Awakening process: is the snake or the onion the better simile?

 After Awakening comes a shedding experience of sorts. The awakened seeker lives in a twilight zone, with one foot already in freedom and the other step still has to be taken. Layers of our conditioning and personality get disposed off. Some against our better judgement as we struggle with life, some voluntarily as realizations occur. The spiritual community loves comparing enlightenment with the peeling of an onion. We peel and peel until there is nothing but empty space. I prefer the comparison to the skinning of a snake. The old comes off to allow growth, but a new skin appears and the letting go process starts once again. Truth of the matter is that in this body the sky is the limit. No matter what height we may reach, there is still a higher dimension waiting for us.