By Dylan Charles, Editor Waking Times
Facing considerable political, economic, social and ecological crises, the human race is desperate for a transformation and a new direction. Business as usual ensures that we are doomed to run a course of half-conscious self-destruction, as man-made catastrophes multiply and stress mounts in every aspect of life. We must overthrow our ignorance, as it has become a fearful master, goading us into war, pollution, waste and exploitation.
The social problems and entrenched patterns at the source of global issues are too vast and complex to be solved at the personal level, yet, paradoxically, the personal transformation of the individual offers a lonesome opportunity to avert the catastrophes we are engineering for ourselves. Human consciousness has a critical role to play in our collective destiny and there is a seismic shift occurring here that is creating a rising class of conscious people better equipped than ever to deal with such a chaotic environment.
The shift. It is the dramatic re-ordering of one’s psyche, producing changes that greatly benefit the body, mind and spirit. It is marked by considerable expansion of awareness of the inner spaces of mind and heart, and of the inter-dependent nature of all things. It is a reconstruction of one’s life and purpose rebuilt on a foundation of truth, peace, strength and flexibility, and it is brought about by a laborious and sufferable process of reflection and self-realization. The end result of the shift is the experience of a new, world-centric perspective on life, the reclamation of mental and physical health, and the discovery of the strength, courage and fearlessness needed to wade through these interesting times.
Personal evolution is both the great duty and the great joy of all human beings and is a process of divine significance, frequently unfolding in overlapping stages and related developments. Here are 9 key components of the shift commonly experienced by evolving people, not necessarily occurring in a particular order.
1. Contemporary Consciousness – The mass consciousness of production, consumption, submission and nihilism is where the shift begins. This is the consensus trance that we have been programmed to accept as real life, while obediently serving our worst interests without examination or question. Contemporary consciousness is acquiescence to insanity for the sake of convenience. Breaking through contemporary consciousness is to strike the very root of our global dilemma. Numb, drugged, and senseless, this level of consciousness is a psychic plague blotting out our potential.
2. A Disturbance in the Force – Like a canary in a coal mine, a warning appears from somewhere, grabbing our attention, rattling our confidence, pulling us out of our tunnel vision. Some small piece of information gathered from the alternative press or from a documentary film eats at our understanding of how the world is set up, and the shift begins. This sets the stage for a deep and serious personal crises to erupt, and often engages a ferocious drive for knowledge and truth.
3. An Introspective Quest for Knowledge & Truth – Knowledge and information are the fuel for personal transformation. Once awakened, our natural draw towards truth and justice calls us to consider new ideas and outside perspectives as we search for a new bearing in a crumbling understanding of the world. Introspection reveals answers to never-before asked questions and the accompanying interest in ‘alternative’ information and ideas provides answers that profoundly contradict contemporary consciousness. Once this quest is initiated the world never again looks the same.
4. The Dark Night of the Soul – The disturbance begins to conflict with contemporary consciousness so severely that the amount of cognitive dissonance required to adhere to the status quo life manifests materially as serious personal mental and physical health crises. The foundation for this catastrophic and catalyzing series of events has been under construction for most of life up to this point, and as such, the mind, body and spirit can be forced to endure unimaginable lows as the entire sum and meaning of one’s existence is smashed and broken to pieces under the weight of one’s denial about their complicity in their own self-destruction.
This is the ultimate test. To pass it one must endure the pain to the ultimate degree, and simply not give up. For many, the dark night of the soul lasts for years, marking the most serious, frightening and life-changing phase of life. Succumbing to the suffering here means giving in to total annihilation and choosing the path of serious self-deceit, total submission to ego and to false authority, addiction, reckless endangerment of the self, suicide, overdose, etc.
5. Discovery of Real Medicine – Something helps us through this crisis by easing the pain of our suffering, gently re-building positive energy and providing sufficient distraction while the body and spirit begin to reclaim health. Medicine here is not pharmaceutical, but therapeutical, and can come in the form of an artistic endeavor or exercise, or better yet, an intense study of an esoteric healing physical art like Qi Gong, Yoga, Kung Fu, meditation, and so on. Medicine may also be found amongst healers, therapists, shaman, or even plant medicines like Ayahuasca and Iboga. Finding the activity or experience that nudges you away from the brink of destruction and towards healing is a critical component of the shift.
6. Purification and Detox – Along the quest for knowledge we discover the toxic nature of our processed and sedentary lifestyle and realize the need for detox and purification. Learning about fluoride, heavy metals, GMO’s and the poisons in our food reveals the link between our emotional state, stress levels, well-being and conscious awareness. A new relationship with food is developed and taking care of the body and health gradually becomes easier.
Our toxic environment also includes our social atmosphere and here we are compelled to tune out of mainstream media, conversation and logic, purging ourselves of the garbage that so many people consider important. Our consumption of mainline ideas is reduced and our mind regains a footing of independence in a sea of sensationalized conformity.
7. Re-thinking of Authority, Dependence and Liberty – As the detox pushes older versions of the self out of the way, rejuvenating the psyche, a new picture of the self emerges in a world that no longer looks anything like it did before. The designs of control and manipulation governing our social institutions and traditions are rightfully exposed as farcical constructs that deter our evolution, while modern politics and government are understood to be laughable traps of dependence and deceit and therefore no longer beneficial to positive growth. The people that invest their lives and identities in these schemes seem desperate and needy of purpose, fanatical and outrageously too certain and too serious about life.
Non-conformity and non-compliance become moral obligations and liberty is revalued to include freedom from living in the fear-based consciousness offered as the default way of life. Ordinary people seem strange now in how they self-organize into ridiculous pecking orders, squabbling for position at work and submitting to any ‘authority figure’ with a badge and cheap uniform. It becomes clear that freedom has less to do with laws and more to do with voluntary submission, and liberty becomes a constant struggle to decrease dependence on the systems that complicate life.
8. Letting Go of and Discarding that Which Does Not Serve – In order to move through the process of transformation, it is absolutely necessary to jettison the things, people, relationships, habits, and ideas which no longer serve and support us. Human beings energetically interact with the objects and people in our environment, and eliminating and purging sources of stagnant energy and negativity creates space for new experience and inspiration to enter and flow into life. This is one of the most renewing components in this transformation.
9. Initiation into Mystery – Material science and mainstream thought exclude forms of mystery and paranormal activity from consideration in our culture, therefore making an initiation into the world of the unexplainable a common feature of the shift. For some reason, as a person changes in this fashion, strange and fascinating events occur that chip away at the certainties that support consensus material reality. Synchronicities emerge and moments of clarity give greater meaning to the mundane. Awareness of the subtle life force energy, Qi or Prana, develops, and ancient modalities of thought and concentration elicit strangely powerful revelations. Once the veil of the rigid scientific mindset is pierced, intuition and curiosity flourish and one re-assesses the potential in all things and in all circumstances, abandoning certainty in favor of wonder. Life becomes at sacred, as it should be.
Conclusion
The shift is nothing short of total personal revolution, and signals the re-organization of the mind and psyche for the benefit of the individual and the collective. It is about remembering who we are and overcoming the momentous inertia of the self-destructive programming in our modern world.Coming to extra-ordinary consciousness and awareness from the depths of the contemporary trance that sickens so many people is a process compelled by both natural forces and personal will and is part of our unique journey towards individuation, freedom, and happiness in this amazing world, at this incredible time.
If you have anything of value to add to this list, please do so in the comments section below.
About the Author
Dylan Charles is a student and teacher of Shaolin Kung Fu, Tai Chi and Qi Gong, a practitioner of Yoga and Taoist esoteric arts, and an activist and idealist passionately engaged in the struggle for a more sustainable and just world for future generations. He is the editor of WakingTimes.com, the proprietor of OffgridOutpost.com, a grateful father and a man who seeks to enlighten others with the power of inspiring information and action. His remarkable journey of self-transformation is a testament to the power of the will and the persistence of the human spirit. He may be contacted at wakingtimes@gmail.com.
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