What arises
The underlying theme of my column has always been about change required for the quickening transformative times we find ourselves in. These are changes that today, come through crisis and force us to transform, not just individually, but as collective humanity. The present world situation, wrought by crisis, now gives us the push to evolve at maximum speed. The symbol of the new dark-skinned US president is a major milestone of these “apocalyptical times.” He stands at the helm of a world gone mad with a sick consciousness taken over by ego and materialism. Media brings to everyone the screaming images of poverty (how can a little three-year-old child in Congo fight for some biscuits to survive hunger?), wars, global warming and the environmental and societal issues it creates. While media attempts to document our world, it also tries to bring coverage of the counteractions being undertaken to help bring about some balance to these issues: new policies in governments, people spurred to action, heroes from the rank of the majority, business with a conscience through corporate social responsibility, new green technologies to solve the world’s problems-and exciting technologies that were just mere ideas a decade back (the world launch of holographic transfer image where CNN beamed the holographic image of a reporter located in another state into the CNN studios and seen by millions of viewers worldwide), are suddenly real.
The last decade seemed to be the period where transformation was about the Self, where majority of each of us were challenged to heal our individual issues that kept us from becoming whole and positive. Today, this trend takes a back step to allow center stage for humanity to collectively confront the bigger, more urgent world and planet issues.
It takes great discipline to watch what is arising around our world today and not get caught by it. It takes even a greater shift in our minds to try to connect all these exterior happenings to the fact that our collective minds are actually creating the emerging situations. The new scientific findings state that everything in our world is made of energy, including our thoughts. When more energy or intensity is brought into certain thoughts, these thoughts attract the situations (or people who bring about certain situation) into our lives
So which way do we go? There is a wise adage that says, “The faster the world goes, the more we should slow down and turn inward.” The worst the outer situation plays out, the more our heightened awareness should be triggered –– and we turn inward, to watch the going-ons of our mind. We don’t stay in the mind by thinking and analyzing, rather, we watch what arises from the mind. Then wisdom emerges when we move “out of the mind” and just watch it.
Our way of helping is by purging away the petty, selfish, egoistic, separatist side of us that always thinks of “me first” or “only me”. By shifting to living our lives from the highest, most loving and positive part of us is one of the greatest things we can do at this point in time. We can try to awaken and bring forth our individual lights to help brighten our sadly darkened world.
The Christian mind recognizes the period as the apocalyptical end times, the Hindus see one of the ages (the Kali Yuga) dying to move into the next age, Hebrew Kabbalist see the lifting of the veil of separation from the Light, while the Buddhist know that all this is maya or illusion being purged by Mind. Whichever spiritual, religious or philosophical thought one is inclined to take, it is clear that we cannot get caught up by the world. Rather, we can watch what arises in a conscious manner so actions can also be conscious. Our pro-action of bringing in more light, understanding, love and compassion makes us co-creators to the realities unfolding. We merge our individual light with the Greater Light of the Divine that needs to be grounded in our world through us.
But why should we choose to step back? Simple. If we don’t, we will get caught up and engulfed in the world. When we try to hone moment-to-moment awareness of body, emotions, and thoughts, we bring that awareness to daily life. When we pay attention, we are more in touch with thoughts and feelings as they arise in the moment, which is half the battle of resolving them. In other words, when we are able to identify that something is wrong, we can address that particular issue in the moment, rather than ignoring it and unleashing it later in some painful way. Watching what arises often signifies that we have shifted our perception from “my story” and “me” to a clearer realization that we are part of a much greater whole. It is now about “we”, together, in collaborative ways, with compassionate hearts that will slowly help heal the crisis in our world today. We are after all, our brother’s (and our planet’s) keeper.
(I will be hosting Inner Mind on TeleRadio on Nov. 23 with the topic on the new consciousness at 7:30 p.m., DZMM Radio 630.)
