NOTE #2 | THE SHIFT

"Deep down, we believe that we know and understand ourselves better than anyone else can know us. We believe we know what we are thinking, what we are feeling, what we are doing and the reasons for these experiences. From birth to death, I am my most constant companion; I am at the centre of all my experiences, at every level. Therefore, surely I know myself! How often do we explain an opinion, a decision or a behaviour by referring to our unquestionable knowledge and understanding of ourselves, who we are, how we are and why we are the way we are? We challenge our audience, listener or friend to support this self-knowledge as we proclaim decisively: ‘You know me, that’s just the way I am’, ‘I’ve always been like this’, or, ‘this is what I always do’. The implication is that if you knew me as well as I know myself, then you would comprehend my behaviour as an inevitable expression of who I am.” - Kathleen O’Dwyer 

 

 

WHO AM I?

What else is there beyond what I see and feel? 

The concept of self-knowledge continues to be a subject of debate and reflection in many areas of psychology and philosophy. From the time of the ancient Greeks, the significance of the infamous, ‘Know Thyself’, has penetrated our society through religions and various philosophies, leaving us questioning this ‘prompt’ and ‘commandment’ throughout the whole of our lives.  

If I were to make an educated guess, I would say this phrase sprouted the turning point of humanity’s consciousness. The point in time where a seed was planted for us. Placing us all on an unexpected journey of questioning. Questioning who we are and what this all is. 

Once we accept our limits, we go beyond them.”   
― Albert Einstein

 

ENTER –a spiritual awakening. 



Or should I say SHIFT-ENTER

 

“When you press Enter on a keyboard what you are actually commanding it to do, is to create a new paragraph. The default behaviour is to then put a gap between the two lines.
Pressing Shift-Enter commands to go down a line, not creating a gap.”

 

I mention this because words are powerful. And we have more answers in front of us everyday than we choose to see.

Once we accept that we don’t know everything, and are able to release control of what is not meant to be controlled–this is when we begin to open up and access the depths of who we are. 

This is when we allow a SHIFT to take place in our consciousness. A SHIFT that slowly starts filling–in–the–gaps. 

 

Today, I would like us to examine a little deeper how a spiritual awakening is birthed.

There are countless ways to observe and experience a spiritual awakening.

Many have attempted to break down this experience by naming stages and tendencies that often take place for most, but the truth is, as everything in life–this process is extremely personal and occurs in different timelines, layers, and intensities.

In general, I’ve observed two ways through which our spiritual awakening is sparked:

 

1. THROUGH OUR OUTER WORLDS: when a singular or series of events drastically change or threaten our external (physical) environments and prompt us to question our current realities 
    • These can range from traumatic events such as accidents, near death experiences, the loss of a loved one, a paranormal event (and like in today’s case –a global pandemic); to less striking situations like the loss of a job or an individual financial crisis, the desire to move cities or change careers (feeling trapped somewhere), a divorce and/ or significant breakup with a romantic or business partner. 
    • Inherited religious/ belief systems. Growing up in a predominantly religious family/ background (questioning the restraints and/ or norms of these belief systems)

     

    2. THROUGH OUR INNER WORLDS: where years or maybe even days of intense accumulated thoughts and emotions are suddenly triggered, causing us to seek out truth and answers about the meaning of Life. The same way our outer world can be affected and undergo a challenging and catastrophic event, it is a similar experience for us internally through our emotions and mind. 

      • This usually happens when we get a sudden urge to create change on our own by taking on new routines in our everyday, incorporating self-development and holistic lifestyles, seeking joy and peace. Some popular practices nowadays are yoga, meditation, fitness, and integrating environmentally friendly choices into our daily living (reducing meat consumption, recycling, dressing in slow and upcycled fashion, etc).
      • Engaging with psychedelic substances or hallucinogens can also be a powerful tool that jumpstarts a spiritual awakening. In the past decades, scientists have started to remove the stigma tied to these mind-expanding drugs that can induce states of altered perception and thought. They’ve found that psychedelics possess the ability to help fight addictions, depression, and other mental health illnesses. Recreationally speaking, psychedelics have also served as an unexpected bridge into our subconscious worlds, having helped many tap into the mystic.
      • Diving into deep contemplation and studies about the Universe and its creation. This can happen through the practice of meditation, prayer, study of quantum physics, and the inevitable deep dive into the “rabbit hole”–which we will get to later in this series along with all of the trigger points mentioned.

       

      It is worth mentioning that you cannot purposefully initiate an awakening nor follow certain steps to attain it. This is a natural and divine opening that gradually happens and takes place when your soul is called to do so. 

      Whichever way it may happen for you, one thing remains the same for all: That at one point or another we all experience a life-altering realization, breakthrough and/or epiphany.

      These turning points wake us into a new state of awareness, a pronounced shift in our consciousness.

       

      This shift is what divides the ‘thinking’ mind from the ‘present’ mind. 

      Once this takes place, there is no going back to your old mind. There is no way of un-seeing or un-feeling what you have now received full clarity on.

      There is no way of ‘going back to sleep’.

      It may seem strange and overwhelming in this beginning stage to come upon this information and new pair of eyes to better see the world, when for so long we had felt clouded and as if there were no answers to our questions. 

      Beautifully enough though, awakenings come in with the genuine intention of placing us on our soul’s path by clearing and healing old wounds and dissolving old beliefs that have been blocking us –so yes, painful beginnings are usually in store. But I can promise you one thing, and it's that after all these storms, do come a lot of rainbows... 

       

      Truth is freedom and freedom brings peace.

       

      This will be a continuous process of letting go. 
      A process of achieving balance in all layers of our life. 
      Creating harmony where there is noise. 
      Practicing ‘responding versus reacting’. 
      Learning to fully trust our intuition.

       

      Achieving connection with the source of creation.

       

      My wish as we continue this broad exploration together, is to be able to expand now in bits and tune into the concepts that make up our inner and outer worlds. Learning how to navigate these worlds by activating a little more this new state of awareness everyday.

      For now, I’d like to know if you have experienced a shift?
      What has this turning point been for you so far?

       

      Till next time, 
      Raqueli