The Awakened Side

Photo by Rachelle Tavas 

Sometimes it takes getting lost to realize that it's not the path that guides you, it is your own self.

There are two kinds of transitions humans can experience: the worldly, and the spiritual. Worldly transitions are inevitable for most of us. We move homes, we lose people, we shift jobs- the only consistent in this world is change. The spiritual, however, happens only to chosen individuals at a time that is unique to each life that receives it. Spiritual transitions are timed by the earth. They are initiated by a period of questioning, thought, and eventually followed by the most beautiful result: awakening.

The thing about spiritual transitions is that the result shifts the way we think and perceive. And often because of their profundity, we experience these shifts alone. Your mentality evolves, your beliefs expand, your priorities shift and you become much more in tune with your self. For some of us this process can feel like a rebirth.

Except it’s not.

It is your soul growing more in control of your physical body, and coming more into contact with the outside world. It is your evolution towards being more critical and genuine thinker. This is a rite of passage that frees you from the society that fed you all that you know. It is the realization that you are not your surroundings - you are your own. And with that knowledge, everything that you know and believe needs to be your own as well. This initial thought is your first step towards spiritual enlightenment. This is when you start to ask more about “I” and less about “us”.

For me, the transition began while trying to define my place in the world. A chronology of life events (I left home at seventeen, moved across the world to pursue my education) left me desperately needing to identify my place among society, the system, and the structure. I tried my best to compensate for the feeling of being lost by involving myself heavily in social activities. This only brought me to the realization that social interaction was not what I was missing. The thing I was trying to define was not my “place”, it was who I am. I was in a place where the world that had brought me up and taught me all that I know was no longer helping me develop. My wish to continue growing was met by a dead-end. Despite sharing a physical space with society, my mental space felt extraterrestrial. The people around me and their social beliefs were no long satisfying the depths that I was seeking.

It was in my time spent alone that I turned to a more inward study. I found that the most satisfying food that fed my soul was all prepared by an internal discourse. I learned that I am the most patient and attentive to my own questions. My patience made me comfortable to identify how I was feeling. With time, I built an admiration for my mind and all that it was pursuing. I regularly asked myself “what do you need?”, “are you well today?” I grew occupied with how I could consistently live more fulfilled without the direction of society. My favorite company became my own. I felt most complete and catered to by myself. Learning that I could supply myself with all that the world could not was powerful. Discovering that I am all that I need to be well was powerful.

I learned that the gaping hole in me was never going to be fulfilled by anything tangible because the missing components were deep within myself. The only thing that completes a puzzle is its own missing piece. And that feeling of being incomplete, unfulfilled and sometimes alienated is what ended up inspiring me to befriend myself. Disconnecting from the noise produced by society is what helped me listen closer to the soul that I embody.

The most genuine advice I can give someone experiencing their own spiritual transition is to be patient and kind to yourself as things you love become things you question, and things that trouble you inhabit your mental space. As humans, we cannot avoid our own evolution. We can only be brave as we embark on a beautiful journey. This is your enlightenment. The closer you move towards being whole, the truer to you will be in your expression. Embrace this process of elevation, with all the tribulations and revelations it brings. Clarity awaits you on the awakened side.