Spiritual awakening cannot be confused with psychic awakening.

O spiritual awakening it is the soul’s cry for freedom. If you have experienced a spiritual awakening, you have come to see through the lies and illusions of this world. Deep down in your soul, you realize that nothing external ever, and never can, bring true happiness or fulfillment. This deep understanding makes you yearn for something richer, more fulfilling, and something that will make you feel whole again.

If you are looking for answers, if you are thirsty for a direction in life, this page will share with you everything you need to know. On this page, you’ll find all the possible resources you need to get started on your journey, including what a spiritual awakening is, common symptoms of spiritual awakening, and more.

What is the meaning of ‘spiritual awakening’?

When we go through a spiritual awakening (also known as a spiritual ascension), we literally “wake up” to life. We begin to question our old beliefs, habits and social conditioning, and we see that life is much more than what we were taught.

It’s common to ask questions like, “Why am I here?” “What is the purpose of my life?” “What happens after death?” “Why do good people suffer?” and other questions that examine the fundamental nature of life during its awakening. Spiritual awakening awakens the deepest and most significant issues within us that we have put off doing or are afraid to touch.

The ego’s farewell

Spiritual awakening, then, is the awakening of a dimension of reality beyond the confines of the ego. The ego is our exclusive sense of self or “I”.

This awakening occurs when, for whatever reason, the ego somehow leaves so that a Higher Self or Spirit can arise within you.

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The average individual is more archetypal than human. That is, the ego is primarily a collection of archetypes, programs, or defined patterns of behavior. Taoists call this series of acquired mind programs – a set of mundane conditionings that we have collected from birth.

Spiritual awakening entails the return of what Taoists call the Original Spirit, or what Jung called the Self. And it is this return of the Spirit that makes us truly human.

Spiritual Awakening vs Psychic Awakening

Another common confusion is between the terms spiritual awakening and psychic awakening.

Psychic awakening is related to the activation of the pineal gland. With it, you open yourself to other dimensions of reality beyond this limited three-dimensional realm of space and time.

Spiritual awakening, in contrast, involves opening the heart chakra. It is a process most closely associated with a person’s psychology, emotional body, and soul.

Here’s What Happens During Spiritual Awakening

We tend to identify exclusively with the ego. As the spiritual awakening process unfolds, the ego begins to sublimate into Spirit. In the language of Taoism, the lower soul is refined into the higher soul.

Arriving at that Spirit, or psychic wholeness, was the goal of Jung’s individuation process.

But despite popular belief, this usually doesn’t happen in a single “wake-up moment”. While we may have “peak experiences” that open us to self-transcending reality, these experiences tend to be fleeting.

Rather, the developmental literature explains that there are stages of psychospiritual growth. And these permanent stages tend to develop over time.

And this is part of the reason many people are confused about spiritual awakening. Walking in nature or on a psychedelic substance, they can have a beautiful experience of unity, for example, but that experience is momentary. The individual’s structure of consciousness has not changed yet.

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Spiritual Pitfalls: False Signs of Spiritual Awakening

So before we get into the authentic symptoms of spiritual awakening, let’s review common false signals.

Pitfall #1: Thinking You Are “Good” And Others Are “Bad”

This belief is deeply rooted in most of us as it is a typical program taught in all Western religions.

Uprooting that belief requires shadow work. You’ll know you’ve undone this limiting belief when you stop judging others and see yourself in everyone you meet.

Pitfall #2: Identifying yourself as a “Spirit Person”

This false identification is universal in religious and new age circles. You are neither spiritual nor material. You transcend and include both.

Identifying as spiritual is a sign of spiritual ego or inflation (discussed below). Again, shadow work will help you see that you are no different or better than anyone else.

Trap #3: In Search of “Love and Light”

Seeking “love and light” or “kindness” is another program deeply rooted in religious and new age teachings that block authentic spiritual development. Acting “spiritual” creates a persona or social mask that gives others the impression that we are “good people”. While this persona can elevate our status and increase our self-esteem, it does not promote psychological or spiritual growth.

In fact, spiritual awakening comes from the opposite direction, where we face the fear, anger, guilt, and sadness stored in us from childhood. Accepting these experiences paves the way for authentic spiritual development.

Pitfall #4: Acting with Sympathy

Acting well and being innocent is not a sign of spiritual awakening, but an indication of psychological immaturity. Our parents and various institutions (school, religion, etc.) tell us to “be nice” and behave. And we have met that demand, to varying degrees, thus reinforcing the dark side.

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If you’re doing well, it’s a sure sign that someone is manipulating you. (The original Manipulator or Trickster is usually a parent, but now it’s in you.) In contrast, a mature adult acts assertively without seeking the approval of others.

Pitfall #5: Secretly Believing You Are Better Than Others

Perhaps you see a pattern here: all these pitfalls point to ego inflation. Spiritual awakening grounds us in our humanity, and yet more often than not, spirituality becomes another tool for dissociation, judgment, and grandiosity.

Read many spiritual texts
Join a spiritual or religious group
Start a spiritual practice
Find a spiritual teacher
Specialization is more of an ego game

When you think you’ve “found it,” be on high alert. This belief is a symptom of a specific early stage of psychological development, not a sign of spiritual awakening.

All of these subconscious signs also point to emotional vampirism.

Spiritual awakening is the soul’s cry for freedom. If you have experienced a spiritual awakening, you have come to see through the lies and illusions of this world. Deep down in your soul, you realize that nothing external ever, and never can, bring true happiness or fulfillment. This deep understanding makes you yearn for something richer, more fulfilling, and something that will make you feel whole again.