Awaken Your Inner Light
We often hear phrases such as “awaken to” or “rise up” or “be the light” in quotes, speeches, on social media, etc. Amanda Gorman’s inauguration poem resonated with people on a deep level, and no surprise, these same phrases were interspersed throughout her beautiful poetry. We all have had experiences of feeling more alive and energized by something or someone, but then what? Unfortunately, within a short time, most people go back to their daily lives without deeper inquiry, or keep scrolling on social media only for those moments of inspiration to fade away.
What if we were to stay in these moments longer, deepen into their meaning and allow them to integrate into our consciousness?
Amazing things would happen. This is the beauty of doing powerful inner work, because when we become more conscious, it can be the beginning of a paradigm shift within ourselves. In other words, we begin to awaken. The phrase I use often with clients and in workshops is “Awaken Your Inner Light.”
What does it mean to “Awaken Your Inner Light?”
This is an important question, and I will explain it from my lens of understanding and use myself as an example.
Most people move through life using 3 levels of consciousness - physical, mental and emotional. We do physical things everyday - we go places, get things done, exercise, etc. We think thoughts and feel emotions all day long. There are other levels of consciousness too, such as unconscious and subconscious, but let’s skip those and perhaps save them for a future post.
To understand “awakening, being the light and rising up” is to understand that these concepts don’t live in the physical world, or the mental or emotional realm where we spend most of our time. They live on the highest realm of consciousness called “soul” or “heart consciousness.” Some call this Christ Consciousness or The Universe. Whatever you choose to call it is your personal choice. The thing is, you can’t go out and get these concepts and put them inside of you physically, mentally or emotionally, because it won’t sustain or last for long. You can’t take a magic pill, hence the movie Limitless. The fundamental truth of all spiritually is that you can’t awaken from the outside because this light is already inside of you. You were born with it and have everything you need to thrive in life. The problem is the dark is in the way - negative thoughts, doubt, fear, etc.
So, what is Soul Consciousness?
This may seem like a silly question, but perhaps it’s the most important question one can ask themselves. It’s part of the foundational work I do with coaching clients and in workshops. Are you curious about your soul? After all, it’s your soul! This is such a big concept that I decided my next blog post will be about Understanding Soul Consciousness. For now, let’s stay on track with understanding and defining both “awaken” and “light” and I will use myself as an example.
Awaken:
The standard definition of “awaken” means to “rouse from sleep” which is also a perfect metaphor for the Spiritual definition which means: a shift in consciousness, an apperception of reality which had been previously unrealized. The culmination of such realizations is in the recognition of oneness with all of existence.
We can all relate to this. We have all “woken” up at various points in our lives, often triggered by a shocking or traumatic event - divorce, death of a loved one, a pandemic, etc. We tend to get a bit lost when we go through these experiences, especially if we try to go through them without support, because strong negative emotions are difficult and thoughts can seem overwhelming.
Yet, we feel better when we quiet the mind, rise up from our thoughts and balance our nervous system. This is why people practice meditation, yoga, do breathwork and numerous other healing modalities. This is just the beginning of awakening. But to sustain awakening so that this becomes a consistent presence in your everyday life, requires more attention.
Light:
The standard definition of light is “the natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible” or “an expression in someones eyes indicating a particular emotion or mood.” Again, these are also wonderful metaphors for the Spiritual definition of light which to me is “the illumination of higher intelligence, the source of goodness and ultimate reality.”
Light is constant. Our light doesn’t go out just as the sun doesn’t ever leave. Rather it is hidden from view by clouds or the earth's axis, and both are temporary. The light is always there and guides us through troubled times and challenges. I believe in the core of my being that we are all LIGHT. Those on a spiritual path of awakening are to bring the dark to the surface in service to healing through this light that we all have inside at all times.
Have I awakened to my Inner Light?
Yes, and I still am and always will be. Awakening Your Inner Light is not an event, or a destination to get to. It is an ever unfolding journey of becoming a higher version of you. It is a journey of remembering, that there is an inner knowing from a place deep inside that this is true. The good news is… you don’t need to live in an Ashram, or live like Buddah to learn this. It’s available to you right now, in this present moment as you read this. It only requires that you stop long enough to be with yourself in new ways, and/or seek guidance from a coach or a spiritual counselor, through courses or workshops.
As for me, I began studying Spiritual Psychology 11 years ago when I was stuck, confused and borderline depressed about my life. Everything felt like it was lacking - my career, finances and relationships. I was doing physical things like working out, yoga, meditating, etc. I was thinking non-stop, mostly thoughts such as “it’s never enough, I should be doing more, I should be better.” Not surprisingly, I was feeling like shit and was burnt out - all. the. time.
It wasn’t until I started practicing this higher realm of consciousness, soul consciousness, that things began to shift in miraculous ways. I began to like myself, trust myself, take pride in myself, have more fun, and eventually came to love myself from the inside out. Once I did this(and it was a practice over time) everything in my life began to improve. I began cultivating the career I have now and love. I began deepening in my relationships with loved ones, family and friends. I began making more money than I ever did in my life. Do I have moments and periods of doubt, confusion, upset, etc… absolutely. I experience these moments until I return to the light to remember the bigger picture of soul consciousness. Again, more in my next post, but for now:
Bottom line is this….
You are light
You have everything inside of you already
Dare to awaken more fully
You are far more magnificent than your mind tells you
Life is a journey. It can be magnificent if you choose and allow it to be.
You are so worthy of exploring yourself on a deeper level.
For more, I teach Awaken Your Inner Light at my retreats and in workshops. Feel free to write to me with questions. I would love to hear from you.
With Love & Light,
Laina