Collective Reality

by Pamela Hope DeLuca-Price -

The human being is defined by the fact that he/she is endowed with conscious mind, but this consciousness only truly manifests when his/her sensibility is awakened to the notions of the collective, of universality. 

This faculty allows one to enter into the heart and soul of others, to the extent that when he/she causes them to suffer, he himself or she herself experiences the pain inflicted on them.

One begins to understand that everything you do to others, both good and bad, you do to yourself. To all appearances of course, each of us is distinct and separate from everyone else. 

In reality, a part of us is connected to the collective and lives in all creatures throughout the cosmos.

Once this collective consciousness is awakened in you, you will sense in your relations with others that everything – your thoughts, feelings, words and actions – comes back to you like an echo, because your being which extends throughout the universe has become a collective entity. 

This is brotherhood in the true sense.

pamelahope.isagenix.com

The Interspiritual Revolution

by Rory McEntee and Adam Bucko -

“We must all achieve our identity on the basis of a radical authenticity… [for] it is only in the real world of the person – neither singular nor plural – that the crucial factors influencing the course of the universe are at work.”  – Raimundo Panikkar, “The Silence of God,” Introduction p. xviii

RE-ENVISIONING SPIRITUALITY

There can be little doubt that traditional religious frameworks are no longer speaking to new generations as they have in the past, especially in the West. 

In a recent article in the LA Times, Philip Clayton, Dean of Faculty at Claremont School of Theology, writes that the fastest growing religious group in the United States is “spiritual but not religious,” containing a shocking 75 percent of Americans between the ages of 18 and 29.

Clayton argues that young people are not necessarily rejecting a sense of God, rather they feel that religious organizations are too concerned with money and power, too focused on rules and too involved in the structures of the political status quo.

This is why the Interspiritual Revolution is so important. 

In a recent book of magnificent scope, “The Coming Interspiritual Age” (Namaste Publishing 2013), Dr. Kurt Johnson, a former Anglican monk and evolutionary biologist, together with David Robert Ord, trace the history of the interspiritual movement from no less than the Big Bang. 

They explore this unfolding extensively from an integral and evolutionary perspective, bringing together the world’s religious traditions, developmental history and current scientific understandings of anthropology, human cognitive development, brain/mind and scientific consciousness studies.

They make a powerful argument for seeing the history of the world’s spiritual and religious traditions as one movement, all contributing to the maturation of our species.

Mystical Spirituality

Brother Wayne Teasdale, a lay Catholic monk who was ordained as a Christian sannyassi (a monk in the Hindu tradition), coined the term interspirituality in his book “The Mystic Heart: Discovering a Universal Spirituality in the World’s Religions” (New World Library, 1999). In it, Brother Wayne said:

"The religion of humankind can be said to be spirituality itself, because mystical spirituality is the origin of all the religions. If this is so, and I believe it is, we might say that interspirituality — the sharing of ultimate experiences across traditions — is the religion of the third millennium. Interspirituality is the foundation that can prepare the way for a planet-wide enlightened culture..."

We believe this understanding of Interspirituality, as a reciprocal sharing of realizations and contemplative gifts, in which each person’s insights help to affirm, deepen, and direct the other’s journey, is a framework that can be embraced by a new generation of spiritually hungry youth, while also allowing for inter-generational bridges to be built between elders, wisdom traditions and the youth. 

We call this process spiritual democracy, putting aside our egos and relating to each other in a way in which we can be surprised by the Divine, through which wisdom can come through everyone participating and God emerges as the “between” between friends. 

Interspirituality leads us to the God that is emerging among us, while naturally allowing us to touch the God within and beyond.

Willing to Quest

The truth is there is a revolution happening among us. People are waking up to the emptiness of their consumer-driven and materialistic worlds, and are beginning to re-evaluate what matters. 

The Occupy movement, the Arab Spring, the recent protests in India over the rape and treatment of women – these are but early manifestations of something deeper emerging in our collective Soul. 

Young people are no longer interested in living in a world that doesn’t feel like their soul’s home, and they are willing to question the way things have been done in the past.

It is to this questioning, this questing, that we believe Interspirituality has so much to offer, and can speak to the younger generation in a way that nothing else can.

In order for interspirituality to play this potent role, however, we must be careful in how we come to understand it, what it means and what it has to offer. There is a subtle danger in allowing interspirituality to be defined by an amorphous “oneness.” 

An overemphasis on this can lead to an assumption that the varying experiences of “oneness” are the same (leaving aside for now the sticky question of whether or not this is actually the case), while at the same time implying, perhaps even unconsciously, that an experience of “oneness” is needed for a seat at the Interspiritual table. 

While the unity of the human race must be championed tirelessly by Interspirituality, we must also leave ample room for the messy complexity, the blood and marrow, that diversity demands. 

We explore the deeper contemplative dimension of this interspiritual movement in our manifesto, “New Monasticism: An Interspiritual Manifesto for Contemplative Life in the 21st Century,” as well as the sacred activist side in “Occupy Spirituality: A Radical Vision for a New Generation” (forthcoming, North Atlantic Books, Adam Bucko and Matthew Fox).

We must also acknowledge different ways of being interspiritual. 

One may have a solid grounding in one tradition, and from this foundational point reach out to experience and understand the wisdom of other traditions.

This has been the way of many of the founders of the Interspiritual movement, such as Father Bede Griffiths and Brother Wayne Teasdale. One may also go the way of “multiple belonging” by fully immersing oneself in multiple traditions, such as Lex Hixon, also known as Shaykh Nur al-Jerrahi, did. 

This way is eloquently described by Matthew Wright, an Episcopal priest and practicing dervish, in “Reshaping Religion: Interspirituality and Multiple Religious Belonging.” 

There is yet a third way, in which one’s primary path is one’s inner guidance, what George Fox, founder of the Quakers, called one’s “inner teacher,” and what Christians have often referred to as the “guidance of the Holy Spirit.” 

Its emphasis lies on the relationship aspect of the Ultimate Mystery. 

This way may not lead to being embedded in a particular wisdom tradition (without eliminating this possibility), but instead to taking on, in a mature and disciplined way, differing teachers, practices and service roles throughout one’s lifetime, under the guidance of the Spirit.

Following One's Own Inner Light

Too often this third way has been described as being selfish, flaky, a spiritual “Esperanto,” or arising out of an inability to commit. In fact of matter, it is all about commitment. 

It is about fidelity to one’s own path, to the inner impulse that arises within us, and the courage to commit to it with all of one’s being, allowing ourselves the freedom of movement that it demands. 

It shifts us from a reliance on gurus, dogmas and institutions to following one’s own inner light.

It is not freedom for the sake of freedom, it has a purpose. 

It is the newest and yet most ancient way, as it is the origin of all the world’s wisdom traditions.

Our traditions and elders must come to recognize this impulse in the youth, not as a selfish reliance on one’s “self,” but as nothing less than the breath of the Holy Spirit, opening up possibilities for new structures and understandings to emerge. 

To fail to do so we fear is to relegate themselves to the dustbin of history, making the human race poorer from the failure to pass on the very real wisdom their traditions have safeguarded and passed down for centuries.

Yet, it is unequivocal that a purely subjective guidance tends to be dangerous, as all authentic traditions have attested to. 

This is why we need communities where we can help each other to discern what is authentic and facilitate the immersion into spirit. 

This is why we need our spiritual elders and we need our wisdom traditions to give us guidance, but we also need a new way to pass down their accumulated wisdom.

Entering into Interspirituality

Interspirituality is about entering into a divine milieu, where... 

“things are transfigured… but in this incandescence they retain – this is not strong enough, they exalt – all that is most specific in their attributes” (Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, The Divine Milieu).

It is about the uniqueness of the human race itself, and for this to ultimately be discovered in full it needs each of our individual experiences of Life at its lived depths and revelations. It is then through the sharing of these gifts that a new fullness, a new understanding, can emerge. 

What is true for us individually is true for our religious traditions as well. Each religion, we believe, offers a unique way into the Ultimate Mystery and unique fruits, as does each individual journey. 

We are ready to move into a unity that is full, that welcomes all textures, where the Buddha’s equanimity complements Christ’s radical love in action, and where the Hebrew prophetic outrage can be merged with the incarnate spirituality of the prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and the timeless revelations of the Hindu sages.

For it is here, among us, that the Kingdom of Heaven which Jesus spoke of so intimately lies, waiting to be discovered through our intimacy with one another. 

It is here that our unity as a human race lies, and Interspirituality is dedicated to its discovery. 

This movement will lead to new structures, new narratives and new forms that live in communities which are cells of a new world; cells connected in networks of friendships, and one day this emerging web of contemplative being and acting will become a center for all of life, not because someone imposes it or lobbies for it, but because Life attracts more life.

This is the revolution, the Interspiritual Revolution. Come, join us…

To explore the Interspiritual Movement please see the extensive Interspiritual Ezine

Occupy Spirituality: A Radical Vision for a New Generation

Interspiritual Ezine

new-monastics.com
adambucko.com

upliftconnect.com

Combining Co-Creation and Collective Intelligence

Why combining co-creation and collective intelligence?

It is a common trend to be in favour of open innovation and co-creation. We have all heard about the wisdom of crowds, bringing the outside in, and we all believe in "none of us is as smart as all of us”.

Collective wisdom considers “multiple opinions and forms of intelligence. Wisdom in groups is demonstrated by insight, good sense, clarity, objectivity and discernment rooted in deep caring and compassion”. We connect on political, social and economic strategies and understand psychological, spiritual and cultural roots.

Co-creating and collective intelligence/wisdom are forming hybrid forces, a calling to reclaim the participation of people in groups as positive, useful, healing and life affirming. We alter the way that we see the world in order to solve problems together.

It is a fact that humans today love to participate in problem-solving online, to have a voice and to express themselves, to be a part of the story-telling of new media and to be a part of the collective intelligence process.

The cultural, economic and political changes brought on by online intelligence sharing, via different media, have been truly amazing and reflect extraordinary cultural shifts in the 21st century. There is a huge opportunity out of there, people feel right to collaborate to solve higher issues, higher order of problems or matters.

Enabling is one thing, participating quite another. Mass dialogue just does not simply happen. There are many reasons why people feel restrained to freely engage and exchange ideas. Tech by itself will not overcome these obstacles.

Captivating your audience requires purpose, encouragement and reciprocity.

We need to create a context for mass dialogue and co-creation, unleashing the tacit knowledge and passion of people around brands, products and organizations.

What is co-creation, really, and how do you do it right? 

Co-creation is a system where ideas are shared and repeatedly fed back through groups of specially chosen individuals. They filter, refine and evolve those ideas.

Co-creation involves working on new product and service ideas together with the customers who are going to buy them. We are all customers and we all use products/services that are good but that can be improved with our precious advices of whom spend more time on using them than their inventors or creators.

Lots of people, even experts and technicians, know how to improve products, they know the answers to simple questions or questions that have been asked before but when the questions are new and more complicated individuals tend to have hunches rather than answers.

They know part of the answer but not all of it. Bring enough people with hunches together and collectively they will be able to work out the answer. Co-creation is the way, a win win solution for companies and customers or simplier, for people.

That's it. Simple. But not easy.

Collective intelligence and the modern technologies are not enough to establish a new way of working and make things happen.

The collective intelligence concepts are out there since a century and internet since 30 years and only few good examples of right implementation of this powerful force, such as Wikipedia to mention one.

Co-creation is the way, the path to bring the collective intelligence and the collective wisdom to real and practical applications of the society, using the real engine of progress, the people and company entrepreneurship.

--Roberto

co-creation.blogspot.com

The Quantum Heart of Humanity and the New Earth Meme

by Tomas of New Earth Project -

A meme is “an idea, behavior or style that spreads from person to person within a culture.” en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meme

“Ubuntu is very difficult to render into a Western language. It speaks to the very essence of being human. When you want to give high praise to someone we say, “Yu, u Nobuntu”; he or she has Ubuntu. This means that they are generous, hospitable, friendly, caring and compassionate.  

They share what they have. It also means that my humanity is caught up, is inextricably bound up, in theirs. We belong in a bundle of life. We say, “a person is a person through other people.” I am human because I belong, I participate, and I share.  

A person with Ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good; for he or she has a proper self-assurance that comes with knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole and is diminished when others are humiliated or diminished, when others are tortured or oppressed or treated as if they were less than who they are.”  --Desmond Tutu from his book No Future without Forgiveness, 2009

This is a clear understanding of what it means to live in community with others and an increasing number of humans on the planet today agree with this. 

Moreover, many are now looking for ways to bring this into their daily reality and no longer want to engage with societal structures that stand in blatant contradiction to this meme.

The Quantum Heart

The quantum human heart is experienced by the individual person as the zero point field of existence. Without this personal experience of the singularity of existence, the quantum human heart is a mere concept. 

The world of concepts is left behind when the experience of singularity as the ground of being dawns in the individual’s inner perception.

The New Earth Meme

This means that all of the activities on the part of millions of individuals across the planet to join together within the New Earth meme need to be anchored by each of us in our own singularity experience.

The state that accompanies our awareness of the one being that we all are is free of all accumulated beliefs, preferences and cherished concepts. When we are grounded in this state, which is a state that exists prior to the arising of consciousness, we are in every moment without attachment to our previous experiences. 

This gives us the ability to be completely present with clear perception in the now moment, which is our only point of power.

The New Earth meme is thus the natural way to relate to all others, whom we recognize as our intimate kin within the grand family of humanity. Many of us also naturally perceive all other living beings, irrespective of their species, as being one with us.

The New Earth meme carries the potential for unlimited connectivity with all aspects of life on Earth and throughout all of existence. All human qualities such as love, compassion, understanding, service to others, excellence, integrity, sovereignty, etc., are aspects of this meme.

Sovereignty

Absolute sovereignty is the foundation of all other human qualities within this meme.

Once we realize existentially (not merely mentally and intellectually) that we alone are — and that there is no “other” that we can look to for truth and that each of us can only find our true identity by putting the light of our awareness on itself/ourself — then we merge with the source of our power, the heart of existence. 

This heart, which is the ultimate dimension, the supreme space and the light of truth is directly accessed within the quantum human heart of each individual, which is a quality of the quantum field.

Before this realization we are in a state of consciousness that is dependent on some outside factor that we believe has an absolute existence independent and separate from our own. 

Seen from this point of view we can understand that the New Earth meme is not a sociological or socio-cultural phenomenon but rather arises as the natural behavior of those who have realized their primordial identity within the heart of existence.

One Unifying Stream

Therefore the many streams of human consciousness that are flowing together into this one unifying stream (such as the streams of UBUNTU, conscious evolution, the Shift Network, oneness, Diksha, the One People, Fix The World Project, the New Earth Nation and so many others) are all vehicles for the arising of the New Earth meme. 

The stream of the New Earth Nation is allowing many other streams to merge together, because of its grand and all-encompassing design that was engineered for exactly this purpose.

Other streams are focusing on more specific areas of the meme, such as the Resonance Project or Ralph and Marsha Ring’s Blue Star Enterprise, to mention just two. Some conscious communities are forming that can be prototypes for others, such as the One People Community Aouchtam in Morocco that Alia and I are joining.

Millions on the planet are also individual streams of consciousness that are radiating out into their own circles of friends and relatives as teachers, healers and activists in many areas of society. 

Each of these streams as they align more and more with this meme, play an essential part in the manifestation of New Earth.

Some of these may remain relatively independent as they consolidate and mature within their own organic dynamic before they, too, in one form or another, join into the practical union with other streams.

It was my intention here to point out some of the dynamics of the manifestation of the deeper feeling tones of our planet that are forming the New Earth meme. 

One Planetary Community

We are in the process of sharpening our perception of these dynamics and thereby accelerating them. We are witnessing a non-linear, quantum progression of connectivity of that which is new in human consciousness. 

As we join together in a “communion of pioneering souls” as Barbara Marx Hubbard calls it, we are now forming the global covenant of fellowship of which Sacha Stone speaks. This is the foundation for all of humanity to join together as one planetary community. 

Yes, we are the ones we have been waiting for and we aren’t waiting any longer! We have been called to action. 

newearthblueprint.wordpress.com

new-earth-project.org

Experience the Planetary Shift on an Uptilt

by HeartMath -

A planetary shift is under way. Many sense this shift internally and we perceive that time is accelerating. It's hard to keep up. We're constantly bombarded by an ever-increasing number of choices. Emotions peak and ebb to extremes in the span of hours, even minutes. Uncertainty seems to be on the rise about our personal direction and the world's.

Amid the stress and chaos, concern mounts over climate change, rising oil prices, economic instability and global insecurity but people are coming together.

A momentum is building among those who want to give back to society and take care of each other and our planet. Social networking is bringing these people together and there is an energetic sparkle in the air and a sense of hope that something new will emerge.

Scientific research shows these flickers of hope are qualities of the heart and spirit.

The heart feelings of happiness, care and compassion are enhanced by:

• Spiritual practices like meditation and prayer that connect us to something greater than ourselves.
• Heart connection with others, close friendships within and outside the family.
• Gathering with others frequently for uplifting purposes: church, social causes, etc.

We call these actions that help nurture us emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually aspects of heart-based living. As the planetary shift continues and people experience greater stress, overstimulation, overload, stress-induced physical and mental health problems, the imperative to shift toward heart-based living increases.

As life's pace continues to accelerate, we'll be presented with even more choices and have less time to make them.

The good news is that when we approach our choices with sincere heart intent it's easier to access the energy required to shift quickly into the most beneficial mental and emotional states.

Incoherence — When a person feels stress, overwhelm, anxiety, uncertainty and fear, the heart is sending chaotic and incoherent signals to the brain/mind, triggering stressful responses.

The higher cortical functions are inhibited, meaning the heart and brain are out of alignment, so solutions to personal or world problems elude us.

Collectively, these negative emotions are registered in the heart and brain's electromagnetic fields, generating a global stress and incoherence wave that goes out to those around us and around the globe. Stress and incoherence are intensified by instant massmedia reports — the natural disasters, social upheaval, economic turmoil and more.

Coherence — When you feel genuine hope, care and compassion, your heart is sending harmonious and coherent signals to the brain/ mind, replacing feelings of separation with a sense of connection. The heart and brain are aligned and in sync.

The higher cortical functions are enhanced, facilitating objective, sober assessment and intuitive perception. You perceive more wholeness, and solutions to problems are more apparent.

Collectively, positive emotions such as hope, care, compassion and appreciation generate a global coherence wave whose electromagnet field goes out to those around us and across the globe.

Increasing heart alignment and focusing on heart-based living have the potential to create a global coherence wave to facilitate new solutions for the world's problems.

More than ever people need to understand the physiology of coherence that underlies heart-based principles and the science behind global coherence. Click here to learn more about global coherence and the Global Coherence Initiative.

Tips for Heart-Based Living

1. Increasing the textures of your experience: Positive feelings such as genuine care and appreciation add greater texture and richness to our lives: Sunsets are more beautiful, spring days feel fresher, and even food seems to taste better.
2. Practice genuine appreciation for everything in your life, especially anything you may take for granted. Increasing heartfelt positive emotions like care and appreciation helps you move through difficult times with greater ease, security and grace. When you're not aligned with your heart, the textures and richness of life can quickly diminish.
3. Practice care, not overcare, for yourself and others going through the shift: Ask yourself: Is my care producing or reducing stress? Be aware of how you feel about an issue at hand, place your focus in the heart area and breathe in a positive feeling or attitude. Be objective, as if the issue or problem is someone else's. Relax in the heart area and become neutral about the issue, allowing your heart intelligence to offer new perspectives and possibilities.
4. You can increase the potency of your care and intentions and the effectiveness of your choices and actions. Listening to what your heart prompts you to do can make your caring more effective. Excessive care, or overcare related to an issue or situation can create stress and negative emotions, so it is important for your care to be balanced.
5. Watch out for negative projections — the down slant: Negative projections actually are negative thoughts and feelings about you, someone else or the future. Say you're planning to meet someone with whom you have a hard time communicating. Instead of projecting judgment or anxiety, generate appreciation, care and calm. You'll enter the meeting with a more balanced and intuitive perspective.

More Ideas From HeartMath

• Read an in-depth discussion about care versus overcare and learn about HeartMath's stress-clearing tools and techniques in Transforming Anxiety, The HeartMath Solution for Overcoming Fear and Worry and Creating Serenity, by Doc Childre and Deborah Rozman.

• Heard about HeartMath's newest heart-based-living tools yet? You and people around the world can track your personal stress levels with our online Stress and Well-Being Survey™. It's free!

• HeartMath's scientifically developed and tested emWave® technology is helping people around the world monitor and manage stress levels, self-regulate emotions and increase personal coherence. Learn more about this highly effective and widely acclaimed technology at emWave® Pro for Mac and PC, emWave2 orInner Balance™ Trainer.

heartmath.org

Integral Activism in the Social Commons

by Duane Elgin -

Einstein said that if we cannot explain something simply, then we don't understand it. 

So, a core question is: 

What does 'integral' mean, in simple terms, for our world in transition -- in less than 400 pages of text and 20 hours of explanation?

Is there a simple, universal, emotionally powerful, 'integral narrative' that can be told? Or, is integral theory so divided by levels, quadrants, colors, stages, tiers and states that it is not possible to develop a simple narrative of the transformation it seeks to portray?

In a sentence, one integral narrative that I see is a collective shift now underway from thinking consciousness to an emerging reflective or witnessing consciousness. 

Specifically, humanity's immersion in a world of television and mass media is implicitly communicating a message that we can witness and observe what is happening virtually anywhere in the world. Now, with the Internet, we are discovering that, not only can we watch, we can also participate by making our voices and views heard in myriad ways. 

Although just emerging, a reflective or witnessing consciousness is visibly blossoming in the world. For example, with the Arab Spring and Occupy, we see solidarity among people around the world in a consciously shared sense of dignity and desire for democracy that transcends other differences.

From my perspective, the 'integral commons' is our shared consciousness, our collective consciousness. 

In turn, the primary vehicle for either awakening or distorting and hypnotizing our collective consciousness is the mass media. 

For the majority of humanity, television is our collective witness -- our vehicle for shared observing. 'The whole world IS watching!' In the U.S., we watch more than a billion hours of television a day! And TV time is not going down as Internet time goes up.

If we want to change the world, then it is vital that we: 

1st) change the dominant story in a way that includes the entire Earth and human family and
2nd) challenge the 'story machine' of mass media to tell stories of promise and opportunity. These are immensely difficult undertakings. 

Only an authentic challenge to the viability of the human species could provide the impetus for such changes--and that is exactly what we face today.

First, Change the Story: 

Virtually every forbidden topic imaginable has been covered on television, except for one. The last taboo on television is television itself -- and how it is profoundly biased toward high consumption lifestyles that the earth cannot sustain. In the U.S. the average person sees more than 25,000 commercials a year on TV. 

Commercials represent far more than a pitch for a particular product; they are also advertisements for the attitudes, values and lifestyles that surround the consumption of that product. Mass entertainment is being used to capture a mass audience that is then appealed to by mass advertising to promote mass consumption that, in turn, is devastating the Earth's biosphere.

By programming television for commercial success, the television industry is also programming the mindset of civilizations for ecological failure. This is a profoundly shallow view of our humanity and a recipe for ecological calamity. 

The "American Dream" that pulled the U.S. forward for at least three generations is fast becoming the world's nightmare as the excesses of consumerism produce climate disruption, the depletion of cheap oil, growing income disparities, and more. 

Instead of a different "dream," people want wide-awake visions of real possibilities told in ways that are believable and compelling. We face big challenges and it will take an equally big vision to transform conflict into cooperation and draw us into a promising future. 

The most difficult challenge facing humanity is not devising solutions to the energy crisis or climate crisis or population crisis; rather, it is bringing images and stories of the human journey into our collective awareness that empower us to look beyond a future of great adversity and to see a future of great opportunity.

Here are four of more than a dozen 'stories of great transition' that illuminate a promising future (more at GreatTransitionStories.org). 

These narratives are of universal concern, simple and relatively easy to understand, emotionally powerful and able to call forth our higher potentials and all involve a time of profound initiation and deep transformation.

STORIES OF GREAT TRANSITION

I. Humanity is Growing Up:  

Over tens of thousands of years, the human species has been learning and maturing. We have moved from our childhood as awakening hunter-gatherers to our late adolescence as a species on the edge of a planetary civilization. 

We are now moving collectively through a rite of passage, toward our early adulthood as a human community. 

II. A Global Brain is Awakening:  

An unprecedented revolution in global communications is underway, integrating powerful technologies ranging from wireless networks to Internet connections, cell-phones, televisions, and much more. 

Combined, these technologies are rapidly wiring the global brain and supporting the awakening of collective consciousness from a local to a global scale. 

III. Humanity is on a Heroic Journey:  

The Hero’s Journey has three, major stages: separation, initiation and return. 

Over the past 45,000 years or so, the human community has moved from a long stage of separation from nature and one another and we are now moving into a time of initiation, from which may come the insight to begin our journey of return to living in harmony with Earth, one another and the living universe. 

IV. Choosing Conscious Evolution:  

Consciousness is the knowing faculty. Our capacity for reflective or witnessing consciousness – to know that we know – enables us to take greater responsibility for our actions and their consequences. 

Unprecedented global crises are pressuring human consciousness to develop further, and we are poised to awaken to a collective knowing that we can choose consciously to evolve our capacities for living in harmony with the rest of life.

This is a rare moment in human history when we are beginning to develop, for the very first time, the "story of, by and for all of us." 

There may be no more important task for humanity than to cultivate narratives in our collective imagination that can serve as beacons for guiding us into a promising future.

Second, Change the Story Machine: 

Two different media dominate the world today -- television and the Internet – and these are quite different. Television provides programming that is shallow but has a reach that is very broad. The Internet provides stunning depth but has a reach that is generally very narrow. 

Individually, they have tremendous limitations. Together, they are powerful, synergistic tools of communication that connect the local with the global and back again. 

The Arab Spring and Occupy movements combined the immediacy and depth of first-hand experience captured on cell-phones in the streets that were then broadcast television audiences around the world. The depth of the Internet connected with the broad reach of television and supported an awakening in human dignity and democracy. These are not competing but highly synergistic forms of communication.

However, it is television that is most powerful in programming the mass mind of humanity. 

In turn, our mass mind is being programmed by the mass media for consumer success and evolutionary failure. Psychotherapists, meditation teachers, and psychologists recognize this incessant bias is producing a deep distortion in our collective sense of identity and personal responsibility, 

Therefore, one of the most powerful and important actions that an integral revolution could take is to 'call the game' in the mass media! 

Instead of turning off and turning away, it is to hold media that use our public airwaves accountable for serving the public "interest, convenience, and necessity." 

We could call upon the mass media to honor the profound importance of our mass mind in making choices at this pivotal time in human history. 

We could affirm that we are more than consumers to be entertained, we are citizens of an endangered Earth and civilization and we want to be informed and engaged in our common future. 

This is more than a matter of 'taste,' it is now a matter of survival and human necessity.

Nearly all of the world's problems are, at their core, communication problems. Therefore, the future of the world will depend largely on the quality and depth of human communication. 

I agree with Lester Brown, author of the respected State of the World book series, who said that to respond to the global ecological crisis, 

"The communications industry is the only instrument that has the capacity to educate on a scale that is needed and in the time available." 

At the heart of the communications industry is television. In the U.S. 98% of all homes have a TV set and the average person watches approximately four hours per day.

Television has become our primary window onto the world: most of the people get most of their news about the world from television. 

Like it or not, television has become the central nervous system of modern society. The question then becomes, how well is our "social brain" responding to the immense challenge of sustainability?

The unrelenting consumerist bias of television distorts our view of reality and social priorities, leaving us entertainment rich and knowledge poor. 

Television may be our window onto the world but the view it provides is cramped and narrow. Television may be the mirror in which we see ourselves as a society but the reflection it gives is often distorted and unbalanced. 

Our evolutionary intelligence is being tested by how well we use this powerful vehicle to communicate collectively about our future.

Most people understand that our planet is in trouble and that we will soon have to make dramatic changes in our manner of living, working and consuming if we are to live in harmony with the Earth. 

Never before in human history have so many people been called upon to make such sweeping changes in so little time.

If a problem recognized is a problem half-solved, then we can make an enormous leap forward by breaking the last taboo on television and taking back a portion of the public's airwaves for purposes of mature conversation about our common future.

For more on these and related themes, see my blogs on Huffington Post: huffingtonpost.com/duane-elgin

Editors' note: Also see the conversation between Duane Elgin and Terry Patten on Beyond Awakening.

About Author: Duane Elgin, MBA and MA, is an internationally recognized, visionary speaker and author. His books include: Voluntary Simplicity The Living Universe, Promise Ahead and Awakening Earth. In 2006, Duane received the international “Goi Peace Award” in recognition of his contribution to a global “vision, consciousness and lifestyle” that fosters a “more sustainable and spiritual culture.”

 DuaneElgin.com.
huffingtonpost.com

Collective Sentience

by George Pór -

An exploration into the next stage of human consciousness:

This contribution to the “Mindfulness and Compassion” conference is focused on where the moral compass of integral mindfulness points.

Being integrally mindful is about taking mindfulness off the meditation cushion and infusing all dimensions of our life with it; not only the life of you and me but also of collective entities, such as organizations, networks, nations.

If wisdom is “a discerning mental factor that clearly comprehends the causes, conditions, effects and implications of experiential process, content, behavior…” as Ron Purser suggests (Purser, 2014) then cultivating it at collective scales is a vital condition to our species’ evolution to the next level of consciousness.

That is a requisite for passing our evolutionary test to a planetary society guided by collective wisdom.

Only then we will be capable to meet our intertwining global crises caused by the pathological aspect of the previous stages of consciousness and their corresponding social structures.

Collective sentience builds on the Buddhist concept of sentience (characterized by matter, sensation, perception, mental formations and consciousness) and turns it into an attribute of groups and collective entities at any scale.

Humanity will become sentient when it develops collective sensing and meaning-making organs, collective intelligence and consciousness, which make it capable to care for the well-being and evolution of the species itself, its habitat, both the whole each part of it.

All for the Whole, the Whole for all.

blogofcollectiveintelligence.com

The Emerging Soul of Humanity

by William Meader -

WHEN LOOKING AT the current state of the world, it may seem that humanity is on a downward slope heading for disaster. Whether we consider the escalating crisis occurring in the Middle East, widespread famine in Africa or the destruction of the Brazilian rainforest, humanity seems to be at the precipice of global crisis.

How we move through this challenging period in history will, in large measure, determine the future for generations to come. We have entered into a stage of human evolution (as a species) where our fate will be determined, either in support of a promising future, or down the road to our eventual demise. Such is the fate of the times. 

Yet, it must be remembered that crisis is a prelude to all expansions of consciousness. 

This is true whether considering the consciousness of a human being, or that of humanity as a whole. At this time in history, the soul of humanity is emerging, and it does so through the challenge of world crisis.

To begin our discussion it must first be stated that, esoterically, humanity is considered a living entity in its own right. To some, this may be a strange idea. However, the singularity of humanity has been a notion held by many theologies and philosophies throughout history. 

Yet, what do we really mean by this expression? 

Usually it is in reference to the commonality of people lying beyond their racial and cultural differences. This is, of course, true. Whether considering people in primitive or advanced cultures, the commonness of being human is abundantly apparent. We all have the same basic needs and yearnings in life. 

In itself, this realization can bring us closer. However, humanity’s oneness is far deeper than this. 

Esoterically considered, humanity is viewed as a single life expression. It is not simply a collection of six billion human beings but is a being in and of itself. It too has a soul and a personality — a higher and lower consciousness. 

As individuals, we are not separate from the beingness of humanity but are cells of livingness within it.

To walk the spiritual path is to transform the lower-self (personality) so that it becomes a cooperative servant on behalf of the higher-self (soul). As anyone treading the path well knows, the transformation of the personality can be a difficult task. 

It requires that we face many shadowy issues residing within each of us. Tendencies such as greed, pride, fear and selfish motives are just a few of the many shadow elements that limit the soul from full expression in the outer world. 

Sometimes called the Dweller on the Threshold, the shadow holds us back from manifesting our spiritual potential. Indeed, the spiritual journey is governed by the need to purify oneself so that the soul is no longer obstructed by any taints within the personality. 

When this is fully achieved, enlightenment is a sure reward. The transformation of the Dweller on the Threshold is an inescapable requirement when individually walking the path. 

This principle is likewise true when we consider the transformation of humanity’s consciousness. Humanity has a soul, and it also has a dweller residing within its personality.

As a species, these shadowy features (within our collective consciousness) hold us back from our deeper potential. Indeed, humanity’s Dweller on the Threshold represents the greatest obstacle to our collective survival.

At this time in history, humanity’s dweller is revealing itself in a variety of ways. One need only look at world events to witness its ugly head rising.

For example, it is evident in the behavior of various governments as they wield power in support of national interests, often at the expense of international betterment. We see it in the rise of fundamentalism and orthodoxy (religious and social), as it sounds its separative and elitist note. 

Such are clear indications of humanity’s shadow, for the dweller is always governed by a separative stance. Humanity’s dweller is also seen in our relationship to the environment and our tendency to exploit it rather than preserve it. The dweller is shamelessly exposed within our economic policies, as well. This is indicated in our insatiable desire for economic expansion, while the wiser principle of sustainability is woefully overlooked.

These are just a few of the many examples of humanity’s Dweller on the Threshold. As we move further into the 21st century, these shadow elements are becoming increasingly visible to us. Ironically, this is the hope of the future, for the dweller can only be transformed when it is uncovered by the light of day.

As earlier stated, crisis is a precondition to spiritual transformation. This is true whether considering an individual striving to live according to his/her higher nature (soul), or humanity as it seeks to do the same. 

Both face the challenge of transforming the separative tendencies of consciousness so as to bring more of its soulful wisdom into outer expression. Most of the time, the shadow is hidden from view. It lurks behind the scenes and achieves its selfish objectives without calling attention to itself.

However, as crisis nears, the dweller begins to rise and be seen — a fact that is becoming increasingly apparent today. More than ever, we see humanity’s shadow rising in human affairs and all countries and theologies contribute to its expression. We witness it in shortsighted governmental agendas, religious fanaticism and the growing gulf between the wealthy and the poor. 

These are forces that promote separateness and all are manifestations of humanity’s shadowy dweller. Yet, as stressful as these things appear, they are not an indication that human civilization is coming to an end. Rather, they point to the fact that humanity has reached a door of transformational opportunity. 

Signpost for Change

To clearly see the shadow of humanity is evidence of our readiness to deal with it. In this regard, the shadow is a signpost pointing to the necessity of change and is therefore a welcome visitor.

The Soul of Humanity is poised to shine forth with greater radiance than at any time in history. As a living whole, humanity is on the brink of an opportunity to be radically transformed.

Simultaneous to the rise of our collective dweller, the Soul of Humanity is also emerging. This is evident in the many progressive and humanitarian initiatives that have appeared in the last few decades. 

For example: there is more humanitarian aid directed to third-world countries than at any time in the past; within the world of economics there is a growing movement toward socially responsible business practices; and the ecumenical movement in religions cycles, as well as the emergence and gradual maturation of the United Nations, all point to the Soul of Humanity and its growing influence in global affairs.

There are many additional indicators, as well. As the Soul of Humanity continues to appear, we shall see the rise of social movements that support greater unity among nations, religions and cultures. 

Indeed, our collective soul is slowly shaping human perception so that we increasingly recognize our fundamental oneness. It is from this realization that we must eventually base all of our actions — individually and collectively. This is the spiritual destiny of humanity.

The Dweller on the Threshold and the Soul of Humanity are appearing on the global stage at the same time. At first this may seem strange and unlikely. Yet, psychologically it is quite predictable. It is really no different than what occurs to an individual when s/he is faced with a spiritual crisis. 

There are times when our higher potential (consciousness of the soul) is inwardly recognized. As this realization grows, we simultaneously become aware of various personality (ego) tendencies that seem to prevent this potential from its full expression. 

In short, the more we see the light of the soul, the more we become aware of the shadow and its power to hold us back. Hence, greater light and greater darkness appear at the same time. 

Indeed, the light of the soul is what causes the shadow to be known.

It may be asked, what can individuals do to lend support to the Soul of Humanity, as it seeks to transform its dweller? 

There are actually several methods that can help. The most important is to live and work with a vision of unity and use this vision as a guide to all action.

Our collective soul is a force that unites. 

When an individual supports the unity of culture, religion, business, education and the arts, s/he is acting on behalf of humanity’s higher nature — its soul. It is a unity that emerges, not through conformity but through the honoring of human diversity. 

To support the Soul of Humanity requires that we live and express our own higher consciousness (individual soul) with greater love and wisdom. 

In truth, the individual soul is merely a cell within the Soul of Humanity. And, to live according to one’s higher consciousness is to be in alignment with this greater soul.

In this discussion, we have seen that crisis is an inevitable prelude to evolutionary progress. Crisis indicates that the soul and the dweller are standing face-to-face and a choice must be made. 

As our collective soul emerges, the hidden forces of opposition simultaneously rise in defiance. It is in the physics of consciousness that this must be so. The Soul of Humanity is seeking to infuse itself into the human condition. 

Its radiation has the power to create greater unity among nations, cultures and religions, as well as our relationship to the natural environment.

In truth, the challenge we face is a crisis of perception. 

It is a choice between perceiving the future with a commitment to greater unity and understanding or to fall back on the perceptual models of the past with their emphasis on separative achievement at the expense of the larger whole.

As of now, our decision to live according to the Soul of Humanity has not yet been made. Nonetheless, the larger trend of evolution suggests that eventually we shall. It is only a question of time. The crisis we see in the world is a blessing in disguise. 

We are seeing humanity’s dweller more clearly than ever before, and it is from this vision that right choice can be made. The Dweller on the Threshold is the gatekeeper to the spiritual realm. It stands at the threshold to greater light and love. 

As a species, it is we who must find the key that will transform the dweller. By so doing, humanity will pass beyond it and enter into the dawn of a golden age. This is the promise of the future, though it must clearly be earned.

spiritunited.com

edgemagazine.net