In today’s post, I’d like to share twelve things I wish spiritual teachers had told me before I underwent my Heart Awakening process. I share them here, hoping that knowing about them will help you move through your awakening with a greater sense of clarity and the awareness that you’re not alone in this process.
‘Heart Awakening’ is a transformative process that profoundly changes how you feel inside, experience life, and connect with others. For some people, the initiation is gentle, like entering a swimming pool filled with warm water. For others, it is painful, like when your house catches on fire.
Mine began shortly after turning 40. What was supposed to be a fun adventure in South Africa turned out to be the most painful yet transformative experience of my life. In two weeks, I was mugged (passport, ID, credit cards all gone!), fired from a job, and lost my mother to cancer.
Stripped of my identity, my only source of income, and the person I loved the most, while far away in a country where I had no friends, I knew there was no turning back. I knew I would never be the same person again. Because that’s what Heart Awaking does to you. It changes you forever. Like a person whose house burned to the ground, you’re forced to rebuild from the ashes.
Today, I’d like to share twelve things I wish spiritual teachers had told me before I underwent my Heart Awakening process. I share them here, hoping that knowing about them will help you move through your awakening with a greater sense of clarity and the awareness that you’re not the only person going through this process.
Twelve Things Most Spiritual Teachers Won’t Tell You About
1) Love will crucify you and break your heart open
The moment you’ve chosen love as your spiritual path, at that exact instant, the forces of love will begin to summon all the unlovingness contained within you so that it can all be healed, released, and forgiven. As a result, your heart will break wide open so that the light of love can begin to shine in all the dark places that need healing. It will feel like love itself is now crucifying the parts of you that no longer serve you.
2) Things will get worse before they get better
Things will fall apart before they can come together. Therefore, expect situations, jobs, careers, and many of your life structures to change or entirely fall by the side. You are transforming, healing, and evolving. Therefore expect your outer reality to shift as your Universe begins to re-organize itself to make room for something better. This transition will require you to let go and surrender.
3) You’ll be co-existing in two realities
As you move through this transition, you’ll co-exist in two seemingly opposing realities: the old version of you that is in the process of dying and the new, more awakened version of yourself that is slowly emerging. Navigating through this transition will be confusing and even painful. During this time, let self-compassion be your primary coping mechanism.
4) Some people you love will walk away
How you now vibe with others is likely to inconvenience, challenge or scare them. People you love, feel deeply connected to, and are close friends with will either walk away, distance themselves, or disappear from your life altogether. With others, you’ll feel even more connected.
5) Waking up is not the same as getting up
Many people wake up but stay in their beds and even go back to sleep. Until you decide to get up and start taking decisive inspired action congruent or in alignment with this new awareness and the direction of your heart’s true desires, nothing in your world will change or get better. Nothing will change unless you do!
6) You’ll confront your biggest fears and be tested
You’ll be asked to leave behind a once safe and familiar world. Stepping into the unknown, you’ll confront your biggest fears and move through a series of situations where you’re likely to be tested. Like a child learning to walk, each test will help you develop new skills and capacities to help you courageously navigate this new way of being.
7) Cleaning up is necessary
The more you inhabit your heart, the more you’ll become aware of the parts that need cleaning. This requires meeting within yourself all the unmet pain, guilt, shame, sadness, or any emotion that you’ve disowned or spent years scaping. Understanding your emotional traumas, disowned selves and doing Shadow Integration Work will be essential skills for the journey ahead.
8) You’ll feel alone in the crowd
It will feel as if you’re all alone in this process and as if no one in the world could understand or even care about what you’re going through. Friends, family, and colleagues might surround you, yet you feel infinitely lonely in this process. You’re not. There are unseen forces, spiritual beings, and allies guiding you in this process. Spiritual aid is there if you’re willing to ask for it! The Grace of God is always available to us.
9) You don’t have to do it alone
Seek the company, love, and support of people around you who are also waking up from the dream of fear, guilt, shame, and disconnection. You’ll know you’re in the right place when you sit in a circle of friends where you feel seen and heard; where you are loved, honored, and valued for the beautiful and caring person that has always been there. Remind yourself often, “I don’t have to do it all alone. Waking up together is better!
10) There’s no need to start all over
You’ve been learning about yourself, life, playing, and experimenting. All those experiences you had, those skills you acquired along the way, all those relationships you tried out, every heartbreak, absolutely everything has made you stronger, wiser, and better. Therefore, move forward without regrets. Though it might feel like you’re starting over, the truth is you’re just jumping on the next leg of your journey!
11) The answers you seek are inside you
As a new reality and way of being in the world begin to set in, you’ll be pulled in many different directions. There will be countless gurus, teachers, books, courses, YouTube videos, workshops, retreats, Shamanic journeys, and ‘Enlightenment’ paths. Before your signup, do some diligent research. Learn to discern truth vs. falsehood and to feel into what is authentic, genuine and suitable for you. Your mind might easily be fooled, but not your heart. The answers you seek are right inside you.
12) Only love will see you through
The only thing that will get you through your awakening process is your ability to deeply, unconditionally, and compassionately love and accept yourself throughout the journey. If a specific path, teacher, or program is not helping you become more loving, kind, compassionate, caring, forgiving, and understanding, then quickly discard it. Heart awakening is ultimately about waking up to your inner source of love, wisdom, and power!
“Some day, after we have mastered the winds, the waves, the tides and gravity, we shall harness for God the energies of love. Then for the second time in the history of the world, we will have discovered fire.”
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
I hope you find these twelve things helpful and that they support you along with your heart awakening journey.
From my heart to yours,
