Are you sleep-walking through life on autopilot or fully awake? Spiritual awakening means living fully in the present moment, experiencing the world with a calm mind and open heart.
What is Spiritual Awakening?
Spiritual awakening is viewed by many as a thing that hits you like a bolt of lightning. Perhaps it comes from the touch of a Guru or after many years of solitary meditation. The final destination of a long arduous journey. It is said that most of us will not make it in this lifetime, no matter how hard we try. So why bother?
Let’s go deeper into the concept of awakening as described in Classical Tantra Yoga and Kundalini Yoga. We will examine its life-changing effects, and explore ways to achieve it.
Transforming the self
Spiritual awakening is a about transforming the self. The thing we identify as being “us”. When awakened you are in the center of you, which also is seen as the center of everything. This is called unity.
The journey itself is both beautiful and life-changing. I speak from my own experience when I say this path brings so much happiness. You become more selfless, feeling are full and come from deep in your heart. We become more able to give love and remain fully present.
To reach unity everything within us that is not love must die. If you are to be a new person and meet the world from the heart. This is easy when we are met by others in this way, but much harder when you feel cheated or disrespected. When I started my awakening I saw that I could meet challenges with a more calm and balanced mind. I was much less prone to the influence of other peoples moods.
Spiritual awakening is a process of personal growth. It is about being aware of your own awareness and the connection of all things. It involves a profound shift in your perspective, a stable sense of presence and deeper sense of purpose. It is a journey that brings inner peace, intuitive wisdom, and heart-centered relationships.
Are You Asleep?
Living in an awakened state means being conscious, present, and fully engaged with life. It means always approaching yourself and other people from the heart.
Imagine walking down a pedestrian street on a beautiful spring day with a good friend. You are fully attentive to the conversation, smiling at everyone, and appreciating the beauty of nature surrounding you. In this state, you are conscious and aware, immersed in the present moment. However, most of us find our minds wandering, lost in a constant stream of thoughts about the past, future, or unrelated distractions. This is what it means to be a sleepwalker, disconnected from the present moment. A simple test is to notice whether you are looking down or ahead when you walk. Looking down indicates that you are lost in thought while looking ahead signifies that you are being present.
You can start your awakening today. Practice feeling into your heart. Keep track of the emotions you feel during the day. When do you feel love, grateful, or contented? When do you feel resentful, frustrated, jealous, or impatient? That is the separation from love. Our fears and suffering separate us from love. When you are in survival mode your higher brain centers shut down, you cannot give or receive love.
For me, the experience that opened up for my awakening journey was my first emotional release therapy. I could finally let go of my stuck emotions and traumas. When that happened my everyday Kundalini Yoga Kriya Practice and Tantra Meditations started to produce small miracles in my life. I was able to observe myself from the outside, to live life in the present moment, and to replace anger and frustration with love. This opened space for so much beauty and love in my life. That is why I have dedicated myself to helping other people who struggle with stuck emotions from past relationships or their childhood.
Living in the moment
Spiritual awakening is living life in the moment. Imagine that you can hear the thoughts of people passing by on the street. It likely would be chaotic. We average around 70,000 thoughts per day, most of which we don’t even notice. Classical Tantra teaches us to take control of thinking and live consciously, rather than being at the mercy of a wandering mind.
Reflection is essential when changing how you live your life. Are you fully present, experiencing and savoring every moment? Or, do you consume experiences greedily, never fully enjoying them? Slow down and be fully immersed in the sensations of each moment. That might be savoring a piece of dark chocolate or nurturing your close relationships. Being present and mindful gives you a richer and deeper experience of life. The difference this makes cannot be understated.
Kundalini Yoga Versus Classical Tantra
Kundalini yoga uses a variety of kriyas to move energy through the chakras, opening the energy paths and creating an elevated state of awareness. These practices are not exclusive to Kundalini yoga and are rooted in the Classical Tantra teachings. There is, however, a big difference between Kundalini Yoga and Tantra in their approach to awakening.
Kundalini Yoga stresses celibacy. Doing so avoids activating the heat and sexual energies in the body. Allowing instead direction of these energies towards spiritual growth.
Classical Tantra views awakening as a practice to be integrated into every aspect of life. Spiritual awakening is not limited to a specific practice or path but involves engaging with all aspects of personal life. Tantra encourages individuals to explore and harness their life force to expand consciousness.
Signs of Spiritual awakening
During awakening your personality changes. Unsupportive habits fall away. You are less guided by fears and more by empathy, intuitiion and compassion. Your friends and colleagues will likely notice the change before you do. You may lose some friends because of this as your paths diverge. You are identified with your being rather than what you are doing. Such changes feel natural as the real you is not changing.
Awakening is a journey of calming your mind and handling yourself and your relationships with love and understanding. As you progress, you will find yourself less affected by fears and engaging with the world from a higher state of consciousness. A clear sign of awakening is the shift from impulsive reactions like anger, stress, or sadness towards self reflection on what is bothering you. You are more able to respond from a place of authenticity and understanding.
Additionally, you may see that you are less influenced by others bad moods, stress, and projections. Instead of being caught up in their drama, you develop an ability to see beyond their distress and respond with clarity and understanding. This shift means you can address the underlying cause of their responses rather than reacting at the surface-level of their emotions.
You begin to embody inner peace, resilience, and empathy. You navigate life’s challenges with emotional stability and wisdom. The journey not only improves your well-being but also positively impacts the quality of your relationships.
The 3 phases of awakening
Christopher Wallis, is an internationally recognised authority on Classical Tantra, is an initiated tantrika and author of Tantra Illuminated. He outlines 3 distinct phases of the awakening process.
1. Self-acceptance and self-love
This stage entails fully immersing oneself in the Universal Consciousness and forging a profound connection with their essential nature. It demands complete self-acceptance, being grounded, and embracing unconditional self-love. A defining characteristic of this phase is the ability to find peace in the present moment, just as it is. Those who have attained this state exhibit qualities such as fully accepting their life and circumstance, taking full accountability for their inner state without assigning blame, effortlessly navigating through life’s challenges, remaining unaffected by praise or criticism, accepting love from others without dependency, dispelling chronic low-level fears, and cultivating a robust energy body capable of processing life experiences
2. Moving beyond the ego
Individuals relinquish their personal and individual identities to merge with the broader tapestry of universal energy. It entails gaining profound insights into the universal patterns of life-energy and nurturing a sense of unity-consciousness. Letting go of one’s personal narrative and releasing the desire for uniqueness is vital during this stage. Prioritizing the cultivation of compassion and serving others becomes of utmost importance. It’s worth noting that while transcending the ego, maintaining a healthy sense of self is crucial, and achieving stability at the individual level of awakening is a prerequisite for progressing to the next level.
3. Transcending the mind
Individuals achieve total liberation from the ego by merging into the boundless that transcends existence itself. It means surpassing the constraints of the mind. This stage goes beyond the boundaries of individual consciousness, enabling access to the infinite essence of the universe. The awakened individual perceives life from a standpoint of non-duality, comprehending everything with intuitive wisdom. They approach all relationships with compassion from the heart, devoid of any biases or judgement, and do not see duality in such things as gender, race, or socioeconomic status.
Summary
Awakening in the Tantric tradition involves living consciously, being in touch with your inner wisdom, and engaging with the world from the heart. This intentional way of being you to experience inner peace, and calmness of your mind, and fully immerse yourself in the richness and beauty that life has to offer.
Both Kundalini Yoga and Tantra offer profound methods for spiritual growth and awakening, but their approaches differ in terms of their perspective on celibacy and the integration of awakening into daily life. You must explore and choose the path that resonates with your personal beliefs and goals on your journey toward a higher consciousness. You might even consider emotional release therapy because suck emotions can separate you from being in love with life!
References
- Wallis, Christopher D., Tantra Illuminated: The Philosophy, History, and Practice of a Timeless Tradition, 2013, from Mattaayura Press.
- Tantra And Embodied Awakening With Christopher Wallis, by Michael W. Taft, 19 September 2023, from Deconstructing Yourself.
October 7, 2024 
