Which path to choose for Spiritual Awakening?

"Don’t compare your path with anybody else’s. Your path is unique to you.”

-Ram Dass

Which path to choose for Spiritual Awakening?

If you hear from one spiritual teacher, he/she will say everything is love; another will talk only about non-duality, unity, and oneness, then another on deep meditation and contemplation, then another on Kundalini energy and bliss, and another on mindfulness and presence, yet another on NOW.

Then, what is the path to spiritually awaken?

If you observe the different paths, each one of these is a perspective, an experience that someone is trying to explain the unexplainable in words and concepts until you realize that no matter what path you take, the view from the mountain is always the same.

There are a plethora of paths available. I can divide them broadly into the categories below based on what I know, have experienced, researched, applied, and was guided on. I look at these paths as simply pointers, and eventually, there comes the point when you let go of all the pointers and burn the bridges that got you to awakening—till then, having a pointer or a path is beneficial to anchor you. But make sure you don't hold on to any pointer or path rigidly.

Spiritual Awakening is a spectrum. It is colorful and multi-dimensional, so the paths and practices are multitudes. What matters to you is to tap into something that feels true to you at this moment. The paths and pointers will also change as your consciousness evolves. It can be different for different aspects of life - in work-life; you may use one path and with family another. In my experience, the healthy approach is to use as many pointers available to you- this will help you 2-fold. One, you don't hold any path/pointer rigidly(absolutely needed when you eventually need to let go of all pointers), and two, since you are not attached to anything, in particular, you are open to explore and practice .a more efficient pointer as needed.

Mind-based Paths:

If you need to understand what is happening at every stage and your AHA moments happen through a realization or understanding, you are suited to this path. You will use your mind as a gateway to your spiritual awakening. Some examples are:

• Non-duality

• Mindfulness

• Meditations

• Awareness practices

• Contemplation and Self-Inquiries

• Direct Path

• Vipassana

• Effortless effort or Do Nothing meditation

Heart-based Paths:

You will use your heart as a gateway to your spiritual awakening. This path is well suited for a more heart-centric or intuitive person. These are people who usually act from their instincts, typically spontaneous, that do not go through a lot of decision-making, unlike mind-centric people. Few examples are:

• Devotion

• Gratitude

• Letting go

• Unconditional Love

• Compassion

• Forgiveness

• Developing Intuition

Body-based Path

You will use your body as a gateway to spiritual awakening. If someone is deeply connected to their body and sensations, this is a wonderful practice. Some examples are:

• Yoga

• Kundalini Awakening

• Qi Gong / Tai Chi

• Breathwork

• Dancing

• Chanting/Mantras/Music

Other Paths:

I am only listing few paths here commonly heard of:

• Shamanism

• Crystals/Herbal Healing

• Energy Healing/Chakra Healing - Very close to Kundalini

• Tantra

Using a combination of the practices above, if done with a certain curiosity, inclination, deep drive, and interest, people "may" have glimpses of their TRUE NATURE. I say "may" because authentic spiritual awakening into true nature is a spontaneous event. It happens during a deep surrender. There is no technique when you come to this stage, because all techniques and doings will have to be emptied out. I previously had said that all pointers have to be let go of, including the need to be spiritual, to burn the bridges. This is what I meant.

Role of Healing:

To awaken or to realize is one thing, to embody and integrate is another thing. Both are extremely important. If healing alone happens without the realization of true nature or only true nature is recognized without healing, it is not complete either. If it is all about healing, people can get into a healing spiral, trying to heal every single aspect to feel good. The balance is to heal to a level that you can proceed to discover your true nature (For someone on this path, there is an intuitive knowing that says, I think I have done enough healing, that I can now begin to contemplate on my true nature).

However, once you realize your true nature, healing will automatically happen, which happens at an alarming rate. And as you go deeper into the unconscious level, the stuck energies are beyond any cognitive or conceptual levels. I am not sure if such a healing would happen without realizing true nature. The good thing is, after your true nature awakens, you don't see healing as something that you need to "do". This is the embodiment and integration process. I am amazed at how much easier the Shadow and Inner Child work become after true nature awakens. It is like something else is working to heal you, and you are just amazed at what is happening.

A deep connection, challenging to explain, is established with things that you humanly love and things that you humanly would not love. And this is the unconditional love of TRUE NATURE. Much love to you!