From the moment you ask yourself that simple question “is there more to life than this material reality I see before me?” a process of awakening is begun, and nothing is ever quite the same again. From here, no two journeys are the same but there are certain points along the way that are universal.
Key among these is a separation from the known. At first, this is liberating: the tired horizons you questioned yesterday open out into fresh vistas of understanding far wider than what you previously thought possible. And as you start journeying within and communicating with your own heart, you experience true joy of contact as your spirit realises that you can finally hear it, are beginning to pay attention to it, and are seeking dialogue with it.
However, for many this initial thrill of connection with your inner world comes at the price of discomfort and confusion as the outer world – the one which we were once so familiar with and comfortable in – begins to make less and less sense. This often takes the form of pastimes and work no longer feeling satisfying, or old friends seeming like strangers as their topics of conversation no longer engage you, or sometimes even growing estrangement from family who criticise your new outlook. The thrill of spiritual awakening has soured into something disconcerting and lonely.
So how to navigate out of this place and regain a sense of balance and peace? First, remember that you are not alone. You are being guided by your Higher Self and you are being shown what you need to know, not what you wantto know. Your confusion is simply because you are at the beginning. The beginning of the Great Work. The road less travelled. You are one step along towards the understanding that you and all things are one and that you are an intrinsic part of the whole and it is all you.
But before then you need to pass through the ‘dark night of the soul’ – a period of apathy, depression, and earnest seeking. But keep in mind too, that this is a necessary step along the path because in seeking deeper connection to ourselves and reality, we need to strip away the fundamental ideas and paradigms upon which our previous understandings were built. They will eventually be replaced, but until then we must endure the insecurity and doubt. But you’re not alone. You are still being guided. This discomfort is simply all of your old beliefs, traumas, wounds, and views that are not in alignment with the vibrational frequency you are moving towards coming to the surface so they can be recognised, released, integrated, changed, or forgiven. It takes courage to face this and effort to work through it because it can feel like we are going backwards instead of forwards as patterns surface and resurface. This can be frustrating and make you feel worse than you did before but actually, that is great.
Imagine you are climbing a spiralling road up a mountain. Each step takes you closer to the top and each time you return to the eastern side of the road things appear more or less the same. However, with each cycle around the mountain you have a higher viewpoint, a greater level of awareness – so more things are revealed. Far from moving backwards, the repetition of these patterns, is a revelation of your ability to see things from a new perspective and that you are more aware than you were before. It is this increased awareness that empowers us to now release more subtle aspects of your trauma or dissonance in order to make room for our divine self.
And trust yourself. There will always be new tests as we continue to ‘level up’ and new layers of discomfort arise but learning to trust in yourself helps the journey become easier. To cultivate this trust, take time regularly to check in and listen to the inner voice, the guiding light that sparked this whole journey in the first place. Make friends with your heart. Ask it to help you out. Allow it to direct you to the teachers, books, friends, and experiences that will help you develop. To do this, spend some time each day in meditation – not necessarily sitting on a cushion in the Lotus position – it could be moving meditation such as yoga, walking in nature, even doing the housework. So long as you are fully present in whatever you are doing. Once you have spent some time being present, sit down and pause. Ask yourself: “how am I feeling?” “What do I need today?” Ask your heart if it has any wisdom it would like to share with you today. Wait for the answer…and expect one. It may be not in words, maybe not right then and there, but pay attention for the rest of the day and notice what comes up. You may be surprised by how these answers arrive.
And finally, remember that joy of existence is your birth right. This doesn’t mean that we should never feel sadness or hardship. But rather that, when these things happen, we can see underneath them the beauty of the perfection of everything including ourselves and our lives which are happening for us and not to us.
Article by Lee Prescott
Imaginal Box is a mind, body, spirit book summary subscription service with a mission to distil the wisdom of the world’s most influential spiritual teachers and traditions in order to enrich the minds and souls of those committed to seeking spiritual knowledge. Each month we offer our subscribers four annotated summaries in audio and eBook format selected around a theme as well as a free exclusive guided meditation from our inhouse spiritual counsellor to help you integrate that month’s wisdom.
