This is a load of bullshit to a lot of people. Anyone who hasn’t read “The Power Of Now” by Eckhart Tolle will likely have no idea what I’m going on about (which by the way is a book I HIGHLY recommend).
I have been a little under the weather for a while now.
Back in April I came down with the flu. It knocked me around a bit and I couldn’t shake it for some reason. And my insomnia was on crack. I remember one night getting out of bed at 1am and putting on a load of washing. I just couldn’t sleep no matter what I did. I’m never really asleep. I sleep for a couple of hours then I wake again only to think, and think some more. It really is a curse.
I went to the doctor for some medication for my sleeplessness in July. I felt like Tyler Durden in Fight Club.
“No, you cannot die from insomnia” the doctor tells him.
My conversation was a little similar with my doctor.
“You can do yoga” the doctor told me.
I mentally stamped my foot.
“Just give me some friggin tablets” I thought to myself.
“Let’s just do a blood test to make sure there’s nothing sinister going on” he told me.
Four days later whilst I was at work, my doctor phoned me with my results.
“Hi Amy, we have your results back, and you have pneumonia. I need you to come in straight away for some antibiotics”.
I never get sick. I felt as though the floor had dropped out from underneath me. I was almost annoyed with him when he delivered the news.
“Are you serious?” I asked him. He could hear the panic in my voice.
“Try not to worry, but I’d like to see you immediately”.
All of the symptoms I had been experiencing all made sense now. I had put them down to something else.
The weight loss – forgetting to eat; the night sweats – my new beds pillow top was making me hot or I was menopausing; the insomnia – I just wasn’t tired; the cough I couldn’t shake – it was winter; the chest pains – anxiety; my depressive state – I was a bit lonely and of course not sleeping. But they were all symptoms of pneumonia.
My guru had warned me to slow down. I felt so angry with myself for allowing myself to get to the point where I was now falling apart.
Even now, I have a mild kidney infection as the antibiotics didn’t kill the bacteria from the pneumonia and it managed to make its way down there. And again I didn’t realize it. Thinking my lower back pain was as a result of sitting poorly at my desk, and the sweats I was breaking out in were a result of thinking I’m going through early menopause. I’ve had a low grade fever for months now. It’s funny how we sometimes dismiss the obvious signs and symptoms of what’s really going on.
Or is it all linked to something else?
A friend sent me something the other day about “symptoms of enlightenment”.
I have an open mind, so for me I found it to be quite interesting. The “symptoms of enlightenment” are listed below:
1. Changing sleep patterns: restlessness, hot feet, waking up two or three times a night.
2. Sudden waves of emotion.
3. Old “stuff” seems to be coming up, and the people with whom you need to work it out (or their clones) appear in your life.
4. Changes in weight.
5. Food intolerances, allergies you never had before.
6. A range of physical manifestations: Headaches, backaches, neck pains, flu-like symptoms (this is called vibrational flu), digestive problems, muscular spasms or cramps, racing heartbeat, chest pains, changes in sexual desire, numbness or pain in the limbs, and involuntary vocalizations or bodily movements. Some of us have even had old conditions from childhood
7. Power surges: All of a sudden you are heated from head to toe. It is a momentary sensation, but uncomfortable. In contrast, some people have felt inexplicably cold. Night sweats and hot flashes. Your body is ‘heating’ up as it burns off residue after going through wild and vivid dreams, you may wake up in a sweat and have to change your P.J’s.
8. A desire to break free from restrictive patterns, life-draining jobs consumptive lifestyles, and toxic people or situations.
9. Introspection, solitude and loss of interest in more extroverted activities
10. Creativity bursts
11. Seeing a person’s true form or seeing loved ones with a different face.
12. A deep yearning for meaning, purpose, spiritual connection, and revelation.
13. Increased integrity: You realize that it is time for you to seek and speak your truth. It suddenly seems important for you to become more authentic, more yourself. You may have to say “no” to people whom you have tried to please in the past. You may find it intolerable to stay in a marriage or job or place that doesn’t support who you are. You may also find there is nowhere to hide, no secrets to keep anymore. Honesty becomes important in all your relationships.
14. “Teachers” appear everywhere with perfect timing to help you on your spiritual journey
15. You are moving through learning and personal issues at a rapid pace.
16. Emotional and mental confusion: A feeling that you need to get your life straightened out–it feels like a mess. But at the same time you feel chaotic and unable to focus.
17. Your plans suddenly change in mid-stream and go in a completely different direction.
Might be a load of shit, but very interesting nonetheless. And very coincidental. Or perhaps “synchronistic” is the best term to use here (a meaningful coincidence). I have been experiencing “synchronicities” since November 2011, with a burst of these “meaningful coincidences” being amped up as of June 2012. You’ll know what synchronicity is when it happens to you. It’s like a fated experience.
So am I finally experiencing enlightenment after being on a spiritual journey for the past couple of years?
Enlightenment is the catalyst for change. Change is difficult. Change is scary. Change is often painful. But its also necessary for growth. To awaken and realise our potential.