Waking up comes from disturbance, loss, grief, hardship, introspection, and a life that was raised up with the idea and belief and faith in God. Ignoring the need of the soul, our conscience, so to speak, will not allow awakening, in my opinion. Mere intellectualism will not cut it, knowledge will not cut it, not as long as the industry of the devil has power over most minds, there is too much distraction that puts a man back to sleep. Which is why the only thing that will save a man for awakening must be disruptive, harsh, and like a slap in the face, cold water in the face, and light, lots of light. One of the hardest disciplines is remaining awake, and yet spreading the gospel with love. A man must die to the flesh and awaken to the spirit, which is why fasting was practiced and is still practiced, as a way of prayer and contemplation. Try doing something that is not mechanical, if you are right handed, eat with your left hand, do something consciously, push yourself, because even those who think they are awake are still on auto pilot in their everyday life. I no longer study Gurdjieff, I left that study for religious study, but I found his teachings to have many truths to it. Some would call him dark, but I do not think so, his influence in my life taught me self observation, which was, in a way, the best thing I could have ever learned. If you have not yet asked Christ to come into your life, please do, we do not know when the time is, but live as if HIS return could be in the next hour. Faith will change your brain, and practicing it in prayer and reading scripture will make it stronger.