
A Wildly Practical Guide to Authentic Spiritual Awakening
by Scott JeffreyWhat is spirituality? Are there actual signs or symptoms of spiritual awakening?
Of all the topics we cover here, spiritual awakening is perhaps the most misunderstood.
Let’s resolve that confusion now and ensure that we’re on the path to authentic spiritual awakening.
Table of Contents
- Let’s Start with a Few Definitions: Spirituality and Enlightenment
- What is Spiritual Awakening?
- Spiritual Awakening versus Psychic Awakening
- What is the Ego and the Spirit?
- Here’s What Happens During Spiritual Awakening
- Spiritual Traps: False Signs of Spiritual Awakening
- Beware of the Spiritual Bypass
- Ten Spiritual Awakening Signs
- Sign #1: A Noticeable Change in Your Behavior
- Sign #2: A Deepening in Your Emotional Wellbeing
- Sign #3: A Tendency to Slow Down and Reflect Back
- Sign #4: A Shift in Priorities and Values
- Sign #5: A Transformation of the Inner World
- Sign #6: Holding the Opposites Together
- Sign #7: An Experience of Okayness and Inner Freedom
- Sign #8: A Deeping Sense of Self-Honesty and Personal Responsibility
- Sign #9: A Massive Change in Lifestyle Choices
- Sign #10: A Sense of Interconnectivity or Oneness
- Awaken Your Mind with a Digital App?
- The Role of Religion of Spiritual Awakening
- Inflation, Deflation and The Center
- To Eat Meat or Not?
- How to Approach Spiritual Awakening
- Recap: Spiritual Awakening Signs
- What Do You Think?
Let’s Start with a Few Definitions: Spirituality and Enlightenment
One of the reasons there’s so much misunderstanding around the topic of spiritual awakening is that we often fail to define relevant terms.
In A Sociable God, for example, Ken Wilber provides nine valid definitions of spirit and spirituality.
We often link “spirituality” to the context of religion, but in my experience (as we’ll see below), this is problematic. For now, let’s define the spiritual as a quality of being beyond the physical or material domain of existence.
Enlightenment, too, can mean many different things, but it’s most often associated with cognition. You can have an “enlightened mind” through disciplined study of higher spiritual principles. But this enlightenment doesn’t mean you’re spiritually awake or psychologically aware.
What is Spiritual Awakening?
Spiritual awakening, then, is an 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 let’s go so that a Higher Self or Spirit can arise within.
The average individual is more archetype than human. That is, the ego is mostly a collection of archetypes, programs, or set patterns of behavior. The Taoists call this series of programs the acquired mind—a set of mundane conditioning we collect since birth.
Spiritual awakening implies the return of what the Taoists call the Original Spirit, or what Jung called the Self. And it’s this return of Spirit that makes us truly human.
Spiritual Awakening versus Psychic Awakening
Another common confusion is between the terms spiritual awakening and psychic awakening.
Psychic awakening relates to the activation of the pineal gland. With it, you open up to other dimensions of reality beyond this limited three-dimensional realm of space and time.
Spiritual awakening, in contrast, involves opening the heart center. It’s a process more closely associated with one’s psychology, the emotional body, and the soul.
What is the Ego and the Spirit?
The ego, or what the Taoists call the lower soul, believes it’s in charge.
This ego is our sense of self or “I.” When you say things like:
- “I am [your name].”
- “I have a [job, house, car, mother, father, spouse, child, headache].”
- “I think [insert a thought].”
That’s the ego. It’s possessive because it experiences itself as separate from everything else.
This lower soul is driven by base pleasures, negative emotions, and trying to meet Maslow’s basic human needs. The appetite of the lower soul is insatiable and, if left unchecked, it goes on for eons.
When Maslow said, “Man is a perpetually wanting animal,” he was referring to his ego.
Thankfully, there’s also a Spirit, Higher Self, or higher soul. And this divine spark isn’t driven by these basic needs. Instead, this Spirit is calm, neutral, compassionate, understanding, and intuitive.
While the ego accumulates knowledge through learning, the Spirit intuits reality by virtue of what it is. The ego thinks. The Spirit knows.
While the ego is always doing, the Spirit remains eternally in a state of being.
Here’s What Happens During Spiritual Awakening
We tend to identify exclusively with the ego.
As the process of spiritual awakening unfolds, the ego begins to sublimate to the Spirit. In the language of Taoism, the lower soul gets refined into the higher soul.
Arriving at this Spirit, or psychic wholeness, was the goal of Jung’s individuation process.
But despite popular belief, this doesn’t generally happen in a single “moment of awakening.” While we can have “peak experiences” that open us up to Self-transcendent reality, these experiences tend to be fleeting.
Instead, the developmental literature explains that there are stages of psycho-spiritual 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 may have a beautiful experience of oneness, for example, but this experience is momentary. The individual’s structure of consciousness hasn’t changed yet.
Spiritual Traps: False Signs of Spiritual Awakening
So before we go into authentic symptoms of spiritual awakening, let’s review common false signs.
Trap #1: Thinking You’re “Good” and Others Are “Evil”
This belief is deeply rooted in most of us as it’s a typical program taught in all Western religions.
To uproot this belief requires shadow work. You’ll know you’ve undone this limiting belief when you stop judging others and instead see yourself in everyone you meet.
Trap #2: Identifying Yourself as a “Spiritual Person”
This false identification is universal in both religious and new age circles. You are neither spiritual or material. You transcend and include them both.
Identifying yourself as being spiritual is a sign of a spiritual ego or inflation (discussed below). Again, shadow work will help you see that you’re no different or better than anyone else.
Trap #3: Seeking “Love and Light”
Pursuing “love and light” or “goodness” is another deep-rooted program 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’re “good people.” While this persona might elevate our status and increase our self-esteem, it does not promote psychological or spiritual growth.
In truth, spiritual awakening comes from the opposite direction where we face the fear, anger, guilt, and grief stored in us since childhood. Coming to terms with these experiences paves the way for authentic spiritual development.
Trap #4: Acting Nice
Acting nice and being innocent isn’t a spiritual awakening sign but an indication of psychological immaturity. We are told by our parents and various institutions (school, religion, etc.) to “be nice” and behave ourselves. And we comply with this demand, to varying degrees, thereby reinforcing the shadow side.
If you’re acting nice, 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.
Trap #5: Secretly Believing You’re Better Than Others
Perhaps you see a pattern here: all of these traps points to ego inflation. Spiritual awakening grounds us in our humanity, and yet, more often, spirituality becomes another tool for disassociation, judgmentalism, and grandiosity.
This trap often occurs when you:
- Read a lot of spiritual texts
- Join a spiritual or religious group
- Start a spiritual practice
- Find a spiritual teacher
Specialness is yet another 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 spiritual awakening sign.
All of these subconscious signs also point to emotional vampirism.
Beware of the Spiritual Bypass
Perhaps the biggest trap in the spirituality game is called the “spiritual bypass.”
Here, we use spiritual ideas and practices to avoid unresolved emotional or psychological wounds. These wounds must be addressed to proceed in our psycho-spiritual development.
We often resist this process because addressing these wounds requires going through the discomfort they represent.
These wounds are mainly childhood traumas. In fact, virtually every emotional trigger you have in your present environment is likely from your past.
As Heidegger puts it, “The Dreadful has already happened.”
A great many individuals in various Eastern and Western religions fall into the spiritual bypass trap. I did too for most of my 30s.
Ten Spiritual Awakening Signs
Now that we’ve looked at some of the false signs of spiritual awakening, let’s review some of the authentic indications.
Sign #1: A Noticeable Change in Your Behavior
Perhaps the most essential and authentic signs of spiritual awakening can be observed in your daily behavior.
Compulsive, neurotic, and addictive behaviors are symptoms of the ego or lower soul. The Spirit or Higher Self has no such tendencies.
The Spirit isn’t driven to meet basic needs because it’s already whole and complete right now. So when you feel this completeness or okayness, moment to moment, it’s a good sign of spiritual awakening.
And as a consequence of this okayness, you may be genuinely kinder (and less reactive) toward others without trying to be.
See also: Impulse Control: How to Change Any Behavior
Sign #2: A Deepening in Your Emotional Wellbeing
Disruption in our emotional body is perhaps the main thing that blocks spiritual awakening. The Jungians call it a wounded feeling function. In resolving emotional trauma from childhood, we undo this wound, enabling us to feel more deeply and genuinely.
Re-engaging this emotional flow influences every area of our lives. Now, instead of being possessed by a host of archetypes, we become more authentically human.
As such, there’s less resistance to feel (even negative emotions we resisted before). Instead of sedating yourself and running from your feelings, there’s a growing willingness to confront emotions like fear, anger, and guilt.
Sign #3: A Tendency to Slow Down and Reflect Back
For the above signs to unfold, self-reflection is necessary where you turn back to understand the present. This reflecting back is challenging in modern times due to the fast pace we tend to run. The drive for achievement, productivity, and peak performance have their place, but they quickly become signs of neurosis. For spiritual awakening, laziness can become our friend.
So another spiritual awakening symptom is that you begin to slow down more often and reflect back. An impulse comes alive in you to more clearly understand yourself and your behavior. The Buddhists call this Stopping and Seeing.
Reflecting helps us access repressed memories in our unconscious that cause irrational behavior in the present. But this self-reflective drive doesn’t judge, blame, or criticize, as the Spirit is neutral yet curious.
Sign #4: A Shift in Priorities and Values
Locating authority within ourselves changes our values. Religion provides a moral code based on a system of rules. “Don’t do this; don’t do that.” But now we can develop our personal ethical framework where we evaluate what’s best in the context of the moment. The ego is unable to do this because basic needs drive it; only the Higher Self can.
This shift toward higher spiritual values is why our behavior changes during spiritual awakening. Maslow called these spiritual values “being values” or B-values, and they include wholeness, perfection, completion, justice, aliveness, beauty, truth, and self-sufficiency.
Sign #5: A Transformation of the Inner World
In the average person’s waking state, an individual’s ego is almost exclusively focused on their outer world. Work, money, achievement, family, friends, and social life are all elements of the external environment.
Another spiritual awakening sign is a profound shift from this external world to one’s inner realm of thoughts, feelings, dreams, and imagination. In Buddhism, this dimension is called the subtle realm, and it’s considered more real than the gross dimension of our waking state.
Sign #6: Holding the Opposites Together
Most of us have a rather rigid, fundamentalist mind that sees things in black and white. Red and Blue, Democrat and Republican, Male and Female, Good and Bad, Left and Right … you get the idea.
To avoid the ambiguity inherent in mature adulthood, we cut off one pair of opposite and identify exclusively with the other. For example, as parents, we might think we unconditionally love our children without acknowledging the wellspring of hate and resentment we have toward them.
And while dissociating from one pair of the opposite seems to resolve our ego’s tension, in truth, it only re-enforces our shadow. With our spiritual awakening, we begin to hold the tension of opposites within us, putting us on the road to psychic wholeness.
Sign #7: An Experience of Okayness and Inner Freedom
The ego is our source of fears, desires, and constant tension. When the ego is no longer in control, there’s an inherent sense of okayness—regardless of what’s happening in our lives (good or bad).
When the Spirit is at the helm, we naturally relax into ourselves, providing a sense of inner freedom we once sought in the external world. In Hinduism, they call this moksha or self-liberation.
Sign #8: A Deeping Sense of Self-Honesty and Personal Responsibility
As you begin to locate more authority within, there’s a willingness to be radically honest with yourself. You simply can’t tolerate the Magic’s shadow game of self-deception anymore.
Now, you feel a growing sense of responsibility and accountability for your thoughts, emotions, and actions. It’s for this reason that psychotherapist David Richo says the last gateway to mature adulthood is guilt.
When we’re unconscious to our behavior, there’s no accountability. And when there’s no accountability, there’s nothing to feel guilty about. But the guilt that comes from spiritual awakening isn’t from someone else shaming you; it’s from your conscience, driven by a desire to correct your way of being.
Sign #9: A Massive Change in Lifestyle Choices
Another noticeable sign of spiritual awakening is that you become highly conscious of your lifestyle choices.
Many “normal” things we did before becomes unacceptable now.
As your connection to the Earth increases, for example, your concern for your environmental impact begins to alter your behavior.
(See the updated section below on eating animals as an illustration.)
Ethics becomes a larger driving force over convenience.
Sign #10: A Sense of Interconnectivity or Oneness
The ego, or as Alan Watts calls it, the superficial self, feels separate and alone. It fears for its safety, clinging to life while fearing death.
The Original Spirit has no such fear or sense of separation. It doesn’t play the ego’s game of “us versus them.” The Spirit doesn’t identify itself with gender, race, nationality, religion, or a species. It simply is. And it exists outside of space and time, so death isn’t a relevant concept for it.
I’ll leave it to philosopher Alan Watts to drive this point home:
Awaken Your Mind with a Digital App?
Okay, so what I’m going to share with you now may sound like science fiction.
Eric Thompson is the founder of Subtle Energy Sciences. (He was also the co-founder and chief technology officer of iAwake Technologies.)
Using quantum resonance technology, Eric engineered a method of encoding digital images and sound files with specific energy signatures.
The result is what he calls Digital Mandalas or Quantum Energy Apps, which combines beautiful digital art with layers of various energy-related sound technology.
If you’re open to exploring new technologies, check out Awaken the Mind.
This digital media program broadcasts the amplified energetic signature of what’s called “Awaken the Mind.”
The brainwave pattern featured in Awaken the Mind is a rare brainwave pattern first identified by British researcher C. Maxwell Cade.
Cade found that this pattern represents the integration of meditative states of consciousness with the normal, waking state in a unified state of mind.
I always have at least one of Eric’s mandalas running on my computer and other devices (usually more than one).
Use code CEOSAGE30 for a 30% discount.
Now, if you don’t have energetic sensitivity, you may feel nothing at first. If that’s the case, Eric offers various ways to augment and optimize the effects.
(Disclaimer: affiliate link above)
The Role of Religion of Spiritual Awakening
In reading the works of thinkers like Carl Jung, Joseph Campbell, and Ken Wilber, you begin to see a clear distinction between being religious and being spiritual.
While I won’t say that you can’ be both religious and spiritual, I will say that they are VERY different ideas. Perhaps in its purest form religion could help individuals develop spiritually. However, observing around the world, the opposite is more often the case.
That is, religion (both East and West) more often inhibits one’s natural spiritual progression as it tends to keep us fixated at a low level of psychological development. Many individuals must transcend their religious upbringing to begin their psychological and spiritual development.
Inflation, Deflation and The Center
Psychological development and spiritual growth are so closely tied together that developmental literature uses the term psycho-spiritual development. We just can’t separate psychology from spirituality.
The primary block to spiritual awakening is the ego’s tendency to be inflated or deflated. Inflation means grandiosity. Many spiritual teachers and their students fall into this trap.
Feeling of superiority—or god-like qualities—are signs of ego inflation. And this grandiosity triggers the active shadow archetypes Moore and Gilette discuss in King Warrior Magician Lover:
- The Tyrant
- The Sadist
- The Detached Manipulator
- The Addicted Lover
And the other end of the spectrum is ego deflation. Here, the ego feels small, less than, and inferior. Ego deflation leads to depression, anxiety, envy, and hate.
Deflation activates the passive shadow archetypes:
- The Weakling
- The Masochist
- The Denying “Innocent” One
- The Impotent Lover
The ego tends to toggle between these active and passive shadow archetypes. The Spirit, however, is in the Center. And it’s this Spirit or Higher Self that brings organization to the psyche so that these shadow archetypes no longer run the show.
To Eat Meat or Not?
Update: August 30, 2019. In the original version of this guide, this section was part of Sign #9. As expected, this particular sign is polarizing for many readers and triggered reactions in the comment section below. I’ve expanded this section to address these concerns.
With awakening to your spirituality, oftentimes there’s a complete aversion to eating meat or any animal products.
Now, I realize this statement can trigger many readers, so allow me to explain. This is not about vegetarianism, veganism, animal rights, or any other ideology of any kind.
I understand that most of us have been raised on animal products for many generations.
This is about Energetic Sensitivity and Heightened Awareness (not ideology)
This spontaneous aversion to eating animal occurs from a combination of a deeper connection to one’s body and an expansion of one’s internal awareness.
As a meat eater for most of my life, I would have revolted against this notion.
But like millions of others, after following certain practices for many years, this realization became apparent: when you eat an animal you are consuming and assimilating the consciousness of the animal.
That is, you begin to feel, at a visceral level, the emotions and life of the animal.
Usually, the feeling is aggression or fear—the last emotion the animal felt before being slaughtered.
And when this experience occurs, there’s a good chance that you will stop eating meat.
One qigong teacher explained to me that eating meat causes us to be more aggressive. And in the cultivating of energy, this added aggression doesn’t serve us. (Not every qigong practitioner would agree with this.)
So again, this lifestyle change is not a function adopting any ideology or opinions; it’s an internal experience that comes from an expansion in one’s consciousness.
What happened when millions of people tripped on acid?
Millions of people stopped eating meat in the late 1960s. Why? They were tripping on LSD and other psychedelic substances available at the time and expanding their consciousness.
All of sudden, many individuals became vegetarians and had a strong drive to live in harmony with the land.
Then, the government classified LSD as a Class 1 substance, making it illegal. See Terrance McKenna’s Food for the Gods and Martin Lee’s Acid Dreams for a complete breakdown.
Many individuals in the plant medicine community also report losing their desire to eat meat when they are on the substance.
And it’s been documented that the ancient Taoist practitioners only consumed meat when someone became ill (in the form of chicken or fish soup). See Healing with Whole Foods by Paul Pitchford.
Does this mean you can’t eat meat and be spiritual?
Of course not. There are many levels of progression in any line of development, including spirituality.
And just because you don’t eat meat doesn’t make you spiritual either. You can be a vegan and still be a horrible person.
We’ve been culturally conditioned to eat meat for millennia. So this pattern isn’t likely to end overnight.
How can I test this out for myself?
If you’ve developed energetic sensitivity to your body and you avoid eating meat for a period of 90 days and then eat it again, you’ll likely be amazed at your experience.
NOTE: Without performing this experiment with an open mind, despite any discomfort that might arise, the individual is not in a position to evaluate what’s being stated here.
Well, aren’t plants alive too?
The question that often comes next is: Well, aren’t plants also alive? Aren’t you consuming their consciousness by eating them too?
The answer to both of these questions is yes. And this poses the next level of internal tension one must resolve along one’s path of spiritual awakening.
But eating plants isn’t the same as eating animals. Plants don’t have blood, a heart, organs, and a brain like animals do.
With this level of spiritual awakening can come the understanding that eating meat is a form of cannibalism, an act we most likely wouldn’t have chosen if we were given the choice when we were a child.
In fact, I’ve been informed by two different occult researchers who I respect that meat-eating is actually a black-magic ritual—all the way down to how the animals are killed and the positioning of slaughterhouses.
But isn’t animal protein essential for our survival?
And in case you believe you need meat protein to thrive, watch this interview with a vegan strongman who only eats one meal a day.
Or, as Nikola Tesla wrote,
“Many races living almost exclusively on vegetables are of superior physique and strength. There is no doubt that some plant food, such as oatmeal, is more economical than meat, and superior to it in regard to both mechanical and mental performance.”
In fact, if you stop eating meat, you may even discover that you’re less prone to getting sick. I’m not just talking about reducing the chances of getting heart disease from eating red meat, but also the common cold.
Changing your lifestyle in this way, however, is just one sign; it’s not the only sign.
How to Approach Spiritual Awakening
From my experience, a practical approach to spiritual awakening works on multiple levels: physical, emotional, and energetic.
While those pursuing spiritual awakening often meditate, it’s a means, not an end.
What do I mean?
Sitting meditation practice is a tool to calm and quiet the mind, but in itself, it doesn’t foster spirituality or psychological development. (In fact, more often, meditation is used to promote inflation for the spiritual ego that feels superior because it meditates while others do not.)
Meditation is important, however, if your mind is always distracted or if you’re anxious. Being calm and quiet allows us to reflect—one of the signs of spiritual awakening.
And this reflective mind supports shadow work, which from my perspective (and transpersonal research), is one of the most essential practices for those of us on a spiritual path interested in realizing mature adulthood.
The barriers to spiritual awakening are very simple: fear, anger, guilt, and grief. Cultivating self-leadership and building emotional intelligence is the natural path toward authentic spirituality. (See How To Be An Adult by David Richo for more instruction.)
Spiritual awakening comes down to self-awareness and consciousness. With this increasing awareness, we’re able to shift beyond self-actualization into the realm of self-transcendence.
Your identification begins shifting away from your ego because there’s less internal tensions and self-identification. And this process happens naturally without “trying” to make it happen.
Learning to abide in our Center, without succumbing to inflation or deflation, we can support the process of our natural spiritual development. And to access this Center instinctively, it’s most helpful to reforge your connection to your body.
Finally, I highly recommend learning about Spiral Dynamics and familiarizing yourself with value stages many individuals disconnect from along their “spiritual journey.”
Recap: Spiritual Awakening Signs
The false spiritual awakening signs all have to do with ego inflation. They are symptoms of grandiosity and self-delusion.
Authentic spiritual awakening signs are similar to characteristics of mature psychological development and what we can call humanness.
Here are some positive signs:
- One locates authority within themselves. (See this guide on psychological projection.)
- There’s a growing sense of responsibility for one’s thoughts, feelings, and behavior.
- Spiritual values begin to supersede (but not replace) the values of this material world.
- Things slow down, allowing you to reflect back and understand your past.
- As a consequence, your mind is calmer and you have a deeper connection to your emotional state.
- You begin to focus more on your inner experience than your outer environment (but the outer is still important too).
- When the Self is at the wheel, there’s a feeling okayness and inner freedom. You feel light and free.
As they explain in the wisdom traditions, the primary key to accelerating spiritual awakening is to hold to your Center, again and again.
From the ancient Chinese philosopher Zhuangzi:
Flow with whatever may happen, and let your mind be free: Stay centered by accepting whatever you are doing. This is the ultimate.
What Do You Think?
We covered a lot of ground in a short distance in this guide.
Share your thoughts and comments below.
Traps #1 & #5 are my nemesis. Any tips on avoiding / transcending those specifically would be appreciated. Thank you Scott!
I think that’s the case for most of us. First, remember this “us vs them” belief system is a program that was installed in us. We didn’t think we were “better than” others in the beginning. It’s a collective programming that reinforces dualism.
Second, come to see how the program was installed. Sometimes it came in your mind directly by someone telling you that you’re better than someone else. But often it came in as a subtle, subconscious program.
Third, feel the belief in reverse. Meaning, reflect back on how it felt to have someone else look at you as inferior. We’ve all had this experience, whether we recall it or not. And if we can’t recall it, then we’re certainly making others feel inferior (without even knowing it). Connecting with this feeling brings more consciousness and helps us change the underlying belief and resulting behavior.
Thanks for the comment, Tony.
Hi Scott,
Thank you for this wonderful article and your website, From all the subscribed mail in my inbox, your emails are the only ones I ALWAYS open to read.
This article came at the precise right time for me.
After making a huge shift in lifestyle (me and my family moving to an off grid farm in the mountains, taking our kids out of school, quiting our jobs with the intent to “heal” or you can say become more awake) I have found in my inner journey and spending time everyday doing “inner” work that It has became very difficult for me to be the social person I use to be, in fact I recently prefer to be at home on the farm doing as little as possible and focusing a lot of time on myself and educating my kids. When I am social I am so aware of all my emotions and judgements that it makes me feel uncomfortable to just make conversation. At the same time it worries and scares me and I think a Combination of the “traps” and actual awakening is taking place within me.
I would like to know if you do coaching or which of your courses you would suggest to help to get down to more practical work with relation to shadow work, and connecting with those early child hood traumas to be able to access and express repressed anger, fear and guilt.
Once again thanks for you site.
Regards
Sonnet (south africa)
Hi Sonnet,
I can relate to your experience. Perhaps it will provide some solace to know that what you’re describing is quite common on one’s individuation path. Most socializing is conditioned behavior from the convention we’re born in to. We subconsciously learn that it’s not okay to be in solitude and that we must live active, social lives (and now we’re supposed to document how “good” we’re doing in social media).
The more steady your home environment becomes, the more your mind will likely begin to reflect back on your past. (It sounds like you’re making many external adjustments all at once, so your energy will naturally go to this first.)
If you haven’t already, check out this guide:
https://scottjeffrey.com/shadow-work/
I don’t have any courses on this topic at present, but I’ve been contemplating developing one.
Thanks for your comments.
Hi Scott
I must admit really enjoying this journey that i am on (I think it is called life). The conversations that you generate are at time known to me and other times a challenge.
I could feel myself cheering with the ‘good and bad’, ‘right and wrong’ conversation. For some time now these opposites have bewildered me. I would like to know why we have to stand for one. Why can’t we appreciate the differences that all bring to this existence.
I was confused about the removal of meat from our diet. Man as a creature has usually had meat as part of their diet. Is it only animals that have a consciousness, do plants?
Look forward to the next post
Hi Jan,
We can develop our minds to not get stuck in the opposites. Traditionally, this is called transcending duality. But everything in our environments is designed to reinforce dualistic thinking. And so a different stage of consciousness is required to “hold the opposites together.”
I understand the confusion about meat. I shared it in the past. I’ve come to learn that virtually everything we’ve been taught about the subject is wrong. (For example, that we’re carnivores.) It’s certainly a topic worth exploring online (with an open mind).
And yes, plants do have consciousness too. And ideally, we wouldn’t eat them either. But animal consciousness is closer to our own. And plants generally aren’t tortured through their existence like animals are. This topic is going to be emotionally charged for a lot of us, mainly because of our prior conditioning. It’s for this reason that I offered the experiment of not eating it and then eating it. Otherwise, we get stuck in beliefs and conjecture.
Thank you for your comments.
Another fantastic piece, Scott. Always look forward to your insights.
A comment and a question:
I have no religious affiliation, per se, though I do acknowledge my Christian bias/culturalization. And after years (decades?) of disavowment and disgust (at least, from the more fundamentalist “turn or burn” point of view), I have begun, in the last few years , to read Scripture anew through what might be thought of as a Jungian lens. In other words, as more of a treatise on shadow work. And understanding and navigating (and integrating!) one’s own psychological landscape. And I have to say, it’s been nothing short of illuminating.
That said, one of my monumental life struggles seems to revolve around the idea of “being in this world but not of this world”. I continually feel the call (pull? urge?) to back out of the world and do deep inner work. And the inner work I am able to do makes me very satisfied and complete indeed. However, like the rest of us, I have to “pay the bills”, and I have employees who depend on me to run a successful business. I also feel (an obligation?) to teach whatever it is I’m supposed to teach so as to hopefully leave the world better than I found it.
Let’s just say that balance is tough to pull off. And I get this life isn’t supposed to be smooth sailing, lol… but still!
I also know from Human Design and Gene Keys work that “disassociation” is one of my major shadow-self “traps”. But it seems that it’s only through disassociation that I get the distance I need to do the internal work that my soul craves. In other words, “disassociation” seems to be my go-to mechanism for dealing with “being is this world, but not of this world”. And even though I believe I could do the “monk in a cave” thing and be perfectly happy, I “know” that I was put here to get down-and-dirty in the material world, and figure out the balance.
I know that’s the stuff of 10 years worth of intense therapy, lol… But if you had a thought or two on this, that would be much appreciated.
Hey Keith,
There’s certainly a lot of juicy topics here to comment on. :-)
Let’s see…
I intend to do a guide on Spiral Dynamics in the future as it addresses a number of challenges you’re addressing here.
https://goo.gl/images/QiCt1h
The Orange value structure seeks achievement (the Achiever Self) while the Green value structure seeks the human bond (the Sensitive Self). Both are aspects of our being.
Yellow (second tier) represents the integration of Orange, Green, and all the value structures below them. And this integration is achieved by a tiny portion of the world’s population — and almost never accidentally.
In the absence of this integration stage, we are left with dissociation. Keep in mind that dissociation occurs as a consequence of our mind not being able (or willing) to hold the opposites together. That is, our minds seek comfort and order. And the process of integration requires periods of ambiguity and inner tension.
For example, yes, we need to pay the bills. But we rarely define exactly what that means. Instead, our Achiever Self is aimlessly trying to achieve more, with no end goal, for even if it achieves a goal it quickly replaces it with a new one. (And without self-reflection, it isn’t clear what drives this behavior.)
The same goes for Green. It’s always on a mission: to do more, serve more, be more, help more, etc. (And again, without self-reflection, we don’t catch the hidden motives behind our “good intentions.”)
The aim of our psychological development is to contain all of these drives. And to rebalance the scale. Meaning, while the Achiever Self has likely fully possessed us through the first half of life, now we begin to draw more energy inward (Jung’s “inward turn”), which facilitates the emergence of Yellow.
The “monk in a cave,” btw, is another extreme — one that has infected the minds of many of us Westerners who were introduced to Eastern ideas. Most spiritual adepts, in fact, lived “normal” lives (the so-called “household path”). Caves and monasteries arose for social and economic reasons. They were designed for individuals who lacked discipline.
I appreciate your comments, Keith! :-)
Excellent points to ponder. Thanks, brother!
Hi Keith. It’s Rob Savidge. Imagine meeting you here. :) Hmmmm
Excellent study very informative and easily understood well done , brilliant.
Thank you, Nathan!
Well written. Thanks.
Thank you for these emails. I find your writing to be refreshingly direct and succinct. Thanks for synthesizing so accessibly.
Sure thing, Sean.
You hit the mark on my goal for these guides: to synthesize complex psychological ideas into accessible and practical methods.
Thank you for your feedback.
There is no Spiritual Awakening. Awareness (Witness to Self) IS. All else is unreal. Awareness is the Balance between the ONE (All) and the NOTHING (0). The Witness observes both Simultaneously and is a part of neither. Awareness is Complete and Non Existence. Nothing else exists.
Indeed. And then you would need to ask yourself: Who read this article? (Although I’m not certain based on your comment that you did.) And who wrote your comment about there being no spiritual awakening?
It appears you have fallen into the trap of misinterpreting the message of nonduality. The nondual must by definition include the dual. The Witness observes the collection of “mundane conditioning” called the ego, mind, or conscious spirit. And all this conscious spirit may not have any reality in an absolute sense, it is “real” from the standpoint of the experiencer. And it is this experiencer that awakens by stripping away the layers of its programming.
But if all that were literally true, we would all already know this. And if nothing exists or is truly real except awareness, and the latter is non existence, then this solely real thing does not exist either. And this is still a form of dualism or multiplicity – i.e. Awareness (Witness to Self) versus literally anything else. It fails on its own terms.
There is duality and there is nonduality.
While we can say that duality is contained or enfolded within nonduality, any attempt to reduce duality (or denial of it) is a form of “mixing levels.”
What I’ve found from my experience is that most individuals interested in this line of thinking are stuck in a “spiritual bypass” where they are avoiding their own inner work.
We can’t arrive at oneness, for example, by denying the experience of multiplicity within our psyches.
The way it is explained in integral theory and transpersonal psychology is: “You have to become somebody before you can become nobody.”
I found this extremely helpful thanks! Except for the comments about eating animals being a form of cannibalism. If all that exist are One, then no matter what we consume we are cannibalizing Our Self. Who are we to say that plants and minerals have no feelings and memories. It is so true that the cruelty and conditions these poor animals suffer is an ABOMINATION. The extremity of your statement regarding eating animal products however reveals prejudice rather than enlightenment. The very “cutting off one pair of opposite and identifying exclusively with the other” that you spoke of. Just wanted to help you see that because I do believe you are blind to it. Peace to you ❤
I once shared your viewpoint, Traveler. But it’s an ideology, more than a reality.
I didn’t suggest that plants and minerals weren’t “alive” or conscious in my statements. I simply stated that we are assimilating the consciousness of what we consume. To say the consciousness of a cow and the consciousness is the dandelion are the same is simply a mistake.
If you had the sensitivity to feel the consciousness of what you consume, the error in your statements becomes apparent.
This is so interesting thank you!
Yes I agree that this is a question of ideology, perhaps that is why the reference to the complete aversion to animals and animal products as a sign of spiritual awakening truly had a different vibration to me. I found this entire thread extremely beneficial and useful and it resonated with me except this one idea.
Not to say the Vegan ideology is in any way inferior, it is beautiful! But the path to God isn’t only paved with Vegan footprints.
After reading Charles Eisenstein’s “The Ascent of Humanity”, I found myself yearning for our ancestral existence. I realized I didn’t even know that this was something deep within my soul, primal. Agriculture, mathematics, language, will never be the same to me now!
It is possible to take the life of an animal while honoring it and its gift of life to those it will sustain. It is a solemn act heavily laden with layers of meaning. The warmth its fur provides in winter, the sustenance of its flesh etc are SACRED aspects of life.
It is entirely possible to be on the path while being an omnivore. It felt like an exclusion in a way, perhaps a simple paraphrase would be “only Vegans can be on the true spiritual path”. This stood out to me loudly, honestly! Loud enough that I posted a comment which I never do lol.
Be well, I really enjoyed your work thank you ?
Time and experience have taught me to put little stock in ideologies of any kind. Our mind can confirm whatever ideology we align with. Veganism as an ideology would be the same.
But when you develop the sensitivity to feel how we assimilate (take on) the consciousness of the animals we consume, you may find it difficult to make the statements you have made and hold to those beliefs.
It has more to do with “energetic sensititivity” than it does about “spirituality” — which can easily become another ideology.
I find the idea you are expressing very intriguing I confess! Energetic sensitivity.
I’m not sure what spiritual path you are on, where our subjective truths fork and merge.
I have always been riveted by the puzzle of truth. Define truth. Is there absolute truth, or is all truth subjective. Can anything we perceive as Truth on this plane be anything but subjective? Do we make our own truth simply by the utter conviction we experience? If we believe a thing so completely, does it not manifest itself in our lives? Can we 100% refute or endorse anyone else’s truths?
I have no doubt that you experience energetic sensitivity in the way you described, and I really do find it interesting!
I come from a long line of hunters, and farmers. I believe in the symbiotic, cooperative dynamic between man and nature. I eat lots, and LOTS of eggs. But! They are eggs from happy, healthy, free roaming, pampered chickens. I mean pampered lol, plus they are protected from the raccoons and coyotes, we provide that for them. And oyster shells and worms that they eat like ice cream. And dirt baths for the bugs. We only have hens, we do not slaughter them. They provide us with delicious protein rich healthy eggs.
There are sooo many other examples of healthy and happy relationships with animals. It is civilization turned malignant, that created the exploitative slavery and misery our poor little friends experience now. Their bondage is ABOMINATION there is no other word for it. This does not have to be, and is not always, the case.
Yes, if you’re going to consume meat, doing so in the manner you’re describing would, for many reasons, be preferred.
In terms of truth, if you examine it from the lens of the Three Jewels (in Buddhism), you have the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. The Buddha represents a direct subjective experience. The Dharma is the teachings, philosophy, or injunction (method). Sangha is a community of others to verify the experience.
So ideas alone aren’t enough. The injunction I’m suggesting here is to develop sufficient energetic sensitivity within your body, quieting your mind so you can feel inside yourself. Go at least 90 days without eating any meat (including eggs). Then, eat whatever meat you want, but with your heightened awareness. This may be the only way to test if what I and many others are suggesting to be true.
Alternatively, look deeply into an animal’s eyes so extended length of time. Then, kill it and prepared. Then, eat it with the image of the animal’s eyes imprinted in your mind. This may also reveal a similar experience. (But I don’t know for certain because I haven’t done this.)
But ultimately, changing these patterns and even testing them with an open mind is no small feat. The conditioning of our beliefs is deeply rooted.
This is a very interesting discussion.
I believe my journey of self-realization (which I am still on), started with a simple interaction with a cat that my wife got a few years ago. I was never a fan of cats. One thing lead to another, I became a vegetarian, then a vegan, which was followed by feelings of nihilism. I found myself becoming apathetic towards humans, while still connecting with animals on a deeper level.
Fortunately, recently this feeling of apathy has somehow given way to a state of mind where I’m feeling empathetic towards all life and not seeing myself as being any different. I still get sad and depressed at times, but there’s a lingering feeling of excitement that I’ve never felt before.
We now have 4 cats in our apartment and I am actively getting more involved in animals rights activism.
I fear I have overstayed my welcome lol, truly it is against my nature to ever be more than a fly on the wall of any given room at any given moment. I’d like that to resonate with you for a moment, you are hearing from a genuine wallflower.
I would like to leave you with this urging. Please, !? look up Charles Eisenstein, The Ascent of Humanity. He provides it free on line, he is a true human being and pilgrim in this dark world.
I also lament that we will not be any time soon, donning loin cloths and dancing around the campfire ululating. I lament this loss!!!! If that book taught me anything, it was that primeval, primitive man was anything but primitive. And that living off the land, including animals, in their nomadic foraging state was the end all be all bees knees human existence. Ooooh woe to man, in his lofty endeavors. In his pride and arrogance, he lost his soul. He gained nothing. Peace tou ALL my brothers and sisters! ✌
Hi Traveller, couldn’t agree more with your pov, so do please have a look at my book ‘Do We Need To Be So Screwed Up?!’, which takes a deep look at this. Best wishes on your journey, Suki
Great, l think that one will not experience spiritual ego and bypass if you accept, allow and surrender yourself to undergo the process of the dark night of the soul in total obedience which often leads to spiritual awakening because you will be able to recognize in your behaviour when the ego is speaking and will be able to silence it and won’t be afraid of letting go.
In my experience, Chary, trying to “accept, allow and surrender yourself” is NOT effective in any form of awakening — mainly because we generally aren’t conscious enough to what we are accepting, allowing and surrendering.
As a result, we can easily delude ourselves into believing we’re surrendering while various parts within our psyche (the dimensions of our personality we don’t really know) clings to their beliefs and inflated/deflated identity.
So acceptance, if used too early in the process does become a spiritual bypass. First, we have to develop an orientation towards our real personality where we can actually see our shadow (developing consciousness). Then, acceptance and allowing can come into play.
Wow, I love this response. I really needed to read this right now. Thank you Scott for all of your wisdom.
Hi Jenn, I just reread my response and I caught an important typo. I had said, trying to “accept, allow and surrender yourself” is effective, when I meant to say in this context that it was ineffective. Now, it has been corrected.
Wow. Thank you! I would love to say more but speechless.. Thank you & God bless you.
You’re most welcome, Monica.
Thank you so much for this article. I have been stumbling around in the dark for such a long time feeling drawn along by something that I didn’t understand. What started off as a quest to finally get to the bottom of my self limiting behaviour patterns because I felt stuck and thwarted by life has led to some profound revelations about myself and seems to have put me on a path that I didn’t understand. At times I felt like I was losing my mind, but it seemed like the more I followed the inner pull the more stable and peaceful I felt. I now trust it completely without knowing why. Until now. I was drawn to your article and read with a shock of recognition each of the points raised to varying degrees. So it seems I am a work in progress on a path I didn’t consciously choose, but the rewards have been transformative.
May we all have courage, fortitude and peace on our journey.
Kirsty.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Kirsty. That’s what happens when you turn towards your Inner Guide.
Feeling crazy is normal — actually, if you don’t feel a bit crazy along your path, you’re probably stuck in conformity.
As Jiddu Krishnamurti said, “It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.”
Great article such a pity you had to get on your vegan soapbox and lecture us omnivores about the sins of eating meat when it is the most natural thing a human can do this is after all a human experience. Being awakened is about acceptance I am awakened and am able to master my inner world yet I love eating meat but I also love animals its called duality try telling a tiger not to eat a deer tigers are spiritual beings also
Jim, first off, I’m not a vegan, nor did I claim to be one. Veganism, like any -ism, is a political agenda that does create yet another polarization.
Not that I expect you to return to this post because your intention was to reinforce your beliefs so you don’t have to feel the discomfort from the ambiguity within you. (Otherwise, you wouldn’t have taken the time to write your comment; you have just exited the page. But for anyone else reading this, see my comments above to “Traveler.”
This issue comes down to energetic sensitivity. It’s not about morality or right/wrong. If you reach the sensitivity to feel the consciousness of the animal you consume, you likely will lose your drive to consume them. And if that never happens, that’s fine too. What I’m describing is a common experience that many others have experienced–and they are often surprised when they do.
It’s also about the consciousness of the animal. Plants do not feel sufferings or emotions. When you slaughter an animal, it releases intense cortisol(stress hormone) into their blood. The energy released during this process is said to be highly atomic. When you consume it, 3 things happen: You are consuming the consciousness of the animal which might affect your own consciousness, you are ingesting cortisol released by the animal which might also create stress in your mind disturbing mental peace, and you are inviting the destructive atomic energy inside you which often makes your aura dark.
And of course, this doesn’t mean everyone has to be a pure vegetarian or vegan. It depends on you whether you want your energy affected or not. There’s no compulsion.
Not to mention, tigers might be spiritual beings but they have a lower level of consciousness as compared to humans and they are programmed by nature in a way that they must eat another animal in order to live. And if you are comparing yourself to a tiger, what will be the difference between us and an animal? Humans are intelligent, they can make choices. They are not hard-wired to eat other animals in order to live
Well, I doubt your awakening. Please beware, there are also symptoms of a false awakening. Because if you were truly awakened, you would have first understood the intention behind what the writer has to say before opening your mouth.
Whilst reading this I had a lovely feeling come over me and I felt calm x
:-)
Thank you for this wonderful article. I feel way different now. I’m just a 13 year old boy who wants to find his “self” in this so called “life”. I’ve always wanted to find peace in this world full of good and bad. I know that i can learn more and this article helped me a lot.
That’s awesome, Raf. 13? And you’re interested in this material? Amazing …
Wow
Hello, I am more aware of my feelings and thoughts. And the words others speak. I am more emotional(crying a lot)especially when listening to some music,do not care anymore or get angry when someone says something bad to me. Peace
It is webbed together with such efficiency!
Been on this path since late teens and now have reached a healthier being.
Thank you for this amazing website! It helps me to really connect the missing pieces.
That’s great to hear, First timer. Connecting the missing pieces brings the puzzle all together! :-)
Hi Scott , I totally enjoyed reading your article and want to learn more , i am needing guidance, would love to know where I can go to read more of your stuff.
Hi Eduarda,
The place to start is here:
https://scottjeffrey.com/guides/
And subscribe for updates and new guides here:
https://scottjeffrey.com/join/
I have experienced all the traps and am experiencing the 10 signs at the present and one bonified miracle (I have photographic evidence) for those who will accept it …. Currently doing some shadow work and trying to be patient … I’m an old flower child and I’ve loved Alan Watts for quite a while now … Good article !!! I sent it to a friend today who expressed his interest in the subject of the Awakening .
Yes, Cecil. It seems like these traps are part of most of our journeys. Thank you for sharing the website with a friend.
I’m very thankful for finding this website. I learned a lot especially about the difference between the ego and the spirit and being religious and spiritual. I will share your website to my children, friends and co-workers.
That’s great to hear, Lusita. Thanks for sharing this material!
Wow best article I’ve read on spirituality and the awaken process. I am actually going on the right path and my intuition has gotten me to this. I am so grateful to have found you and in the right moment when I have been doubting myself now for few weeks. Thank you ❤
You’re most welcome, Isabella. Thank you for your comments.
Isabella/Scott,
Yes am searching this path recently and exploring ringing in the ears – sign or awakening/tinnitus? Its been happening for the past few weeks. Feel lighter and more in tune of things, calmer feel and reflect more. Better control of emotions too especially bringing about patience and calmness.
Very good and concise yet informative article. I choose to be vegan on certain days, mostly light on meat consumption. Fast on certain days.
Thank you.
This is such a wonderful guide. It explains the spiritual awakening wonderfully.
Glad you found the guide wonderful, Coventore.
Thank you all. Does anyone or can anyone give a viewpoint on The Law of One? Listened to the ‘channeled’ 106 sessions. I.E. : (Excerpts) : “I am Ra. We communicate now. We are not those of the Love or of the Light. We are those who are of The Law of One. In our vibration our polarities are harmonized, the complexities are simplified and the paradoxes have their solution. We are One. That is our nature and our purpose”… It is to my limited understanding they are a 6th dimensional group of beings with a single consciousness. They mention Love/Light/ Light/ Love, to which they paradoxically state they are not those of Love or of the Light. I.E. “There is the same difference between love/light and light/love as there is between teach/learning and learn/teaching.
Love/light is the enabler, the power, the energy giver. Light/love is the manifestation which occurs when light has been impressed with love.”
Thank you for any feedback.
John, that all sounds like cryptic nonsense to me — the language of the Trickster archetype designed to confuse people and take them further away from their center, from the here and now.
This is awesome! Wonderful clear cut, and easy to understand!
Thank you, Robin. Glad you found the article clear and understandable.
Hello!
Thank you very much for this informative article for it have successfully cleared most of my confusion.
I’m still young, not even an adult and I have often wondered why I am like this. I was only introduced to this topic a day ago, reading about things regarding how I am a starseed and whatnots and I’m afraid that I have been trapped into thinking that I’m special, when in the end, all of us are special that it becomes normal that we are unique in our own way.
I am just concerned about this one thing that have been making my heart guilty ever since I started changing. I have always thought that I have to treat others this way so that they will also treat me in the same way, I have also been following the Golden rule and I think I really did change for the better but there is this thought swirling inside my head that says “you’re only acting nice so that the others will like you.” Unfortunately, this is true, and I can’t help thingking that I’m only faking my kindness, I really don’t know… but does wanting to be liked by others a spiritual trap?
(Please excuse any mistakes I have, I’m very new to this and English is not my native language.)
Hi Aljema,
I sincerely think that if wanting to be good and nice to others produces a good feeling, something like joy because we see the effect of our actions, that is only a great feeling, though we might unconsciously want to receive similar treatment in return and that is only natural and good, as long as we do not feel angry or worse if we do not get same treatment from others, but rather we reflect on the whole thing. I often do not get good o same treatment in return, but, though I feel some sadness I also feel sure that is because somehow I have that something more to give, then I “have to” continue doing good , it is an odd feeling, I don’t feel superior, I just have a feeling as if I am richer and I have to share. I know, it is funny , but I will continue my self development, I hope and I encourage you to do the same.
Hi Aida,
You will likely feel differently than you describe as you get to better know your shadow. Until then, you will likely assume you are doing good while remaining unconscious to your true motives and feelings.
Hi Aljema,
Yes, you are correct. This is what most often happens in the Green wave: people act kind, but it’s inauthentic. To truly be kind, you have to get to know your shadow first. Before that, most so-called positive emotions are fake.
(Just watch how people pictures of themselves for social media. They smile for the camera and then the frown returns.)
Wanting to be liked is intrinsic to a specific stage of ego development. It’s normal, especially if you’re young. As you individuate, this drive will lessen.
Hello again!
Thank you very much for the reply. Though it’s quite sad that my suspicion was correct, I’m still glad that I learned the truth.
It seems that I still have a long way for a ‘true’ spiritual awakening, but surely it’ll come.
Thank you again, and may God bless all of us.
Very well explained! Thank you.
I found this very informative and helpful. I hoped for more on the difference between spiritual and psychic awakening. I also wonder if we are more open to evil attacts while going thru a awakening and does the awakening end, if so how do u know its over? Is our awakening just the beginning to becoming our higher self and from there does it just evolve til we die? Thank u for the article, its very insightful and appreciated.
Many dimensions of the “new age” do leave you more susceptible to psychic attacks. Astral travel would be one example of this.
“Awakening” is a common term that’s used, but really “development” would be more appropriate. You might “awaken” to an aspect of yourself, but that doesn’t mean you’ve changed anything.
You don’t “become your Higher Self” and there’s no evolution for it either. Your Higher Self already is what it is. You can develop and evolve your ego/personality. And you can stabilize your mind/energy and allow the Higher Self to take the driver’s seat (transcending beyond your ego). But the Higher Self doesn’t require any work or development. It’s just waiting for us to return to it.
How we can develop healthy well balanced ego before transcending the ego ? if you don’t mind can you give some tips from your experience 📝 thanks in advance 🤗
Shiva, that’s kind of the focal point of this entire website — including this guide here.
How can we transcend something we don’t fully know or understand? And can we know ourselves when we’re largely divorced from our shadows?
Resistance has proven futile. My awakening to what may be starts and stops with a regularity that has me either crying at the enormity of it or digging my heels in, in a fit of childish pique. I feel as if I’m alone in a dark room trying to find the light switch by feel. Your words have allowed some light to seep in under the door. I still can’t see anything yet but the point of reference is invaluable. Thank you. I now know that if spiritual awakening was akin to full body immersion in a warm body of water, I definitely have my big toe submerged.
Just make sure the experience goes from the “general” to the “specific.” Otherwise, there won’t be any forward momentum. But it does often start with the big toe …
Scott, about locating authority within oneself. It seems to me to be more about internalising the abiding principles behind the rules (the spirit rather than the letter of the law to use somewhat biblical language) to the point of being able to more consistently and meaningfully apply these to all aspects of one’s life, rather than requiring a plethora of rules covering a vast range of contingencies, but still leaving gaps. Contrary to popular belief, the principles in the Sermon on the Mount are much harder than the Law of Moses (though keeping that would be a challenge alone) to the point that many would dismiss the former as impractical.
I am a bit wary of a hard and fast distinction between “religion” and “spirituality” unless what a person means by each term is very precisely defined; it often seems to me to be a subconscious code for either regarding some religions as inherently more “spiritual” than others for no apparent reason (as with one or more faith-traditions being closer to or further from the truth, this may well be and probably is the truth, but the attitude does tend rather towards tribalism and spiritual infancy) regarding oneself as “spiritual” and most others as merely “religious” (which I realise that you specifically warn against) or both.
Alexander,
I’m not certain why kind of response you’re looking for from your comments. Both terms, “religious” and “spiritual” are loaded terms and potentially problematic.
My comments in the guide about religion are well-documented in the works of Jung, Campbell, Wilber, and many others. Too much to go into here.
For additional clarification, see the Spiral Dynamics model: “religious” generally is an expression of Blue values while “spirituality” is more closely representative of “Green.”
https://scottjeffrey.com/spiral-dynamics/
I’m flooded with emotion. I can almost see my path from now to where I came from with clarity. I know I have a long journey ahead of me but distance and time do not operate within the same realm of existence. Knowing that is important – I feel.
Hi Meli, emotions are mainly only useful when you come to understand their source — that is, the original experiences where these emotions were evoked. Most of the time, our emotions are reactions from the past. Clarify comes when we connect the emotion with the original event and come to terms with it.
awesome. such inspirational arguments into a real insight to the spiritual way of living. thank you for awakening long hidden knowings and values. i so found myself . x
Glad you found the insights valuable, Jeanne.
The most appropriate blog I have read so far about spiritual awakening. I never went through spiritual traps because I read in psychology that everyone lives their adult life with the child they were brought up as. So most people are going through difficulties of life without ever paying attention to it. Moreover even one sad or discontent being on the planet, no one will be truly happy. We are all connected, individuality loses when we see ourselves as part of the same universe (the creation and the creator itself), at the quantum level everything exists and doesn’t exist at the same time (Schrodinger). Time is relative, news, entertainment has led us all to look for things outside us when everything is inside us. But we are not ready to listen. My awakening has been laziness, seeking answers, curiosity, questions like why i have to do something which I don’t feel like doing and emotional maturity; reflecting on my emotions regularly every time I felt uneasy. It has been a long journey into self discovery of 6 years and even now I am learning a lot more things. Thank you for writing this blog Jeffrey.
Well said, Ila.
Thank you for sharing your reflections and observations.
It’s as if you are right but are not. You should branch out your library with a few more book shelves. That sounds egotistical but you miss out on crucial aspects of connectivity with source. Eating certain plants still destroys the protecting energy intelligence of that plant.
Life feeds on life. Sentience is broader than one night think and you fully underestimate meditation. You speak as if you were indoctrinated into a religion and then “grew up.”
All is relative (saying this all while knowing it’s a platitude). Many ways up the mountain and your experiences are just a point of view, as valid as they might be lack ultimate truth.
It’s a natural reaction, Chris, to attack what conflicts with your worldview.
I knew that adding that one segment (Sign #9) about not eating animal would trigger many individuals like yourself. It’s understandable.
As I’ve said, it’s not about reading another book or any new piece of information or ideology. All your sharing is YOUR viewpoint (one which I shared several years back).
If you open up your body and develop sufficient energetic sensitivity, you just may confirm what millions of others are starting to confirm only in the last decade.
You can FEEL the emotions and consciousness of the animals you can consume. Period. No debate. No rhetoric. No opinions.
And if you CAN’T verify this statement in your experience because you haven’t followed the injunction offered or reached this level of sensitivity required than you’re simply not in a position to argue against it. If you attempt to refute it without testing the injunction then you are simply communicating in ignorance. All you can simply say, “Hmm, I don’t know about that.” And that would be a true statement.
It’s not about a “point of view” or a specific ideology; it’s a visceral energetic experience that cannot be denied. I don’t know how else to describe it.
In my 30s, I would have reacted similarly to how you did. It’s a natural reaction — especially if you currently consume animal while defining yourself as spiritual. If so, then my statements can seem offensive. Without that identity of “being spiritual,” however, my statements wouldn’t offend you. You’ll just disagree, and that’s everyone’s right.
NOTE: I have updated that segment of the article (#9) to provide more context to this polarizing topic.
Been waking up between 3am and 5 am. Been seeking refuge in God. Been trying to learn why I am the way I am. Got baptized last week…was told the demons will be at my doorstep. I can’t help but believe this.
Rhonda , find a good therapist, parts therapy helped me, learn and work on internal boundaries. Identify and live your values. These actions really helped me understand and support myself. Go girl!
Hi Scott,
You are amazing, I just read your pieces on spiritual awakening. Its very helpful. I cant wait to read other pieces.
Habib
Afghanistan
Hi Habib,
I’m far from amazing, but glad to hear you found this guide helpful.
Through human eyes is it possible to actually visualize multiple shadow/smoke figures and white glowing, floating energies ? Sometimes I feel like I’m not on earth even though I know I am. I ignore them all and just act normal
While it may appear that you’re seeing these objects/entities/energies via your visual cortex (your human eyes), they are most likely being perceived through your third eye (pineal gland), which is cable of “seeing” beyond the visual light spectrum.
The experience you’re describing is more akin to apperceiving different dimensions of reality via an activated pineal gland:
https://scottjeffrey.com/pineal-gland-activation/
I’m really grateful for your help. I feel like an outcast, like a weird person and no one understands me alot and it really hurts sometimes so I just stopped expressing my feelings to people. I dont know who I am or what i believe and trying to find myself is driving me crazy. So i gave up and my “seeing” stopped. But there is this almost painful feeling in my chest that i have to do this (“see”). . . Something
I did not ask for this but it has been happening since July 6th, 2019 after a long conversation with my fiance. There was this beautiful, almost electric looking, lavender flower in his eyes with pedals that seemed to keep multiplying. He then somehow had big beautiful, luminous white wings, and finally, again somehow, turned into me. I haven’t been the same since and now it feels like numbers follow me 24/7
Yes, I’m familiar with what you’re describing. The average person wouldn’t understand this type of experience.
Our collective understanding of the psyche is highly limited. And most individual’s pineal gland is calcified, which restricts one’s psychic vision. Add to that, we’ve been conditioned to believe that seeing what’s not their means “you’re crazy” or “you’re hallucinating.”
So in terms of what’s “normal,” your experience makes you a weird person. Our younger parts within us seek to fit in. But the adult in us is okay standing alone and being judged as “crazy.”
I have identified my ego as a “Bull crap salesman”,I know we will never be rid of ego in this life,I have found it’s purpose to be the burr in the saddle to keep me motivated in spiritual development. I thank you for pointing out how one can claim to be spiritual and use it to feel superior to others,I see this often in my group meetings. and although I should not judge a person when i identify because I myself have acted this way, the goal is to remain balanced in how we esteem ourselves and others as one. passing no judgement when identified. a higher understanding is paramount , your lesson here has taught me many things thank you Scott!
Sure thing, David.
One point of clarification: It may less about “passing no judgment” and more about staying conscious of the part that judges and understand that part of us that judges. Then, we have choice. Otherwise, we shame ourselves from the judgment which we’ve been conditioned for decades to have as a part of us. Whether we want to or not, it appears that we judge. The problem arises when we deny that we judge.
I totally get that.i have accepted that by default stimulation passes through ego first to create a reaction .before that was that .now there is a “pause button”or a second filter to use if we are keeping the shadow in conscious thereby having more control over how we react emotionally or physically towards others whatever the case may be.its a valuable tool.
Truth…
very thoughtful and well written article! I am so grateful i found it! Thank you for doing all the work and sharing it with the world! It’s a keeper and I am sure I will refer to it again and again…..
You’re most welcome, Sangeeta. Thank you for commenting.
Amazing. Thank you so much for the guidance
Sure thing, Anny!
Truly learned some things…
Good to hear, G!
Such a liberating read. Lately, I have pressed the ‘pause’ button after 30 years of meditation and spiritual seeking, because I became aware I have been waiting for an ‘experience ‘ to happen, to prove I am enlightened. Comes of reading too many other people’s fantastic transporting experiences, which create a sense of longing. I now recognise this as just another goal to aim for, resulting In a perpetual cycle of incompleteness and searching. Quite naturally, I have given it all away, and now just allow to arise what does arise, without needing anything to be different. It’s not apathy, but more consciously resting and trusting in life. It’s a new feeling to give up seeking.
The main reason we fall into this trap, Maggie, is that most of the time, when people are sharing their “spiritual experiences” (which are generally momentary “states” of consciousness, not new stages), they are subconsciously teasing others about it.
It’s the same pattern that happens daily on social media: someone posts their beautiful meal they made or had in a restaurant. But the subconscious message is: “Ha-ha. Look what I got and you didn’t!” Of course, the average person isn’t aware of this shadow intent behind their “sharing.”
Hi Scott
Thanks for an interesting read. Just a question on meat eating – I stopped eating meat for a short while due to ethical reasons. Sadly I started again – what I am very interested in is your take on the animals killed in the production of vegetable crops / wheat / corn etc. We so often focus on meat, that we disregard the many animals ( moles, mice, insects, worms and many others) that are killed during harvesting of crops that are eaten by vegans, vegetarians as well as us human omnivores. Clearing of forests, grasslands etc for crop farming – what about those animals and their consciousness ? They too are killed in a horrible way, but hardly anyone ever talks about that. I look forward to hearing your opinion. Thanks.
Hi Jeannine,
What you are observing is certainly true. In my opinion, in a more “enlightened society,” there wouldn’t be any “traditional” agricultural practices.
Traditional farming is, in my opinion, an archaic, perhaps unintelligent practice. It’s labor-intensive, costly, and damaging to the environment.
Instead, there might be community gardens, but mainly, there would be permaculture-centric applications that work with the native environments instead of against them.
In terms of the consciousness of the animals killed using standard agricultural methods and it affects the plants we consume, it’s difficult to say.
Hit the nail on the head, pretty much
Thank you, Gerald.
Woo! I feel more peaceful, calmer and balanced than i thought. You have given me a sense of direction.
That’s great to hear, kibbalya.
I started my awakening about 2.5 years ago. It started as a psychic awakening and now is moving into a spiritual one/both I guess. I feel like I’m going in circles. Reading this definitely clarified a few things. I may be going in that circle, but now I feel I have some focus and a better understanding.
Thank you!
Sometimes the circles are actually spirals. They look the same, but there’s some upward movement.
wonderful article!
Thank you, Hanifa.
This is a very good start for me & my journey, cannot wait to read, learn & become more. Thank you so much!
You’re most welcome, Suzanne. Enjoy!
wonderful explanation! thank-you!
Thanks, Hanifa.
I really enjoyed this read, I appreciated the practical and logical aspect of it. I have been in the beginning stages for almost a year now I believe. I only recently came to that realization though ha. I feel like I am resisting, not on purpose, just out of fear I think… I would like to speak with you further on this topic if you wouldn’t mind. Please feel free to email me and if you don’t have the time I understand completely and will keep enjoying what I can find on this topic. Appreciation always🖤
Hi Heather, thanks for your comments. I don’t have time for individual consultations and chats at this time. Best wishes!
Great article, and can relate to so much with regard to my own life for the past 19 months. Back in March 2018 I sort of had a spiritual awakening after some really deep discussions with some then new found friends of mine, followed by a couple of psilocybin experiences in a controlled retreat setting. Since then my interest in so called spiritual topics have increased from zero before to quite substantial now. So much that Im actually on my way to India for a 10 day Vapassana silent meditation retreat in a couple of weeks as a means to get even more in touch with the inner, real me.
But on top of this newly found interess in my inner topics I’ve also undergone substantially physical changes, by choice and will, or so I thought… I’ve stopped eating meat, drinking alcohol, using nicotine and caffeine, started to train more, and quitted 13 years on high cholesterol and high blood pressure medicines as a result.
But I’ve also lost interest in many of mine decades long hobbies and associated social circles and friends…not to mention the many shifts in values and outlooks, moral as well as political. Hey, even my taste of and interest in music has changed dramatically.
Most of this I haven’t even thought of as being part of my (separate) spiritual awakening until I read this article, which for my part quite nicely sums it all up as being part of an integrated holistic shift of my whole life instead of many separate changes.
So again, thanks for the article and am looking forward to read more of your work. Feel free to comment, and I’m especially interested to hear whether you have any viewpoints about the meaning psychedelics can have in spiritual awakening processes.
Thanks for sharing your experiences, Harald.
Plant medicine, done in the proper “set and setting,” can certainly have a life-altering effect when they are supported by other lifestyle changes and done with active participation of one’s conscious mind.
Otherwise, they will only trigger a momentary “change of state,” and one’s prior programming reasserts itself. Based on many individual reports and substantial documentation in the literature, the “set and setting” (that is, mindset/consciousness and one’s environment) are most important.
Thank you for the knowledge
You’re welcome, Bhavna.
I am amazed on how much I can grasp from this . like WOW!. I understood allot an never looked at it in this sense. But I definitely want to get to that spiritual awakening . I have a feeling it’s will be phenomenal
That’s great, Alize. But I think it’s best to not look at “spiritual awakening” as a goal or a thing in itself. Otherwise, it isn’t likely to meet your expectations.
Old habits are hard to break, but not impossible, I am unlearning the misinformation and absorbing what is needed, thank you Scott for being here.
Same here, Bear. There’s a lot more unlearning of misinformation than anything else. The rest tends to come more naturally …
thank you.
scott jeffrey is there a way we as in that of me can send you a confidential conversation on soul fragmenting and soul journey’s we would enjoy having the chance to have an intellectual discussion about origins and everlasting memories that transcend a vessels capacity comprehend or remember.
Kessain, I’m not available for this type of thing.
For what it’s worth, while I understand that we live in a “share” and “social culture,” I believe it’s a mistake to share any type of “soul journeys” with others. Your inner journeys are for you and you alone.
Thank you for your article. It made a lot of sense to me. I have only recently “woken up” (5 weeks ago). It happened very suddenly for me. Along with heightened senses and strong connections to nature and feelings of peace and love, I have a strong desire to help others and to be a servant of God. Can the bible fit into my spiritual state? I am not talking about religion at all but a personal connection with what I believe is God’s word. Is there an external higher power, in your opinion?
Ange, this is a touchy subject.
And there’s no easy way to answer this. Looking through the lens of developmental psychology, at one level, it will be natural to perceive an “external higher power.”
Then, at another level, this same individual, to reach a new level of development, will likely recollect this external power and internalize it. It would still, however, be “external” from the ego’s perspective.
But this higher power, or Original Spirit as the ancient Taoists called it, is more closely what we are. It is our Original Nature.
Whether or not the bible can fit into your spiritual experience is entirely a personal decision. I’m not in the position to evaluate that for another individual.
Thank you.
Scott im sure you are busy and we have never met, but if you could help me in this process.. i would value it greatly
Don, I don’t understand what you’re asking specifically, but the information throughout this website is designed to support individuals with various areas of their self-development. And I offer online courses that go deeper with the material.
My own submissions is as questions… Can this spiritual transformation affects the physical dressing…?.can somebody forgive and forget an issues at the same time..?
It’s difficult to answer your first question as there’s no single “spiritual transformation” that I’m aware of. That said, can moving toward one’s spirit cause physical changes in the body? Sure it can.
Forgive and forget. The ego can’t forget. It can only repress the memory into one’s unconscious (the body). But the more one moves toward one’s spirit, the less the ego-mind runs the show. From here, one gains the ability to begin to “let go,” which isn’t forgetting, but it’s operationally similar.
It’s a shame how many people resist the idea of experimenting with diet… As if to say, “I should be able to have what I want and more, without making any sort of character-building sacrifices.” Especially since the advice was simply to do a trial-run of abstaining from certain foods to see how you felt after 90 days. What is 90 days in our lives? We’ve wasted more time on lesser pursuits. Humans cling to so many things that could objectively be called an addiction, and food is sadly one that ignites a surprising amount of vitriol when challenged. “That’s the way things have always been” is not a good reason for continuing to harm others needlessly. And then they deflect, asking, “Well, aren’t plants alive, too?” or “I had a friend of a friend who didn’t eat meat, and she ended up really sick.” Where is the scientific curiosity in these people? (Sorry Scott, for encouraging curiosity when we should be letting go of all human emotions, haha.) But in all seriousness, we have gotten nutrition down to a science, where each of us can find the vitamins and minerals our bodies need to perform well, and we can calculate the quantities of said vitamins and minerals, and put together a lovely food plan of hi-vibe foods for a mere 90 days… See how you like it, then made a choice based on that. But the fact that so many would refuse to even try, and not only that, but attack you for suggesting something that is consistent with your line of thinking… is bonkers. “I want to be kind to all people… No… Not those things. Humans. I meant that I want to be kind to all humans. Unless they disagree with what I think, then I’ll attack them online.” Yikes. The hypocrisy is palpable.
The reaction some people have isn’t surprising. Food and diet have become a kind of religion to many of us. Plus, if you consider the different values structures in spiral dynamics, the “Blue” structure is rigid and erring on the side of fundamentalism.
https://scottjeffrey.com/spiral-dynamics/
We normally think of fundamentalism in the context of religion, but we can hold fundamentalist views on many different things — including diet — and not even realize it.
This student is aware that each beloved ‘wakes up’ to progress at their own rate and information that seemed ridiculous before may well in time, become their new way. It is not for us to be concerned for others in this sense as it is not our business. Simply observe and say ‘aha’ not need for tension between beloveds as all will be perfect.
It might be helpful to note that the Student archetype can never know.
It can never know itself. It can never know its dark side. I can never know its true potential.
It can only keep learning but without understanding.
Many spiritually-minded individuals think it’s beneficial to be a student. But only years later are they in the position to evaluate if that’s true or not…
Every soul wakes up at their own pace and so we are not to say if one should be a student or walk their path alone. It is all perfect in the divine. Namaste beloved.
If you believe this, then you haven’t actually read the above article/guide, and you’re simply posting here because the topic is on “spirituality.”
I wasn’t actually leaving this message for you, Lynn. I was leaving it for other readers who may fall into a similar trap as you have (and as I did too for many years).
It’s far from “divine” — it’s a trap that stalls all genuine progress in one’s development. And it’s certainly not a “path.”
I really did read the article, and with vigor and even cut and pasted some items and put on the wall in my office for contemplation. I found it to be a wonderful guide, thank you for that.
You might have not meant the message for me but as it was about my reference to ‘this student’ ( a simple intro to remind myself of humility and to act outside of my ego), correct me if I am wrong, I will include myself.
Do you think that to be a student and therefore have a teacher is really damaging? and if so, can we really generalize on this, as the subject has a huge grey matter between the black & white and according to each person (and the teacher) and their ability to grow in the field. To say that having guidance for a teacher ‘certainly isn’t a path’ nor is it divine, I wonder if you might explain a little, please, because I would not wish to misunderstand your words?
The student-guru dynamic has been well-documented from over 40 years of research in the fields of developmental and transpersonal psychology.
To identify oneself as a student and to seek a “guru” is a drive that results in many of us mainly due to unresolved psychological issues from childhood.
Also, archetypes represent set patterns of behavior. So in this context, “generalizations” are appropriate and accurate.
It’s not that being a Student is damaging as such; more so that the possession of this archetype can eat up years of one’s life. So in that way, it can certainly be damaging.
I understand your point, thank you so much for the clarification, I struggle with any sort of class system and very much tread my own path but I am also aware that without the guide I have I might not have even known if it’s existence? And for this I am eternally grateful.
I agree Lynn, I feel that I had to be a student for so long until I could really comprehend what I had been taught. I learned for years, but did not truly deeply understand until I was ready
Hi Liv, for me, I needed an introduction and guidance and I take regular esoteric classes, but although I have a written down all of the information I have been taught for the past 6 years, I certainly do not embody it at this stage, it is merely a foundation, the ‘knowing’ drops in when I have a downloaded or in my sleep. it is, of course, your own choice as to how you seek the truth and I would never criticize any method that works for a beloved, I just know that I would still be in the dark without being introduced to a structured, like-minded group for which I am so very grateful. I spread my wings in every direction, ever seeking and life is so wonderful. Have a blessed day dear Liv.
i am in the process at the moment. the “crash” was brutal and im scaring the heck out of my family. i quit my job with a family of 4 with literally $0 in my bank account. i am hoping leaving what i was doing ( which i was great at was killing me inside) .. you are helping me greatly .
thank you
don
Don, I’m not quitting your source of income when you have four dependents and no savings is wise. Be careful that you’re not confusing “spiritual” matters with “financial” matters.
Hy all!
I would like to share my experience because to someone it may become usefull.
I was anxious, life Did’n went as I wanted (first mistake) at all. I started learning psyhology and I did meditation. The more psyhology I learnt (as hobby, the knowlagde was negligible ) the more I realised: Its impossible to not get into false assumption about myself. So I thought: “with that amount of anxiety what do I have to lose?” ( childhood trauma, etc…) I went to a terapist to get on the right path. I mentioned meditation and Buddha, but I was “The Denying Innocent One” He played tricks on me for my benefit to give me what I truly wanted. 2 months and I understood the root of the problem (repressed fear and anger).
Resolution:
Accept your flaws, the ones you not awere of (meditation and a lot of thinkig was nessesary for me) and anxiety will dissapear because you dont have to pretend to be someone whom you are not.
( In my case “I must become a good person” by dening my dark side. I belived I did’nt have the power within me, so I wanted power but I denied the fact that I love the manipulating others=anxiety becouse you reject yourself)
Face your fears (It’s the result of His games) and you will realise It’s a false fear and you gain self-confidence, the false limitations disappear and you find happiness. If you “want” someting it means You think It must be granted by someone else, becouse you can’t have on your own. From now on I “would like to” insted of “want to”.
My solution was: Get a Magician and tell Him/Her to turn you into one :)
Wow! Thank u there is so much information for me. I am just now finding myself spiritually and physiologically and well a lot is going on in my life. My journey is just beginning for me and I’m so thirsty for knowledge. -Skittles
That’s great, Stacey. Enjoy the journey …
This answers so many questions and makes perfect sense.
This student struggles daily with the ravages of the ego, however it is now met with a higher understanding and positive growth. To be in the state of taking one’s responsibility, i.e. eating meat, recycling etc is a powerful practice of pushing aside the fog to see the light.
Namaste beloveds
Your “article” if I may call it that clarified some emotions that I have been having to be spot on to my current destiny and stages of spiritual awakening, which to me is an always evolving process. Thank you, the information is very insightful to a very energetic empathatic person.
Sincerely,
Charlotte
You’re most welcome, Charlotte. Thank you.
Thank you, great post.
Do people W/ Alzheimer’s ever attain spiritual awakening?
I have no idea. I’m not in a position to evaluate this.
My Spirituality Nemesis is anger . I have deep seated anger for which I have no explanation. I have no memories of being abused in any way . I recall a placid good childhood. My father died when I was nine yet I recall having anger issues before that so my anger is not from the loss of my father . At age 4 I became enraged because I lost a coin down a sink drain and I kicked the plumbing under the sink apart I was so angry at the loss of my coin.
My best explanation that even I do not like or am convinced by is that I am angry because I am a temporary phenomenon able to conceptualize and visualize Eternity but unable to reach that Eternity …an Eternal Moses looking to the Promised Land..
The unfortunate reality is that most of us don’t remember what actually happened during childhood. Also, most people don’t realize what’s happening to them right now in adulthood!
It’s unlikely your anger is existential. It’s most likely consequence of abuse and mistreatment from both of your parents.
Now, this can seem like a strong statement to make — especially since I don’t know you, right? But the reality is that the shadow archetypes operate within all of us. Much of what we culturally consider to be “parenting” is actually subtle forms of bullying, torturing, manipulation, and sadism. We feel it in our bodies, but remain unconscious to it in our minds.
Also, if you’ve been angry since childhood, there’s a better than average chance that the anger belongs to one or both of your parents. They didn’t know how to deal with their anger, so it gets dumped on the weakest one (in this case, the child). Behind your anger, if you can get to the root of it, is most likely fear.
Our Ascended Master Jesus ate fish. Do as the master does. I eat only wild caught fish to supplement our Human need for proteins.
Awakening; It happened to me without meditation. Full on Kundalini awakening. I reached a level of spiritual awareness and the opposing false reality we are faced with.
Be careful, awakening is a physically painful experience and last for years as the upgrade progresses in layers, like building blocks. The head pain from your Pineal Gland expanding (3rd Eye) can give you migraines that last for days.. Thank God our Angels are there to transmute the pain whenever you ask. Help happens immediately.
Your new connection with Angels / ET’s. They will wake you up, at all hours.! You have to let them know your 3D body needs rest. They are all very supportive of the upgrades that you will be dealing with, physically and emotionally.
Welcome to the Galactic community.!
Do you think your ETs and Angels are goofy some times? And or crass?
Wonderful article! I truly needed to read this tonight, whilst reflecting on feelings of guilt. Thank you 🙏🏼
You’re welcome, Meggie. Glad the information found you at the right time.
This is awesome! Thank you and I’ll move it forward;)
Thanks!
Is any one interested in letting me shadow them?
Peace Love & Light
Can you open a door that’s not there are close one Christ opened who’s to tell me who the good shaperd is I think not so there fore I am
If you would genuinely like a response to your comment that started as a question, please use proper grammar and syntax.
Scott Jeffrey, thank you for amazing information and writing. This is all helping me make sense of a lot of things whilst i am in a process. Kind regards, Alex
You’re most welcome, Alex. Thank you for your comments.
So I saw a picture of a girl in a bathtub and it looked like she was reaching out to me for help she was on the right side of the screen but when I looked again she was on the left and when I noticed she never moved what does that mean
I have no idea, Brook.
I am definitely experiencing a spiritual awakening. This helped explain alot! Looking forward to my continued journey. We are one!
Glad to hear you found this guide informative and explanatory.
Very Nice Article, it is so useful and apt for me at my moment in my evolution. Thank you very much for the detailed explanation of the signs, and especially useful was the traps we can fall into in this process :)
Sure thing, Subha. You’re very welcome.
I have a strong connection with nature, always have. I was raised a Christian but nothing religious resonates with me. I feel I was possibly awakened at a young age but it was clouded by environmental effects I chose or was guided to as a means of learning & growth. I however am now very peaceful & in tune with myself, though I am so chilled out I am often completely blank. I have knowledge I’m unable to share when I need to, my psychic ability has faded before it fully developed. Is this a transitional stage or just physical age ailments interfering? I am 48 & in menopause.
Hi Sharon. I’m not sure I’m in a position to answer your question. When you say you’re in a “transitional stage” which part of what you’re describing are you referring to. Your question is unclear to me.
I really enjoyed reading the article. I have struggled with drugs and alcohol since a teenager and over the last couple of years realised there has to be more to life than this and really fought within myself about knowing what’s the right choice and making the right choice which ultimately led me to a suicide attempt after years of depression and anxiety. My behavior and thought pattern have changed on their own after years of trying to make it happen and I now have genuine concern for the environment and view everyone as equals which I didn’t have before. That’s not to say I was an arsehole or racist or anything I just judged people on first sight like most people do.
Anyway my question is about eating meat as well. If it’s OK for animals to eat other animals why is it any different for humans?
Thanks
Hi Joe,
Your question about eating meat presupposes that I’m putting down some kind of rule or amendment (“thou shall not eat meat”). And if the rule is that it’s wrong to eat meat then why can animals eat each other. I’m not an authority and I don’t set the rules for others. This type of intellectual debate can go on for eons. That’s why I avoid it.
If you read what I wrote above about meat carefully and decide to follow the injunction for yourself with an open, objective mind, you’ll either confirm with your experience what I’m sharing or you will not.
Over the last ten years, many people have reported waking up one day and simply deciding (and knowing) they would never eat meat again. It became not OK for them — literally overnight. This is just one aspect of “awakening” that many others are experiencing.
Dear sir/madam
As in 2009 when i was doing my job in punjab, india.. Opening of chakras in my body happened with opening of seven chakras including third eye nd crown chakra also… As i felt opening of third eye in myself… And one night i was sleeping severe vibration occured in my body.. I was unaware what was happening with me… As there was nobody who can guide me.. No teacher or guru… As i was feeling that god is everywhere… Inside nd outside both.. Nothing can be hidden from him… I have niether done any meditation for this but it occured with me through karam yoga… As whatever i was doing in my company during job… It made me realize these things.. I have always preferred love nd kindness over everything… Some day i started reading motivational thoughts… And one day i realized cool kind of feeling in my mind… As spirit presence in my mind.. All head ache was removed from my head.. During that time… Now a days i m still searching for god… Because i have many questions to ask from him… I am notgetting any satisfaction in my job whatever i do… Because my mind nd heart both integrated with god… So i dont feel satisfaction in earning money from selling any item… My real earning money is to meet god… Please help me what should i do… I want my guru who can guide me… I want to join spiritual organization… Please help me…
With regards
Siddharth
Siddharth, these are types of questions that only you can answer.
In searching for a guru, you are disowning your own inner authority. You are saying that someone else knows what’s best for you more than you do. But is that really so?
In terms of money vs spirit, does it have to be one or the other? Can earning money be a small part of your life so you can afford shelter and food while the rest of your time is devoted to other matters that are more important to you?
In terms of the voice of god, how do you know it was “THE” god? Have you met all of the characters and figures in your unconscious? Do you know that they all have voices too (and can often sound like a god)? Have you dialogued with all of them and got to know them?
https://scottjeffrey.com/archetypes-psychology/
The psyche is much more vast and complex (and tricky) than most of us currently understand. How would you differentiate a voice in your mind giving you instructions for its own aim versus your own Original Spirit gently guiding you forward?
dear sir.. Being spiritual.. What should be our aim of life?? And if we can meet god???
Siddharth, as I mentioned earlier, these are the types of questions we must each search for within ourselves (not outside of ourselves). The answers one person arrives at may be different than another person.
And the path one person selects is likely heavily influenced by social, cultural and religious factors and conditioning.
Should there only be one aim of life? Some seek to preserve life, others seem keen on destroying it.
And can we meet god? Must one person’s god be the same as another person’s god? Must there be one god? Must there be many? Must god exist for everyone?
Without prior conditioning, there’s probably a lot of “I don’t know.”
I leave you with this: If I was going to look to meet god, I would head in the opposite direction that most others search. Instead of looking toward the light, I would turn toward one’s darkness and seek to understand it.
https://scottjeffrey.com/shadow-work/
For if the alchemical saying “as above, as below” is true, then the more you know yourself (internally), the more you can know god (because we each represent a small fractal expression of something bigger).
Thank u sir for replying to my query… Sir i wanna do kind of work that will help others… I want to give happiness to those who have lost happiness… I want to do something for good people nd something for poverty… I want everybody to live happily…with god… Sir i would like to ask from you..that opening of chakras inside my body without any meditation is strange thing???.. Or it is occuring in others human being also… Have u ever felt like this that i have felt in 2009…
I’m not in a position to answer your questions.
Many individuals report experiencing a wide range of things. But these are generally “states” of consciousness in that they are there for a time and then fade away.
Certainly, not everyone needs meditation to experience altered states of consciousness. I believe all of us have these types of experiences when we’re children.
Definitley search for an authentic master..They are masters of spiritual awakening and can lead you down this sometiimes very bumpy road. Your intuition will help you find a good teacher. just remember a good guide will never say he or she is enlightened. I am a tibetan buddhist and there are many sublime tibetan masters around today young and old. My master unfortunately passed recently but i can recommend Mindroling khandro Rinpoche for a female master and Tsoknyi Rinpoche or Mingyur Rinpoche or Dzongzar khentse Rinpoche for male teachers…good luck
all mu love
michelle
I wholeheartedly disagree with Michelle’s advice.
It’s one thing to learn a certain body of information from a person (“teacher”) who has more experience and knowledge. It’s quite another to seek out a “master” for one’s spiritual awakening.
By seeking out a master to guide your entire journey, you are forfeiting your sovereignty and autonomy. That is, you are not individuating. Instead, you are following a particular lineage. (And most individuals don’t realize what this actually means.)
It’s understandable that many people find it comforting to have a master. Adulthood requires us to hold tremendous levels of ambiguiity and responsibility. And most of us have psychological wounds that prohibit our ability to navigate this “bumpy road.” But trauma aside, each person’s path is their own — IF they choose to walk it on their own.
Excellent article….Learned a lot.
Terrific. That’s great to hear!
I resonate with this completely, thank you for helping me understand my spiritual awaking :)
Sure thing, Liv.
Thanks with lot of love
So great, so helpful.
Hi Scott, perhaps I missed it, but what happens if someone has bipolar disorder or some other mental issues and goes through a spiritual crisis? How can you help someone like this?
Thanks
Hi David,
The field of psychology has a diagnosis called “bipolar disorder.”
My hope is that any who does inner work and understands at least 1% of their own psyche knows that this is diagnosis is kind of ridiculous.
Here’s why: EVERYONE’s psyche is bipolar. The psyche is split; it’s built on pairs of opposites. That’s why most of us are neurotic (to varying degrees). We are all born into this fragmented, mentally-ill world and, as such, we are conditioned by it.
Labeling a few people as bipolar assumes that everyone else isn’t. Do you think the psychologist making the diagnosis isn’t also bipolar? They certainly are! (Jung understood this; Freud rejected the idea. And Freud’s beliefs prevail to this day.)
So in the context of awakening, you become more conscious of the opposing forces within your psyche — not because someone labeled and condemned you as such, but because you’re now more aware of your bipolar tendencies.
And the more you can observe your bipolarity, the less it will influence your behavior (because you begin to access your Center more often).
If you haven’t read my guide on the shadow, I recommend you do so. It will expand your understanding of this topic.
Oh my goodness, I absolutely u derstand your reply Scott. Thanks x
Awakening is a very complex process. It must be done to you, instead of by you. By whom? Your Higher Self. Through Committed daily Spiritual devotions, one creates a valence (connection) by which your Higher Self can do everything through you, to you, and by you. You will realize you Are this Self, now, always were!
its incredible how short quick and to the point this all was.. very well executed.
Thank you, Nathan.
So happy! Great read! Here are some thoughts. So, I’ve suddenly noticed I have become… very-not-excited about cooking meat. And I’m almost positive it has nothing to do with ideology. No amount of vegan preaching ever changed how it FELT to cook and eat meat. It happened gradually and naturally, without me noticing. I’m not that surprised though. I have been on this path for a very long time, and had a sense that this would eventually happen. Perhaps not for all though, as you said. Perhaps it was my destiny, since I am a huge animal lover, who is very very sensitive, AND always thought the idea was extremely gross.
Also glad you mentioned the tension of the opposites!! I grew up somewhat alone, in the sense that I couldn’t find anyone to join me in my “middle-nes”. I grew up in a Christian household, but i was just Deeply “spiritual” (idk how to avoid that trap in order to explain lol). All the Christian kids were too boxed up for me to feel welcomed, and all the other kids were wayyy too “normal” and I could not relate. I’m rambling, but yeah, I vote grey area most of the time, for most things, and feel deep within me that it’s a Very important lesson we must learn. Its often the lonely road, and due to that, and because of social conditioning, we kind of assume it must be wrong then. LOL.
It’s funny… when I try to get a sense for the meaning of life and what it is, etc etc, I get the feeling that it’s always more than one thing simultaneously, which I feel is the true normal, and that OUR way of thinking is the paradox lol. Like how people get hung up on free will and fate. I truly believe it could be both. ? Just thinking lol 😝
Have a wonderful day 💜😊👋
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Sky.
Yes, many people have reported a similar experience with eating meat. It’s as if an energetic wave came over them and they just simply didn’t want it anymore.
In terms of loneliness, Carl Jung spoke about that as well in regards to the individuation process. That is, when you walk your own path (instead of following what the crowds are doing), it can feel lonely. Yet, there’s no other way to come to know yourself except by not identifying with any group and finding your own path.
https://scottjeffrey.com/individuation-process/
And as you mentioned, our collective social bias toward groups and “togetherness” however, makes those that step out on their own paths feel bad about it (as if they are doing something wrong).
Sorry mate, but after spending 15 years or so sitting on the mat life can change. Maybe I am just lucky or for some reason been picked and that is why I now have a calling to help people learn about meditation and attempt to guide them. Anyway, about 10 years a ago I went through a text book awakening. A few years after I was reading the “The Path of the Hearth” by Jack Kornfield and the way he described a Satori or Kundalini awakening, I had all the signs and symptoms and now 5 years later I am still in pain from the forced Kundalini serpent smacking me in the neck upon rising. So there is both bliss and danger in awakenings or at least quick awakenings. Just sitting in Zazen can help you peel many, many layers of the your onion and each one opens up those blockages a little more each time. Also onions can make your cry and trust me I have cried for months on end empathizing with all the pain and suffering in the world. So please do not underestimate just sitting on the mat. Think of it as stirring a glass full of water and some mud. Eventually that mud will settle to the surface and you can see things so much clearer and cleaner. I have also realistic have read over 500 spiritual books and nothing compares to just sitting on the mat.
I’m sure you believe so, Gregg. After all, who would want to sit on the mat for 15 years and find out that you’ve been wasting a great deal of your time?
But I’m not certain what you’re disagreeing with exactly. I have numerous guides on this website about the benefits of meditation — both sitting and standing styles — as well as how to work with the energy of the body.
I had a yoga teacher who had taught for 20 years. He also held down a full time job. He went to India to meditation retreat. He was sat in a cave meditations and heard a voice say to him “why are you doing this, it will not make you enlightened” or words to that effect. He was furious with his yoga guru who had intimated it would, gave up yoga teaching, although he still practised the exercise element himself. He said he learned that blindly following a path isn’t the answer for sn6 of us.
It’s a common mistaken belief and misreading of the traditions that “time in a cave” is the answer. The monasteries themselves developed mainly for social and cultural reasons. Long periods of meditation in isolation reinforces a split in our psyche — the meditator vs. the everyday person. If we can’t bring the meditation with us in everything we do, its value is questionable.
Hi Scott,
Firstly I want to begin by saying thanks so much for this article and the time you took to think about it and write and share it. It has been eye opening.
I stumbled upon it by accident, well kind of (searching for something, the usual). Anyway the majority of what you discuss resonates with me. I’m going to read all your shadow articles next.
For a while I was a member of Reiki healing group and for a few years it was great. I was connecting with and healing my inner child and childhood traumas. Eventually though things began to change. Our mantra was do no harm to no living things.
Then a few years back my husband who had given up meat said to me, why, do you continue to eat meat if your mantra is do no harm to no living thing. I said, well our ‘guru’ (don’t want to assign names) said if you bless the meat and thank the animal for its sacrifice it’s okay.
Well as I said these words out loud, they came reverberating back to me, even louder. It was I had somehow flipped a switch in my conscious mind and turned on a light and (my opinion only) the idea of blessing meat seemed and excuse my inarticulate description, nonsensical.
So when I went back to the shares, knowing my ‘guru’ to be of an opened mind and related how I was feeling, but obviously less blunt and a little gentler, she put up an argument. I was taken aback a bit but continued to go.
The more I mediated and they all continued with ham sandwiches the more it felt odd to me. Then other things started coming up. And she began to say things to me like ‘I can tell your not self healing, your energy is wrong. You need to self heal’. Or, my dog died and she said to me on the phone, ‘I feel it was something to do with his heart and you’ve stopped your healing …’ implying I had done something wrong. Or I began to feel guilty. But she ended her conversation with love and light.
I still love and enjoy the practice of Reiki and find it beneficial for me personally. However, about a year ago I disconnected from the group as I started experiencing guilt when going To it. So I began to examine why was I feeling guilty for something that should be helping me.
Why am I flawed and they are not and they all feel good. Why did I begin to pretend I was getting something from this when I wasn’t. So many questions. I understand I was living in some sort of spiritual ego and not truly dealing with guilty feelings resulting from childhood traumas. That the reason I began going to these sessions disappeared.
Anyway, I’ve waffled a lot. But you’ve given me food for thought and another aspect of myself and feelings I wish to explore.
Thanks again for sharing and I am looking forward to reading your other articles.
Have a great day.
Debs.
It sounds clearly evident from your description, Debs, that you were in a cult. (Most people in cults don’t know they are in one. And most cult leaders don’t know that they are possessed by a Messiah complex and are playing the role of a cult leader.)
You might want to check out “Eyes Wide Open” by Mariana Caplan.
On the meat issue, yes, what you described is completely “normal” behavior. Our minds have all sorts of defensive mechanisms designed to keep our self-identities intact and to blind us from what we’re really doing. Otherwise, consuming flesh (of any kind — from any creature with a heart and born from a mother) will simply be unacceptable.
Also, the only reason an individual or group would need to state a rule like “do no harm” is so they can feel better about themselves while they do harm. It’s a clever tool to remain unconscious of one’s actions and behaviors.
Thanks for your reply Scott! I did try and go back and delete it. Won’t go into the reasons I’m sure you can guess.
With regards being a cult member I’ll have to think on that.
Maybe.
I suppose all religious groups and spiritual groups are cults. And we’re just the lambs that blindly follow.
It’s about time for me to do some shadow work.
Again thanks for your honest response.
Cults are everywhere, Debs.
We tend to think of cults in a very, ominous way (think Jonestown). But these cases are the extreme. Most cults are mostly benign and ideological in nature. (By some definitions, any religious congregation qualifies as a cult.)
We most often find our way into cults because we have projected our inner authority outside of ourselves. And this occurs because something went wrong during childhood.
For more context, see: https://scottjeffrey.com/psychological-projection/
Jeffrey you are very wrong about cults and whether or not they are benign.
First off, Nisha. My first name is Scott.
Second, you’re entitled to your opinion. But if you understood what I saying, you probably would have a different one.
There are destructive cults and benign cults and all manner of degrees in between. In this context, “destructive” means harmful to one’s health and psychological/emotional wellbeing.
An example of a benign cult would be Harley Davidson HOG rallies. A group of like-minded individuals who share similar values and interests gathering together.
Clearly, there’s a continuum.
Thank you for this and bless you💌
You’re welcome, Savannah.
Wow this article was informative. I’m in a very weird place in my life right now. I’ve slowly been becoming aware of my life as crazy as it sounds but before i honestly felt like life was just happening to me and i would just go by it and until i had to grow up at 17 because i moved out i started making my own mistakes and been stuck on this loop that eventually i’ve ended up here where i’m not exactly sure what’s happened but I’m definitely more aware of everything but at the same time i don’t know how to deal with this and i have tried LSD and i can say that after that i definitely had this awakening but still stuck but not as stuck as i was before idk i really suck at speaking my mind but wow this article really helped thank you
You’re welcome, Andrea.
We all live our lives mainly by scripts and repeating patterns (that is, we are mostly asleep most of the time).
As you develop greater awareness, you begin to witness your patterns and then slowly move beyond them.
Psychoactive substances can alter your state of consciousness enough to see yourself more clearly. But it takes time and “inner work” to maintain this clarity in your normal waking state.
I agree that we are running on scripts! Identifying and writing our own script was the answer for me. X
Andrea, speaking up for yourself means naming your personal values, eg, honesty, telling the truth, acting with integrity, etc, whatever is right for you. That gives you a framework for living your life. The other absolute for living with yourself is having internal boundaries. Research internal boundaries. Understanding and setting Internal is the key to feeling secure in and trusting yourself. That’s my experience for reclaiming myself from being driven by unconscious “rules” for living. Crack on girl, the fact your asking is a big sign you’ll get there.
This article has been a bit of an awakening and clarified some of my confusion around seeking enlightenment. When young I was desperate to have a one moment awakening, like Moses and the burning bush. Only now in my sixties do I realise that addressing my childhood traumas and understanding and making a relationship with my internal “parts” was necessary first. I saw a wonderfully professional therapist for 3 years, who worked with parts therapy, which worked for me. Now that I understand my internal drivers, I can focus better on spiritual development. It still feels like a challenge though! Thanks for this article. I love that I know am doing my best, most of the time, being kind in the lapses and still moving forward. My one wish for humanity is that all education establishments operate in a secular environment.
You’re welcome, Anne.
It is a daily practice for everyone. Anyone who thinks they don’t have to observe and regulate their behavior isn’t conscious of what’s being expressed through them.
Thanks for a great article with so much info i can work with and test out. May I ask, why are there so so many traps? It immediately feels daunting to the point of it is too hard, so dont bother. Then i remember eckart tolle telling me I would have those same doubting thoughts and they are lies, narratives my ego tells me. Your article points to a long road as I see now I am at the very very begining! I am 57 yo! I’ve been rooted in ego for so very long and been in the traps too. I’m terrified of facing my past, but want to try shadow work. Where to start? P.s. i appreciate you friend for answering the people who commented before me!
There are a number of different ways I can answer your question, Maggie. And the answers can take many volumes to thoroughly explain.
The reality is that our culture and society don’t support authentic psychological or spiritual development. It doesn’t appear that it ever has. Most so-called leaders (including heads of churches, businesses, families, etc) in society have serious developmental issues. And we subconsciously learn by observing the behaviors of those we perceive to be authorities. So how could our ride be smooth and easy?
There are so many traps because the traps are part of the status quo — part of the convention.
Individuation is the process of breaking free from the convention (the essential movement toward yourself). It brings up fear and loneliness and uncertainty. And to avoid these uncomfortable feelings, most people subconsciously bind themselves to the ill manners of a sick society.
Thank you. I’m fairly new to this but VERYYYYY aware the more I feed my soul I will Starve my ego 💫🔮🕉
Sure thing, Jackie.
But be careful with your languaging. If you try to “starve your ego” it can create a counterforce in your unconscious.
Your ego isn’t your enemy. A healthy ego is your ally. Many individuals in spiritual circles misunderstand this. An unhealthy ego certainly works against us, but a healthy one will enable the original spirit to work through us.
What if I am now spiritually awake and everyone around me now thinks i need to see a psychiatrist? Help
While I can’t speak to your specific situation, what you’re describing is probably normal.
Is it really a problem?
Can you be okay with other people thinking you need a psychiatrist?
Can you inquire to yourself: “Why is it so important that I have the approval of others?”
Are you sure you need to “fit in”?
From J. Krishnamurti: “It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.”
You’re doing it right. :)
Hey scott!
Love your work!
I have one question about the spiritual teachers . I agree with what you write (here and also in another guides) That we tend to cast upon them an aura of divinity and some of our disowned qualities. It is also true when you write that many of the spiritual material that we find out there make us feel good temporarily and that’s it. By the way, in my opinion, lot of the times it depends on us. Sometimes it depends on us whether to simply listen and bask in their words (teacher words) rather to also apply them in our daily life.
I am listening to David hawkins work for example and one thing is just listening in awe what he says another is letting go of fear in our daily situations for example. This message in fact is about him. I found that there are lot of books about him written by Scott Jeffrey and I was wondering if that author was you. If that is the case I am surprised to see that in your site and guides there is no reference about his work despite you wrote many books about him.
Maybe you changed your opinion about is work?
Consequently I would like to know if you think that such authors (ekart tolle as well ) guides you also through a pychological (and not only spiritual) development.
In my opinion, as implicitly stated above, yes, since if you try to implement their teachings in your daily life and not just consider them as sacred words you are very likely to find challenges (Jesus and buddas teaching as well I think) . Think about Martin Luther king who followed the teaching of the Bible in his ACTIONS and what a man he became, what a change in history he brought about!
What is your opinion about this Scott?
Thank you Scott in advance and blessing from Italy. Again I think your work is awesome!
Bye!
Hi Matteo,
Yes, I was the author of those works. I was the editor of several quote books on Hawkins (published by Hay House). I was also his authorized biographer for over 5 years (“Doctor of Truth”).
It was in the course of doing research for his biography that I began to find a tremendous amount of inconsistencies in things he stated and what the evidence clearly showed. It was my experiences in that process that help direct my attention to a lot of the information that’s presented on this website (e.g. getting to know your shadow and understanding how the psyche works).
From my perspective, what got Dr. Hawkins into trouble was that he was making “scientific” claims without any evidence to back up his statements. He turned his opinions into facts (“truth”) and made it difficult for anyone to question his assertions. (I also wrote a follow-up book that documented all of my findings while researching his biography.)
From my experience, humans don’t need “teachings” as such. We are autonomous, self-directed beings. We simply need to remember and return to what we are — not what we’ve been programmed/conditioned to be.
If you can take a nugget of information as a reminder because, at that moment, you’re disconnected from your source, then so be it. But you may be amazed at how many of the high-sounding tenets of so-called great teachers are actually ungrounded — even harmful to one’s psychology. Hawkins’ Map of Consciousness, from my experience, is such an example of this.
“But you may be amazed at how many of the high-sounding tenets of so-called great teachers are actually ungrounded”
Hey Scott what you mean by here ungrounded ? Loosing touch with reality ? Lack of practical evidence ? Or connecting to earth (grounding) like walking barefoot on sand grass etc…or loosing touch with their true essence?
Hey Shiva,
I was referring to phrases and “higher-sounding truths” by some gurus and New Age literature that sounds great (and may lift/elevate you in the moment), but upon further reflection, the same statements and assertions become nonsensical.
Here’s a quick illustration: in A Course in Miracles communities they often say “love is letting go of fear.” Sounds nice, right? But is it true? Can’t you let go of the fear of something without experiencing love? I certainly can.
But it is also true that many (most?) gurus and spiritual teachers are ungrounded. That is, they mainly live in their minds/thoughts and are divorced from their bodies. And this dissociation causes all kinds of problems. The transpersonal psychology community began making this distinction back in the 1980s. But the same thing holds true today.
Thank you scott
absolutely love this blog. Covered everything one wanted to know about this. I appreciate your time. Thanks for sharing.
Sure thing, Rian. Thanks for the feedback.
Hey Scott 🙂 I’m new to spiritual journey your articles are really helpful 🤗 what’s really starseeds indigo children light workers earth angels twin flame 3D 4D 5D etc I’m from India iam never heard these terms before but new age spirituality talk about this there is so many videos about it in YT
If they are talking truth , then why ancient spiritual books or enlightened masters, guru’s are not talking about these ? How someone know what is truth ? Main stream spirituality more into making money ? spiritual bypassing ? how to get into real deep spirituality ???
NB: English is not my first language 🙄
Hey Shiva,
These are all valid questions and astute observations.
I’m very familiar with all of the various topics you’ve mentioned. I will share a few perspectives on these topics.
I believe that most of the material on topics like “ascension” are spiritual traps.
I personally would stay away from anyone who considers themselves a “lightworker” for they are clearly divorced from their shadow. (Otherwise, they would NEVER call themselves “lightworkers.”) Only when you understand the levels of manipulation that go in within the psychic realm can you fully appreciate this.
Yes, much of these topics lead to a form of spiritual bypass. Many individuals want to jump-skip to “higher levels” without fully understanding where they are now. And in that way, they are ungrounded. And when you are ungrounded, you get easily blown in the wind of spiritual rhetoric, mind control programs, and other hidden, manipulative agendas.
As Carl Jung said, “One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.”
You asked how to get into deep spirituality. My response would be: go into the darkness — the exact opposite direction that the New Age and spiritual communities are moving in.
“You asked how to get into deep spirituality. My response would be: go into the darkness — the exact opposite direction that the New Age and spiritual communities are moving in.”
Wow it’s counter intuitive move 👏
Thank you Scott for your insight and guidance 🤗
Actually, Shiva, my sense is that moving in the direction of our darkness is quite intuitive. The higher part of us (Self) naturally leads us in this direction so that we can return to wholeness. This is one of the functions of our dreams.
So it’s not that it’s “counter-intuitive” but that it goes against our social programming and cultural conditioning — as well as various misleading information.
Really Interested I learning more about how eating meat is related to black magic ritual
You can look up the German scientist Harald Kautz Villa. He’s one of the individuals who I’ve heard breakdown this topic.
Thank you for sharing. I’m learning as my awakening unfolds and begins to manifest
You’re welcome, Rose.
Wow. I am in uttter awe right now. Thank you. You have described my path exactly since 2013. Ive been trying to understand what has been happening to me and now all signs point to a new stage of development. So much gratitude. <3 I lost my mind during thos process. And found something else.
Sure thing. These are very common patterns. Most of us simply don’t have the language or “decoder” to see what’s unfolding.
Not that common in my experience. ;)
I understand that it can often seem that way — especially when you’re evaluating it from within your own circle of people you know.
But for context, over 35,000 people have read this guide in the last 30 days. So you’re definitely not alone!
Never alone. :)
You nailed it. I have been through it all and am preparing classes to help others. Your page popped up and so much of what you say is in my material. Awakening is not for everyone but, when we decide to move towards self mastery, we are taking a big step. For me, the whole thing was definitely triggered by the opening of the heart. Namaste!
Yes, Claire, the move towards self-mastery is a shift inward toward ourselves. So this is definitely a positive transition in moving closer to our Self.
Wow, i cant believe people still fall in the trap called “ego is bad” …
sorry, but its absolutely not true.
there is no ego
and second, the sence of “I” always remain, even after the enlightenment, it just become a different perspective.
I am very sorry for all the people trying to kill their “I” , the psychiatric clinics are full of them
Where in this article does it say that the ego is “bad”?
And where does it talk to about “killing their ‘I’?
It would appear that you’re either very confused or you didn’t actually read the article presented above.
Wow this article helped ALOT. I do wished i had someone to talk to though because of my unique experience with voices guiding me.
Hi Lissa, you said “voices” (plural), which generally implies you’re hearing various archetypes/entities from within your psyche. Some of these voices may serve you for a time, but they can also deceive you. So caution and discernment are important.
wonderful nobody can explain or explore such a great way actually I am sure 100% nobody can share without self-enlightenment, you need to experience before explaining to world. thanks a lot will help out many ways in our path,
You’re welcome, Jasbir.
Be careful with terms like “self-enlightenment.” They are likely to lead to ego inflation and misunderstanding. All that’s needed is careful and patient observation combined with enough life experience. And it is accessible to everyone.
In essence, all enlightenment is “self-enlightenment.” No one can do it for you. Instruction comes from within. The problem here is language and perception. Two people looking at the same thing and each seeing something different.
You seem to have some problem with the concept of the ego, perceiving it as something “bad”. Perhaps some shadow work is required?
Fred, it seems apparent that you’re misunderstanding how the term ego is being used here.
The ego, in the context used in this guide and these comments, refers to human psychology.
Your confusion in this regard is apparent in most of the comments you’ve added here.
My statement above about the tendency toward ego inflation in terms related to enlightenment is accurate.
Also, no one said that someone can do anything for you. If you’re going to comment on other comments, please do a more careful reading of what’s being communicated.
Fred, I’d ❤️ to see you in a conversation w/ Dave Chappelle 😂🤣😂 thanks ✋ for your input putting a smile on my face at 2:38 am!
I love how you mentioned qigong. After doing a few qigong sessions I noticed an aversion to chicken and beef. A year later I’m not eating any meat due to not liking it. I ate fish until I had an aversion for that as well. I’ve been meat free for about 3-4 months. Qui gong is really amazing work.
Qigong and the internal arts are wonderful practices. Reforging our connection to our instincts and our bodies is something that can benefit anyone.
But I should note for others reading this, just because you practice qigong doesn’t mean you will develop an aversion to eating meat.
I didn’t develop an aversion to eating meat simply by practicing qigong. And I know many seasoned qigong practitioners and almost all of them eat meat.
Hi, thanks for this. Ive been on a journey of self discovery that is becoming an everyday realization of so many things. I recently lost my beloved dog of 15 years. The raw grief I felt was so intense and I cried for days, the grief moved to darkness but has now moved to feeling calmness very swiftly, I thought it was a feeling of nothing and for 1 day it was but I don’t feel ‘bad’, just different and I have such a huge belief that he has moved on to another space, I also believe the grief was letting go of everything that has caused me pain and I feel so much more empathy and forgiveness for myself and people who have hurt me. I feel this is huge and im moving into a more spiritual, I don’t feel better then anyone but is this me letting go of ego or ego still controlling me..
Hi Victoria,
Yes, grief, when processed fully, can bring us closer to ourselves.
I’m not sure I understand what you’re asking about the ego. It sounds like you’re processing the emotion of grief. What does that have to do with the ego?
Can having an awaking make you feel like you’re losing your mind?
I would say if that if you don’t feel like you’re losing your mind, it’s not an authentic experience.
(That’s part of the reason I caution people with the whole “light and love” meme. It’s disingenuous and based on ignorance.)
We go from living a “conventional life,” essentially living with a set of programs and fundamental lies.
Then, when you begin to see what’s actually going on — both within yourself and the world around you — how can you not go mad?
As Alan Watts once said, if you ever saw the entire truth all at once, you would go running mad, screaming through the streets.
That’s well worded and what I have tried in numerous ways to tell people. They don’t understand regardless of how many times or way I try because they’ve never experienced it and are stuck in their agendas and unconsciously habitual patterns of behavior, or as Timothy Leary put it, “like ants, each intent on Hir own ‘reality’ – reacting automatically to relevant cues from others” and they tend to automatically either ignore or attack whatever doesn’t “fit in.” I tell them that if they were to download my knowledge into their head they would begin screaming and never stop. If you think about it, perhaps on some level they know or sense this and it is why they avoid the truth.
In essence, death of the ego and physical death are perceived as the same, which makes sense as upon physical death, it is the ego or temporal sense of self that dies while the Spirit or eternal self remains. It’s a lot like the pupil of the eye. The ego is constricted while the Spirit is completely dilated, wide open. Yet, while in the body, we must operate from within an ego.
I forgot to add that it’s like the circumpunct or circle with a dot in the center. Ideally, we want to achieve balance between the two extremes. One is like a microscope; the other, a telescope. It is the combination of opposites, like yin and yang.
From my experiences ‘losing 1’s mind’ is necessary to reside in the light of consciousness. “Losing my mind” was liberating & transformative to the sense of well being 💫 For me, I’d say it was my egoic understanding of trying to put words to the spiritual awakening. Which is not a ‘words’ experience. It’s a feeling or knowing thing. Not debatable by words. It’s more factual in of what it feels like than something that can be articulated 🤘
IMO that 💭 was my egoic self regurgitating it’s conditioning. So, YES, I thought the same thing. Since thoughts are visitors… I asked that visitor to leave. It didn’t meaningfully serve what shift that was felt ✨
Part truth, part nonsense, and a lot of compartmentalization, which tends to happen when we absorb information from various sources which is filtered through the ego. This is largely due to “semantic spooks” in the English language; holes, blocks, which are sometimes accidental and sometimes used to deliberately mislead or brainwash. We think the parts fit together when they do not and tend to fill in blank spaces with what we “know” (or think we know.) I really don’t know how to tell people. No one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself. Until you transcend the words, you are stuck within their limitations.
“You cannot use butterfly language to communicate with caterpillars.” -Timothy Leary PhD
Fred, this article isn’t about the “Matrix” or the nature of “reality.” So it seems you have misread it.
This guide is designed to provide a deeper understanding of human psychology and behavior. It’s based on real-world practicality, not conceptual ideologies based on rhetoric.
You’re very compartmentalized, ego-bound, and completely unable to understand allegory and metaphor, Mr. Robot.
Fred, if one day you decide to get to know your shadow, you can use your last comment as a starting point. Simply take the judgments you’ve directed at me and apply them to yourself.
For example:
Compartmentalization: Everyone’s mind is compartmentalized. The first compartment we build is words and language. The second compartment is concepts and ideas. The challenge isn’t the compartments themselves, but our ability to connect them and perceive beyond them when necessary.
Ego-bound: To get to know your ego, examine your behavior carefully. You elected to scan this lengthy article and then troll through hundreds of comments before adding about a dozen comments of your own. Are those the actions of a wise or enlightened individual? Or is it clearly the behavior of someone who is ego-bound and out to prove something?
Robotic: We are all possessed by a series of archetypes throughout our lives. These archetypes represent set patterns of behavior, which do lead us to be robotic. Do you think because your use of allegories and metaphors (that you read in some other spiritual text) makes you less robotic? The archetype that appears to be in your driver’s seat is the guru archetype. The guru archetype represents a common form of inflation that can be difficult to unravel. But behind it is generally a deep feeling of insecurity. Without observing how the archetype is operating in you, you’ll continue to identify with it. And as such, you will not come to know yourself.
You really know nothing about me. You’re projecting. Everything you know or think you know isn’t the result of direct experience, but from books or other sources of information. It’s quite obvious. The map is not the territory. There’s no sense discussing this further since you are bound to those beliefs and anything I write will be translated through them – so I literally cannot get through to you.
You seem quite confused, Fred.
You say, “You really know nothing about me.”
Yet, wasn’t it you who claimed to know something about me when you laid your judgments down in the above comment? (And not the other way around.)
I simply pointed out your judgments and reflected them back to you.
Perhaps you haven’t learned this yet, but your judgments of others illuminate your projections — that is, when you judge and look down on another, it’s a clear sign you have disowned something from yourself. Otherwise, no judgment is necessary (and you wouldn’t have had the compulsion to post your comments).
And isn’t it you who’s claiming to know what I know or what I’ve arrived at via direct experience? Perhaps you see the contradiction?
You say I know nothing about you (I never claimed to). Yet, what gives you the idea you know anything about me?
All I can surmise about you is by observing your behavior. You took the time to read (or scan) this article and then trolled through the comment section posting over a dozen times now. This action alone speaks volumes about you — regardless of whatever stories you may tell yourself and how “ego-boundless” you perceive yourself to be.
You wrote, “so I literally cannot get through to you.”
I’m actually a pretty open-minded person, but in this context, Fred, no one asked you a question. So why the compulsion to pontificate? If you’ve achieved such a high state through direct experience, go enjoy it. But please go play the guru somewhere else.
(Note: this comment and my other comment above are for other readers of this website who are interested in self-leadership. These comments are not for the guru — as the guru already “knows all.”)
The mic 🎤 has officially been dropped 💣💥
This is a very informative article, thank you so much.
I have a personal question: during this summer (especially during this quarantine time), I did a lot of inner work, I got lots of insights.
One of those was this random thought that this body was not mine, the name, the skin colors, the people who I called parents, the selfie picture of that girl on FB, etc., feel like a completely alien that detached from this “self” and the only thing I owned was the soul. And at that time, the feeling was so real that I questioned many things in life, started realizing the shallow and superficial part of everything around, and felt very lonely, discontent, and meaningless. And your Shadow Work article kinda helped me to accept ALL parts of everything I see, including my shadow self.
But now, I did not have that same feeling of “alien” anymore, I felt like I was getting back to this body and this normal life.
Any thoughts? :(
It sounds to me like you experienced a state that might be called “self-transcendence” (a movement beyond the ego or personal self) and then your conscious personality reasserted itself.
This is actually quite common. The conditioning of the conscious personality is very strong since we reinforce it with our thoughts, identifications, attitudes, and behaviors each day.
When you begin to do inner work, you’ll experience moments of seeing yourself clearly (that is, you’ll be observing yourself). And when this occurs, much of the everyday conditioning begins to fall away.
In this state, most of what we do and how we perceive the world is nonsensical — and yes, foreign or “alien.”
But then, the conscious personality starts to reassert itself — a kind of clinging to the known.
Thank you, Scott, would you mind elaborate more the “personality starts to reassert itself”? and so what is the next step I should do? because I feel like switching back and forth
Sure thing, Vy.
Your conscious personality is essentially a set of programs and conditioning that you’ve come to identify as “you.” Your body, name, skin color, family background, etc — all the things that seemed foreign to you when you began to observe it more clearly.
However old you are, that’s how many years that conscious personality has been reinforcing itself.
So even though you rose above that conscious personality for a time, because it’s conditioning is strong, it says something like, “Hey, wait a minute. I’m me. Get back here.” (And then you begin identifying with it again.)
But the conscious personality isn’t the real you. The real you is closer to what the Taoists call the Original Spirit or what depth psychology simply calls the Self.
The key thing is to begin to stabilize yourself in what’s often referred to as the Center so that your Spirit can lead the way. (The conscious personality remains, but it won’t get in the way so much.)
The inner work you’re doing is important. You can augment this process by applying different centering principles as well. See this guide:
https://scottjeffrey.com/center-yourself/
Thank you Scott 😢 I actually read all those you sent a few weeks ago and been applying those in dailies without even realize those practices been becoming habits.
Will keep you updated 🙏 and very much appreciated for your whole hearted response to everyone here, not every body does this
You’re welcome, Vy.
Could you tell me if it normal have no concertration and drifting of when i communicate. Some days it so bad it worries me. Certain people i do it more with. Im having constant prob with my computor etc. Its taking me to sites that i wouldnt have gone to. Turning off when im using it. I have alot of the above signs but then i think this is too good to be true as i have been on no path and lost for most of my life. I was really believing that i had a ghost hiding things on me. Any guidance you could pass on to me would be so gratefully recieved. Thanyou sharon dodd
Sharon,
It’s difficult for me to address your questions.
Is it “normal” to drift off when you’re communicating? It’s certainly not beneficial.
Many people struggle with a lack of concentration for various reasons. There are external factors (like nutrition) and internal factors (like psychological issues). Brain fog is quite common nowadays.
I have heard accounts of people influencing their technology. And I have noticed that my emotional state appeared to influence them on numerous occasions.
Despite our mainstream perception, things like ghosts and entities do have a psychic reality to them. In Carlos Castenada’s work, Don Juan referred to them as fliers or predators.
I don’t know what guidance I can provide here though. Vigorous body movement and energetic practices may be supportive for you.
I had an unbelievable experience when meditating and I don’t know what to think of it. It involves energy entering my mind, monks holding a kings chair in my yard, symbols suddenly appearing on my forehead, feeling of absolute utopia, mind seeing the earth as it really is, me shaving my head, seeing the monks disappear right before my eyes, clicking sound I could turn on and off, neighbors witnessing some of the events, feeling of being enlightened, has changed me completely…
This is a really informative and helpful article. A good length explaining everything clearly, but not excessively. The links are good for more in depth information if you want it.
Thank you for the feedback, Helen.
💯 This material needs to be taught in schools (everywhere). To hardwire our youth while they are more vertically aligned than horizontally 🙌🏻 🙏 Best read I’ve encountered in some time 💖 TY
Great to hear. Thanks for the feedback, Fjpinaz.
The guide has really helped me 💓
From your experience, do you know what faith is? Or hope? Are these things illusory? I was just curious about your opinions on them. Both terms seem to be coming from a place of lack. But life can be challenging for all of us, I can see how potent these concepts can become. I really appreciate the article, definitely gave me a different perspective.
Mandy,
I’ll need to be careful offering my perspective on this question because words like faith and hope are emotionally-charged for many individuals.
As in most cases, the context in which a word is used is important. For example, are we talking about faith in an outside savior or faith or trust in one’s Self?
But here’s what I can say as someone who has taken an in-depth look at history: concepts like faith and hope have always been used by a small group of individuals who possess greater knowledge and resources to control and manipulate the masses who have access to less knowledge and resources.
Generally speaking, I would say hope and faith are an externally engineered concept.
– “I hope this situation will get better.”
– “I hope this will blow over.”
– “I have faith someone will come to save us.”
Hope and faith are used by those in positions of power to control the masses. Hope is looking outward for assistance. Hope and belief are tools of control. Hope strips you of your innate power and natural abilities. Hope and faith put us in a trance state, creating passivity and helplessness.
While hope places our energy outside of us, heart constellates our energy within us. It strengthens our resolve and helps us access the Spirit within us. The innate power of our energy and Spirit may be limitless. Yet, this system we find ourselves in seems engineered to cut us off from our hearts. Nevertheless, our internal energy holds great, untapped power.
Very informative thank you
I recently woke up to a full effect enlightenment that lasted 2 wks.i felt unusually hot 2 days before hand,& felt as if something was coming.
It was very intense& truly amazing. Every 4′ days it became less intense. Now I feel enhanced & far more aware of my natural self& state& what you say resonates completely.
Thank you
Brother, I Salute You. I am only Beginning to Enjoy Being Truly Stupid. Gratitude.
Well i must Thankyou, this was a very well written informative read x karen
You’re welcome, Karen.
My spiritual awakening started 3yrs ago. It has been a very interesting experience. The ego has been a huge factor in this process. I do not relate or connect with the ego. Materialism is no longer a gauge of my success. I do feel I suffer from ego deflation. I need to work on that. Any guidance there would be appreciated.
Jeff, you wrote, “I do not relate or connect with the ego.”
This is not necessarily a positive and beneficial thing. Generally, it means that you’re dissociating from your ego. Remember, your ego is simply your “sense of I”.
If you truly didn’t relate to your ego as “you,” then you wouldn’t say that you’re suffering from “ego deflation.” One thought contradicts the other.
This suggests that you’re confused in your terminology, but also that you’re likely confused in your internal experience.
The psyche is built on opposites. Until we stabilize ourselves in the “Center,” we most often toggle between self-doubt (deflation) and grandiosity (inflation). Just because you’re experiencing one side now, doesn’t mean you can’t flip to the other pole moments from now.
If you’re feeling “less than” others, that suggests that you’re “projecting up” onto others. It means that you’re possessed by the passive pole of the shadow. You are playing the weak side while repressing the side that seeks to dominant others. (Again, the psyche is built on opposites.)
There’s no simple answer to how to bring things into balance, but getting to know your shadow is an essential part of the individuation process:
https://scottjeffrey.com/shadow-work/
Hey Scott , continuous use of LSD DMT magic mushrooms peyote Ayahuasca these substances cause psychological addiction ??? Why we use these for spiritual journey ? I feel using substance for spiritual growth is spiritual bypassing… if truly these substance helpful for trauma healing inner growth self awareness psychic abilities mindfulness etc… then why people respond differently to this stuff ? Some of them get positive result and some people loose touch with reality … others use for escaping from their painful life or responsibilities in life ( spiritual escapism). Maybe psychedelics not for everyone .. but if you have empty pocket then spirituality is not for you … these so called spiritual high vibrating places plant medicine ceremony initiations guidance and teachings from enlightened masters so expansive…
Hey Shiva,
Psychedelics and mind-altering substances are a large subject category and a lot can be said on the topic to give it proper context and treatment. As you’ve pointed out, they can be a mixed bag. And if you research how mind-altering substances were introduced to the “modern world,” it’s understandable why.
Traditionally, substances like Ayahuasca (DMT) were used as sacraments, distributed by a village’s shaman, used for a very specific reason, at a specific dosage, in a specific setting. Today, it’s all more of a “free-for-all.”
While psychedelics can certainly provide therapeutic benefits when used with the right “set and setting” (mindset/consciousness and environment), repeated use demonstrates a lack of understanding. Also, what you said is true, for many individuals (perhaps most), psychedelics can take an already divided mind and make it more fragmented. In many cases, the users of these substances end up fostering more ego inflation and grandiosity. So caution is advisable.
Part of the problem may be that some people use these substances under the guise of a “spiritual journey” (as you suggested) instead of using it for “psychological integration” (that is, getting to know your psyche).
In my practice presently, I have found that I have moved into a flowing Grace that has ignited my energy body! It’s blessing has opened me to a wholeness that seems to know no bounds…Ecstatic Bliss that needs no conscious call out! Namaste
Ive been struggling with my inner self for a long time and this has really helped. Thank you
You’re welcome, Stuart.
But to clarify, no one struggles with their inner self. The struggle occurs when we’re not accessing our Self; the struggle is with the ego’s or mind’s resistance.
This honestly was the best article I’ve read all year.
Wow, thank you for the feedback, Passia.
Enlightened teacher ‘Beyond Imogen’ eats nothing but meat. AFTER her awakening, her intuition guided her to switch from veganism to carnivore. Although it was against what she’d previously done, she followed this guidance because is was quite simply what her body was telling her she needed.
Sarah, there are so many things concerning about your comment that I don’t know where to begin.
First, the “enlightened teacher” monicker.
Second, “after her awakening,” as if a flash of lightning came upon her and now she was “enlightened.” This is a popular “new age” conception.
Third, so-called “enlightenment” invariably does not mean an individual knows their unconscious (or their psyche). That is, they fail to differentiate a part of their psyche (an archetype) that is conditioned to eat meat and is craving meat from their “intuition.” It’s all the same to them. Due to their ego inflation (from identifying themselves as “enlightened”, they assume their intuition is always right when it’s probably wrong at least 50% of the time.
Hey Scott , 😄 //
they assume their intuition is always right when it’s probably wrong at least 50% of the time. // How we know that our intuition is right ? Based on consistency , clarity or calm feeling ? How can someone identify that’s was his intuition or fear ? Intuition and instincts is same thing ?
Do you believe in psychic abilities channelling higher dimensional being and talking with spirits and dead people clairvoyance etc… suppose this things real then why we don’t use to catching murders and finding missing people , discovering medicine for deadly illness, predicting natural calamities and if astral projection possible why we waste money to sending satellites to other planets to study and research simply just use these people’s other worldly gifts…
why these kind of people’s life is mess ? Mental illness addictions toxic relationship etc..why they don’t use these gifts to improving their life . only preaching why they don’t apply guidance their life . words and actions are not aligned .. how can we trust them ? How can these self proclaimed gifted people guide others ? Save humanity ? They teach like they know everything giving guidance for people but no solutions for their life issues
👉 Sorry for murdering English language ✍💁🙈
Hey Shiva,
“How we know that our intuition is right?”
That’s the thing. You don’t know if it’s correct unless/until it comes to pass. Our minds don’t keep an accurate record of the times our intuition was accurate versus the times when it was wrong.
Intuition and instincts aren’t the same things. Instincts are more closely tied to our biology/body. Intuition is more associated with an “inner knowing.”
In terms of your questions about psychic abilities, answering each of your questions adequately would require a lengthy article.
But I think you’re asking the right kinds of critical questions that can ultimately save you a lot of time.
There’s a reason that these topics you mentioned were not given an emphasis in this article on spirituality.
I am SO glad to have found this guide! It was the first page that popped up on my Google search for spiritual awakening and I feel like I have learned A LOT already! I skimmed through the article but I downloaded it so I can print it out and study it. I also want to visit all the links in this article like “shadow work” and so on. This is something I really need in my life right now. I have lived with guilt, anger, grief, and fear for far too long! Great article!! 5 stars!!
That’s great to hear, Jamie. Thanks for the feedback.
Just a heads up: I have updated the guide on this page numerous times, but I rarely update the PDF download. So you’ll find the most current version of this (and other) guide on the website itself.
I have had a spiritual awakening after a near death experience. I have also woken up with a spirit attachment. Can you help me?
This is not an area I can provide any insight or assistance in. It’s possible that a highly skilled Reiki practitioner may be able to help you.
Good evening,
Growing up in a dysfunctional home has left me emotionally unstable and wary about any relationships, though I’ve done okay navigating to where I am currently, atleast in a societal view (or after reading your article my ego self perceives it as successful ‘enough’).
Is there such thing as “spiritual regression?” Where as I used to experience a much more spiritual heightened reality where as I do no longer…?
I am also concerned that this is a negative spiral to nihilism. I am internally conflicted because my once spiritual/religious self threatened my ego ? Do I feel this way because I have challenged my ego or because I’ve challenged my self?
Where does the line of spirit (self) and reality (ego) go, or is this the whole point of “yin and yang” accepting a balance of it?
In spirituality I have experienced Lucid dreaming, sleep paralysis (different extremes) ESP, “halluncinations” but in my current life where I have basically rejected everything “nonsense” except that God exist because a Creator must exist in order for there to be Creation. But did the creator create the different demensions?
Basically I am needing wisdom from someone who embraces spirituality and reality with a sound mind to guide me. Perhaps I have been delaying and existential crisis or am in the midst of it.
You’ve presented a great many questions here, each of us can take an essay or two to answer adequately. I’ll address each one on a cursory level.
“Is there such thing as “spiritual regression?” Where as I used to experience a much more spiritual heightened reality where as I do no longer…?
There is something in the transpersonal literature about “regression in the service of transcendence.” But that doesn’t seem to be what you’re describing here. It’s normal to go through a stage where you experience certain states and then stop. Spiritual “states” are accessible to everyone. “Spiritual “stages” that are more permanent generally require inner training. Also, it’s natural for you to acclimate to certain experiences where they don’t seem out of the ordinary anymore.
“Spirit vs ego”
These questions relate to the nature of our divided minds. The psyche is built on tensions of opposition. Balancing these tensions requires a great deal inner work (integrating the shadow) so that more stability can be experienced from your Center. Otherwise, this toggling dynamic tends to persist.
“In spirituality I have experienced Lucid dreaming, sleep paralysis (different extremes) ESP, “halluncinations” but in my current life where I have basically rejected everything “nonsense” except that God exist because a Creator must exist in order for there to be Creation. But did the creator create the different dimensions?”
This line of questioning opens up too many rabbit holes to adequate address here. Generally, when you reject something, you are creating another divide within yourself. This occurs because the mind has a difficult time dealing with the complex nature of reality.
Absolutely fabulous. Loved every word you said, because it came from a deep space of understanding.
Thank you for the feedback, Anindita.
I left eating non-veg because I felt it was cruel and the work of demons to kill someone to eat. Though it tastes good every time I see it I feel sad and depressed to see someone killed and lying in the plate for someone to eat.
I am stuck in my own head and most of what I feel is guilt and remorse. I hope I can get beyond this. If I died right now I think I would be bad, lingering energy. Like the dementors. Eh, hell. Who knows
The more we try to “move to the light” the more the darkness within us grows. The key is to hold to our Center, which is neutral — not to become an agent of the “light.”
So interesting, these informations are really helpful thanks :)
Just stumbled upon this post while trying to nail down the correct verb for a piece I am working on. The confusing answer: ‘awake’, ‘awaken’, ‘wake’, waken’ are are technically correct.
I am thankful for my initial confusion though, because it led me here. Great bit of info! I’ve been a casual study of Taoist principals for 25 years (it began with The Tao of Pooh) and through your post I realized that while taking a rather lackadaisical approach I am at least meandering about in close proximity of the path I yearn to travel and your clear cut way of explaining this subject inspired me to re-evaluate many things that can only result in further enlightenment.
Thank you, sir.
-Sully
Sounds good, Sully. You’re welcome.
Thank you