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. There are many explanations of what a spiritual awakening is. But the main point behind all these descriptions is that one finally awakens to their life with a new sense of being and purpose in the world. It is like they turn on the lights in a room that has been dark for years.
The following article contains:
- What is the Soul?
- Misalignment with our Souls
- Why do people decide to change?
- Spiritual awakening journey
- Benefits of spiritual awakening
- What helps us start our awakening journey?
What is the Soul?
According to the Ancient Wisdom, there is a divine spark in every human being that is connected with something bigger, even if not everyone is consciously aware of it. This divine spark is considered to be the Soul. The Soul is the part of us that is separate and distinct from the body, and it consists of our mind, character, thoughts, and feelings. It is what makes us unique and special human beings, it uncovers our true selves and purposes in life, and it hides our spiritual part [4].
Nowadays, the material benefits and freedoms that we experience to a great extent can result in us getting distant from our souls. This means that we can get distant from ourselves, from each other, and the world. Consequently, we feel anxious, isolated, lonely, and without a real purpose that could be fulfilling for us [5].
Misalignment with our souls
In the literature, symptoms of misalignment with our Soul commonly manifest as physical or emotional health issues. For instance, some people suffer from anxiety disorders, psychosomatic symptoms, and depression. According to the ancient Greeks and Plato “Before all, it’s necessary to look after the Soul, if you want the head and the rest of the body to function correctly.” [4]
It is true that as children, we were absorbing beliefs and ideas about ourselves, the others, and the world around us without having the ability to filter all this information. As a result, we came to support all these beliefs as facts about who we are and what we are meant to become in life. In this way, we learned to adapt to the world, and we determined our identity from the external world (from others), rather than from the deeper truths of our own Souls.[1]
Why do people decide to change?
Most of us can intuitively feel that something is wrong and needs to be changed. Maybe, we do not feel like ourselves anymore, or we feel that we have lost our purposes and dreams. And it is not uncommon that we search for confirmation of who we are through the comments and acceptance of others. However, since the lack of fulfilment cannot be fully replaced by other people’s validation, we are forced in some way to start looking inwards for what is missing, rather than outwards. We are then beginning to realize that we need to change our way of thinking, being, and behaving. Then, we somehow start to awaken the need to shift our focus from the external world to our internal one. In other words, we need to learn how to reconnect to our souls and find our purpose and fulfilment. [5]
Shifting our focus inside to our internal world, for example to get to know better the root of our suffering, is the beginning of the spiritual awakening.
Spiritual awakening
The awakening journey starts when we realize that there’s more in life than making money, achieving status, being perfectionists, special on social media, constantly fearful, and greedy. [4] Spiritual awakenings often come after or during a period of intense psychological distress, where one feels a deep discrepancy. Spiritual awakenings may also be triggered by psychedelics under certain circumstances [11], but most often they occur gradually secondary to a sustained spiritual practice. [1]
“Spiritual awakening is about waking up, developing the ability to witness and discern the difference between our conditioned small self or personality and our true Self or our Soul.” In order to make this change, we need to develop new abilities and ways of diving into ourselves and our lives. This is not something easy, since we suddenly need to align with our souls and maybe go against what we used to know until this point. And this is not something comfortable to do at all [4].
As Kaiser explains, the beginning of the spiritual journey can be difficult at first, since we start to question everything we used to know until now. We begin to clear certain things out of our life (habits, relationships, old belief systems) and invite new, more enriching things in. During this phase, it's common to feel lost, confused, and down.
What are we “awakening” to?
We start to realize that we are all connected to one overarching consciousness and that we all have a purpose in life to become something bigger. Most importantly, we start to be aware that we don’t just live on this earth, but that we’re part of it. It’s feelings of wholesomeness, connectedness, belongingness and purpose, concepts bigger than life itself, that suddenly arise and make us feel some kind of way.
Starting the awakening journey also means coming to the realization that our emotional and physical health are not distinct. Moreover, it means to start a journey towards growth that arises from the Soul, pushing away from the Ego and the small self. [4]
“Once the soul awakens, the search begins, and you can never go back. From then on, you are inflamed with a special longing that will never again let you linger in the lowlands of complacency and partial fulfillments. The eternal makes you urgent. You are loath to let compromise, or the threat of danger hold you back from striving toward the summit of fulfilment.” …. John O’ Donohue [5]
Benefits related to spiritual awakening
Many studies indicate that spiritual health promotes wellness and overall mental health, including recovery from addiction, even independent of treatment. [3] Trying to pursue a lifestyle that is in accordance with spirituality promotes wellness by enhancing a positive identity, integrity, a rich inner life, meaning, purpose, interdependence, social support, pro-social behaviors, well-being, and positive coping styles, including a collaborative approach to problem-solving [4].
The spiritual components of love, interconnectedness, and altruism are associated with less risk of psychopathology worldwide. According to studies, spiritual experiences promote calmness, peace, and a sense of harmony and internal integration, which promote positivity, equanimity, and contentment in the face of adversity.
In other words, it strengthens our coping styles, self-efficacy, and resilience to stress. Characteristics of a spiritual awakening include transcendence, or harmonious connectedness to something greater than oneself. When we start our awakening journey, we start to live up to our love-based values, we feel original and authentic to ourselves, having a higher meaning and purpose in life [7]
Vaillant [1] has noted eight positive emotions that he associates with healthy spirituality that result from the experience of sacred oneness: awe, love/attachment, trust/faith, compassion, gratitude, forgiveness, joy, and hope [1]. Upon awakening, the ultimate principle that renders life meaningful is love.
What helps us start our awakening journey?
Spiritual practices such as meditation and yoga are proven not only to promote awakening, but can also provide relief from suffering, and reduce stress, depression, anxiety, and pain. (1)
Meditation - Meditation, as it is mentioned in previous articles, includes practices that help us become more present in life and cultivate a healthy body, mind, and soul. It can be used as an intentional practice for awakening, and it serves to help us grow into the best version of ourselves. The spiritual journey is often challenging as we turn on the light on areas that may have been hidden from our awareness for years. It also requires that we grow, and growth is often uncomfortable. Meditation helps us deal with stress and what the Buddha identified as the inevitable suffering that arises in life. Most importantly, meditation incites us to attend to the present moment and accept what is coming. [4],[9]. It helps us be aware of our ego, get a distance from ourselves, and observe our thoughts and emotions without judgment and with compassion. We learn not to take our brains personally [1]! In a few words, meditation has been a spiritual practice capable of promoting spiritual awareness and mental liberation [9].
Yoga - According to a study [8], yoga practice may be positively associated with spirituality. While this association is most likely dependent on the nature of the practice, intention, and preexisting relationship of the practitioner with spirituality, yoga interventions appear to have the potential to enhance different aspects of spirituality. These aspects include a search for insight/wisdom and purpose in life, existential thinking, and feelings of hope, peace, and compassion. Yoga practice may improve spiritual well-being and spiritual awakening, as well as it can be associated with a more positive view of life, fulfilment, and lower levels of anxiety. [8]
Conclusion
Spiritual awakenings are complicated, profound, and life-changing. It may not be something easy, but it is something that can guide you through the path of enlightenment, authenticity, harmony, and fulfilment. There is no personal growth and awakenings in life without first acknowledging our existing dissatisfaction and the inner void inside us, which can come from misalignment with our Souls. In order to start a spiritual journey, it is important to start daily, weekly, or monthly practicing spiritual practices (like meditation, mindfulness, and gratitude, for example). According to Kaiser, practicing self-love and compassion is very important throughout the awakening journey. A spiritual awakening can be like a roller coaster, full of ups and downs :) It is not all fulfilment, love, light, and happiness, but it is necessary to evolve and grow spiritually, leaving our ego behind. Every awakening journey can be different, as every Soul is different too!
References
[1]. McGee, M. D. (2020). Awakening and Recovery. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 38(2), 266–285. https://doi.org/10.1080/07347324.2019.1632766
[2]. Green, L. L., Fullilove, M. T., & Fullilove, R. E. (1998). Stories of spiritual awakening: The nature of spirituality in recovery. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 15(4), 325–331. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0740-5472(97)00211-0
[3]. Zemore, S. E. (2007). A role for spiritual change in the benefits of 12-step involvement. Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research, 31(10Suppl), 76s–79s. Crossref. PubMed.
[4]. Janisch, B. When Your Soul Awakens find the courage to follow your North star. Arts of thought, Knowledge and wisdom worth sharing.
[5] Sol. M, Luna, A. (2019). The Spiritual Awakening process. E book.
[6]. Zemore, S. E., & Kaskutas, L. A. (2004). Helping, spirituality and alcoholics anonymous in recovery. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 65(3), 383–391. Crossref. PubMed.
[7]. Walsh, R. N. (1999). Essential spirituality: The 7 central practices to awaken heart and mind. New York, NY: J. Wiley. (7)
[8]. Csala, B., Springinsfeld, C. M., & Köteles, F. (2021). The Relationship Between Yoga and Spirituality: A Systematic Review of Empirical Research. Frontiers in Psychology, 12(August), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.695939
[9]. West, M. A. (2016). The psychology of meditation: Research and practice. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
[10] Cook, C. C. (2004). Addiction and spirituality. Addiction, 99(5), 539–551. Crossref. PubMed.
[11] Griffiths, R. R., Johnson, M. W., Richards, W. A., Richards, B. D., Jesse, R., MacLean, K. A., & Klinedinst, M. A. (2018). Psilocybin-occasioned mystical-type experience in combination with meditation and other spiritual practices produces enduring positive changes in psychological functioning and in trait measures of prosocial attitudes and behaviors. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 32(1), 49–69. Crossref. PubMed.
[12]. Miller, W. R., & C’De Baca, J. (2001). Quantum change: When epiphanies and sudden insights transform ordinary lives. New York, NY: Guilford Press.
[4]
Additional resources
Spiritual Awakening: 21 Signs, Stages & Starting The Process (mindbodygreen.com)