Signs of Awakening

Awakening rarely announces itself. More often a person simply notices, over months, that they are no longer who they were: that old pleasures have gone flat, that they feel more than they used to, that something is asking for their attention. This page describes the changes most commonly reported, and what helps.

Twelve Common Signs

1. A sense that something is missing. Life may be going well by every outer measure, and yet there is a restlessness, a feeling that there must be more.
2. Loss of interest in what used to matter. Ambitions, entertainments and even friendships that once absorbed you no longer hold you.
3. Heightened sensitivity. Crowds, noise, harsh lighting, violent stories and unkind talk become hard to bear. Beauty and kindness move you more than before.
4. A need for solitude and quiet. You find yourself seeking time alone, and time in nature.
5. Waves of old emotion. Grief, anger or fear arise with no present cause, and pass more quickly if they are allowed.
6. Vivid dreams. Dreams become more memorable and more meaningful. You may dream of teachers, temples or flight.
7. Meaningful coincidence. The right book, person or phrase appears at the right moment, too often to dismiss.
8. A stronger inner voice. Intuition becomes clearer and harder to ignore. You know things without knowing how.
9. A changed relationship with time. Hours vanish in stillness. The past loosens its hold and the future worries you less.
10. Deepening compassion. You find it harder to judge. The suffering of others, and of animals, touches you directly.
11. A longing for home. A homesickness for somewhere you cannot name. The Venusian Council says that this is memory.
12. The wish to be of use. You begin to ask what you are here to give.

Few people experience all twelve, and they do not come in order. If you recognized yourself in several, you are in good company. This is the stage the teachings call the Call.

Changes in the Body

Many people on the path also report physical changes: altered sleep, shifts in appetite, periods of unusual tiredness or unusual energy, sensations of warmth or tingling during meditation. The teachings explain these as the body adjusting to a higher frequency.

Please read this carefully. Physical symptoms can have many causes, and some of them need treatment. Never assume that a symptom is spiritual in origin. Anything that is persistent, painful, frightening or new should be assessed by a qualified health professional. The Masters have said repeatedly, through our circle, that they work with medicine and not against it, and that caring properly for the body is part of the path.

When It Is Difficult

The clearing stage of the path can be hard. Old pain surfaces. Certainties dissolve. There may be a period in which the old life has ended and the new one has not yet taken shape, and the person feels alone and without direction. The mystics called this the dark night. It is not a sign that something has gone wrong. It is the emptying that comes before the filling.

It helps to know that it passes, and that it passes more gently when it is not resisted. It also helps a great deal to have company. Talk to someone you trust.

A further note of care. Spiritual awakening and emotional distress can look alike, and they can occur together. If you are feeling hopeless, are unable to manage daily life, or are hearing or seeing things that frighten you or tell you to harm yourself or others, please seek help from a doctor or mental health professional without delay. Doing so is not a failure of faith. It is exactly what the Archangels would guide you to do.

What Helps

• Rest. More than you think you need. The body does much of its adjusting in sleep.
• Water, plain food and fresh air. Unglamorous and effective.
• Time out of doors. Bare feet on the ground, if you can. The Earth steadies what the light stirs up.
• A daily practice, kept short. Ten minutes of stillness is enough. See Daily Practices.
• The violet flame for what is heavy, and Archangel Michael for what is frightening.
• Gentleness with yourself. Kuan Yin's teaching applies here above all: be as gentle with yourself as you would be with a frightened child.
• Ordinary life. Keep your commitments, see your friends, do the washing up. The ordinary is an anchor.

Questions People Ask