Spiritual development and shifts in your level of consciousness
If you are on a path of spiritual development and / or are a lightbearer with a soul mission - experiencing shifts in your consciousness will most likely be part of the process. This experience isn’t always comfortable or easy as it is happening and for different reasons; however it is a necessary part of our growth and evolution.
Shifts in consciousness
So what is a shift in consciousness? It is a shift in perception, in alignment with higher states of consciousness and spiritual development. They might include:
A lessening sense of egoic conscious ‘self’ and greater ability or desire to let go of limited or negative views of ideas of self
A deeper insight into the true nature of reality
More spaciousness and expansive states of mind and heart - including increased love and compassion or clear seeing
Increased levels of awareness which might include greater intuitive abilities - opening you further to the unseen world and ‘mystical’ experiences
Spontaneous experiences of bliss and joy
To paraphrase Buddhist teacher Sangharakshita; ‘We need an emotional understanding of what we can conceive on an intellectual level of the spiritual dimension’. This might all sound grand or perhaps a tad out of reach of your experience - so what can a consciousness shift mean on a more day to day basis?:
An increased sense of authenticity, grounding and confidence
Less inner conflicting parts and negative self talk or emotions - a greater sense of wholeness
A sense of a more direct line of communication to your higher self or guidance
Greater clarity of mind, sense of self and higher levels of self awareness
Increased levels of positivity, gratitude, levity - positive belief and emotional patterns
Increased intuitive living
Why do they happen?
Shifts in consciousness happen for a mixture of reasons, due to:
Will and intention - actively letting go and choosing a different place, repeatedly
A tipping point of emotional and psyche integration
Positive karma and ethical behaviour blooms
A disciple - clearing the way with personal development work and consciously moving towards a new positive path
The conditions being ripe - the right teaching or mentor at the timely moment
A degree of learning has taken place or a lesson has been digested
Another shift in your consciousness evolving towards wisdom and love although for most it doesn't mean sudden enlightenment!
Experiencing a shift in collective consciousness, so it can be part of this collective experience
Intention is very powerful in this process, as we all have free will, as such we can choose our perception of life and this will not be interfered with by our spirit guides. We can choose to hang on to our negative beliefs born out of our experiences (in this life or past lives) for example - ‘I am alone in the world’ ‘I am helpless’ ‘I am not good enough’ and so on even if it no longer serves us. We can choose to keep agreements or contracts we have made unconsciously ‘I will be vulnerable’ or ‘I will give me energy away’ which we made to keep us safe at the time and so on, even if they keep us stuck and disempowered.
To change and experience shifts in consciousness we have to choose to let go of these - to realign with ‘truth’. This, even if it is incredibly positive, can be frightening for the egoic self, as our negative beliefs are what we know and make us feel safe, they help us solidify - and create a sense of self identity and inform our sense of reality itself! Transformation and change can take courage to step into and is a choice.
Will, discipline and spontaneity
Are used to recognise when it came to the enlightenment experience for us, for example, there was a bit of a ‘Big Bang moment’ where there was this shift in consciousness. What I came to understand through the model of Triratna Buddhism, was the importance of integration and the development of positive emotion / positive sense of self which is a gradual process that we plug away at.
There is a phrase I am known for with my clients in talks which is ‘just do the work’ - meaning keep showing up consistently. Integrating your triggered parts, releasing negative emotions, resolving the trauma responses and so on (which for myself has been an energetic approach to the mind) - then over time we experience shifts in our mental states, emotional reactions and perception to the positive. We move into our positive potential. Then productive experiences begin to just ‘happen’.
Self development is work. It’s like an overgrown garden - we hack back what’s overgrown, we pull out the weeds we don’t want, we nurture the soil, we plant the seeds, we water them and give them plant food or slug repellents, nurturing them until they bloom. In this way ‘spontaneous shifts’ like a new plant blooming, are usually on the back of a lot of effort! You create the conditions for it to happen.
I see this in my clients - they plug away, showing up and then suddenly there is this shift mentally, or sudden radical changes like their financial situation shifts or they meet a new love interest, or suddenly their potential as a healer reveals itself or they have the confidence to run a workshop. It is on the back of their effort.
I, for example, am still actively engaged in my personal development, working on it every morning and having regular support or training periodically - because I sense more is possible in terms of my potential - to love, to be happy, to be healthy and so on. I can also see the impact the shifts in me has on others around me. So I have a strong intention, I am open to it as well, willing to let go and change. These are all important ingredients for transformation and consciousness shifts. Will and discipline are a necessary aspect of the process.
How do the shifts happen?
I have experienced shifts in different ways, I’m sure there are more…
Spirit guides active support -Just recently I went through a spontaneous shift. My spirit guides suddenly surrounded me like a huge crowd of schoolgirls screaming (yes your guides can get excited too!) shouting, “You’re ready! You’re ready!”. The energy is high and intense, I am buzzing uncomfortably from it as more refined fear rises up to be released to help me at this stage of my growth. They are excited because they are taking me through another shift and they suddenly have lots of information to tell me.
This spontaneous intervention is timely - as I am beginning to start teaching. They are here to help. By the end of the month's process, which for me was uncomfortable. I feel incredibly positive, I have a real ‘can do’ attitude, I feel like anything is possible. That is the shift I experienced from the releasing and shifting of my vibrational field.
Consciousness Activation (shapes) - Sometimes when I work with clients I witness an energy system, activation or a reawakening of a level of consciousness spontaneously. What I often see is that an ‘energetic structure or a shape’ is placed in an area of their fields be that their mind or heart, for example. I never ‘call it in’ or place this there myself consciously. I simply witness it. Usually, the symbol or sacred shape creates an earthquake effect. I will see spinning light, crackling energy and an energetic imprint ‘reactivating’. It’s incredible to watch. Often clients find themselves with more energy, or they feel ‘more awake’ in life, with increased immunity and so on as some part of the energy system or consciousness is back online.
Initiation - Whilst on retreat and in meditation at home I have experienced what I can only call initiation and healing experiences from deities. As I am sitting, a figure arrives in energetic form and I have found myself surrounded by a symbol which activates and the energy within me shakes, being touched and blessed, lotus’s placed on my head sending energy down my spine, symbols following around my heart and head - and so on.
We can have connections to enlightened beings and enlightened aspects of consciousness from commitments in this life or past lives. When we practice, they can come forward to support us in our development - if we call on them. As soon as my mind is still or I am simply meditating in the morning, I find these experiences can spontaneously arise - serving to shift us more and more towards a more ‘awakened’ state.
Linch pin release - Sometimes I see a shift in a client for example as though a linch pin has been released and suddenly a flood of light and energy unravels dramatically before my eyes. They release a linch pin, that holds many layers and its like a dam breaks. This is more rare, but it can happen and with it a sudden shift in perspective.
The discomfort
Contrary to images of ‘awakening bliss’ when we are in a shift it can feel very uncomfortable! I will use myself as the example, just now my Spirit Guides are incredibly excited - I, however, feel terrible. I can’t hear my own thoughts over the noise of the guides and so much information is coming in I just feel confused. I went from feeling fine and balanced, to waking up and feeling very anxious for no reason. I feel ‘weird’, my energy is spinning around, I feel spacey and uncomfortable. My sense of self is in flux. It’s a Wednesday and I need to get my daughter ready for the school run. None of this feels convenient to me!
How I am feeling isn’t something I can really chat about at the school gates either. It is certainly an invisible internal experience, albeit intense to me. The nature of it means it's not something I can talk to many about or feel many understand. Luckily, my husband is used to this now, so I tell him I am experiencing a shift and I feel strange, so he is aware and understanding. It's not trauma recovery or a dark night of the soul experience so that I can be very grateful for.
When I complain and say it's hard to my guides, they just tilt their head down and look at me over their glasses as if to say - really?
Meanwhile my higher self is like a Colonel pointing, making orders, she is one tough cookie. There’s no point turning to this side of myself for comfort. My human, conscious self can feel dragged along at times, shouting for rest. It can feel like I’m in some kind of bootcamp just trying to make it through basic training with my higher self on the side lines, giving directions. Different levels of our consciousness may not be in alignment or on the same page!
Transformation can be a lonely, uncomfortable and disorientating experience at times which is why it can really help to have spiritual friendships. We hear about states of bliss and great love, which can happen with the integration - but it’s often a mixed bag. Personally, the expansive states usually come after the clearing. What I become aware of, is in this shift for me, it feels as though my sense of possibility or potential is opening up, my level of vision or ambition is increasing and my mental fields are expanding - this is what I sense towards the end of the month as it is closing at least. I feel A LOT more positive.
Mystical and the mundane
Sometimes when this is all happening, I can see why mystics lived in caves and shamans on the edges of a community (sometimes I have an idealised vision of this). The intensity of this inner work requires concentration, space to process and energy - and it is not a mainstream experience. It feels hard to do in the mist of parenthood whilst trying to run a business and surviving in the material world. So if this is you just now, be kind and understanding towards yourself. Give yourself as much of what you need as possible - which for me is often down time, support and more therapeutic support in one form or another.
However I don't think that all esoteric spiritual development is meant to be lived out in an abbey or cave. In some lives it requires us to BE in the world, to be active in society and share our knowledge or experiences. In fact the lives we live ARE the lessons we need in this life. For me, becoming a mother for example was deeply grounding. I HAVE to learn to live in this world and in the unseen world. I have to learn to integrate the two to function. I can’t escape the world, I need to be in both - practical mysticism for the modern world if you will!
Personally I have strong memories of lifetimes living in caves meditating and past life experiences in mystical traditions / practices. If you are similar to me, itis likely that this will not be your first time here. You have brought skills and knowledge into this life with you which you can access and build on. The message I receive is that I very much have a purpose this time round, which is to be in the world and share my learning (so far). So going through shifts in consciousness might mean we desire to retreat and may need too, but it doesn't mean that we should stay there.
Goddess Tara, a Buddhist and Hindu figure (an aspect of Great Mother) - goes out into the world to meet suffering and to heal (For you this might be the Virgin Mary, or Brigid and so on). That’s what I see in so many clients I work with, it is this desire to serve and help - this altruistic aspect of our nature trying to find purpose in the world and respond with compassion. I think our work can be, for some of us, a central aspect of our spiritual practice and strongly linked to our souls development or evolution.
Who am I - what do I know?
I am no spiritual guru, I am not a stream entrant and I am not enlightened! I have, however, been on my journey for a couple of decades and have experienced energetic shifts in consciousness. Some have been gradual and happened over long periods of time and some are more intense and sudden. I am also someone who in my work as an intuitive channel can see energetic fields and structures of consciousness, feeling-seeing the energy of emotions from this life and past lives, I witness spontaneous activations of different levels of consciousness and so on. I work with integrating the energy of the psyche to create the evolution of individuals. Fundamentally I work with the energy of consciousness.
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