A while back ago, I started receiving continuous comments from one person on my blog. His name is Matt and after plenty of comments back and forth, I became curious of him. It turns out that he already is spiritually awakened. This made me so intrigued that I ask if I could do an interview with him on this topic and then share the answers on the blog. I figured – if I’m interested in hearing more about his experience, others should be as well. Below is an explanation of what a spiritual awakening is and then it’s our email conversation. It’s truly an amazing story. I re-read it several times and every time it brought me to tears. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
A spiritual awakening or spiritual enlightenment is about the waking up of consciousness. It’s about separating our true selves from our ego. When our ego diminishes, our awareness have nothing to identify itself with anymore and we become pure consciousness. We simply awaken from the identification with our own thoughts. When we do, we can fulfill our destiny, realize our purpose and experience deep and lasting happiness.
Hello Maria,
Thank you for your email and you are most welcome. I will do my best to try and answer any questions you have ask and any that you may ask in future. I like the fact that you are “interested” in awakening, it is truly a journey to embrace and with it, often comes a thirst for learning. I choose to use the word “journey” simply because I believe it to be (for me) just that…a journey. Although the beginning of an awakening can sometimes feel like an experience, again, for me, it is simply a way of life in order for me to be true to myself. Perhaps that’s because my entire life I knew I was a bit different than most, and I was lucky enough to be blessed with a mother who always encouraged me to be ME.
And now to your questions!
1) How did you awaken? Did something happen in your life to get you there?
I have endured many things during my life that has always served as reminders that in life, I am not alone. For instance, when I was a young boy, about age 10, I got a new bike for my birthday. One day my parents were going to be out of town and my mom told me, “Do NOT ride your bike down suicide hill“…(lol she knew me well)..so when my buddy arrived, we came up with a plan, instead of me riding MY bike, I would ride his thereby not disobeying my mothers rule. Long story short, I crashed the bike! I was injured badly so my buddy went for help as we were out in the middle of nowhere and the closest house was a mile away. As I laid there in a ditch, with two broken legs and a broken wrist, two people appeared..out of nowhere. One lifted me in his arms as the other spoke to me very calmly, soothing my fears. They carried me to the house, knocked on the door and the people inside found me on their porch. The two “strangers” were not to be seen.
Another time, several years later, I was 13 and my brother and I were horseback riding through the woods and a snake spooked the horses, my brothers horse took off running while mine reared up, throwing me to the ground and there I was, face to face with this rattle snake. I heard the words “Calm the snake” and so I began speaking as calmly as I could to this snake. Lol. I asked it to be calm, told it I wasn’t going to harm him, and asked it to please leave. It did. Between me and the snake there was this beautiful white light yet hazy.
Fast forward now to age 21. I was coming home in the early morning hours after a night out with friends. A drunk driver fell asleep at the wheel and went into my lane. Before I could react, I was hit head on, the car then flipped into a ditch that was filled with water. I was trapped. Again, I knew I wasn’t alone. Something/Someone was there in the car with me, holding my head up so I could breath. That is what truly started my quest to find answers.
2) How was the awakening experience? What happened? Was it sudden/gradually?
In my search for answers I decided to go away on a hike. I told my family I didn’t know when I would return but when I found what I was looking for I would be back. (my brother now refers to that time as when I “went all Forrest Gump” on them! 😉 ) I didn’t realize it then but it would be my first vision quest. I sat out in the middle of the woods and just began to think, pray, talk and then just silence. The true essence of Divine spoke to me in a way I never expected. Energy filled me in such a way I knew something was happening. Something big. My very BEing, the core of me felt nothing but love not only surrounding me, but filling me as well. There was a warmth I had never known before and I felt as though I had been lifted up in the arms of angels and was being carried through space. So, In away, all the events that led me to this place in my life had been gradual, the awake feeling was sudden.
3) How did you know that you had awakened?
That day in the middle of the woods, when I realized that I was not alone, that I was a part of everything and everything was a part of me… that is how I knew. I had always had an affinity for all things natural. I became a vegetarian at a very young age, was compelled to touch and hold certain rocks and even felt their energy. There were times I felt that I was insane because I could hold a stone or crystal and in my minds eye I could see a story of sorts or perhaps hear a kind of song to it. But it was that day when these things happened that not only made me feel “awake”, but also was indeed my awakening.
4) What was the biggest change you experienced once you had awakened?
I think for me, the biggest change was that it didn’t matter so much to me if people understood, or if they made fun of me for my beliefs. For these were my beliefs, my experiences and it was my knowing. I had decided to honour myself and my life while finding balance to accept that not everyone is going to believe as I do. And that’s fine with me, as they have their own journey to make.
5) What happened after? (You mentioned in one comment that the intense experiences started to fade, but then that it brought you closer to the truth. What does this mean exactly?)
The easiest way for me to explain is like this..In the beginning I wanted these sorts of experiences to keep happening. Instead of looking for the magic or being open to seeing it, I wanted it placed in front of me (EGO). But once I realized the magic, the true divine essence is always all around me, my balance came.
6) How do you deal with normal, usually stressful, life situations? Being stuck in traffic, meeting someone who’s rude to you, arriving late etc.
I simply accept it! Life is going to be stressful at times. Situations in life are not always going to come out as planned (I know this all to well). And people around us are going to be rude because they too are stressed or have issues. But I deal with it by accepting. I allow it to teach me what I need to learn if there is a lesson in it, and then, I release it. I don’t allow myself to OWN something that does not serve me or belong to me. Others issues is just that… Their issues. It doesn’t belong to me. Fighting against negativity only meets resistance. However, if we are able to embrace all we are faced with, and do so with understanding, compassion, and love, the blackness of it will fall alway and we are left instead with the colours of positivity.
7) Anything you don’t experience any more? (negative feelings such as fear for example)
Easy one! See above! 😉 That being said, I am only human and so, there are times that fear will creep in, but as I stated, I allow it to teach me, trust in the path I am on and believe fully that what is meant to be in my life, it will be.
8) I’ve read in your blog that you’ve lost a leg, have cancer and on top of this your wife left you. How did/do you, as an awakened person, handle this? What feelings do you experience? What keeps you moving forward?
Yes, I lost my leg due to cancer (a really crappy illness) and true, my wife left me because of this. I won’t lie to you…that was a really tough time and I had my moments of yelling into the darkness and out into the universe “JUST HOW MUCH MORE“… and then I went on another quest.. a new journey. The fact is, for as much as I loved my wife, she wasn’t strong enough to stay. She had her own demons to fight and all my love and support simply wasn’t enough for her to get past the demons. She left me, but in the end, it was I that had to let her go. And yes, I was angry for a while, and sad, and confused, but I regained my balance and came to the knowing and understanding it just wasn’t meant to be. I am happy in my life now, and I know that the universe has someone out there for me to share my life with. And so, I wait for her. When it’s meant to happen, nothing on the face of this earth will stop it or me from being with that person…I don’t rush it, I simply trust in it. And like you said in one of your blog post, I’m waiting. Each night I whisper into the evening breeze and say “good night, I love you where ever you are” and I truly believe that one day I will whisper those same words in that persons ear (Yeah, I’m just a hopeless romantic that way). It’s my love of life that keeps me moving forward. Being alive AND awake is awesome!
9) Did you make changes in your life when you awoke? Job, friends, family etc.
Yes, yes, and yes. I owned my own company, but it became more of a “JOB” than anything else. The demands on me were often to heavy and I found it difficult at times to keep my focus, so I sold it. Now I have a different career and business that allows me to do all I like to do, and in the process I get to help people in ways that make a difference.
My circle of friends also changed. It was a choice that I made that took me from being in negative situations. I do not, nor will I ever ask anyone to believe the way I believe, but, I do think that there is a certain honour in friendship (and family) that involves respect. I don’t tell anyone they are wrong for how they believe or think and I expect the same from others. And that was a difficult choice to make at times. I am thankful for every person that touches my life and I believe that paths sometimes cross and sometimes the path may join where people are able to walk together for a while on that path, but no one will ever be able to walk a path for us. Only with us. The same holds true for family.
10) What is your best advice to someone who is looking to awaken?
This question made me smile. And it is perhaps the toughest of your questions and yet, at the same time, one of the easiest! For me, I don’t think it was something I went looking for so much as it was something that was presenting itself to me and simply being gentle in doing so. It was like the arms of the Divine slowing engulfing me, ready to hold onto me when this “knowing”, this awakening happened. My advice would be simple. Trust in the plan that is yours and be open to seeing it all. Trust in your own knowing. There is that still small voice inside you that everyone has, some CHOOSE not to hear, others do. When you allow yourself the freedom of not letting EGO/PRIDE be your ruler, wonderful and amazing things begin to happen. Trust in it, believe in it, embrace it and then hold onto it ever so gently and always with love.
So my new friend, these are my answers and there are so many other things I would love to share with you, however, this has already turned out to be a bit of a lengthy read for you and so, I will wait for another time, that is providing you would like to know. And if not, I understand. However, there is one thing I would like to add. I am most grateful that our paths have joined at this time and I am truly excited for you on this journey you are on. I am also very humbled that you are even interested in my journey so far and for that, I thank you.
Please feel free to email me anytime and share any thoughts or more questions you may have. Until then, may you smile often, may peace be yours and may the light of love always shine brightly on your path.
Peace, ~Matt
Here is Matt’s own blog: http://1heartsoundm.wordpress.com/
totakealeap.wordpress.com 
Thank-you. You are most kind my friend. Peace 🙂
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