Spiritual awakening is not always easy, but as we explain here, it is worth the trouble ahead. This is not a simple thing, and the rewards are unclear until you arrive. Keep in mind, though, that you are on a road with no end or beginning. The time is now, and it grows without going in any direction.

Use these five simple steps as a guide to help you on your journey.

by David Stone

for Assorted Ideas, Large & Small

1. Become aware of your thoughts and feelings.

Start paying attention to your thoughts and emotions. Notice when you are feeling happy, peaceful, or calm, and when you are feeling anxious, angry, or stressed. Don’t judge your experience, just observe it.

2. Listen to your intuition.

Pay attention to the small voice inside of you. This is your intuition, and it will guide you on your spiritual journey. Follow its guidance and see where it leads you. In time, you find it’s not so small anymore but is a guide available always.

3. Follow your heart.

Your heart knows what is best for you. Follow your heart’s guidance and trust that it will lead you to your highest good. This is the emotional, nonverbal counterpart to your intuition, equal but very different in message.

4. Let go of attachments.

Attachments are what keep us stuck in the material world. Let go of your attachments to things, people, and outcomes. This doesn’t mean you have to let go of love, just let go of your need for control.

5. Trust yourself.

You are the only one who can figure out what is best for you. Trust yourself and your guidance. You are on the right path, even if it doesn’t seem like it at times. Just keep going and trust that everything will work out in the end. And if it were easy, everyone would be doing it.

Now that you have some general rules for a robust spiritual awakening, here are the essentials.

The Outlines of a Spiritual Awakening

What is so Important about this?

Spiritual awakening is critical to well-being because it opens the connection between your true self and your God, Source or Higher Power. Whatever you call It, names don’t matter or, really, even exist. But you know it when you sense it.

It helps us live more consciously and compassionately, and it brings us closer to our ultimate purpose in life. When spiritually awakened, we see the world through a new lens, and we are more likely to act with kindness, love, and compassion.

Where you once saw a bum, you now see a brother or sister overwhelmed by life. You can help.

What are the Benefits of Spiritual Awakening?

The benefits of spiritual awakening are many, but some of the most notable ones include:

• A deeper connection with our true selves

• A stronger connection with the divine

• Greater clarity about our life purpose

• More compassion for others

• Enhanced intuition

• Greater peace and calmness

• Less stress and anxiety

• Improved health and well-being

If this sounds like a whole other world, it is. You will know it when you see it in yourself.

Explain the Process of Spiritual Awakening

Spiritual awakening is not always easy. You connect with yourself and with the divine more deeply, but in many ways, you’re working in the dark, inventing light. You become more compassionate and see things more clearly. Make it a little easier by following these five simple steps we clarified earlier:

1. Pay attention to your thoughts and feelings.

2. Listen to your intuition.

3. Follow your heart.

4. Let go of attachments.

5. Trust yourself

Follow these steps and you enter into a process of spiritual awakening that will change your life for the better. Trust the process and be open to all the wonderful things that spiritual awakening has to offer.

What is the Difference between Spiritual Awakening and Enlightenment?

Spiritual awakening and enlightenment are two different things, but they are related. Spiritual awakening is the process of opening up to your true self and the divine. Enlightenment is when you reach a state of spiritual perfection or realization. Some people achieve enlightenment in their lifetime, but most people achieve it after death.

How Do You Know if You are Experiencing a Spiritual Awakening?

Sometimes, it happens without your clear intention. Something inside you wakes up and brings the rest of you along. Here are some common signs that you may be experiencing a spiritual awakening:

• A strong desire for change – Where you are just doesn’t fit anymore. It’s like living on someone else’s planet.

• Feeling disconnected from the material world – It feels fake, empty. Like the Indian religious term “Maya.” That is, literally, “illusion” or “magic.”

• A deep yearning for meaning and purpose – It wells up inside you and exposes what’s missing.

• Enhanced intuition or psychic abilities – You suddenly know things you didn’t know before or can recall learning. Wisdom is suddenly just there

• Seeing the world through a new lens – Not only to things connect in ways you never noticed, but there patterns wave seen for the first time. Were they always there?

• Increased compassion for others – Your heart goes out where it used to retreat or shelter.

• A stronger connection to nature – Everything is connected, and now you know it.

If you are experiencing any of these signs, then you may be on your way, voluntarily or not, to a spiritual awakening. Trust the process and allow yourself to grow and change in whatever way feels right for you.

What Are Some Challenges of Spiritual Awakening?

Although spiritual awakening brings many benefits, it’s not always a bed of roses. You may stumble into some of these.

• Feeling overwhelmed or confused – Too much all at once.

• Struggling with old habits and patterns – You don’t want them so much, but how do you lose them?

• Having a hard time relating to others who are not awakened – Small talk may seem even smaller and gossip shallow and foolish. You’ve lost your taste for drama.

• Experiencing a loss of identity – What’s become of that person you used to be?

• Feeling out of place in the world – It still looks like the world you used to know, but it doesn’t fit with who you are now. It gets worse over time.

• Going through a “dark night of the soul” – Feeling spiritually lost is one of the worst experiences you will ever have. Sometimes, transitions must make this passage. Watch for the light.