What does a spiritual awakening feel like, and how do you navigate one?

A ‘spiritual awakening’ is one of those things we so often hear about, from celebrities, in TV shows and in all sorts of wellness books. Many people who have been through one describe it as a greater sense of awareness or groundedness, a new, wider perspective on life or a deep sense of purpose. Basically, we want one. The thing is, how do you know if you’re actually going through one?

We spoke to Betty Andrews, spiritual life and business coach, founder of Woo Woo and author of What the Eff is Happening to Me? A Modern Guide to Spiritual Awakening, to find what a spiritual awakening actually feels like and how to navigate it once you’re on that path. 

What is a spiritual awakening and what causes it?

Truthfully, nobody can prepare you for a spiritual awakening. There aren’t really words to describe it. But I’m going to give it a go anyway. A spiritual awakening is really coming back to yourself, and it’s an awareness of a new reality, and who you truly are. You’ll feel called to uncover the true meaning and purpose of life, and once you start, there’s no real going back. You start questioning reality, the government, consumerism, and people’s intentions. EVERYTHING. It’s like in The Matrix, when Neo takes the red pill. 

Suddenly, things that you used to accept without question, may no longer make sense to you. The first thing you’ll most likely do? Lots of research, because you might feel like nobody around you gets it, or can explain it. I found myself going down the rabbit hole of #conspiracytok and it helped a lot more than a lot of the resources out there.

My second awakening was during the pandemic, and I suddenly didn’t have any distractions and had to finally deal with the childhood trauma that I’d been avoiding my whole life… It was through trying to look for every healing modality that my awakening really began. I stumbled upon energy healing and after my first session, my Reiki healer, Kati Ackerman, made me aware I had an ‘entity’ attached to me, (confirmed by an acupuncturist a week later), and after having to remove it, my whole world was turned upside down. I was seeing spirits, had to have that entity removed (twice), met my spirit guides, got very strong psychic visions and honestly thought I was going mad. But then, I remembered I’d actually seen a lot of this as a child and blocked it out. But over the last three years, I’ve learned the tools and techniques you need, to not feel like you’ve taken too much acid and gone mad. 

To be honest, no one specific thing causes a spiritual awakening, it’s different for everyone. One thing I do know? It’s not love and light. It is facing and healing what hurt you. It’s a lot of crying, feeling alone and being scared.  And coming back to yourself. The thing that starts it, could be a life-changing event, a personal crisis, a transformative experience or even a simple conversation that makes you question everything you thought you knew. It could also be a combination of things such as therapy, meditation, yoga, or even a new hobby. But one thing’s for sure, it’s always a journey within yourself that leads to the realisation of your true purpose and connection to the universe. And ultimately it’s the beginning of your spiritual journey and peeling back the layers until you feel aligned with yourself and your place in the world.

What are the signs you’re going through a spiritual awakening?

Some symptoms of awakening can include changes in hermit mode (trying to figure out what the hell is happening), energy levels, emotional ups and downs, and heightened sensitivity to your surroundings. You might also experience physical symptoms like headaches and fatigue. These do pass and are part of the process.