The digital world we live in today aids in globalization of every subject of human interest, it comes with an overload of information on every latest fad. The subject of spiritual awareness has been the fad in personal growth in recent years. As a global movement today, the daily spiritual awareness and journey discourses keep liberating the masses through the route of social media. This has a rub-off effect resulting in a number of people exploring the self. One starts wondering about life questions like- Who am I? Is there a purpose of my Life? What is my definition of spirituality? The life I lead is it just a memory, a sum of my thoughts/ karma or suffering?
Extreme situations also stimulate spiritual awakening. Near-death experiences or loss of loved ones or emotional vulnerability are instances for such extreme situations. Another instance of spiritual awakening is followed by people who are already practicing yoga and meditation. The practicing of yamas and niyamas often leads to spiritual development. Often times, Yoga is approached from a physical development point of view or in need of emotional stability. Though during the evolutionary process, they also gain a deeper understanding of themselves and the world around them.
The journey of spirituality is oftentimes guided through a teacher. It could be a person who has guided you in your yogic lifestyle or it could also be materialistic things like video’s or using books for inspirations. A teacher can also be a traditional ‘Guru’ or someone who has an established level of spiritual awareness within themselves.
While the process of spiritual awakening can be terrifying but, the end result is always positive. People, who have experienced it, divulge on the profound sense of fulfillment, contentment and internal peace they gained in the process. It is important to remember that this is a transformative journey of awakening. It is, therefore, a rediscovery of things that we are already aware of but have forgotten or ignored in the hustle of modern life. It’s a recurring journey towards the truth of life that everyone will benefit from.
When you have started to ponder over the signs of a spiritual journey, consider that your journey has already started. Modern-day psychology has been grappling with the human ego and its vast territory for a while now. Freudian ideas about the ego have been quite recent, but explicit spiritual wisdom and ego concepts are beautifully explained by classical Indian text ‘The Bhagavad Gita.’
According to the Bhagavad Gita, there is a vital difference between the ‘real’ ego and ‘false’ ego. Real ego is at our core essence; the consciousness keeps us aware and awake. The false ego is a mistaken identity shaped to protect the sense of being as the most important, all the time. In short, it is an egotistical search for being valued, loved, adored, validated and appreciated. This is what we usually refer to as the ego. The Bhagavad Gita further describes the intricacies of the ego and how it manifests moment to moment in our beliefs, thoughts, words, and deeds.
The concept may seem to be overextended when seen from afar. Nonetheless, when we honestly sit down to study our own lives; we can clearly separate various incidents of how these egotistical tendencies manifest themselves in our personality, either covertly or overtly.
The Bhagavad Gita’s prescription to combat the self-absorbed ego is to create a culture of self-examination or Swadhyaya and self-knowledge; the basic components of which lie in courage, humility, and modesty.
The spiritual awakening signifies the ability of the individual ‘to clearly see that what I perceive, experience, think or feel, is, after all, not the same as what I am.’ As soon as a person distinguishes who he or she is not, immediately comes the appreciation of who he or she actually is – the light of cognizance, in which insights, experiences, thoughts and emotions come and go. This awareness in the background is the deeper, real self.
The existence thus created (conscious alertness) brings about the sense of serenity and internal peace. The sustained conscious attention launches the spiritual process of metamorphosis that leads the individual towards mindful attentiveness, new perspective and new ways of perceiving. This process helps in transforming the consciousness of the individual that changes the entire personality and behavior of the individual. The transformation towards the sense of right and wrong is the beginning of spiritual awareness, this is when the person experiences that he or she is the consciousness that observes the operation of ego.
Are you Awake is the right question to ask yourself?
‘Spirituality is for practice and not for preaching it’- Shri Yogendraji.
So stay awake and aware to transform thy self from within!