Dearest Julie.

I would be grateful if you could explain to me the difference between spiritual awakening or self-realisation and ascension. Does one have an impact or influence on the other? I'm still not sure what the ascension is really all about and what it has to do with one's own inner journey and one's wholehearted committment to that. There seems to be so much talk about the ascension that I'm getting quite confused as I do not want anything to distract me from where my true focus needs to be. Of course, I am experiencing some very strong physical stuff which is on-going and which I have never experienced before but I don't know whether this is to do with what is going on for me and my own inner processes or with the energies around me. It's all got a bit muddled. Thank you Julie and thank you for your on-going beautiful and profound messages on the World Blessings website. God bless you. Katerina.

--------------------------

Dearest Katerina,

There are various vocabularies and conceptual structures used by different spiritual groups to describe the planetary shift that is currently taking place. Each vocabulary or perspective carries a certain vibration which resonates more with some people and less with others. Certain words that convey deep truth to some do not strike at the heart of the matter for others. This is a matter of soul-resonance and of soul-purpose which aligns the embodied self with a point of view that they feel most in harmony with.

For this reason, it is essential that you remain with the language and understanding that is natural and familiar to you concerning what is happening to you and to the planet. The words need to correspond to what your heart knows and feels to be true, not to a spiritual concept that is currently popular or to someone else's version of what is true.

Having said this, I can offer you some simple ideas about the three concepts or constructs you are looking for more clarity about:

1)Spiritual Awakening - This is a general term that crosses all spiritual traditions and point of view. It has to do, simply, with the direct experience, beyond words, of some aspect of Divine reality. Since there are many aspects of this Reality, there are many versions of spiritual awakening. What links them all, however, is that they all involve experience with something of the Divine, rather than concepts.

2) Self-Realization is a term that is most commonly used within certain traditions of the East when speaking of the one Self that is All as compared to the small 'self' that human beings think they are. Self-Realization links the Hindu 'Atman' (the indwelling Presence) with Brahman - the One that is All.

Within the West, self-realization (small 's') can also refer to a deepening awareness of who the self really is. Such a growing awareness can remain on the psychological level for a while, or it can be a path to spiritual awakening. The most common usage of this term, however, has to do with movement toward the experience of the unity of the small 'self' and the larger 'Self.'

3) Ascension, by contrast, is a term that relates primarily to vibration and its connection with Consciousness. 'Ascension' describes both planetary and individual movement into the higher frequencies of spiritual light. This vibrational or energetic shift produces changes in awareness as well as physical and emotional changes that we associate with the purification process.

Planetary ascension is a concept that has become more familiar to seekers today, often representing the goal of the planetary shift but not the steps along the way. These steps are described by the 'process of purification' - a concept that is still unfamiliar to mainstream consciousness. 'Ascending' means 'rising', and what we are rising into is a different vibrational field of light and therefore of awareness. The means for incorporating this light into body and consciousness and of stabilizing it within the self is the process of purification.

Out of all of this, what is most important is that you remain with the ideas and perspectives that you resonate with the most, and leave all else behind. Your heart and soul are guiding you, and so all that is needed will be found within.

Blessings, dear Katerina. Julie