Spiritual Awakening: Are You Having One? Here’s How to Tell and What to Do

Do you sometimes feel you walk through life feeling as if you’re half asleep—spiritually, that is? You may be in need of a spiritual awakening.

While the idea of a spiritual awaking may sound a little woo-woo for some of us, it’s actually much more simple than it sounds: It’s merely the process of becoming more in touch with your spiritual side; whatever that means to you. Many people who have been through one describe it as a greater sense of awareness or groundedness, a new, wider perspective on life, or a deep sense of purpose.

In 2022, for instance, Riverdale’s Lili Reinhart told People that she went through a spiritual awakening during the pandemic. “I’ve been following that and really exploring my connection to spirituality, and it’s been a game changer,” she said.

Basically, we want one. But how do you know if you’re actually going through one?

To find out, we asked Betty Andrews, spiritual life and business coach, founder of Woo Woo and author of What the Eff Is Happening to Me? A Modern Guide to Spiritual Awakening, what a spiritual awakening actually feels like and how to navigate it once you’re on that path.

What is a spiritual awakening, and what causes it?

Truthfully, nobody can prepare you for a spiritual awakening. There aren’t really words to describe it, but I’m going to give it a go anyway. A spiritual awakening is really coming back to yourself, and it’s an awareness of a new reality, and who you truly are. You’ll feel called to uncover the true meaning and purpose of life, and once you start, there’s no real going back. You start questioning reality, the government, consumerism, and people’s intentions. Everything. It’s like in The Matrix, when Neo takes the red pill.

Suddenly, things that you used to accept without question may no longer make sense to you. The first thing you’ll most likely do? Lots of research, because you might feel that nobody around you gets it, or can explain it. I found myself on the spiritual side of TikTok, and it helped a lot more than a lot of the resources out there.

My second awakening was during the pandemic. I suddenly didn’t have any distractions and had to finally deal with the childhood trauma that I’d been avoiding my whole life. It was through trying to look for every healing modality that my awakening really began.