By Tatiana Phoenix Sakurai
If you follow me on social media, you've probably heard me talking about ascension symptoms in my Psychic Weather Reports, but what am I even talking about? Today I'm going to break it down a bit and talk about the ascension process and how we can navigate the ups and downs of the cycle.
What Is Ascension?
Ascension is a term used to describe the shift in frequency from a lower to higher vibration. As we will see, there are smaller cycles within that process, but ascension describes an overall pattern of raising one's vibration. The Earth is in such a process right now. And because we have human bodies that are a part of the larger organism of the Earth, we are experiencing the shift as well.
So there is an overall evolutionary wave of energy that is propelling our ascension, but the thing is, having free will, we actually get to choose whether we're going on the full ride or opting out. In fact, most of the souls incarnated on Earth at this time have opted not to ascend with the planet. That could very well change, but for now, ascending souls are in the minority.
Choosing something most folks aren't choosing, or even aware of, can feel overwhelming sometimes. That's why it's so important to cultivate inner guidance, inner authority, self-acceptance and trust in oneself and one's connection to the Infinite. Luckily, more than ever before, there are abundant spiritual teachings and resources available to us through the internet, and the original internet, the One Mind we share with all of creation.
That ascension is happening, that it is natural, that the Earth is going through it, that you are choosing it, too and many other folks are not, is helpful to know. It is also helpful to cultivate your own understanding of the process and how it unfolds for you specifically, so that you can trust yourself to find your way with as much grace as possible.
Ascension Is Not Linear
If you've been observing the rhythms of nature, you have no doubt observed that there is a cyclical pattern to how things unfold in time. The cycle of the seasons, the movement of wind and waves, the spiraling growth of plants, all bear witness to this phenomenon. Only humans, and only in the last several hundred years or so, have bought into this belief that time marches on in a linear fashion and that uninterrupted growth, expansion, and "progress" is not only possible, but preferable. This is but one of the many-faceted lies based on separation thinking.
As we deprogram ourselves from the belief structures of the oppressive systems built on the lies of separation, we become more aware of the natural cycles of life. We recognize the necessity and beauty of rest, retreat, stillness, winter, and death. We stop judging our shadow and start to get curious. The dark places and times are no longer feared or shunned, but embraced as opportunities.
The process of ascension is similar. It isn't a linear progression from an undesirable experience of dark despair to the end goal of light and love. In fact, if you judge part of the cycle as undesirable, that is a surefire way of spending more time learning the lesson, aka experiencing more of what you judge as wrong. And if you have an attachment to an end goal, that is guaranteed to create a big block to creating it. So what's the way through these booby traps of the ego? Perhaps we could do like all of nature does and embrace all aspects of the cycles of life.
The cycle of ascension is not linear, and many micro cycles could be happening simultaneously, but for the sake of exploration, let's look at three distinct processes within the cycle:
The Ascension Cycle
1. An influx of light/energy/consciousness brings more awareness. The shadow is illuminated and there is possibility for more choice.
2. The energy builds up and is either blocked, released, or transmuted. There is choice involved, whether conscious or unconscious, and the energy shifts according to the choice made. If ascension continues to unfold, it means there has been a choice to let go and/or transmute the energy, to allow for flow. This shifts the vibration to a higher frequency.
3. After the built up energy releases, there is more space. The organism integrates the new frequency and the new spaciousness. And because there is more space, more light can enter and the cycle begins again.
Even though I am calling these phases 1, 2, and 3, there is really no beginning or end in this cycle. It is a continuously unfolding process. The key for us is in phase 2. That is really where our spiritual rubber hits the worldly road. Are we going to choose to let go when our shadow shit gets lit up or are we going to shut down, bypass, or collapse into our wounded parts? Phase 2 is where we get to claim our healing. It's where we get to choose to liberate ourselves from anything that doesn't allow for the power of nature to flow through us.
At any point in the process, we can be feeling super solid or like a hot mess. Sometimes it feels like we're on an emotional rollercoaster, one minute high on life and the next sobbing in a heap. Here are some common physical and emotional symptoms that go along with the body/mind detox that happens during ascension:
Common Ascension Symptoms
dizziness, nausea, flu or cold-like symptoms
sensitivity to noise, light, energy, feeling overwhelmed
heightened psychic awareness, unconscious astral travel
fatigue, insomnia, sleep disturbances, exhaustion
waves of ecstasy, body highs, bliss, feeling the oneness and beauty of life
allergies, rashes, asthma, trouble breathing
trauma releasing, emotional flashbacks, repressed memories surfacing
feeling ungrounded, spaced-out, unable to focus
Just knowing this can help you have compassion for yourself. You can also ask your body, "Is this an ascension symptom?" if you're not sure. The following is a list of some things that have been known to help during an experience of ascension symptoms. You can ask your body which ones feel yummiest.
Relief for Ascension Symptoms
more rest, sleep, time to feel through and integrate healing
walks outside, time in the natural world, communing with nature/plants/animals
salt baths or salt scrubs in the shower, energy clearing
aromatherapy, flower essences, herbal infusions
adequate hydration/electrolytes, nutritive foods, green juice
daily energy hygiene, grounding, shielding
The energy hygiene awareness piece is crucial as there is so much happening in the energetic bodies. When a lot of energy is clearing or shifting, the auric fields of our bodies can get blown out or spongy and our grounding channels can go offline, so making sure to clear, ground, and shield daily can make a huge difference in how you experience big waves of evolutionary change.
Just as important as practices to embrace, are the things that are helpful to avoid when you're processing a big ascension shift.
What to Avoid During an Ascension Detox
over-scheduling, busyness, too much screen time
distracting oneself from feeling the feelings that are coming up
highly processed food, dehydration
stressing out about symptoms, going into the "wrongness"
There's really no wrong way of doing it. That can be helpful to remember. And also helpful is to remember we're clearing all the painful patterns and trauma from lifetimes. It's totally understandable and okay to feel overwhelmed sometimes. Let's just remember that what we feel now is probably evidence of some fucked up thing that happened in the past and not evidence that we are fucked up, because even when we're in the midst of deep shadow work and we feel crazy and hopeless, we're still perfect. Just like all of the natural world of creation to which we are returning, and truly never left.
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Tatiana Phoenix Sakurai, is a spiritual counselor and teacher who enjoys dancing, singing, and communing with the realms of nature. She is the author of Lightworker Training: A Practical Guide to Healing with Energy + Consciousness and is one of the co-founders of Cosmic Fire.