Welcome to the Void, Here's a Blanket
A down to earth primer for spiritual awakening.
In this essay, Misti demystifies the process of spiritual awakening by examining some of its edges, stages, challenges, and pragmatic implications.
So, maybe you’ve had the realization: “I don’t have a soul – I am a soul.” Maybe you have been on this ride for quite a while. Either way, what I could get behind is more to the point guidance on the spiritual path and less guru talk. You too?
The process of spiritual awakening is not about reaching an endpoint but about engaging with life in a more curious, mindful, consciously awakened way. It’s about continuing to ask deep questions about your experiences (yes, all of them) and allowing your awareness to grow and evolve - unburdened by the outcome. Tricky? Quite.
The discovery that you are a soul and not merely a body with a soul can feel like an epiphany, an unveiling of truth. However, it’s only the beginning of a much deeper journey into a spiritual awakening. This awakening is not a one-time event but an unfolding process—often messy, unpredictable, and filled with moments of uncertainty, fear, and doubt. Loads of doubt. So, while the realization that you are a soul may bring clarity, it raises another crucial question: What does it mean to live as a soul? And more importantly, what comes after this moment of awakening and in the moments ahead?
1. The Shift from Identification with the Body to Identification with the Soul
The journey of spiritual awakening often begins with a profound shift in identity. Most people spend the majority of their lives identifying with the physical body and the mind. This identification defines everything from our relationships to our career ambitions to the way we interact with the world. The idea that you are not merely a body but a soul is revolutionary because it challenges the very foundation of how you ‘choose’ to see yourself.
When you come to understand that you are a soul, there is an inherent recognition that you are not confined to the limitations of the body. Your essence is vast, timeless, and interconnected with all of existence. This realization often comes in waves—sometimes as a sudden insight and other times as a gradual knowing. And it almost ALWAYS come with a painful experience first. As you begin to live with this awareness, you will start to see life differently. Your values shift; your priorities rearrange themselves. The need for validation from external sources begins to fade, and you start to seek inner peace, meaning, and connection with the higher aspects of yourself and the world around you.
But this shift is not always straightforward. The ego—the part of us that identifies with the material world—often resists this new understanding. The ego is not the bad guy. But it often gravitates to separation, feeling distinct and separate from others and the universe. As a result, it may create inner conflict as you grapple with the question of who you really are and why you’re here. The tension between the ego and the soul is one of the primary challenges of spiritual awakening, and it requires patience, self-compassion, and awareness to navigate. I here a lot of people talk about ego death and while most are talking about leaning more into the soul, I think people sometimes mistake this terminology as “it is somehow righteous or better to have no ego.” I assure you this is not the reality of our human existence. Our ego has a permanent residency in our mind and subconscious. For example, if you were a tour bus - the ego must ride along, but it does not have to drive or sit shotgun and be the DJ.
Make sense?
2. The Call to Inner Exploration and Self-Realization
Once you’ve made the shift in perspective and recognized yourself as a soul, a next step might be inner exploration. Or it might be outer mis-adventure depending on your commitment to self and growth. I meet many spiritual leaders and teachers who pack their schedules so tightly in the name of healing humanity - there is simply no way they are not exhausted and burning out. This is still a form of running, escaping from the inner exploration. Spiritual awakening is essentially the process of uncovering the truth about who you are, beyond the labels, stories, and beliefs you’ve accumulated over a lifetime. This process of self-realization is an ongoing - day by day - journey, and it often involves peeling many back layers of conditioning, trauma, and false beliefs that have obscured your true nature.
Self-inquiry becomes a key practice during this phase. Questions like “Who am I?” “What is my true nature?” “What am I here to experience?” begin to arise, and the answers often defy intellectual understanding. As you dive deeper into the question of who you are as a soul, you begin to access a more intuitive, experiential knowing that transcends rational thought. Meditation, journaling, mindfulness, and other contemplative practices can help facilitate this inner exploration.
This period of self-inquiry is not always easy. It can feel disorienting as old patterns of thinking, behaving, and perceiving begin to dissolve. You may feel a sense of loss or confusion as the identity you once held onto starts to disintegrate. However, this phase is also a profound opportunity for growth and liberation. The more you explore your true inner nature, the more you will come to realize that you are not defined by external circumstances, offering your gifts, or fleeting emotions. You are an eternal soul with boundless potential and unlimited chances for sharing and serving.
3. Integration: Living from the Soul
As the process of self-realization deepens, the next stage of spiritual awakening involves integration: learning how to live from the soul rather than from fear and doubt. This is where the real work begins. It’s one thing to intellectually understand that you are a soul, but it’s another thing entirely to live as a soul in the world.
Living from the soul means that your actions, thoughts, and behaviors are no longer solely driven by desires, despite how noble or honorable. Trying to have purpose can even be driven by fear, greed, or attachment. The real key to this piece is that you begin to act from a place of love, compassion, and awareness - toward yourself FIRST. You become more present in each moment, attuned to the subtle energies of the universe, and more in tune with your higher self.
However, integration does not mean the ego disappears completely. As I mentioned, our ego is a part of our human experience, and while a fear-based grip loosens as you awaken, it will ALWAYS continue to surface in various forms. The challenge lies in learning how to observe the ego without becoming entangled in its stories about you. As you embody your soul’s wisdom, you develop the capacity to discern when you are acting from ego-driven impulses and when you are aligned with your higher truth, and with love.
Integration also involves applying spiritual practices into actual daily life. It’s one thing to have an awakening experience during meditation or a moment of deep reflection, but how do you carry that awareness into your relationships, work, and day-to-day activities? Who are you when nothing is peaceful around you? When you are disappointed and defeated? When your meeting is running an hour late or your dog shits on the floor? Yes - these are the real tests of the soul. I mean it. This is the true test of spiritual growth. It’s about embodying your spiritual insights in a way that transforms not just your inner world but also your outer reality.
Just to demystify the term ”spiritual practice” a bit…I define these practices as anything you do that brings you into a state of gratitude. This means that it has no rules or rigid schedule. It is your art, your expression. It can be walking your dog, snuggling your child, resting, cleaning, dancing, writing, making music, crafting, doing a puzzle, driving, making tea, potting plants…you cannot do it wrong. So, lean into your own wisdom and pay attention to the things you do everyday that make you feel grateful and joy. Can’t think of any? Then start re-prioritizing your day to include just one for right now. Or decide to find gratitude in something you already do. Driving carpool? Make a playlist or bring a joke book. Doing laundry? Listen to an audiobook or fold each item with a positive word or mantra. Make your tasks your time to be soulful and intentional. Let it be easy, let it be yours.
4. The Challenge of Surrender and Trust
As you continue to awaken spiritually, one of the most profound lessons you will encounter is the necessity of surrender and trust. The mind, in its limited view, tends to want control. We like to plan, predict, and direct the flow of our lives. This is a construct that the world says equals success. But the soul, by nature, flows with life. It understands that everything is part of a greater plan that may not always align with our immediate expectations.
Surrendering to the flow of life is one of the most challenging aspects of spiritual awakening. It requires letting go of the need for certainty and embracing the unknown. Trusting in the process and other people means accepting that you don’t always have to understand or agree with everything, and that there are forces greater than your own will (and your audacious divine role in healing humanity) at play.
This doesn’t mean passivity; it’s about finding the balance between taking inspired action and allowing the universe to guide you. When you learn to trust in this divine flow, you experience a deep sense of peace, knowing that you are always supported and that everything unfolds exactly as it needs to, especially when it’s not going so great.
5. Expansion and Service to Others
As you awaken more fully to your true nature as a soul, you will begin to realize that you are interconnected with all beings. You may have always known or believed this, but it is when you surrender all the clinging that the Universal You really gets to shine the brightest. Your soul’s journey is not just about personal enlightenment but also about contributing to the collective consciousness. Spiritual awakening naturally leads to a desire to serve others and contribute to the greater good. However, true collaboration and contribution will never cost you your own peace and harmony. That is not service, that is called sacrifice and those are not the same energies. Whether through acts of kindness, sharing wisdom, or engaging in social causes, this phase of awakening is not about expanding beyond the self, but WITH the self and recognizing the oneness of all life. True service INCLUDES the self as part of the whole and doesn’t feel guilty for it. In fact, it feels really good to serve the whole. Serving is what makes community possible. Community is what makes humans rise. Whoever told us we can’t feel good and do good? We can and we are wise to do so.
Living as a soul means embracing the interconnectedness of all beings. You begin to see yourself in others, as others, and this awareness fosters compassion, empathy, and a desire to be of true service. As you give from a place of plenty, you find that you are also receiving. Everyone is giving and receiving.
Conclusion: Living the Question “What’s Next?”
As you awaken, you are constantly unfolding, integrating, and expanding. The journey is ongoing, and there is always more to discover. The question “What’s next?” is not a sign of impatience but a reflection of the infinite potential that lies ahead. Try that on with excitement! “What’s next?”
To continue living from your soul, trusting in the process, serving others, and allowing your life to be a reflection of the deep wisdom you are awakening to - be gentle with yourself and others. Spiritual awakening is not a destination but a lifelong journey, and with each step, you become the next iteration of you. More of you, and that is honestly all that humanity really needs to heal and become whole.
Misti Dian is a theosophist, metaphysical advisor and spiritual guide dedicated to the innate wisdom of ontology and generational healing. With decades of experience and a gift for guiding transformative experiences, Misti weaves ancient wisdom with modern application and invites you to expand your spiritual intelligence to create a future aligned with your soul’s truest joy.
Misti is knowledgeable, wise, and exactly herself. Her method and accurate way of bringing clarity to the moment feel safe and grounding. If you are curious about what's holding you back within yourself, with her guidance, you will come away with a healing perspective and experience.
-C. Deas