The Stages of a Spiritual Awakening

A spiritual awakening is a long journey, not one single event. You will go through many 
different stages, though the exact stages people go through vary slightly. Here are some 
things you might experience. 


Awareness and Awakening

The first stage is what I like to call the “awareness and awakening” stage. This is often 
when you first notice signs of something different happening. It can include quite a few 
different things, from being more aware of your disconnection and dissatisfaction with 
your current life, to becoming awakened to your true self. It is not quite the stage of self-
discovery, but it is when you are more self-aware and understand that shifts are 
happening within you.

Here are some signs you are going through this stage:

*	You feel disconnected from yourself or your life
*	You have feelings of depression
*	You feel like something is missing, but not sure what it is
*	You are questioning your current reality
*	You seek a deeper meaning in life
*	You start becoming more curious and a desire to learn more about the universe
*	You begin to explore spiritual practices

It is not unusual during this stage to become interested in spiritual activities and 
practices you had never even considered before, from tarot to consciousness 
expansion.


Self-Reflection and Discovery

The next stage of a spiritual awakening shortly follows the awareness and awakening 
stage, which is when you go down the path of self-reflection and self-discovery. You 
have started to become more aware of the changes within you, and now you want to 
explore it further.

This is a stage of introspection, where you do everything you can to learn more about 
your true self and higher purpose, and the universe around you. You might reflect on 
your past experiences and even traumas you have gone through, you explore your 
shadow side and become more in-tune to your inner child, and you seek knowledge and 
understanding of spiritual practices. 

Many people going through this stage find they are more interested in finding their true 
purpose and they begin to explore their true identity. You might also become more 
involved and passionate about personal growth and discovery. 

Some common habits and practices during this stage include:

*	Journaling
*	Reading
*	Meditation
*	Solitude

This is the part of the journey when you are beginning to understand yourself more, and 
become more accepting of the fact that you are going through a spiritual awakening. But 
what comes next is perhaps the hardest part of this path. 


Dark Night of the Soul

You are now about to experience the most uncomfortable, but also most transformative 
stage of a spiritual awakening – the dark night of the soul. This is also when you go 
through what is referred to as an “ego death” which is when you completely let go of 
your old self and embrace your new identity. 

An ego death is when you begin to completely shed those layers of your past self, 
because they are no longer part of your current identity. But this experience of the dark 
night of the soul is often the most painful and difficult things to go through. 

It can bring with it a feeling of loneliness and isolation, where you feel disconnected 
from yourself and the people in your life. You often question the meaning of life and your 
own existence in it, and with that comes feelings of sadness and despair. People 
sometimes confuse a dark night of the soul with a severe depressive episode, so that is 
something to keep in mind.

A dark night of the soul is a more extreme form of an existential crisis, but on a spiritual 
level. This can range from feeling lost and confused about what is going on, to being in 
intense emotional pain and feeling very hopeless. This is because the process of 
shedding your own self and having an ego death is a painful one; the person you have 
known your entire life you are realizing isn’t your true self. 

It can be one of the hardest breakups you go through in your life, but with it comes 
healing and rebuilding your true identity. This is where the most profound spiritual 
growth happens – in the pain.




Rebuilding Your Identity

After you have gone through the dark night of the soul, you will be ready to rebuild your 
identity and enter your new higher level of consciousness. It feels like you are being 
reborn, and you get to start the most magical healing process you have ever gone 
through. You change your habits, often have new relationships in your life, and release 
your own past traumas. 

Think about renewal with this stage, as if you are reconstructing who you truly are. 
Everything from your habits and routines, to interests and passions often shift during 
this time. It can be very empowering realizing the power you hold and that you can fully 
embrace this new sense of self.


Soul Expansion

Another stage during the spiritual awakening that you might go through is your soul 
expansion. Not everyone notices this stage, this is when your soul allows you to feel 
fully connected to the universe, mother nature, and all living beings. You are more 
aligned to your true self and find your purpose in life. Your soul already knows who you 
are deep down, but during a spiritual awakening, you are more in-tune to what your soul 
wants for you – and that is such a beautiful and empowering thing.


Surrender

Finally, you are going to completely surrender to this awakening and enlightenment. You 
will go through this during other stages as well, but it takes a while before you fully and 
completely let go. Even after an ego death, you might not have surrendered completely 
yet. 

When you are in the surrender stage, you have let go of the past self, you have shed 
your old identity, and you are now living in alignment with your higher self. This opens 
you up to all the possibilities, where you are living your purpose.
