Blame vs Responsibility: A Powerful Shift on the Spiritual Awakening Journey
One of the quiet yet most transformative moments on the spiritual awakening journey is the moment we begin to notice where we are blaming… and gently choose responsibility instead.
Not responsibility in a harsh, judgemental or self-critical way.
Not responsibility that turns into shame or self-punishment.
But self-responsibility as empowerment.
This shift marks a deep stage of awakening, when we move beyond seeing life as something that happens to us and begin to recognise ourselves as conscious participants in our own growth, healing, and evolution.
Why Blame Can Feel So Heavy
Blame often feels justified. It can feel protective. It can feel like the truth, especially when something genuinely hurt, shocked, or destabilised us. But energetically, blame drains us.
When we blame:
We give our power away to people, situations, or circumstances
We remain emotionally reactive instead of grounded
We stay stuck in an ego-based lens of right vs wrong
Our nervous system stays activated and contracted (fight or flight nervous system response)
Blame keeps us looping in the past, replaying what shouldn’t have happened, instead of anchoring us in the present moment where healing actually occurs.
On the awakening path, this is often one of the first places we begin to feel the tension:
“Something in me knows there must be another way of seeing this.”
Responsibility as an Awakening Initiation
Taking self-responsibility is not about saying: “This was all my fault.”
It’s about saying: “This experience has something to teach me.”
Responsibility invites us into a higher perspective, one where right and wrong dissolve, and we begin to see life as a series of experiences designed to help us remember who we truly are.
From this expanded awareness, we start to see:
There is no “wrong” path
There is no “bad” decision
There is no wasted experience
Everything becomes information, a learning and then becomes a mirror where we can self-reflect with curiosity & self-love.
And from here, our energy returns to us.
Ego, Blame & the Illusion of Right and Wrong
Blame lives in the ego.
The ego needs:
A villain
A victim
A story where someone is “right” and someone else is “wrong”
But awakening gently dismantles this framework.
When we step out of blame, we begin to realise:
Two people can experience the same situation very differently
Perception is shaped by conditioning, wounds, and beliefs
Truth is not singular, it is layered and subjective. 10 people can witness the same situation and all have a different opinion about what happened.
Responsibility doesn’t mean agreeing with what happened. It means choosing conscious response over unconscious reaction.
5 Ways to Transform Blame into Self-Responsibility
Here are five gentle yet powerful ways to notice and alchemise blame as it arises on your path.
1. Catch the Language of Blame
Blame often hides in everyday thoughts and phrases:
“They made me feel this way.”
“If they hadn’t done that…”
“This wouldn’t have happened if…”
When you notice this language, pause, not to judge yourself, but to witness the pattern. Awareness alone begins the shift.
Try asking instead:
“What is this situation activating in me?”
2. Ask: What Is This Teaching Me About Myself?
Every triggering situation holds a message. Rather than asking: “Why did this happen to me?”
Gently ask:
“What is this showing me about my needs, boundaries, wounds, or values?”
This question moves you from victimhood into curiosity, and curiosity is deeply healing.
3. Separate Responsibility from Self-Blame
This is important.
Self-responsibility says:
“I am willing to learn and grow.”
Self-blame says:
“There is something wrong with me.”
If you notice yourself spiralling into shame, pause and soften.
Responsibility should feel expansive & as you move through it, and as the judgement dissolves, empowering.
4. Reclaim Your Energy
Blame ties your energy to the external world. Responsibility brings it home.
You might reflect:
Where am I giving my power away?
What can I control here?
How do I want to show up differently next time?
Even small shifts restore a sense of inner steadiness and agency.
5. Trust That Nothing Is Random on the Awakening Path
As consciousness expands, we begin to sense a deeper intelligence at work.
You may come to see:
This experience strengthened your discernment
This challenge clarified your boundaries
This ending redirected your soul
Nothing is wasted. Nothing is accidental. There are no coincidences. You are here to grow. Challenges in our life open up opportunities to grow.
The Freedom That Comes with Responsibility
When we release blame, something unexpected happens. We feel lighter. Calmer. More grounded.
Not because life suddenly becomes easy, but because we are no longer in an internal battle with ourselves.
Self-responsibility is one of the most profound acts of self-love on the awakening journey.
It is a quiet declaration that says:
“I trust myself to meet life consciously.”
And from this place, growth becomes less about fixing, and more about transforming.
If this reflection resonated with you, know that you’re not alone.
This is a very real, very human stage of awakening, and it unfolds in layers, gently, over time.
Your awareness is already doing the work. Your willingness to look within is already the shift.
May you find ease & grace along your path, Sheryl xox