Spiritual Awakening and Support.
The path of a spiritual awakening expresses itself in many ways.
In our times, we see changes in the form the process of a spiritual awakening takes. Traditionally, spiritual awakenings would occur in people who consciously searched for the spiritual and longed for a deeper meaning in life. We currently witness an increase in people coming to us because they have already experienced signs of a spiritual awakening within.
What is a spiritual awakening?
Contrary to popular beliefs, a genuine spiritual awakening is not connected to extraordinary phenomena happening outside yourself, nor is it as romantic or pleasurable as many expect. The spiritual path is within you. It is individual and can be pretty uncomfortable. It does not follow a specific timetable; it takes time to unfold. If such a process is taken seriously and supported well, you will gradually return to a more natural state; God, the Universe, or whatever word you’d like to use, has already provided you with everything you need.
You have only forgotten who you truly are.
A spiritual awakening is about remembering. There is nothing to add to you, but a lot of conditioning can be removed to make room for your genuine self to come forward. This is a process of unlearning.
As Rumi says: “You do not have to search for love; you just have to remove the barriers you have built against it”
It is a myth that whoever enters the spiritual path will become enlightened, and neither is there a goal. In general, following a genuine spiritual path will enable you to understand and live your life better by unfolding yourself.
The Seeker
The seekers have, somewhere in their lives, chosen to explore what we call spirituality. There are many reasons for this choice, far too many to mention them all. For many, it has been a feeling of something missing in their lives; for some, curiosity is an inner urge or pull toward the unknown. One or several extraordinary experiences can also make them aware of a more transcendent reality. A common trait for all seekers is exploring different spiritual traditions; some find one that resonates with their inner experiences.
A genuine seeker who develops determination, commitment, and sincerity will soon find their way through the ancient path of unlearning/purification. To become pure is to become free from distinctions and differences, from the conditioning that forces us into unnatural behavior and role-playing.
Sufis say: When you are ready, your teacher will appear. The spiritual path requires patience, perseverance, sincerity, acceptance, and an increasing trust in the unknown. We offer guidance and friendship to support genuine seekers on their way.
The Sought
Some people experience an actual spiritual awakening, which our society will often not recognize as such. Sometimes, they are unaware of what is happening themselves; they seem to encounter difficulties and severe challenges for no apparent reason. They often face opposition within their societies; it is difficult for them to fit in, and they cannot meet the expectations of their surroundings. They can spend a lot of energy trying to adapt with little or no results. Often, these individuals will soon stop talking with others about their inner life or experiences because their experiences and feelings are not seen or recognized, let alone understood. A sense of shame can also become present; such inner experiences seem very peculiar.
A spiritual awakening, which happens spontaneously or for a reason, often leads to a disturbance in an individual@s physical and mental realms. They can have an extensive medical history without any diagnosis. Still, even without diagnosis, there can be persistent signs and signals of something within them. To mention some of these signs: feelings of electricity in the body, heat waves, mental confusion, arousal of energy, waves of bodily and mental comfort or discomfort.
“In the degree that man realizes the existence of the Indwelling Spirit immanent within your being, so will you rise in the spiritual scale of life. This is what spiritual development means – the recognition, realization, and manifestation of the Spirit.” Source: The Kybalion
Often, we meet people with a spiritual awakening who receive some therapeutical treatment they do not find helpful. It is not the case that most people who experience mental or physical inconveniences automatically are in a spiritual awakening process.
A genuine spiritual teacher can discern a spiritual awakening from mental or physical issues and provide individual support and guidance for a spiritual awakening process. The support and guidance from the spiritual teacher are not to be seen as a replacement for any regular treatment of an active or latent mental, emotional, or physical disease.
Spiritual Bypass
A conscious or unconscious reason why some people become attracted to spirituality is because of their difficulties coping with life. To escape from the struggle of life, they search for spiritual experiences and highlights outside of themselves. This we call a spiritual bypass, a path of self-deception leading to illusions.
Self-deception can be experienced not only by newcomers but by any spiritual seeker on the path, especially when you are alone. Having a friend/spiritual teacher to accompany you on the path is very helpful to prevent this from happening.
A genuine spiritual quest is embodied and frees you gradually from illusions about yourself.
Contact: info@shamali.org
SU/AS
