Spiritual Awakening Quiz
Below you’ll find 19 questions adapted from “The Inventory of Secular/Spiritual Awakening” by Steve Taylor and Kelly Kilrea—included in Taylor’s book, The Leap: The Psychology of Spiritual Awakening. Each question points to a characteristic or aspect of spiritual awakening. Simply, indicate whether or not the statement is characteristic of you:
Have you ever wondered . . .
. . . where you are on your spiritual journey? We all need a map and a compass sometimes—to pause and to make sure we’re heading where we want to go. The purpose of this contemplative questionnaire is to give you an opportunity for self-reflection, relying on the present moment and trusting the universe to guide you.
Different Characteristics of Spiritual Wakefulness
This quiz will give you an idea of where you are now, and where you might need support in the different aspects and characteristics of your awakened state.
Presence
Presence means that we are fully aware of our present moment experience, including our surroundings and the sensations and perceptions we are experiencing. Presence means being fully here, in the world, in our body and senses.
Gratitude
One of the essential characteristics of awakened people is that they are free of the ‘taking for granted syndrome.’ They never become habituated to the blessings in their lives. They feel continually grateful for their bodies, their health, their family and friends and their leisure time. They feel grateful for the food they eat, the clothes they wear, the houses or apartments they inhabit and the trees, flowers and other natural phenomena around them. They feel grateful for their freedom – their freedom to travel, to express their creativity and to choose their own lifestyle. Above all, awakened people feel grateful simply to be alive.
Dis-identification with the ego
Disidentification with the ego is the gateway to awakening. It is the ability to observe our thoughts without being caught up in them and allowing them to dictate our moods. It means realizing that thought-chatter is a process that takes place inside our minds, but which doesn’t have to affect us. It also means disidentifying with the “stories” that the ego carries about our lives, which are always based on the past. When we dis-identify with the ego, our minds become quieter, and we feel more connected to the world.
Acceptance
Wakefulness means living a mode of acceptance, not fighting with our thoughts, not mentally complaining about situations that are beyond our control, or feeling bitter about past events that can’t be changed. If we are ill or injured, we don’t get frustrated, but relax and rest to allow their bodies to heal. If we have to wait for a long time for an appointment or for service at a store, we don’t get agitated, but remain patient and present.
Integration with the body
Awakening intensifies our awareness of - and experience of - the body. Just as awakening brings an enhanced sense of connection to nature and other living beings, it brings an enhanced connection to the body. A holistic, integrated form of wakefulness perceives no duality between the spirit and the body, or between the spirit and the world. The body is not to separate to spirit, but is imbued with spirit, and is the physical expression of spirit. We should therefore cultivate harmony between the material and spiritual aspects of our being.
Altruism
Wakefulness manifests itself in empathy, compassion and altruism. Awakened individuals live lives of service. In one way or another, they all contribute to the welfare of humanity, and bring healing to the world. In addition to being one of the fruits of awakening, service (or altruism) is a spiritual practice in itself. Service helps us to transcend separateness. It softens our ego-boundaries and connects us with others, and with the world itself. It helps us to transcend our egoic desires, so that we become less self-centred. By giving to the world, we reduce our need to take from it.
Sense of connection to nature
In wakefulness, the natural world becomes more real, more alive and more beautiful. We feel a sense of connection to nature, and sense that all other living beings and natural phenomena are sentient and share our essence. Nature becomes a marvelous of stillness and joy.
Ready to find out more?
Take the quiz now and start learning more about your personal Spiritual Awakening journey!
Adapted from “The Inventory of Secular/Spiritual Awakening” by Steve Taylor and Kelly Kilrea, and included in Taylor’s book, The Leap: The Psychology of Spiritual Awakening.
The Creators
Steve Taylor, PhD, is the author of many best-selling books on psychology and spirituality, including The Adventure, The Leap and his new book Across the Universe: The Magic and Mystery of the Beatles’ Creativity. He is also the author of four books of spiritual poetry, including Back to Stillness. He is the creator and leader of The Adventure online course, and a past chair of the Transpersonal Psychology Section of the British Psychological Society.
Steve’s books have been published in more than 20 languages, and he regularly presents Prayer for the Day on BBC Radio 4. He is also the author of the popular Out of the Darkness blog for Psychology Today. For the last 13 years, he has appeared annually in Mind Body Spirit magazine’s list of ‘The World’s Most Spiritually Influential Living People.’ Eckhart Tolle has described his work as “an important contribution to the shift in consciousness which is happening on our planet at present.”
Kelly Kilrea, PhD, previously served as an officer in the Canadian Armed Forces, and subsequently as a registered psychotherapist, and an assistant professor of counseling, psychotherapy, and spirituality. She has also worked as a mental performance consultant, transformational coach, and spiritual teacher and guide. She holds a doctoral degree in psychology, specializing in transpersonal psychology and human consciousness.
She has authored multiple peer-reviewed scientific publications. Her research explored how spiritual/secular awakening (non-dual or oneness consciousness) is lived and experienced in everyday life—emotionally, psychologically, sexually, sensorially, and in how it is expressed at work, at home, in relationships, and in the world.
She is currently engaged in a personal phase of inquiry focused on embodiment, parenting, and transformation, and occasionally shares her perspectives via YouTube and podcasts. She feels deeply grateful for simply Being—for the felt sense of Aliveness, and for the opportunity to experience Love and profound connection.
