When a mage becomes aware of magick & the supernatural qualities of the universe. The Arete goes from zero to one or higher & the mage can study magick. Called Enlightenment by Technocrats.
Initiates of the Art has Awakening info in chapter 1
In 1st edition Awakening was a more intellectual process. Often mages found potential mages before they Awakened. These apprentices would Awaken as a result of their magickal teaching, sometimes because of trauma. 2nd edition depicted Awakening as more emotional & often due to trauma. Pg. 14 Initiates of the Art: “The plain truth is that there is no one way to Awaken. It can happen to anyone, any time, and it is invariably unique to the individual.” “More often, the Awakening comes as a response to some soul-wrenching trauma or revelation.”