Awakening of the Mind

An awakening of the mind happens when a person receives a profound piece of knowledge that fundamentally changes how they perceive the world. Sometimes this can be a completely new insight, something that they have never even thought about for a second in their entire existence. This brand new idea or information opens a door or better yet a window, for the person to look at the world around them in a new light. This new insight might broaden a person’s view of the world or might deepen their admiration and respect for the people or places around them.

This “awakening of the mind” can be brought on in many ways. Maybe the person receives a “download” when they have some sort of ego death, maybe they have decided to break away from societal norms and seek a new path, maybe they have taken part in a plant medicine ceremony or perhaps they have started a new mindfulness practice that is opening up parts of their unconscious mind that they have never accessed before. Regardless of how the awakening is brought into a person’s life, the outcome of this momentous event will be a major milestone in that person’s life.

Awakening of a New Personality

Another type of awakening is that of a personality shift. This can be classified as an awakening because it may occur to the person as a whole and not just a portion of their personality. They may receive a monumental breakthrough in how they function in this world. Maybe a person has acted a certain way their entire life and all that changes when they are privy to new information or new methods of interpreting that information.

We all have identities and tribes that we are part of, in some ways now more than ever! Imagine all of a sudden, learning something new about your “tribe” that makes you question your very existence in said tribe. Imagine if you had adapted your entire being to reflect the traits and behaviors of this tribe. Imagine being faced with the conflict of moving forward with this new information. How would you rectify your role in this community? How would you rectify the beliefs and ideals that you hold so high in relation to this community? As you can imagine, that is a lot to deal with! In an instant you might “awaken” this new personality and things might never go back to how they used to.

Now, not all awakenings related to personality have to be so extreme. Sometimes a person might just become “tired” of the way they have always done things. They might want to change or grow and shed their old personality for a new one. This can be a very healthy thing in a person’s life. We are not the same people at different seasons in our lives. We may not like the same things that we did when we were younger and this is the definition of growth. Growing as a person does not mean standing still. It might not be a linear path, but we all must strive for growth. Sometimes that growth will involve letting go of who we used to be, with the goal of becoming the person we truly are.

Energy Awakenings

Sometimes the awakening people experience is more energy-based than mind or body-based. This type of awakening is very powerful and very invigorating because it deals in pure source energy that lifts us up to new heights while expanding what we thought was possible in this life. Many practitioners of Tai Chi, Kundalini Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Reiki, or any other energy-focused practice may experience this type of awakening at some point on their journey. It can slowly creep up on a person, like a wave building energy in the ocean, or it can happen all of a sudden like a flash of lightning!

Because of the different aspects of how and when this style of awakening can begin, it can be somewhat scary if you don’t understand what is happening! It is important to practice lots of self-care and try to unpack these feelings slowly! This kind of energetic opening can be alot to take in and you have to be easy on yourself. On the other hand, for some people, it can be purely blissful and energetic! Everyone is different and everyone’s journey is personal to them and should be respected. You may wake up one day and feel a new sense of power within you, you may feel a “buzzing” or glowing in a physical sense! You may feel open to things that you have never thought possible, your consciousness has expanded and you might be able to literally feel energy flowing through your body. These new sensations or powers may be permanent or they may only last a short time, but no matter how long they last, they are sure to leave an impression that stays with you for the rest of your days!  

Soul Awakening

Another powerful awakening that we should all be so lucky to experience is that of the soul. This can happen through many mediums but often contains a massive shift in consciousness. Keep in mind that when many people think of the word soul, they immediately infer religious connotations. In reality the word “Soul” incorporates so much more than religion itself, it contains every aspect of our humanity on this earth and on all other planes of existence as well! Your soul houses every single fiber of your intellectual energy, emotional self, and physical self! Different people may think of their soul in different ways, but we can all agree that our soul plays an important role in this Universe, whether we fully understand it or not! 

Like other spiritual awakenings we have discussed, this one can happen gradually in stages or it can happen like an earthquake, all at once! An awakening of the soul is simply a massive shift in our perception of the world, our role in it, and the expanding of our consciousness in leaps and bounds!

For The Road:

Now that we have learned more about different kinds of spiritual awakenings, close your eyes and repeat the experiment that we did last time…What is a spiritual awakening and what does it look like? 

Have your thoughts or impressions changed? 

Like most things in this life, spiritual awakenings do not have a ‘one size fits all’ style and that is what makes them special. Every person on this planet is a one-of-a-kind, and similarly, spiritual awakenings come in many shapes and sizes.