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Sunday, November 4, 2012

The 10 Common Signs Of A Spiritual Awakening



Here, I'm discussing signs of spiritual awakening, because consciously asking bigger questions in life can also help us find and recognize a soulmate. For some, even acknowledging the concept of soulmate in a serious way... is an enormous sign that something deeper is going on.

More information on soulmates

For some fascinating perspectives on the stages of faith... keep reading to the end.

What does spiritual awakening mean? While some people do experience a dramatic event (I know folks who have), I generally don't believe such violent, spontaneous awakening is common. In fact, I think that moving too quickly through awakening symptoms might be dangerous, as we might not be prepared yet to integrate the experience in our everyday lives.

So, as I tend to be grounded, achieving spiritual awakening to me is responding consistently and consciously to the inevitable tension that growth creates inside of us, meeting each opportunity fully, and ultimately integrating our experiences emotionally, spiritually, mentally and physically over our lifetime.

Sometimes, an (often painful, always emotional) experience nudges us to go deeper when we don't think we're ready. Unexpectedly meeting a soulmate is one of those events... something that can ignite us and unleash feelings we've never had before. For me, this is one of the signs of spiritual awakening. The question is: what to do then?

Whether or not you buy the concept of reincarnation, we're all here to learn and grow. Our resistance to change causes pain. Acceptance releases it. When we're at a pivot-point, we can consciously lift the veil in order to connect deeper to the mysteries of life. Or, we can stubbornly hang on with white-knuckled fervor, to what was. The cool thing is, as we accept that we're changing inside — our external possibilities expand.

Why is acceptance important? Because on the road to acceptance lies our greatest potential. And! On that path, our soulmates. I sincerely hope that you enjoy my 10 signs of spiritual awakening.

Interested in stories of spiritual awakening?

12 signs of spiritual awakening

1. You're feeling confused

Confusion feel muddy and scary — almost paralyzing. Yet I believe that confusion can be one of the signs of spiritual awakening. What if confusion is just your old way of life bumping up against new, more fulfilling possibilities? But to make the move, you'll have to leave a few things behind. Listening offers up temporary turbulence. Resisting create more confusion. The way out? Stay open to the new, and relinquish your attachments to beliefs that no longer work.

2. You no longer ‘fit’ your life

Why did I choose this career? This partner? What did I ever see in that? Like confusion, feeling disconnected from your current life can be re-framed as one of the signs of spiritual awakening. Like confusion, your soul is calling out for change. The question is: are you listening? Change is scary. No one's suggesting that you uproot yourself tomorrow. But as you notice what no longer fits, also notice what you're drawn to, what lifts your heart. Then take action. Rinse and repeat. ☺

3. You're rebelling against where you came from

Who says you have to turn into your parents? If you're questioning the rituals that you were born into, that's great! Why? Because questioning is one of the signs of spiritual awakening. Because questioning will lead to new activities, rituals and a new dynamic in your relationships — including the possibility for a soulmate relationship if you want one. Be happy — you're ready to come into your own! Keep the wonderful things your parents taught. Tweak the rest for you.

4. Your life feels ‘blocked’

You've been seeking true love forever. Your health problems stump you. It feels as if everything you do is blocked. Sometimes, ‘blockages’ can be one of the signs of spirtual awakening. Sure, your situation might call for more external effort. Or — perhaps it's a soul sign to turn inward and re-evaluate. What have you been resisting? What options have you ignored? If your decisions are consistently blocked: explore new ones. My hunch? That's where your soulmate lies.

5. You think you've met a soulmate

Your life was moving along tickety boo. Then you meet, and all of a sudden you're having feelings you've never had before. Are you crazy? Should you control it? Or give in with wild abandon? Re-frame! Perhaps this is a sign of spiritual awakening for you. You've been set alight. It's time to ask big questions. Who are you? Are you happy? How do you wish to spend the rest of your life? With your needs buried, unmet? Or in a deeply intimate relationship with life - and potentially - awakening to soul love.
Do soulmates exist?

6. You're in a whopping mid-life crisis

Be honest. It's been building up for years. The small tensions, irritations. You pushed them aside. Then all of a sudden, you're at your tipping point and you become a flurry of anxiety and compulsion. You quit your job. Have an affair. Buy a motorcycle. The potential pearl is to take your newfound courage, and harness it, like a beautiful wild stallion. Your midlife awakening can be the best thing that ever happened: one of the signs of spiritual awakening... and a brand new way for you to experience life.

7. Your dreams are wildly intense

Sometimes, you wake up and it takes a while to return to reality. Perhaps a dream was prophetic. Perhaps you received a ‘download’ that helps you understand your life, a past life, or gives you a clue about a soulmate. The dream realm is powerful. It's where we can get in touch with our own and the collective unconscious. When dreams rise up, honour them. Truly, dreams are one of the signs of spiritual awakening.

8. You've had moments of psychic clarity

Maybe you don't even believe in such things! Yet it wasn't a woo-woo vision — more of a deep knowing. Psychic vision is simply our attunement to the realms which we cannot detect with our five senses, presenting possible and probable outcomes. An increase in psychic sensitivity is one of the signs of spiritual awakening. Embrace it. This vast knowledge is there to guide you... in life and yes — as you seek your soulmate.

9. You want to go ‘Home’

Now I don't mean going home to spend the weekend with mom and dad. I mean Home in a universal sense. As we're all spiritual beings having a human experience, sometimes we miss our spiritual Home on the other side. This may also feel like an unexplained longing, or sadness. Our task is to integrate our spirituality on earth, so when we feel this way, it's an opportunity to connect with our deeper selves. If this resonates for you, read about my experience.

10. Your neck, base of the skull and lower back hurts

Simply, this type of chronic body pain represents the cells of your body waking up to a new vibrational level. Our minds and spirit is more fluid than our bodies... which need support when we awaken. I've experienced these symptoms the most when I've been detoxing on homeopathy, after which I feel stronger than ever. A homeopathic remedy I personally use which dissolves emotional issues in our cells and (I believe) supports awakening.

11. You've experienced a loss

Whether you've lost a relationship, a soulmate, a job, or a home, loss rips us open, leaving us raw. When the shock subsides, we are faced with a choice. To sink further into despair — or view the loss as one of the signs of spiritual awakening (not easy, but with reward). If we decide to recover instead of resist, our life will become richer in time... and so will our ability to appreciate life and love in all of its forms.

12. You've encountered death

Perhaps you've faced your own mortality because of illness. Or that of a loved one. Perhaps you have been engulfed by the waves of grief. Regardless, you know you'll never be the same. For some, grief marks the end of life. For others (in time), grief is a way in. One of the signs of spiritual awakening. A gateway to a new way. For bursting forth from the resonance of grief, incredible beauty and healing is possible. For Self, for others...down the block and maybe even around the world.

Four stages of faith

Did you identify with these signs of spiritual awakening? One, or perhaps more than one? Here's another perspective to consider when you find yourself ‘up against it’.
In his book, Further Along the Road Less Traveled — the unending journey of spiritual growth — a great book by the way — Dr. Scott Peck refers to four stages of spiritual growth. Also see Professor James Fowler's book, Stages of Faith which outlines six stages.
Before we get too smug about where we're at, Peck reminds us:
  1. While some of us may start at a certain stage and some may even move through the stages quickly, the stages cannot be skipped.
  2. Remnants of the previous levels remain within us all.
  3. Stages must be evaluated carefully (so you can have a Stage One con artist who pretends to be Stage Four, a structured Stage Two scientist who at first appears to be Stage Three, or a Stage Four mystic who goes to church).
  4. Potential for the ‘higher’ levels exist within us all, regardless of culture or background. And! It's possible to regress.
I'd also add that as one move into a new stage, that there are signs of spiritual awakening, as I described earlier.

Stage One - Chaotic / antisocial

This is a stage of absent spirituality, and the people of this stage are unprincipled. While they're capable of pretending to be loving, actually all of their relationships are self-serving and manipulative. They're chaotic because, being unprincipled, they have no mechanism that might govern them other than their own will. Sometimes, these folks get in touch with their inner chaos, which is a very painful. When this happens, a Stage One may destroy themselves. Or...move into Stage Two where the signs of spiritual awakening manifest in a dramatic way which is often labled ‘born again’.

Stage Two - Formal / institutional

In this stage, folks are dependent upon an institution for their governance. The institution may be a prison, a church, a business corporation or the military for example. Stage Two folks become very, very upset if someone starts changing forms or rituals and generally, they believe that God is an external being. The majority of churchgoers fall into Stage Two. Often, it's children of stable Stage Two parents who naturally move into Stage Three...where (counterintuitively), one of the signs of spiritual awakening is... skepticism.

Stage Three - Skeptic / individual

These good folks are often scientists, atheists and/or truth seekers. They're deeply involved in society and make committed parents and leaders. Sometimes these truth seekers find enough pieces of life's puzzle to catch glimpses of the big picture... and they slowly realize that it strangely resembles many of the primitive myths held by their structured Stage Two parents. As they recognize their own signs of spiritual awakening, they begin to explore the possibilities of the next Stage Four...

Stage Four - Mystical / communal

Mystics, Peck says, ‘are people who have seen a kind of cohesion beneath the surface of things’. Mystics of all cultures and religions have spoken of things in terms of unity and community. They also speak in terms of paradox. Essentially, mystics are people who love mystery and embrace all signs of spiritual awakening. They know that the more they solve, the more mystery they will encounter and they've become comfortable with that. The scientists interviewed in the movie What the Bleep? are good examples of this.

from http://www.the-soulmate-site.com/signs-of-spiritual-awakening.html

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