The Challenge of Spiritual Awakening - Tom Eckert

The challenge of Authentic Spiritual Growth and transformation

Books and YouTube videos often describe how beautiful Spiritual Awakening and enlightenment are.The freedom, bliss, unending happiness and silence – it all sounds so promising. However, the journey of awakening and enlightenment although definitely full of beauty and definitely promising is actually an arduous journey. It is a real transformation of who we thought we are. It’s a total paradigm shift. And it is painful to die to who you thought you were for who knows how long.

Unveiling Reality

The spiritual journey is about deep and profound Self-Remembrance. One way of looking at the process is going beyond the layers of contraction. From identifying ourselves as a body, we discover an energy body, then the soul, then the ground of being. And with every discovery, the center of gravity of our being starts to move and relocate itself to these deeper layers as its new identity.

Now, this is a real revolution. We literally grow out of what we thought we were into completely new measures. Much vaster ones. And growing up is not always easy. It is fascinating and full of wonder, but on the way you see so much, your eyes open up, and sometimes you just want to close your eyes in the presence of too much light.

Learning to embrace the new and give up the old

Growing up in the spiritual sense, means that one literally shifts from existing in a paradigm of time, space and gravity to one of timelessness and no gravity. After all, it is only gravity that gives us the feeling of being material, with mass and weight and also the feeling of a certain reference point. As we start transcending gravity, we start discovering our original spiritual nature – a vast, eternal, heavenly presence that abides in Oneness. This discovery is both exhilarating and pretty shocking at the same time.

As we start transcending the veil of gravity, we leave a whole old paradigm behind that belonged to Time-Space reality: all our hang-ups, old behaviors, patterns, traumas, fear, anger, aggression, sorrow, attachments. This is of course a gradual process and the intensity of it changes from person to person according to structure, soul path and probably many other unknown factors. But this is where the process can become at times very challenging.

Facing your own shadow with loving open eyes

This process of facing your own shadow is the actual process of transformation that literally allows you to eventually embody your original spiritual nature effortlessly and continuously. This transformation includes an ongoing process of moving between opening up to your deeper nature and then touching deeper into your shadow. Your body-mind is now getting used to live from a deeper place, conduct it in the body, mind and behavior and also to face your shadow without trying to push it away or indulge in it.

I can only share that in my own journey, which is still unfolding, this process included and still includes wonderful ups and at times terrible downs. It’s not always that dramatic, but it can go there. And after 16 years on this miraculous journey, I’ve come across many people who have had or are having the same experience.

This post is meant to support those of you who are having a bumpy ride

Reading this blog post you might think that this process of spiritual awakening is not such a great catch, but that’s not the point of this post. It is simply meant to address the many awakening people out there who’s ride is a bumpy one. And I know there are many of you out there. The awakening process is the greatest gift you could ever hope for, but it certainly has a price. And it’s good to be aware of the price we are about to pay and to learn to embrace it with love and to have the right kind of support along this path.

Being kind to yourself and having the right support

As we undergo this process, which usually takes many years, it is vital and important to have the right support around us in the form of teachers, good friends who are on the same path, and of course – our own sensitivity, compassion, love and wisdom. Teachers help us make sense of all that we’re going through – both light and shadow. They give us clarity and confidence on the path. Being more established than us in their True Nature, they can shed light on our path and help us not to get stuck.

Friends who share the path are immensely important. They are the one’s who encourage you to be the great light that you are and hold you with love when you are facing your deepest shadows. They are there to see the beauty in you always – no matter what. True friends are one of the most precious assets in life. And last but not least – Yourself. It is very important that you develop a kindness towards yourself, a softness and a love that allows you to cross this river of transformation with lots of sensitivity and attentiveness. To be able to empower yourself or give yourself a true rest or embrace when you need one, is very important. It’s also important that you know how to talk to yourself in a constructive manner, so to support yourself, no matter what you’re going through.

Love is your compass

In the end, life is like a river, forever moving, forever solving itself, always in flow. And so should we, learn to become like a river in this journey, not to get attached to anything. Not to the light and not to the shadow. Eventually it boils down to being truly honest, simple and sincere in your love of Truth. Your sincere love is your compass. The path in revealed by the light of your love.