How Long Does a Spiritual Awakening Last

A spiritual awakening can bring repressed memories, uncomfortable emotions and childhood traumas up to the surface to be processed.

While the healing process itself is beautiful, it can be very, very uncomfortable.

One of the most common questions asked by people undergoing this process is: How long does a spiritual awakening last?

This blog post will answer this very question.

What is a Spiritual Awakening?

The first thing you need to understand when answering the question, ‘How long does a spiritual awakening last?’ is ‘What is a spiritual awakening?’

A spiritual awakening is the process of turning inwards and realizing the true nature of life.

In a nutshell, we are all on our own spiritual awakening journeys to moksha, liberation or spiritual enlightenment. This journey is not only contained between birth and death: instead, it spans all of our lifetimes and is karmic in nature.

Your good and bad karmas are carried forward between lifetimes so that you can continue your journey without skipping a beat.

When you reach a certain level of maturity or “readiness,” a spiritual awakening occurs where you are introduced to the true nature of reality and this life.

For more information on this, check out our Ultimate Spiritual Awakening Guide where we share the 4 stages, signs, symptoms and more.

Who undergoes a Spiritual Awakening?

In short: everyone.

The real question here is when.

Not everyone will go through a spiritual awakening in their current lifetime.

In fact, spiritual awakenings are not that common and if you’re going through one, you are very special and there is a larger plan for your life.

If you’re wondering how long a spiritual awakening lasts, you are likely going through one.

If so, check out our post on How to Start your Spiritual Awakening Journey for tips, guidance and time-tested techniques to help make this journey as smooth as possible.

How long does a Spiritual Awakening last?

Now that you’ve determined that you are indeed going through a spiritual awakening and where you are on that journey using our free Spiritual Awakening Test, let’s answer the question you came here for: “How long does a spiritual awakening last?”

There is no set rule for how long a spiritual awakening lasts; a spiritual awakening does not follow the rules of time as we know it.

Rather, a spiritual awakening will proceed as per your inner readiness.

Let me clarify:

What happens after your Spiritual Awakening?

One way to measure progress on any journey is by having an idea of what it will look like once you’ve completed that journey.

After your spiritual awakening, you will be a much more grounded person.

You will have a clear picture of life as a whole, your purpose in life and the reason that you are here at this particular moment in time.

You will become unshakeable. The events of your life will not affect the inner peace, strength and stability that you have developed through this journey.

Rather than judge the world and people around you for their tendencies, you will look at them through compassionate eyes with a deep understanding that everyone is on their own journey and battling their own inner demons.

You will become a pillar of strength and light for the people around you, your community and maybe even the world as a whole.

After your spiritual awakening, you will be able to look back at the person you were at the beginning of the journey and feel that that person is unrecognizable.

What to Expect on the Journey; 8 Lessons from My Spiritual Journey

Having been on my own spiritual journey for many years, here are some key lessons and takeaways from the journey:

The journey is REAL. The internet and popular media have romanticized spirituality and the spiritual awakening journey. The journey is pretty much the opposite of what popular media has made it out to be.  You don’t end up in some fairy tale state where you leave your body and float around in the heavens free of this world and your responsibilities. Rather, this is a journey inwards where you get the opportunity to face your inner demons so you can finally release deep-seated stress and trauma and find lasting inner peace. Real life things will happen to you and you will be forced to make hard decisions that will ultimately leave you wiser and more compassionate for the human condition.

Life will challenge you. Many of us live in a bubble. With so much content at our fingertips, we become desensitized to the harshness that exists in the world. Your spiritual awakening will bring you face-to-face with the reality of life. You will see first hand how one person’s trauma can affect entire generations. Rather than blaming that person, you will see and speak of them with compassion and kindness, knowing that each individual is plagued with their own traumas and limiting world views.

You will lose people. You will outgrow relationships. Somehow or other, people who you thought will always be on your side will be removed from your path. It will likely be painful but ultimately, it will be what you need to build inner strength and resilience.

You will be forced to grow. You will gain the maturity and wisdom to know and accept life and the world as it is. With this, you will develop a sincere desire to make the world a better place.

You will find a new way of life. Your old beliefs will be challenged and your life will change so that you can fulfill your own desires of making the world a better place, doing something meaningful with your time and making a tangible difference in the world.

You will become an instrument of the Divine. Your life will become an expression of love and include selfless service with the aim of bringing love, peace and ease to the people of the world.

You will be drawn to practices that take you inward. You will no longer be charmed by the frivolities of the world and chase after trends and instant gratification. You will instead choose to spend your time and resources in pursuing holistic health and going inward and experiencing the timeless peace and stillness that exists within you.

You will no longer be interested in the grind. You will break the societal mould and live a life that aligns with your inner values rather than what society expects from you.

Notes for the Journey

Following the lessons and experiences I gained on my spiritual journey, here are the things I wish I could go back and tell myself as I was embarking on this journey.

• Take care of yourself – this journey is a marathon not a sprint. Don’t give in to laziness and lethargy but if it starts feeling like you’re doing things for the sake of doing them rather than to rest, recharge and replenish: give yourself a break and listen to what your body needs.
• Practice yoga for yoga and spirituality are deeply connected. Yoga is more than just postures and certainly more than what the media makes it out to be. Find an instructor that teaches authentic yoga and learn everything you can from that person.
• Meditation is your friend. Meditation is the secret to stop overthinking and reconnect you to the peace and stillness that exists inside you.
• Set boundaries. If something doesn’t feel good to you: say no. Here, you have to develop the awareness and discernment to be able to recognize if you’re genuinely uncomfortable with something or you’re shying away from it because it’s outside your comfort zone. If it’s something that you genuinely don’t like to do but you do because you “should,” learn to say no.
• Forgive yourself and others. Understand that ultimately everything happens as per the grand plan. Everyone is just acting as per their role/part in the play. Let go of the hurt and continue moving forward on your path.
• Adopt a spiritual practice like yoga and be consistent with it. This will help you process difficult emotions so you can rest and recharge in a state of deep meditation.
• Listen to your intuition. Your intuition is one thing in this world that will never lie to you. If you find it was incorrect: it was not your intuition but instead your own mind playing tricks on you.
• Be patient with yourself. You are not perfect, it’s okay to make mistakes on this journey. You have your own wounds that you are healing from. Give yourself space to be human.
• Journal. Like yoga asana practice, journaling will help you process and release emotions so you can reconnect with your authentic self.

Looking for Guidance on this Journey?