The Five Stages of Waking Up: Denial

"Waking up" refers to coming out of the coma-like sleep we live in when we aren't conscious of who we truly are, what we do, and why we do it. All of us have been conditioned to think and act a certain way by teachings we've received or experiences we've had. Waking up is about noticing our conditioning, questioning it, looking within, and becoming our True Selves. The five stages of waking up are: denial, anger, bargaining, sadness, and acceptance. If we know anything about death and dying, we might notice that it's the same process, the same stages. So what has to die for us to wake up? Our ego. The False Self. The Self that protects us from criticism, judgment, and shame. In this week's episode, we tackle the first stage of waking up: coming out of denial. We need to understand it well so it doesn't frighten us. Everyone is in denial, and if we're doing our work, we're coming out of it. It's slow. It's painful. And it's necessary if we are ever to become free, if we are ever to awaken and live our real lives.