Awakening isn’t a onetime event. We awaken each day after slumber. We receive new information, abilities and impressions daily. But living an awakened life demands awareness. It requires self reflection. Its purpose is to create change.

There have been countless moments of awakening for me. Both micro and major revelations equal change. I am no longer the person I was yesterday. Tomorrow I will not be the same person I am today. I am both being and becoming. I have awakened, and I am awakening.

There are different kinds of awakenings. Mindful, spiritual, physical and even social awakenings are some ways that truth gets illuminated. Awakening in one area prompts change in other areas.

Mindful awakening happens when we learn to consciously choose our thoughts. It happens when we begin to question everything. It brings awareness that illusion exists. Mindful awakening can come in flashes of brilliance or a slow, steady stream of information. The ability to discern illusion from truth, and fiction from wisdom are results of mindful awakening.

Spiritual awakening happens when the mind begins to sense beyond the physical realm. In this area I have been awakened most abruptly. A near death experience, a few physical attacks, brushes with disaster and enlightening information, all contributed to my spiritual awakening. Being spiritually awake means knowing that light and shadows work together, and shining light into the shadows is both terrifying and necessary.

Physical awakening is of the body. Choosing good nourishment, drinking pure water, and using movement and breath to ground and strengthen you are excellent ways to awaken your cells to serve as divine housing for your mind and spirit. Much of my spiritual awakening happened once my physical awakening was underway. As my body became clean, the lens of the spirit had a clearer view.

Social awakening is collective. It happens when many of us experience awakening at once. This is happening as we become aware of what institutions and governments are capable of doing. Wherever humanity goes from here, we must link arms and do it together. We can accomplish nothing without each other.

I have always been a gradual awakener in the morning when much of the world has already begun its day. When life calls us to action, hitting the snooze button means we are left behind. It is for our benefit that we wash the sleep out of our eyes and get to work.

Our own faithful actions prompt the awakening of others, which then create a world in which we can all thrive. It is my honor to be a guide and a voice for those who are awakening, to tell my own truths and to highlight stories of individuals who feel the call to increase their awareness, their sensitivity and their work toward a higher place. We are awakening together.

If you have a personal story of awakening that you’d like to share in Walking Each Other Home, please contact [email protected].