Spiritual Awakening and Then What?

It is a fact that an increasing number of people are now experiencing various forms of spiritual awakening today. This is not the stories of the Bible or other religious accounts from long ago. This is happening right now. If any one wants proof of this, try typing in the words, "spiritual awakening" into Google and see how many accounts come up. While the experiences differ with each person who goes through this process (some people report multiple experiences, many of them different each time), there are some common threads. In fact, there is even a Wikipedia account for "spiritual awakening". Here are some of the common features of this  and the related terms, near death experiences, mystical experiences, enlightenment, liberation or being born again. These experiences seem to be independent of religious or cultural backgrounds. Numinous - something that invokes both fear and attraction due to the power and immensity of the experience. Ecstacy - the experience brings great pleasure and feeling of strong love. Sometimes this experience is described with an accompanying stron sexual urge. Enthusiasm and excitement - everything seems positive, happy and uplifting. Mystical - there seems to be no boundaries between one soul and another. Some experience flying, lightness, unusual abilities like walking on water or hot coals without bodily harm, trance states or out of body experiences.

Spiritual awakening — A spiritual awakening usually involves a realization or opening to a sacred dimension of reality and may or may not be a religious experience. Often a spiritual awakening has lasting effects upon one's life. The term "spiritual awakening" may be used to refer to any of a wide range of experiences including being born again,near-death experiences, and mystical experiences such as liberation and enlightenment. Click here to read more.

OK. Now someone (maybe you or me) has experienced spiritual awakening. There are many reports about the difficulties of integrating this state or realization back into the realities of everyday life. It might be nice to feel at one with the universe, but it doesn't pay the bills or clean the house. Here are some possible issues people have report that have to be integrated. Rick NurrieStearns in his article, "Kundalini and Spiritual Awakening" reports the difficulty of focusing on the task of driving or doing his computer writing. He would find himself focused on the cracks in the road, not the oncoming cars, for example. He also soon learned not to share his experiences with many people who wanted to label him as insane. Bruce Davis in his article, "Life After Spiritual Awakening"

Where most everyone agrees is that those who have been touched by a spiritual awakening (no matter how real or imagined) find little support and guidance to sort things out. The popular media to be "fair and balanced" takes an agnostic approach to nearly everything spiritual. Education, medicine, and even most churches are firmly grounded in the rational world meaning one's personal experience of some other realm is suspect.

He went on to describe how different the concept of time is in this space. With time vastly expanding, meeting Earthly deadlines seemed irrelevant, unimportant. Some people experience seeing loved ones who have passed over or feeling at one with friends who are like family. You can see how attached people can get to these pleasant, emotional experiences. Unfortunately there is the realization that no one can stay in this realm permanently which sometimes leads the person to become depressed or even want to end life. It seems that there's going to be a calling for a new breed of counsellors to help  these people cope, particularly due to the fact that some of these "openings" to a new awareness can come on accidentally or are at least unplanned. Is there an increase of these experiences or is the atmosphere just more open to hearing about them now? It's unclear which it is, but my own belief is that we are actually evolving as a human race to a higher species, more capable of universal love, more caring and certainly less likely to be violent or cruel. It is my hope time will prove me correct. To live in a world with peace for all, environmental improvement and governments truly for the people is everyone's dream.

Spiritual Awakening Revisited

Spiritual awakening has become something of a catch-phrase these days. Everyone is looking for that experience - the new age high, the ascension to a higher realm.  It was with a bit of amusement that when doing a Google search for current articles on the topic that I found one on the first page of Google that I had written two years ago (http://www.mysticfare.com/experiences-of-spiritual-awakening/). Why this one had stayed so prominent is the mystery of Google. Today I found an entire website devoted to spiritual awakening, a Wikipedia page under "religious experience" and also 5 ads for groups that will for a fee help you towards that goal including a spiritual awakening test to see how advanced you are, supposedly. 

I suppose I no longer have to begin my article by explaining what spiritual awakening is, but still everyone seems to have a bit of a different idea. Suffice it to say that not only is there more interest in the subject than even 2 years ago when I wrote that first article, but there are more people having all kinds of experiences of a different kind. I know this because they come to me for readings and I tell them they are normal and not to worry. It's long been predicted that we are going through some kind of quickening if not actual evolution as a species. Maybe it's simpler than that. We are just starting to use our right brains, something we could have done at anytime. It's just that we were so in love with our industrial wonder that we overlooked that aspect of our being. OK. Enough philosophy. Let's see what people are experiencing. Jim Tolles on the website, spiritualawakeningprocess.com states that he deals mainly with three types of people. I often work with three main types of people:

• People who want to develop a spiritual practice
• People who are dedicated to spiritual growth
• People who need to heal
• People who are in awakening

So here we are back to the awakening. I suspect that the high some people experience with awakening, the blissful state, is a natural carry-over from the psychedelic drug days, a kind of natural high. What is curious is that so many people are now experiencing this altered state. Back to Mr. Tolles again who is helping people going through awakening.

Orient and Ground You in a Spiritual Awakening
Anyone in awakening can feel completely out of sorts. It's a bewildering and scary place initially because spiritual awakening falls so far out of the realm of what is considered "normal" in Western society. It's also a blissful, ecstatic, and extremely connected space. I'll work with you to find appropriate grounding and help you to fully embody this energy as you shift from an old way of being into your true self. I'll also remind you regularly that you are not "crazy," but are in fact waking up to real "rationality" from the insanity that we live in.

From my own experience with this state and from what people have told me, there is often a feeling of dizziness, feeling light-headed and a need to take a break from "deadlines", pressure and the rat race. Some people feel more connected to others, even people they just met. Others may know things before they happen, or at least what others are thinking. The Eco Institute has an whole list of characteristics. Se if you can relate to any of these:

• Letting go of once tightly held beliefs and views. 
• Zoning out for extended periods of time. A spacey feeling.
• Sensitivity to negative people, events.
• Feelings of “tingling” electrical-like energy running through parts of the body.
• Having more meaningful dreams.
• Becoming aware of “synchronicity”, the seemingly unrelated events & signs we see & experience.
• Wishing to break away from blind conformity, outdated institutions, unnecessary customs, & the overall status quo.
• Unexplained changes in appetite & eating habits, weight. May sometimes look younger.
• Wishing to spend more time in nature.
• Changes in what you read, do with your spare time, & watch on TV (or turning off the TV altogether).
• Greater “awareness” of yourself and the outside world. 
• A greater sense of inner peace and interconnectedness, with intermittent periods of emotional upheaval.  Read more from this source here.

Please leave any comments about your own experiences with spiritual awakening. It's only beginning and I see it as a hopeful process towards possible world peace and more harmony in this sad world.

Sacred Journeys: Spiritual and Pilgrimage Travel

There are of course different types of spiritual journeys. Some people head off to explore ancient historical sites or to have an experience with others seeking some sort of spiritual enlightenment. Others are looking for answers or at personal direction. There is another group seeking more knowledge of a certain religion or spiritual path. These are the pilgrimage travellers. Here is a great article about these sites with suggestions about how to best benefit from these journeys as well as some recommended spiritual tour companies. The article, "In Search of Sacred Places: Spiritual and Pilgrimage Travel" is written by Peter Scheer, himself a tour company director, and is posted on the website Travel with a Challenge.

First, let's look at the suggestions to help the traveller get the most benefit from the journey. First, prepare yourself mentally and physically. Many of these places are not easy to reach and it's a good idea to do some research about the site as well how best to arrive there. In times past, people fasted for days or even took hallucinagenic herbs before approaching these sites. It's important to approach with reverence and respect for local customs. They are places that are very important some people.

 In the European Middle Ages, most pilgrims to Canterbury, Santiago de Compostela and other Christian sites went there on foot which allows one plenty of time to prepare mentally. Travel to sacred sites required planning, persistence and often great sacrifices. No wonder arrival created such excitement!

The second suggestion is to leave room in your travel schedule for unexpected events to happen or time to visit with people you meet. This will leave you time also to just stop and soak up the incredible energy of these places that has built up over the centuries. There is not only the energy of the place itself but layered on top is the energy of all the other pilgrims who have come and gone away again over the centuries.

In ancient Greece, sages built an Earth Goddess shrine at Delphi because of the abundance of plenum, an energy they believed bubbled out of the slopes of Mount Parnassus. In the Chinese tradition there is a similar life force called chi. Sufis call it baraka and Hindus know it as prana. If this invisible energy seems fanciful to you, don't forget that is how people felt about radio waves a mere 100 years ago. Perhaps 21st century establishment scientists will verify earth energies, but regardless of official endorsement, many travelers are creating their vacations around visiting places of power and spirituality.

American folklorist and mythology expert, Joseph Campbell once met a woman going to Greece to discover the spirit of the Goddess. After she showed him her elaborate, highly-detailed itinerary, Campbell said, "Dear lady, I sincerely hope that all does not go as planned." He explained, "Unless you leave room for serendipity, how can the divine enter in? The beginning of the adventure of finding yourself is to lose your way."

Lastly, Mr. Scheer suggests that you decide why you are going. What is your goal? What do you want to find or experience? Of course the answer may change during your journey. Are just looking for a special experience or are you wanting to explore religious connections? People will ask you why you are going and also why you are there, so it's a good idea to have some answer in mind. It will help you get more out of an experience that can end up being life-changing.

To read the original article and check out the spiritual tour companies listed at the end of the article, click here.

In sum then, it's best to loosely plan your trip, find out more about the place, don't cram in too much and be open to whatever happens. Remember that teachers come in all forms. The person living on the street might be one of them.

Red rocks of Sedona, Arizona

Stonehenge Mt. Kailash, Tibet. Pilgrimage site for 15,000 years.

What Happens with Spiritual Awakening?

For some decades now people have been talking about "raising your awareness" and "higher vibrations". However, there are now an increasing number of people who are experiencing physical symptoms that are linked to what is called Spiritual Awakening. Actually, this is nothing new. People throughout history have had religious experiences in which they saw visions, heard voices or at least felt different. What is different now is the number of people who are experiencing these states. Perhaps you are one of them. According to Wikipedia, there have been some common threads to these experiences.

• Transient — the experience is temporary; the individual soon returns to a "normal" frame of mind. It is outside our normal perception of space and time.

• Ineffable — the experience cannot be adequately put into words.

• Noetic — the individual feels that he or she has learned something valuable from the experience. Gives us knowledge that is normally hidden from human understanding.

• Passive — the experience happens to the individual, largely without conscious control. Although there are activities, such as meditation (see below), that can make religious experience more likely, it is not something that can be turned on and off at will.

Read the original here.

Now let's jump to the present and look at what people are experiencing in often less clear terms. Arlene Rich has described 10 common "symptoms" of spiritual awakening. While some of them may of course come from other sources, together they do form a nucleus for what people are going through. It's a kind of human evolutionary process.  Here is part of what Arlene has said.

• An increase in occurrences - (there aren't any coincidences) An increase in psychic, mediumistic, clairvoyant, and intuitive skills.

• Acute sensitivity to negative energy around specific people or environments.

• A desire to "find yourself", change your social group, behavior, job etc. Sudden extreme sensitivity to people or crowds. You may find that your once sociable nature suddenly disappears and you simply cannot bear to be with certain friends, family members, colleagues, or coworkers.

• Sudden awareness of recurring patterns or relationships- A noticeable inability to tolerate someone with whom you have had a previously close relationship.

• Sudden inexplicable panic or anxiety attacks occurring at any time with no valid reason. A feeling that something has changed within you.

• Acute sensitivity to shopping malls or crowded environments such as restaurants, clubs, festivals, and so on.

• Extreme sensitivity to mobile and digital phones, laptops, computers, wireless routers, and all microwave technology, as well as certain types of lighting.

• Falling asleep and then waking in the middle of the night at or around the same time, feeling wide awake and needing to be up, and oddly not being tired the next day as expected. (This is a sign of your consciousness adapting to new cycles of activity.)

• Strange electrical energy coursing through the body or body parts like legs or arms. (This is caused by the raised frequencies from the Galactic centre flooding the planet. These energies assist in the process of rewiring the physical and Light-Body in order to carry higher vibrating energies.)

• A whole range of physical experiences caused by detoxification as the body continues to release years of physical, karmic, emotional, and mental toxic waste, producing symptoms including: fatigue and exhaustion;excess thirst; stomach upsets, including cramps, headaches, especially at the base of the skull and migraines with pains over the crown and in one or both eyes; muscle, neck, and shoulder pains.

• Dizziness, balance problems, and feeling spacey (triggered by being in higher states of consciousness).

To read the complete list click here.

If you or someone you know can relate to some of these symptoms or phenomena, you are not alone. I suspect there will be counsellors and support groups  in the future specializing in helping people go through versions of spiritual awakening. It makes places such as retreat centers and monasteries even more valuable as centers to experience spiritual changes without the interference of modern life. And it is important  to remember that the end result of whatever mental and physical changes occur should be better - healthier and happier people and hopefully a more peaceful world.

Spiritual Travel to Tibet: A Meaningful Journey

Here is a travel company (actually a Tibetan Cooperative) called Tibet Travel Coop that uses a Tibetan staff of travel agents, tour guides, cooks, drivers and hosts who know the Tibetan travel industry and have been working in every part of Tibet. The picture of the Coop members is great - all the families too including the children. There are some very moving testimonials from travelers who plan to go back. This is definitely an authentic experience you won't soon forget. Here is some of the text from the website.

Knowledge

As Tibetans, we can share our communities, customs, history, and spirituality from our hearts and experiences from childhood live rather than from travel guidebooks. After all, we believe you come to Tibet partly to experience Tibet's culture and having a good Tibetan guide matters.

Responsible Tourism

We support local communities, use local services, volunteer in local villages, and donate a percentage of our profits to sustainable projects. After all, our bottom-line is not just measured by how much we made but how many Tibetans we are able to employee and how well we are able to protect the environment for future visitors to enjoy.

 The trips are divided into 3 sections: spiritual journeys, cultural odysseys, and trekking adventures. The cultural odysseys are further broken down into homestay, classic Tibet, spirit of Minyak and shangri-la! In this case I won't elaborate more. I urge you to explore this fascinating website yourself and find out the incredible journeys that you also could take with them. http://tibettravelcoop.com

Spiritual Trip of the Week: Bali with Guides

The Spirit Quest Tours staff have done it again and now they are taking a group to Bali June 22-28, 2013. The itinerary sounds heavenly - massages, great restaurants, well here it is:

•Visit with Ketut Liyer, Elizabeth Gilbert’s Balian and teacher
•Enjoy a vitamin lunch at Wayan’s tiny restaurant – you can also book a body reading and healing
•Stay in an incredible hotel in the heart of Ubud, right down the street from where Liz stayed (but nicer)
•Enjoy Balinese Hindu temples as the Balinese do – learn how the locals pray
Meditate or practice yoga each morning, or sleep in!
•Meet Yude Andiko, the musician Liz toured Bali with, and listen to him play his own “Yudele”
•Delight in dinner in “Italy”
•Shop for Balinese batik, wood carvings, art, and silver jewelry – all made by local artisans
•Relax with a Balinese massage
•Many meals and all activities are included

Price includes accommodations, most meals, meditations, and all specified itinerary activities (see itinerary).

* DISCLAIMER

This tour is not affiliated with or endorsed by Penguin Books or Sony Pictures.  Elizabeth Gilbert will not be leading this trip.  Julia Roberts has probably never even heard of Spirit Quest Tours. Javier Bardem will not marry you. Richard from Texas (RIP) will not give you advice.  James Franco will definitely not make out with you.  Still, you should come on this trip.

To read the original of this quote, click here.

The number to call in case you are interested is 877-406-5206. Many of the meals and accommodations are included in the total price of $3995 for the Pool Villa or $2995 for the Delux trip. Deposit is $300. Air fare is not included. I liked reading some of the testimonials such as the one: "I have been forever changed by Bali. — Kiya, San Francisco". Bali is a special place in this world, amazingly small but just amazing. Why don't you find out for yourself?

Retreat to a Franciscan Monastery

Fr. David Gaa

I try to feature retreats that are reasonable in price and a bit unusual, off the tourist path, so to speak. Here is one that fits this description, at Old Mission San Luis Rey de Francia in California. People have been retreating to monasteries and hermitages since they were formed in the Middle Ages. This is actually an old idea brought to modern-day standards. Here is part of the description from the website: http://www.sanluisrey.org/Retreats.

The Franciscan Retreat Center at Old Mission San Luis Rey offers a place for solitude, healing, and revitalization with a wide variety of spiritual and educational programs. Create your private day away (Quiet Days), join us for a half day or evening session (Twilight Retreats) or treat yourself, or a loved one, to a complete weekend of spirituality and sacred space. The Friars and staff are here to assist you on your spiritual journey.
The facilities are available to religious and educational groups, non-profit organizations, civic organizations, companies and corporations. We do, however, reserve the right to refuse the use of our facilities to anyone whose philosophies diametrically oppose our mission and purpose.
To read the original click here.

The Mission offers silent retreats and short retreats with guidance by the monks if requested. They are also set up for large groups up to several hundred people with affordable lodging and a camp ground for tents.
If you are the type of person who likes scheduled retreats, some of the workshops for the near future include: Couples Retreat (2/8-2/10), Twilight Retreat with Fr. David Gaa (2/15), Quiet Monday (2/25), Spring into Serenity Retreat for Women in Al-Anon (3/15-3/17), Family Vacation Retreat (7/8-7/12) and Senior Vacation Retreat (8/5-8/9).
Sound interesting? Contact them easily by phone or online. And let me know how it was!

Merabhs: A New Spiritual Concept Explained

Adamus Saint-Germain, a European mystic and channel, has coined a new useful word, “merabh” which he says has an ancient history. Now he has recorded various merabhs that will be for sale as of September 1. 2012. Here is more information about them

Merabhs: A New Spiritual Concept Explained

Adamus Saint-Germain introduced “merabhs” at the Dream Walker Life School in Frankfurt in December 2011. He said that a merabh, based on an ancient Lemurian concept, is an opportunity for a graceful shift in consciousness. A merabh does not require force, exertion of energy, or mental effort. There is the underlying assumption that you are ready for the shift, and that by taking a few minutes in the state of acceptance the shift will begin.
In Frankfurt, Adamus asked Yoham, the musical group from Israel & Austria,to play background music during the merabh to help create the safe space for the shifts to take place. The combination of Adamus’ gentle guidance and Yoham’s intuitive music was brilliant, and the new Shaumbra merabhwas birthed. Adamus offered more merabhs with live Yoham music at the Dream Walker Life Schools in Amsterdam (April), Romania (May) and Colorado(July). In the post-conference surveys sent in by attendees, the merabhs were listed as one of their favorite parts of the Dream Walker Life experience.
To view the original post click here.

Some of the titles of these channeled and timely recordings are: Beyond Ancestral Biology, Past Lives, Death, Life, Enlightenment. They will be available through the Crimson Circle Store and perhaps on Amazon eventually. Click like below if you would like to have more articles about the coming shift or merabhs.

Spiritual Retreat of the Week: Adventurous Spirit Travel

Here is not only one retreat location but an entire company devoted to spiritual adventures. At present the company, Adventurous Spirit Travel has trips this year to France, Guatemala, Hawaii, Ireland, Sedona, Mt. Shasta and Todos Santos, Mexico. The company is run by two women experienced travellers, Lee Cook and Tina Wood from an office in Boulder, Colorado. I especially like the passage under the menu heading, “About Us” on their website.

Spiritual Retreat of the Week: Adventurous Spirit Travel

 

Adventurous Spirit Travel welcomes all world travelers and those who have never before traveled with a group. Our tours are designed for adults, women and men, young or not so young; people interested in the mystery and sacredness of life, with a desire to know and understand more of where we've come from, to assist us in where we are going and to make a difference on the planet. We will discover new information that will enrich all of our senses. Our tour travel guides are experienced in the places we visit and offer unique insights about the sacred sites and by offering a spiritual education, we encourage our clients to take in the full experience.

The section under the menu, “Travel Tours” is also worth reading.

Adventurous Spirit Travel is more than a tour company offering vacation packages. We consider ourselves to be an open and conscious traveling community. Our intention is to offer vacation package deals with an awareness of why we are going to a particular place, what we
are looking for and how we can give back. In a way, we are modern day pilgrims.
One way to fully experience the sacredness of the universe is to become a pilgrim. Since the beginning of time, people have sought out places of divine revelation in the landscape: on holy mountains, by curative springs, at ancient monuments, and near the shrines of saints.
To learn more about the trips and to read the original post, click here.

Although I’ve not gone on any of these adventures, it seems they have the tours well put together, and they are quite popular judging by the 2,625 Facebook “likes” on Adventurous-Spirit-Travel. There are some amazing photos on their Facebook site. Check it out and share this post with an adventurous friend.

Spiritual Retreats to Machu Picchu

This is a short video about the retreats offered by Yoga Retreat Peru. There is also a short clip from a TV interview with Deepak Chopra about the shamanic practice of taking ayahuasca. He very wisely advises anyone interested in trying this plant to choose a good shaman/guide to accompany you. Please enjoy and share this video on spiritual retreats to Machu Picchu.

Spiritual Retreats to Machu Picchu

 

The Yoga Retreats are given in 2012 in August 4 – 11, August 18 – September 1, September 1 – 15. If you are interested, please contact this website: http://www.incayogaperu.com There are different types of workshops such as High Altitude Training, Yoga and Synergy classes. The Shamanic Ceremony is optional and by special request only. If you would like to know more about the ayahuasca ceremonies, I recommend this book: Ayahuasca in My Blood: 25 Years of Medicine Dreaming by Peter Gorman.

How to Know You are Experiencing Spiritual Awakening

This short video describes clearly the physical and mental changes you might go through to the path of enlightenment. Do you think only gurus and highly evolved beings experience enlightenment? This is changing as more people evolve into the next stage of development. This video is a bit controversial as some Christians see it as against their beliefs. I think the ideas here are universal,but I will let you decide for yourself.   What are your experiences with this process? Please leave a message below. Do you think this is accurate?