The Fireworks Effect The Fireworks Effect = Mistaking the possible side effects of a spiritual awakening (bliss, joy, kundalini, extreme constipation, butterflies in the stomach, spontaneous combustion, etc.) for the awakening itself. Awakening to your true nature or an aspect of it is just a simple recognition. Nothing has changed in your experience; you have only discovered something which is already the case. Your reaction to that simple recognition is unique for every individual. That is why all of the spiritual teachers' stories about their awakenings are so diverse.  Beware of the Fireworks Effect. Be careful not to waste your time looking for a fleeting experience, expecting that that is the awakening. Many people fall into this trap and use meditation to waste decades of their life trying to relive brief moments of fireworks. Your true nature is not a fleeting experience. It is that which knows all fleeting experience. And that is about as subtle as it gets.  Cheers!