Given that you’re reading this, you’ve probably been experiencing what’s known to many as a spiritual awakening. Going through a spiritual awakening can change us to our core as people. Ironically, our cores are usually the only things that don’t change – a spiritual awakening causes a dissolving of values, habits and perspectives that aren’t true to our core beliefs. The awakening process has been described as a burning off of all things unnecessary in our minds and hearts, leaving behind only what’s truly authentic to us on a soul level. In turn, a spiritual awakening is guaranteed to usher in some lifestyle changes. In this article, we’ll be talking about why many people become minimalist after a spiritual awakening and what specifically changes inside of us through this process.
What Is A Spiritual Awakening?
A spiritual awakening can be described in many ways.
A separation appears between one’s ego and the deeper conscious mind. Through this separation, ego-based patterns in our own thinking and choices can be observed by our conscious mind on a regular basis.
We begin to see outside of ourselves and our own individual lives, recognizing the vastness of the universe and how small we really are. In turn, daily worries and lusting after possessions becomes less important.
The connectedness of all things becomes clear – we are all one. Through this recognition, we begin to see the disparity in comfort, security and resources across the country and globe.
We become more aware of the energies in and around us. We’re compelled to seek out only higher vibration energies and become intolerant of toxic ones, including from our coworkers, friends, family and even ourselves.
We can go on and on about what a spiritual awakening feels like but we’ll drift further away from the point of this article! Instead, here are some great websites related to spiritual awakenings, spirituality and similar topics to check out:
There are so many amazing websites and YouTubers out there that are dedicated to the topic – these are just a few that I’ve checked out in my journey.
Becoming Minimalist After A Spiritual Awakening: What Changes Within
Now that we’ve at least briefly described what a spiritual awakening can consist of, let’s talk about becoming minimalist after a spiritual awakening and what specifically changes within us to drive that change. Here are some reasons why many people become minimalists after awakening:
- We no longer seek fulfillment through material possessions
- Excess and waste become intolerable
- Our egos are no longer in the driver’s seat of our lives
- We care about the planet and sustainability
Scroll below to read through the details of each of these topics.
No Longer Seeking Fulfillment Through Material Possessions
All true happiness comes from within. Sure, outside factors can temporarily influence our happiness levels. Thanks to Hedonic Adaptation, though, our levels of joy (and despair) always cycle back to a baseline level, regardless of the cause.
Before experiencing a spiritual awakening, most of us find joy in buying a new sofa, going on a shopping spree for clothes or rocking brand name stuff. The reasons we do this vary, but we lust after material possessions in part to be fulfilled.
In many cases, the ability to obtain ‘the next new thing’ often drives us to work harder, get a better job and generally earn more money.
People become minimalist after a spiritual awakening because they simply no longer seek out material possessions as a source of happiness – they instead begin to appreciate the simple things in life such as health, nice weather and good company. Material possessions just don’t represent what they used to.
Read Next: Frugal Rich People: 7 Secrets Of Wealthy People Who Live Humbly
Excess & Waste Become Intolerable
While spiritual awakenings vary from person to person, there are some commonalities we all experience. One key word in the awakening process is awareness.
After awakening, we find ourselves flooded with awareness – we become aware of thought patterns, energies and daily habits. Interestingly, thoughts and energies often dictate our habits!
As we become more aware of our habits, we begin to realize just how flawed they may be, at least when compared to what our ‘higher selves’ strives for.
Your closet may be full of clothes that you never wear. For years, you may not have thought much about this. “So what? Lots of people do!“. After an awakening, you suddenly realize just how excessive it is to have so many clothes that don’t get worn. You now feel a calling to donate these clothes to those in need instead (more on that later).
Clothing is just an example – the same can be said for electronics, appliances, gadgets, random ‘stuff’, cars and even living space. After awakening, excess feels repulsive.
Wasting becomes repulsive, too. Seeing perfectly good things get thrown away has a stinging effect now. Watching good food go into the trash can brings about sadness. Even the waste of a beautiful day or free time is no longer tolerable. Waste of all kinds feels gross.
Many people become minimalist after a spiritual awakening, because they want to minimize the waste and excess in their lives once they become aware of how much of it there truly is!
Read Next: How Can We Save Energy At Home? Here Are 10 Simple Habits
No Longer Driven By Ego Needs
Let’s start with a quote:
“There was a young man who said though, it seems that I know that I know, but what I would like to see is the I that sees me when I know that I know that I know.”
-Alan Watts
So who is the “I”? What makes me “me” and you “you”? Sure, we are individuals in terms of living in our own bodies and experiencing our unique lives, but beyond that is just consciousness. Said another way, beyond that is the part of us that simply ‘sees’ without judgement or assumption.
Before experiencing an awakening, we can’t help but to view the world through our own lens. Humans have evolved in this manner largely to survive. Most of our thoughts revolve around “I”. “I’d like to have more friends so I can be popular”. “I want to be successful and I want others to know it”. “I want to make a lot of money so I can have a big house, a few cars and to do whatever I want”. The “I” that’s in all of us is selfish.
Even the statements of “I want to be happy” or “I want to be a good person” carry some selfishness!
See a pattern? The “I” is always looking outside of itself to gauge status, potential threats, opinions of others and to obtain what we (apparently) don’t yet have.
The “I” is the ego.
Before awakening, the vast majority of humans live and die by our egos. It’s built into us.
When the ego seeks popularity, it drives us to live a particular lifestyle in order to gain it. When the ego seeks validation, it pushes us to dress better or have a nicer car than others around us. Should the ego fear rejection or inadequacy, it drives us to make different decisions in our daily lives than we otherwise would.
A spiritual awakening takes us beyond the “I” and the ego – we shift into awareness, consciousness and observation. While the ego will always be there, our awareness of it is enough to separate from it.
Becoming minimalist after a spiritual awakening is largely driven by the falling away of ego. When our egos no longer drive our decisions and judgements, the lifestyle choices that our ego would’ve chosen for us no longer apply.
Read Next: 7 Reasons Why People Become Obsessed With Material Possessions
Caring About The Planet & Living A Sustainable Lifestyle
As stated above, the spiritual awakening experience largely takes us outside of ourselves. By that, we mean that we care more about our planet, other people, animals and our effect on them – good or bad.
Many of us become minimalist after a spiritual awakening because we become aware of our effect on the world around us.
An idling car or lights that are left on are now seen as pollution. When news and media report on people who are suffering, we actually listen and empathize. We see the waste that comes from modern living as a whole.
We begin to care about the bigger picture.
Once we become aware of the world’s plights and our own impact on the planet, it becomes integral in every decision we make. This often leads us to seek out sustainability, efficiency and common good for all!
Read Next: 6 Philosophies Of Minimalism Realized During COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
Becoming Minimalist After A Spiritual Awakening:In Summary
While not true in all cases, spirituality and minimalism often go hand-in-hand. As we awaken more on a spiritual level, our opinions, habits and desires will undoubtedly change. In this awakened state, we often take on minimalist mindsets and practices without even meaning to. In this article, we’ve barely scratched the surface of what a spiritual awakening really is, but we’ve at least addressed some of the reasons why we often become minimalist after a spiritual awakening experience takes place! We hope you’ve enjoyed this article – thanks a lot for reading.