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Why Spiritual Awakenings Can Cost You Your Friendships

Sarah Regan
Author:
September 10, 2024
Sarah Regan
mbg Spirituality & Relationships Editor
By Sarah Regan
mbg Spirituality & Relationships Editor
Sarah Regan is a Spirituality & Relationships Editor, and a registered yoga instructor. She received her bachelor's in broadcasting and mass communication from SUNY Oswego, and lives in Buffalo, New York.
Image by Sergey Filimonov / Stocksy
September 10, 2024
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A lot of things change when you begin going through a spiritual awakening; Your priorities are different, you see the world in a new way—and sometimes, your friendships will also feel the effects.

Here's why your friendships can change if you're in the midst of an awakening, plus what to do about it, from a spiritual expert.

How spiritual awakenings affect friendships

A spiritual awakening, put simply, can be thought of as the initial moment, or "awakening," that sets you on a spiritual path. As spiritual author Shannon Kaiser tells mbg, it's an internal shift in energy and consciousness that goes on to affect our external lives, too (i.e., friendships).

"When we go through a spiritual awakening, we grow into new beliefs and perceptions. This means we advance our energy field and mind as well as our heart," Kaiser explains, adding, "In this expansion, we often will rise up into a higher frequency."

And when it comes to relationships that are no longer aligned with the "frequency" we're on, sometimes the contrast can be "so polarizing that we drift apart, or the relationship changes to the point where it's unrecognizable," she notes.

If this sounds all too familiar, here's what to know about how to handle this stage of a spiritual awakening.

What to do about it

The main thing to note here is that growing out of certain relationships following a spiritual awakening is not a bad thing. As Kaiser puts it, all relationships are divine assignments in that "we often come together to learn lessons that our souls need—and we grow from the partnerships—and when the growth and the lessons have been learned, it's time to part ways."

While it may not be fun or easy to accept, your soul will tell you when certain relationships are no longer working or serving you, and you'll be better for walking away. (Here are some other signs it's time to end a friendship.) "During a spiritual awakening, people will often see relationships that are no longer aligned to the new path they're on, so it's best to part ways so each person can be their truest expression of self."

And this isn't to say you're judging or blaming friends, lovers, or family members for not being on the same path as you.

In fact, quite the opposite, with a spiritual awakening allowing you to see and appreciate others for where they are. "Those who develop more spiritual awareness will often grow into more loving acceptance and unity consciousness," Kaiser says, "so they will allow for others to be where they are in their own personal growth journey."

The takeaway

Spiritual awakenings aren't easy, especially when they cost you certain friendships. But the truth is, anything that's not supporting you on your spiritual path is only holding you back—and that can include relationships.

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