Have you been
wondering about life and your true purpose recently? Do you ask questions like “Who am I?” or “What am I here for?” Perhaps you’ve experienced a traumatic event that’s made you reevaluate your life? Maybe something just feels wrong, or you believe there’s more to life? These feelings suggest you’re experiencing the stages of a spiritual awakening.
There are six spiritual awakening stages, and in this article, I’ll explain each one and tell you how to recognize them.
What Is a Spiritual Awakening?
“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.”
– Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
A spiritual awakening is a shift in one’s consciousness. Different religions and cultures have their own versions of spiritual awakenings. For example, Buddhists believe by completing the
Four Noble Truths we reach the ultimate state of Nirvana. In Japan, the state of Satori represents spiritual enlightenment.
In psychology,
Carl Jung said we are all born three times; once from our mother’s womb, second when our ego develops and third when our spiritual consciousness forms.
Jung described the formation of our spiritual consciousness as a spiritual awakening. It begins when we step back from ourselves and see the bigger picture. You begin to look at the world differently.
So, what are the spiritual awakening stages?
The Six Spiritual Awakening Stages
Are:The Wake-Up/Trigger
Bliss/Synchronicity
The Dark Night/The Purge
The Void
Grounded
Your Purpose
1. The Wake Up/Trigger
Signs of the Wake Up:You wonder about the meaning of life.
You feel something is changing inside you.
The first spiritual awakening stage is the wake-up call. It’s that nagging feeling there must be something more. It’s the moment you ask questions like,
Trauma, spiritual journeys, deaths, or
illnesses can trigger this. It can also happen at a certain age when you ponder your mortality.
For example, actress and singer/songwriter Demi Lovato credits her spiritual awakening to a near fatal overdose in July 2018. In 2020, she told the New York Times:
“This last year provided me so much self-growth and was so beneficial to my spiritual evolution.” Demi Lovato
Actress Julia Roberts led a more spiritual life after filming Eat, Pray, Love in India, saying how Hinduism inspired her.
Whatever triggers your wake-up call, it signifies a new direction. You are awakening to exciting possibilities. The time is right for spiritual expansion. You view the world from a different perspective; one that not only looks outwards, but seeks answers from within.
At this point, you can either respond to the wake-up call or ignore it.
2. Bliss/Synchronicity
Signs of Bliss:
You’re aware of weird coincidences and patterns.
You feel at one with nature.
You’ve become more intuitive.
Those that acknowledge the trigger find themselves in the second spiritual awakening stage of bliss. You understand there is more to life than this 3D realm our human bodies inhabit. This brings comfort and peace.
Now, you
connect to the universe, soaking up energy and expanding your mind. For the first time, you sense the world around you. You are at one with it, a part of it, and on a journey to self-discovery.
You know there’s more to life than the 9 to 5, and everything seems brighter, more evocative; waking you up imbued with passion.
You’re no longer alone because now you’re connected and part of the bigger picture, and it’s one that’s enduring and meaningful. You’re confident that with your
guide you can find the way to spiritual enlightenment.
3. The Dark Night/The Purge
Signs of the Dark Night:You feel lost and alone.
You experience heightened senses.
You reevaluate your beliefs.
After the bliss stage comes the
Dark Night, and this is the hardest of the spiritual awakening stages. Now your soul must cleanse and heal itself. During this stage, you’ll face your darkest fears. Some experts call it a spiritual detox.
“The dark night of the soul is essentially any time when our darkness comes to the forefront. It’s as if we are doing everything we can to stay afloat, and it seems as if the universe, the world, and life is against us.” Anna Yusim, M.D.
Here you face hidden traumas and emotions you’ve buried for lifetimes. It’s like falling into a dark pit of depression and not being able to find your way out.
Carl Jung talked about the
Shadow Self; the parts of us that disgust, repel, desire or we repress are all hidden in the dark. Facing your shadow self takes courage and an open mind.
Whilst it’s true, you must hit rock bottom before you can ascend through the later stages of spiritual awakening,
this dark time is essential.
Think of it like a purge of all the negative experiences and traumas in your life. You are ditching any excess baggage that’s been holding you back. Letting go of your old life to start afresh can present challenges, but it’s for the best.
4. The Void
Signs of the Void:You’re prone to viruses or illness.
You experience frequent headaches.
Just imagine how you’d feel if you had detoxed all the nasty poisons from your body. You’d feel exhausted by the effort. And so it is with a spiritual detox. Now is the time to rest. Give yourself time to adjust to the new you.
In this stage, you may retreat into yourself and live a solitary, hermit-style existence. Where, at the beginning, you enjoyed a connection with the universe, now you sense a disconnection from the world. Sure, you’re cleansed from everything that’s been holding you back, but it’s left you empty and lost.
Now is the time to look after yourself. Navigating through the Dark Night is exhausting and will leave you depleted or even
depressed. Rest yourself, eat healthily, and give yourself time to recharge your batteries.
5. Groundness
Signs of Groundness:You’re drawn to nature.
You become grateful for what you have.
The fifth spiritual awakening stage is
grounding. Imagine you are a tree sapling, freshly sprouted, clean and unpolluted. Now you must ground yourself in the soil and allow your roots to stabilize your upward journey.
In this stage, you reaffirm everything you’ve learnt, through the trigger, bliss, dark night, and void. You are open to whatever the universe has in store for you. Bliss and enlightenment return. That connection you lost during the void is also back.
Just as lightning finds its way to the ground, you must also ground yourself, otherwise, it’s impossible for your spirit to grow. During this stage, you solidify the lessons learned and incorporate them into your daily life.
You understand that the journey you have been on allows you to connect your spirit to your earthly body. Now, your spirit and body are finally becoming one with each other.
Being grounded connects you to the universe, but also allows your spirit to continue its journey. Think of your spirit as a kite. If you don’t tether it to your hand, it would float away and get lost in the vastness of the universe.
6. Purpose
Signs of Purpose:
You have a newfound curiosity.
You’re more compassionate and empathic.
You feel at one with the universe.
The last of the spiritual awakening stages is Purpose. You have purged your spirit from all negativity and rested.
You now see the
bigger picture. Your perception has shifted, and things are no longer
black and white but many nuances of grey. There is empathy and compassion for others and a need to look beyond a forced narrative.
“You will begin to see through all the illusions in this world and strip off all the masks that you’ve been wearing solely for the validation of society.”
-The Spirit Nomad
You’re confident in yourself. Having set high standards for your behavior, you use your newly found confidence to communicate your insight to others.
During this last stage, you may find you lose certain people along the way. It’s become intolerable for you to put up with those with prejudices or hate-filled hearts. You accept these losses as part of your journey. However, you don’t judge people. You acknowledge their path is different from yours.
This final stage of spiritual awakening takes a long time to reach, and you may slip back to previous stages. This is because
the ego is always fighting to regain control.
Final Thoughts
Completing the six spiritual awakening stages doesn’t mean you are at the end of your journey. On the contrary, it’s the beginning of an authentic life unfettered by old ideals. Each stage is one of reflection, discovery, and growth, designed to free you from the human bonds that hold us all back.
References:
Sub-editor & staff writer at Learning Mind
Janey Davies has been published online for over 10 years. She has suffered from a panic disorder for over 30 years, which prompted her to study and receive an Honours degree in Psychology with the Open University. Janey uses the experiences of her own anxiety to offer help and advice to others dealing with mental health issues.
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