awakening
My Symptoms Of Spiritual Awakening
I often get questions about spiritual awakening. Is it real, and how do you know if you are experiencing it? There are many different lists of ascension symptoms available online, but it is no easy task to know which is more accurate or reliable.
In my opinion Karen Bishop’s list is the best. She wrote that “we all experience our spiritual development in our own unique way. For some of us the changes occur slowly; for others a series of events can trigger sudden growth. We do not all share the same symptoms or changes”. I therefore can’t account for all of the symptoms, but I am going to share some of the experiences I’ve personally had as a psychic. I am not listing these things in any particular order, as I can’t remember what I noticed happening first.
Feeling Disoriented
I had no sense of direction. I found my way around the city, not by knowing which the north end is and which is the south, but because I have gotten lost so many times! Every time I left my house I got lost. I live right off the main street that divides the city. Everything is either North or South. If you are one block north, then the addresses will all be in a certain range, and vice versa. Simple enough. But, by the time I would realize I was going the wrong way, I would turn off, turn around and proceed in the opposite direction. Only to find out that I have continued on in still the wrong direction. I think my record was four times in a row!
Unusual Aches And Pains
I experienced physical discomforts that for us women are often simply chalked up as ‘menstrual’. The pains were usually in the lower back and neck area. For me, it felt as though someone is pushing on my head so hard they are compressing my neck.
It’s Always Darkest Before The Dawn
Concepts of the Divine, with an ever-changing definition, have been part of the human experience since the beginning of time. Most of the world’s people throughout history continue to recognize a place for divinity in life.
Our spiritual journey, throughout the ages, has been steeped in mystery and often, superstition and dogma. Organized religions have historically attempted to answer deep questions, and have sometimes provided comfort and solace to people during times of upheaval.
However, the most important questions have been left unanswered. For example, we know precious little about ancient, prehistoric cultures that worshiped the Sacred Feminine. Earliest recorded myths and legends have been lost or destroyed, and most stories that remain portray not only a divine battle of the sexes, but a difficult, contentious relationship between the divine and human beings.
The Greek gods, for example, were capricious and mean-spirited. They plotted all sorts of obstacles that humans either did, or did not overcome in order to survive. Guile and trickery also set the stage for many myths from various indigenous cultures, in early human-god myth making.
With the rise of monotheistic religions, mankind was taught to blindly accept whatever lot the almighty doled out, fairly or unfairly. Emphasis was placed on omnipotent power, absolute authority and greatness, beyond any human capacity to comprehend, much less participate in.
These attitudes toward humans’ relationship with God have been echoed in authoritarian family and community practices, and even the military forces of nations. God became the ‘Almighty Father in the Sky’ issuing strict orders. There was no room for questioning in an authoritarian family or society. “Because I said so,” was reason enough to blindly obey. Punishment for infractions or disobedience was swift and sure.
Saved By An Angel
Many years ago, I had a series of past life regression sessions with a gentleman whom I considered a mentor. I enjoyed hearing his life story, and about his journey to becoming an excellent esoteric counsellor.
In one of our conversations, I was telling him about my experience of seeing angels when I was about nine years old. And then he said something that surprised me.
“You know, I met my guardian angel once, and he was absolutely charming!”
I had no reason not to believe him, as he was a very honest and open person. Being by nature very curious, I immediately wanted to know more about his mystical experience. I was fascinated, as it is a rarely discussed subject
He then told me about a particularly dark, difficult period he was going through in his late twenties. In this negative phase of his life, he was not yet embracing his gifts as a psychic and esoteric counsellor.
He was rock bottom, feeling like a failure. He had resorted to various substances to dull the pain of his traumatic childhood, his sensitivity to other people´s negative energy, as well as “feeling like an absolute waste of space.”.
He had been avoiding emotional pain in any way he could through self-medicating, overwork, and basically trying to fit in with everyone else, whether they were friends, family, or colleagues. But it wasn´t working for him anymore.
Power Of Love, Or Love Of Power?
You may be familiar with the myth about the city of Atlantis and the civilization that is believed to have once existed there. The inhabitants of Atlantis are also believed to have been very advanced spiritually, much more than we are today. They were a psychic people and possibly communicated telepathically. They were able to build amazing structures and move impossibly large objects, and also do other amazing things that would be unheard of at that time.
The Atlanteans also used crystals, like some of us do today, and they had a higher spiritual or cosmic consciousness. It certainly must have been a very saintly realm. But, as the story goes, there came the influence of a dark, negative energy that made material things look more and more attractive to this advanced people. They turned to material desires and increasingly sought material gain and self-indulgence.
Sometimes it seems we are also going the same way. These days people are more interested in personal gain, getting rich, and owning more. Personally, I find it very sad and disturbing. I believe the first downfall for Atlantis was when they started applying their spiritually advanced abilities for the purpose of self-indulgence and material prosperity.
I don’t want this to happen to life as we know it for us. I am very fortunate to work with some of the best psychics on the internet at Psychic Access. We all have a true gift and we use it to help and guide others, and serve our fellow man. But there are also those in our field who also have the gift, but they use it for self-gain and profit, certainly not to help others. They live selfishly and for self enrichment.
Strange Happenings In Other Dimensions
I can vividly recall various unusual experiences during my childhood, including leaving my body several times and then being pulled back with a dramatic jolt. The return to my body would be so jarring that it would always wake me up.
There appears to be a variety of explanations for this odd occurrence, with the main one being that it is a purely psychological sleep phenomenon related to unusual stress and trauma. But while I do not necessarily dispute this possibility, I am not readily convinced this may be the explanation in my case.
The reason I question this theory is this experience has been happening to me again lately, with a steady regularity, but with some subtle differences.
My favorite version is when I am conscious of it happening, to the extent that I am even seeing myself re-entering my body. I am also no longer ‘slamming back’ as I used to before, but rather gently easing back into my physical form…like a baseball sliding into home base. I even recall smiling because it seemed so deliciously absurd.
The next aspect that has caused me to really think again about this recurring experience, is that I can clearly see myself in two separate dimensions all at the same time. At first it took me a minute to realize what was happening, as I did not look exactly the same as my earthly self. I stared at my ‘other self’ for a few minutes, recognizing our similarities and feeling like I have met my other self before.
Well, let me tell you, I was flabbergasted and very pleased, once I realized this was indeed me, a doppelganger, one of my other selves, operating completely independently in an alternate universe. The most joyous part is that I do not have to explain myself to the myself!
Spiritual Awareness Belongs To Everyone
The other day, while eating breakfast with my family, my son teased me by calling me a ‘boomer.’ Annoyed, I looked up from my phone and asked him why he said that? Apparently, I was holding my phone ‘incorrectly’ and I had the nerve to gingerly scroll the menu with my pinky finger in the air!
“Mom, you are holding the phone like an old lady, squinting your eyes to see the screen, because you’re a boomer.”
“Well excuse me, Mr. Gen Z,” I replied, trying not to laugh. “You have it all wrong, as I happen to be a proud member of Generation X. I was not born during the time of the ‘baby boomers.’
This brought up a family discussion about younger generations acting as if they are so ‘woke,’ and automatically assuming their parents and grandparents are ignorant or behind the times. Meanwhile it seems most younger people are not necessarily as aware and informed as they’d like to believe they are.
I remember when I was young adult, thinking that my parents and grandparents were ‘square’ and did not possess all the wisdom they seemed to claim they had. So, to be fair, I displayed the same youthful arrogance or pomposity back then that my son did at the breakfast table.
While I was doing the breakfast dishes, the conversation got me thinking about humanity and how we have evolved as a species. When does change in behavior really occur and what is it that makes a person spiritually aware and truly wise? What is spiritual awakening and what does the term mean to most people?
Many spiritual seekers use the term ‘awakening’ loosely to refer to an inner epiphany or a change in personal consciousness that makes one ‘more special’ or ‘superior to others,’ but I don’t think true awakening is anything like that.
Dealing With ‘Unawakened’ Friends And Family
Spiritual awakening is a profound shift in our perception that forever alters the way we experience life. But after we have made the shift it can be difficult to relate to less spiritually aware friends and relatives and leave one feeling lonely and deeply isolated.
The following strategies can be helpful in cultivating more harmony between yourself and ‘unconscious’ people without compromising your own energy vibration.
COMPASSION AND EMPATHY
At one time you were also not awakened. Think back to what that was like. What kind of thoughts dominated your mind? How did you feel about your life? How did you feel in general? The truth is, although you’ve gone through a spiritual awakening, you can still relate to those who have not. You have a point of reference for this.
Someone who is unconscious typically doesn’t have a pleasant inner world, because they aren’t intentionally governing it. Think back to what your life and most importantly – your relationship with yourself and your mind – looked like before your awakening. What did your own resistance look like? At some point your perspective shifted. But prior to that point – how receptive were you to changing your views and ideas? Especially when a family member came to you and said, “Hey, you’re doing it wrong.”
Put yourself in their shoes. Now that you’ve awakened you have the pleasure to start putting it to use in a way that serves the highest and best good of all. Remember that every soul is a spiritual being, and just because you have awakened to this fact, does not make you ‘better than’ anyone else. This is a trap that the ego likes to throw up early, and often along the spiritual path.
The ego is something we must constantly be mindful of. You are not more spiritual because you are vegan, or because you meditate, or because you do Yoga. If you are living in judgment of others through these practices, you are trapped in ego. Be mindful of yourself and come back to a state of compassion and empathy. Allow people to awaken in their own time.