Is there a difference between a midlife crisis and a spiritual awakening?
When someone hears the term “midlife crisis,” they usually think of a 40-something year old man going out and buying a sports car or a 40-something year old woman asking for a divorce. In past decades, there wasn’t a lot of support for people during the transition that occurs between 35-42 years old, so those who were experiencing it didn’t understand what was happening and often acted out in ways that seemed puzzling or that it “came out of nowhere.” Fortunately, a lot of research has been done during this period of a person’s life and in many cases, they realize that it is, in fact, a spiritual awakening.
What is a spiritual awakening?
Throughout your life, you go through various stages of growth, from crawling to puberty to adulting. Every seven years marks a new cycle and as we all know from both pop songs and ancient wisdom alike, every ending leads to a new beginning. During your 5th cycle of 7 years (roughly 35-42 years), your spiritual side comes online (or is awakened) and will often cause you to seek out your purpose or find a deeper meaning for why you’re here. It also causes you to question the decisions you’ve made that lead up to this point and you feel a strong urge to course correct. This is why people get divorced, quit their corporate jobs to focus on their art, or go after what feels true in their souls. Some, though, don’t have the clarity on what their purpose is, but they just feel like they’re stuck in a box and are suffocating, so they take drastic action that may feel abrupt to those around them.
If you’re going through a spiritual awakening, it can feel lonely or like you’re going crazy, especially if your Clair senses come online. Some people try to deny the spiritual calling and end up having their lives fall apart. I’ve seen people get divorced, lose their jobs, and have family members pass away all within a single year. For any human, that is a lot to process, but when we look at these profound times of change from a spiritual perspective, it’s like your soul/higher self is helping everything that isn’t serving your true purpose to fall away. When it feels like all is lost, all you can do is rebuild. But what do you rebuild? What do you really want? These questions are meant to have you turn inside to really get to know yourself (or Know Thyself as we say in the Modern Mystery School), so that the next chapters of your life are more aligned and in flow with the reason you incarnated here.
What is a spiritual crisis or “dark night of the soul?”
This period of loss has been referred to as the “dark night of the soul” and can last for a few months to a few years, depending on whether you embrace it and seek out support or choose to resist it. The former option is the fastest way through, but it is a process that we all go through and does require you to be an active participant in the journey and co-creation of your new life. It can feel very scary and overwhelming, especially if you previously had stability with a relationship and career that are no longer serving your highest good.
Do you need guidance and support?
In the past few years, especially since Covid, more people have had time to do more soul-searching and have awakened without needing to go through the dark night of the soul. There are also many people who are waking up earlier in life or are born without the veil of forgetfulness and are aware of their purpose from the beginning. So, as you can see, the answer to spiritual awakenings is varied and nuanced, but regardless of how old you are when you “wake up,” it’s always helpful to have guidance from someone who has gone through it and is specially suited and educated to support you through the journey.
If you know someone who is going through a midlife crisis or spiritual awakening, it can be confusing for you from the outside looking in. The best thing you can do for them is to keep an open mind, let them know you love them no matter what, and show your support. Sometimes that support can look like going with them to a meditation retreat or even just helping them look for a spiritual counselor that can help answer their questions. Spiritual counseling & guidance is one of the many services I offer, so contact me to schedule a session or just to learn more.
