The Spiritual Journey: Meaning, Examples, & Books

By Tchiki Davis, M.A., Ph.D.
Learn what the spiritual journey looks like and explore possible explanations for the many different spiritual paths people take. ​
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Since my initial spiritual awakening, I have been striving to understand the spiritual journey. I’ve been asking myself, why do people experience spirituality in so many different ways? How can someone who is clearly much more “awake” than I am, fail to see aspects of reality that seem obvious to me? And why do some spiritual journeys involve spirit guides, spiritual gifts, powers, conversations with ascended masters, initiations, or non-duality when other spiritual journeys don’t? ​
It’s enough to make a person's head spin. So, in this article, I’ll aim to explore some possible—and practical—explanations for why the spiritual journey looks so different for different people. 
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What Is The Spiritual Journey? (Spiritual Journey Meaning)

Defining the spiritual journey is extremely complex because everyone is different. One doesn't even need to be religious, spiritual, or engage in spiritual practices to be on a spiritual journey and find themselves suddenly awakening spiritually. So, we might define a spiritual journey as the movement toward greater awareness of self, higher truths, or greater contentment (Wikipedia, 2024)—processes that we all do to some extent.

Spiritual Journey States

One way to think about the spiritual journey involves looking at the states of experience that we might experience as we begin to awaken. Many spiritual traditions suggest we can experience these specific states (e.g., Wilber, 2007):

Gross (Physical) > Subtle (Mind) > Causal (Spirit) > Non-Dual (Turiya)

Spiritual Journey Stages

Other researchers have found that developmental stages also affect our spiritual journey. At each stage, the way we view and make sense of ourselves and our world changes (Cook-Greuter, 2014). In other words, our awareness shifts as we move into new stages on the developmental path. We transcend and include stages—in other words, we maintain the earlier worldviews as we expand our worldview on this path (Wilber, 2007).

Here are the characteristics of our awareness at each developmental stage (e.g., Cook-Grueter, 2014; O’Fallon, 2010-b):
  • Red - awareness focuses on the self or body - Gross/Physical awareness
  • Orange - awareness focuses on social interactions - Gross/Physical awareness
  • Yellow - awareness focuses on behaviors or actions - Subtle/Mental awareness
  • Green - awareness focuses on achievements or outcomes - Subtle/Mental awareness
  • Teal - awareness focuses on thoughts or perspectives - Subtle/Mental awareness
  • Blue - awareness focuses on beliefs or patterns - Subtle/Mental awareness
  • Indigo - awareness focuses on concepts - Causal/Spiritual awareness
  • Violet - awareness focuses on oneness - Causal/Spiritual awareness
  • White - awareness focuses on nonduality - Nondual awareness
While developmental stages are rarely thought of as part of the spiritual journey, the later stages (Indigo, Violet, and White) involve a type of spiritual awareness. So, in addition to the spiritual states, we have to at least consider how these developmental life stages are involved in the spiritual journey. 

Spiritual Journey Process

Spiritual researchers and theorists have been able to provide a general map of what the spiritual awakening process may look like. For example, the Pali Canon (a collection of Buddhist scriptures), Saint John of the Cross (a Catholic Priest), and numerous others (as described by Wilber, 2000) have mapped out the process that we’re likely to go through (in approximately the same order) as we awaken spiritually. It’s remarkable how similar these maps are to one another, even though they come from completely different perspectives. 

Here is a truncated overview of the process that one is likely to go through during an awakening (e.g., Ingram, 2028; Sayadaw, 2016; Goode, 2016). To learn more about one version of these steps and their details, check out our article on vipassana mediation. 

  • Illumination - an experience of connection to All That Is
  • Dark Night of the Soul - an experience of disconnection to All That Is
  • Equanimity - contentment or acceptance of All That Is
  • Enlightenment - Transcendence

It seems that this process is triggered when we move between the subtle to causal states OR when we move between the subtle to causal stages (i.e., from blue to indigo).

Spiritual Journey States & Stages

Some theorists are beginning to explore how the states and stages interact, but it has been an admittedly challenging task (e.g., Wilber 2024). For example, the Wilber-Combs matrix attempts to explore how people at different developmental stages may experience different states. ​
Terri O’Fallon has aimed to further explain the gaps in Wilber’s model with the following figure (O’Fallon, 2010-a):
These theories attempt to explain how states and stages may intersect to create unique spiritual experiences. Although these theories do help us understand spiritual awakening, to be quite honest, they lack the practical descriptions needed to understand how they play out in real life. And since my whole goal is to translate research and make it understandable for the average person, I’m going to try to take a stab at it myself. 

Putting Together The Spiritual Journey Puzzle

Stages
I find Cook-Grueter’s (2014) model of developmental stages (described above) to be the easiest to understand and apply (this is probably because she uses it in workplaces with regular people). Her research focuses on how meaning-making changes across developmental stages. In other words, it’s almost like we’re looking at the world from behind a camera, and at each developmental stage, we zoom out a little more, and we can see a little bit more of reality. 

With more psychological development, we move through the stages. And we can't skip stages because each one builds on the previous one. So the lens we view our spiritual journey through depends on which developmental stage we’re in.

States
However, according to Wilber (2024), we can experience all spiritual states (i.e., gross, subtle, causal, and non-dual) at any time, and therefore, we can experience spiritual awakening, at any stage. 

State Awakening Versus Stage Awakening
My hunch is that we can experience a stage-based spiritual awakening (by moving from subtle to causal stages) or a state-based spiritual awakening (by moving from subtle to causal states). Given only about 1.5% of the adult population has moved into a causal stage (Cook-Grueter, 2014), the majority of awakenings are likely state-based. And that helps explain why awakenings are so different—people can have them in all of the developmental stages, and each stage views the world differently. ​

What Does The Spiritual Journey Look Like at Each Stage

I’ve been watching tons of interviews with folks who've undergone spiritual awakenings, and I think I’m starting to see some patterns. Here are my initial thoughts on what a spiritual awakening might look like at some of the stages:

*Note: I will use the word God in this section for ease, but please interpret this word however it resonates with you (e.g., the universe, All That Is, etc…)

  • Red - Our spiritual journey seems to focus on ourselves. We, alone, are awakening and special. I think the documentary “Love Has Won” depicts a red-stage awakening. The woman in the documentary has an experience where she realizes she is God. Because of her developmental stage, she interprets this experience as an indication that she is the One God because she is unable to see how other people might have similar experiences. 
  • Orange - Our spiritual journey seems to focus on our close group. I recently watched a TV show, Forbidden Love, where a church leader speaks in tongues. He believes that only people who believe in Jesus can have the spiritual experiences that he has. Indeed, at this stage, it’s nearly impossible to imagine that people of other faiths might also connect to God.
  • Yellow - Our spiritual journey seems to focus on behaviors. I recently heard an interview where a woman described her spiritual journey as “taking responsibility for myself”, which is a very yellow stage experience. Others who awaken at this stage might talk about their “powers”, because skills, abilities, and knowledge are all important to people at this stage. A person who awakens at this stage is likely to believe that they are the “doer” and that what they do is great or special (and it may indeed be impressive). 
  • Green - Our spiritual journey seems to focus on outcomes. I believe that awakening at this stage explains why so much of the spiritual community focuses on manifestation and the law of attraction. We see spirituality as a tool for improving our outcomes. Others who awaken at this stage might talk about their soul mission or the important role they will play in bringing about the New Earth. From this stage’s perspective, it seems that the purpose of awakening is to create better outcomes.
  • Teal - Our spiritual journey seems to focus on perspectives. It seems to me that many of the people running successful awakening podcasts and YouTube channels (e.g., Next Level Soul, Guy Lawrence) are awakening from the teal stage. They understand that awakening can mean many different things to different people and are eager to hear other people’s perspectives and learn from them. 
  • Blue - Our spiritual journey seems to focus on beliefs or patterns. My hunch is that the spiritual coach, RJ Spina, is awakening from the blue stage. He clearly understands how his beliefs were conditioned and how one can un-condition themself. I also think the spiritual coach, Mary Mueller Shutan, may be in the blue stage, as her understanding of shadow work is quite impressive.
  • Indigo - At indigo stage, we move from a subtle to a causal stage. Thus, we can no longer avoid spiritual awakening. If we have missed the opportunities for a state-based spiritual awakening, we find ourselves awakening through a stage-based spiritual awakening. Given we are likely unfamiliar with spirituality (having likely not mediated or practiced other spiritual techniques), this type of awakening can be a huge shock. Woods describes her experience in this stage as a combination of Illumination and the Dark Night of the Soul (Woods, 2020) while Cook-Grueter (2024) suggests that almost this entire stage can be a Dark Night of The Soul. 
  • Violet - At the violet stage, we exit The Dark Night of The Soul and enter what some have called equanimity or unity (e.g., Ingram 2018).
  • White - Our spiritual journey shifts to non-duality. According to O’Fallon (2010-b), only a few sages and saints have reached this stage, so there is not much we can say about it here. (Keep in mind that we can reach non-duality as a state).

What Does The Awakening Map Look Like at Each Stage


Given the worldview—or awareness—is different in each stage, the experience of illumination (connection) and The Dark Night of The Soul (disconnection) is likely to be very different. Here are my initial suggestions of what this might look like at each stage.
  • Red 
    • Illumination - A profound experience of the physical body connecting with God. 
    • Dark Night of The Soul - A profound experience of physical disconnection (for example, we might see our body move and feel like that’s not us).
  • Orange 
    • Illumination - A profound experience of the group-based identity connecting with God (we experience ourselves as God’s chosen people). 
    • Dark Night of The Soul - A profound experience of social disconnection or not belonging (we feel different than the people we used to identify with).
  • Yellow 
    • Illumination - A profound experience of the doer, or agentic self, connecting with God (we have the power, abilities, or knowledge of God). 
    • Dark Night of The Soul - A profound experience of non-doership or lack of agency (we lose our powers or feel that we have no control).
  • Green 
    • Illumination - A profound experience of the achiever self connecting with God (we can create outcomes as God would). 
    • Dark Night of The Soul - A profound experience of being unable to create desired outcomes (our goals and plans fall apart). 
  • Teal 
    • Illumination - A profound experience of the pluralist self connecting with God (we understand ourselves and others as God would).
    • Dark Night of The Soul - A profound experience of being misunderstood (our closest friends no longer get us).
  • Blue 
    • Illumination - A profound experience of the story-based self connecting with God (we understand our roles in the ‘game of life’).
    • Dark Night of The Soul - A profound experience of emptiness in the roles we play in life (we may notice ourselves acting out a role, like in a play, without connecting to the character, which used to be us).
  • Indigo 
    • Illumination - A profound experience of the conceptual self connecting with God (we see concepts as God would. For example, perhaps we see forgiveness is moot because all is as it should be).
    • Dark Night of The Soul - A profound experience of conceptual emptiness (we notice that concepts, themselves, are meaningless, including the concept of self).​

Mix & Match Spiritual Journey

When we transcend each developmental stage, we include the previous one (Wilber, 2007). So a Dark Night at the green stage, for example, might include Dark Night features from the earlier stages. And a Dark Night at Indigo stage may include all earlier Dark Night aspects. But if we go through an Illumination & Dark Night process at green stage, for example, we won’t connect or disconnect with the conceptual self because we haven't yet seen that the conceptual self exists. 

Note: We are always in multiple stages at one time (usually hovering around one stage). So if we awaken at green stage, we are likely to experience some aspects of yellow stage and teal stage. 

Articles Related to The Spiritual Journey​

​Want to learn more? Check out these articles:

Books Related to The Spiritual Journey​

If you’d like to keep learning more, here are a few books that you might be interested in.

Final Thoughts on The Spiritual Journey

As you can now see, the spiritual journey can look quite different for different people. Luckily, there are maps that help us understand the stages, stages, and process of awakening on the spiritual journey. However, the lived experience of the spiritual journey can vary widely based on one’s location in the developmental stages. Hopefully, this article can give you an idea of where you are and what you might experience as you continue your spiritual journey. ​

Spiritual Disclaimer

Although meaningful knowledge can be found through spiritual insight, we humans filter this knowledge through our own mental frameworks. Even the best, most advanced spiritual teachers have access only to reflections of Truth, which still maintain some distortions. My truth may not equal your truth which may not equal another person’s truth. So, always check in with your Self or intuition to verify whether the spiritual information you receive resonates with your Truth. 

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References

  • Cook-Greuter, S. (2014). Ego development: A full-spectrum theory of vertical growth and meaning-making. mimeo, Wayland.
  • Goode, G. (2016). After Awareness: The End of the Path. New Harbinger Publications.
  • Ingram, Daniel. (2018). Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha: An Unusually Hardcore Dharma Book - Revised and Expanded Edition. Aeon Books.
  • O’Fallon, T. J. (2010-a). The Collapse of the Wilber Combs Matrix: The Interpenetration of the State and Structure Stages Terri J. O’Fallon Developmental Research Institute May 1, 2010.
  • O’Fallon, T. (2010-b). The evolution of the human soul: Developmental practices in spiritual guidance. Excerpt from Masters in Spiritual Direction.
  • Sayadaw, M. (2016). Manual of insight. Simon and Schuster.
  • Wikipedia. (2024, November 2). Spirituality. Retrieved 11/9/2024 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirituality
  • Wilber, K. (2000). Integral psychology: Consciousness, spirit, psychology, therapy. Shambhala Publications.
  • ​Wilber, K. (2007). Integral spirituality: A startling new role for religion in the modern and postmodern world. Shambhala Publications.
  • Wilber, K. (2024). Finding Radical Wholeness: The Integral Path to Unity, Growth, and Delight. Shambhala Publications.
  • Woods, H. (2020). The Golden Thread: Where to Find Purpose in the Stages of Your Life. New Degree Press​
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