There’s no doubt that a spiritual awakening can be one of the most profound and life-changing experiences a person can go through.
But what if it all goes wrong? What if instead of leading to a life of bliss and enlightenment, it leads to pain, suffering, and confusion?
In this blog post, I’m going to share with you 8 ways my spiritual awakening ruined my life, and how you can avoid the same fate.
But first –
What is the meaning of ‘spiritual awakening’?
A spiritual awakening is a profound experience that occurs when an individual realizes their connection to a higher power. It comes with an opportunity to take control over what they want for themselves and others.
When a person is “awakened” and given a new purpose in life, they can experience what some call “enlightenment,” “rebirth,” or “nirvana.” It isn’t just about stepping back from your regular routine but rather waking up with an attitude that there are different things worth living for.
Having said that, understand that the spiritual awakening process is a long and difficult one.
It requires a lot of faith and patience to fully embrace the timing of the path that’s been set by something greater than you.
How did my spiritual awakening experience ruin my life?
Spiritual awakening can lead to a lot of changes – some good, and some bad. There’ll always come a point when you wish things had gone a different way or could’ve been easier.
It wasn’t the greatest of times when it came to my spiritual awakening journey.
1) I became disconnected from my loved ones
As I lost my sense of self, I also became increasingly distant from the people closest to me.
My spiritual awakening caused me to lose my old relationships. I no longer felt like I could relate to them or share their life experiences. I felt alone and lost, even though they were right there with me all along.
The fact is, I didn’t want to be around anyone who didn’t understand what was going through.
I didn’t really know what happens when you spiritually awaken. I also didn’t know anyone who had gone through this process, so I didn’t know what to expect after a spiritual awakening.
So what did I do?
I isolated myself. I avoided every chance to catch up with old friends or spend time with my family. I was too wrapped up in my own world to be interested in anyone else’s.
I could go on and on, but the only thing I found was more isolation and loneliness.
Eventually, I had to face the fact that I needed my loved ones in order to heal. It was a hard realization throughout this awakening process, and one I wish I didn’t have to go through.
- Are you going through the same with your relationships?
I realized that being alone was hurting me more than it helped me in this process of becoming spiritually awakened.
You see, when you’re going through a hard time with your life, it’s easy to want to be alone so no one can see how much pain you’re feeling.
So I pushed myself to reconnect with my friends and family. I started to reach out more often, even if it was just for coffee or a quick phone call here and there.
The main thing was that I was re-engaging with the people who loved me. And it made all the difference in my healing process.
I also learned to reach out and connect with others who have gone through a similar journey as mine. They became my spiritual teachers because of the true stories of spiritual awakening they’d share and the support they offered.
This is what I want you to do, too: reconnect with those closest to you and find people you can connect with, who understand what’s going on in your life right now.
Allow yourself to be vulnerable with others again.
Spiritual awakening ruined my life because I forgot that fact for a while there and shut everyone out from helping me heal.
Don’t make the same mistake!
As cliché as it may sound, as human beings, we’re not meant to be alone. Reconnecting with loved ones, and seeking out those who understand spiritual awakening, can only help in your healing process.
2) I struggled to find a job that resonated with my new world view and values
It’s not easy to explain how spiritual awakening ruined my life because many people are only familiar with its positive aspects.
The truth is, spiritual awakening can also bring a lot of challenges into your life that you may not be prepared for. That included my professional career.
After college, I found myself at a crossroads. I had the opportunity to begin a career as a professional actor, but I felt like that wasn’t in line with my new values.
The thing is, being in show business requires a lot of time and energy to be put into your appearance. Even if you had raw talent, you had to market yourself to build your name. And in order to do that, you have to present a certain image to the world.
That just wasn’t in line with my new values as someone who was trying to live a more authentic life.
So I struggled for months as I tried to find a job that resonated with my new values. At first, it was extremely challenging because I had only known life as someone who was chasing fame and success.
But after about six months of searching for the right job, I finally found something that fit me perfectly. And after 15 years, I’m still in the same line of work.
- Do you have the same thing on your mind?
Going through spiritual enlightenment as you forge your own career path can be a very challenging process. It’s not easy to find a job that you’re passionate about, and it can be even harder if you feel like your old career wasn’t in line with your values.
Remembering the past, a lot of my new values clashed with the values that I had been living my life by. And it caused a lot of tension and conflict in choosing my career path.
But I shifted gears as I became more spiritually awake because I realized that what brought me joy in the past didn’t matter anymore.
Let me clarify: I’m not saying that the things I enjoyed before only brought about negativity. It’s just that my perspective on life had changed and what once brought me happiness no longer did.
That was a difficult realization to come to terms with, especially since it meant changing the course of my professional life.
Frankly, I’ve never been happier.
So if you find yourself going through a shift in your old beliefs and values, don’t be discouraged by the challenges that come with it. It may take a long time, but it’s definitely possible to find a job that resonates with you and your values.
You’ll have a new perspective on how your professional life will develop after everything falls into place. And you’ll be left with nothing else but your true passion and purpose.
3) I lost my real sense of identity
Growing up, I was always told to discover my sense of self and when I do, own it.
And I thought I did.
Over the years, I’ve redefined and reinvented myself countless times. I was a star athlete in high school, a skilled theater actor in college, and now, a corporate professional.
I was never who I wanted to be and always finding ways to escape my life… until the day when everything changed.
When spiritual awakening came into my life, it all made sense. I no longer felt lost, without purpose, or directionless in any way whatsoever anymore because now there’s this new path laid out before me.
But along with that came the loss of my old identity. Who was I now that I wasn’t an athlete or an actor? What perception should I have of myself?
I went through a destructive process. I struggled to find out who I was and what my new purpose in life was. It was like a charade that I was putting up for myself and for others to see, which led to a lot of confusion and angst in my early twenties.
It wasn’t until much later that I realized it wasn’t just about finding my purpose, but also living in alignment with the universe.
You see, when you go through a spiritual awakening, everything changes. Your perspective, your values, and the way you see the world all change.
And for me, it was very disruptive. I couldn’t make sense of the world anymore and felt completely lost. Suddenly, my biases about relationships, love, and life were challenged.
I didn’t know who to trust anymore because my ego had been shattered into pieces by the experience of waking up spiritually. And I thought if only there was some kind of way that people could help guide me through this process so it wasn’t such a shock to my system – then maybe things would turn out differently.
It was as if I were living in a different world and everything that once mattered to me no longer held any significance.
My world turned upside down, and I had no idea how to put it back together again. For a while there, it felt like my life was over because I felt worthless and I couldn’t recognize myself anymore.
It took a lot of time, patience, and self-love to finally find my footing again.
- Are you feeling the same way?
It’s hard, isn’t it? To lose all sense of who you are and what defined you for so long.
I had so many deep-rooted illusions about who I was and my own power. And through my enlightenment awakening, I realized that these social constructs were nothing more than an illusion.
To be honest, these misconceptions continue to lurk at the back of my mind, even if they’re not so much a part of what’s going on in my head right now. It’s hard to let go of something that I’ve clung to for so long.
But I understand that it’s not so much about finding myself, but rather letting go of all those illusions that gave me a sense of security that never were in the first place for me at all.
If you’re going through the spiritual awakening process and you feel you’ve lost yourself, know that it’s normal.
Just give yourself some time and space to find your way again. Find comfort knowing that there’s no one right answer or path to awakening to the truth – just what works for you.
The only way to get clarity on your spiritual path is to not resist the change but to embrace it, even when it feels like everything’s falling apart. There’s a lot of power in authenticity and owning who you are, even if society tells you that you’re not good enough or that doesn’t fit into their mold of what they think is right.
Stand in your power and own it. You are enough.
- Do you want to unleash your personal power?
You see, so much of what we believe to be reality is just a construction. We can actually reshape that to create fulfilling lives that are in line with what matters most to us.
The truth is:
Once we remove the social conditioning and unrealistic expectations our family, education system, even religion has put onto us, the limits to what we can achieve are endless.
I learned this (and much more) from the world-renowned shaman Rudá Iandé. In this excellent free video, Rudá explains how you can lift the mental chains and get back to the core of your being.
A word of warning, Rudá isn’t your typical shaman.
He’s not going to reveal pretty words of wisdom that offer false comfort.
Instead, he’s going to force you to look at yourself in a way you have never before. It’s a powerful approach, but one that works.
So if you’re ready to take this first step and align your dreams with your reality, there’s no better place to start than with Rudá’s unique method.
Here’s a link to the free video again.
4) My feelings of empathy were a blessing and a curse
The journey to self-awareness can lead you down a path that’s filled with compassion and empathy. But as much as it’s a blessing to be able to feel the pain and suffering of others, it can also be a curse.
In the past, I’d often find myself feeling overwhelmed with the negative energy of other people and their situations. If my friend calls me and is venting about their relationship problems, I’d feel it in my body as if it were my own.
As a result, I couldn’t set boundaries to protect myself from the negativity of others. I felt drained and exhausted.
I was often more anxious than I could handle emotionally.
- Do you feel the same empathetic feeling?
The enlightening process may be a wonderful feeling, but it doesn’t come without some drawbacks.
I felt more sensitive and compassionate towards those around me who were suffering. I was more understanding of what their problems really meant even if, on an emotional level, I could only empathize.
But it wasn’t easy.
I had to learn that I can’t carry everyone’s burden on my shoulders and that I need to set healthy boundaries with people. I can’t save the world, but I can make a difference in my own life.
And by taking care of myself first and foremost, I’m then able to help other people more effectively.
If you’re not careful, this can be one of the negative things about a spiritual awakening that can lead to a challenging life.
Set boundaries for yourself and protect yourself from the negativity of others. You don’t need to be a hero all the time.
Remember, you’re not responsible for their pain, only for your own.
5) I felt like finding true love wasn’t in the cards for me
As a person’s relationships can change completely when they become spiritually awakened, it’s not a stretch to say that finding true love can be more difficult.
When I became spiritually awakened, I felt like finding true love wasn’t in the cards for me. It was a real struggle for me because I knew deep down that I wanted to start my own family.
My love life during my early adult years wasn’t going too well. I had a number of crushes and relationships, but they couldn’t seem to connect with me the way I had hoped.
For a long time, I felt lonely. I was desperate to find someone who could understand me and love me for who I am. But the more I looked, the less lucky in love I felt.
Eventually, I stopped looking and decided to focus on myself. I started working on my personal growth and becoming the best version of myself that I could be. And slowly but surely, I started to attract better people into my life.
It wasn’t until I met my current partner that things started to change for the better. Even though we had our share of challenging moments, I finally found someone who connected with me on a much deeper level than ever before.
And because of that connection, our relationship has been able to withstand the test of time.
- Are you going through the same thing?
Spiritual awakening’s all about releasing you from the material world and helping you become closer to your spiritual self. As such, those who are spiritually awakened often don’t care as much about money or social status when looking for love.
It took a long time for me to realize this, but I finally realized that all of my failed relationships were because I was too focused on the worldly and material side of things.
Once I let go of those thoughts, my life changed.
Love started to find me in different ways, and I was finally able to have the relationship that I always wanted.
So if you’re going through the same thing as me, try letting go and allowing yourself to find love in its most pure form. Let your heart lead you towards what’s right for you.
Don’t settle for anything less than what you deserve. For some, finding their true love may come easy; for others, it may take a little longer.
Trust the process and have faith that you’ll find what you’re looking for when the time is right.
6) I had no reason to be content with the life path I’d been living
When you go through a spiritual awakening, you realize that life isn’t just about survival of the fittest. It can put into perspective what’s important in this physical experience we call “life”.
That’s exactly what happened to me.
I had always been a “go-getter” and strived for perfection in everything I did. But after my awakening, all of that changed. I no longer cared about accomplishments or titles. Heck, I didn’t even care about being happy anymore.
All I wanted was to know the truth and live in alignment with it.
While this may sound like a good thing on the surface, it actually made life much harder. Without any goals or desires driving me forward, I had no reason to be content with the life path I’d been living.
After a few months, I had an epiphany. I realized that if I wanted to be happy, I needed to find a way to integrate my spiritual awakening into my everyday life.
How did I do that? By finding my “why.”
- Does your awakening process call you to step back from your journey?
It took a while for me to figure it out, but eventually, I realized that happiness will always be fleeting. But if you can find a purpose for living and align yourself with it, then you’ll have something to strive for in life.
The moment I discovered my “why,” everything changed for me. My life became more fulfilling and I was finally content with where I was.
So if you’re feeling lost and don’t know how to move forward, take a step back from your spiritual journey for a while and look at it from a different perspective.
Find out what’s important to you and why you want to achieve it. It doesn’t have to be a grand purpose like saving the world or becoming a millionaire.
It could be as simple as being a good parent or wanting to make your parents proud.
Once you have a clear purpose, then you can start moving forward again with more clarity and intention.
7) I experienced a lot of mental and physical changes after enlightenment
A spiritual awakening usually causes a person to feel mentally and physically uncomfortable because their mind has been given the opportunity to expand while their body isn’t always in sync with the changes.
Let me explain.
I felt like my mind was constantly racing and I couldn’t control the thoughts that popped into my head, such as memories of bad experiences that I had previously suppressed.
I also had physical symptoms of a spiritual awakening. Parts of my body were going through its own changes and I constantly felt exhausted, no matter how much sleep or rest I got.
This led to a lot of self-judgment as I tried to deal with sensations that felt a little bit more like a mental illness that was happening simultaneously with physical changes.
It took me a while to realize that these were all part of the spiritual journey and I needed to accept them instead of trying to fight against them. This was hard at first because my body felt like it wanted nothing more than just some peace and quiet, but my mind kept going on its own.
It wasn’t until later when I started meditating that I was finally able to find some peace and control my thoughts.
- Are you also going through these changes?
Going through physical and mental changes is one of the many gifts that can come from Spiritual Awakening. It may not seem that way at first, and you might think that everything’s going wrong, but trust me, it’s all part of the process.
I felt like I was losing my grip on reality and that I had become someone else entirely during this process. It took a lot of time, patience, and self-compassion to work through all of these changes and eventually find some semblance of stability again.
If you’re experiencing any of these changes, tap into your inner self through meditation or yoga. This will help you to ground yourself and ride out the waves of change.
Remember, the cleansing process of the soul can be intense, but it will eventually pass and you’ll find yourself in a much better place.
When you surrender yourself to the journey by aligning your body and mind, everything will eventually fall into place and you’ll get to achieve inner peace.
- Do you want to better understand these spiritual changes?
Are you tired of hearing the same message when it comes to spirituality?
Are you exhausted from trying to always be the best version of yourself, of always trying to be positive?
Or are you sick of feeling disconnected from others who may not be as spiritually aware as you are?
If so, there’s the reason why:
You’ve been sold toxic spirituality.
Don’t feel bad about it though, so many of us have fallen into this trap. Including the shaman Rudá Iandé.
In this incredible free video, Rudá explains how his initial approach to spirituality did more harm than good. Now, with over 30 years in the field of spirituality, he hopes his experience can help others avoid the same mistakes.
So what makes Rudá trustworthy? How do you know you won’t get more of the same toxic crap?
Well, Rudá isn’t going to tell you how to practice your spirituality. Instead, he’s going to give you the tools to find empowerment from within.
Every exercise in the video will put you back in touch with your core self, step by step.
So if you’re ready to take that step, click here to watch the free video.
It’s never too late to bust the toxic spirituality myths you’ve mistaken for the truth.
8) My spiritual awakening process made me more aware of my own mortality
Death is a concept that we often push to the back of our minds. We go about our day-to-day lives, rarely giving a second thought to the fact that one day, we will die.
But once you experience a spiritual awakening, death becomes all too real.
Suddenly, I was constantly aware of my own human condition and mortality, and the finite nature of life. This made me incredibly anxious and scared, as I no longer felt like I had control over my own life.
I became so scared of death that I developed a fear of anything and everything. I was scared of dying, I was scared of getting sick, and I was even scared of going outside.
I was obsessed with living a healthy lifestyle to prolong my life, which I now realize was an unhealthy way of thinking.
I was so obsessed with staying alive that I didn’t stop and enjoy the present moment or spend time doing things that brought me joy. It made me bitter, alone, and depressed.
I was also obsessed with what would happen after I die. Would I go to heaven and be with God? Would I be reincarnated? Was there an afterlife at all?
These questions plagued my mind and stopped me from being my true self and living a happy life.
It was only until I encountered a life-and-death situation that I finally acknowledged that death was a natural part of life and something we all have to face.
- Do you feel anxious about the idea of death?
Once you experience a spiritual awakening, and death becomes all too real, you’re incredibly anxious and scared – especially if you don’t have a solid understanding of what happens after you die.
With that said, I’ve come to accept the absolute truth that it’s a mystery we may never solve.
Don’t get me wrong – I still find myself thinking about what it’s really like to die. But the constant worrying over something that’s out of my control will only cause more unnecessary stress in my life.
So if you find yourself mulling over death a little too often, try to refocus your thoughts on the present moment. Focus on making your daily life as happy and fulfilling as possible
Live in the now and enjoy life while you can. Remember that it’s okay not to have all the answers.
After all, that’s what makes life an adventure.
- Go ahead and live your truth
My first glimpse into my own spirituality brought about intense feelings of despair and loneliness. I had no idea what was happening to me and I felt like I was going crazy.
I felt that my spiritual awakening ruined my life because it forced me to confront myself and reconnect with who I truly am.
And at times, all this inner work became overwhelming and exhausting.
But you see, spiritual awakenings aren’t always the most pleasant experiences. But they’re necessary to help us grow as individuals.
The process of spiritual awakening can be a beautiful experience that brings about profound changes in your life. Yes, the process is painful and difficult, but it’s also an exciting and fulfilling journey.
If you’re currently going through a spiritual awakening, or if you’re about to embark on the journey, here’s one thing you should keep in mind: it’s a continuous process.
One day you can find yourself on top of the world, and then suddenly you’re thrown into a dark hole.
It means that every day we have new opportunities to grow as individuals, to connect with our inner selves, and become more aware of who we are at the core of our existence.
Remember, no two awakenings are the same. The road to your spiritual journey’s a unique and personal one that’s solely your own.
It can be scary at first, but can you imagine what your life would be like if you decided not to go through with it?
I’m telling you, it’s worth the years of enjoyment to come if you choose to reveal your true nature and just live in your truth.
So what are you waiting for? The journey of a lifetime awaits you.
