7 Myths About Spiritual Awakening

Many have misconceptions about spiritual awakening. They believe that enlightenment means reaching a perfected, almost non-human state. Yet today, living your life as a spiritually awakened person does not mean discarding the robes of your humanity. Here are 7 common myths about spiritual awakening, and the realities that lie beneath them:

MYTH #1—After we wake up, we no longer have an ego or a separate and unique personality. Reality: Awakening doesn’t mean destroying the ego or our human identity. Instead, we merge our personal self with our higher self to become a fully-realized human.

MYTH #2—Once awakened, we cease to have human emotions; especially, we no longer feel ‘negative’ emotions like anger, fear, or pain. We just remain in an ever-calm, blissful, unchanging state.

Reality: Our emotions serve a purpose. Negative emotions, especially, serve as a warning sign that we’re thinking, feeling, behaving, or reacting in a way that doesn’t serve our higher good.

MYTH #3—When we’re awakened, we no longer have any relationship problems or issues with other people. There is just peace and harmony all the time.

Reality: People are in our lives to help us grow and evolve, and vise versa. This is the dance of being human.

MYTH #4—Awakened people are no longer sexual. All sexual desire disappears. (Or: When we’re awake, sex suddenly becomes magical and ecstatically good without any need for practice.)

Reality: Sexual drive is an innate part of our biology. The key is to partner this drive with intimacy. It takes work (emotionally and in terms of technique!)

MYTH #5—Once awakened, we become all-powerful and can create anything we desire instantly, just by imagining it, without any effort or action on our part.

Reality: Yes, as awakened humans we are fully “partnered” with our higher self and we become co-creators. However, the timing isn’t up to us, nor is gauging the appropriateness of our desires in view of our contracts & lessons. Finally, action is required on our part, always!

MYTH #6—After we wake up, there is nothing else for us to learn, achieve, or practice. We’ve arrived at perfection. We are everything, so we don’t need to do anything.

Reality: Awakening itself is an evolutionary state. There is no end-point to it. Also, awakening doesn’t mean our life lessons disappear. Instead, we’re able to sail through them, using our inner knowing to grab the solution that always sits on the other side of the problem.

MYTH #7—When we’re all awakened, all we have to do is love each other and send out positive energy and the world’s problems will disappear all on their own.

Reality: Not everybody will choose to become awakened. For those who do, sending positive energy has an enormous effect on the whole. However, action is still required! The solutions lie in the practical, in the physical, and in the tangible. Science, economics, politics, etc. are not exclusive of spirituality.