Mystic Minds
The 10 Stages It Takes a Person to Reach Enlightenment
#10. Death
1. Self-Awareness
The dawning of self-awareness marks the beginning of the spiritual journey. This stage happens as a result of a temporary introspection or a complete spiritual awakening.
We become aware that there is more to life than this.
As we grow in self-awareness, we become conscious of how we interact with others and ourselves.
We evolve from being sleepers into a much greater consciousness.
We are moved to take a hard look at ourselves and begin the process of self-growth through self-exploration.
2. Self-Exploration
As we become more self-aware, we naturally want to explore all aspects of ourselves.
Our desire is to find out more about ourselves and discover what our authentic place is in the world.
The purpose of self-exploration is to uncover how we think, feel, and behave the way we do in the everyday realm.
Through books, articles, movies and spiritual practices, we seek answers to our questions, which leads us to discover things we didn’t even know about ourselves.
3. Self-Discovery
Self-discovery occurs when we dig deep below the surface of ourselves to discover who we really are.
The journey to self-discovery begins by moving away from the “what?” to the “why?”
When we’re exploring ourselves, we are concerned with what we like, feel, do, and think, but when we’re discovering ourselves, we are concerned with why we like, feel, do, or think those things.
As we progress through this stage, we begin to do various forms of inner or shadow work that help us get to the bottom of things.
By exploring our inner world, we eventually uncover ourselves which leads to a better understanding of ourselves.
4. Self-Understanding
Developing self-understanding means gaining a clear understanding of the dynamics and workings of one’s own ego.
In this stage, people have a deep understanding of why they think, feel, and behave as they do. They have not only explored their conscious selves but also their shadow selves and their covered-up wounds.
It reveals the very nature of our souls as it goes deep into the psyche.
When you travel to the depths of your psyche; when you see the things you've gone through and how you've been hurt, you can’t help but feel love for yourself.
5. Self-Love
It’s almost impossible to practice self-love if you don’t understand why you are the way you are and do the things you do.
As we reach this stage, we are filled with compassion for ourselves and everything we have been through. We stop punishing ourselves and start forgiving ourselves for the things we did when we did not know any better.
We begin to nurture ourselves back to health and wellness and therefore experience greater self-esteem, self-confidence, and a renewed sense of love and appreciation for ourselves and also for others.
When you can love yourself in this way, you naturally transform into the highest version of yourself.
6. Self-Transformation
It is at this stage that we shed the old and limiting habits, perceptions, and compulsions of the former self and transform into our most authentic selves.
It involves a death and rebirth process that can feel uncomfortable at first, but like a butterfly emerging out gracefully from its cocoon; we are free to spread our wings and fly with the winds.
We can now understand why we had to spend years in the solitude of darkness. At the end of this transformation is where self-mastery begins.
7. Self-Mastery
At this stage, we are reaping the rewards of all the hard work we’ve been doing. We have the ego in the backseat watching our backs and the soul in the driver’s seat leading us where we are meant to go.
We become whole and complete when we have all of ourselves working together in perfect harmony.
We live from the heart and soul, and the ego is also a valuable member of the team helping us navigate the physical world.
We become self-sufficient, calm, wise, compassionate, and light-hearted as we begin to transcend the self.
8. Self-Transcendence
Self-transcendence is where we enter the world of Spirit. We become more in tune with our spiritual nature.
This is where we learn that there is something much higher than us and this life isn't all there is.
Self-transcendence may come naturally as you evolve, through a sudden mystical experience, or a deep inner calling that brings you to a realization of the nature of self and life as a whole.
9. Self-Realization
Self-realization is a gift from life itself. It occurs when we are close to passing on to the spirit realm and we can feel like we are truly one with God.
At this point, we are free from fear and all suffering and what remains is love, connection, and a sense of peace.
Some come to embody Christ consciousness and oneness with all that is.
Many call this stage nirvana.
This is the stage where one is closer to knowing the ultimate truth which only death can tell.
10. Death
This is the stage where it all flashes before our eyes. Everything starts coming to us.
We remember everything that happened beyond the veil. We remember why we came to the earth and what we came to accomplish.
At this stage, we can look back on our lives to see if we fulfilled our purpose or if we got distracted by worldly things that mean nothing at all.
We can see exactly what we’ve done and how we’ve lived our lives, whether we hit or miss the mark with our higher self.
We find out the truth about God and the universe as we shift into the afterlife. Our questions about angels, heaven, paradise, hades, Satan, hell, demons, ancestors, spirit guides, etc are all answered as the truth is laid before us.
At this stage, there’s no running from the truth.
It all becomes crystal clear and we come to this realization: You are not truly enlightened until you are dead!
© 2023 Kimberly Fosu. All rights reserved.
Note: This article is only meant to provide spiritual guidance and lighthearted content.
Still got questions
Book a coaching session | Join my email list for random insights | I appreciate my patrons and those who buy me water. ❤
Visit my website to learn more about my mission.
Connect with me to stay updated: Twitter | Instagram | YouTube.