The Global Awakening
by Starcat

There is a global awakening going on, echoes of which can increasingly be heard around the edges of the mainstream media, and in full force on the Internet – on websites, blogs, and social media. Along with very practical concerns about renewable energy, organic food, and fresh drinking water, we as a people are beginning to wake up to our own deep inner passions. Many people are finding an all-work, no-play, corporate consumer lifestyle to be empty and depressing. We are seeking something more.

Along with the economic, philosophical, and ecological motivations of the movements toward local food, homeschooling, and simplifying our lives comes another urge. We long for a true sense of community, for time to spend with our family and friends, and for authentic outlets for our creativity. Many people, instead of or perhaps mixed with fears about the future, find hope and joy to be powerful goals in themselves. Letting go of the fixation on making more money and buying more goods, we discover happiness in things that remind us of earlier times in our collective history: tending a garden, sitting around a fire with loved ones, making a home-cooked meal, or reading for pleasure.

Astrologer Rob Brezsny says that the “end times” we are so concerned about are happening at the same time as our building of a new, more conscious society. Brezsny writes: “The apocalypse is happening in slow motion. It has been going on for decades and it will continue to unfold for many years. Sudden, sensational punctuations arise now and then to expedite it, but for the most part it ferments continuously in the background. Most days bring no emergency that is beyond our capacity to bear, but the cumulative effects of the transfigurations that relentlessly weave themselves into our lives have turned every one of us into towering heroes whose courageous endurance dwarfs the valor of all humans who have come before us.” Many spiritual teachers tell us to put our focus on what we want, rather than what is wrong or broken. Despite the doom and gloom of the daily news cycle, many of us are doing just that.

By turning toward our local communities, our loved ones, our homes, and our inner landscapes, the effects of our personal choices ripple outward to affect the whole. Recall Margaret Mead’s famous quote, “A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” For each one of us who chooses to walk away from something we feel is unhealthy for us – whether it’s processed food, a long commute, or self-loathing – there is a cumulative effect on our society. Every dollar spent at a farmer’s market doesn’t go to a corporate conglomerate. Each kind act to a neighbor inspires them to pay it forward. Each person who chooses to meditate rather than gossip helps to raise our collective vibration. Open your eyes and take a look around. You might be surprised by just how many of your fellow humans are awakening to love and creating a positive future for all of us.