A Spiritual Explainer

‘Awakening’ vs ‘Self-Realization’ vs ‘Enlightenment’

[Updated June 24, 2022] A new way to know if you are experiencing an ‘Awakening’, ‘Self-Realization’, or ‘Enlightenment’.

Non-Medium subscribers can access this full article here.

CONTENTS

[1] “Awakening” on Social Media — Initial Awakening & Awakened [2] Formal Definitions —[2.1] Awakening; [2.2] Self-Realization; [2.3] Enlightenment [3] The Awakening Matrix [4] Enlightenment vs. Being Psychic — [4.1] Two Pathways to Awakening [5] Dark Night of the Duality Soul [6] Stages of Spiritual Transformation — [6.1] 4 Spiritual Levels: Realist, Idealist, Nondualist, & No Thing — [6.2] The ‘Turiya’ States of Consciousness: (1) Transcendental & Cosmic Consciousness, (2) God Consciousness, & (3) Unity Consciousness — [6.3] Psychic Awakenings [7] Categorizing People & Our Planet — [7.1] Planet Earth’s Awakening [8] The Best Definition of “Awakening”? — [8.1] Aging into Awakening & Moral Lapses — [8.2] The Soul & Other Perspectives [9] Related Resources: (1) Chakras, (2) Signs of Awakening & (3) Hawkins

[1] “Awakening” on Social Media

THIS list of “awakening” experiences and definitions comes from several discussions in public Facebook groups related to New Age spirituality:

“Initial Awakening” — PHYSICAL Experiences (can last for a week to a month); You Have…

- Dizziness; Nausea - Increased Colds; Sore Throat; Headaches - Hearing Things; Ringing in your Ears - Intense Anxiety; Hot Flashes; Extreme Fatigue; Insomnia - Rashes; Cold Hands and Feet - Short Term Memory Loss; Mental Confusion - Heightened Senses, Emotions, and Intuition

“Initial Awakening” — MENTAL Experiences (can last for many months); You Feel…

- Like your life is falling apart in front of you and you cannot keep up - You are losing your mind (or ego) - You are no longer who you were; You may completely reject your past - An intense need to search for answers and “truth”; Questioning everything - The world that you once knew is false (or a lie) - You are rebuilding your reality into something new - Depressed as you deprogram the “lies” you were taught - Like you are living from moment to moment - Most things don’t matter anymore; you drop old hobbies, activities, friends, places, desires, and even money and spirituality/awakening - Some family and friends attack and blame you because of your changes - A need to be alone and away from others - Coincidences, synchronicities, and “aha moments” are more common

When You Are “Awakened” (eventually), You:

- Can see through the illusion or veil to know the truth - Come “home” to your truth and purpose in life - Know unconditional love for everyone and everything - Have awareness of your true self and your world/reality - Lead with your heart, instead of your mind - Live in the moment - Know nirvana; Have no ego and no thoughts - Become the observer of thoughts, not the thoughts and not the ego - Know that everything is connected and resonates as one - Have consistent peace, joy, non-attachment, and love (no suffering) - Find God within you - Realize that this was the first step in an unending cycle of ascensions - No longer ask what “awakening” is

Awakening, Awakened, & Enlightenment Compared:

- If you ask what awakening is, then you are awakened - If you ask what awakening is, then you are not awakened - Awakening is the same as enlightenment - Awakening is the first step on the path to enlightenment [this is a predominant belief] - Awakening is waking up from a good night’s sleep [this is a perennial joke]

There used to be many more definitions of Awakening than there are today. We apparently have reached a consensus on what Awakening is (more now in 2022 than when I first wrote this article in 2020). I think the Internet has helped with that. The remaining discrepancies seem to be:

1. Many still speak as though Awakening and Awakened are the same thing (whereas they seem more like 2 stages of the same thing)
2. Some speak as though Awakening/Awakened is the same as Enlightenment (though most disagree with that)
3. A few speak as though Awakening/Awakened is the same as being politically “Woke” (this was more common in 2020 than today)
4. People disagree on whether we can be free from “suffering”. Some say Awakening is cyclical and suffering never ends permanently. Others say Awakening is the end of suffering. For example…

There are no steps to self-realization. There is nothing gradual about it. It happens suddenly and is irreversible. You rotate into a new dimension, seen from which the previous ones are mere abstractions. Just like on sunrise, you see things as they are. So on self-realization you see everything as it is. The world of illusions is left behind. — Nisargadatta Maharaj

My main confusion on this topic arose from seeing interviews with “awakened people” (on YouTube). Based on those YouTube interviews, I was originally thinking of calling this article:

Before Awakening: Neurosis, Fear, Anxiety. After Awakening: Neurosis, Fear, Anxiety.

That phrase is based on a famous Zen saying. It reflects the many people (on YouTube and Facebook) who claim the title of ‘awakened’ but who still have a lot of inner problems and shadow work to deal with. Many of them can even give an exact date when they “woke up”.

Personal issues seem to be especially true for some “shamans”, as well as channelers and mediums (who deliver messages from non-physical personalities through themselves).

But there are also people like the Dalai Lama, Ekhart Tolle, and the late Thich Nhat Hanh. They seem to be awakened beings in bliss and equanimity all the time. They do not seem to have the shadows that so many others speak about.

It is apparent now that shadows accompany the “Initial Awakening” for some people — not all. Many awakened/enlightened people on the planet today talk about their past shadow work. But they have mostly moved beyond that now.

As for the difference between Awakening and Enlightenment, most people seem to agree:

If you feel that you have “awakened”, then most likely you “have” had an Awakening experience.

That is because most see “Awakening” and “Awakened” as steps on the spiritual path. They could be early steps or more advanced steps, depending on the definition used. But…

If you feel you are “Enlightened”, then most likely you are “Not” Enlightened. (*)

That is because we often see enlightenment as a destination. We say someone is enlightened or that they are not enlightened. But most people nowadays believe that is an old fallacy, because there is no final enlightenment destination in an infinite universe.

(*) I heard that Paramahansa Yogananda said something like this once, but I cannot find a good reference to that.

[2] FORMAL DEFINITIONS

[2.1] Definition of “Awakening”

BEYOND Facebook, definitions of Awakening fall into one of the following categories. Spiritual teachers usually focus on one of these.

1. Self-Realization: This has a few definitions. One is my knowing that I am something more than my mind, emotions, body, and personality (or ego). This knowing may be one of the first experiences of “Awakening”. A feeling of liberation and bliss can accompany it. At the opposite extreme, some define Self-Realization as when we become one with The Absolute. That definition makes it the last experiences of Awakening.
2. Oneness and Nonduality: Oneness is my knowing that I am one with everything, that I am connected with everything that exists, and I love everything because of that. We often define nonduality as the same as Oneness. But others say Oneness is an experience (of everything as one thing) and nonduality is not an experience, but a state of consciousness beyond Oneness. In that state, there is no sense that there is an “I” and that there are “things out there”. All is seen as a complete illusion (or dream).
3. Subtle Senses and Psychic Abilities: This is our ability to interact with the world using extrasensory and paranormal abilities beyond our physical body and senses. This can also include fully opening our chakras to allow the kundalini energy and higher chakra knowledge to flow freely through us. A kundalini awakening can range from a mild to an extremely intense physical body experience. But it always ends up with the person receiving new psychic abilities.
4. Other Dimensional Connections: I develop my connection with extra-terrestrials, angels, ascended masters, my higher self, or other “spirit” or “astral” dimension entities. That often comes with knowledge of my relationships to myself and planet Earth — but not always.
5. Creating One’s Reality: We are able to create intentionally our reality (which we all do unintentionally already). We also see this as feeling “in control” of our destiny, as opposed to feeling that “others” are in control of our life. Note that we vary a lot in our ability to create our reality intentionally.

One thing that makes Awakening distinct is its strong association with the last three of the definitions above: #3-Psychic Abilities, #4-Other Dimensional Connections, and #5-Creating One’s Reality. Kundalini awakenings, for example, are often huge psychic transformations for people (or so it seems).

Because of this tendency, I am focusing more on those characteristics of Awakening for this article, and less on the first two (#1 & #2).

For this article, “Awakening” is the First Step on the Psychic Path of Enlightenment.

Mindfulness is a meditation technique that we associate with Awakening, Self-Realization, and Enlightenment.

If Awakening is realizing “truth” (however you define that) for the first time, then Mindfulness is the ongoing and intentional maintenance of the Awakening awareness. I believe this also applies to Self-Realization and Enlightenment.

⬇️ ️This recording of Elan, channeled by Andrew Bayuk in the early 1990s (28min on YouTube), discusses Awakening as becoming more consciously aware of who, what, why, and where you are. And in doing that, you also know that you are creating our reality.

We are not becoming anything, because we already are everything. Instead, we are consciously and intentionally expanding our awareness of who we are.

Elan explains how we can decide to expand our conscious awareness to include everything that we experience. This starts with mindfulness and reminding ourselves of who we truly are.

(Note: The word “woke” has a spiritual meaning and a political meaning. The spiritual meaning equates it to “spiritually awakened”. The political meaning is to have become “politically more aware” of corruption and social injustices in modern society — especially racism. Some spiritual people feel that “woke” is the same as “Awakening”. Others feel they are very different and dislike using the term “woke” to describe spirituality.)

[2.2] Definition of “Self-Realization”

Self-Realization was one definition of Awakening given above. There I defined it as knowing that my true self is “something more than my mind, emotions, body, and personality (or ego)”.

Also noted above, the initial awareness that “I am more than I thought I was” is one of the first experiences of “Awakening”. We may not know what we are at first, but we know that there is more to existence than we thought.

I have also heard Self-Realization described as becoming right-brain (synthesis) identified instead of left-brain (analytical) dominated.

That feeling can come with a sense of freedom and bliss. But it can also come with a feeling of betrayal and anger at the world because “everything I was told was a lie”.

Like Awakening, Self-Realization has different meanings in different teachings. For example:

Self-realization is an expression used in Western psychology, philosophy, and spirituality; and in Indian religions. In the Western understanding it is the “fulfillment by oneself of the possibilities of one’s character or personality” (see also self-actualization). In the Indian understanding, self-realization is liberating knowledge of the true Self, either as the permanent undying witness-consciousness, which is atman (essence), or as the absence (sunyata) of such a permanent Self. — Wikipedia

So, the Western definition of Self-Realization is largely the same as Maslow’s “self-actualization”. I define that as achieving the “peak success of one’s life purpose”. That definition, while worthwhile, is not related to Awakening or Enlightenment. It would be a low level of spiritual consciousness because it is entirely within the realm of the ego.

The South Asian definition is the ultimate goal of Hinduism. We do not reach it until we become our true self, our soul, or atman. Carl Jung also defined Self-Realization in this way. To him, it is “coming to selfhood” (or “individuation”), which is when we become one with the Absolute (or God/Source).

That definition makes it one of the last experiences of Awakening or Enlightenment. It is very different from the initial definition of Self-Realization I started with above.

We also associate Self-Realization with the concepts of Oneness and Nonduality. In Oneness, Self-Realization is knowing that I am connected with everything in existence, and I love everything because of that. We associate different degrees of Oneness with “God Consciousness” and “Unity Consciousness” (see section [6] below).

Absence (sunyata) is the Buddhist concept of the void, emptiness, and non-self. It is that which is beyond everything. Nonduality is another term for this. As noted in section [2.1] above, Nonduality is beyond Oneness.

Nonduality often uses the intellectual approach of questioning “Who Am I?” (Neti Neti). Self-Realization is the ultimate knowing that “I”, along with everything else, does not exist. It is all an illusion created and witnessed out of “pure awareness”. It is the energy of the universe (which can be “unconditional love”) that is simply in motions like the waves on the ocean. But, as soon as the thought arises that “I am experiencing nonduality”, I have fallen out of nonduality.

For some, self-realization is something that you can learn through intellectual inquiry, rather than through meditation or other spiritual practices. But the Tibetan Book of the Dead warns:

“Do not mistake Understanding for Realization, and do not mistake Realization for Liberation.” — Sogyal Rinpoche, The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying (free pdf of 2001 updated edition)

None of the definitions of Self-Realization above include any aspects of psychic or subtle senses. Specific teachings may include psychic and paranormal experiences. Those mostly come out of Tantra traditions in Hinduism, which also influenced Tibetan (Vajrayana) Buddhism.

The focus of this article is how people use these concepts in common conversation, such as in spiritual groups on Facebook (section [1] above). They do not use “Self-Realization” very often.

When it is used, Nonduality groups on FB use the Nonduality definition, above. But in more general New Age spiritual groups on FB, Self-Realization refers to the first step of Awakening. It is coming to know, in whatever way, that “you” are more than your body, mind, emotions, and ego. Interviews I have heard on YouTube use that definition a little more, but it is still rare.

So, recognizing the diversity of definitions above,

For this article, “Self-Realization” is the First Step on the Oneness/Nonduality Path of Enlightenment.

[2.3] Definition of “Enlightenment”

THE concept of Spiritual Enlightenment has long been an important part of religious and philosophical traditions in both the East and the West.

In Buddhism, the word Enlightenment is used to translate the words bhodi (“to awaken the intellect”) and nirvana (to extinguish ignorance, the self, and illusions/maya). In Hinduism, it is used to translate moksha (“to let go” of the illusions/maya).

Thus, for both, it means realizing that everything in existence is a dream of the one Source (or Brahman in Hinduism). This includes all living beings and objects, time and space, and judgments of good and bad. It is all the dream of Source/God/Brahman.

And everything is also all an aspect of Source/God/Brahman. When this knowledge becomes constant in our awareness, then we have awoken from the dream and are Enlightened. When we forget this, then we live with, or in, the dream of maya. Some have that knowing all the time. Others do not — yet.

One analogy I heard (from Maharishi Mahesh Yogi) compares our consciousness to a mirror. Most people only see the mirror’s reflection that is always changing. The mirror/consciousness itself never changes. And when pure, it is a perfect reflection of everything it sees.

But the mirror/consciousness can never see itself directly. We cannot experience pure consciousness, but we can be it.

This definition of Enlightenment is like the Oneness and Nonduality aspects of Self-Realization. For example, Zen Master Dogen describes Enlightenment in a very Nonduality way:

“To study the Way is to study the Self. To study the Self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be enlightened by all things of the universe. To be enlightened by all things of the universe is to cast off the body and mind of the self, as well as those of others. Even the traces of enlightenment are wiped out, and life with traceless enlightenment goes on forever and ever.” — Dogen, in Genjokoan (bold added by me)

In common use, on Facebook at least, the same broad definitions used for Awakening and Self-Realization characterize Enlightenment.

I found that confusing, so I specifically asked people on Facebook if Enlightenment and Awakening were the same or different. (I did not ask about Self-Realization). From the responses I received to that question, along with other FB discussions:

• Enlightenment differs from Awakening for most people, although a few said they were the same thing.
• Most consider Enlightenment a higher state of consciousness than Awakening.
• About half think Enlightenment is a single state of consciousness, while the other half see it as a process that has no end. — Awakening is almost always seen as a process.
• Some feel Enlightenment is a bliss state of consciousness that is beyond lower vibrational states of pain and suffering. For example, “Dark Night of the Soul” depression experiences are associated with Awakening, but rarely with Enlightenment.
• Many people feel they are Enlightened, though many more feel they are Awakened. Overall, people use the word “enlightened” far less than “awakened”. My guess is that many mean they are “awakened” when they say they are “enlightened”.

I heard one person (Dan Brown) suggest that in Buddhism, “Awakening” refers to a partial opening of the mind, whereas “enlightenment” is the full opening of the mind. This, however, is not always so clear, as the word “Buddha” is usually translated as “The Awakened One”.

I like the way Matias de Stefano defines an “enlightened human” as one who has accomplished everything possible in the 3rd Dimension (3D). Doing that enables them to ascend consciously to the 4th Dimension (4D). Similar “enlightenments” occur as transitions between other dimensions as we journey back to unity with Source / God. This definition seems to focus more on the development of Psychic Abilities and Subtle Senses.

Overall, Enlightenment is just as widely defined as Awakening and Self-Realization by some people. But, — Enlightenment tends to be seen as a higher state of consciousness. — Awakening is somewhat more Psychic oriented, and — Self-Realization is much more Oneness or Nonduality oriented.

Those are the definitions that I emphasize for the rest of this article.

“Enlightenment” is the Spiritual Path that “Awakening” and “Self-Realization” Ultimately Merge Into.

[3] The Awakening Matrix

AWAKENING, Self-Realization, and Enlightenment are all points along a path — they are not the destination. The order in which each will appear depends on (1) how we define these terms, and (2) the unique path of each individual.

Each being on this planet has their unique spiritual path. They will encounter different markers or signs along their path. These 3 terms are clumsily used to define those different markers.

There are many more terms that describe different spiritual paths and spiritual markers that people may encounter along the way. We can also switch paths and experience a mix of markers, as well. We live in an infinitely flexible universe.

For a listing and links to many of these other terms, see:

For the rest of this discussion, I will group the 5 types of awakening (in the Definition of Awakening section [2.1]) into the 2 broad categories that I see these days:

1. A Oneness & Unconditional Love Path, which largely reflects the first two types of awakenings: #1-Self-Realization and #2-Oneness & Nonduality.
2. An Extra-Normal Psychic Abilities Path, which includes the last three types of awakenings: #3-Subtle Senses, #4-Other Dimensions, and #5-Creating One’s Reality.

Both paths lead to Enlightenment.

From this, I sketched out the following figure to understand at least some variations in the awakening experience (Figure 1).

In this first figure, the vertical axis (up/down) differentiates between those who have Psychic Abilities (on top) and those who do not (on bottom). Awareness of one’s psychic abilities, whether or not used, is often a sign that a person has a 4th Dimensional (4D) consciousness. Channelers and mediums would be examples of this.

For more on this, see my article:

The horizontal axis (left/right) differentiates between those grounded in their ego and feelings of separation from everything around them (left) and those who have had the experience of Oneness or Nonduality (right). As noted above (in section [1]), oneness could be a temporary experience or a permanent state of being.

Dalai Lama-type teachers, for example, would be on the right of this axis.

Crossing these two axes produces a simple but interesting set of four unique experiences of consciousness and forms of awakening. Briefly, these are:

The LOWER Left (blue) is the normal 3rd Dimension (3D) experience of an “unawakened” individual (also known as someone who is “asleep”). Most people on earth are spiritually “asleep”. This makes us a 3D planet that is characterized by strongly fixed ideas of time and space, the physicality of objects, separation, and self-centeredness. There is also a lack of direct experience, and often denial, of other spiritual dimensions.

There is nothing especially wrong with being in that unawakened box. That is one of the main reasons we are here — to experience 3D reality. We do that by becoming entirely identified with our role as a physical personality in the play or dream that we call life.

When we are ‘Unawakened’, we are the Character experiencing the play of our life. When we are ‘Awakened’, we are the Director of the Character experiencing the play of our life. (Lincoln Gergar)

For more on the spiritual dimensions of reality, see:

The UPPER Right box (yellow-Enlightenment) is the normal 5th Dimension (5D) experience of a fully awakened and enlightened individual who has both psychic abilities and knows full oneness and unconditional love for all existence. In various religious traditions, we call these people “Saints”.

The highest level of 5D is often (but not always) considered the last plane of physicality. Our physical bodies are much lighter, we seldom need food, and most of our desires materialize instantly. We sometimes describe 5D as “Heaven on Earth”. It is much sought after by modern-day spiritualists. Beyond 5D, we rarely have physical bodies.

The remaining boxes show two types of 4th Dimension (4D) awakening experiences. — The Lower Right (green-Self-Realization) is someone who has a deep experience and knowledge of Oneness, Nonduality, and Unconditional Love but does not exhibit psychic abilities. Those abilities might be present but are not a focus of their personality. — The Upper Left (orange-Psychic) is someone who has Psychic Abilities and perhaps had a strong kundalini awakening but does not seem to know or exhibit the Oneness experience. Again, it might be there, but it is not a focus of who they are.

4D is the non-physical “astral plane”, which is where most dreams take place and from which we contact and communicate with extra-terrestrials, angels, ascended masters, and others using our psychic abilities. Time, space, and physicality exist but are much more flexible than in 3D. Lower 4D realms are more like 3D, while higher 4D realms are increasingly like 5D.

I put both the Oneness people and the Psychic people in the 4D astral plane because both are engaging their non-physical energy body (also known as the astral body and emotional body) to achieve their higher states of consciousness.

(Note: I see Oneness and Nonduality as the same category of experience. Nonduality teachers say they are different, as mentioned previously. They see Oneness as an experience, which implies an “experiencer”, which is duality. In pure nonduality, the experiencer disappears and there is only what is “happening”, which might be 5D.)

[4] Enlightenment vs. Being Psychic

Gaining enlightenment is an accident. Spiritual practice simply makes us accident-prone. — Suzuki Roshi

TRADITIONALLY, we apply the word “Enlightenment” to people who exhibit 4D-Self-Realization and 5D characteristics. Many people will openly admit to having had an “Awakening” experience, but they will seldom call themselves “enlightened”. That is because someone who has achieved a level of enlightenment knows:

• Enlightenment is a state of constant evolution in a universe that is constantly changing and expanding. So, there is no “end state” of being which one can call “enlightenment”.

And perhaps they intuitively also know that:

• Words only exist in the past and enlightenment is only in the present (the “now”). To say one is “enlightened” is to leave the present and to leave enlightenment, and thus the statement would be false.

It is traditionally the friends, followers, and acquaintances of an enlightened person who describe them in that way.

Many also accept that we can be ‘psychic’ without being ‘spiritual’. Gut feelings and intuition are psychic senses that everyone has. Spirituality is not a pre-requisite. One can be born with many psychic abilities or achieve them by accident.

Self-Realization is traditionally the first step toward Spiritual Enlightenment. That entire path is usually something that develops with time. Psychic abilities may be part of that development but are not the focus of the Self-Realization/Enlightenment path. When we call an individual “Enlightened”, we usually base that on a sense that they are eternally happy and fulfilling their life’s purpose.

Being Psychic simply means that we can see or sense more of our non-physical reality than most other people. Knowing that non-physical realities exist, however, can be a tremendous help on the path toward the broader goals of spiritual development. That realization is like the Self-Realization experience.

Spirituality can grow into Enlightenment for those working on their Psychic abilities. Similarly, Psychic abilities can emerge naturally for those on a Self-Realization/Enlightenment path.

From what I have seen, the deeper one’s spirituality (Self-Realization), the more likely Psychic abilities will develop. There is no guarantee of that. And it could be that some Self-Realized (Enlightened) individuals simply do not publicly display their Psychic and paranormal abilities. The Buddha, for example, strongly discouraged his followers from doing so.

Followers of the Buddha often described him as omniscient* (all-seeing and knowing), although he himself said he does not know everything all the time. Followers of other past and living saints in India tell stories of their Psychic and paranormal abilities and miracles. (See, for example, Autobiography of a Yogi, by Paramahansa Yogananada — read on YouTube.)

The opposite, however, does not seem as true: deeper Psychic skills result in some Awakening (as defined in this article), but not Enlightenment. But few, if any, famous psychics are revered for their Self-Realization Enlightenment. Edgar Cayce might have come closest, because spiritual growth was one of his many interests.

I think the ego is the biggest barrier in this case. Self-Realization has a focus on managing the ego; Psychic development is much less so.

There are people in the FB discussions who, according to their statements, have developed very high levels of Psychic abilities, subtle senses, and other dimensional connections. Based on that, they outright call themselves “Enlightened”. But seeing how they react toward others; they do not seem to align with the traditional definitions of Enlightenment.

[4.1] Two Pathways to Awakening

WITH all of this in mind, the Awakening Matrix I am proposing is more about pathways to spiritual fulfillment and happiness than it is about single states of consciousness. It shows that there are 2 pathways: working on Self-Realization and Oneness, and working on developing Psychic and Creative Abilities. They often overlap, but are mostly separate.

Regarding Buddha’s omniscience, mentioned a couple of paragraphs above, Theravada Buddhism (Southeast Asia) interprets Buddha’s response to mean it is possible to know and see all, but not simultaneously. That is more of a Psychic understanding.

Mahayana Buddhism (East Asia) interprets it as meaning Buddha has direct knowledge of the true nature (or “emptiness”) of things, without knowing their exact details. That is more of a Self-Realization and Oneness understanding.

There may be other pathways beyond these 2, though I think most of those fit within the model I propose. For example…

• I have heard that a third path to spiritual fulfillment occurs when we are able to freely express our spiritual or soul energy through our seven body chakras with no blockages. The chakras are mostly non-physical forms and are the source of significant psychic energy and abilities. Thus, I would put this under the 4D-Psychic-Awakening path of spiritual development. (See more on the chakras in section 11.1 below.)
• Bhakti yoga is the spiritual path of devotion (to God or gods) and surrender (to faith in the unconditional love and power of the divine). Psychic abilities are not part of the Bhakti path. It is more like the Oneness path because it emphasizes a state that is beyond the ego (beyond rational logic and pragmatism). We surrender the ego through our devotion.

In another article, I discuss how the Law of Attraction and Radical Nonduality are opposite ways of viewing spiritual reality. Related to the Awakening Matrix, the Law of Attraction is a kind of psychic ability — to create abundance and health in our life. Nonduality is a oneness path of going beyond the ego and its many desires. For more on this, see:

[5] Dark Night of the Duality Soul

AS I mentioned in the introduction (above), there seem to be many “awakened” individuals who express “Dark Night of the Soul” experiences on social media sites.

One way to think of this is that all manifest reality is in duality. Only Source (God) is beyond duality. Duality is normal and is how Source experiences itself and creates all creation. Everything naturally cycles through a polarity of vibrations (or frequencies) from positive to negative and back to positive.

The so-called “negative” experience (lower vibrations) serves as a catalyst for creating a new and higher “positive” vibration/experience. The negative propels the positive. We also known this process as “expansion” and “ascension”. In this way, the universe is always expanding and ascending through the polarity of duality.

Awakenings that emphasize Oneness often seek to reduce the polarity of duality, mostly by reducing the intensity of negative (bad) emotions. (Positive psychology does this, as well.)

Psychic approaches do not specifically seek to reduce polarity. Because those approaches are more creative, they may even increase duality. For this reason, those who mostly experience a psychic awakening may be more likely also to have low vibrational Dark Night of the Soul experiences.

A period of adjustment can follow both Oneness and Psychic awakenings. We can feel disconnected from the social networks and support systems they have known. We can also feel that our world has “fallen apart” in ways that we cannot clearly articulate. Some describe it as a feeling of being “alienated” from the world, as though everything suddenly seems “fake”.

Ultimately, the polarity of life will never go away. We just learn that our deeper Soul is beyond that, and the more we are Soul (or Higher Self) identified, the more we can celebrate life’s differences, rather than resist them. This is Enlightenment, or at least one of its stages.

(Section [6.1] below is also related to Dark Night motivations and transformations.)

For more on the Dark Night of the Soul, see:

[6] Stages of Spiritual Transformation

The Awakening Matrix implies simple stages or levels, with Psychic-Awakening and Self-Realization being lower levels compared to Full Enlightenment.

A quick online search shows descriptions of models that have 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13 levels or stages of spiritual enlightenment. (Maybe I should write an article about the “8” levels of enlightenment to fill in the gap!) Most of those come from a single tradition (like Buddhism) or a specific spiritual teacher.

I have come across a couple of models of stages or levels of spirituality from Hinduism. — The first model (section [6.1]) applies to every person who has ever incarnated as a human on Earth. — The second (section [6.2]) is more specific to higher states of spiritual consciousness beyond our normal waking, dreaming, and deep sleep experiences.

[6.1] 4 Spiritual Paths

The Advaita Vedanta (nonduality) teacher, Tom Das, describes 3 Spiritual Paths (on YouTube) that characterize every person alive today, whether they are spiritually oriented. There is also a 4th Spiritual Path, which is beyond all paths, and impossible to describe.

Tom Das calls also these “journeys” and “stages”. Some experience all the paths in their lifetime, while others only experience one of them. Also, some experience only one path at a time, while others mix the paths or switch between them regularly. (The titles below are mine, not Tom’s.)

[6.1.1] The “Realist” Path/Level of Outer Happiness

We are on this path when we believe that physical reality is real and primary, and that human consciousness is the result of an evolutionary process that started with the Big Bang, or something like it.

This is known as “realism” in western philosophy and is the basis of materialism and physical science. It is the ontological belief that things exist separate from our perception of them. It is also what most people experience. We see our waking state of consciousness as the most important and the truest representation of reality.

Realists usually have a strong identification with their ego and attachment to and belief in physical reality. Most religious doctrines and many spiritualist teachings come from this level. The goals of teachings at this level is to peel back people’s attachments to physical reality and their ego.

The basic teaching is that God/Source created the universe, including us. We are taught how to create a happy (or healthy) ego through experiences that overcome suffering and support positive feelings of our self. That means developing positive experiences through almost anything, such as relationships with others, traveling and exploring other cultures, food and music, making money, developing psychic skills, counseling and psychotherapy sessions, making scientific discoveries, and metaphysical and spiritual studies, among many more. The goal is to become a well-rounded person. Most people in the world are on this path most of the time.

Tom Das calls this the Journey of Purification. In the 3 Gunas of Hinduism, this is moving from Tamasic energy (negativity & lethargy) to Rajasic energy (positivity & action). (This relates to section [5] above.)

In the Awakening Matrix, the Unawakened (3D) are on this path until they awaken in some way. Psychic-Awakenings (4D) and Self-Realization (4D) both start out on this path because of their focus on overcoming suffering and becoming happy.

[6.1.2] The “Idealist” Path/Level of Inner Happiness

We are on this path when we believe that consciousness, awareness, and the mind of perception are primary and give rise to physical reality. Everything that exists depends on someone perceiving it. Reality is like a dream, though people also like to point to quantum physics as proving this perspective.

This view is known as “idealism” in western philosophy (see also anti-realism). Some people can imagine or conceptually understand that consciousness (and beliefs) underlie physical reality (or at least how we experience and know physical reality).

Gnostic and esoteric spiritualist teaching express this view and they are more acceptable for those who have turned inward and lessened their identification with the ego and beliefs and attachments to the material reality. New Age spiritualist could also be put in this category, although Tom Das does not mention that perspective.

The basic teaching is that we create our own reality and universe. We seek happiness within to overcome the impermanent fluctuations of our ever-changing external experiences. There are many spiritual and philosophical teachings that guide us in this direction. They often emphasize quieting our ego-mind and maintaining equanimity. Meditation and being in nature are major ways we become that quiet mind. Some seem to have been born with a quiet mind. Others spend much of their life working on it.

Tom Das also calls this the Higher or Inner Journey of Purification. In the 3 Gunas of Hinduism, this is moving from a Rajasic energy (positivity) to Sattvic energy (equanimity & bliss, also called a “Sattvic Mind”).

In the Awakening Matrix, Psychic-Awakenings (4D) and Self-Realization (4D) are paths toward calming the ego-mind through a variety of techniques.

[6.1.3] The “Nondualist” Path/Level of Witnessing Happiness

We are on this path when we believe all reality is an illusion (maya), including what we experience and we ourselves. Things and experiences appear to happen, and we seem to exist. This is an expanded version of the idealist perspective on reality [6.1.2] and is sometimes called metaphysical nihilism or nondualism. It is largely based on teachings from Eastern Religions (such as Buddhism & Hinduism). It is also associated with nirvana and moksha as states of consciousness.

But when the dream is over, the appearance and seemingness end. Both the dream and the dreamer are found to not exist — they were like a projection on a movie screen. (Note that “end” can mean death, but not necessarily. Buddhism believes that the ego personality ends with the physical body (both are illusions), whereas Hinduism sees the ego personality reincarnating in another illusion.)

This perspective is the most common form of Radical Nondualism and is related to the version of Advaita Vedanta (Nonduality) taught by Sri Ramana Maharshi. It requires that the seeker has reached a higher level of spiritual understanding or consciousness, otherwise they would reject the message as not being “realistic” and being a form of “spiritual bypassing”. (Those are common criticisms of radical nonduality.)

The basic teaching is that all reality is an illusion of the ego, and only the God/Source/Absolute/Oneness/True Self beyond the illusion is real and is who we really are (this is known variously as monism, pantheism, and panentheism). When we become our True Self, our identity is beyond the body, mind, and ego. It is the empty awareness/consciousness/witnessing of the body, mind, ego, and everything else in manifest reality. The ego-mind is still there, but we are not it.

Tom Das calls this the Journey of Self-Realization. In the Awakening Matrix, this is an early stage of Enlightenment (5D), which has many definitions and levels within itself.

[6.1.4] The “No Thing” Path/Level Beyond Happiness

We are on this path when we believe nothing exists, and nothing has ever existed. The universe, time and space, God/Source, the soul, the awareness/witnessing, the concept of nonduality, all things, and all thoughts do not exist and never have existed. There is no illusion (maya), nor is there any kind of dream.

In western philosophy, nothingness is often associated with existentialism. And it is a subject of research and debate in the physical sciences, as well.

In spirituality, it is considered an extreme version of the nondualism perspective [6.1.3]. In Hinduism it is known as Ajata or Ajativada, and the great sages of Advaita Vedanta (Gaudapada, Shankara, & Ramana Maharshi) considered the ultimate state of reality.

In Hinduism, Ajata is realized in the 4th state of consciousness, called Turiya. The other 3 states of consciousness in Hinduism are waking (Realist Path), dreaming (Idealist Path), and deep sleep (Nondualist Path). Turiya, like Ajata, is not an experience and is not comprehensible to the human mind.

• For more on Ajata, see the 2nd half of this video by Tom Das on YouTube.
• For more on Turiya, see this video by Jason Gregory on YouTube.

The importance of the Turiya state is seen in the Yoga Vasishta of Rishi Valmiki (~250 BCE), which identifies 7 Stages of Spiritual Wisdom (or awakening):

1. Desire for Enlightenment (initial awakening)
2. Self-Inquiry (as a form of meditation)
3. Weakening of Desires (for worldly things)
4. Realization (coming to know truth)
5. Detachment (from worldly thoughts)
6. Cessation of Suffering
7. Abiding in Turiya (the transcendent 4th state of consciousness)

Swami Tadatmananda (on youTube) suggests that except for Stage 7, these are states of mind, rather than states of consciousness.

In the west, Radical Nonduality (aka Neo-Advaita) teachings often take an absolute Ajata perspective. Nothing really exists and nothing ever existed. You, I, and our universe are only apparent forms (like a mirage) appearing in a “universal energy” which is impossible to understand.

As noted, the absolute nothingness perspective of Ajata, Turiya, and Radical Nonduality is completely incomprehensible to the thinking human mind. Because of that, it is seldom presented to students. It is said to be the state of consciousness of Sri Ramana Maharshi, but he did not teach from it because it is not possible to use words to describe it and few were ready for such a teaching, anyway.

The basic teaching is there is no teaching that can be taught. Everything is an absolute oneness, although even calling it that falls short of what it is. In the Awakening Matrix, this is an advance (or maybe even final?) stage of Enlightenment (5D).

For more on the universal energy, see:

As with the Awakening Matrix, these 4 stages/levels/paths are a continuum with no strict boundaries. The paths/levels can be mixed and difficult to distinguish. People on the Nondualist Path can easily move to the Realist Path depending on what happens in their world.

And there are many stories of people at the Idealist Stage who suddenly find themselves at the No Thing Stage without ever trying to get there, or even knowing it existed. That can be quite a shock.

Enlightenment is ego’s ultimate disappointment. — Chogyam Trungpa

[6.2] The ‘Turiya’ States of Consciousness

As introduced above, Turiya means “4th” and is the 4th state of consciousness. But unlike the other 3 states (waking, dreaming, and deep sleep), it is not an experience. It is more a state of onenesss or nothingness, associated with Ajata, the ultimate reality of non-existence, as introduced in the previous section.

The Hindu Vedas describe 3 Basic Stages of Enlightenment. These stages kick in at the Nondualist Path/Level to awakening, as described in the previous section. Teachers often break these down to create more stages. The Upanishads, one of the ancient Vedic texts, summarizes these 3 stages as: “I am That, You are That, All is That”.

Although I describe the three states or levels of consciousness below, keep in mind that nothing is “fixed”. Each being is unique and one of a kind. And each awakening is unique and not exactly like another.

[6.2.1] Transcendental Consciousness & Cosmic Consciousness

(Turiyatit Chetana) — Awareness becomes aware of itself. Consciousness wakes up to itself within us. (“I am That”)

Cosmic Consciousness is what some call Self-Realization. Consciousness becomes “enlivened” or “awakened” as the “witness” of oneself. Our identity shifts from the ego to the witness. Some say our ego expands into this state.

Others say our ego disappears to allow this nature state to come through. A Dark Night of the Soul experience may arise if the ego seeks to gain the control and power it feels it has lost.

In Hinduism, it is a temporary state called Turiya or Samadhi. Samadhi is often described as a state of “spiritual ecstasy” or “bliss”. I have also heard samadhi described as a state of “oneness”. Some say we do not experience samadhi, instead we become samadhi (or pure awareness). We leave samadhi when we return to activity.

Temporarily transcending our body, thoughts, and mind in meditation is an early stage of Cosmic Consciousness. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi called it “Transcendental Consciousness”. In comparison, Cosmic Consciousness is when the transcendental (Turiya) state becomes permanently established.

“Samadhi or Transcendental Consciousness (TC) is that silence we experience in meditation where the breath pauses, the mind goes silent, and we experience profound peace. If it’s a longer samadhi, we may notice the breath stopped and the lungs vibrating. The brain goes very quiet. A wave of soma (sweetness) may be tasted in the throat. The skin can take on a kind of glow (ojas).” — David (Davidya) Buckland

Turiya is the state being beyond waking (jagrat), dreaming (swapna), and deep sleep (sushupti). It is the “chit” of “sat-chit-ananda”, which is also described as “pure awareness”, but without the bliss of samadhi. I have heard that the mantra Aum (or Om) also represents (or reminds us of) these 4 states: A=waking, U=dreaming, M=deep sleep, and the silent pause after M is Turiya.

Turiya is always present, but we are rarely aware of it. It is our essential state of beingness. Waking, dreaming, and deep sleep are states of consciousness that descend and cover our being, like clouds blocking the sun. The denser those three states are, the less our Turiya light can shine. We do spiritual practices and shadow work to thin the clouds so our inner light can shine brighter.

Ramana Maharashi defined Turiya as “The Self” (or True Self). He suggested we can learn to be The Self (or enlightened) in the gaps between waking, dreaming, and sleeping. (In the description below, “ego” refers to the belief that “I am my body/mind”.)

• Waking = We are Conscious with Thoughts and an Ego — This is our gross or physical body state
• Dreaming = We are Unconscious, but still with Thoughts and an Ego — This is our subtle or astral body state
• Deep Sleep = We are Unconscious and have No Thoughts and No Ego — This is our causal body state, which is silent but contains the potential for the subtle and physical bodies
• The Gaps Between Waking and Sleeping/Deep Sleep = We are Conscious, but with No Thoughts and No Ego — This is our True Self (or Turiya); it is the oneness beyond manifest realities and separateness

The main practice that Ramana taught was Self-Inquiry (asking “Who Am I?”). He said it was like “consciously falling asleep”. We consciously shut down our thoughts and our ego, leaving only our witnessing consciousness. Practicing Self-Inquiry meditation enables us to be aware of the witnessing consciousness in the gaps when we fall asleep (which is easier) and when we wake up (which is harder).

(Note: the description of Ramana Maharshi’s perspective comes from Tom Das in this video, on YouTube. There are many guided Who Am I? meditation on YouTube. Here is one I like.)

Our ability to maintain that Turiya witnessing awareness grows until it is a 24/7 state of consciousness. That is full Cosmic Consciousness and includes awareness in deep sleep. (Some say they intentionally turn off the deep sleep witnessing.)

But Cosmic Consciousness is only a “taste of oneness”. We do not realize full oneness until Unity Consciousness (#3 below).

Hindu teachings say the True Self awareness that is watching and observing the experience in our life is permanent. It even watches our ego interpret and judge experiences that arise. But the witness never judges or takes part in the experience. There is only witnessing.

In that high state of consciousness, there may be “suffering” in the human body, but we identify with the eternal witnessing or knowing, which does not suffer. But…

“To encounter the absolute is not yet enlightenment.” — from Sandokai, an 8th c. Soto Zen poem

[6.2.2] God Consciousness

(Bhagavad Chetana): Awakening to “Beingness”. Consciousness wakes up to itself being in the world. (“You are That”)

God Consciousness is a deepening heart connection to everything we see and sense. Initially, we come to know ourselves as God/Source — we come to love ourselves as one with God.

That sense expands as we see all creation, from other people to the smallest insect, as God/Source/All-That-Is/The Absolute — we come to love all creation. We first see this clearly in other people, trees, plants, and animals. That grows to also seeing it in inanimate objects, including rocks, thoughts and ideas, and emotions.

We also wake up to see the intelligence of the universe expressed in all its creations (including ourselves). That is the “sat” of “sat-chit-ananda”.

The God Consciousness intelligence starts with intuition. It advances into Unity Consciousness as the division between us and others becomes less, and our awareness of others (beings and things) grows more subtle.

[6.2.3] Unity Consciousness

(Brahmi Chetana): Transcending I Am-ness/Beingness. Consciousness wakes up to its true essence, which is beyond itself. (“All is That”)

I Am-ness/Beingness falls away because it is still duality. In God Consciousness there is still a sense of duality because we see the other as an aspect of God. In Unity Consciousness, the division between self and other (subject & object) completely disappears.

The witnessing sees no others. It only sees itself — there is only the oneness (nonduality) of all creation. We know the entire world/universe of our experience as God/Source.

Our intuition and subtle knowing about others in God Consciousness expands to a full knowing of the nature, purpose, experiences, and more of the things we encounter. We know (or cognize) things as the consciousness and intelligence of the God creating them anew in every moment.

We know this because we are the things we encounter in Unity Consciousness. Some say that this is God Consciousness merging with Unity Consciousness.

“There are no others.” — Ramana Maharshi

But Full Unity Consciousness is even beyond that. It is the beyondness, emptiness and nothingness (or “no-thingness”) of all reality and beyond. In Full Unity Consciousness, we become the emptiness beyond all manifest forms and realities.

Hinduism calls this Brahman consciousness. In the Kena Upanishad (part of the Hindu Vedas), “Brahman” is:

What cannot be spoken with words, but make speaking possible What cannot be thought with the mind, but makes thinking possible What cannot be seen with the eye, but makes seeing possible What cannot be heard with the ear, but makes hearing possible What cannot be indrawn with breath, but makes breathing possible.

Meanwhile, we get on with life as human beings, fulfilling our dharma or purpose. Our life goes on, unchanged, because our life is our purpose for being here. The only thing that has changed is the witnessing.

Before enlightenment, a river is a river and a mountain is a mountain. During enlightenment, a river ceases to be a river, and a mountain is no longer a mountain. After enlightenment, a river is just a river and a mountain is just a mountain. —Zen Buddhism

The descriptions of these 3 stages of Turiya consciousness come from various sources but are mostly based on the teachings of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and Ramana Maharshi. Both are from the Advaita Vedanta (nondualism) school of Hinduism (as is Tom Das, the source of section [6.1]). For nondualism, emptiness/nothingness is the ultimate reality. Buddhism also has the basic belief. There are also dualism schools in Hinduism that focus more on various gods, but they believe in these same general stages of enlightenment.

For more on nonduality, see:

Finally, some Advaita Vedanta teachers say there are only 4 states of consciousness (waking-jagrat, dreaming-swapna, deep sleep-sushupti, and the transcendent-turiya). They say Maharishi Mahesh Yogi invented the 3 higher states (Cosmic, God, and Unity Consciousness).

• See this video by Swami Tadatmananda for an example of that argument.

[6.3] Psychic Awakenings

Notice there is no mention of psychic abilities in the stages described above. That is because we usually associate those stages, and Hindu teaching in general, with the self-realization path of my Awakening Matrix (section [3]), rather than the psychic path (section [4.1]).

Tom Das’ Idealist Path [6.1.2] (based on the dreaming state of consciousness) might be associated with psychic developments, though he does not develop that perspective.

David Buckland, who I also draw on for the definitions above, says there is a Path of the Heart (psychic) and the Path of the Intellect (self-realization). He has also said the 3 Turiya states (Cosmic, God, and Unity Consciousness) apply to both these paths (on YouTube).

Buckland has put together a more complete and contemporary model of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s 3 Levels of Turiya/Enlightenment (and on YouTube). From his personal experience and research on the topic, he says the 3 levels are underlying principles and each person’s awakening experience will be unique. Even the order of how the levels unfold will vary from one person to the next.

Some people experience versions of Unity Consciousness before God Consciousness, for example. Other might experience Cosmic Consciousness for only a day before moving to God Consciousness. How the stages manifest will also vary, with some having a more Heart/Psychic event and others a more Intellect/Self-Realization event.

There are also additional stages of refinement beyond Unity Consciousness, such as Para Unity or Para Brahman Consciousness. These are completely beyond time, space, and human understanding or experience.

By comparison, Theravada Buddhism has 4 stages of enlightenment. For other, more Western and New Age, perspectives on stages, levels, and forms of consciousness, see:

I have heard Matias De Stefano describe his 9 Dimensions of Spiritual Reality as states or levels of consciousness. As I understand it, these would be:

• 1st Dimension Consciousness— conscious of only the oneness and unity of manifest existence, no awareness of differentiation within the oneness
• 2nd Dimension Consciousness—awareness of the polarity of positive (+) and negative (-) energy only, as the basis of all manifest reality
• 3rd Dimension Consciousness—the experience of the diversity of polarity, including time and space (this experience is required for higher dimensions to be realized in one’s consciousness)
• 4th Dimension Consciousness — awareness and understanding of the full pattern or process of time and space (in one entire incarnation, for example)
• 5th Dimension Consciousness—full awareness and complete understanding of all time and space process experienced in the 3rd Dimension (all one’s incarnations, for example)
• 6th Dimension Consciousness — developing the conscious ability to transform and change time and space experiences (3D) and incarnations or timelines (4D & 5D)
• 7th Dimension Consciousness — becoming a God with full ability to create realities (also known as enlightenment)
• 8th Dimension Consciousness — realization of all time, all knowledge, and all manifest realities (he calls this the Akashic Records)
• 9th Dimension Consciousness — full knowing of the oneness, the divine, and the “I Am” of all manifest creation, which then leads to the 1st Dimension Consciousness of the next level of manifest creation (the 10th, 11th, 12th… Dimensions)

Each stage requires an experience which is then transcended to go to the next level.

For more on Matias De Stefano’s 9 Dimensions, see:

My perspective is that you are everything in your universe. That means you exist at all levels of enlightenment all the time. None is better than any other because they are all you.

You are all the different “yous” (in the article above). And you are all 4 boxes in the Awakening Matrix. Which one you are exhibiting now reflects the one you are currently most identifying with and placing your focus on.

There is a tendency to think that higher dimensions, chakras, etc., are more advanced and preferred. And because of that, we reject or resist the lower ones. So, we accept some parts of us, and we reject other parts of who we are. That is the spiritual challenge that we need to overcome.

The real spiritual challenge is to expand our self-identity, so we know, both intellectually and experientially, that we are all of it.

As Elan says (in the recording linked earlier), spiritual “awakening” and “liberation” means expanding the definition of who we are. This process is unique to each person. But the basic rule is that through each stage of awakening, we experience more liberation as our identity encompasses more of our complete self.

⬇️ In this interview, David Bingham (on YouTube) gives an interesting Nonduality perspective on various levels of awakening and consciousness, including psychic and astral experiences, and manifesting. (He is not as “radical” as many radical nondualists.)

[7] Categorizing People & Our Planet

PLACING people in the 4 boxes of the Awakening Matrix is sometimes easy to do (or at least it seems easy), and other times it is not. It is rare for someone to be 100% in one of the 4 states of consciousness all the time. Instead, our consciousness moves through the different states of awakening.

From what I have heard, it is very common for people to have Awakening, Self-Realization, or Enlightenment experiences that last anywhere from a few minutes to a few years, and then disappear. This does not mean they have regressed. Rather, their soul is exploring other realms of reality and consciousness to even further grow in the fullness of the universe.

Two of the most enlightened being in history, the Buddha and Jesus, had their days when they were closer to 3D than to 5D. Also, even the most hardcore 3D “normals” use intuition and gut feelings that are associated with Psychic abilities.

Rupert Spira suggests that we cycle between our outer-ego (conditioned memories) and our inner self (Oneness) through awakening experiences. So, we awaken to oneness. We then forget and the ego comes back. Then we have a new and different awakening. Then we forget and our ego arises again, bringing suffering and Dark Night experiences. The more awakenings we have, the weaker and shorter the ego’s return will be.

For more on this, see:

So, our experience on a day-to-day basis ends up more like these pie charts (Figure 2). (Note that I am just guessing at the percentages of time in these charts — I am likely way off from any one person’s reality.)

One challenge in categorizing people is that many do not openly talk about or exhibit their 4D and 5D experiences and abilities. This may be because their peers have socially discouraged them. They may also resist or fully suppress their experiences and abilities because of certain beliefs they hold or have learned. (As we move to a more 4D/5D planet, people will become more open about this.)

[7.1] Planet Earth’s Awakening

WE can further apply the same idea (and the same graphics) of 3D, 4D, and 5D consciousness variations to our entire planet. Here, I base the percentages not on time, but on the number of humans on the planet that are mostly in each of these states of consciousness most of the time (Figure 3).

In my article on the Earth is moving from 3D to 4D/5D, I comment on how some say we have been a 3D planet for the past 3000 to 5000 years (since the Bronze Age), and that the Age of Aquarius is our transition to becoming a 4D/5D planet. The percentage of people primarily driving this transition are those “awakening” into 4D and 5D consciousness.

Thus, the first pie chart (left) in Figure 2 shows most people on the planet in 3D consciousness. The middle chart shows most people in 4D and 5D consciousness, though still a lot in 3D. This would be a stage of transition and confusion as people come to terms with a newly emerging reality — perhaps like we are experiencing today.

The right pie chart is a guess at how these variations in consciousness might look for a 5D awakened planet. This is not the highest level of 5D, where everyone is about to leave all physicality behind, but is probably one that would come close to a “Heaven on Earth” utopia that many desire.

Many believe that it only takes a small percentage of the world’s population to awaken to shift the entire planet.

As Rupert Spira suggests, moving from a 3D (ego) consciousness to a 4D and 5D one is often a path of two steps forward (awakening) and one step back (to the ego). This is also true for our planet, which can be challenging. However, we can have faith that we are helping the planet ascend by working on our own personal ascension.

[8] The Best Definition of “Awakening”?

AS suggested in Figure 2, no one is in one form or level of consciousness all the time. We all experience all four forms of consciousness depicted in Figure 1. And I believe we cycle through these experiences every day and throughout our lives.

Remember, in section [4], Buddha denied he was in a state of total omniscience all the time — even thought that is what his followers thought of him. Followers like to put their teachers on a pedestal, especially when they symbolize the ultimate truth the student is seeking. But the teacher is always more than a symbol and is more complicated than the student assumes.

We can be in different parts of each of the 4 boxes in figure 1. We might, for example, be in the upper left corner of the upper left box have amazing Psychic abilities (top), but a terrible personal life that is overwhelmed by ego (left). Or we might be in the center of the entire figure 1 — perfectly balancing all four boxes. And that can change from one day to the next.

After all, we exist in manifest reality, which is based on polarity (or differences). We are living on a physical planet, and we have physical bodies just as much as we have energy/astral bodies, emotional bodies, and mental bodies.

Because we are so engaged with our physical experiences and emotions, we are seldom aware of how our consciousness is constantly shifting through our life. Each shift offers us a new perspective, and each new perspective is a new opportunity to learn about ourselves and our world.

In this way, every moment in our lives is an awakening. These moment-to-moment awakenings build upon one another. Thus, in many traditional societies, we honor elders for their wisdom, and why experiencing both youth and old age are important soul experiences to capture the fullness of life.

See also, my article on Small Awakenings:

In addition, there are times and good reasons when we want to suppress our 4D/5D knowledge, experience, and enlightenment. But it is good to know that all of us can access these four forms of consciousness at will — with some practice.

To me, the best definition is:

Awakening is coming to know the fullness and truth of who we are.

The Awakening Matrix shows how this realization comes into our experiences through our waking up to the direct awareness and experience of the variations in consciousness that are available to us.

And again, as stated at the beginning of this article:

If you feel that, you have had an awakening, then most likely you have awakened. If you feel you are enlightened, then most likely you are not enlightened.

[8.1] Aging into Awakening & Moral Lapses

THE Awakening Matrix helps to further explain:

1. Why older people are happier and more content with life than younger people. Your age might play a role in the type of awakening you focus on. Maybe younger people have more 4D-Psychic-Awakening experiences, while older people have more 4D-Self-Realization experiences. — Also, older people have had more opportunities to have “awakening” episodes, which build over time, resulting in fewer and shorter “ego” episodes. — Both Psychic and Self-Realization experiences have expanded considerably in my retirement years, though of the two, the Oneness experience is the one I cherish most.
2. Why many spiritual teachers have moral lapses, as seen in their taking advantage of their power relationship over young students and succumbing to money temptations. This is because they are not in 5D all the time, even though their followers believe they are. They still have egos, even though they and others may say they do not.

In addition, there are, I am sure, many nuances in the four forms of consciousness in the Awakening Matrix (Figure 1). There are many states of consciousness available to us within the realm of 3D normal consciousness alone. That is beyond the context of this article to discuss, although I will mention one possibility…

[8.2] The Soul & Other Perspectives

FROM the perspective of our Soul, Consciousness, or “Higher Self”, all four states of consciousness in the Awakening Matrix are of equal value in the spiritual growth of an individual.

5D is not superior to 3D — they are simply two distinct realities, each of which offers a world (or dimension) that is only a fraction or glimpse of God/Source/All That Is.

In addition, it is the nature of life that all things are expanding into higher dimensions, densities, and frequencies — whether or not we can see that. We can never know the reasons behind an individual Soul’s chosen path, and we should never judge another’s, or our own, path as wrong.

From that highest consciousness perspective, everything is always perfect, just as it is. Everything, no matter how lowly 3D we might think it is, is moving toward 5D in the best way it can and should be honored for that.

So, Be Here Now — fully in the dimension you are in now. Where you are now is always the most perfect place for you to be. Experiencing this present moment to its fullest is always the ultimate state of being and consciousness.

[9] Related Resources

[9.1] Chakras

The 4D-Self Realization path could easily refer to the awakening of the Heart Chakra. The 4D-Psychic-Awakening path could be associated with the awakening of the Third Eye Chakra.

Looking back at the 5 categories of Awakenings listed at the start of this article, the correlations might be as follows.

1. Oneness and Nonduality: Heart Chakra
2. Unity Consciousness and God Consciousness: Crown Chakra
3. Subtle Senses: Sacral Chakra and/or Root Chakra
4. Creating One’s Reality: Solar Plexus Chakra and/or Throat Chakra
5. Psychic Abilities and Other Dimensional Connections: Third Eye Chakra and/or Crown Chakra

[9.2] Signs of Awakening

⬇️ I came across this quote on Facebook and thought it presented another perspective on awakening:

According to Vedanta, there are only two symptoms of enlightenment, just two indications that a transformation is taking place within you toward a higher consciousness.

The first symptoms is that you stop worrying. Things don’t bother you anymore. You become light-hearted and full of joy.

The second symptom is that you encounter more and more meaningful coincidences in your life, more and more synchronicities. And this accelerates to the point where you actually experience the miraculous.

That is mostly about the 4D-Self Realization path toward enlightenment. But we could also interpret the two symptoms as:

1. Stop Worrying = Self-Realization
2. Synchronicities = Psychic-Awakening

Vedanta means “of the Vedas”, which are relatively more recent religious texts of ancient India (1500–900 BCE). There are many schools in Vedanta.

[9.3] David R. Hawkins

David R. Hawkin’s popular “Map of Consciousness” places Enlightenment (frequency 700–1000) at the top, with Shame (or humiliation, frequency = 20) at the bottom. This is one of many models of consciousness that place an absolute, universal, or otherwise superior mind at the top. More base levels (lowest “energetic frequencies”) are at the bottom. (I find such hierarchies to be more “food for the ego”, though I understand why they exist.)

• 500–1000 = Love/Reverence, Serenity, Peace/Bliss, Enlightenment (Oneness)
• 250–400 = Trust/Neutrality, Optimism/Hopeful, Acceptance/Harmony, Understanding/Meaningful (Flow)
• 0–200 = Shame, Guilt/Blame, Despair/Hopeless, Grief/Regret, Fear/Anxiety, Desire/Disappointment, Anger/Hate, Pride/Scorn (Suffering)

Hawkin’s map seems to apply more to the 4D-Self Realization path. It does not include psychic or paranormal abilities. Some of the other higher consciousness models do, usually placing them at just below the highest stages.

In addition, based on comments on Facebook, it seems

• 4D-Psychic-Awakening individuals can be at any of the levels on the Hawkins scale
• 4D-Self-Realization individuals would be anywhere above 200 most of the time, and
• 5D-Enlightened individuals would rarely drop below 500

[9.4] For more on Spiritual Awakenings, see this ⬇️ collection of articles. Note that the articles in this collection are behind the Medium paywall. For paywall-free access to my articles go to www.AlanLew.com, linked below.

Contact

• I am not financially affiliated with any of the people or products discussed in this article.
• I appreciate comments, questions, and typo corrections. - See the About link in my Medium profile for contact information and related articles.
• Written in collaboration with my Energy Group/Higher Self. This is our perspective of the truth and not the whole truth of reality.

My Medium writings are available “paywall free” at www.AlanLew.com:

• follow my Facebook page linked to my Medium writings
• subscribe to My Medium Writings
• become a Medium member to support my writings

Visit and Follow New Earth Consciousness (NEC) for More Articles like this.

• Subscribe New Earth Consciousness NEWS, the occasional newsletter for NEC
• And join our New Earth Consciousness Group on Facebook