The Stages of a Spiritual Awakening (And How to Process Them)

So, you’re having a spiritual awakening.

That’s amazing!

First of all, congratulations.

It may or may not seem like it right now, but there is so much freedom, ease, and joy waiting for you on the other side of the mountain.

Second of all, you’re gonna want to buckle up if that last sentence threw you off– ‘cause spirituality isn’t all rainbows and sunshine my friend.

The good news?

This process is a necessary part of the human experience that no one can escape.

Running away from doing the work only makes life more difficult, so the fact that you’re reading this means you’re on the right path.

There are tons of resources out there detailing the process of a spiritual awakening, but if there’s one thing I want you to take away from this guide it’s this:

The stages of a spiritual awakening are not a one-and-done process.

Sorry-not-sorry to bruise any spiritual egos out there, but you can’t just check off a list of boxes and wake up one day as an enlightened being that transcends reality.

The truth is, the spiritual path is about constantly putting in the work to grow until the day we die, and everyone’s journey is different.

But nevertheless, here is a basic framework of the cycles of growth we experience when awakening spiritually.

1.   You operate on autopilot mode.

It doesn’t matter how many books you read or hours you spend in meditation, you are probably always going to have some kind of blind spots or subconscious blocks.

Like a seed in the soil, this darkness is where the journey begins.

2.   You start to feel discontent with life.

For whatever reason, you start to feel that something is just not right. You don’t feel fulfilled by life and the way you’re living it. You sense that something has to change.

3.   You seek.

This is when you begin to take action steps away from your discontent.

This can be done by reading books, meditating, doing yoga, going on retreats, journaling (we have some really awesome ones designed to help you on your journey here!), and more.

4.   Your awareness is expanded.

This stage feels most like an “awakening” because you suddenly gain a new perspective.

If you are doing deep inner work like unpacking childhood trauma, this can be a very intense and drawn-out process. However, our awareness can also be expanded in small ways throughout our day-to-day life.

For example, you might realize that you have been misinterpreting your coworker’s behaviour because of cultural differences. Taking steps to remedy this issue is also a form of evolving spiritually.

5.   You begin to reconcile.

As the saying goes, you have to feel it to heal it.

It is not enough to become aware of new information in order to have a spiritual awakening. We also have to allow whatever emotions that arise to fully wash over and pass through us to fully absorb the lesson we are being offered.

If you suppress your true feelings, you can expect the lesson to come back up again later for reassessment.

Ultimately, forgiveness has to take place in order to move on to the next step.

6.   You integrate your lessons into wisdom.

Once true forgiveness has taken place, you’ll find that you have a deep sense of peace, acceptance, and insight about the matter at hand.

You’ll know you’ve fully embodied this lesson when you are no longer triggered and this is your only response.

7.   You elevate.

At this point, you can enjoy feeling light and free until the next season of growth.

This can also come with a renewed sense of purpose and inspiration. Your channels are very open at this time, and it’s the perfect opportunity to birth new creations into the world.

Remember: growth is not always linear.

While these steps outline the stages of a growth cycle from start to finish, we don’t always complete the steps one after another.

Sometimes, we get overwhelmed and drop out of the game until the Universe brings the lesson back up for assessment in a later season. Sometimes, we have to get out of our minds and allow ourselves to feel and experience in our bodies. Sometimes, we think we’ve fully integrated a lesson but we still need to dig deeper to find true forgiveness

Whatever the case, you don’t have to do it all alone. Having resources that you can turn to when you are having a difficult time is very important. That’s why we created our signature collection of journals with prompts specifically designed to guide you towards uncovering the answers that are already inside of you.