Awakening is a path that can be misleading and difficult to walk. Mainly because no one taught us how to do this kind of work. In this article, I'll run through what has worked for me and the lessons I have learned on my own journey.

My awakening started when I was in my twenties and decided to move to China for a year. It was the first time I really left my comfort zone and immersed myself in cultures and worlds that were very foreign to me.

My key intention was to do everything I was afraid of. I had post-its in every corner of my room with ambitious goals for myself like "travel alone for the first time," or "go on a meditation retreat".

All of these terrified and excited me at the same time. Deep down, I knew this year would be a turning point for me if I could overcome my fears.

Which led me to my first meditation retreat in Myanmar in early 2018.

Having been brought up in an atheist western family, I had always felt like something was missing. Life couldn't only be what I had been taught in school and university all these years. A simple list of material desires and successes that would amount to happiness. Followed by a dark and meaningless death.

It didn't cut out for me, and I spend most of my early life depressed and devoid of spiritual meaning. But in January 2018, I found my first clues in that meditation retreat. I discovered a world beyond thought, anxiety, and materialism.

I poured my heart into meditation and buddhism for the next few years. Going from one retreat to another and practicing a couple of hours every day.

But the real awakening came for me in 2020, like it did for many others.

In march 2020, I was in Nepal on a spiritual pilgrimage, seeking the answers I couldn't find at home. Slowly, the global panic got to me and I became sick. At which point, I flew back home to France, where I would end up in lockdown for 3 months.

This is when things started shifting for me. I saw people responding in delusional amounts of fear to something that shouldn't be a problem. I felt something in the worldwide reaction was off and exaggerated.

Then, in summer 2020, I went down the rabbit hole and experienced a complete paradigm shift. I learned to see the world in a very different lens than everything I had been taught by the system since I was born.

But the odd part was that nothing really shocked me. Deep down, it just made sense and explained the uneasiness I had felt when I was studying politics and international relations. My brainwashing was rapidly dissolving.

At which point I met my mentor, a healer and intuitive guide, with whom I would go on an extensive inner journey for the next two years.

Until now, I have mainly focused on healing my traumas and rewiring my conditioning, in order to be of service when the time came.

And I feel that time is now. Hence, here are the key lessons I learned on my awakening journey.

1. Be willing to see the truth

   The first step is to actually seek the truth. It sounds obvious, but from what I've seen in the last few years, most people are content living in an illusion rather than looking at reality. Truth is two-fold: internal and external. In my experience the more you are aware of your own light and darkness, the more you can see it in the world. So simply put, seeing the truth begins with us seeking it and being open to new information and perspectives.

2. Accept your feelings and emotions

   This is a tricky part, for we can only see objective reality when we let go of all judgments. This means feeling all the emotions that come up when you become aware of the truth. I'll be honest, this can be very difficult. At times, I discovered things so dark in my research that I lost all faith in humanity. Forgive yourself for being blind all these years. These feelings are normal. They have to be felt and released, not repressed. So when you are triggered, feel your body, observe your feelings, and do not believe your mental stories. The goal is not to find out what is good or bad, but to discover the objective truth.

3. Develop your inner knowing

   You'll often run into information that triggers a lot of fear and emotions in you. Awakening requires us to develop our inner knowing and critical thinking, beyond our initial reactions. The goal is not to blindly absorb what freedom fighters and whistle-blowers are saying. There is a lot of conflicting information out there, and a lot of well researched information is censored on mainstream platforms. This requires us to dive deeper and ask critical questions instead of swallowing others narrative. Most of all, the key is to listen to our intuition and inner truth, which can only be done when we are in a calm and grounded state.

4. Dive into your inner work

   In my opinion, this is the point that matters most. When we become more aware of objective reality, we also become more aware of the conditioning that runs our lives. Here we can begin to dive into the traumas, fears and beliefs that have been our default programming. Our low thoughts and emotions like fear and hatred keep us enslaved and controllable. They need to be seen, felt, and released, until we can come back to stillness. In order to take action in the darkness we need to build ourselves with love and light, which requires a lot of inner work.

5. Take action

   The final step is to take action. But not out of fear or wanting to save the world. You’d still be playing out your traumas and insecurities. Hence, you cannot skip the first few steps, especially inner work. Taking action out of reactivity or wanting to fight the "enemy" is precisely what will defeat you, for what you fight, you become. Nor is this about boosting your ego and creating a righteous self-identity. The core of your actions must lie in love, acceptance, and stillness. We have to build our ability to speak our truth and stand in our power, no matter the backlash and criticism we receive.

Every awakening is different and unique. There is no magic formula or easy pathway. It can be hard work depending on how deep you want to go. But the awareness, freedom, and love that result, are well-worth it.

I can’t emphasize how crucial inner work is, for all change in the world starts within us. As Gandhi said “be the change you wish to see in the world". Not in an abstract way, but on a daily basis.

So be the inspiration for others to awaken. Share your truth and wisdom in a non-judgmental way. Act with love as your guide and have compassion for all beings.

It’s time to stand up for humanity and you are needed.