What is awakening?
We are all born ‘awakened’ however through our journey here on earth sometimes we forget that we are more than just our body and more than just our mind.
Usually it is not until some trauma or emotional disturbance occurs in our life that we begin to remember what life is really all about. In fact, one of the most pointless, yet pertinent questions that humankind can ask is- what is the meaning of life?
It’s pointless because the answer is so simple- the meaning of life is all around you.
It’s in the air you breathe, it’s in the rustle of the leaves of the trees, it’s in life, death, and everything in between. There is no meaning to life, other than the meaning we give it.
The true and real meaning of life is to live in the present moment, the best we know how, with the knowledge and power that we acquire on our journey.
When we begin to awaken to things greater than just ourselves, we begin to understand not just the ‘meaning’ of life and it’s events, but that everything is part of a bigger, infinite picture.
Once we open our mind to the fact that we are limitless beings, with infinite possibilities, we begin to break down the barriers that define our physical space and bring awareness to the never-ending energy that surrounds us and merges with the Universe.
As we go through this awakening process, a series of ‘signs’ tend to present themselves. Here are 6 of the most common signs that you are on the path to awakening to the meaning of life:
1.) Feeling energy: whether you are in public or in the walls of your home, when you begin to feel energy radiating off another it’s a good sign that you are opening your mind beyond your five senses. The trick here is allowing yourself to feel energy without absorbing it and making it your own. This takes practice and awareness. If you find yourself around someone who is irritated, instead of allowing their frustrations to affect you, still your mind, take a deep breath and let the emotion pass as your imagine your heart surrounded in white light. When you strengthen this muscle you can then learn how to deflect other’s negative energy into something more positive and even effect them in a good way.
2.) Trusting instincts: our intuition does not communicate with words, but with feelings. As we begin to grow in consciousness, we understand that our intuition is one of the most important guiding forces in life. Learning to trust your intuition however, takes practice. When you feel emotions rising about a decision or topic in your life avoid labelling these feelings. Instead of labelling them as “sad feelings” or “happy feelings” allow the feeling to rise up and tell you exactly what it “feels” like. Allow the feeling to communicate itself to you, rather than quickly placing judgements on the feeling. This practice is the best way to determine whether your intuitive feeling is coming from your ego or your heart. The more you listen to your intuition, the stronger it grows and the more you will learn about how it communicates to you.
3.) Body as a Temple: When we begin to tune in to our inner body, healthy eating, avoiding chemicals, exercise and fresh air tend to be things we naturally gravitate towards. When we become mindful of our body and aware of our beating heart, our ten beautiful fingers and our ten beautiful toes we naturally conspire to listen and protect our bodies. When you begin to truly feel your body, you begin understanding what it needs and what harms it. Chemicals, preservatives, alcohol, technology, smoke and processed foods suddenly make you feel ill and lethargic whereas a new sense of vitality is found in organic, clean foods, nature and exercise.
4.) Releasing Judgements: it’s very easy to judge others, ourselves and experiences but when we become more mindful, we release judgements and understand that there is no good or bad, just our attitude towards it. We also begin to understand that everyone is on their own journey and that we need not concern ourselves with the thoughts and motives of others. By complaining and judging, we naturally lower our vibration and move into our ego whereas when we move out of victim mode and into a space of understanding and awareness, we move closer to consciousness.
5.) Loss of Attachment: Society tells us that in order to be successful we must be rich, have fancy things and wear fancy clothes, but when we begin to awaken we realize that material wealth holds such little value. It’s not that we should not value money or enjoy fine things, but it’s more so that we loose our attachment and identity to them. Understanding that we don’t need anything outside of ourselves is a true conscious moment and one that will help us to release attachment not just to material goods but also to our past and future.
6.) Greater Purpose: Awakening provides us with a sense of all round peace- peace for the past, present and future. Through this peace, we begin to align ourselves with our greater purpose. Make no mistake, our greater purpose is not a job or a title, or a label, but rather our greater purpose is merging our energy with that of the Universe. The only way this can be achieved is through being conscious, that is approaching everything in life with acceptance, peace and enjoyment. It is when all of this is aligned, that you are awakened to who you truly are, and what your purpose here in this Universe is.
“Through awakened doing, you become one with the outgoing purpose of the Universe. Consciousness flows through you into this world. It flows into your thoughts and inspires them. It flows into what you do and guides and empowers it. Not what you do, but how you do what you do determines whether you are fulfilling your destiny.”- Eckhart Tolle
