Willingness
“Try not to resist the changes that come your way. Instead let life live through you. And do not worry that your life is turning upside down. How do you know that the side you are used to is better than the one to come?” -Rumi-
When we start our inner journey, we often face many uncertainties, not knowing where we are going and if it’s worth turning our lives upside down. Therefore I explain the stages of awakening many of us go through when we don’t deny our calling: that inner voice that tells us to change our lives and to follow our heart. The timeframe and chronological order of these stages are not set in concrete and can overlap or return multiple times, but everybody who awakens will experience them in some way or another. There are lessons to learn in every stage before we can move on. If the process is heavy and painful, we can trust that the purpose of life will become clearer every day. I realise that the timeframe of each stage can cause a feeling of despair but it can also comfort or give confidence to know that it takes time to awaken. Since it comforted me I chose to include them.
In most cases something has to happen outside of us which forces us to change our lives, for example when the pain or suffering becomes too intense. It can be a big or small life event but the call can also come from within. In both cases it takes us out of our comfort zone so that we can live according to our calling or intuition. This stage can last days to weeks.
This is a stage of excitement. Our heart starts to awaken. We feel like we’re being guided, we feel loved, we feel connected, we hear messages or songs. In this stage it's important to be open to signs, trying to reach us from within and from outside. Many times we don’t hear our calling or don’t follow our intuition because we are too busy with work and other distractions. This stage also lasts days to weeks.
Our soul brings up everything that wants to be healed. This step requires a lot of strength and courage to break free from our familiy structure and belief systems. The question that arises is: can we see that we are lived by conditioning instead of living our own lives? And if yes, are we willing to be true to ourselves and follow our heart, no matter what other people say? This stage can last months to years.
Life seems to stop. It’s the stage between the old and the new life. We can feel lost or excited. This stage forces us into a cocoon which is not always easy in a world where everything is about keeping the economy running. We can be tired and need to rest after the dark night. We don’t feel guided anymore. But by going within we can experience deep peace, stepping into our own power again. Also this stage can take months to years.
We experience more stability, more rooted and grown up. Lessons are still showing up but we are more aware of them and can even laugh about them. We are allowed to feel what we need and we can embrace our shadow sides. Our energy system becomes more powerful, more magnetic, so we attract the things and persons that we need to go on with our journey. We can give others time to learn their own lessons. This stage takes at least one year.
It’s time “to step back into the world” and to find a way to share our lessons with others. This can be extremely difficult since we have changed, but the people around us and the world did not. This stage is all about finding balance between the world of doing our jobs and the world of intuitively knowing what’s best for us. Finding a way to manifest our new selves and our dreams. Many times I felt pressure from others to do things, but if it doesn’t feel right, it makes no sense to do it. Timeframe of this stage is the rest of our lives. We are only aware of our full life purpose when we look back.
