There are many definitions to describe spiritual awakenings, which is understandable considering that they are deeply personal and unique experiences that have been discussed for longer than we humans can trace back through time. Spiritual awakenings, also described as enlightenment, refer to the process of spiritual rebirth in which one is ‘reborn’ with a new understanding and outlook on life and existence. It is the temporary dissolve of egoic consciousness that blocks you from knowing that we are all at one with the Universe, God, or source. Spiritual awakenings bring the realization that you aren’t just the blip on Earth floating meaninglessly through the Milky Way galaxy. You are the Earth, the galaxy, and all of its stars. You are the universe— a divine conscious shaped like a human being.
Spiritual awakenings activate your higher consciousness and lead you down a life path that is aligned with your soul’s purpose. I tend to visualize this moment as a turning point in our human evolution where the ego steps aside and allows the higher self and spirit team to assist us in steering the ‘me’ ship. This is a process and journey rather than a single stand-out moment in your life, as one awakening inevitably leads to more that bring deeper realizations that break down more layers of your ego (human programming). Awakening by no means makes you a perfect human that has life figured out. However, it influences you to ask more questions about yourself (your behavior and thought patterns) and the world around you.
Your first spiritual awakening is often the most profound as it is unexpected and paves way for a new way of being. This can be a sudden experience brought on by something you’ve heard, read, or watched. It can even be triggered by something that you’ve experienced such as a loss or an ending in your life. Again, these are incredibly personal experiences that we can’t narrow down to just one thing. However, the following is a list compiled from my lived and observed experiences of signs that you’re having a spiritual awakening.
One
Spiritual awakenings can bring the sudden or growing realization that there is more to you and life. The belief in something divine within you and outside of yourself deepens your connection to your spiritual energy and the universe or God. What’s happening here is your Sahasrara chakra is coming into alignment. This is often described as you raising your vibration, waking up, or developing your consciousness. However, it isn’t always as gentle and beautiful as it sounds. Spiritual awakenings signify a rebirth where your body, mind, and spirit are going through a regenerative process. You may feel closer connected to humanity and in touch with your spiritual purpose (which differs from your day job and ‘human’ labels like mother, husband, friend). Joy, profound realizations, a new outlook, trust in the universe, and deep compassion for the human experience could all be manifestations of your chakras coming into balance and your first awakening.
Two
Spiritual awakenings can bring feelings of confusion or detachment as a result of an overactive or imbalanced crown chakra. Feeling detached or dissociated from your humanness can result in feelings of grandiosity, a judgment towards those who are not on the same path as you, or you and denial of your emotions. You may feel overwhelmed with confusion as you no longer resonate with the worldview that you once identified with. This could cause feelings of loneliness, anxiousness, or melancholy. Spiritual awakenings cause a temporary dissolution of the human ego, leaving us without the version of ourselves that we have always identified with (the things we own, what we have achieved, and who we are in human essence). This can feel more dramatic and painful if you have previously over-identified with life on Earth and your mortality. You may be left questioning who you really are as a result of this. However, we are challenged here to redefine our identity as something that is sourced within and determined by how we feel about ourselves rather than who the world tells us to be.
Three
Feeling an increasing sensitivity to surrounding energies can also signal that you are undergoing a spiritual awakening. Awakening opens us up to the realization that everything is energy and everyone is divinely connected through the universe. With this understanding, it’s natural to feel more empathetic, compassionate, and loving towards others. Feeling pain or joy when others do is a sign that you are tapping into the collective consciousness and can feel what humanity is experiencing as a whole. But of course, this experiencing can be incredibly overwhelming if boundaries are not enforced. A deeply sensitive nature can often manifest with you taking on other people’s feelings as your own. Similarly, your growing sensitivity to other people’s words and actions could cause you to feel ungrounded or emotionally reactive. Practice identifying which feelings are your own and which do not belong to you by cleansing your energy regularly and undergoing grounding practices to get out of your head and back into your body.
Four
Spiritual awakenings realign your Ajna Chakra so that you can exercise your third eye with more clarity. This activation will allow you to develop your innate psychic and intuitive abilities, bringing inspired ideas, creativity, and new earthly understandings. This is how the universe intended for humans to live— deeply connected to our spiritual essence and able to use our divine gifts to support our journey through life. You will find that it’s easier to hear the callings of your higher self. Your visions of your destiny may sharpen, causing you to make life changes that others may not understand or see coming. You could begin to notice a divine presence around you in the form of repetitive numbers, spirit animals, feathers, or other symbols that are personal to you. Guidance from your spirit guides, ancestors, or God/the Universe may feel easier to interpret; maybe you may feel their presence more than you could before, assuring you that you are unconditionally loved and supported. The challenge with the third eye chakra is to keep this energy balanced to avoid feeling mentally and energetically exhausted.
Five
Spiritual awakenings can bring feelings of insecurity as they bring us face to face with our shadows and the parts of ourselves that we attempt to hide. You may suddenly feel more aware of your consciousness, of the negative trains of thought, self-doubt, and fears that run through your mind. Maybe you realize that your thoughts and feelings come from a place of pain and trauma that happened a long time ago. You could become more aware of the pessimistic or realistic philosophies that block you from placing unwavering trust in God or the universe. Spiritual awakenings force us to come to terms with the fact that we may have stood in our own way or blocked our spiritual growth and evolution because we have (up until this point) lived under the control of our egos (the parts of ourselves that are conditioned and moulded by our human experiences). We’re challenged to heal our inner wounds patiently, compassionately, and thoroughly. By doing so, we will be able to live in alignment with our higher self who, always sees the bigger picture of global happenings and our personal experiences.
