Catherine Björksten, Founder of Akasha Awakening, speaks of her journey with spirituality and how others are often triggered to embark on spiritual awakenings of their own, what they can expect and how she can support them.
How would you define our ‘Essence’?
Our Essence is the part of us that has always existed and will always exist. It is the part of us that hasn’t been tainted by conditioning – whether it be gender culture, social etc. It is basically our SOUL – the part of us that never dies.
In your experience, what typically triggers someone to embark on a journey of Spiritual Awakening?
Usually there are quite a few subtle signs that will summon us in a direction where we need to start connecting with our Essence and start letting go of all the aspects that no longer serve or honor us.
When people don’t understand this, the calling becomes louder and the signs more obvious.
Very often what triggers a spiritual awakening in a person who has previously been unaware is some form of significant loss – end of long term relationship/divorce, financial loss, losing an ideal, identity, or loved one…Suffering and pain are usually the biggest gateways to a spiritual awakening.
We realise that we cannot get relief from our pain solely by relying on the mind for answers – we need to cast our net wider and look above and beyond. Cue, the world of spirit.
What can you tell us about the Akasha Awakening Shadow Reading, and how you work with your clients?
This is a new offering. I have a natural ability of ‘seeing’ beyond what people are saying or how they are presenting themselves. The veil I see through is the ‘shadow’ – ie. the parts of ourselves that are unconscious that are ruling the show and causing suffering.
Originally, they were designed to protect us from pain in the form of a defense mechanism, but later in life our shadow backfires as it causes the pain. My gift is seeing the shadow that people try to hide from themselves and the world.
The Shadow Readings are in 3 parts (to soften the blow). The first session involves the client introducing what they are struggling with. As they walk me through this, I can see what is not being said or what is not being shown. The second session reveals what I have seen in combination with the struggle at hand. And finally, the third session offers the solutions to step out of the aspects of the person’s life that are holding them back. Self-responsibility and active participation in the healing process is non negotiable.
“Our greatest wound is also our greatest gift / Medicine” – Can you quantify this?
Our life story and the wounds we experience over time are our greatest teachers and often what we end up sharing as our healing gift. Our life story is what leads us to our medicine.
It is important for a healer to know how to embody and navigate their gift because if it is not used correctly, it can be exhausting. Healers often spread themselves thin with their energy reserves, that are already often low, to supply people who are drawn to them to offer them healing without reciprocation. Therefore, it is important that they find a channel for their healing which is contained and defined – not just a free for all!
I would say this can affect all healers. And a healer is anyone who brings higher consciousness through their offering from conventional healers, chefs, musicians to film makers via photographers… Most people who display these gifts would probably come across as neurodivergent (autism, ADHD…). Being called to be a healer is one of the most wonderful gifts in the world, but this energy must be contained, recognized and embodied.
What, in your opinion, is the greatest gift that you give to those that work with you?
They highly benefit from the blessing and curse of my Sight. I offer a blueprint, a roadmap and a support system for people who are going through a spiritual awakening. My own spiritual awakening that started over 20 years ago, intensified over the past seven years and I would say IS still taking place. My offering is that which I wished I had during my own journey.
I am a catalyst. When people come into my field it is an initiation, and when they are in this energy of transformation, I support them on their journey. Everybody has their own journey to follow, and it is obviously unique to each individual but there are obvious landmarks or signposts that are recognized by all.
In other words, I am a death and rebirth doula – I help people go through their death and rebirth cycles. I believe you have to have experienced this yourself to be able to help others do the same.
The awakening is like a spiral which never actually ends – one moves from one level of consciousness to a higher level, and this is something that continues to evolve eternally. It is a metaphorical death and rebirth of your being.
Tell us about your book “You are Loved: Essential Spirit Guides & Guardians”
It is part of a series of six books published by Penguin/Random House offering different insights into spirituality (Ayurveda, Spirit Guides, Herbalism…). I was invited to write the one on Spirit Guides.
The foundation of working with Spirit is finding this unconditional love that humans are looking for in everything and everyone they encounter, whether it be achievements, people or possessions. For me, connecting to Spirit, and creating or strengthening a relationship to Spirit is primarily that sense of belonging and feeling that we are loved no matter what we are going through no matter who we are and what state we are in.
This book is a guide for people to either embark on their journey to connect with Spirit or to reinforce it. It contains many practical tips and by no means lingers in nebulous concepts. I go through all the different types of spirit guides and guardians that I have learnt of who assist us. One of the main themes that runs through the book is RECIPROCITY – a prerequisite for anyone who is looking to deepen their connection with Spirit. Like all relationships, reciprocity is key for them to thrive.
Want to learn more about Akasha Awakening? Visit https://lifesnextchaptercoaching.com
