LonerWolf

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Start Here
  • Shop
  • Subscribe
  • Free Tests
  • Contact
  • Membership
  • Course
  • Freebies
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Start Here
  • Shop
  • Subscribe
  • Free Tests
  • Contact
  • Membership
  • Course
  • Freebies
×
» Home » Starting The Journey

Spiritual Awakening: 23 Major Signs + Symptoms

by Aletheia Luna · Updated: Apr 3, 2025 · 245 Comments

AI generated image of a wolf standing on a mountain peak with the sun and moon behind it symbolic of the spiritual awakening process
Spiritual awakening signs symptoms purpose quotes

Going through a spiritual awakening is one of the most confusing, lonely, alienating, but also supremely beautiful experiences in life.

Put simply, spiritual awakenings mark the beginning of your initiation on the spiritual path.

Without experiencing a spiritual awakening, we go throughout life pursuing the emptiness of money, fame, power, and respect in an attempt to find “happiness.”

The unsettling and equally beautiful thing about spiritual awakenings is that they occur at the least expected times. There is no way you can plan for them. They lurch into your life and shake everything up like tornadoes.

But the hidden gift buried deep within them is that they occur at the precise time that you need them the most.

Spiritual awakenings are the soul’s cry for freedom.

Listen to its call and your life will be transformed into something meaningful and significant.

Refuse its call and your life will be like a graveyard.

If you have experienced a spiritual awakening, you have come to see through the lies and illusions of this world.

Deep in your soul, you realize that nothing external has ever, and can ever, bring you true happiness or fulfillment.

This profound realization leaves you craving for something richer, more fulfilling, and something that will make you feel whole once again.

If you’re looking for answers, if you’re thirsting for a direction in life, this page will share with you everything you need to know.

On this page, you will find all the possible spiritual resources you need for the beginning of your journey as a lone wolf and spiritual wanderer, including what spiritual awakening is, common spiritual awakening symptoms, and much more.

If you feel this page may help a friend or family member close to you, please share it and pass along this vital information.

If you prefer to listen to this article instead, we’ve created a video version of this article:

Table of contents

  • What is a Spiritual Awakening?
  • My Experience With the Spiritual Awakening Process
  • Why Did Your Spiritual Awakening Happen?
  • What Triggers the Spiritual Awakening Process?
  • The Dark Night of the Soul & Awakening
  • 10 Spiritual Awakening Stages
  • 23 Spiritual Awakening Signs and Symptoms
  • Physical Spiritual Awakening Symptoms
  • 3 Spiritual Awakening Myths
  • Spiritual Awakening Q&A
  • Spiritual Awakening and Inner Work
  • Spiritual Awakening Book

What is a Spiritual Awakening?

Image of a sunrise representing a spiritual awakening

What is the meaning of ‘spiritual awakening’?

When we undergo a spiritual awakening, we literally wake up from the dreamlike reality of ego-centered living.

We begin to question our old beliefs, habits, and social conditioning, and see that there is much more to life and ourselves than what we have been taught.

It is common to ask questions such as, “Who am I?” “What is the purpose of my life?” “What happens after death?” “Why do good people suffer?” and other questions that examine the fundamental nature of life and reality during your awakening.

Spiritual awakenings stir the deepest and most significant questions within us that we have been putting off asking or have been too scared to touch.

If you’ve experienced a spiritual awakening, you might crave to find who or what you truly are deep down, as well as what the meaning of your life is, and whether there is a “higher state” of being.

Searching for God, or for the Divine, is a common desire during this experience.

My Experience With the Spiritual Awakening Process

Image of the Matrix red pill and blue pill

I experienced the beginnings of my spiritual awakening in 2010. At that time, I was deeply indoctrinated into a world of fundamentalist religious teachings in the Christian sect I was born into.

After almost two decades of believing in the hellfire-and-brimstone teachings I was fed every week, something began to eat away at me suddenly.

I began to doubt, question, and sense that there was way more to life than my indoctrinated outlook, and I felt deeply lost and alone.

I had no one outside of the church that I felt comfortable talking to about my feelings. I had no true friends to confide in – and my family didn’t understand – or rather, didn’t want to.

As a result, I felt so alienated and suffocated with loneliness that I developed depression, health issues, OCD, and chronic anxiety, the latter lasting for many years.

Like Neo in the movie The Matrix, I was being offered the red and blue pill. Should I continue taking the blue pill and remain in my comfortable ignorance? Or should I take the red pill and be free (but experience the pain of waking up)?

Long story short, I chose the red pill. It wasn’t easy at first. I would often carry the unshakable sensation that I was falling endlessly through a void of darkness.

The Dark Night of the Soul descended quickly upon me, and I felt abandoned by life and betrayed by those closest to me. Ultimately, I had no fucking idea what was happening and thought for sure I was losing it (or would burn in hell for eternity).

But in the end, going through this process of spiritual awakening was worth all the pain and sacrifice. No regrets.

The amount of growth, love, transformation, and freedom I’ve experienced since choosing the ‘red pill’ has been totally mind-blowing, life-changing, and profound.

Why Did Your Spiritual Awakening Happen?

Image of a woman symbolically letting go experiencing a spiritual awakening

So, why do spiritual awakenings happen in the first place?

Spiritual awakenings happen as a natural product of your Soul evolving, expanding, and maturing. Just as everything in life grows, so too does our connection with our Souls.

As our Soul organically matures and ripens, we find it more effortless to access the field of pure Consciousness that some call Spirit, Source, or Nondual Awareness, which is our original home and True Nature that is already and always here.

Once we begin to see and truly feel that who we really are goes beyond thought, we begin to drop ego identification, returning back to our birthless and deathless True Nature as Life Itself.

It is then that we taste the true and deep joy, peace, love, and freedom that we have always wanted, but have misguidedly sought in the material world and realm of thought.

While the spiritual awakening process can feel painful and disturbing at first, it ultimately helps you to break through illusion and find out who you truly are.

The sensation that your life doesn’t make sense anymore is the product of having all of your former beliefs, desires, and paradigms challenged and often disproven. This is traumatic, but a necessary part of your expansion.


Free Spiritual Awakening Journaling Prompts!

Want to go deeper and reflect, integrate, and gain a greater perspective of your journey of awakening?

Download Free PDF!

What Triggers the Spiritual Awakening Process?

Image of light coming through a hole in a cave

You might be curious to know what activates a spiritual awakening.

The answer is that innumerable circumstances can trigger this process! There really is no one answer.

Spiritual awakenings can happen at any moment or period in your life. They can be spontaneous, but they can also be triggered by major life changes, illnesses, tragedies, and traumas such as life-threatening illnesses, car accidents, divorces, war, midlife crises, and much more.

Awakening can also happen due to your temperament. For instance, you might be a naturally contemplative person, an introspective spiritual wanderer, or a sensitive empath who is, by nature, particularly receptive to seeing beneath the surface of life.

Furthermore, for some people, spiritual awakenings are even triggered by deep but challenging soul mate or karmic relationships.

Generally speaking, the spiritual awakening process happens in conjunction with an experience known as The Dark Night of the Soul.

The Dark Night of the Soul & Awakening

Dark night of the soul image

If you’re highly sensitive to the suffering of others and are a deep thinker by nature, it is possible that you have gone through, or are currently going through, a Dark Night of the Soul.

The Dark Night of the Soul is a period in life when we feel completely cut off from God or the Divine.

The more aware you become of your disconnection from the Divine, the more chances you have of experiencing a Dark Night of the Soul.

Going through a Dark Night of the Soul is profoundly entwined with the process of spiritual awakening.

Before seeing the light (i.e., spiritually awakening) we must “walk through the valley of the shadow of death” in order to prepare our minds and hearts for the expansion of consciousness.

Just think about the analogy of getting dressed. In order to put on new clothes, you must take off the old ones. That, in a nutshell, is essentially what the Dark Night of the Soul is about.

The old must be stripped away in order to make way for the new. This means that the suffering you experience during the Dark Night of the Soul is for a purpose – and that is the destruction of the old (outdated beliefs, identities, habits) to pave the way for fresh ways of being.

This life is a cycle of birth and death. As such, going through the Dark Night is not a pretty or manicured experience – at its core, it’s raw, primal, and perhaps the most difficult experience known to humanity.

Everything is stripped away from you. There is no light, no clarity, and no peace. But please know that it is a stage, and like everything in life, it will naturally fade.

Also, there are ways of speeding up the Dark Night (like doing inner work and soul work).

I have gone through a bleak and chaotic Dark Night of the Soul, and let me tell you, inner work and soul work were vital for my sanity.

It’s kind of like the difference between letting your old clothes just fall off you (which is a long, unhygienic, and tiresome process) or actively pulling them off and throwing them to the wind yourself.

However, please note that sometimes doing any kind of work, internal or external, can feel taxing and quite simply impossible during the Dark Night.

Sometimes rest and withdrawal are what we need the most, and that is perfectly normal, healthy, and fine.

Signs you might be experiencing a Dark Night of the Soul (along with a spiritual awakening) include the following:

  • You feel isolated from everything (others, yourself, and life in general)
  • You feel abandoned by god/the divine
  • Your mood is almost always low and melancholic
  • You’re lost and don’t know which direction is right
  • You feel despair and horror when observing the world
  • You feel a sense of existential dread
  • You feel deep tiredness in your bones
  • You lack the motivation to keep doing what you used to
  • You’ve lost interest in most things
  • You keep pondering the deep questions of life (e.g., “What is the purpose?”)
  • You feel like you don’t belong on this planet

This list is not exhaustive, so keep in mind you might be experiencing signs that aren’t included here.

You can take our free Dark Night of the Soul test if you need more clarification.

10 Spiritual Awakening Stages

Spiritual awakening process signs symptoms image

The spiritual awakening process is complex, multi-layered, and different for everyone. In reality, it cannot be fit into neat categories.

However, with that being said it is helpful to have a kind of “map” to locate where you’re at right now.

The following stages are general. They define the overall flow of the spiritual awakening process:

Stage 1 – Spiritual Calling

You feel a calling to go in search of something “more.” Life as it is no longer feels satisfying. Instead, you may feel trapped, empty inside, and crave a deeper life. You feel a call from the Soul to find spiritual fulfillment.

Stage 2 – Resisting the Path

Although you deeply desire to change your way of thinking, feeling, and being in this world, a part of you resists the unknown. Change can be scary. Numbing habits and addictions can appear in this stage as your ego tries to block progress.

Stage 3 – Finding Guidance

When you finally break through the resistance, you know that a lot of work needs to be done. Where do you go? What path do you follow? You’ll be drawn to finding as much external guidance as you can in this stage.

Stage 4 – Starting the Journey

Eventually, you will find paths, practices, and teachers who resonate with you. With these outer forms of help, you’ll be inspired to leave the old world behind and start your awakening journey. You’ll become a spiritual wanderer. The passion for learning will drive most of your behavior.

Stage 5 – Turning Inwards

After being on the awakening path for a while and listening to many teachers and teachings, you’ll eventually feel the call to turn more deeply inward. Instead of superficially dabbling in a lot of different practices, you’ll feel called to plunge into the depths of your psyche. You wish to get to the root of your pain and find deep healing and perhaps even spiritual illumination.

Stage 6 – Facing the Darkness

The deeper you journey into yourself, the more you’ll discover many of the issues that had been previously suppressed and avoided. The “darkness” you face within is your shadow self, and it’s by learning to practice self-compassion that you find the light. The experience of the Dark Night of the Soul is also common in this stage.

Stage 7 – Illumination

After facing and working through the wounds and traumas from the previous stage, you will experience a period of “breakthrough.” Dissolving the shadows that have obscured your Inner Light results in experiences of Illumination. In this stage, you may, therefore, have glimpses of Divine Love, interconnectedness, and mystical experiences of Oneness.

Stage 8 – Traps & Pitfalls

All good things must come to an end, and this difficult truth is expressed in stage eight. Having tasted the bliss of spiritual union, the ego cannot help but try to use spirituality for its own gain. As such, in this stage, you will inevitably fall into some common issues like spiritual materialism, makyo (spiritual delusion), and spiritual bypassing.

Stage 9 – Rebirth

With honesty and humility, you will be able to move through the traps and pitfalls of the previous stage and experience the beauty of rebirth. Rebirth signifies a period of deep inner spiritual transformation – a permanent shift to a new level of awareness and awakening. This is typically a quiet but profound experience.

Stage 10 – Integration

Undergoing a deep spiritual and psychological rebirth, you will feel called to integrate your hardwon wisdom into your daily life. You may feel called to give back to the world in some way and help others, perhaps as a guide or teacher of some kind. Your focus is less on yourself and more on others. This stage is defined by sage energy, where you are invited to step into a wise helper role.

Note: it is common to move back and forth between these spiritual awakening stages. Remember that this is not a linear process – you cannot just move from A to B to C. This is a cyclical journey.

Furthermore, as this is a complex and messy path, it’s perfectly fine if it doesn’t look like what I’ve described. Your spiritual awakening process is unique to you. But I do hope this analysis has helped (in some way) you to ‘gain your bearings.’

If you would like to learn more about each of these stages, check out my other article: Spiritual Awakening Stages: 10 Levels of Illumination

23 Spiritual Awakening Signs and Symptoms

AI generated image of a wolf with the sun and moon rising from the horizon symbolic of spiritual awakening

There are many spiritual awakening symptoms. In fact, spiritual awakening symptoms are not only emotional but also psychological and even physical.

Here are twenty-three of the most common symptoms out there. See how many you can identify with:

  1. You feel as though your life is false
  2. You craving for meaning and purpose
  3. You begin asking deep questions like “Who am I?”
  4. You realize that a lot of what you’ve been taught is a lie
  5. You feel completely lost and alone
  6. You see through the illusions of society
  7. You see how unhappy most people are
  8. You want to ‘purge’ your life
  9. You begin experiencing deep empathy and compassion
  10. You desire to be alone
  11. Conversations seem shallow
  12. You want to quit your job
  13. You thirst for authenticity and truth
  14. You become aware of your old negative habits
  15. You experience anxiety and/or depression
  16. You become more sensitive
  17. You want to make the world a better place
  18. You deeply want to understand who you are
  19. Your intuition is heightened
  20. More synchronicity
  21. You feel more wonder, love, and curiosity
  22. You have glimpses into your True Nature
  23. You see that we are all One

I’ll expand on these signs below:

1. You feel as though your life is false

Everything that you have believed, built, and worked towards seems to be false. Your life doesn’t feel as though it’s your own. You no longer feel like yourself – nearly everything you once enjoyed no longer brings you meaning or satisfaction.

2. You craving for meaning and purpose

You deeply desire to find the meaning of your life. You have no idea what your purpose is, but you want to find it desperately. There’s a sense that something is “missing” inside of you (like a part of your soul).

3. You begin asking deep questions

Questions such as “Who am I?” “What’s the purpose of life?” “What happens after we die?” “Why do people suffer?” arises. You begin thinking more philosophically. Such profound thoughts may greatly disturb you as you don’t know the answers.

4. You realize that a lot of what you’ve been taught is a lie

You start to see how many beliefs, feelings, and values are not actually your own, but other people’s or inherited from your culture. You are growing in self-awareness.

5. You feel completely lost and alone

Nothing in your life seems to make sense anymore. You feel as though you’re wandering through an endless wilderness. As a spiritual wanderer and lone wolf, you feel completely alone and cut off from people. You struggle to relate to those you once felt close to (i.e., your friends, work colleagues, and family members).

6. You see through the illusions of society

Materialism, success, and profit no longer mean anything to you. You start feeling as though you’re a cog in the machine of society.

7. You see how unhappy most people are

You awaken to the unhappiness and suffering of others. You may start to explore activism or read more about the human condition. It is tormenting for you to realize how much pain there is in the world.

8. You want to ‘purge’ your life

You’re sick and tired of feeling stranded, depressed, and hopeless. Suddenly, you feel the need to simplify and declutter your life. This could mean cutting ties with toxic people, reassessing your habits, donating old things, relocating to a new job or place to live, or even giving away most of what you own. Wanting to purge your life doesn’t always happen externally, but it is a deeply felt internal craving that also manifests as the desire to experience some level of internal purification.

9. You begin experiencing deep empathy and compassion

As you start paying more attention to the many hardships faced by humanity and nature alike, you develop more compassion. Your inherent empathy is awakened, and you may find it hard to cope with the intensity of your feelings. This is a pivotal point in your inner transformation: you either numb the pain you feel with addictions, or you find healthy ways to accept and express your emotions.

10. You desire to be alone

You crave solitude. Whereas once you may have been extroverted, now you experience the introverted side of your nature. You spend a lot of time alone introspecting and enjoying the silence. At every cost, you try to reduce social contact. At this point, you may lose touch with many old friends and even family members.

11. Conversations seem shallow

When you do talk to people you feel an acute sense of separation. You realize that very few people are comfortable with talking about deep and meaningful topics. In conversations, you feel restless and irritated by the small talk. You silently scream, “Can’t anyone wake up and realize what is happening?” Your distaste for frivolous chit-chat draws you more into solitude. You become a lone wolf and rebellious free spirit.

12. You want to quit your job

Even though you worked for years getting your degree, establishing your career, and climbing the ranks, you feel nothing but emptiness. Your job no longer provides you the sense of fulfillment that you need. You desperately crave more.

13. You thirst for authenticity and truth

Being true to yourself becomes a top priority. You hate faking and putting on the old masks that you used to wear. You want to be completely authentic. Pretense makes you feel sick and disgusted.

14. You become aware of your old negative habits

You are painfully aware of your flaws and destructive habits. Within you arises a strong urge to wipe the slate clean and start over.

15. You experience anxiety and/or depression

You may go through deep bouts of existential depression or persistent anxiety. The shock of plunging into your awakening leaves you feeling unstable. You may be misdiagnosed with a mental illness. Uncertainty and fear follow you around everywhere.

16. You become more sensitive

Everything impacts you more. You feel the energy of others more strongly, the pain of your loved ones more intensely, and the difficulties in life deeper than ever before. At the same time, you feel a gloriously enhanced connection with animals and nature. You start feeling more at home within the natural world (rather than the human world).

17. You want to make the world a better place

When all is said and done, you want to leave the world a better place. You start thinking ‘big picture.’ This longing to make a real impact translates to actively helping others or finding a life purpose that aligns with this desire.

18. You deeply want to understand who you are

Endless questions arise about your identity and your life, for example, “Who am I?” “Why was I born?” “What am I here to do?” “What is the purpose of my existence?” As a result, you begin reading many self-help books and spiritual texts. No wonder you ended up here. :-)

19. Your intuition is heightened

Gradually you begin to listen to the still, small voice within. You allow it to guide your decisions and you may become more receptive to the messages of your unconscious mind through dreams, physical sensations, and practices like journaling or meditation. You may even come in contact with your spirit guides, spirit animal, or other spiritual helpers. Eventually, you start to uncover your hidden gifts and talents thanks to learning how to trust your intuition.

20. More synchronicity

You start becoming conscious of the many signs and omens that life brings to you. Life becomes much more receptive and interactive with you. Serendipity and déjà vu increase. You may even undergo numerous mystical experiences.

21. You feel more wonder, love, and curiosity

The smallest things start to bring you joy and bliss: a falling leaf, a spider’s web, a child’s laughter, a puddle. Life is no longer ignored – it is seen as magical, amazing, and beautiful. As the barriers of the ego break down, you begin to love other people without expectations or conditions (this includes self-love). You lose interest in drama, conflict, and anything that perpetuates hatred.

22. You have glimpses into your True Nature

The deeper you turn inwards, the more you begin to discover that who you truly are goes beyond all thought, belief, idea, memory, or mental construct. As the layers of the ego and the blockages that obscure your inner Light begin to dissolve within the light of awareness, you begin to glimpse your true eternal nature.

Shifting out of the personal ego and witnessing life from the seat of Divine Consciousness is known as ego death, Self-realization, or enlightenment – and such an experience can be temporary or permanent.

23. You see that we are all One

As your awakening process matures and ripens, you begin to integrate the realization that who you truly are is always and already here as Spirit, Consciousness, or Life Itself. You see that we are all One, we are all expressions of the same Divine Source, and we have never been separate from this reality (the mind has only believed that to be the case).

As you begin to drop identification with thought, realize that the separate self isn’t ultimately true, and surrender back into the Now, you find the peace, love, and freedom you have always longed for. You find home at last, right here, right now.

Physical Spiritual Awakening Symptoms

Image of a hand reaching to the sunlight

Physical signs obviously differ for everyone. Here are a few symptoms that I have observed within myself and many others who have begun the spiritual awakening process:

  • Amplification of sense. For example, your sight, hearing, taste, touch, and/or smell become intensified. You may even discover that you’re an HSP (Highly Sensitive Person).
  • You discover food intolerances that you never seemed to have before (or perhaps weren’t paying attention to). E.g. Allergies to wheat, nuts, legumes, soy, spices
  • Changed sleeping patterns, i.e. you sleep more or experience more disrupted sleep, often causing insomnia
  • Vivid dreams – your dreams become scary, bizarre, or intense
  • Dizziness – feeling lightheaded as a result of being ungrounded during the day
  • Weight change – either gaining or losing a lot of weight
  • Changed eating habits – what you once liked eating no longer appeals to you. Also, you may crave to experiment with other foods that you’ve never tried/liked
  • Fluctuations in energy – feeling less energized than you used to
  • Decreased or increased sex drive
  • Decreased immune function (more illness)

It is uncommon to experience all of these physical spiritual awakening symptoms at once (one or two is more likely).

If you have noticed a rapid change in your health during this period, it might be due to the drastic change in your mind-body-soul connection.

If no logical everyday reason can be found (such as prior illness, family stress, injury, relationship meltdown, etc.), don’t rule out a more metaphysical explanation.

Recommended
Shadow & Light Membership

Dissolve the shadows that obscure your inner Light in this weekly email-based membership! Perfect for any soul seeker serious about practicing ongoing shadow work and self-love.

Shadow & Light Membership
Join Now

If you’d like to confirm that you’re going through a spiritual awakening, feel free to take our Spiritual Awakening Test.

3 Spiritual Awakening Myths

Image of a red full moon

There’s a lot of information out there on the internet about spiritual awakening symptoms, what spiritual awakening actually is, and so forth.

As someone who has undergone an awakening process and guided many others on their spiritual journeys, here are some of the top spiritual awakening myths out there:

  • Myth 1 – Once you spiritually awaken, you become instantly enlightened. Reality: Enlightenment, for most people, happens gradually in waves. We go through layers and cycles of shedding the past and growing into our ‘new skin.’ In some rare cases, enlightenment (or union with our True Nature) happens just like that. However, the awakening process is a slow and steady process of spiritual alchemy for the vast majority of people.
  • Myth 2 – Being spiritually awake means always experiencing love, light, and bliss. Reality: Yes, we might go through periods of love, light, and bliss. But these experiences are temporary: they come and go. It’s unrealistic to expect ourselves to only ever experience one kind of state as we are multi-faceted beings. And that’s okay.
  • Myth 3 – Only a rare and elite variety of people experience awakening symptoms. Reality: You’d be surprised how many people have gone through spiritual awakenings. It’s not an experience that’s reserved for the ‘elevated,’ rich, or ‘special’ people. It can happen to literally anyone in any circumstance.

Let me know if I’ve missed out on any spiritual awakening myths in the comments below!

Spiritual Awakening Q&A

Image of a woman standing in front of the ocean on her spiritual psychology path

Here are the answers to some commonly asked questions:

Why does spiritual awakening happen?

There are many reasons why the spiritual awakening process happens. Major life changes, tragedies, losses, health crises, marriage, divorces, and other milestones can often trigger a new outlook on life. Whatever the case, spiritual awakenings occur when the soul is ready to surrender into the Absolute – and that occurs at different moments for everyone (if it happens at all).

How long does a spiritual awakening last?

The spiritual awakening process is said to be a lifelong journey – once it begins, it never ends. However, the intensity of awakening varies, and often we go through quiet and calm periods, followed by chaotic and intense periods of change. It’s important that we honor this ebb and flow of transformation, seeing it as a vibrant and ever-flowing journey, not a static and one-off destination.

What to do after a spiritual awakening?

After undergoing a spiritual awakening, it’s important that you explore all the different spiritual paths available to you. Go with your heart and instincts, and choose a path that calls to your deepest needs. It’s also crucial to practice some form of inner work while walking your own path to ensure that you’re evolving, staying grounded, and healing inner wounds that may sabotage your progress.

Why did I have a spiritual awakening?

There are many reasons why you may have had a spiritual awakening. We know that awakenings are triggered by big life changes, breakdowns, breakthroughs, and traumatic situations. But why you had a spiritual awakening is simple: Life decided you were ready to finally wake up.

What actually happens during a spiritual awakening?

The spiritual awakening journey is the process of both being and becoming on the level of Soul and Spirit.

On the level of Soul, we’re like a snake shedding its skin or a caterpillar going through a metamorphosis. This process of becoming is an awkward and painful process because it involves a lot of inner exploration, seeing through our shadows, and finding the courage to embrace who we are.

On the level of Spirit, the spiritual awakening journey is focused on being, where the separate sense of ‘you,’ the egoic consciousness, is dying and revealing more and more of who you truly are beyond thoughts, feelings, and identifications. As the ego begins to dissolve, your True Nature begins to shine through – also known as Spirit, Nondual Awareness, or Divine Consciousness.

So essentially, you’re going through a spiritual awakening journey because your Soul needs to grow, mature, and expand on a human level, and on a spiritual level, the journey is about rediscovering Spirit as your True Nature. Staying the same equals death and stagnation. Changing and letting go (even though it’s painful!) is a good thing. Not only will you eventually feel more connected to everything, but you’ll have the opportunity to find your true home, which is always and only found in the present moment.

Spiritual Awakening and Inner Work

Image of a wolf staring up at a cosmic sky

Spiritual awakenings mark the beginning of our spiritual paths as lone wolves and spiritual wanderers.

But you might be asking yourself, “What do I do now?”

If you need more spiritual guidance, consider this entire website your personal guide that is available 24/7! We have hundreds of articles that can help you. But where to start? We recommend beginning with something called inner work.

Inner work is the psychological and spiritual practice of diving deep into your inner self for the purposes of self-exploration, self-understanding, spiritual healing, and transformation. It helps to deepen and mature your process of spiritual awakening.

We write a lot about how to do inner work on this website. You can find the main resources to help you begin below:

  • What is Inner Work?
  • How to Love Yourself (Ultimate Beginner’s Guide)
  • 25 Signs You Have a Wounded Inner Child (and How to Heal)
  • Shadow Work: The Ultimate Guide + Free Psychological Test

There are many other practices that can help you start your inner work, some powerful examples being breathwork and journaling every day. The key is to find what empowers and supports you.

If you need more direct support on your path, I recommend checking out our highly-rated spiritual guidance offering, the Shadow & Light Membership.

Spiritual Awakening Book

The Spiritual Awakening Process image

Does your spiritual awakening make you feel lost, overwhelmed, and alone in this world? We wrote The Spiritual Awakening Process to help newly-awakened people gain the knowledge and tools necessary for finding peace, hope, clarity, and deep inner healing.

In The Spiritual Awakening Process, we walk you through the beginning stages of reconnecting with the loving and eternally wise place within you known as your Soul. Some of the topics covered include:

  • What is happening to you
  • Why you’re experiencing a spiritual awakening
  • The three internal spiritual worlds to explore
  • How to retrieve and integrate any fragmented pieces of your psyche
  • What spiritual “traps” you need to be mindful of, and
  • How to communicate with your soul

Click here to learn more!


Illumination Books Bundle cover

Illumination Books Bundle:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐ "Written and researched beautifully, it put so much of my life in context. It’s definitely helping me on the transition from 'what’s wrong with me' to 'this is a gift and it’s good to be different.'" – Charli


This book is printable (PDF file) and digital (you can read it on your phone, laptop, etc.).

***

From the bottom of my heart, I hope this article has helped to support you in some way during your process of awakening.

Please know that you’re not alone. You’re not going crazy. And we’re here to help and support you – in fact, this entire website is. It’s our mission and purpose in life.

So please, feel free to reach out. Let me get to know you and your story. I’d love to hear from you below!

Whenever you feel the call, there are 3 ways I can help you:

1. The Spiritual Wanderer Course: Need "big picture" direction, clarity, and focus? Our Spiritual Wanderer course is a crystallization of 10+ years of inner work, and it can help you find your deeper path and purpose in life as a spiritual wanderer. You get 3+ hours of audio-visual content, workbooks, meditations, a premium test, and more!.

2. Shadow & Light Membership: Want weekly intuitive guidance to support you on your awakening path? This affordable membership can help you to befriend your dark side, rediscover more self-love, and reclaim inner wholeness.

3. Spiritual Awakening Bundle: Looking for a collection of all our essential transformative resources? You get five enlightening ebooks, seven in-depth journals, plus two empowering bonuses to help you soul search, heal, and awaken.

More Starting The Journey

  • Image of a person reading a book in a circle of light in a dark forest
    Reading as Ritual: 5 Ways to Get Started if You’re Out of the Habit
  • Image of an enchanted book symbolic of being an autodidact self-learner
    7 Signs You’re an Autodidact (the Self-Taught Master)
  • Ai generated image of a woman and a wolf standing underneath a tree with the woman not knowing what to do with her life
    “I Don’t Know What to Do With My Life” (Ask This One Question)
  • Ai generated image of a mystical wolf in a mysterious forest
    Which Archetype Are You: The Seeker, Apprentice, Shaman, Mystic or Sage?
23.2K shares
  • Facebook
  • Email
  • WhatsApp
  • Print

About Aletheia Luna

Aletheia Luna is a prolific psychospiritual writer, author, educator, and intuitive guide whose work has touched the lives of millions worldwide. As a survivor of fundamentalist religious abuse, her mission is to help others find love, strength, and inner light in even the darkest places. She is the author of hundreds of popular articles, as well as numerous books and journals on the topics of Self-Love, Spiritual Awakening, and more. [Read More]

(245) Comments

    Want to share your thoughts? Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Your email address will remain 100% private.

  1. David C. says

    January 31, 2024 at 9:28 am

    This article gave me so much hope, I thought I was in an endless hole with no exit, thank you…blessings

    Reply
  2. AnonymousPerson says

    July 07, 2023 at 4:30 am

    Hello, I’m here in the comments yet again. I thought I’d share some quotes people could think deeply about if they’re stuck in their process of spiritual awakening. (As in don’t just read it, but REALLY think about it. Though don’t just think of examples of other people being flawed in a quote, but really consider if you are like this in your own life or not.) These are just some basics to learn in your journey, and not an end to be all, but without these basics, you won’t go anywhere, so please think about it, or journal about it if you wish. 1. “The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.” ― William Shakespeare, As You Like It 2. “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to reform (or pause and reflect).” ― Mark Twain 3. “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.” ― Socrates 4. “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” ― Aristotle, Metaphysics 5. “Angry people are not always wise.” ― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice 6. “Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.” ― Rumi 7. “It is not that I’m so smart. But I stay with the questions much longer.” ― Albert Einstein 8. “Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.” ― Aldous Huxley, Complete Essays, Vol. II: 1926-1929 9. “Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn’t.” ― Mark Twain, Following the Equator: A Journey Around the World 10. “Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.” ― Marcus Aurelius , Meditations 11. “The truth is not always beautiful, nor beautiful words the truth.” ― Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching 12. “There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.” ― Soren Kierkegaard 13. “Wrong does not cease to be wrong because the majority share in it.” ― Leo Tolstoy, A Confession 14. “Insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, but expecting different results.” ― Narcotics Anonymous

    15. “The Seven Social Sins are:

    Wealth without work.
    Pleasure without conscience.
    Knowledge without character.
    Commerce without morality.
    Science without humanity.
    Worship without sacrifice.
    Politics without principle.

    From a sermon given by Frederick Lewis Donaldson in Westminster Abbey, London, on March 20, 1925.” 
    ― Frederick Lewis Donaldson

    Reply
    • Aletheia Luna says

      July 12, 2023 at 3:53 pm

      Wow! These are stunning quotes, AnonymousPerson! I’ve never heard of the final one by Frederick Lewis Donaldson, very intriguing. I appreciate your many shares and contributions to this website and all the free content we offer. Much love 💗

      Reply
  3. matt schroeder says

    June 26, 2023 at 4:30 pm

    If I were running a site dedicated to spiritual awakening I wouldn’t charge 8.99 for a pdf file I could give away for free so easily. It’s so disappointing to be constantly deceived by everyone for a buck. You suck at this if you’re selling anything. Let me share some enlightenment. You’re not trying to help people if you’re disregarding all the people who refuse to pay because the idea of paying makes it all look like another con. Seriously. I said the same thing to the venus society. What a joke. Even steven greer, totally unrelated area – ufology and govt. conspiracies. But after he convinces you he’s such a great guy thinking of the utopia future you realize he just wants you to pay cash for his little documentaries and seminars and whatever else he’s charging. You people are all scam artists part of the whole system of bullshit. Full disclosure, I’m still going to scan your site for anything useful for me and am likely to see if someone is sharing your pdf. But I stand by my previous bitching. Dude, or madaam! Stop selling shit. If you’re truth is so great someone would have already put up the money to support your efforts. That’s a fact. If venus society or insert new age group’s here, if anybody on this planet “figured it out” I guarantee just like some hidden law of nature would give that person all the fake bullshit money they needed. You know they make that out of thin air right? So, you’re telling me you’ve woken up and the universe is one and you are on a path to true wisdom. And karma or whatever hasn’t made it so you can’t keep the lights on unless you sell your electronic (free to distribute) book. The universe didn’t make that happen, and you’ve become ultra aware and evolved to the next stage??? BS, you’re just in another misdirect, another story device. You think you’ve woken, but you’ve just been injected with more sleep meds.

    Reply
    • Mateo Sol says

      June 27, 2023 at 9:38 am

      Thanks Matt for sharing your opinion.

      There’s a few assumptions you’ve made that I want to clarify.

      1) “You think you’ve woken” we’ve never claimed that, this article discusses ‘awakening’ and not some final state of ‘awake’ that you seem to be implying. We’re sharing what is working for us, but not claiming we can awaken anyone.

      2) “You’re not trying to help people if you’re disregarding all the people who refuse to pay” 99% of our content is free, with over 400 articles on this website, and many of our paid products include the free content just in a more organized way for people who want to support our work. It’s funny how the irony of that can escape us when you mentioned “Full disclosure, I’m still going to scan your site for anything useful”.

      3) “Stop selling shit. If you’re truth is so great someone would have already put up the money to support your efforts.” Many of our generous donors already support our work, but if you understand how the attention economy works, you realize in order to compete with the torrents of information in todays world, we need to make it financially viable to dedicate the 16 collective hours a day to run this site.

      4) “And karma or whatever hasn’t made it so you can’t keep the lights on” Treating karma or the universe as some external magical force that will take care of everything is bypassing. Karma is literally defined as action, good action rewarded. I’m not sure how you think money works where you seem to imply it’ll fall from the sky, and pay off the $30k a year to run this site plus our full time hours of two employees.

      A site of this size can’t be supported by donations alone because the field that we’re in is full of attention hungry competition. You’ve perfectly illustrated that, where ‘spirituality’ is conflated with Aliens and other supernatural stuff which is much more eye catching than ‘boring’ inner work and other topics we explore. We encourage people to look into their shadows and other uncomfortable non-feel good topics, it’s not exactly prime ‘donation’ encouraging material.

      Reply
    • AnonymousPerson says

      July 07, 2023 at 4:06 am

      Lol, you just want everything for free. And you complain about any help you receive if something’s not free. See the forum /r/choosingbeggars or /r/entitledparents if you just want to find examples of people who want everything for free, because by your logic, any job that charges something is a scam. Ah yes, and 9 dollars for a PDF file is a scam compared to all those self-help teachers on instagram charging 70-90 dollars for a shorter PDF file, or 500 dollars for a course sharing generic advice. Give me a break. So basically the whole economy is a scam, because it’s not free enough for you anymore. Also “I’ll look through all your free stuff but how dare you sell something to people!” just makes me think it’s not that you disagree with these ideas, it’s just not free enough for you, lol.

      Reply
    • Stephanie says

      July 16, 2023 at 8:06 am

      Yikes. You’re a very angry person, I was in your shoes a few months ago while going through a very dark period ( dark night of the soul). You need to step back and look inside yourself. If it wasn’t for this site and all the free material available I would still be lost. I found everything I needed for free to help me.They put a lot of work out there for us and they don’t charge a lot for what they do sell. It sounds like you need to do some inner work, it helped me a lot to become a less angry and hateful person. The same goes for Dr Greer. He puts a lot out there and the little money he and his team make is put to good use.Thank you Altheia and Mateo for all your hard work. You were a light during my darkest time.

      Reply
    • Hermes T. says

      December 03, 2023 at 7:10 pm

      Even the church has a book STORE. If it was 89.99 your point would be valid.

      Reply
  4. Nicole says

    May 23, 2023 at 9:54 pm

    I disagree with the “you must be doing inner work whilst going through the dark night of the soul.” The dark night of the soul IS the inner work and for many people like me during this process we actually feel repulsed by healing modalities and “doing nothing ” is what works best. I have personally felt a lot worse when doing the “inner work” I think you need to be careful with saying doing the inner work is necessary.

    Reply
    • Aletheia Luna says

      June 30, 2023 at 11:57 am

      Thanks for pointing this out Nicole. I recognize that my experience isn’t always the same as others during this process, so I’ve amended the text in this article to include the following:

      However, please note that sometimes doing any kind of work, internal or external, can feel taxing and quite simply impossible during the Dark Night. Sometimes rest and withdrawal are what we need the most, and that is perfectly normal, healthy, and fine.

      Reply
    • AnonymousPerson says

      July 07, 2023 at 4:09 am

      What? Is this just semantics? You do know “doing nothing,” is just another word for meditation or mindfulness, right? Which is a type of inner work itself? Or do you not know what inner work really means? If you imagine inner work to be this Westernized idea of work, work, work, work, work and action, action, action, action, action, with no rest, then you just don’t understand the definition of the word.

      Reply
  5. Stephanie says

    May 12, 2023 at 9:06 pm

    Can you have more than one spiritual awakening and more than one dark night? I think I was misinformed by someone I really trusted.

    Reply
    • Mateo Sol says

      May 13, 2023 at 12:47 pm

      Thanks Stephanie. It really depends what we use to describe with those words. I’ve heard people refer to a bad day where they feel a bit depressed as a ‘dark night of the soul’.

      The same goes for Spiritual Awakening. It can be seen as the first moment where we awaken to a deeper quality of ourselves and reality beyond just being material brains in a body. But the longer you focus on the journey the more you see it as an ongoing process.

      Every moment that I can remember, in being more aware, I’m awakening to the nature of everything that is arising and passing by and realizing that something remains that is unchanged.

      Reply
      • Stephanie says

        May 13, 2023 at 4:03 pm

        Ok. I’ve had something happen to me that started by me watching a bird in the forest and it flew over to me and suddenly a bunch of the birds were flying and chirping all around me, I was sitting under the canopy of branches and they were on top of me in the branches , then a huge woodpecker made his appearance right in front of me, I could of reached out and touched him. It only lasted a few seconds. The bright lights and the birds. Before all this was happening I felt connected to that one little bird I was watching at first, then connected to nature, the planet, everyone on the planet, to the universe and I saw the most beautiful place in the clouds and felt the most beautiful feeling of love. It was very powerful, I had gone to that spot to meditate because I felt like I needed to go there and meditate the whole day before, like I was being pulled there. I was having really bad back pains for a few weeks then and was sure I was dying of cancer as my father did. I went there and asked God or whoever at that time to give me a sign of something, not sure of what, and that all happened. I came home crying and so happy. My fear of death gone, my worries and stress seeming so unimportant. I had several mental illnesses that disappeared that morning. Then 2 months after I was watching a documentary on nde’s and the man on TV said the word love, the air rippled in front of me and I felt this feeling of love, I felt like I was hit in the chest with this feeling and it felt like I was shoved back in that beautiful place I saw the two months before, that beautiful place in the clouds. When this was over I felt this great sadness, like I was taken away from something that felt so familiar to me, like I was taken away from my home or from someone I greatly loved. I was over come by this sadness and cried non stop for almost two hours. Someone told me those were awakenings. My first experience was in November 2022. But now I realize my awakening process started happening in March or April of 2022 when I got sick of my life which led me to quit drinking, I was an alcoholic for over 15 years. Any idea what that was all about? Oh and that place by the river with all the birds, it was my deceased father’s favorite place to go. I don’t know if it was a healing because 90% of my mental illness was gone! I felt so happy after.

        Reply
  6. Tyler says

    April 01, 2023 at 7:19 pm

    Crazy how spot on this is. I remember 9/15/2020 my mind leaving for a second and coming back and everything was inverted. I had this new lense to see life through with patterns and cycles but I had no clue what the heck any of it meant, I just knew for a fact that I was living a lie and I am not this avatar. Nooobody in my life was ready for this lol, it sent me right into Dante’s inferno with all the characters. It wasn’t till I started researching history for an answer, got to the emerald tablets and found astrology and numerology that everything started making sense. I chased a Spiritual awakening for years in Alcoholics Anonymous and even thought I found it at one point, but it wasn’t till I started to feel brainwashed after 5 years sober in 2019 and left the group, started meditating and smoking weed, started kratom and got addicted and by September I was physically addicted so bad and my marriage was coming apart and I was in immense physical spiritual and emotional pain that I had this awakening that shifted my perspective with any kind of lasting change. Everything I’ve been told or led to believe is bullshit and the more work I do on myself, the uglier the world gets. I want to make a shirt that says, I had a spiritual awakening and all I got were these glasses 😎

    Reply
  7. Bhavs says

    March 29, 2023 at 8:47 pm

    Thank you :))))))))))))))))))) You are amazing. And we all are amazing. :)

    Reply
  8. Autumn says

    March 26, 2023 at 10:25 am

    i am grateful to find this information. I literally am on this journey. To the “T” my experience is currently ( last 11 years, well lifetime of 40) aligns with this wisdom. The Divine, the universe, every molecule in each breath of air shows me, guides me. I am learning grounding. There I times I wonder if I have been entrusted to too much. Grateful, ever so grateful for the planet I have wondered in the past if I got off at the wrong stop… but earth, “boot camp” as I call it, if preparing us-the collective one- for what I know I am ready. Every experience matters and what I have learned through it all is, I do crave things money can’t buy, tithe plates in church don’t provide, church memberships, Christmas gifts, birthdays don’t compare to connections i experience when things line up. Indeed synchronized, synergy, symbiotic, circular, awesome! I do appreciate this sure so much.

    Reply
  9. Elriel Styles says

    March 14, 2023 at 8:00 pm

    Hey I read it until
    yoi said you were stuck in a Christian church you was born into! Baby girl god is real and Jesus is too I honestly have been waking up more and becoming a better person because I’ve been going back to church and I love that for me

    Reply
    • AnonymousPerson says

      July 07, 2023 at 4:11 am

      Translation : “You’re going to hell if you don’t come back to traditional Christianity! So I’m going to be passive aggressive, and tell you what to do while acting all bubbly, nice, and cheerful!”

      Reply
  10. jessicaabby says

    January 04, 2023 at 5:17 am

    I understand that awakening starts in shorter period,however for mine I’m a quit confused.

    Since I am little at age of 8,I look at people and trying to figure out who they really are(like I’m trying to know their spiritual side not for of they are a mother ,what job they do or profession ).My soul seems to stop asking that when I’m on stages of growing to adulthood.

    However been empath by nature,is a natural traits of mine. I cant tolerate people and animals suffering or pain. I’m very sensitive to words. I don’t aim or greed for money long as it can provide my needs and what I want I’m good.

    It started 2021 ,I meet my twin flame.
    It’s a shaking journey I’ve been through depression,and anxiety and feels I’m breaking. We never been together due to we have our own lives.

    2022,I’m starting to get healed illness keeps getting into me,and I’m working with customer service the more I get exhausted for I’m absorbing too many energies mostly negative.

    This 2023,I’m Ill and my soul wants to quit my job and be with nature.

    I can’t quit figure out which stage am I right now?I’m feeling that as much as I don’t want to be so empathic and sensitive its becoming more and more everyday.

    If anyone here,I wanted to know how much longer am I to be in process of awakening as still I can’t figure out who I am.

    Reply
    • AnonymousPerson says

      July 07, 2023 at 4:13 am

      When did anyone say awakening happens in a short period? Did it say that, or did you just assume that? It could take years or even decades, depending on your specific experience. There’s no one timeline or expected period of growth for anyone. It could be a year of the dark night of the soul to several decades, depending on how you’re willing to face the uncomfortable truths and parts of yourself.

      Reply
« Older Comments
Newer Comments »

Popular Guides

  • Spiritual Awakening
  • Inner Child Work
  • Shadow Work
  • Dark Night of the Soul

Popular Tests

  • What Type of Spiritual Wanderer Are You?
  • What Is Your Subconscious Mind Hiding?
  • How Dominant is Your Shadow Self?
  • What Type of Inner Work Suits You?

Popular Offerings

  • Spiritual Wanderer Course
  • Shadow & Light Membership
  • The Spiritual Awakening Bundle
  • Inner Work Bundle

Stages of the Journey

  • Spiritual Calling
  • Resisting The Path
  • Finding Guidance
  • Starting The Journey
  • Turning Inwards
  • Facing The Darkness
  • Illumination
  • Traps & Pitfalls
  • Rebirth
  • Integration

Footer

↑ back to top

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases, this means whenever you buy a book on Amazon from a link on this website, we receive a small percentage of its price at no extra cost to you.

 

Walk the path less traveled

Image of aletheia luna and mateo sol

Welcome! Our names are Aletheia Luna & Mateo Sol and we’re spiritual educators currently living in Perth, Western Australia. What's this website about? For spiritual rebels and outsiders, our mission is to help you dissolve the shadows that obscure your inner Light and find peace, love, and happiness. Unlike other spiritual spaces, lonerwolf focuses on approaching the spiritual awakening journey in a discerning and down-to-earth-way. Start here »

 

Let The Universe Choose My Message!

About

  • About us
  • Our Principles
  • Reposting Our Work?
  • Moon Phase Spiritual Meaning Calculator

Newsletter

  • Are you a spiritual wanderer or outsider? Feeling lost, confused, or alone? Sign Up for our weekly LonerWolf Howl newsletter for Soul-centered guidance – it’s free!

Whadjuk Noongar

  • We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land, the Whadjuk people of Noongar Boodjar. We recognize their continued connection to the land and waters of this beautiful place and acknowledge that they never ceded sovereignty. We respect all Whadjuk Elders both past and present, and any First Nations people.

 

Luna & Sol Pty Ltd © 2012 - 2025 LonerWolf.com. All Rights Reserved.

Privacy & Terms

23.2K shares