As Difficult as a Spiritual Awakening

Why awaken when the sleepers do just fine?

Photo by Roberto Mateo on Unsplash

Twilight painted a stunning sunset across the sky, captivating my nine-year-old daughter and me as we watched from our balcony. We stayed there until the last rays of daylight faded, and when I got up to go inside, I called her to come along, but she looked sad. It was getting dark, and she understood what that meant. The time had come for us to go inside and prepare for sleep.

“It’s Sunday night. Another week is beginning.” She cried, “I hate waking up so early for school.”

“Oh yes, I hear you. Waking up in the morning is difficult, but we go to bed early so we can wake up early,” I assured her. However, she was focused on something else. The roosters were crowing so loudly.

“Is this why the roosters are crowing as the sun sets?” she asked. “Maybe they must prepare for sleep like we do.”

“Yes,” I replied. “It could be why they are crowing. When the sun sets, they know it’s time to rest.”

“Do you think the roosters are happy to be going to sleep?” She cried. “Crows rhyme with cries, you know?”

I laughed. “The crowing doesn’t sound happy or sad to me. It’s just normal.”

“This means that waking up and sleeping are a normal part of life. If I stayed up all night, morning would still come, and I’d be too tired to have fun. I wouldn’t be at my best if I didn’t get enough rest,” she said.

“Yes, exactly. Let’s go to bed early so we can wake up with the sun and the crows.”

As we went inside, I continued to reflect on the sleep-wake cycle and its connections to both the physical and spiritual realms. The physical and spiritual realms are two different aspects of human experience, and yet, they are not in opposition.

From a physical perspective, our bodies have internal clocks, the circadian rhythms, which help regulate sleep patterns. From a spiritual perspective, sleep serves as a period for rest and rejuvenation of the mind, body, and spirit.

My daughter’s sleep cycle has improved since we had that conversation. Her new sleep routine, which includes watching sunsets and listening to crows, has made going to sleep much easier. However, waking up is a different story.

“Five more minutes,” she cries every morning.

Waking up in the morning can be a struggle, much like the journey of a spiritual awakening. Both experiences may leave you feeling groggy, disoriented, and unable to see things clearly.

There was a time in my spiritual awakening journey when I would drive into the forest in the middle of the night because I was losing my mind. I would scream until my voice was hoarse. At that time, my spiritual awakening felt like a storm — an overwhelming experience that turned my world upside down. Everything was falling apart, and I had nothing solid to hold onto. There were nights when I would wander around my neighborhood, lost in thoughts of the simple life I once knew before my awakening.

Relationships were easier. Some were toxic, but they still provided companionship, which kept me from feeling as alone as I often do now. I’ve lost some people, not due to any fallout, but because we no longer resonated with one another. It felt as though I was speaking a different language, and the world seemed unable to relate to any of my spiritual experiences. The isolation that followed was extremely painful—a weighty realization that the people around you may never understand what you’re experiencing.

This is the truth about my awakening. The experience is not always easy. Some seasons bring rage, grief, and a haunting sense of loneliness.

The reality is that spiritual awakening can feel like peeling back layers of pain. You confront your fears, face your past failures, and dig into the core of your identity. The things you discover aren’t always beautiful. It’s messy and raw, and each revelation stirs up grief you didn’t even realize was there, buried deep within the voids of the soul. Childhood traumas emerge after a spiritual awakening and refuse to stay hidden. They come up to be addressed.

You may feel as though you didn’t choose this path at all. You weren’t prepared for the weight of awakening, for losing touch with everything and everyone. You long for the carefree moments that used to fill your days with joy and simplicity. You want those moments back, the opportunity to live without later journaling about it or meeting someone without feeling obligated to figure out what role they play in your life.

All of this can feel overwhelming, causing many to question why they should awaken when the sleepers seem to be doing just fine.

Sleep is easy.

Waking up in the morning from the comfort of bed to meet the demands of the day can be jarring. The bed feels inviting, and the thought of stepping into reality and facing the responsibilities of work or the expectations of others can create a heavy weight on your shoulders.

Just as waking up can trigger feelings of fatigue and reluctance, awakening also brings moments of confusion and discomfort as you navigate intense emotions and changing beliefs. And just as it takes time to adjust to a new morning routine, spiritual awakening also takes time.

A new day teaches us that time waits for no one.

At 5:30 a.m., in my household, the day begins, whether we’re awake or not. When the alarm sounds, wherever I am in my dreams, it’s time to wake up.

My daughter’s mindset has shifted significantly regarding sleep and waking up. At sunset, the roosters’ crowing serves as a gentle reminder that it is time to wind down and rest. Rather than seeing dusk as a source of anxiety or resistance, she now understands that rest rejuvenates both the body and mind for a fresh start in the morning. And when I am tempted to scream and curse at my awakening, I remind myself of the same thing.

Waking up in the morning is difficult, much like a spiritual awakening, but it also holds the promise of a new dawn.

If you enjoyed reading this, you will love my Amazon books. 100 Billion Souls (excellent if you are experiencing a spiritual awakening) + Who Am I (if you feel called to a higher purpose) + I Am Who I Am (for those who are ready to step into their purpose). Need someone to talk to about spiritual matters? Book a session. If you love my work and would like to support, you can buy me a water. Thanks!🤍

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Love❤️
Kimberly.