Awakening and Enlightenment

At a recent event, someone asked me what is awakening and enlightenment. I can understand the confusion because therapists, the spiritually inclined, and lightworkers from all walks of life use the words “awakening” and “enlightenment” in a variety of different ways. So, when I respond to a question, like this, be aware that my response will only represent my understanding of any given thing in this moment in time.

Any definition of anything is an attempt to cement an idea in time and space, and this is a psychological fantasy because our world, our universe, is not stagnant. Nothing remains the same. Everything is in the process of growing, expanding, and evolving, but having these definitions and understandings can help us navigate the landscape as we make our way through the 3D terrain.

That said, in my practice, I work with people at many stages of their lives, whether they are working their way through the 7 Phases of Personal Growth, or the 7 Phases of Spiritual Growth. In the work that I do, I see Awakening as that first transitionary step between living one’s life from a personal perspective to living life spiritually, beyond physicality.

Life is more accurately a continuum and it’s like an ever-morphing liquid. Delineation of lines is difficult at best, but for those who work with individuals who are progressing through this continuum, it can be very helpful for us to quickly evaluate where someone is at, so that we can help them progress further in the most effective manner.

Certainly, there are many kinds of awakening that occur throughout an individual’s life, and I do not discount anyone’s use of the vernacular in any manner. I refer only to my now work, which is subject to change at any moment.

Awakening, while it may occur in brief clips throughout one’s disillusionment, is predominantly expressed as that moment in time (which can be a prolonged experience) where your eyes are opened to the world as it is, not as you’ve been led to believe. You begin to understand that things are not as they appear, and that there is a system in place to keep this knowledge from getting out.

During the process of awakening your thoughts systems are challenged, and since you’ve been programmed for judgment, fear and punishment, right and wrong, good and bad, sacred and evil, just and unjust, forgiveness and revenge, you utilize these very thought systems in an attempt to make sense of it all.

In this phase you are breaking free from the mass consciousness, having independent thought and playing in the unlimited field of endless possibilities, while exercising your sacred divinity. This is a mind-blowing experience, which could feel like a psychotic episode, at first. For after all, how could it be possible that the whole world is living a lie?

As you awaken, you start to live your life in a way that honors the world in a different way, Even if you’re initially feeling more separate from the rest of the world at this time, you have an understanding that you are actually a part of the people soup. You are a growing, expanding, evolving component of the whole, and your continued evolution plays an integral part in the evolution of mass consciousness, as more and more of us continue to awaken.

This leads you on a new path in which heads in the direction of enlightenment.

Just as “Awakening” has many definitions and facets, so does “Enlightenment,” as there are so many perceptions and uses of it throughout our society, culture, and among those who are expanding in consciousness.

In my work, I see enlightenment as the gateway between Phase 3 (Master) and Phase 4 (Cosmic Consciousness) among the 7 Phases of Spiritual Growth. This is when the individual begins to shed one’s individuality, which to me represents the part of one’s journey beyond the confinements of this third dimension.

Enlightenment is a progression following awakening. You are just trying to make your way in a new world full of chaos and love which was unrecognizable prior to your awakening and enlightenment is the process of letting go of the bondage of your humanity, while embracing all of your divine human attributes and abilities, without judgment.

Enlightenment is a negative-energy-free-zone. Enlightened people have a higher perspective and understanding, do not see any separation in people or anything in the world or the universe, yet can fully appreciate the divinity in each individual expression, experience, or perspective.

From the vantage point of enlightenment, everything is good and plays a sacred part in everything getting better all the time, no matter what it looks like on the surface.

When fully enlightened, there is no drama, no judgment, no separation, only peace, and harmony, even in the face of chaos. For the chaos is divine in itself, for the sacred transformation or evolution may not be possible without clear demarcation between a prior state and the state following growth, expansion, or evolution, and this process can be abrupt, shocking, and painful.

Admittedly, any recognition of spiritual exposure or interaction at any time in anyone’s life, whether amidst the personal or spiritual growth process, would also qualify as being exposed to, or engulfed in, the light of the higher presence, which is also referred to enlightenment, if it is recognized as such.

Awakening and enlightenment are not states of consciousness that you just step into. They are processes that take time to progress through.