Are these different names for the same thing?
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“Inner Awakening” is a term used in this website for the process often referred to as “Enlightenment”. This is the awakening of our subtle system by the Kundalini energy, which is present at the base of the spine in all human beings and animals. We chose to use the term “Inner Awakening” instead of “Enlightenment” because we felt it was a little more descriptive, and might be easier to understand for people who were unfamiliar with spiritual language. Also, Enlightenment is often confused with the historical period of “The Enlightenment”, which was a time of expansion of culture and religious thought in Europe and elsewhere.
Once we have our Inner Awakening, then begins the process of Self Realisation. In times past, the process was a little different because in those days, to achieve their Inner Awakening, people had to work on themselves for years on end, to clear their bodies and minds of anything that wasn’t pure. It was only then that they could actually achieve their Inner Awakening from the Kundalini energy at the base of the spine. Luckily, since the advent of Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, it is now possible to get your Inner Awakening first and then work on yourself using the new awareness you have through feelings in the fingertips and other parts of the body to guide you. This gradually completes the process of Self Realisation so that we can become truly free of everything that held us back before.