Having Spiritual Awakening? Survival 101 ⋆ The Un-Traditional Mother
For some a spiritual awakening feels like something straight out of a “How to lose your mind” handbook, but a spiritual awakening is a very realistic goal for those who believe in what it takes. No matter what path you follow in life, a spiritual awakening is not so much a religious awakening. At least not nearly as much as it is a personal awakening in my experience.
I know some of my followers despise the fact that I make things like this so broad in perspective, but the truth is, no matter what path you follow, nor what background you have, in the deep down, nitty-gritty of it all, we are all equal and just navigating this life the best way we can.
Your spiritual awakening does not mean that you are forsaking the Abrahamic God, just as having a spiritual awakening does not make you a better pagan than someone else.
This is Not A Fun Process
I have never held back my truths, so I admit, a spiritual awakening is a slight pain in the ass, to put it as gently as possible.
If you are lucky enough to have been searching for this very thing, then… congratulations… I guess.
For the rest of us who were just minding our own business, and suddenly it feels like someone just took you to a desert road and dropped you off in the middle of nowhere… naked… welcome.
Please trust; it does get better. At first, it feels like you are watching your entire life through someone else’s eyes. You feel alone and crowded all at the same time. Your perception of the things you have seen for years is different, and yes, sometimes you wish you could turn it off.
As you sit on the muddy beach of your enlightenment, I can only promise you it does get better. As you go through these drastic growing pains, try to continue your usual path. If you generally go to church, go to church. Don’t end jobs, relationships, or the like, unless you feel you have to. You see more than you did before, but your brain is not processing it as it should yet.
You will survive this, and for the most part, come out unscathed. Your world is changing. You will realize why the things you do have more meaning to you and why some of your favorite quotes or smells touch your heart. You will find explanations for many things on your journey, and when you are mainly through the process, you will be thankful for those answers.
At first, having a spiritual awakening is much like trying to baptize a cat, where you are the cat and the one baptizing it all simultaneously.
You will see things you don’t want to see, whether the distance between you and someone you love or the unhealthy tendencies you have to cope with reality. It feels like you are going crazy because you are doing the same things you have done before, but you feel like it’s all very different.
How to Cope With My Spiritual Awakening?
Write, listen to music, trust your instincts, and spend some time in nature. Keeping yourself grounded, whether you do so with meditation or prayer, is essential as well. The more you fight it, the worse it gets and the longer it takes.
Don’t dismiss your feelings. Your thoughts and feelings are on high alert during this time, but you’re having an awakening because your soul needs your eyes to see the things it feels. There is no skipping this step.
Try not to make drastic decisions; it will feel like you need change! It will feel like you need to run away at times. If something is damaging who you are at your core, you won’t be able to live with it anymore. But just because you see something different than you did before does not mean you have to react differently.
*RUN from abuse, ALWAYS, and if you need help, please contact me! I have lots of resources no matter where you are to get you somewhere safe! In posts like these, I never refer to abuse. There is no excuse for someone mistreating you!
Do what you need to be happy during this time. You will be tired, so take a nap. Take a walk when you need air. Ask for a hug instead of waiting for one. The more you follow your heart and mind, the easier this will be. It will also provide you the luxury of learning to take advantage of the moment you need; you will push yourself to go for a walk at lunchtime and realize there was never a reason you didn’t have to.
Avoid taking care of others when possible. You all know I understand having kids, of course, take care of your children… but let someone watch them if you need quiet time on the weekends. Go grocery shopping alone. Simple areas that allow you to breathe and focus on one thing at a time, you deserve it, so take advantage where you can.
How Can I Force A Spiritual Awakening?
I knew this would be a question for many, and honestly, I am not quite sure you can. I am under the firm belief that if you follow your heart and know yourself, you will have a spiritual awakening when it’s time.
Yes, it sounds corny, and no, it’s not helpful… But that’s the answer I have.
To get on a good path in the right direction, you can; meditate and read everything… read about your path—natural ways to get enough sleep, why the church teaches you certain things, read it all, researching your path, and having a firm stance where you need to be in your faith is very important.
No, I am trying to scare the living daylights out of you; this is more to support those who might be lost in their awakening as we speak.
Even if you are knee-deep in the darkness or you’re waiting patiently for your awakening, just know it gets so much better. One day you just wake up, and the sun seems brighter. The faces you see seem clearer than ever before. The pure smile of a loved one seems so much more meaningful.
You won’t want to waste time on things that do not fulfill your soul, and you won’t look at yourself the same as before either. The person who stands in front of the mirror will not judge so harshly the body that has carried you this far.
It’s Worth It, Even When You Don’t Want It To Be
Once your eyes are open to certain things, it’s impossible to close them again. You see the face of those close to you, and it gets harder to ignore. Abuse stands out more than ever, even if it’s subtle emotional manipulation. Probably the most challenging part is that you now realize you have to walk away, where before you might not have loved yourself enough not to.
You are a butterfly at this point; your heart has gone through the transformation and knows the path it needs to follow. You may fight it all you like, but soon enough, it will be time to stop second-guessing yourself and fly.
Tags: awakeningbusyexhaustedfinding yourselfguidehealinghopejourneylovemagicmagickmotivationpaganpaganismparentingself-lovespirituality