Spiritual awakening has an air of secrecy around it. What does it really mean to have a spiritual awakening? And are there different types of spiritual awakening?
Short answer: Yes, there are several different types of spiritual awakenings you can have. In fact there may even be an infinite number of awakenings that are possible.
Including:
- Ego death
- Kundalini awakening
- Top down spiritual awakening
- Awakening to love
- Non-dual awakening
- God as self realization
- Samadhi
Here are the most notable and common types of spiritual awakening broken down a bit further.
The 7 Major Types of Spiritual Awakening
1. Ego Death
Ego death refers to the realization that there is no self. Your individual self identity disappears in the awakening of ego death.
Ego death is a common occurrence among psychedelic users. It’s reported to be a feeling of being completely unified with all that exists.
The lead up to ego death can be scary as you may actually feel like you are dying. Once you “die” to your identity, you then awaken to your true self which is all that exists in the universe.
2. Kundalini Awakening
Kundalini awakening is a form of bodily energetic awakening. Kundalini is a divine energy that resides in the body at the base of the spine.
When Kundalini awakens it will feel like a surge of intense energy rushing up your body.
This type of awakening is unique because it begins with the body. The rising kundalini will open and activate your bodily energy centers. This will allow you to connect to divine energy much more easily.
3. Top Down Spiritual Awakening
A bodily energetic awakening may also begin from the top down. Divine energy may enter in at the crown chakra or third eye chakra and act in a very similar way to a Kundalini awakening.
This type of awakening is often how Kundalini awakens for people who are more in their heads and are less grounded.
The effects of this type of awakening are similar to Kundalini awakening, however the energy begins in the top chakras.
Learn more about top down spiritual awakenings here.
4. Awakening to Love
Another type of spiritual awakening is the awakening to love. You can enter into a state of infinite and divine love with specific spiritual practices.
This often occurs along side the opening of your heart chakra.
Opening your heart chakra and awakening to divine love can feel like a warm sensation in your chest, merging with the feeling of love, orgasmic feelings in the body, and “blissing out”.
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5. Non-dual Awakening
In the Zen Buddhist tradition, they have a specific type of awakening known as a non-dual awakening. This is the realization that everything is one and that all separation is only an illusion.
In a non-dual awakening you awaken to the truth that nothing is separate. In a non dual state of consciousness everything is unified in your experience.
There becomes no separation between things like:
- self and other
- good and bad
- divine and mundane
All is experienced as one in the most profound sense.
6. God as Self Realization
There is a profound type of awakening where you realize your own divine nature. This can happen in many ways.
One way it can happen is through a non-dual awakening where everything merges in your experience including “God” and “self”.
Another way it might happen is through a Kundalini awakening where divine energy literally awakens and surges through your body.
7. Samadhi
Samadhi is the highest state of being while still being attached to the body which is achieved through meditation.
Samadhi in the yogic traditions refers to the state of being where you merge completely with the divine. You enter into divine consciousness during a samadhi state.
This state is said to be very pleasurable and utterly perfect/ peaceful.
Overlap between types of Awakening
These different types of spiritual awakening are not mutually exclusive. Some awakenings may fall under several of the categories listed above.
You might enter into a Samadhi state, but that might also touch much of the same experience as a non-dual awakening. Another example of this is a top down awakening just being a different form of Kundalini energy awakening for example.
It’s hard to draw hard borders on spiritual experiences and thinking about awakening requires a bit of nuance. Allow yourself to flow into the grey area between black and white when trying to understand the different types of spiritual awakenings.
Hi, I’m Ryan. I’m a meditation teacher, spiritual seeker, and founder of nurtureyourspirit.org. I’m glad you’re here! I founded Nurture Your Spirit because of my love of meditation, spirituality, and spiritual awakening.
