These words have become like a Mantra over the last few years.
So, Wake Up to what exactly?
I would say, ‘Wake up to what exactly?’ Because I can identify 2 different meanings to the words ‘Wake up!’
There is so much going on in the world right now that it can lead to confusion.
This year 2025 has already dished up several different dramas, some new, some carried over:
Drones, wildfires, climate, American election, possible oligarchy takeover, censorship, cost of living, war, genocide, social media, wokeness, vaccines, migrants, human trafficking, fallen celebrity status, technology advancement and so on.
All this stuff causes division among us through skin colour, gender, social status, age religion etc which keeps us apart as we look for someone to blame for our suffering. Division creates fear, anxiety, isolation, jealousy, illness etc.
So, the first meaning of ‘Wake Up’ is said like a mantra by one group of people to another; (often in a critical, judgemental manner which causes division.) It’s meaning is wake up and see what’s really happening around you, question everything, don’t just accept what you’re told.
Be more aware and less acquiescent- agreeable, compliant and yielding. The world is changing. We are conditioned to accept what we’re told but it doesn’t mean it’s the truth.
What can you do about it?
In my opinion be more present, open and curious. Ask questions. We are all the same as each other. We all feel the same emotions, inside we all Love or Hate, so why choose Hate?
Hate= suffering = pain. Unify and come together in community, see the good in others. How do you know others are good? Perhaps you don’t trust anyone. Not trusting others = suffering = separateness = pain. So, you choose.
The second meaning of Wake UP.
This brings me to the second meaning of the question, ‘ Wake up to what exactly?’
We hold the key to our own divinity. Maybe you believe that you live and die and that’s it, then life has an emptiness that will be filled with addictions like alcohol, shopping, drugs, food, exercise, anything you desire to cover that unfulfilled, numb feeling.
My understanding is that only you hold the key to your own self-made prison and only you have the power to open it – when you ‘Wake Up’ you can see that all the resources you need for anything that happens to you in your life are all within you.
You seek outside of yourself for fulfillment through desire and avoidance of things you like or don’t like. This behaviour increases suffering. We are being encouraged (conditioned) to travel to Mars instead of the deepest layers of our being.
I’ve been meditating for 25 years and over that time through practice I, among thousands of others, have been awakened to a Higher Truth, some call it Consciousness, Bodhisattva, Creative source,or God. There are many names however this wakeup call is a knowing, not a faith. Religions pray to God. Prayer is fantastic, if we express gratitude and thanks, however people mostly pray for things they want that they think will make them happy! Then if there’s no response they give up or else get it but still feel unhappy because material gains only bring temporary happines and often gratitude is forgotten.
Prayer is a wonderful way of talking to God and Meditation is a wonderful way of listening to God.
When I sit in silence and listen deeply, sometimes I hear a word or phrase or see images in response to meditation on a problem. My connection to God, Consciousness, the Manifest and Unmanifest Universe is therefore so deep now, I can’t express it. It’s a knowing. I don’t talk about it even my own family don’t realise.
So now I need to express that this is what Waking Up means to me. I have gradually changed my diet over the years as I came to realise that the body is the temple that holds this divinity and the cleaner I keep it the better meditative experiences I have. Life is lighter.
Let’s look at a practical example of the recent storm Eowyn.
I’m sure you noticed how inconvenient it was to have no electricity or internet. What was your reaction?
Did you complain a lot? Do you have a sense of entitlement that no matter what happens, you pay your bills and therefore you should have power?
Or did you go into fear and anxiety? The supermarkets were sold out before the storm and freezers were full as many feared starvation! However, when the power went out what good was all that stocking up? Instead, it simply caused more inconvenience = suffering.
When you wake Up to the Higher Truth within yourself then you trust that you will be taken care of. There is no question of doubt. There will still be suffering but you will be guided through it with your practices. You have acquired spiritual tools for managing situations.
Let the light in through the darkness.
Maybe you go to a Temple regularly of whatever denomination you are. Ask yourself does it move something inside you or is it just a weekly ritual you go to without really immersing your heart and soul. When your there do you hear God?
Brahman is always trying to awaken the light in you but mostly people are lost in the darkness, in the festering wounds of suffering.
Thich Nhat Hanh a Zen Buddhist monk said, ‘’the wound is where the light gets in.’’
God’s intention for suffering is to awaken Consciousness. So, WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP out of your prison of old habits and conditioning.
In the west we are spoiled with luxury compared to other countries but if it was all taken away over night how would you manage? Of course, it would be traumatic for everyone, but do you have resilience, self-compassion, compassion for others, trust, an open heart, an open ear,
I can only tell you the path, but YOU must Wake Up your higher Self. The rewards are great if you practice regular meditation and spiritual study. There are many ways to do this, Yoga being one of them.
Awakening experiences can be catalysts for personal growth , resilience, developing compassion, and more because they offer a glimpse into the limitless potential of human consciousness.
In Summary.
Oftentimes when I write a blog, I feel a bit nervous about exposing myself, thoughts and beliefs, however many times people have said to me how much they enjoy them and how it helps. I’m so grateful for their feedback as I usually think only a handful of people even see it let alone read it. So, it’s good to know they reach further afield than I realised.
So, thank you so much for listening – not to me but to the words flowing through me. The creative source flows through us all if we allow the river to flow and burst the dams of old habits and conditioned ways of thinking so that we can Wake Up to the external world around us, and more importantly Wake Up to our heartfelt, internal world which will support us through the changes and chaos of what’s going on in the world at the moment.
Hari Om Tat Sat.
Facebook@Janet McGregor NI
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I loved the:
“Prayer is a wonderful way of talking to God and Meditation is a wonderful way of listening to God”.
Very powerful
It’s so true Catrina.
Hi Catrina Yes and it’s so true.
Thank you for your comment.