What is a spiritual awakening? In my experience and those that I’ve known and worked with it is a transformation. A waking up to a new belief system and energetic experience of the world. It is feeling that everything is the same, but also somehow very different. The events in life seem to take on a different meaning and life is richer and more colorful.
It often takes getting to a place of extreme pain, through crisis, death or some other event that helps us shift our old ego based ways of seeing the world. At these points in time it is easier to cut through the veil and feel enlightened energy opening us up to the truth. This can feel like a brand new way of seeing the world while at the same time feeling totally familiar in a way we can’t really explain.
It feels so familiar, because we come here knowing all of these spiritual truths. We are born knowing we are beings of light, here to spread and expand love and compassion. We are born understanding that we are all one, and completely connected. We are born knowing that there is no separation, and fear is an illusion. That everything, including us, is made of energy. That we have lessons we want to learn and choose experiences to allow us to learn them in order to increase our consciousness.
That’s why many times a spiritual awakening can feel like coming home, because it is. We are meant to feel connected to something bigger than us, to feel a sense of meaning, passion, connection and fulfillment. If you are not feeling this way, it’s ok, it just means there is some work for you to do in order to allow the connection with this, because it’s meant for you and everyone to connect to.
In more practical everyday awakening terms, let’s break down this whole spiritual awakening concept. My terminology doesn’t have to be yours. There are lots of other words or ways to explain this experience: mid-life or quarter life crisis, nervous breakdown, transformation, hitting rock bottom, changing your life, waking up, etc.….For me personally, spiritual awakening is what resonates because they are the words that came to me during my own experience of waking up.
Since my own spiritual awakening experience over 15 years ago, I have felt a calling to study this process. I love to guide others and help to increase and validate the beginning sparks of awareness, and then to be a loving and experienced guide in helping them to navigate the feelings and life changes that often accompany the major spiritual awakening that follows. It is so super exciting to witness someone’s total transformation in consciousness, and know the ripple effect this will be creating on the world around them.
I have noticed through my years of experience in this area that there are certain stages that are similar in people’s experiences. It is my hope that this will help you to understand and make sense of whatever stage you are in, and help you continue to move forward in your evolution with calm and joy!
10 Stages of a Spiritual Awakening
1. Living unconsciously
This means just living life, probably with a sense of something missing but having no idea what or how to fix it. Not being very aware of what you are really feeling or what you really want. Sometimes feeling anxious or depressed or like your living on the surface of life. Some people live their whole lives in this state and that’s ok.
2. Breakdown
This is when, usually predicated by one big crisis, or several smaller ones over months or years, you reach the end of feeling like you have control over your life or your happiness. You don’t know what to do next, but you know things can’t go on the way they are.
3. Letting go
When nothing you know is working anymore and the realization that you really don’t have control settles in. This can feel real scary at first, but the beautiful thing is that none of us ever really have control, and this awareness is ultimately magical and freeing. It allows us to move on to the next steps of awakening and trusting the universe.
4. Spark of Awakening
After realizing we don’t really have control, there begins to be a spark of awareness and curiosity about other ways to see the world. Often people begin practices that they have never done before in this lifetime, but that their soul recognizes as essential for their continued evolution. Things like: meditation, yoga, being in nature more, prayer, affirmations, reading spiritual or inspirational texts, learning more about religious or metaphysical or energetic traditions, taking spiritual classes and workshops, journaling, etc. These practices all get us ready for connecting more deeply with ourselves and the next steps in our awakening process.
5. Redefining self
As we continue to be consciously or unconsciously drawn through these stages of waking up, our sense of our self begins shifting. We begin redefining who we think we are: a student, a CEO, a mother, an accountant, etc.… and begin to understand the expansiveness of our potential a little bit. Our consciousness only allow us to know what we are ready for, in order to help us move forward without overwhelming us with perceived pressure to be as magnificent as the universe knows we truly are.
6. Big time spiritual download and awakening
At this point there is often a bigger and more intense increase in consciousness. Things like manifesting and co-creating our reality begin to make more sense. Big ideas that may have just seemed like cheesy statements in the past truly are integrated into your awareness now: things like “we are all one,” “love is all there is,” “everything is connected,” and “we are spiritual beings having a human experience”. Instead of just seeing or saying these things you start really feeling them down to your bones and living your life in accordance to these principles.
You begin to understand that we are meant to love ourselves as creation does, and that helps everyone around us. You know now that as your own consciousness increases, your light shines brighter, giving all around you permission to do the same. You start to understand that we are all powerful souls and are choosing our life experiences to learn to grow. You really let go and trust the universe to help your path unfold towards your highest good. You really really want to find your “purpose” in order to help the world.
7. Finding purpose
Often at this point, the process of awakening feels so good to your energy system and your frequency is so elevated that steps towards your purpose begin to become clearer to you. You start to recognize that finding your soul’s purpose is actually pretty easy. Once you can learn to be more consistently out of your fear based ego and follow the path of joy instead, the next steps continue to be lit up much more clearly for you. Your purpose is always down the path of joy.
8. Spiritual community
So many people get so excited at this stage of awakening that they try to get everyone around them to get on board. I have seen many examples of wives wanting to wake up their husbands, or friends wanting their friends to understand their new ideas, or daughters wanting their moms to increase their consciousness to match their own new level of awareness.
I truly understand this because I felt the same way. I was so excited about my new way of being I tried to help all the people in my life get it too. As empaths, we are naturally drawn to helping people, but often people in our lives aren’t at the same place in consciousness as we are and are not ready or willing to change. As we learn to let go of that desire, and focus back on our own spiritual growth (or get into a super fun job like I did where I get to do this all day every day!) we accelerate our own process and let the souls of those around us evolve when and how is right for them, not us.
We begin to see the wounds and issues of our family of origin in a different way, and are able to forgive and accept those in our history who we perceive as hurting us, and understand it only came from their own lack of consciousness.
We begin to filter those out around us who are negative or unconscious, and begin to require that our days are filled with only conscious and positive people in our lives. It’s so important as we continue our growth that we have soul tribe members around us who are growing too, this helps all of us expand.
9. Understanding energy
As we evolve we generally begin to be more aware and sensitive to our own energy and that of those around us, our environments, and what we put in and on our bodies.
It is usually a natural progression for those who are becoming more aware to begin shifting into workplaces and family situations that are more in alignment with their new consciousness. This sensitivity also helps us to create more peaceful environments to live and work in, and to paying more attention to the energy of the food we eat and toxicity levels of everything around them.
10. Spiritual practice
In order to maintain the amazing magical feeling of a spiritual awakening forever it is so important to integrate spiritual practice into your life. Not just once a week at yoga class (which is also great!) but I’m talking about all day every day. The most amazing spiritual teachers didn’t just do a lot of inner spiritual work and then are able to coast the rest of their lives, no, they continue, every day, for the rest of their lives to practice remembering.
We are all still human, and our cute little human brains will always have things to say that aren’t true, so it’s up to us to consistently bring in things that help us remember that we are all beautiful magical pieces of the divine. That there is nothing to fear at all ever. That we all chose all of this and are always surrounded by loving energy more powerful than we can imagine. That we are magnificent and powerful souls.
Everyone is unique and has practices that are best suited for their own evolution, but some consistent practices that I have seen that really work are:
- Meditation
- Prayer
- Yoga
- Being in spiritual community
- Affirmations
- Gratitude
- Consistent awareness of thought and feelings
- Self-love all day every day (internal self-loving dialogue, external self-loving acts)
- Reading and listening to things that inspire you
- Being in nature
- Journaling
- Being quiet and still
Spiritual awakening does not go backwards, and awareness cannot be erased, just remember it is your natural state. Relaxing, getting out of the way, and allowing divine wisdom to flow through you and guide you is the most effective way to awaken and continue to grow. Follow your joy and have fun! These stages are not exact, and can come in different forms and orders, this is just a general outline from what I have observed and experienced over the years. There is no right or wrong way to evolve.
I wish you joy and magic on your path of awakening, you were born for this!
Read more about Spiritual Counseling with Shana Olmstead.
Shana Olmstead, Intuitive Consultant
I see my life purpose as helping people to awaken to the truth of their divine nature, the powerful spiritual beings that they are. I have assisted hundreds of clients in my therapy practice to wake up to the understanding that we are all made of source energy, and are here to increase our consciousness and joy to help the evolution everyone on the planet. I am so excited and inspired to continue helping people through their own awakening! Contact me to schedule an appointment in person in Kirkland, Washington or for a phone or video consultation wherever you are located.
