Spiritual Sleep and the Call to Awaken

A New Thought Guide for Humanity's Survival

May 28, 2025

The Alarm Has Sounded

“Stay awake at all times.” — Luke 21:36

"Stay awake at all times," Jesus said (Luke 21:36). He wasn't talking about insomnia. He was speaking directly to the soul. He was calling us to spiritual alertness, to pay attention not only to what we do but who we are. That call is more urgent now than ever before.

We live in a world that’s burning, both literally and metaphorically. Climate change accelerates. Technology isolates as much as it connects. War and conflict rage on. Economic inequality deepens. Animals are factory farmed in unimaginable numbers. People are exhausted, distracted, and spiritually starved. From a New Thought perspective, this is not just the outcome of broken politics or faulty economics. These are symptoms of a deeper malaise, a collective spiritual sleep.

Spiritual sleep is not simply ignorance. It is forgetting. Forgetting who we are, what we’re connected to, and why we are here. It is a sleep that numbs the soul while the world falls apart. New Thought calls us to wake up, not just for inner peace, but for the survival of the human race.

This essay examines the concept of spiritual sleep, its dangers, and the transformative potential of awakening both individually and collectively. Drawing from the wisdom of New Thought teachings and rooted in the urgency of our time, this is both a reflection and a call to action.

What Is Spiritual Sleep?

To be spiritually asleep is to go through the motions of life without ever questioning its meaning.

You may appear successful, productive, even kind, but if you’re disconnected from your divine essence, your presence is hollow. In this sleep state, the soul’s questions are buried beneath routines and distractions.

Signs of spiritual sleep:

Living on autopilot
Numbing emotional discomfort with drugs and other vices
Reacting from fear, not responding from wisdom
Obsessing over material status and ‘things’
Feeling separate from others and from the Earth

In New Thought teachings, we’re reminded that thoughts create reality. When dominated by fear, judgment, and separation, the world mirrors back chaos. Violence, greed, and environmental destruction arise from unconscious minds. Awakening is not a luxury; it is the first step toward healing.

Awakening: Remembering What We Forgot

Spiritual awakening is not about becoming better; it’s about remembering who you truly are, a divine being, a creative force, and an extension of Infinite Mind.

Jesus called it being “born again.” Ernest Holmes called it a “complete realization of the presence of God within you.” In essence, to awaken is to shift your orientation from ego to essence.

Awakened living means:

Being fully present in each moment
Seeing with spiritual vision beyond appearances
Replacing fear with trust
Choosing love over ego
Aligning with purpose

When you are awake, your choices change. You act with compassion, speak with intention, and live with reverence. You no longer sleepwalk through a burning world. You engage with clarity, courage, and care.

How to Stay Awake in a Sleeping World

In a world engineered for distraction, staying spiritually awake takes effort. But it is possible, and it becomes easier with practice.

Here are five key practices from the New Thought tradition to help you remain awake:

1. Begin with Stillness

Carve out daily quiet time. Meditate, breathe, or simply sit in awareness. In stillness, you return to the divine within.

2. Affirm the Truth

Speak spiritual truth over old mental scripts.
Remember: “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10) to affirm that Divinity resides wihtin you. This quote is an invitation to awaken from the egoic mind to the enlightened mind.
Try: “I am awake, aware, and aligned with Divine Mind.” Say: My life is guided by love, not fear. I co-create with grace. And today, I remember: ‘‘I am not separate from Source. I am the expression of it.’’

3. Observe Without Judgment

Notice your thoughts and habits with curiosity, not criticism.
Awareness alone holds the power to transform patterns.
Be the witness, not the judge.

4. Live Compassionately

Kindness isn’t weakness, it’s awakening. When we extend our compassion beyond our species, beyond convenience, we step into deeper consciousness. Let your circle of concern include animals, ecosystems, and the unseen. This is how ethics evolve and how humanity moves forward.

5. Engage With Inspired Teachings

Read and reflect on the works of Holmes, Fillmore, Goldsmith, or Tolle. Let their wisdom guide you back to presence.

These are not lofty spiritual tasks. They are practical tools for navigating a chaotic world with soul and sanity intact.

Humanity’s Choice: Evolve or Extinguish

What once felt like an individual spiritual path is now a global necessity. Humanity cannot afford to sleep through the next hundred years.

Our crises are not just external, they are the manifestation of inner sleep. Climate collapse stems from disconnection. War is born of fear. Mass suffering arises when we forget that all life is sacred.

New Thought reminds us that consciousness precedes form. If we want a better world, we must start with better thinking, right thinking. Better awareness. A deeper realization of our spiritual power and responsibility.

Imagine this:

Governments guided by compassion and vision
A global shift away from exploitation and toward reverence
Animal agriculture replaced by kindness and innovation
People reconnected to themselves, each other, and the Earth

This is not fantasy. It is potential. But only if we choose it. Only if we wake up.

Instructional Insight: The Daily Wake-Up Call

Here’s a simple practice to start living awake—today.

Morning:
Say aloud: “I am here. I am awake. I am part of something greater.”

Midday:
Pause and ask: “Am I reacting or responding?” Breathe. Realign.

Evening:
Reflect: What helped me stay awake today? What made me fall asleep again?

No judgment. Just gentle awareness. That is the work. That is the way.

The Power of One Awake Person

One conscious person can change the atmosphere of a room. One courageous choice can ripple through history.

Don’t underestimate your influence.

An awakened parent shifts generations. An awakened activist births new systems. An awakened citizen redefines what is possible.

You are not small. Your light matters. And your willingness to wake up may be the very thing that keeps someone else from falling asleep.

The Time Is Now

We are out of time for shallow spirituality. The world does not need more passive belief. It needs living, breathing, awakened souls.

Jesus did not say, “Stay awake when it’s convenient.” He said, “Stay awake at all times.”

This is the invitation. This is the hope.

Let us rise from our slumber. Let us live in truth. Let us choose presence, love, and responsibility. Let us become the answer to the world’s desperate call.

Affirmation:
I am awake. I am aware. I am alive with divine purpose. My life is a light that helps awaken the world.

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