Rev. Colleen Irwin

Awakening Through Loss: When Death—or Any Ending—Opens the Door to Spiritual Growth

Today I want to talk about awakening through loss as a catalyst for your growth.  Grief doesn’t always begin with sadness. Sometimes, it begins with silence—a space you didn’t expect, a weight suddenly lifted. Loss can come through death, yes. But it can also arrive in quieter forms: the end of a friendship, the unraveling of a marriage, the loss of a job, or even the slow fading of who you used to be.

And in that quiet aftermath, something stirs: the possibility of awakening.

When my father died, I didn’t feel devastated. I felt disoriented by the absence of his shadow. For years, his abuse shaped how I moved through the world. My sense of worth, trust, even love—all filtered through his damage. His death didn’t break me. It gave me room to breathe. And with that breath came a choice.

I accepted a last-minute invitation to visit Lily Dale. Before his death, I never would’ve gone. But something inside whispered: Go. And I did.

Loss as a Spiritual Threshold

We often think awakening must come through light. But often, it is born in darkness. Grief—of any kind—removes the noise. It strips us bare. And in that rawness, what’s true has a chance to rise.

Whether it’s the end of a role, a relationship, or a belief that no longer fits, loss peels away the layers. And underneath, we find the tender truth of who we really are.

🖊️ Journal Prompt:
What layers have been peeled away in your own season of loss? What truths have surfaced beneath them?

Lily Dale: Remembering Myself

The moment I stepped into Lily Dale, I felt a strange, familiar calm. I wasn’t seeking answers, yet answers found me. Each demonstration, each reading, each quiet walk among the trees peeled away a layer. I remembered who I was—not just who I wanted to be, but who I had always been before I was told otherwise.

It became more than a destination. It became my healing ground. I wasn’t ready to receive Spirit’s messages on my own, but Spirit sent them anyway—through fellow students, kind strangers, and sacred moments of stillness.

Mediumship didn’t just help me speak with Spirit. It helped me hear myself. As I healed, I found myself guiding others. And with each person I helped, something within me mended further. Healing became a shared journey—one Spirit orchestrated with grace.

🖊️ Journal Prompt:
Where have you felt most like yourself? What places—or practices—help you come home to you?

You Don’t Have to Know the Why

If you’re grieving—whether someone beloved or someone complicated, a job, a friendship, or an old version of yourself—know this: your grief can be a spiritual threshold. You don’t need to know the why. Just follow the pull. The heart often knows before the mind understands.

Explore what calls to you. Meditation, journaling, classes, nature, silence—it all matters. Spirit speaks through your curiosity. Nothing is wasted. Even detours are sacred.

🖊️ Journal Prompt:
What are you drawn to right now, even if you don’t understand why? What might happen if you trusted that nudge?

You Are Not Behind

I tried to rush it. I wanted to “be there” already. But Spirit had a different timeline. Awakening isn’t linear. It unfolds in waves. Trust that you’re right on time.

Even when you’re lost, even when you question everything—you’re not alone. Spirit is always walking with you, offering glimpses of light, even on the heaviest days.

🖊️ Journal Prompt:
Where in your life do you feel behind? What might shift if you trusted Spirit’s timing instead?

Let the Journey Be Yours

The end of something doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It means you are being reshaped. You are allowed to grieve, to rest, to rediscover. You are allowed to grow beyond what others imagined for you.

Let each ending carry you to a new beginning. Trust that your soul already knows the way.

🖊️ Journal Prompt:
What new beginning might be waiting quietly beneath your current ending?