What is enlightenment? It’s a question many spiritual seekers ask at some point, and in this article, we have some innovative answers.
Rethinking enlightenment
When you hear the word enlightenment, what do you picture?
A peaceful monk meditating on a Himalayan mountain top? A wise guru with a long beard and cryptic smile levitating about his yoga mat? Or perhaps something more abstract – an unearthly glow, a Kundalini awakening, or a distant state of being that seems only reserved for spiritual masters or ancient souls?
Throughout recent history, we’ve been conditioned to believe that enlightenment is something far removed from ordinary life – a destination only reached through extreme practices, long initiations, a withdrawal from society, or lifetimes of study.
But what if that’s not the whole story?
What if enlightenment is not about escaping this 3D world, but embracing it? What if it’s about bringing divine awareness into every cup of tea, every conversation, and every choice you make, in every moment and in whatever part of the globe you are living right now?
What if Heaven on Earth isn’t a fantasy, but something you can start experiencing right now?
What does “enlightenment” really mean?
At its core, enlightenment could be said to be the moment we fully remember and tangibly know who we really are.
Not our job title, not our body, not our achievements or fears – but our true, eternal nature. It’s the knowledge that we are spiritual beings having a human experience, not the other way around and that we are always connected to Divine Energy because we are part of it. Separation is an illusion that we can transcend if we choose to.
But the knowledge of who we are is not enough. Otherwise, we could read all the books, follow the gurus and courses, and listen to the podcasts that are telling us this truth over and over, on each continent and in every language, and we’d all be ‘enlightened’. No, the knowledge is not enough unless you actually align your energy with this understanding.
Then, when we align with that knowing, everything changes. Life no longer feels like something happening to us – or even through us. In that moment, we truly become the conscious creators of it. That’s enlightenment. It’s not a light switch, or a single moment of bliss. It’s a process of integration. Full integration with ALL aspects of yourself.
Integration: The real key to spiritual awakening
True spiritual awakening isn’t about bypassing the messiness of life. It’s about integrating all aspects of yourself; your shadow, your light, your pain, your joy – and holding them with compassion and unconditional love, seeing them with the same perspective as Source. does
It means living with awareness of your connection to Source, while still honouring your human experience because you chose to come to Earth to experience just that.
- You feel your emotions, but you’re not ruled by them
- You take inspired action, without needing to control every outcome
- You let life flow, to you and through you, and trust that you are guided – even when things don’t go to plan
This is what we mean by alignment. Your Higher Self is always aligned with Source Energy. The task is to bring your human self into harmony with that frequency, so that you can live as the unlimited and powerful creator you truly are.
So what is “Heaven on Earth”?
Heaven on Earth isn’t a physical place, although you can experience it within the physical reality. The phrase, “As above, so below”, refers to this ability to experience the same Heavenly joy from the non-physical realms, here on the Earthly plane. Heaven on Earth is therefore a state of being. Simply being. Being the authentic YOU.
Heaven on Earth is when you feel true gratitude for your life and everything in it – even the parts you may have previously labelled as ‘negative’. It’s when you laugh with someone you love, when you create something beautiful, when you look up at the sky and just feel totally connected.
It’s also when you realise you already have access to joy, peace, freedom and love – right here, right now.
Heaven on Earth is not perfection. It’s not living without challenge. It’s remembering that you are powerful, loved, and part of something much bigger – and choosing to live every moment from that place.
Children know this – they live it, until they are taught otherwise, but that’s the subject of a different article. If you understand the joy of children, you’re halfway there!
Seeking enlightenment through extraordinary experiences
Some people who long for enlightenment seek it through powerful spiritual tools and experiences, and many have found these to be transformative. These can include:
- Yoga and deep meditation
- Kundalini awakening
- Fasting
- Silence or isolation
- Breathwork
- Plant medicine journeys like Ayahuasca or DMT
- Out-of-body experiences
- Fasting, chanting, vision quests, or other altered states
These practices can offer profound insights, healing, and moments of deep connection to something greater. They can strip back the layers of identity and give us a glimpse of the divine. For some, they are life-changing and even life-saving. And for those who feel called to follow this path, these experiences can be part of their own spiritual journey.
But here’s the part we often miss:
After the breakthrough… comes the integration.
When you return to your own reality, you still have to take the bins out. You still get tired, triggered, and tangled up in everyday life. You still live in the third dimension, with bills to pay and people to love and lessons to learn. Or 99.9% of us do.
So, reaching “enlightenment” may not be the peak of the experience unless you are prepared to spend the rest of your Earthly life in a state of altered consciousness.
The key to living an enlightened life is what you do afterwards.
Can you bring the peace of meditation into traffic jams?
Can you apply the wisdom of Ayahuasca to your morning meeting?
Can you let your yoga mat be a launchpad, not an escape route?
The goal of your Earthly life is not to transcend the Earth plane and move on as quickly as possible – otherwise, why choose to come in the first place? And you did choose to come!
No, the goal is to embody your spiritual awareness within it. That’s what true mastery looks like. That’s Heaven on Earth.
You don’t need to fix the world – just let your light shine in it
Many people on the spiritual path feel a pressure to “heal the world” or fix others. But enlightenment or the spiritual journey doesn’t require you to become anyone’s ‘saviour’. That doesn’t mean you can’t act with compassion and love in everything you do – of course you should do that. But you cannot shift someone else’s energy for them – that is their journey and within their power.
But you can inspire them to come into their own power by shifting your own frequency.
By living in alignment, by shining your light, by creating joy in your own life, you automatically lift others, whether they notice on the surface or not. You will demonstrate the alignment they are seeking. You become a walking invitation to their own higher consciousness.
As the saying goes: “Don’t light yourself on fire to keep others warm.” Instead, stand brightly in your own truth, and others will find their way to the light.
,
Practical ways to live in enlightenment now
You don’t need a retreat in Bali or a vision quest in the desert to begin your own journey to enlightenment. The very fact that you are living an Earthly life means you are already on your journey, you just may have forgotten that you are.
Try these small but powerful practices:
- Pause and breathe before making decisions – even small ones. Ask, “Does this align with who I really am?”
- Express yourself creatively – your soul came here to experience joy through creation on every level – in your work, your dreams, your relationships, the food you eat, the people you interact with – they are all co-creating your reality and your experience
- Practice gratitude every morning or night. It anchors you in the energy of Heaven on Earth and is a really powerful frequency
- Speak gently to yourself. Enlightenment begins with inner kindness and self-love
- Be present. Whether you’re washing dishes or walking in nature, allow yourself to fully be there in the moment
- Choose love over fear in your words, actions, and interpretations. There are no intrinsic meanings except for the ones you make yourself…
Final thoughts: You are already on the path
You don’t have to do anything more or to be anything more to be worthy of enlightenment. You already carry the divine spark. You are already enough. Let’s say that again. YOU ARE ENOUGH!
The journey is simply about remembering and reintegrating.
Creating Heaven on Earth isn’t a task for later, or something you have to earn through suffering and sacrifice. It begins in your willingness to see the sacred in the everyday, and in everything, and to live with joy, peace, presence, and love.
Let go of the idea that enlightenment looks a certain way. Let it be messy. Let it be real. And let it be yours to claim right now.
What does “Heaven on Earth” mean to you?
Please do share your reflections and thoughts in the comments below. I’d love to expand the debate about enlightenment and get your take on the subject. Do you agree or think that it is still reserved for the spiritual ‘elite’?
,
Related posts
Gratitude and the Law of Attraction
The Law of Attraction, happiness and emotions – how does it work?
What an eye opening article you have here and I love the way you explain enlightenment as the moment we fully remember and tangibly know who we really are.
In this hectic life we tend to just go through the motions to get through each day without taking a breather just to find ourselves in the moment. Just stopping for a moment, taking a breath and taking in how you are feeling and feeling everything around you goes a long way towards grounding you.
Children know the secrets to this without knowing why, so what is the best way to recapture this if we don’t have children to hang out with?
You have provided a wonderful list at the end of the article to try and it is definitely worth a look into.
Hi Michel
Thank you for reading the article and for your thoughtful comments. I’m so glad you found the article useful and thought-provoking. I agree that children have got this much better sussed that adults because they are closer to Source Energy and less tainted by the ‘lessons of the world’. Even if you don’t have children to remind you, I’d recommend starting with some meditation every day – just a 15 – 20 minutes to start with, to quiet your mind and start to reconnect to your inner being. Have a look at the article on mediation here: https://thecreativechoice.org/… or if you prefer, try the Yoga Nidra one here: https://thecreativechoice.org/…. All the best with your journey. You are loved. You are enough! Believe it! Gail