If you’ve started to have awareness and a desire that you want to be whole and you’re looking deeper into your life, it could be that you’re experiencing a spiritual awakening. This is something that can develop over a period of time or it can hit you suddenly out of the blue.
To understand whether you’re craving a spiritual awakening or not, you need to look at how you feel. Your feelings are always a good indicator that can help you know when you may be desiring something more in your life.
Your Feelings Guide You Toward Spiritual Awakening
Some people don’t know exactly how to tell if they’re craving a spiritual awakening or not. Your feelings will always be the first sign that something’s stirring in you.
You just start to feel differently than you always have before. It may not even be something that you can put your finger on, but you feel a hunger that propels you to seek something more than what you currently have.
Or you might feel like you’re all alone and aren’t sure of what you once believed. You know that there’s a truth that exists that’s deeper than where you are currently and that you have to find it.
It feels as if you’re a complicated jigsaw puzzle and that there’s a crucial piece missing. You know that you won’t feel complete or satisfied without this missing element.
What you’re searching for is a truth – an awareness, and a yearning for a deeper degree of consciousness. You may start to feel that you’ve been following things that aren’t really what they seemed to be.
This can cause you to start to question what your beliefs are about yourself as well as how you live, the society and world around you and spirituality as a whole.
During this period where you feel as if you may be craving a spiritual awakening, you might feel out of sorts. You might feel shaken up because the norm that you had built your life around is suddenly being questioned.
When you look at your belief system through a new set of eyes, it can seem frightening at first glance because it’s a step into something that’s foreign to you. What was tried and true may appear to have cracks in it as you travel deeper into consciousness.
In the beginning of your journey to spiritual awakening, you might experience feelings of anxiety or even depression. This is common because the safety and comfort zone of the world you’ve always surrounded yourself with is being brought into question.
It’s normal to feel deeply uncomfortable when your world is challenged. While it can be scary to look at things differently, just remember that change can signify a period of growth that will expand your world and give you a beautiful new perspective.
Craving a spiritual awakening can drive you to make some changes in your life once you realize that what you’re doing and how you’re living looks differently through new eyes.
Welcome the changes and the newness. It can lead you to a life that’s brighter and more abundant than you ever imagined. Explore your feelings and allow them to guide you toward purpose and changes that can bring about a spiritual awakening.
Identifying the Desire for Purpose and Change
There are several ways that you can recognize whether or not you’re having feelings and desires for long-term purpose and change. Dissatisfaction is one way to pinpoint it and it’s common in anyone who may be turning toward a spiritual awakening.
Usually the first step in this feeling is that you realize that you don’t really like the way you handle certain things. It used to be that you could do or say or act however you wanted and it never mattered to you.
But it’s no longer good enough because it doesn’t feel true to you anymore. Now, you feel dissatisfied with your actions and thoughts – and you want to become a better person because you feel the change coming from deep within.
That desire to change is a very telling point on whether you’re feeling an openness for a spiritual awakening. Anything that even looks like it’s not true to who you are and the new beliefs you’re beginning to establish makes you turn away.
You’re no longer interested or invested in denying your true self. You lose the desire to act like you’re someone or something that you’re not. Trying to one up anyone or keep up with the Jones’s loses all appeal and you crave a purpose that has a deeper meaning than simply striving to accumulate wealth or material possessions.
You see all of the goods and the financial wealth that you may have amassed through new eyes. Instead of seeing them as something that gives you pleasure and can help you, you wonder how you can use what you have to help others and you’re no longer interested in “stuff.”
You discover that you’re finding peace and happiness by having less rather than more. The desire for purpose and change can manifest itself when you feel that everything in you is telling you that there’s more to life than the way that you’ve been living.
You find yourself on a quest within you – a deep hunger – a search that there’s something more out there and you just can’t stop until you find it. When you have a desire for purpose and change that goes unfulfilled, you’ll experience such a deep dissatisfaction that it can begin to affect you emotionally.
You’ll feel restless – like there’s a journey that you want to go on but you don’t know which direction to take. You only know that movement is coming from within and that something has to give because you can’t go on another day the way things are.
The desire for change can lead to you taking steps and maybe you’re not even fully aware of why you’re doing them, but you want to make those changes. You feel compelled to find what your purpose is in life.
It can be something like suddenly feeling like the job or career you have now doesn’t match what you feel is a purpose you’re supposed to fulfill. You have a feeling that there’s something else that you’re supposed to be doing besides what you currently are.
It’s not a desire that you can shut off and you may even feel that are tons of reasons not to make changes – but that true inner desire keeps quietly prodding you forward.
It’s only when you surrender the resistance to what you feel your purpose is that you’ll be able to quiet that little voice urging you to make a change and to go after what your life’s purpose truly is.
While you’re experiencing the desire for purpose and change, you’ll go through a stage where you’ll feel very aware of what’s going on around you as well as what’s going on in the lives of other people around you.
Instead of focusing on how unkind a person you encounter might be, you may instead pick up on how sad they look. You’ll find that rather than getting angry, your heart feels in tune with their feelings.
You might find yourself reading a news article or seeing something on television about someone else going through a difficult situation and you suddenly burst into tears and you feel heartbroken because of what they’re dealing with.
Their hurt feels more real to you and you experience a deeper level of sympathy and the desire to help them. You feel moved to take action. Once you recognize that what you’re feeling is the desire for a purpose in life, you’ll be able to find the freedom to allow change to occur both within you and in your external world.
How Can Life Be Improved with a Spiritual Awakening?
When you experience a spiritual awakening, it can change your life for the better. You’ll find that you’re making moves that will automatically manifest into positive steps that improve your well-being both physically and emotionally.
You might notice that you begin to withdraw from some of the old crowd of friends and acquaintances that you know. Once you start on a journey of spiritual awakening, it can open your eyes to the truth about your relationships.
You might discover that while you’re growing and evolving into a better person, it creates too much space between you and the old crowd. You don’t feel the same, so the relationships don’t feel the same.
Once you’re more aware, you may sense that what was okay before is not okay now and you feel awkward around those people. What was once acceptable might feel like you’re surrounded by people who deplete your joy and positivity – especially if those people have a cynical or hateful way of looking at the world and other people.
It’s normal to begin to feel pulled toward people who are more in sync with your newly heightened self. When you’re around those people, you don’t feel mentally and emotionally wiped.
Instead, you feel positive about yourself and the world. You’ll notice that you have a deeper one-ness with people who are also spiritually awakened. There’s an emotional and a spiritual link.
Once you experience a spiritual awakening, you’ll feel a deep desire and motivation to take action when you see suffering. You’ll feel driven to get involved in your community as well as around the globe.
Your desire will be to make a difference – to leave an impact on the lives of other people. When you do see someone suffering, you might feel grief and be inspired to see how you can help.
You’ll find that you’re pouring your life into other people and you’ll feel as if you’re living out your purpose. Going through a spiritual awakening is like walking through a door into freedom as you lay aside the things that keep you from being fully who you are.
You’ll discover that not only do you feel more energized and happier, but that you also have room to take part in what inspires you. You’ll discover a stronger motivation to go after what it is that you want to accomplish as your soul becomes freer to manifest who you are creatively.
It will seem like it’s all one connection and that you’re taking part in what it was that you were born to do all along. The craving for a spiritual awakening sets you free to throw off the constraints that have kept you burdened by how the world or other people say or think you must live.
You’ll be free to toss aside the pretense of living a life that’s not truly you as you learn who you are and what it is that matters to you. The way you see the world and the people in it will change and you won’t be willing to live in any way that defies what your purpose on earth is.
This knowledge will lead to an incredible lightness within you because you will be in touch with who you are. You’ll understand that it’s you, not others, who knows what you’re meant to do as you reach a point of consciousness you didn’t previously have.
Your life will improve physically as well because once you become aware, you’ll feel a desire to nurture yourself and to take care of who you are. This often leads to a better way of eating so that you desire foods that build your energy and your health rather than those that take away from it.
Food isn’t the only physical manifestation of an awakening. You’ll go through changes that improve emotional areas of your life. One of these areas is in how you view emotions.
You’ll come to understand the power of negative and positive emotions. This will help you to understand what kind of reality it is that you’re creating for yourself. When you fret and you become anxious, it leads to a state of constant alertness, fear and worry.
This makes it harder for emotions such as love and happiness to be fully realized and manifested in your life. But through a spiritual awakening, you’ll discover that the negative emotions lose their power and you’ll act out of compassion and courage in your own life and in the lives of other people.
Another improvement that you’ll notice is that you’re no longer invested in emotional drama. You will no longer want to be in the middle of arguing and negativity.
Situations where someone is verbally hurting others or where there’s a situation that stirs up negativity will be distasteful to you and you’ll discover that it’s easier to leave it alone and walk away and not engage in drama.
This strength in you will ensure that you have peace. After a spiritual awakening, you won’t want to engage in situations where you’re sitting in judgment and you won’t put up with that negative track playing inside your own head, either.
You’l learn that it’s easier to love others and yourself in a way that you never have before. You’ll be able to view yourself with tenderness, love and grace and you’ll extend that to others as well.
The change that you’ll go through will help you see that you can serve others without getting recognition. It won’t matter to you if someone else gets the glory. You won’t need your ego pumped up.
Instead, you’ll just be happy that you can make a difference in the lives of other people. With all that you do and all that you give back, you’ll find that it’s done from a deep well of joy.
You’ll appreciate your life and the lives of others. You’ll find that you have a spunk and a vitality for life and for giving. The well of happiness you have inside will overflow within you and you’ll see that you can find contentment in any situation with any circumstances.
The Types of Spiritual Awakening
When you crave a spiritual awakening, that can mean different things to each person. For some, it’s religious based. For others, it’s simply a different kind of awareness, so let’s look at how these options compare.
Some people begin with a desire to have a deeper connection to God or a higher power of a religious nature. Many people start to seek a higher power as they become aware that they’re not completely fulfilled.
They may start to feel empty and feel a strong need for spiritual accompaniment on life’s journey. Some people think of this as an awareness that they were created by a being and when they go through it, they feel stronger and more peaceful once they feel a connection to God.
It helps them be able to handle stress better and they believe that there is a higher power that they can turn to with life’s frustrations and problems. Another type of awakening is to experience an awareness of intellectual growth.
This awareness can be sudden or gradual. It’s an experience where a person grows in wisdom as if their eyes are opened when they weren’t before. When you have this type of spiritual awakening, it makes you more aware of growing and transforming your life into something that makes you feel as if you’re living out your purpose.
When you experience the awakening, it feels like you have a different type of energy vibrating through you and filling your body. You feel connected between your body, mind and soul.
This allows you to obtain a higher degree of consciousness. When you experience a mind awakening – which is basically the same as an intellectual growth type of awakening – you see things differently, more clearly than you have before.
It’s as if you suddenly gained wisdom that you didn’t have previously. When this occurs, you’ll not only look at yourself through new eyes, but also the people and the world around you as well.
A mind awakening stretches the boundaries of your mental state and enlarges your ability to understand your existence. It’s like you were seeing and understanding through a cloud before and now all of a sudden, that cloud is gone and everything is sharp.
You’ll be able to view your life in a way that’s objective so you can see deeper into it. You understand what’s real and lasting and has purpose and what doesn’t.
You’ll find it easier to disengage from things that don’t have any permanent value in the world. This type of spiritual awakening allows you to be more mindful than ever before.
You’ll be able to be fully present in your life and live in each moment. Your life becomes richer and deeper and more meaningful. One type of spiritual awakening that a person can go through is known as an internal self awakening.
Most people believe this has to do with who you are at your core. This type of awakening can change you as a person. It makes you behave differently and it’s almost as if you’ve become a completely new person.
You desire a wholeness within yourself and you seek complete authenticity in every area of your life – from yourself, from your relationships and in your career. This type of awakening makes you reject anything that doesn’t ring true and doesn’t help you grow as an individual.
When you experience it, you become more tolerant and more loving toward yourself and others. You may also go through a spiritual awakening that has to do with your soul.
This isn’t to be confused with an awakening as in acknowledging a higher power. This is a sudden craving for spiritual connections. Instead of seeing yourself as just a person, you begin to see yourself as someone who has spirituality.
This awakening makes what you experience in life change your consciousness. Your sense of energy and your awareness of who you are will grow. You’ll be able to feel a stronger link between yourself and what’s true to you spiritually.
Your mind and soul will be more in tune with nature and you’ll begin a path of purpose that will lead you toward a deeper evolvement of who you are. Finally, there is an awakening that’s linked with different beliefs in the consciousness.
You’ll find this within certain yoga practices, in Buddhism and in Zen practices. This type of awakening also gives you a deeper level of consciousness – which is often referred to as enlightenment.
Plus, you’ll develop a new connection that allows you to feel completely true to yourself. Not only will you feel one with yourself, but with the world as well. You’ll feel a new freedom from constraints within yourself and a true awareness that will allow you to feel the light within yourself.
When you experience this kind of spiritual awakening, it makes you have harmony as well as be able to walk in it.
How to Make a Spiritual Awakening Happen
Because there are so many different types of cravings for a spiritual awakening, your path to it might not look exactly like what someone else experiences. But the key is to do what works for you and remain true to yourself.
You can’t force a spiritual awakening. It’s something that comes to you. However, the universe is aware of those who are seeking a connection. The key of the matter actually resides within your heart.
If your desire and purpose for wanting an awakening is so that you can be a better person and make the world around you a better place, you’re more likely to have an awakening than someone who is looking for enlightenment for selfish reasons.
To get ready for an awakening, you need to look inside yourself. An awakening can’t happen if you have a lot of emotional clutter and things that you’re holding onto.
A vessel that’s already full has no room for anything more. So before you can have a spiritual awakening, get rid of your emotional clutter. How you do that is going to be based on what methods you use.
Some people will go see a therapist to talk through old wounds that have lingered and have created a well of negative feelings such as bitterness. You can’t be open to new things when there’s a whole lot of old junk hanging around.
Other people will practice healing at home through means such as yoga. Others will turn to self-help books and tools. Whatever you choose to use, only you will know if you’re ready to have an awakening.
You’ll know because you’ll be free of whatever it was that has caused you anxiety, fear and turmoil. Once you do that, you’ll be open for an awakening. When you believe that you’re ready, make sure that you understand what an awakening really is.
Some people believe that once they have an awakening, it means that they’ll go through life without ever experiencing any heartache – that they’ll never feel stress or pain of any kind.
That’s not what a spiritual awakening is. It doesn’t take away problems and give you a life that’s perfect. What an awakening will do is make you more in tune with what’s going on so that you experience acceptance and peace.
It’s this acceptance that helps you once you’ve had a spiritual awakening because you won’t go through life with the “world is out to get me” attitude. Instead, you’ll be able to put things into perspective.
You’ll understand that bad things happen because it’s simply the world you live in. But what an awakening helps with is that it leads you to make a difference when you do experience personal suffering or you see that someone else is.
There are spiritual teachers who can help guide you toward a spiritual awakening. Many of these mentors can show you how to focus, how to develop a deeper level of consciousness and how to channel your energy.
What Can Go Wrong with a Spiritual Awakening?
A spiritual awakening is something that begins to happen to you, not really something that you can just decide that you want. But once you do feel the stirrings for one, then you can take steps to get there.
As with any good thing, there is always a potential downside. Whenever you grow as a person, there will be others who simply won’t. They liked you better the way that you were before – so you might experience some jealousy as well as someone trying to sabotage your journey.
You may lose the support of others and may even end up having your motives challenged or ridiculed. Some people who elect to choose a spiritual teacher to guide them through a spiritual awakening don’t really take the time to check out this mentor because they’re so excited about what’s happening to them.
As a result of that, you can get involved with someone who might not have your best interests at heart. There can be some spiritual teachers who claim to lead others into a spiritual awakening, but at best their methods are questionable – at worst, they’re cult-like.
Always thoroughly check out a mentor and talk to others who may have used that person’s services. When you feel that you’re craving a spiritual awakening, one thing that can go wrong is that you can want it so badly that you end up trying to rush it.
You push yourself, trying to reach new levels of consciousness when you’re not truly ready for this life changing event yet. When you attempt to rush through a spiritual awakening, it doesn’t work.
You’ll end up feeling frustrated and stressed. Remember that a spiritual awakening isn’t something that must take place overnight. It can be a short journey or a long one.
Another thing that can go wrong is you’re not kind to yourself through the journey. When you are awakened, it lets you see yourself more clearly than you ever have before.
As a result of this, it can make you see things that you might not like about yourself. But instead of beating yourself up and wallowing in guilt, you have to let it go and be kind to yourself.
This is why a spiritual awakening needs you to be free from thoughts that can fill you with negative emotions. Something else that can go wrong is that you play the comparison game.
You look at your life, then you compare it to someone else who has had a spiritual awakening. You might feel that they have more enlightenment so you feel inferior – or you beat yourself up that it took you so long to get there.
You need to understand that it’s not a race and comparing yourself can only cloud your ability to enjoy sincere enlightenment. Trust that your process won’t be like anyone else’s.
You might want a spiritual awakening and when it happens, you discover that going through it is harder than you thought – so you must be doing something wrong.
Just trust in the changes. You’re only feeling that way because you’re being shaken out of your comfort zone. Keep in mind that a spiritual awakening brings light, but that light exposes things that can limit your ability to fully experience it.
As a result of that, you’ll discover that the change brings out some pretty tough things such as the kind of pain you might have spent your life trying to avoid. This type of pain can be emotional pain – but sometimes, you might feel pain within your body.
When you experience this, you might believe that you’re on the wrong path so you shut down. But as light expands within you, it’s only making room for enlightenment.
You have to let go of any assumptions about what you think an awakening is and just actually allow yourself to feel through it. That’s going to bring out things that you might not really want to face.
Sometimes these will be things that you didn’t want to deal with in preparation for a spiritual awakening because you thought they might be too hard to confront. But during the process, the enlightenment will deal with them.
Just recognize that the pain won’t last forever. Because of the emotional side of an awakening, sometimes, you can feel physically drained or even sick. It might even lead you toward feelings of deep sadness.
This is all a normal part of the process as you let go of anything that’s holding you back. Be as open as possible to the concept of changing the core of who you are.
Resisting it is natural and normal, but you’ll need to stay fully aware of what’s happening and how and why you’re fighting the awakening so that you can remove those obstacles and find the new life that’s waiting for you.
