awakening

What Is “The Veil” In Spirituality?

If you’ve ever explored spirituality you’ve definitely heard of “the veil”. If you’re anything like me you were confused about what “the veil” is the first time you heard about it. Let’s dive into what this term really means and help you understand the spiritual concept better. What is “the veil”? “The veil” refers to the unseen barrier that separates our ordinary limited consciousness from the higher, more profound consciousness of existence. The veil is a metaphor for what separates ordinary consciousness from expansive and infinite consciousness. Our human brains weren’t meant to always be one with God and the universe, otherwise we wouldn’t be able to function in everyday life. If there was no veil between higher and lower consciousness we’d all be too blissed out to bother eating, drinking, and paying rent. When we have a spiritual awakening we pierce through this veil. Spiritual awakenings allow us a peak behind that veil into greater consciousness. The terms “piercing the veil” and “spiritual awakening” are basically synonymous with each other. Spiritual awakening is founded on the idea of connecting with higher consciousness. The veil is the limiting factor which keeps us from connecting with that higher consciousness. Why Does The Veil Exist? The veil exists for a very specific and explainable reason. The veil keeps us from transcending our human incarnate form. Why? According to some traditions we (either as individual spirits or as God itself) chose to experience life in a limited form as a human being. There are certain lessons we need to learn in a physical human life. If the veil didn’t exist our consciousness would simply merge back with infinite universal consciousness. This would make the experience of being a limited human impossible to have. For God to be truly omnipotent and infinite then they have to know what it’s like to have limited consciousness. So in this sense you are literally God experiencing limited consciousness. What does thinning the veil mean? “Thinning the veil” is a term referring to moments when we come closer to the divine. The boundary between our limited form and greater consciousness thins. The veil thins when we have spiritual experiences and come close to God. Certain locations around the world are said to have thinner veils. These also happen to be the most spiritual places where many are said to have had profound experiences and connections with higher consciousness. What Does Piercing The Veil Mean? Piercing the veil is the term used to describe when you break through your limited consciousness into a state of spiritual awakening. We pierce the veil when we have a spiritual awakening. You can think of piercing the veil as creating a portal to higher consciousness. You’re destroying the boundary between your limited awareness and expanded divine consciousness when you pierce the veil. How To Pierce The Veil Piercing the veil isn’t just about glimpsing the unknown, it’s about evolving beyond our spiritual limits. Peaking beyond the veil or spiritual awakening is one of the most blissful, awe inspiring, and jaw dropping experiences you can have as a human being. You’re probably thinking that this sounds awesome and you want to experience it yourself. So how do you pierce the veil and enter into greater consciousness? There are several pathways to peaking beyond the veil laid out by dozens of ancient traditions. Just about every major religion today has a mystical pathway to spiritual awakening. see my article, “The Mystical Traditions of Every Major World Religion” I recommend you dive into one of the many established spiritual traditions with a path to spiritual awakening. You may also want to find a spiritual mentor to guide you on this journey as well. There is no one right path to spiritual awakening and there are so many different things that can cause you to pierce through “the veil”. see my article, “What Causes a Spiritual Awakening?” for more information. Conclusion Though at first appearance the terms “the veil” and “piercing the veil” may seem confusing they both have to do with spiritual awakening. The veil is simply the thing that keeps our limited consciousness limited and when we pierce it we enter into greater consciousness. I wish you the best on your journey to peaking beyond the cosmic veil and awakening into divine consciousness spiritual seeker!

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6 Best Spiritual Awakening Courses of 2024

If you’re a spiritual seeker you may be in search of a course that will teach you all you need to know to spiritually awaken. There are many self proclaimed gurus offering spiritual courses promising “enlightenment” and “awakening”. But which of these is really legit? And which will really teach you what you need to know? When choosing to spend your hard earned money on expensive online courses it’s important that you know what’s really worth the spend. With that in mind, when evaluating courses I ranked more credible and established teachers above less established teachers. Courses are also ranked by overall depth and expertise. I analyzed dozens of major spiritual awakening courses available online and here are the top 6: #1) The 7-Day Spiritual Awakening Accelerator Ryan Molkentin’s 7-Day Spiritual Awakening Accelerator is the most comprehensive and in-depth course on this list. From learning how to access states of samadhi and non-duality to mastering your kundalini, this course covers every aspect of awakening. For only $19.95 you gain access to the full course, 2 bonus modules, and an exclusive members only forum of other spiritual seekers. The Spiritual Awakening Accelerator walks you step by step into spiritual awakening so you can’t mess it up. Teacher: Ryan Molkentin Hosted on: NurtureYourSpirit.org Price: $19.95 Noteworthy for: Overall most powerful and in depth Check it out here. #2) Discovering Your True Nature Course By Ram Dass Ram Dass and the leaders of the Love Serve Remember foundation have created 13 different courses each with a different spiritual focus. You can gain access to Ram Dass’s extensive course library for just $149 a year. Some of the incredible courses included in your subscription include: “Alchemy of The Heart”, “No Death, No Fear”, “Discovering Your True Nature”, and many more. Ram Dass is one of the most credible and loved spiritual teachers of the century, making his course library a no-brainer #1 on our list. Teacher: Ram Dass, Jack Kornfield, Ram Dev & more Hosted on: RamDass.org Price: $149 Noteworthy for: Most credible and far reaching Check it out here. #3) The 30-Day Wake Up Challenge By Adyashanti Adyashanti is one of the most profound spiritual leaders alive today in the West. His 30-Day Wake Up Challenge is an in-depth course that not only explains the process of awakening, but teaches you tangible practices and techniques to raise your consciousness. This course includes 30 days of lectures, Q&As, and guided meditations to help you spiritually awaken. Teacher: Adyashanti Hosted on: SoundsTrue.com Price: $97 Noteworthy for: Beginner’s who want an in-depth and accurate explanation of awakening Check it out here. #4) The DailyOm’s Meditation For Spiritual Awakening Course Jim Malloy’s Meditation for Spiritual Awakening is a 14-lesson course that teaches you how to use meditation to awaken. Each module takes you step by step closer to ultimate awakening. Though this course has an emphasis on meditation, it dives into many other aspects of awakening like opening the heart chakra and how to prepare the body for enlightenment. The knowledge taught in the DailyOm’s course draws from several different spiritual traditions and presents it in an easy to understand contemporary format. Teacher: Jim Malloy Hosted on: DailyOm.com Price: $19 Noteworthy for: a meditation focused experience Check it out here. #5) The Embody Self Love Spiritual Awakening Course Sophie Frabotta is a spiritual life coach and meditation teacher with over 10,000 hours of 1-1 spiritual guidance experience. Sophie Frabotta’s Embody Self Love Course takes a healing transformational approach to spiritual awakening. This course teaches you how to connect with your highest self, heal limiting parts of yourself, and tap into the infinite love of the universe. Teacher: Sophie Frabotta Hosted on: AwakenWithSophie.com Price: $144 Noteworthy for: an emphasis on personal healing & growth Check it out here. #6) How To Awaken & Connect To Your Spiritual Higher Self (Udemy) Julian Jenkins’s Udemy Spiritual Awakening Course is a great brief introduction to spiritual awakening. Taking only 3 hours to complete, this course will give you a great first glance at spiritual awakening for beginner’s who want to learn about awakening but aren’t ready to commit to a month long course. This Udemy course gives you the basic tools to start your spiritual practice towards awakening and can be completed in half a day or less. Teacher: Julian Jenkins Hosted on: Udemy Price: $74.99 (often on sale for much less) Noteworthy for: a brief yet thorough explanation of awakening Check it out here.

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Spiritual Awakening Anxiety: Why It Happens & How To Overcome It

Spiritual awakening is often thought of as a glorious and mystical event full of bliss and happiness. And yes, that can be true. But the truth is that a spiritual awakening can leave you feeling anxious beyond belief. The path to awakening is NOT as easy and glorious as you might initially think. Yes, the process will eventually lead you to a better version of yourself and a better understanding of reality. But it will also be reality shattering. And let me tell you, reality shattering experiences can be mistaken for reality ending experiences. I’ve spent several sleepless nights dealing with the mind, body, and reality altering effects of spiritual awakenings. If you’re experiencing heightened anxiety from a spiritual awakening know that you’re not alone in this experience. With time you will come back to a normal state of mind. Understanding Spiritual Awakening Anxiety: Normal or Not? Let’s first determine if this is normal anxiety or spiritual awakening anxiety. Anxiety isn’t a single factor phenomena, meaning lots of things can trigger it. Not just spiritual awakening. Anxiety is characterized by: Having just these symptoms alone doesn’t mean you’re going through spiritual awakening anxiety. If you’re already prone to anxiety your spiritual awakening may just be exacerbating already present symptoms. However if you recently had a spiritual awakening and these symptoms are directly stemming from that experience, you’re most likely going through spiritual awakening anxiety. Identifying the Two Types of Awakenings To know how to work through your spiritual awakening anxiety you must know about the two main types of awakening: 1. Consciousness breakthroughs – spiritual awakenings that occur from heightened states of consciousness forcing you to see reality from a completely new paradigm. 2. Energetic awakenings – activation of powerful spiritual energy in our body such as kundalini awakenings and chakra opening. Both of these types of awakenings can cause anxiety. The first type of awakening (consciousness breakthroughs) will most likely cause general feelings of anxiety, fear, and uncertainty over your life and reality. While the second type of awakening (energetic awakenings) can be mistaken for full blown panic attacks. The symptoms of a kundalini awakening and a panic attack are nearly identical: If you believe you’re going through an energetic or kundalini awakening see my guide to handling an unexpected kundalini awakening. Why Spiritual Awakenings May Cause Anxiety ‎ 1. Surges Of Divine Energy Certain types of awakenings can create a lot of divine energy in your body. Energetic awakenings can be incredibly unsettling if you’re not expecting one. The sudden surge of Shakti energy through your body can be an unwelcome surprise to many. Some negative symptoms from this type of awakening include: Learn more about Kundalini Syndrome here. 2. Your Ego Is Dying One of the most terrifying experiences of spiritual awakening is ego death. Ego death is a very common experience during psychedelic use, but can happen for any number of reasons. Your literal sense of self is under threat of death. As you wake up, your ego starts to dissolve. But it won’t go down without a fight. This ego resistance causes fear and anxiety because it does not want to die. It’s important to realize this fear is all an illusion. Once the ego is finished off once and for all there lays only peace, love, and unity. 3. Awakening Can Be Shocking Some spiritual realizations can turn your world upside down. Everything you once thought to be true is now turned on its head. Insights realized from spiritual awakening can be reality-breaking. You may be forced to come face to face with a new reality that you weren’t expecting or even thought possible. These intense perspective shifts can cause a lot of personal and mental distress. 4. Heightened Sensory Perception Spiritual awakenings can put you into a state of high sensitivity. You may be vibrating at such a high level of divine energy that your consciousness is extremely sharp. Sights, sounds, and feelings can become overwhelming as you’re able to tune into every little detail with your heightened awareness. This can easily overload your brain and cause anxiety. 5. Healing Past Trauma Sometimes profound spiritual experiences will bring up past traumas that need to be healed. This is especially the case during difficult psychedelic trips. Though they may be extremely distressing, it is for your greater healing. To transcend into your highest self you need to dissolve many things holding you back. One of these things may be traumas. When traumas arise to be worked with and healed you may feel a lot of anxiety and resistance. See also “Struggling With Spiritual Awakening? Why It Can Be Lonely And Hard” Understanding Psychological Distress and Spiritual Awakening The #1 cause of spiritual awakenings happen to be psychological distress. Spiritual awakenings don’t just happen when we’re happy and cozy in life. They often hit us during our lowest points like a life preserver thrown to a drowning sailor. Spiritual awakening is the mind’s last resort in many cases. Life can get so painful that a break from reality is actually necessary. According to a research survey by Steve Taylor, psychological turmoil causes spiritual awakening more than anything else. More than prayer, meditation, and even psychedelics. Anxiety, distress, and psychological turmoil are often intertwined with spiritual awakening experiences. Spiritual awakenings and their reality-altering effects may offer some relief to those suffering from mental distress. But if your spiritual awakening experience is causing you extra anxiety there are a few things you can do to help. Coping Strategies For Awakening Anxiety ‎ The anxiety you encounter during your spiritual ascension is all part of the process. It will not harm you, it’s just really really uncomfortable. It’s important to realize that you’re not actually in any danger. You may feel like something dangerous is happening inside your mind or body, but I promise you will be okay. Let’s talk about how you can best deal with this awakening anxiety. 1. Surrender The first piece of advice

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Appetite Loss After Spiritual Awakening? Here’s Why

Appetite changes are very common among people who have recently experienced a spiritual awakening. When appetite changes after an awakening it is usually a decrease in appetite. This is a fairly common phenomenon and you shouldn’t worry too much about it. Eventually, your appetite will likely return. why Your appetite Can Decrease after spiritual awakening 1. You’ve disconnected from bodily desires Some spiritual awakenings will disconnect you from your sense of self to merge your awareness with greater consciousness. This can leave you feeling disconnected from the desires of the body. You may become more aligned with the higher self which doesn’t need food for survival. This is because your higher self or soul doesn’t reside in the physical dimension. Though this raised state of consciousness can lead to a decrease in hunger or desire to eat, it is usually a temporary experience. 2. Your body is recalibrating to a higher vibration You may be going through a process of raising your consciousness or baseline vibration. When we ascend our bodies may need to tweak a few things for you to stay up in a higher consciousness state. Some find they don’t want to eat anything at all for several days after an awakening. This could be your body forcing a fast to aid in your ascension. Fasting has been known to detox the body of many harmful and cancerous substances, recharge bodily energy, and repair body cells. To aid in your “en-lighten-ment” you may need to rid the body of things for it to become lighter for your new higher state of being. 3. Your spirit desires fresh, light, and healthy food Many foods have been known to keep us weighted down to Earth which is why the Hindu tradition recommends a vegetarian diet. The body desires healthy food. As you develop spiritually you may find that you are less keen on certain unhealthy foods you used to indulge in. Dolores Cannon says that as we begin shifting into higher planes of reality we need to be eating lighter and healthier foods like fruit and vegetables over heavy and fatty foods like meat. 4. You may be experiencing anxiety Sometimes awakening experiences can be anxiety inducing and scary until we fully relinquish control (especially with kundalini awakenings). Your body might be releasing a lot of adrenaline and cortisol if this is the case which will reduce your appetite. The key to overcoming this is to surrender to whatever experience you are having completely. Trust the universe to guide you to where you’re supposed to be safely. “Struggling With Spiritual Awakening? Why It Can Be Lonely And Hard” How to deal with appetite changes after awakening So how exactly should you approach the appetite changes after a spiritual awakening? 1. Surrender and trust your body Trust the changes that are occurring in your body. If the change is coming from a higher spiritual place you can trust that the universe knows what it’s doing. You’re not going to die from abstaining from food for a couple days. Allow yourself to go with the flow of your body and spirit. If you feel worried about malnutrition during this period, you can try eat some juice or fruit. If your appetite doesn’t return after a few days then it’s best to talk to your doctor. Eventually your appetite will come back, but you have to trust the process until you get there. 2. Shift to a lighter/ healthier diet Another option if you’re struggling to eat after an awakening is to change your diet. Your body may be trying to get you to eat better healthier food for your ascension process. Try to eat more foods like fresh fruits and vegetables and avoid meat and fast food. You may want to try foods like: At the end of the day trust your body and your intuition as to what is best during this tumultuous period of change.

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How Long Does Spiritual Awakening Take?

Are you getting a bit antsy for the spiritual results of your meditations, visualizations, and spiritual practice? Once that desire is ignited in you it can feel frustrating trying and waiting for that consciousness expanding experience of spiritual awakening. So how long does it take to have a spiritual awakening? And how long does it last when it does finally happen? Short answer: It may take many lifetimes for you to have your first spiritual awakening, but when it does happen it often hits in an instant. If you have the desire to “wake up” then you’re probably ripe for a spiritual awakening in this lifetime. How long does it take to have a spiritual awakening? Because we live our human experience in time, but our full spiritual reality is outside of time we need to look at this question from a couple different perspectives. You already are enlightened… If we look at spiritual awakening from an absolute perspective, you already are awakened. In the fullest sense where time does not exist but only pure divine consciousness, you are already enlightened. How does this work? To be infinitely conscious means that you are able to fabricate a reality where you feel limited and “not awake”. That is what you are doing here right now. Pretending to be asleep, simply experiencing separation from infinite consciousness. The process of awakening in time is just to remember what has been here the entire time through our awareness. Awakening may take many lifetimes Awakening doesn’t have a set amount of time or lifetimes required for it to happen, but it likely will take many lifetimes (possibly hundreds or even thousands of lifetimes). In the human physical world where we live in the confines of time and space we are subjected to the cycle of birth and death and reincarnation. Spirit decides to come to live a physical human life thus subjecting it to samsara willingly, knowing one day in one lifetime they will awaken and break out of samsara. The eventual way out of this incarnate reality is awakening. Awakening will happen soon. If you’re asking this question and are concerned with your spiritual growth you are likely close to the end of the process. Essentially if you have the desire to awaken you are ripe for a spiritual awakening. Continue to seek spiritual growth and awakening with a pure heart and you will certainly find what you are looking for. See my article “Spiritual awakening at a young age? Yes, it’s possible” How long does a spiritual awakening last? The experience of spiritual awakening often happens in an instant. Awakening is a sudden experience when it does happen. You may find yourself in an awakened state of consciousness that is actually just temporary. An example of this temporary awakening is when a psychedelic user has ego death and merges with reality. Though the experience only lasts as long as the trip does, the insight will likely stay in the user’s mind for long afterwards. It’s important to distinguish the difference between enlightenment and spiritual awakening here. The rare yogi who achieves full enlightenment can stay in an awakened state of consciousness for the rest of their lives and can leave the reincarnation cycle. Most people who have a spiritual awakening aren’t experiencing full enlightenment and thus the experience is temporary. A spiritual awakening experience can last just a few seconds, a couple minutes, hours, or even days.

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7 Major Types of Spiritual Awakening

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: 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”. 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: 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.

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Spiritual Awakening At A Young Age? Yes, It’s Possible

Enlightened master Sri Ramana Maharshi became enlightened at just 16 years of age in 1896. There are many examples throughout history of people who have had spiritual awakenings early in life, so this isn’t a secluded event. But what does it mean if you have a spiritual awakening or enlightenment experience at a young age? Is spiritual awakening at a young age even possible for you? Spiritual awakening can happen at any age. Though the average age of spiritual awakening is 28.7 years of age according to a recent 2023 study, enlightenment experiences can happen significantly earlier in life. > see also How Many People Are Spiritually Awake? (Awakening Statistics) What is a spiritual awakening? Spiritual awakening refers to the experience of shifting your consciousness through profound spiritual realization. They are moments in time where you have a perspective altering spiritual insight. Enlightenment on the other hand is a term that refers to complete and absolute understanding of the universe and reality. A spiritual awakening is how we become more enlightened. Can You Have A Spiritual Awakening At A Young Age? The age of the physical human being does not matter here, it is the age of the soul that matters. If you are an old and spiritually advanced soul, then you will experience spiritual awakening much earlier in your life. Spiritual awakening can happen at any age. There are plenty of examples of young people becoming enlightened or having spiritual awakenings throughout history. The most notable example of a young person experiencing spiritual awakening is Ramana Maharshi. He was just 16 when he become fully enlightened! Could you imagine if you were that wise before becoming a legal adult? In the Hindu literature there are stories of Krishna being completely awake and enlightened as a baby! Though the vast majority of people that do end up having a spiritual awakening experience will have one in adulthood. A study in 2023 found that the average age of spiritual awakening is 28.7 years of age. What Does It Mean To Wake Up At A Young Age? If you are experiencing spiritual awakening in your teens or early 20s it means that you have an old and spiritually advanced soul. This means you’ve done a lot of spiritual development in past lives. The part of you that is infinite and without physical form (your soul) is well developed and has been in physical form for probably hundreds if not thousands of lifetimes before this one. You are probably nearing the end of your reincarnations in the physical form on Earth if you have a spiritual awakening that young. Conclusion You can have a spiritual awakening at any age. It is not the age of the physical being that matters, rather it is the age and development of the soul. Everyone is at a different place in their spiritual path, so you shouldn’t be too worried if you either haven’t had a spiritual awakening yet or are experiencing spiritual awakening at a very young age. Go with flow of your path and allow your life to unfold how the soul desires. Good luck spiritual seeker 🙂

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How To Meditate For Spiritual Awakening

Meditation has long been held as an important practice for spiritual growth. The earliest known evidence of meditation used for spiritual enrichment is back in 1500 BCE from the Hindu Vedic literature. Spiritual awakening, enlightenment, and meditation have gone hand in hand since the beginning of spiritual pursuit in human history. So, how exactly do you meditate for spiritual awakening? Here’s the formula: Intention + Mindful observation + Habit Those 3 simple steps will create more spiritual growth than you could ever hope for if you do so consistently. What is Spiritual Awakening? Spiritual awakening refers to the process of “waking up” to profound spiritual truth. A spiritual awakening is a profound experience that shifts your consciousness and understanding of reality. The process of waking up spiritually happens when you gain understanding and insight into the nature of reality. Can you see how meditation might help here? Meditation puts you face to face with reality. The more time you spend being present with reality and observing life the more insights you will find. Can Meditation Help With Enlightenment? Meditation can help raise your consciousness, hone your awareness, and ultimately aid you in attaining enlightenment. In fact, meditation is a central practice on the path towards universal consciousness. Some form of meditation can be found in every great spiritual tradition for this very reason. The Buddhist and Hindu traditions have a particularly strong practice of meditation. Enlightenment is a bit different from awakening. Awakening is the process of attaining enlightenment. Enlightenment is the end goal of complete understanding of the nature of the universe. Meditation can help you have a spiritual awakening and attain enlightenment. Best Types of Meditation For Spiritual Awakening It’s true that meditation is one of the most powerful tools for spiritual growth, but which type of meditation is best? Mindfulness Meditation The simplest type of meditation is also the most useful for spiritual growth. This simple type of meditation is known as mindfulness meditation. Mindfulness meditation involves consciously observing everything and anything that appears. This an be anything from thoughts & emotions to feelings, sights, and sounds. Mindfulness is a good one to start with as it is the basis of all other types of meditation. You don’t always need to go complex to get what you want. In fact, this simple type of meditation may be most beneficial for your journey towards awakening. Vipassana Meditation Vipassana meditation is a specific type of meditation that is designed to help you awaken. Vipassana is believed to be the meditation taught by Buddha and roughly translates as “insight meditation”. Vipassana is based in mindfulness meditation, but it’s a bit different. The practice of Vipassana instructs the meditator to be completely nonreactive. No matter the discomfort or desire to quit, Vipassana meditation continues until the session is finished. The reason Vipassana meditation sessions are laid out in this way is so that you can begin to see the nature of your suffering. After deep Vipassana sessions, meditators report having powerful spiritual breakthroughs. Vipassana meditation sessions are notoriously long. Some retreats involve meditating for several hours a day for days on end. Transcendental Meditation Transcendental meditation’s (aka TM) purpose is to get you into a deep state of relaxed alertness where you can transcend your mind and access greater consciousness. This particular technique involves mindfully focusing on a specific sound in your environment to bring you into a deep meditative state. The focus on a particular sound in transcendental meditation is known as a silent mantra. A mantra is simply something you repeat over and over again or refocus your attention onto. This refocusing over and over again brings you into deep present alertness. The state of mind that TM gets you into is perfect for having spiritual insights and will be very helpful on your journey towards enlightenment. Tracking Your Spiritual Progress How do you know where you are in the process of waking up? Are you fully enlightened after a single awakening? Not quite. Meditation will help you progress down the spiritual path, but having even a couple of awakenings from meditation doesn’t mean you’re enlightened now and finished with your spiritual journey. There is a well documented path towards enlightenment in the Buddhist tradition. Find out what stage of your spiritual journey you’re in here. Happy meditating spiritual seeker!

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What is Kundalini Awakening? (9 Signs & Symptoms)

Being able to awaken and harness your Kundalini has been a well sought after ability for spiritual seekers. Being able to understand Kundalini energy and what it can do for you can make a huge impact in your spiritual journey. Let’s talk everything you need to know about Kundalini awakenings. What Is Kundalini Energy? Kundalini energy is a divine energy that usually lays dormant in the body at the base of the spine. Kundalini energy is a powerful life force energy often known as “shakti” that can flood through your body when activated. When Kundalini energy awakens in the body it can cause powerful transformations and cause an increase in consciousness. This powerful energy is said to lay dormant in the root chakra of most people and most will go their entire lives without their Kundalini activating. The Kundalini Serpent Kundalini comes from the Sanskrit word “Kundal” which means “coiled”. In Hindu literature Kundalini is symbolized as a coiled up serpent sitting at the base of the spine ready to spring up and strike. This coiled imagery symbolizes how Kundalini energy shoots up through the body when it becomes activated. Kundalini Awakening Signs & Symptoms Kundalini awakenings are a very distinct spiritual experience. There are several tell tail mental, physical, and spiritual signs that your Kundalini has activated or is activating. 1. Body shakes, shivers, & convulsions Kundalini energy can cause surges of energy in the body that create shaking in the body. This can manifest itself as body shivers and sometimes even convulsions. 2. Feeling warm The energy released in the body during a Kundalini awakening can feel warm and expansive. You may feel warmth emanating up and throughout your body during the awakening. 3. Increased consciousness Your awareness may become increased during and after a Kundalini awakening. As divine energy is released you will be more attuned to the divine in your everyday life. 4. Increased emotional and spiritual sensitivity You will become more sensitive to your emotions and inner energies when your Kundalini is released. 5. Energy pulses & vibrations Kundalini energy is so powerful that when it rises it will send energy pulses throughout your body. This manifests itself in many physical ways, one of which is vibrations. You may feel vibrations in one or more chakras during an awakening. 6. Sensations of bliss or pleasure Feelings of bliss and pleasure are commonly reported during Kundalini awakenings. When Kundalini rises through your sacral chakra you may even feel orgasmic energy being released. 7. Fear and anxiety On the other hand, you may feel increased fear and anxiety if you don’t know what this intense energy is. The resistance to this great Kundalini energy can create an anxious state of mind. 8. Emotional release and crying When Kundalini energy flows through your chakras it begins to unclog and clear out any blocked chakras. When your heart chakra gets opened and energy flows through it you may experience a great emotional release. This release can look like crying, laughing, or deep feelings of love. 9. Feelings of oneness with the universe In a peak Kundalini awakening state you connect with the divine energy of the universe. Kundalini is cosmic energy that has been placed in your body. When it awakens you can experience union with the divine. Kundalini Awakening Vs. Spiritual Awakening Is a Kundalini awakening the same thing as a spiritual awakening? Yes and no. A Kundalini awakening is a form of spiritual awakening, but it is much different than what you might think of as the stereotypical awakening. Most of what we think of when we say “spiritual awakening” is usually a profound spiritual insight that changes our perspective on reality. However, a Kundalini awakening is more of an activation of divine energy in the body. Kundalini awakenings can however lead to the stereotypical spiritual awakening later on as your awareness may increase from the Kundalini energy. What Causes A Kundalini Awakening? If you’re attempting to have one or have already had a Kundalini awakening, you may want to know what actually causes it. There can be many things that trigger a Kundalini awakening. 1. Pranayama The #1 most common technique used to awaken Kundalini is pranayama, otherwise known as breathwork. There are many different forms and variations of pranayama used to awaken Kundalini and attain higher states of consciousness. The most notorious variation is known as the Breath of Fire which involves rapid rhythmic breathing from the belly to activate the Kundalini. There are other forms of pranayama used to awaken Kundalini, another technique is described here by Siva Ananda Online. You can find all sorts of other variations with a quick Google search as well. 2. Meditation Meditation sessions with a focus on awakening your Kundalini can activate this potent energy. Specifically meditation combined with breathwork and visualization can awaken Kundalini. Deep states of meditation have also been known to activate Kundalini. 3. Working with a guru If you’re working with a true spiritual master, they will have the ability to awaken your Kundalini energy. When a guru activates your Kundalini purely with their own mind, power, and touch it is known as Shaktipata. A guru might not directly trigger an awakening in you, but could also guide you to awaken your own Kundalini. Your guru will know when it’s the right time to awaken your Kundalini and will show you the practices to do so. 4. Spontaneous awakening Kundalini may become activated for what seems like no reason at all. Some people experience spontaneous Kundalini awakenings. If this happens, it may be a divinely orchestrated event. When this happens in an unsuspecting person it can be quite the shock. What Happens After Kundalini Awakens? After your Kundalini becomes activated you will notice several shifts and changes. Kundalini is a divine and transformative energy that will change your mind, body, and spirit. One of the things that people report after a Kundalini awakening is life transformations. Some find that their priorities shift after

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How Many People Are Spiritually Awake? (Statistics)

Determining the amount of spiritually awakened people in the world is a tricky endeavor because “spiritually awake” is a subjective term. According to the research on spiritual awakenings, between 34% and 41% of people have had a spiritually transformative event in their lives. However, according to independent polling the number of people who have actually had a spiritual awakening is only 8.2%. Experts estimate that only 0.0001% of the population is fully enlightened. According to Google trends the term “spiritual awakening” has been getting consistently more popular as a search term. More people are interested in spiritual awakening or have had a spiritual awakening than ever before. Clearly there is at the very least more interest in spiritual awakening than in the past. I also suspect, there are more people who have experienced a spiritual awakening than ever before as well. Defining Spiritual Awakening How do you determine the difference between enlightenment and spiritual awakening? Let’s take a closer look at the two terms. Spiritual Awakening When we talk about spiritual awakening we’re talking about specific events that cause profound shifts in consciousness that are spiritual in nature. The scientific literature calls these Spiritually Transformative Experiences aka (STEs). STEs are defined as: “a mystical experience involving feelings of expansion (including conscious awareness leaving the body), energy rising up the spine, a sense of being enveloped in light, love or part of a unified energetic field.” (see source here) Learn more about the signs and symptoms of spiritual awakening here. Enlightenment Enlightenment on the other hand is the spectrum of how spiritually awake someone is. Spiritual awakenings lead to an increase in an individual’s enlightenment. Full enlightenment is an incredibly rare occurrence, and is completely different from single spiritual awakening experiences. The amount of fully enlightened masters is thought to be extremely small. Spiritual Awakening Statistics So what does the data say? Let’s take a look at some of the numbers from research, polls, & experts in the field. Has had an STE (according to research) Has had a spiritual awakening (reddit poll) Reddit poll calculated with viewers who didn’t vote Fully enlightened according to experts Percentage of the population 41% 34% 8.2% 0.0001% The Scientific Literature One study released in 2022 researched how prevalent spiritually transformative experiences (STEs) were in the population and sought out to describe what those awakening experiences were like. The study used prior research from a Gallup poll that found STEs to affect around 41% of the population. This particular study also found that the average age for a spiritual awakening is around 28.7 years of age. My Independent Research I felt like 41% was a pretty high number, so I decided to run a poll of my own. I asked a general reddit community r/polls “Have you ever experienced a spiritual awakening?” Here were the results: I received 61 responses, of which roughly 34% said they had experienced a spiritual awakening. This could be an artificially high percentage as 195 additional people viewed the poll but did not vote. It’s possible the poll is biased, as people that didn’t know what spiritual awakening is simply didn’t vote. If we redo the math and assume that those that didn’t vote hadn’t experienced a spiritual awakening we get 8.2% (the math being 256 total ÷ 21 that experienced a spiritual awakening) which seems to be a more realistic number. I suspect that if everyone voted on the poll the true percentage would be closer to 10-15%. And even that number is higher than I expected! Before I dug into the research I would have suspected only around 5% or less of the population to have experienced a spiritual awakening. According To Experts Aside from research and polling data, we should consider what the spiritual experts say about how many people are spiritually awake/ enlightened. Spiritual expert Ken Wilber estimates the number of fully enlightened individuals to be around 0.0001% of the population, or 1,000 totally enlightened masters from every 1,000,000,000 people. This estimate is only taking into account fully spiritually developed individuals, not the average person that has a one-off STE or spiritual awakening experience. Statistical Causes Of Awakening Another area of awakening that has research to back it up is the causes of spiritual awakening experience. Steve Taylor published a research paper in which he calculated the causes of spiritual awakenings. Taylor surprisingly found that the #1 cause of spiritual awakenings was psychological turmoil like depression or traumatic events at 23.6%. Out of 161 reports of spiritual awakenings here were their causes: Causes of spiritual awakening Number of people Percentage (%) Psychological Turmoil 38 23.6% Nature 29 18% Meditation 21 13% Watching an Arts Performance 21 13% No Discernable Trigger 11 6.8% Drugs 8 4.9% Participating in Creative Performance 7 4.3% Athletic Activity 7 4.3% Sleep Deprivation 6 3.7% Reading Spiritual Literature 4 2.5% Fasting 3 1.9% Sex 3 1.9% Prayer 3 1.9% Surprisingly, Taylor’s research indicates that the number one cause of spiritual awakenings are actually things considered psychological turmoil like depression, anxiety, and traumatic experiences, while the least common way that spiritual awakening occurred was through prayer. Things To Consider Spiritual awakening is a difficult thing to measure, and all estimates and polling data should be taken with a grain of salt. Spiritual awakening is a subjective and personal experience that may be different for everyone. Polls are subject to a lot of bias and their results aren’t always accurate to the true population. I think the takeaway here should be that spiritual awakening is on the rise as noted by the google trends data, and that it’s likely that more people have had spiritually profound experiences than we might have previously thought. There tends to be a cultural taboo around talking about these spiritually transcendent events, but the truth is that it’s far more common than initially thought. With spiritual awakenings on the rise, it’s important to know you’re not alone. It’s also important to note how spiritual awakening and enlightenment are different.

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