teacher or a guru, but don't surrender your sovereignty. If they behave in dubious ways, don't overlook it. Many people have suffered tremendous trauma because they gave their guru or teacher a free pass. Be the master of yourself with present-moment self-awareness and integrity. If something doesn't feel right, take time out.

CHALLENGES OF SPIRITUAL AWAKENING

Some people refer to the spiritual path as the path less travelled. And for good reason, it’s not easy. Spiritual development and the spiritual awakening process can be challenging, especially if you experience unexpected and profound spiritual enlightening experiences that undermine your sense of reality and/or identity.

Some common challenges are:

Existential dread
Spiritual crisis
Dark night of the soul
Loss of faith or meaning

If you experience challenges on the path, remember that it’s a process; whatever challenge you are facing is temporary and will pass. Keep doing your inner work and practices like spiritual journaling. Spend time in nature, do grounding things. Seek out professional support, preferably from a transpersonal psychology practitioner, if you’re not coping.

SPIRITUAL AWAKENING IS NOT A RACE

If you're in a race, you're in the clutches of ego. Spiritual awakening is about being in the moment, with whatever arises, just as you are. When we can learn this, we are free.

Trust in your own path; know that it is unique, and so is your awakening. It will unfold as it is meant to unfold. And it will unfold in good time, be at peace with where you are today, for tomorrow might bring challenges.

And know that Grace is on your side.

SPIRITUAL AWAKENINGS ARE GIFTS OF GRACE

You are nothing without Grace. It is by Grace that we awaken. Do what is required of you to keep your ego in check and let Grace do the rest. Be humble, for your ego will want to take any prize it can take for itself. But this is not for the ego.

THE SPIRITUAL AWAKENING JOURNEY

The spiritual awakening journey is a spiritual journey. There is no real destination. The spiritual awakening stages don't lead you to a definitive place. Instead, the spiritual awakening process is an unfolding back to our true nature and universal consciousness.

Spiritual practices can help us to maintain focus, have spiritual insights and profound realisations, and experience inner transformation, but they can also distract us from our beingness.

Spiritual teachers can lead us to conscious awareness of pure consciousness, but they can also lead us astray and keep us in the seeking loop.

Surrendering to the spiritual awakening process and trusting in the universe is all you really need to do. It is your birthright to awaken fully to your higher consciousness. If that is your deepest desire and you honour that desire, you will awaken to the deepest sense of your true self.

Explore More About Spiritual Awakening

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The Definitive Guide to Authentic Spiritual Awakening