5 Striking Signs Of Spiritual Awakening & How to Navigate Them With Ease

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This post is all about the signs of spiritual awakening

Showing signs of spiritual awakening can be a jarring experience. Like your whole world has been flipped upside down. Signs of spiritual awakening can also be gradual over time, depending on your upbringing and paradigms taught to you. This post is mainly for people who have or are experiencing an entire shift of consciousness and feeling like things may even be getting worse before they get better. Hang in there!

In this post, I’m going to share: 

• What a spiritual awakening is and why it’s important
• 5 signs of spiritual awakening and how to navigate them
• Tips for getting through your own personal spiritual awakening

Let’s start with a little spiritual awakening 101

What is a spiritual awakening?

While no one can truly define a spiritual awakening as it is unique for each individual, the Urban Dictionary defines it as

“a shift in consciousness, a perception of reality that had not been previously realized. The culmination of such realizations is in the recognition of oneness with all of existence.”

cited by the author from www.ispiritualawakening.org

To put it simply, it’s the realization that we are love. Love is the highest vibration there is. 

A spiritual awakening is often triggered by a life altering event such as an illness, trauma, losing someone, losing a job, etc. While it doesn’t have to happen this way for everyone, it is common. The above examples get you thinking about the real meaning of life and how you can best live it. 

Story time! My personal spiritual awakening in 2020 (skip ahead to the signs if you’d prefer, I won’t mind 😉

My spiritual awakening was triggered by severe postpartum depression and anxiety after having my first born daughter. It went on for 2 years. I no longer recognized my body, who I was, and why I was here. 

Backstory…

I was no longer working because my daughter would only breastfeed and refused the bottle and pacifiers. No one could help me take care of her because of this and it started to wear me down. I missed working but I also didn’t want to put her in daycare. It was a heavy pull in two directions. We had recently moved to the middle of nowhere Texas when she was 5 months old where I had no friends and family (besides my husband and new baby). I couldn’t have felt more alone. We immersed ourselves into a completely different lifestyle of farming. Realizing my husband’s dream of restoring the land. 

The result…

I struggled with feelings of hating being a mom (yep, I said it) and then feeling guilty for even thinking that thought. I would wake up in the morning and think “What’s the point in even getting up?” I wasn’t suicidal but I was real close to it had I not gotten myself help. I was starting to have anger outbursts where I was unrecognizable to myself. I would sleep often as it would bring me comfort not having to deal with reality. My husband didn’t recognize me. I didn’t recognize me. No one knew. Not even my closest friends and family. 

My husband sat me down one day and said “I think you need to get help” and I agreed. I saw a doctor who put me on an antidepressant. I went to a therapist where we hashed out past traumas. But this isn’t where I started to feel better. It was my daughter who saved me. Only being 2 years old at this time, she was seeing spirits in our home and she would tell me they scared her. Having been agnostic for most of my life, I didn’t know what to believe but I knew I believed my baby girl. So I reached out to friends and family who were a mix of religious, spiritual, and modern mystics. I gathered their beliefs regarding spirits and came up with a plan to clear the energy in our home. So that my daughter could feel safe again.

The shift…

This is where my shift in consciousness happened. Realizing that I am not just a human body, that I am connected to the energy of the Universe. I am one with all and the idea of being separate is an illusion. This led to research upon research and trying out new things to see what felt right and what didn’t. What did Ashley believe and what is Ashley’s calling in life? Why am I here and what is my soul purpose? Well, two years later and I have found it. I am here on this earth to help others navigate their awakening and spread the love that I have found. 

I believe we are all here to have a specific experience and all experiences are valid. Everyone is on their own journey. I believe we should meet each other where we are at in our journey without judgment and with compassion. With love. I believe love to be the highest frequency out there and it is ALWAYS the answer. I believe my spiritual practices are perfect for me, but maybe not someone else. I appreciate others’ beliefs and rituals. I even appreciate those who disagree with me. What a beautiful thing.

What you need for a good spiritual awakening outcome

• A spiritual Guru – find someone out there who you are drawn to that guides people in their spiritual awakening journey. You may need help when you realize your signs of spiritual awakening. My guru was a youtuber named Nicky Sutton and she is fantastic.

• An open mind – forget what you think you know and be open to forever learning. My beliefs are constantly shifting with new information. Learn and welcome all possibilities and find what resonates with you personally. 

• Self-care – there will be many ups and downs in this process, so it is very important to take some time for yourself. It is OK to take a break from it all (researching, questioning, trialing) and probably a good idea once in a while. 

• A support system – it doesn’t matter who but find someone. A therapist, a partner, a friend, family, a dog, etc. Join a support group on facebook if you need to. You don’t have to do it alone (even though no one is ever truly alone!). 

Sign #1: Depression, Anxiety, Dark Clouds

This is often where people start to realize that the same way they have been living life is no longer working for them. They are unhappy with their career as it is often unfulfilling to their true calling. They are tired of the same day to day tasks, as they seem purposeless. Tiffs with family members and toxic interactions become tiresome and unnecessary. Why get out of bed? What’s the point? This can be triggered by a life altering event or an accumulation of events over a lifetime. 

Why it’s happening:

You are no longer aligning with your true purpose in life and are doing things that you don’t believe in. You continue to do these things because society expects them of you and the way you were raised. You’ve gathered beliefs all throughout your life from your environment and then your ego decides whether or not they are true (regardless of if it is true). Have others told you ‘you are difficult’ and you believed it? Then in turn you become that person and sabotage future relationships.  What about that you are not a loyal family member because you choose inner peace over engaging in family drama? These are all signs you are starting to realize that everything you thought to be true is potentially a lie. 

How navigate this stage:

Give yourself some grace and time here. I believe this to be the most difficult part of a spiritual awakening and it can be devastating grieving what you perceived to be true and a whole life you lived prior. Seek the help you need personally whether that be a therapist, a spiritual guru, support groups, a medical doctor to address physical ailments, or permission to be in the moment and feel all the feels. But don’t stay there because you can circle back to depression and anxiety. 

Sign #2: Questioning old paradigms, beliefs, and reality

In come the questions! This is a good thing. You start to break down old paradigms and beliefs and come up with your own truth. You notice how I keep saying ‘your truth’ because I don’t believe in claiming to know THE truth. No one does no matter what they claim to know. One thing might be true for one person and another for the next. That’s okay. Repeat after me “my truth is mine and it is ok for others to have differing beliefs”. Then say it again and again for the rest of your life. The world would be a much better place if we all did. 

Why it’s happening: 

Once you realize that most of what you have learned is not your truth anymore, you start to question everything. Why are we here? Where did we come from? Who or what made us? What is my purpose on this planet? You realize the gut feeling is an actual trustworthy tool to use. If something you learned growing up never resonated with you and made you feel icky then there is probably a reason. There is. Your body is physically trying to communicate with you through the gut-brain connection and this is backed up by science. Not that science is a religion and should always be questioned too! 

How navigate this stage:

Coming up against limiting beliefs can be hard for your ego to let go of. Old habits and beliefs are ‘safe” to the ego, therefore, the ego wants to stay there. Questioning beliefs can feel uncomfortable so know that it’s okay to sit with the feeling and circle back if you need to. You don’t need to make any formal decisions on what you believe just yet (or ever!). Keep an open mind and allow yourself to just feel what is right for you. Your truth will feel light and easy instead of heavy and icky. 

Sign #3: Research, Research, Research!

This, in my opinion, is a stage that is evergreen. I continue to research years after my spiritual awakening. There is always more to learn and beliefs to question! This is the stage where you Google, YouTube, search for documentaries on streaming platforms, and ask other people until you go cross-eyed. 

Why it’s happening:

Once you get past the dark cloud looming over you and the questioning of old beliefs, you want to know what the damn truth is right? So you use all the tools at your disposal to do so. It’s only natural to go down a spiral (and maybe even a rabbit hole or two) and get lost in it. You want to know what information is out there and what you don’t know yet.

How navigate this stage:

Remember what I said earlier. You are finding YOUR TRUTH, not what everyone else believes. Research a topic, use that gut-brain connection (gut feeling/intuition) I was telling you about earlier to decide if something resonates with you or not. This is a stage that you can get lost in so allow yourself to take breaks. It’s ok to go about how you were living before to take a break from it all. Although you will find it harder to do so now that you’ve woken up. It’s a lot that you’re going through right now! But also, have fun with it. And go get a subscription to Gaia TV while you’re at it. 

Sign #4: Perspective change, consciousness shift

You have questioned your beliefs, done the research, and you’re exhausted. Now what? Your perspective of the world and life changes, also known as a consciousness shift. Certain things that were important to you before your awakening don’t feel so important anymore (such as engaging in family drama). You realize that your inner peace and happiness is more important than ever. You start to have compassion for others on their own personal journey than you did before.

Why it’s happening:

Now you have realized that you are on your own path in this life. You have a soul purpose and maybe you need a career change or a crew change. Many people feel like their gift in life is not being used to its full potential at work. Maybe you don’t know what that gift is yet. That’s okay too. This is where you will explore what makes you happy and what boundaries need to be put up to keep that inner peace.

Once you realize that everyone is on their own journey and at specific stages in that journey, you see them in a different light. The narcissistic influencer you would curse under your breath as you scrolled on your phone no longer bothers you. Because you know they are where they need to be, and you are where you need to be. Your disdain for others only reflects what you feel about you on the inside. We are all one. 

How navigate this stage:

Find what you are passionate about and do those things! Your mind/ego will try to tell you untrue things like you can’t have something, or you don’t deserve another thing. Work on your limiting beliefs because everyone deserves happiness and abundance. Once you find what makes you happy, figure out a way to do those things long term. Anything is possible. Be mindful of the negative things that come up when watching others. Reflect and see if it’s something internal you struggle with. It’s rarely about the other person. Also be mindful of your inner dialogue. What you say to yourself matters. This is where affirmations come in handy. 

Sign #5: Trying new things out for size

This is a fun sign of spiritual awakening. Getting to try out new practices and rituals. You’ve done the research and you have this shiny new outlook on life, so go get ’em!

Why it’s happening:

You’ve had a consciousness shift, put up boundaries surrounding your life, and found what you’re passionate about. Now you get to try all things you’ve thought about doing but maybe an old paradigm made you fear the practice (crystal magic, meditation, tarot, astrology readings).

How navigate this stage:

Don’t let fear lead you anymore at this stage. If you’ve been drawn to crystals, go buy one and see how it makes you feel. If you’ve always followed your sun sign horoscope, go get a professional astrology reading. If you have always been intrigued by tarot, go buy a deck. If you wanna try out energy work, have Reiki done. If you’ve joined a new religion, go meet people. If something doesn’t feel right to you, toss it out! You most likely will still care about what others think at this stage and that’s okay. Over time you can overcome that if you want to so you can live your best, most authentic life without shame or guilt.

Use these signs of spiritual awakening examples to master your own consciousness journey

In this post we have gone over some very common (but not exhaustive) signs of spiritual awakening. Just know that people will have opinions about your spiritual awakening and new beliefs. That’s okay. They too, are on their own journey. Meet people where they are at. Don’t engage in fear-based actions. A healthy debate is always welcome but only engage if both sides can agree to disagree. It’s a beautiful thing when people can come together with differing opinions/beliefs and still live in harmony. 

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