awakening

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 21 ÷ 256 total) 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. Full enlightenment is a rare

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What Triggers A Kundalini Awakening?

A Kundalini awakening can be an incredibly intense and life changing experience. If you’re currently experiencing or want to experience a kundalini awakening, you likely want to know how it can become activated in the body. Kundalini can become activated in many ways. The most common ways that a Kundalini awakening begins is through spiritual practices such as pranayama and yoga. Kundalini can also become active spontaneously or by working with a spiritual master who is familiar with Kundalini. What is Kundalini? Kundalini is a divine bodily energy that lays dormant at the base of the spine. A Kundalini awakening is when this energy becomes activated and rises up through the chakras. In Hindu philosophy Kundalini energy is symbolized by a serpent coiled at the base of the spine ready to spring up into the body. The activation of Kundalini causes several drastic emotional, physical, & spiritual changes in the individual. The experience is often described as intense and problematic for people who don’t know what Kundalini is. What Causes a Kundalini Awakening Many different factors contribute to how and when your Kundalini awakens. Here are some of the most common things that can trigger a Kundalini awakening. 1. Spiritual Practices There are several different spiritual practices that have been known to cause a Kundalini awakening. Pranayama Pranayama is a spiritual breathing technique. A form of pranayama combined with visualization is what caused my Kundalini awakening in early 2023. The most common pranayama practiced to activate Kundalini is called The Breath of Fire which involves rapid and rhythmic breathing with a focus on the lower belly. Meditation Deep and prolonged meditation sessions can sometimes cause your Kundalini to awaken. Meditation can help balance your chakras, relax the body, and hone your focus. All of these are things that can aid in the process of awakening Kundalini. Specific types of meditations combined with visualizations, breathwork, & mantras can cause your Kundalini to awaken. Yoga The yoga I’m referring to here is not the exercise positions commonly practiced in the United States. Yoga in the Hindu tradition refers to a set of spiritual practices that are for the purpose of helping the practitioner grow spiritually and awaken. There are dozens of different types of yoga that can be practiced, too many to all be listed here. In fact pranayama and meditation listed above are forms of yogic practice. These different yogic practices can lead to the awakening of your Kundalini. 2. Energy Transference A spiritual master or guru can cause your Kundalini to awaken via energy transference. When a guru causes an awakening in a student or individual simply by touching or focusing their energy through you it is known as Shaktipata. A master can do this by guiding your Kundalini energy up your body through the chakras with special advanced techniques. 3. Spontaneous Awakening Sometimes Kundalini can become activated spontaneously. There may not be a specific reason that you’re aware of that triggers the Kundalini awakening. It’s also possible that life changes or deep inner changes can cause this energy to become activated. This can make it seem spontaneous even though there were external and internal changes that triggered the Kundalini. When Kundalini spontaneously arises it can catch unsuspecting people off guard. How To Tame Your Kundalini How To Handle An Unexpected Kundalini Awakening Mishandled Kundalini awakenings can be traumatic, damaging, and deeply unpleasant. When or if your Kundalini awakens you should know how to properly handle it. When Kundalini awakens it will cause several physical, emotional, and spiritual symptoms including: When this occurs it’s important that you know what to do with it. Surrender to the energy The first thing you need to do when this energy awakens in you is to find somewhere quiet to lay down. You need to completely surrender to this experience. Kundalini energy will rise through the chakras, clearing out any blocked chakras. This process can cause shaking and shivering. This shaking will only get worse if you resist. Allow the Kundalini to flow through you. Grounding exercises After your initial awakening of Kundalini energy, you will be likely be highly sensitive. It’s almost like you had a little bit too much caffeine and your consciousness is extra sensitive and aware. To bring you back down to earth you can practice certain grounding exercises such as: These exercises will balance out the effects of increased energy being held in your body from a Kundalini awakening. Wrapping up Kundalini is a very powerful spiritual energy that can cause drastic changes in mind and spirit. Kundalini becomes awakened when certain spiritual techniques such as meditation, pranayama, and visualization are practiced. A guru or spiritual master can also awaken Kundalini and help you process the experience properly. Once it awakens, it’s important to surrender to it, allow it to flow through you, and practice grounding exercises to balance out its effects.

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11 Causes Of Spiritual Awakening

Spiritual awakening is one of the most mysterious and elusive events a human can have. Perhaps you’ve even decided that you want to experience awakening for yourself. How do you even experience it? What are the things that cause a spiritual awakening? Core Insights What Causes Spiritual Awakening? Many things can cause a spiritual awakening. There are certain spiritual techniques that can trigger a spiritual awakening as well as the possibility of it happening by random chance or by working with a guru. There are many potential factors that can cause a spiritual awakening you should know about. Here are all of the things that can cause a spiritual awakening: Traumatic Events According to current spiritual awakening statistics, the most common cause of spiritual awakening is “psychological turmoil” causing around 23.6% of awakenings. This psychological turmoil can mean many things including: Spiritual awakenings are like a life ring thrown to a drowning sailor. They’re your brain’s last option. A break from your current reality becomes a way to detach from all of the pain being experienced. These breaks from reality allow detachment from your ego. When you hit rock bottom the only way out is into something greater. This is when spiritual awakening is most likely to happen. Major Life Transitions Major changes in our lives can shake things up so much that we trigger an awakening. During these periods of drastic change we can begin to view reality from a new point of view. If the perspective shift is just right or intense enough, it can cause a spiritual awakening. Some of these major life events include: This is also a reason why spiritual awakenings can be lonely and hard. Spiritual Practices & Meditation There are many spiritual practices and techniques that have been developed over many thousands of years that can aid in the awakening process. I triggered a kundalini awakening in myself after practicing a particularly powerful visualization technique in 2023. Here are some practices and techniques that may cause a spiritual awakening: Some are more potent than others. Different practices may be right for you depending on the speed and intensity you want for your spiritual growth. According to research done on the causes of spiritual awakening, meditation was the cause of spiritual awakening 13% of the time. Spending Time In Nature There is something spiritually profound about spending time deep in nature. It connects us back to our spiritual roots. Spending time in nature reminds us of the interconnectedness of all things including ourselves with the rest of existence. In the face of vast beauty you can’t help but feel insignificant. These realizations come much more naturally in nature than they do in our regular life. According to the research spending time in nature was a cause of spiritual awakening 18% of the time. Spontaneous Awakening Sometimes there is no reason for a spiritual awakening. It may just strike you like lightning for no apparent reason. Some people are meant to awaken from birth. You could say it’s their destiny in a way. Another way of explaining this is karma. Everyone has a unique karma or destined life path they are going to follow due to past actions in this and past lifetimes. Some people’s karma involves spiritual awakening while others’ does not. For some people awakening happens randomly and naturally. Some advanced souls just stumble upon profound spiritual experiences, insights, and awakenings naturally. Working With A Guru One thing that is guaranteed to speed up the awakening process is working with a spiritual master. If you’re learning from a guru who is enlightened or awakened they will be able to pass on that information and wisdom to you faster than you could attain it on your own. If the guru is enlightened enough, they can give you direct spiritual downloads just by being in your presence or by touching you. This direct transfer of divine grace is known as shaktipat in the Hindu tradition. The bigger problem is actually finding a truly enlightened guru. Psychedelics Something that can cause a spiritual awakening in you in a very immediate way are psychedelics. Psychedelics are potent substances that drastically change your consciousness. Many report that the states encountered are blissful, divine, and expansive. Others report that psychedelics helped them achieve breakthroughs in their understanding of the divine. These substances include: A common experience on high doses of these substances is the dissolution of the ego and mergence with divine consciousness. Divine Grace It may be entirely possible that your spiritual awakening was divinely orchestrated. You may have spirit guides working to help you wake up in this lifetime. You may have no control or say in the matter and simply be blessed with an awakening from seemingly nowhere. This spiritual experience may be given to you as a gift randomly by the divine. Near Death Experiences Near death experiences are commonly reported to be mystical and transcendent experiences. Near death experiences are sometimes also out of body experiences, leading to realizations that there is more to life than just the physical body. People who experienced a near death situation come back to say their perspective on reality is forever changed. During the period of death many people say they peak behind the veil and merge with universal consciousness before being revived and coming back to life. Reading Spiritual Books Reading literature by the most enlightened beings to walk the earth can also cause spiritual awakening. By reading spiritual books you’re directly downloading information from spiritual masters. These books can shift your perspective in just the right way to cause a profound spiritual insight or awakening These books can also teach you specific techniques and practices that cause spiritual awakening. By practicing what you learn in these books you can get closer to awakening yourself. Guided Meditations There are guided meditations just sitting on YouTube and around the internet that will guide you into a spiritual awakening. Some of these guided meditation are lead by highly

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Can’t Sleep After Spiritual Awakening? Here’s Why

The night of my kundalini awakening I laid in my bed eyes wide open, heart racing, completely unable to sleep. I so desperately wanted to catch some sleep, but there was just no way after my awakening. Insomnia is a common experience for people who just had an intense spiritual awakening or are about to have a spiritual awakening. Know that this a normal symptom of awakening and that there are indeed reasons for it. Don’t feel like all hope is lost for a good night’s rest after a spiritual awakening. There are a few things you should know that could help you to catch some sleep during this ascension experience. 5 reasons you can’t sleep after a spiritual awakening There are a few reasons why you might not be able to sleep due to a spiritual awakening. 1. The shock of the awakening is keeping you awake If the spiritual awakening just happened you could be in a state of shock. The states of consciousness activated by a spiritual awakening can keep activate a state of fight or flight. Not all awakenings are rainbows and butterflies, sometimes they can be overwhelming! My last awakening was so intense that it left me with a racing heart and adrenaline filled veins. Needless to say, I couldn’t sleep a wink that night. It’s very possible that you can’t sleep after a spiritual awakening because your mind and body are on high alert after such a radical shift in consciousness. If this is the case, just know that you are safe. You simply are having a very intense spiritual experience. 2. You can’t stop thinking about the awakening If you had a powerful spiritual insight earlier in the day, you may be completely in awe of the awakening you just had. You’ve been thinking about your life from this new perspective all day, but now its time for bed and you just can’t stop thinking. I wouldn’t be able to sleep very well either if my entire view of the world was just completely transformed a few hours previously. Spiritual awakenings can leave you feeling excited and curious about what’s really true about this universe of ours, which can lead to an inability to fall sleep. I fall into this trap of overthinking about the nature of reality quite often. You see, I’m a thinker and I love understanding reality and spirituality. It’s the most interesting and important thing to me. It’s no wonder you can’t sleep if you can’t stop thinking about all these amazing things! 3. You are filled with kundalini energy If you’re having a specific type of awakening known as a kundalini awakening, you will most likely not be able to sleep at all. This was the case for me when I had my kundalini awakening. I stayed awake for hours with a racing heart and anxiety around what just happened to me. Kundalini is a divine energy that can become activated in your body. When your kundalini activates it sends powerful energy flowing through your chakras. This experience can be very scary and may leave up feeling very energized and anxious. Kundalini awakening is characterized by: From those symptoms you can see why it might be hard to fall asleep after activating your kundalini. If you think you’re having a kundalini awakening and don’t know what to do, see these articles to help you get through this intense experience: “How To Handle An Unexpected Kundalini Awakening” “Is A Kundalini Awakening Permanent?” 4. You’re awakening freaked you out Whether you’re having a kundalini awakening or some other profound spiritual experience such as ego death, it can leave you feeling pretty freaked out. Though many times we hear about the bliss and love associated with spiritual awakening, fear can often accompany these spiritual experiences. Because they are new to us and can shift our reality, a spiritual awakening can induce a lot of fear. Especially if you don’t know how to properly surrender to an awakening. Our heightened fear and anxiety make it nearly impossible to sleep. The key to facing the fear of an awakening is complete surrender. The only way out is through. More on that later. 5. Your awakening is bringing up trauma Some spiritual awakenings cause very specific shifts in your being. In some cases, an awakening will bring up trauma and negative aspects of yourself to work through. In the end, this will be deeply healing. But when this trauma arises, it will be very difficult to face. The awakening can bring up these things to be worked through, especially if they’ve been pushed down and ignored for a long time. This very unpleasant event can most definitely keep you awake at night. Though very unpleasant, it will be for greater healing later on. “Struggling With Spiritual Awakening? Why It Can Be Lonely And Hard” Insomnia as a sign of spiritual awakening If you can’t sleep and have a suspicion it could be because of an impending spiritual awakening, you could right! Even if you haven’t had a spiritual awakening, your insomnia could be because you’re on the brink of a spiritual awakening. As your spiritual energy increases and you come close to a spiritual awakening, you may find it hard to sleep. Somewhere deep in your psyche you know something is coming, but you just don’t know what. There might be excitement for this future that keeps you awake, or perhaps it could be due to insomnia from a dark night of the soul. > see my article “20 Signs Of Spiritual Awakening” The dark night of the soul If you’re in a dark night of the soul you might be experiencing depression, loneliness, and insomnia. The dark night of the soul is the dark period that many people face before opening up into the love and light of spiritual awakening. This is where you must face all your demons head on. The awakening process forces you through your shadow side and negativity.

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Awakening Vs. Enlightenment: What’s The Difference?

If you’re a spiritual seeker you’ve probably heard the terms “awakening” and “enlightenment” before. When I first started my spiritual journey I wondered what the difference was between these 2 terms and they often confused me. Are awakening and enlightenment interchangeable words? Are they different spiritual processes? What is the difference between “awakening” and “enlightenment”? Awakening refers to the process of attaining higher consciousness and greater insight, whereas enlightenment can be thought of as a spectrum of how conscious and aware of universal truth you are. Enlightenment is the scale that you gauge your consciousness from. Are you fully enlightened? Partially enlightened? Awakening is more like a verb however. It’s the process of “waking up” to divine truth. The historical context of awakening and enlightenment The English word enlightenment comes from the word Bodhi in Buddhism which means “the knowledge or wisdom of a Buddha”. However, where things get interesting is that Buddhism also has another separate word for awakening. The word they use is Budh which is a verb and means “awakening” or “to awaken”. So Buddhism has 2 separate words that are equivalent to the English version of awakening and enlightenment. Buddhist word: English translation: Part of speech: Bodhi Enlightenment; the knowledge of a Buddha noun Budh Awakening; to awaken verb The Buddhists knew the difference between these two terms and their significance. What is awakening? The term awakening originates from the image of waking up in the morning. We awaken from a dream into what we know to be a truer reality. In spiritual awakening we once again awaken to an even greater reality than we thought we were in. Notice how awakening is used like a verb here. Spiritual awakening is the process of realizing greater spiritual truth and insight. Those individual moments of spiritual breakthrough are what we would call a spiritual awakening. > see my article “What Is A Spiritual Awakening?” Awakening is a moment and a process of insight and greater clarity. What is enlightenment? Enlightenment on the other hand is more about our greater continual state of consciousness. If enlightenment is the scale on which we measure our level consciousness, awakenings are the things that can move us up into greater enlightenment. Awakenings will lead to greater enlightenment. Buddha for example can be known as a fully enlightened individual, meaning he topped out his awareness and understanding of the universe. He awakened fully. Whereas if you had your first awakening yesterday, you may have woken up so to speak but you are by no means fully enlightened. This also means that we are able to have multiple spiritual awakenings on our path towards greater enlightenment. > see my article “Can You Have Multiple Spiritual Awakenings?” You see, enlightenment is the spectrum of how awake we are. How other spiritual seekers define them At the end of the day, these words mean different things to different people. Because of this subjectivity involved I asked a community of spiritual seekers what they thought about the differences between awakening and enlightenment. Anonymous reddit user spirit_is_fire said: Whereas this seeker seemed to say that it doesn’t really matter and that there isn’t much of a difference: I think this spiritual seeker said it the best: These words are subjective and will mean different things to different people. Whatever definitions you find most helpful for “awakening” and “enlightenment” is fine as long as it makes sense to you and your journey. I hope my take on the difference between enlightenment and awakening can give you some clarity on the topic, especially since there appears to be many different ways of interpreting them. Conclusion Though there may be subjective differences when it comes to the words “awakening” and “enlightenment” I have found in my personal experience and in Buddhist literature that they have distinctly different meanings. Awakening tends to point to the process of raising your consciousness and is defined by moments of spiritual insight. Whereas enlightenment is the spectrum on which we measure how much we’ve woken up. In my personal opinion, awakening is how we become more enlightened. Discover what stage of your spiritual awakening journey you’re in. Take the free quiz here.

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Can You Have Multiple Spiritual Awakenings?

If you’re on the spiritual path and have had an awakening, you might be wondering how many awakenings you can have or if you can have more than one. Is awakening a one and done event? Or is it something that can continually happen again and again? The answer is that you can definitely have multiple spiritual awakenings. In fact, you can have a near infinite number of profound spiritual experiences on your spiritual journey. The first awakening I ever had was realizing that I am not my body. I detached my sense of self from my body in that moment. A year later I had a profound kundalini awakening or an awakening of divine energy in my body. I’m constantly having new spiritual insights and awakenings. The journey down the rabbit hole of awakening never ends! Which makes the journey all that much more fun. What Is A Spiritual Awakening? A spiritual awakening is any profound experience that raises your consciousness and shifts your understanding of reality. They are moments of experiencing divine truth. After a spiritual awakening your understanding of reality will change. These experiences are often described as intense, beautiful, and expansive. > see my article “What Is A Spiritual Awakening?” What Are The Different Types Of Spiritual Awakening? There are all kinds of spiritual awakenings you can have. Most of these profound experiences don’t have a specific name, rather each awakening is its own unique thing. There are a couple well documented types of spiritual awakening however. See “7 Major Types of Spiritual Awakening” for more. 1. Death of The Ego One form of spiritual awakening is known as “ego death”. This is when your sense of self dissolves. When your ego dies, your body doesn’t die. Rather “you” merge with everything in existence. You become one with the universe in ego death. Many psychedelic users report using DMT, LSD, and shrooms can cause ego death. 2. Kundalini Awakening One of the most intense forms of spiritual awakening is a kundalini awakening. A kundalini awakening is when divine energy gets activated in your body. This usually begins from sacral chakra and shoots its way up the body. I had a kundalini in early 2023 and it can really be a wild ride! After kundalini energy is awakened in your body your awareness will be more sensitive and you will want to live your life more in alignment with your highest self. 3. Divine Love Awakening Another cool awakening you can have is awakening to divine love. Others call this awakening to infinite love. This awakening occurs when you break into a level of consciousness where love flows abundantly. This can be known as “blissing out”. Many yogis have been known to stay days and even weeks in these states of divine love without eating or drinking. Infinite Awakenings The truth is that you can’t begin to measure the amount of awakenings that are possible. Everyone will have their own unique experiences when it comes to spiritual awakening. There are so many facets of reality to discover. Every new profound insight and experience can be classified as a new type of awakening. The more you dive into consciousness and spiritual practice the more awakenings you will discover. How To Have More Awakenings If you’ve yet to have your first awakening you may be wondering how you can have one. Or perhaps you’ve had an awakening but don’t know what causes spiritual awakening or how to have another. Here’s how. 1. Intention is everything Setting your intention is more important than you may believe. Where focus goes energy flows, so make sure you set something to focus on. Do you really want to awaken? Why do you want to awaken? These are things you need to explore in yourself before you begin the process of raising your consciousness. Your intention will guide your experience and direction towards greater spiritual growth. 2. Continue seeking & learning Follow your excitement in spirituality. What interests you most? What teachers do you like to listen to? Continue learning about the aspects of awakening and spirituality that excite you the most. If you continue to follow your excitement and learn more and more you will find what you’re looking for eventually. This process of seeking and learning will lead you to the information and people that can help you awaken. 3. Spiritual practice & techniques There are certain practices and techniques spiritual seekers and yogis use to raise their consciousness and awaken to greater truth. Some of these practices include: The important thing is that you choose one that is most interesting to you and stick with it for a while. Don’t sample too many without giving it enough practice otherwise you won’t make progress. 4. Working with a guru The holy grail of the spiritual path is finding a truly enlightened guru. If you come across one of these rare people and learn from them, you will awaken. No question about it. Simply being in a gurus presence can be enough in some cases. However finding a spiritual mentor or guru can be tricky… > see my article “How To Find A Spiritual Mentor | Finding A True Guru” Conclusion As you journey down the spiritual path you will find that there are all kinds of awakenings you can have. Awakening is not just a one and done event, rather it is a continual process over the course of your life. There are a near infinite amount of insights and awakenings you can have. You can have more of these experiences by continually learning, practicing spiritual techniques, and working with enlightened individuals. Find out what stage of the awakening process you’re in. Take the free quiz here. Best of luck spiritual seeker!

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Struggling With Spiritual Awakening? Why It Can Be Lonely & Hard

Have you ever felt like as you pursued your spiritual journey no one else understood what you were going through? That was my experience when I went through a spiritual awakening a while back. While my spiritual awakening was a beautiful and transformative process, it was also a time of loneliness and struggle. In this article, I want to share my personal experience of why spiritual awakening can be lonely and hard, and how I navigated it. Spiritual awakening can be difficult and lonely because it is such a personal and unique experience. You may want to share your profound experiences and insights with others, but the truth is most people may never truly understand. Painful symptoms of spiritual awakening When you think about awakening spiritually, you may think of something positive and beautiful. This is not always the case in the beginning. Sometimes a spiritual awakening can manifest in negative ways when we resist it or don’t know how to handle it. > check out my full list of symptoms here “20 Signs of Spiritual Awakening” 1. Heightened emotions A spiritual awakening can leave you with an open heart and increased sensitivity. As spiritual energy flows through you it can open up a lot emotions. Sometimes this can look like intense crying for seemingly no reason. To others this may turn into anxiety. The important thing to remember if this happens to you is that you surrender. Let the emotions flow and run their course. It is all part of the process. See also “Anxious After Spiritual Awakening? Here’s Why” 2. Losing relationships As you begin to wake up, you may find that some friends and family aren’t good for your life. This may cause you to distance yourself from those negative relationships. However this can create a sense of loss and grief. It’s important to find people you can talk to about your spiritual journey. Foster new and beneficial relationships that nurture your spirit and grow you as a person. 3. Awareness of your shadow A spiritual awakening can bring up lots of junk in your psyche that need to be sorted out. If you have a large shadow, this can be a particularly difficult process. Spiritual awakening, though difficult, will cleanse and heal these parts of you. This process will bring up internal issues and parts of yourself you dislike. This is happening so you can become aware of it and heal it. But when it comes up, it can be particularly painful. Why spiritual awakening can be so lonely and difficult There are few struggles inner struggles that can occur when you have a spiritual awakening. A profound spiritual insight could change your perspective so much that it feels like you’re in totally new territory with a ton of new struggles despite the beautiful transformation that it is. Here are some common difficulties after spiritual awakening and some personal examples. 1. Feeling disconnected from loved ones During my spiritual awakening, I felt like I was on a completely different wavelength than my friends and family. I wanted to talk about things like consciousness and the universe, but they didn’t seem interested or didn’t understand what I was saying. I felt like I was speaking a different language and no one really new what I was talking about. At best, I’d get supportive nods. This can leave you feeling isolated and disconnected. 2. Spiritual awakening leaves you questioning everything Another challenge of my spiritual awakening was the constant questioning of everything I had ever believed or known. After I came to the direct and startling realization that I am not my body, I started to question what else I had wrong about myself and reality. I started to question my job, my relationships, my habits, and even my identity. This was a deeply unsettling process, but at the same time I became excited. My curiosity switched into high gear. All of the sudden it felt like I needed more answers. 3. You don’t care about the same things after a spiritual awakening To some this might be a blessing, to others it will be a struggle. There was a lot that seemed irrelevant after my spiritual awakening. Priorities shifted after my spiritual awakening. This meant that I cared less about unimportant things, but this also posed a problem. For example, I cared less about school when my family expected me to really give that my all. This then created conflict between what I was expected to do and my new values. That’s just one example, but there are plenty of other places in life this can happen. 4. A profound spiritual awakening can leave you feeling nihilistic On your journey towards waking up and spiritual awakening, you may come to some startling realizations. One very common realization you may have is that nothing really matters. This may lead to a spiritual depression or confusion for why anything exists at all. The good news is that there is light at the end of that belief. You can either choose to see that truth with a negative light or a positive light. If you think nothing matters and that’s bad, then you’ll fall into a depression and believe there’s no reason to go on doing anything. But imagine… nothing matters, and you can do ANYTHING. That’s very much a good thing in my opinion. It’s all a matter of perspective, but the struggle to get there is definitely real. > see my article “20 Signs Of Spiritual Awakening & How To Know You’re Waking Up” How do you navigate the struggle of a spiritual journey? The biggest thing that transformed my loneliness during my journey was having an insight into the difference between loneliness and aloneness. Loneliness is a feeling of emptiness and lack of connection. It was what I felt for a while as I longed to share my spiritual experiences with those close to me. Aloneness on the other hand is simply being alone. The key

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What Is Spiritual Awakening? (Causes, Stages, & Symptoms)

My life fundamentally changed the moment I had my first spiritual awakening. I realized the truth that I am not my body, and my sense of self shattered in that very instant. Ever since then I have been waking up to more and more truth and divinity every single day. To understand what this experience really looks like let’s start with what a spiritual awakening means in simple terms. What is Spiritual Awakening? Spiritual awakening is the process of shifting your consciousness through profound spiritual realization. A spiritual awakening is a moment in time when you come into contact with reality shifting existential truth. After a spiritual awakening your perspective of yourself and the world around you will change forever. What Causes A Spiritual Awakening? Many things may trigger a spiritual awakening, though there are several well known methods and life events that can cause a spiritual awakening. 1. Life-changing events Sometimes traumatic and impactful life changes and events can cause a spiritual awakening. These events can be stressful and emotional, which can trigger an awakening. Examples of this include: a death of a loved one, divorce, moving, and near death experiences. 2. Specific spiritual practices There are specific techniques that if practiced enough can lead to a spiritual awakening. Some of these practices include: 3. Psychedelics Psychedelics have been known to take people into altered states of consciousness that fundamentally shifts their perception of reality. Some people find psychedelics like LSD and magic mushrooms will facilitate spiritual breakthroughs. Spiritual leader Ram Dass began his spiritual journey with LSD for example. 4. Spontaneous awakenings Sometimes there is no rhyme or reason for a why a spiritual awakening strikes. It could just be a random occurrence in your life. It’s also possible that your awakening was divinely orchestrated in some way that you aren’t aware of. Though it may appear random, a spontaneous spiritual awakening could be part of the divine plan for your life. 5. Working with a guru One thing that is bound to accelerate your spiritual growth is working with a guru. If you’re lucky enough to find a genuine spiritual master, you WILL start to have some profound awakenings with their help. > see my article “How To Find A Spiritual Mentor” The Stages of Spiritual Awakening Everyone experiences the awakening process differently, however there are a couple well known stages on the spiritual path. 1. Asleep The first stage is before the awakening process even begins, when you’re not even aware something greater even exists. This is where everyone starts their spiritual journey. 2. Curiosity The second stage is when you haven’t experience an awakening, but you’re interested in the idea and are actively learning more about it. You may become very intrigued with the possibility of greater spiritual truths and experiences in stage 2. 3. Initial awakening The third stage is when you have an awakening for the very first time. This is a moment of profound spiritual insight. Though this experience may be very brief, it lights a fire inside you to pursue the spiritual path more persistently. 4. Growth and plateau The fourth stage is full of scattered awakenings and spiritual experiences. There are periods of growth and insight as well as periods of spiritual plateaus. You struggle to access greater states of consciousness consistently in this stage. 5. Integration The fifth stage is where you start to integrate your awakenings and spiritual experiences into everyday life. You begin to see the sacredness of everything in this phase. It becomes much easier to access higher states of consciousness in stage 5. 6. Transcendence The final stage of awakening is where you transcend all dualism, sense of self, and separateness. You understand some of the highest truths of the universe in this stage and have direct access to higher consciousness. Take the free quiz Want to know what stage of the spiritual journey you’re in? Take the free quiz here. Signs and Symptoms of Awakening How exactly do you know if you’re having an awakening? These are some common signs and symptoms of an awakening. > see my article “20 Signs of Spiritual Awakening & How to Know You’re Waking Up” 1. You can access the present more easily When you have an awakening you experience truth as it is right NOW. Everything you experience, you experience in the present moment. When you begin to wake up, you naturally find yourself enjoying the present more and more. The present moment is where you want to be, and it’s the place where you find greater spiritual growth. 2. Your consciousness feels more vivid As you raise your consciousness from your awakenings you’ll find that your awareness feels sharper and more vivid. It’s almost as if reality has become less blurry after your awakening. You become more sensitive to the little details in life that you may have missed previously. 3. Increased bodily and mental energy Feelings of excess bodily and mental energy can be a significant symptom of awakening, especially a kundalini awakening. As you become more awake, you may find that new energy becomes unlocked in your mind and body. To some this can be a distressing experience. 4. Disillusionment with reality Reality can begin to feel a little less “real” during and after an awakening. There are a lot of illusions and misperceptions that we have in our limited human forms. As you become more conscious and divine, you’ll begin to see through the illusions. This can lead to a feeling of disillusionment with your current life and reality. 5. Synchronicities Synchronicities are moments of unexpected connection. It’s like if you were intentionally looking for red cars you’re bound to see more red cars. In the same way, as you experience more spiritual truth you begin to see the effects of it everywhere around you. As you have awakenings, the amount of synchronicities in your life will increase. What Are The Different Types of Awakening? There are probably an infinite number of

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Is a Kundalini Awakening Permanent?

The question of whether a Kundalini awakening is permanent or temporary is a complex one, as experiences can vary significantly from person to person. For some, the awakening is a gradual process that unfolds over time, while for others, it can be a sudden and intense event. The simple answer is yes, once your kundalini fully awakens it will continue to flow through you for the rest of your life in one manor or another. In some cases you may only experience glimpses of awakenings, but not have a full kundalini awakening. A partial awakening may lead to intermittent spiritual experiences and insights without a complete and sustained transformation. The 2 phases of a Kundalini awakening The initial kundalini energy surge When your kundalini awakens for the first time it may catch you off guard. The symptoms that accompany a kundalini awakening include: As the energy makes it way either up or down your body, depending on where it begins, you may feel these symptoms. > see my article “What is a Top Down Spiritual Awakening?” Though you may have this happen on multiple different occasions, these surges are just a temporary part of the kundalini awakening. Eventually, as the kundalini energy is flowing freely through your body and chakras, these energy surges will subside. The long term effects and changes For those who undergo a full and profound Kundalini awakening, the effects can be long-lasting and permanent. These individuals often report a fundamental shift in their perception of reality and a deep sense of spiritual connection that persists beyond the initial awakening experience. After the initial intense surges die down, you may experience permanent heightened awareness and intuition. Drastic life decisions may also be a long term effect of a kundalini awakening. Some people find that kundalini awakenings cause them to make massive life changes that are more in alignment with their highest selves. How to best manage your kundalini Once your kundalini awakens it generally can’t be “stopped” in the way you might be hoping, however you can learn to manage and work with your kundalini energy. > See my article “How to Handle an Unexpected Kundalini Awakening” The best way to manage your kundalini is to surrender to it at the beginning. As you surrender to it you will find any fear and resistance you initially had will fall away. The next thing you should do when your kundalini awakens is practice grounding exercises. This is anything that can keep you grounded and relaxed. Some exercises include: Conclusion Once a person’s kundalini awakens it will remain active in one way or another for the rest of their lives. Spiritual experiences are different for everyone, so it’s important to listen to your own intuition during this process. Remember to surrender, as this is all part of your spiritual journey. Relax and enjoy the ride!

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What is a Top Down Spiritual Awakening?

A top down kundalini awakening is when divine kundalini energy awakens in one of the upper most chakras of the body and moves its way down the body. Kundalini awakenings can begin in many ways and from many places in the body. Though most kundalini awakenings begins with a surge of divine energy starting from the root chakra and working its way up the body, this isn’t the only way. Top down awakenings beginning in the any of the upper chakras are entirely possible. > see my article “What Is A Spiritual Awakening” Top down vs bottom up awakenings The top down awakening Those that experience a top down awakening often have a natural preference or inclination towards understanding the divine from a higher consciousness, less grounded, more mental approach. Top down awakenings usually begin in one of the upper chakras such as the crown chakra, third eye, throat, or heart chakra and emanate out and down the body. When I had my top down awakening it felt as if my third eye was vibrating like crazy. A few moments later a profound feeling of warm energy starting emanating out of my heart chakra and shooting through the rest of my body. I suspect this was the kundalini opening my heart (that’s usually the chakra I struggle most with, as it’s hard for me to open my heart). That’s just one example of what a top down kundalini awakening can look like. The truth is that kundalini awakenings are entirely subjective and can happen in a near infinite amount of ways. The bottom up awakening Conversely, those that experience a bottom up awakening are most likely deeply practical and grounded individuals. Unlike top-downers, bottom-uppers don’t love to intellectualize life, instead they prefer living in the real world and not in their heads. These people approach life from a more earthly connected perspective. This is because bottom up awakenings begin in the root chakra and move upwards. The root chakra is the energy center at the base of your spine that grounds you to earthly reality. Bottom-uppers have a strong connection with their root chakra, keeping them grounded and stable. Bottom up awakenings may be more orgasmic in nature. As the next closest chakra up from the root is the sacral chakra which is responsible for sexual energy. As the kundalini energy passes up into this chakra, sexual pleasure may begin to shoot through the entire body. Issues that arise from top down awakenings Those that experience top down awakenings often don’t feel as grounded as those who have bottom up kundalini awakenings. This can lead to a feeling of anxiety due to detachment from the physical world. You’re consciousness may be so elevated during these experiences you can’t seem to get back down to physical reality again. This can be a very jarring experience, as it was for me the first time I had a top down awakening. If you face fear or mental blocks throughout this process it’s important to remember to surrender. Notice the fear and let go completely during these energy surges. How to manage a top down awakening First of all, know that there’s no right or wrong way to awaken or to have a kundalini awakening. Whether you’re a top downer or a bottom upper, you’re waking up as your were meant to. Know that despite the issues you may encounter, it’s all part of the process. The most important part of handing a kundalini awakening is surrendering to the process. You are being divinely guided, so trust in the process and allow the energy to flow through you. Let go completely, surrender, and allow as much as possible. After top down awakenings its a good idea to practice some grounding exercises such as mindfulness, exercise, walking in nature, and yoga. This will help you reconnect to physical reality. > see my article “How to Handle an Unexpected Kundalini Awakening”

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