Have you begun to awaken only to discover that you still struggle with basic issues like anxiety and depression, attachment and dissatisfaction? For many people Spiritual Awakening is a gradual process of self discovery and realization.

Somewhere along the way we’ve gotten this idea that one is either spiritually asleep or spiritually awake; that there’s only these two polarities. But as with most things in life, there’s often a middle ground, a transitional area, an in between.

We tend to think that in one moment one is lost in illusion, and in the next one is enlightened. But for many people spiritual awakening is a gradual process that may unfold over many years, perhaps even many lifetimes. And the truth is that we’re all on that journey whether we realize it or not, which means that we’re all destined to awaken eventually.

For those who are waking up, and are aware that they’re waking, there can be a great deal of frustration and disappointment. We have specific ideas in mind of what this awakening is supposed to be, and we often find those ideas challenged by the reality of where we actually find ourselves. We might find that even though we’ve woken up to a certain understanding about life and the universe, we still find ourselves struggling with common issues such as attachment, anxiety, depression and so on. And this can seem perplexing.

Some of us might just try to skip the entire process by trying to live in an enlightened way, according to our idea of what we think enlightenment means, but deep down we may still be feeling lost, confused, uncertain. We may even be aware that we’re faking it, but we don’t want anyone else to know. So we put on a facade that gives the appearance of being enlightened. And perhaps we have some sense that we’re deceiving others, and maybe even ourselves.

I used to think that being spiritual meant always being positive, being completely unattached, never feeling sad or angry, and having...