12 Stages of Awakening

Its common to reach a crossroads in life.  This is that point when you begin asking more questions without always getting quick answers.  Consider where in these twelve stages you may relate most:

Stage 1: Suffering Disconnection

We don’t feel our bodies unless they hurt. We do everything to disconnect. We may perpetuate addictions,  numb out. Suffering comes because we have lost the ability to listen to the subtle messages and rely on loud messages like physical pain or nightmares which echo our body would like our attention. 

Tips: engaging in Somatic movement exercises can help reconnect us to our body, to find comfort and resources we had forgotten we had. 

Stage 2: Identifying Polarity

Although we are healthier than in Stage 1, we are still not fully connecting to our body. We tend to look for external solutions. Things can be very black and white, good or bad. We are still blaming, not accepting responsibility for our body, but instead look for someone  to fix us, or blame for our issues.  The moment is ripe to start to recognise that we have different parts, needs and emotions. we start to connect to the parts of us we like and don’t.

Tips:  Reflect on what brings us more into our body and less affected by what people and media say. Be aware that parts of us that we reject often contain the seeds that will heal us, if only we can listen.

Stage 3: Feeling Stuck

Here we feel like we have done a lot: seen therapists, taken courses, tested out fad diets and exercises and, yet we are still not where we want to be. We are at a loss, feel stuck in repeating patterns and still resist change.  It helps to explore soma (body awareness) and observe how “we” hold ourselves in a pattern. The common factor in our situations is us. Maybe we have something to do with it?

Tips: Tune into your vibes. Sometimes a course, healing or program can help. Yet, at some point, we must  work though obstacles alone.

Stage 4: Reclaiming Power

This is a turning point. You decide to confidently reclaim power. You deserve a different attitude and existence. You are ready to accept responsibility for your thoughts, feelings and conditions. Personal power is about taking action, owning the consequences and integrating wisdom.

Tips: It’s about trusting yourself, discovering what this feels like. This is  where you reflect on life lessons, and begin to apply them.

Stage 5: Dismantling Illusions

As products of society, we adopt rules, create beliefs and ways of being from our carers and entourages. Some of the rules we outgrow. Many adopted beliefs limit our progress and keep us small and dismpowered. 

Tips: Keep a journal. This is the point we explore and integrate parts of us we have disowned, embrace the energy we exert to keep us separate and alone. It is a key step towards authenticity.

Stage 6: Willingness to change

The energy is building, we can see the finish line. We know that we have done the work. Now we must go deeper again and prepare to clear out the patterns and beliefs that no longer serve us.

Tips: Explore what authrnticity feels like and means inside.The better we know ourselves, the easier it is to fully step into true nature.

Stage 7: Releasing stage

We release our patterns. It could be through sound, emotions, some people even throw up. Whatever is necessary it feels healthy and our bodies clear out what no longer serves.

Tips: Keep an open mind. Explore ecstatic dance, belly dancing, or activities that guide stepping outside comfort zones, lose inhibitions.

Stage 8: Emptying chaos

Peaceful waiting.  There are no voices telling us what we must do, what we should do. We no longer feel obligated to meet everyone elses needs. We are peaceful. There is space, space to wait and observe and see what unfolds and fill when ready.

Tips: Be still, wait, allow the experience of peace. Emotions of this stage include grace, peace, expansion, love.

Stage 9: Seeing light beyond form

We become aware that we are more than our physical bodies and that there is an energy that surrounds and connects us all.

Tips: Keep an open heart. We feel so much more than taught.  Connect to what is beyond self. We can often read others' energy and in situations. We experience deep love, acceptance.

Stage 10: Being the Light 

Being open to receive and grow aware of your gifts allows them to blossom. We are not separate from them. We have unique gifts that enrich the collective.

Tips:  connect to our own uniqueness and potential whilst experiencing unity, part of something vast. We share the sun, water, air, earth and are the shared energy. 

Stage 11: Sharing your Gifts

Know you have innate gifts to share. We offer as we can, not because we are better or worse than anyone or , but because we do and because of who and what we are.

Tips: Be aware serendipity is synchronicity. We experience joy and gratitude

Stage 12: Communing with Kindred Spirits

Our smallest community is the cells that make up our body. We then expand this to our family, friends, colleagues, then our village, our county, our country, the world, the universe?

Tips: the size of our community depends on thate of expandingour consciousness.

As we expand, we start to see where we sit in relation to humanity. We see how our actions, thoughts, emotions have a domino effect. Depending on our capacity to connect to others and community this raises our vibes, shapes our behaviour so that we uplift more often.