We are born into preset cultural, belief and value systems which initially dictate who we believe we are. Our tribe, our race, our culture, our religion, our nationality, our education etc. (our society) all project images, ideas and ideologies (avatars) which we grow up accepting as part of our identity. Most times these preset avatars deter us from the full expression of our true selves out of fear of not being accepted by our society. This can ultimately limit us from experiencing our full potential and wellbeing as individuals until we somehow have an “awakening” experience.

What is “awakening” to me? It is the coming to realization of the true nature of who you really are and the realization of all the falsehood that you were born into. In simpler terms, it is discovering the true depths of yourself in order to see yourself for who and what you really are, as well as to see life for what it truly is. It is not a singular event but a journey which leads us along a path of shedding of all illusions about our self and about life. We transition from immaturity to maturity of mindset and behavior and from victimhood to accountability.

If life is a game, the goal of awakening would ultimately be to become “Player 1”, that is, to be in full control of how you experience the game. Most people live their whole lives being “Player 2” or even worse, being spectators of other people playing the game. People experiencing this game of life as player 2 allow their lives to be dictated by other people and do not take full accountability for their own experience. They allow their lives to be dictated by other people’s opinions and expectations, their parents, their friends, their pastor or imam, the government, the experts, the economy and their past mistakes etc. They see life through other people’s eyes and hear life through other people’s ears versus having their own unique experiences and sharing that with the world.

Growing up in Nigeria, the influences of culture, tradition and religion are very strong. As a nation, we also have a very unique set of challenges that make it very difficult and rare for an individual to experience a conscious awakening. Since colonization the people of Nigeria have suffered from political and economic instability which has manifested as poor infrastructure, harsh environmental conditions, limited access to education, health care, jobs and other things needed for basic human well-being. This has created a landscape whereby most Nigerians are living on extreme survival mode. With limited options and opportunities, combined with a constant threat from challenges in the immediate environment, the average Nigerian lives in a constant loop of fear, anxiety and religious hope. These conditions make it a lot harder for an individual to persist along the journey of their own awakening because they will experience a greater amount of limitation as well as resistance from everything within our society. A strong influence of tradition combined with a strong influence of limitation, fear and lack can cause even the strongest of minds to give up and conform to society’s projections. It is only those who are being driven by a higher purpose, calling or burning passion that stand the chance of persisting the challenges and resistance they will face in order to find their true selves here in Nigeria.

Beyond the economic and political challenges we have been facing since colonization, I believe the biggest threat to our individual and collective awakening has been our severe case of identity crisis. One of the byproducts of the colonization of Nigeria has been the total domination of our collective consciousness by western and middle eastern religions, ideologies, beliefs and dogmas. This has led us to abandon our own way of thinking and being! I have a saying which goes “a man who doesn’t respect his own ideologies can never respect his own ideas.” I believe this is why we do not innovate or invent and only aim to copy from foreign cultures. We also do not trust the ideas and innovations of our own people because colonization has taught us to see our own way of being as inferior to theirs. Our entire collective consciousness has been relegated to “player 2” while our colonizers have remained “player 1” in defining the conditions of our experience of life.

For the last century we have been struggling to fit into a Eurocentric avatar which has continued to disconnect us from our land, from nature and from the core of our identity. It is impossible to experience an awakening as an individual or a collective while trying to copy the identity of another culture. The Nigerian will have to wake up from many layers of deception and illusion from outside cultures, from within their own culture, from the history/dynamics of their family patterns and in the midst of environmental threats and challenges and crippling economic dynamics.

Awakening is not a comfortable experience. It challenges you to observe and accept the limiting patterns in every aspect of your life in order to begin the life long journey of addressing them. Everything about life as you know it will come under question, your religion, your cultural practices, your tradition, your family history, patterns and family relationship dynamics, your friends, intimate partners and colleagues. Your beliefs, your vision, your goals and true desires will all come under observation and questioning. Above all this, the biggest eye opener will be discovering how you truly value and treat yourself, which shapes how you experience everything else in life. This part of the awakening (accountability) journey is very uncomfortable because it starts becoming clear how it has always been you letting yourself down by not taking accountability for your own experience (giving too much power to entities outside of yourself)

There are many types of awakening and many stages of awakening within each type of awakening but here are the 7 major types of awakenings I have experienced so far as a Nigerian living in Nigeria.

Spiritual awakening – Awakening to your internal connection with the supreme creator of the universe and all life.

Mental awakening – Awakening to the power of your mind and its role in manifesting your reality.

Emotional awakening – Awakening to the true nature of how you feel and gaining a deeper understand of what makes you who you are.

Physical awakening – Awakening to the experience of and the relationship with your body and its role as a vessel through which you experience everything in life

Financial awakening – Awakening to the laws that govern the flow of energy and money in your reality

Natural awakening – Awakening to your connection with nature, our first ancestor (mother).

Vocational awakening – Awakening to your true purpose in life (what you came here to contribute)

I will do a video detailing my awakening experience/journey so far and I will also interview other great minds to detail their awakening experience as well! Please feel free to share the details of your journey with the community! You can email me at blink@thematrixbuster.com and connect with me on Instagram @supremekingblink

If you are going through your own journey of awakening and need guidance and coaching feel free to reach out to me as well!

One love,

Blink.