Centre For Change - Mass Media, Visualisation and Critical Mass

JOURNEY TO THE OCEAN AND BACK

The legacy of the great Lakota tribe of North America leaves us this one simple message: "Awanyanka Ina Maka, Wakanyeja Makah; Icaga Wakan Tanka". That is, "Protect Mother Earth, children of the earth; grow with the Great Spirit"
Each new day, like each new era, unfolds something new and exciting for us. Though an era comes much less frequently than a day, when one begins, a wonderfully unfamiliar door opens and major changes come quickly to the surface… Life's journey certainly takes us on the most fascinating roads
Life's grand highway has taken us to a place we've never been before. We have come to a point in our collective journey that is full of ripe opportunity - an unprecedented opportunity in more ways than one. To begin with, we must acknowledge that we are, for the first time, truly a global community. Secondly, with the maturing of the industrial era, this is the first time in our entire history that we have the technological means to produce abundance for everyone, everywhere on earth. Of course, the problem is that certain ways of thinking, all based on the perspective of separate, independent existences in an inert material world, keeps us from distributing our relatively new abundance in any fair or equitable way. Be that as it may, we are also in an unprecedented time because it marks the beginning of a widely acknowledged "common ground" between what was for a long time diametrically opposed to one another - Science & Spirituality.
For the first time in human history, we are able to speak about something the Centre for Change dialogue refers to as the "New Paradigm". This New Paradigm represents a common core experience and a common ground way of understanding our world. It is an experience of the Grand Unity and Ultimate Harmony of our world and our being. It is acknowledging that the Source and Ground of all material and energetic expression is an Infinite, Intelligent Wholeness of Being.
For millenia the mystics of old did what they could to draw our attention to this Infinite and Intelligent Core of our Common Being. They always urged us to sit and simply "BE" - and in the silent awareness they said we'd come to understand that all is One and in Perfect Harmony. To them, their meditation practice resulted in a direct experience of the Divine Itself. Meditation literally means "doing the wisdom". Experts in meditation - such as the great Vivekananda - have described their practice as the "Inner Science". This Inner Science, they say, always provides the proof to anyone practicing it that the Universal Self of Infinite Intelligence, of Infinite Love & Bliss, and of Infinite Creative Potential resides deep within the Heart of every one of us.
What makes our time so unique and ripe with tremendous opportunity is the fact that "External Science" has finally caught up with the much older Internal Science. It has been only in the past 40 years or so that modern physical science, building upon the works of Einstein, Planck, Heisenberg and others, has come around to say the same extraordinary statements resulting originally from the meta-physical practices of the mystics. Scientists are no longer hesitant to make similar pronouncements, especially in regard to the fundamental inter-relatedness and connectivity between all that exists. Particularly with the emergence of Holography Theory in the late 1950s and early 1960s, we have had increasing and compelling evidence that our world, on every level, is largely, if not exactly as the mystic has seen it all along.
The two guiding principles of Holography Theory are these: (1) The information of the Whole is contained in, or is accessible to, each part, while (2) Each part contributes to the information of the Whole. This was an incredible discovery made first through the interaction of the coherent waves of laser beams. These two primary principles are evident in many phenomena, including genetics, the make-up of the brain and the process of memory, the constitution of our eyes, and the production of optical images. These principles of holography are perhaps most remarkably found in the interaction of the two most basic energy bundles or particles that make up our world - the positron and the electron. It appears that an infinite number of positrons interact with manifested electrons from the Vacuum Space of sub-atomic matter, a space sometimes referred to as the "void" but which is, more accurately, the "plenum" from which all material entities are created. It may well be that the interacting patterns of positron-electron pairs provide the underlying mechanism explaining the holographic nature of all that exists. This is truly exciting stuff, I think anyone would agree!
The Infinite Unity and Ultimate Harmony of our being are experienced in many ways. However, besides the ways of "internal" and "external" science, there is one other way we need to fully appreciate, especially in our day and age. This is the way of Nature. The wisdom gained from physical and metaphysical science is readily accessible to us all through a simple appreciation and deep observation of Nature. In Her magnificent ways, Nature displays the Wisdom enfolded within each of us, which seems to make sense, seeing that everything in Nature, including we human beings, comes from the same One Source. Even such a non-naturalistic religion as conventional Christianity, in the voice of the apostle Paul, could not deny the Wisdom in the Way of Nature. In the book of Romans Paul exclaims - "God's invisible qualities - His eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made."
It is always a pleasure to gaze out at a massive mountain range or at the countless stars on a calm night and to be reminded of Life's sheer immensity. When we watch Nature's creatures we see a wonderful inter-play of energies, whether it is a benign tumbling of pups or even a fierce but graceful battle to the death. It does not matter, for it all begins and ends in Ultimate, Perfect Harmony and an amazing Co-operation of Being.
Even the more mundane activities, such as the intake and elimination of food and air, should always remind us of our connectedness to the Totality of Being. We literally take in and release the earth and the sky all of the time. Yet, in our modern ways, we are psychologically far-removed from such simple but amazing facts. There is an insidious danger to indulging in so many of our modern conveniences and living largely out of touch with Nature.
Nature, like our internal and external sciences, teaches us the ultimate inter-relatedness and inter-dependence of all that exists. Similarly, She shows us that the health of the individual depends on that of the environment, and the health of the environment depends, to a great extent, on the health of its individuals. Never before have we had so many disturbing reminders of this basic fact. In addition to this grand inter-dependence, from the many kinds of unfolding seeds displayed in Nature, we learn that every being starts from a tremendous concentration of life-energy and enfolded information. Nature shows us that it is our greatest purpose to unfold this splendid energy and infinite information in the most creative and intelligent of ways.
Regardless of which "method" we prefer - whether through the Internal Science of meditation, the External Science of physics, or from deep observation of Nature, we recognize a number of very fundamental, all-pervasive, and undeniable facts of our existence. These fundamental facts are what I enjoy referring to as the Universal Truths of our Being, or the ultimate realities of our Whole Nature. By attempting to express, through language, the more "raw" experience of our Whole Being, we employ the rational tools of our brain and give birth to very important representational concepts. These are linguistic expressions of our otherwise perceived Universal Truths. I believe the best examples are, of course, Unity (or the Grand Inter-connectedness and Inter-relatedness of Being), and Harmony (or the Grand Inter-dependence and Ultimate Co-operation of Being), and Growth (or Creative Evolution), and, very importantly, Compassion, which is a deep affinity with all other beings that allows us to openly share the suffering and the joy of being alive. These are, I believe, the greatest healing thoughts that could ever enter our Mind. Constant conscious attention to these Great Thoughts, and others like them, keeps the heart open to love purely and unconditionally.
In light of the Truth of our Being, we must teach our young to brilliantly shine, reflecting the Pure Light of the Whole, or Holy One. We may begin by creating ways to facilitate their more direct experiences of this Common Ground Wholeness of Being, through such ageless activities as meditation, yoga, t'ai chi, hiking, communal music, and ecstatic dance. I believe we also need to provide them with a more formal as well as more fun education on the Universal Truths and related Principles - those guiding Principles of Life that serve as an effective bridge between the more direct and highly subjective experience of Wholeness and the more mediated, interpersonal expressions of our Whole Being. To assist in the establishment of a formal system of universal spirituality education is what I consider to be my greatest purpose in this life.
Indeed, as individuals who have finally woken up to the ultimate Truth of our Being, we now recognize our responsibility to the rest of humanity. We must first back up our confidence in this Truth by allowing others the opportunity to share in Its Brilliance - that is, to experience It directly for themselves, as well as to demonstrate Its Truth through the best of rational arguments and scientific evidence. We need to make the Truths and their practical implications attractive to as many people as we may possibly reach. We need to know this Truth well within ourselves so that the quality of our expressions creates a deep and profound impact within a single individual. We need to know this Truth well within ourselves so that the power of Its expression builds the Critical Mass through sheer numbers of individuals as well.
Let's not fool ourselves! What we are talking about here is a major revolution in Consciousness, and along with this, a revolution in society. Certainly, we are to approach this revolutionary call in a way that reflects the Wisdom and Intelligence of our Whole Nature. This Intelligence assures us that, as a species, we are evolving toward the desired critical mass in spite of all the selfish divisiveness that has perpetuated through the centuries. There are many among us "awakened" ones, however, that believe time may be running out, that the destructive consequences of living from a narrow and fragmented consciousness are soon taking us to the brink of massive annihilation. This is the more "preventive" aim of our work, which goes along with the positive aim of helping people to live more fulfilling lives. Therefore, we are to act swiftly and mindfully. We are to completely absorb ourselves in the Truth of Wholeness and then, armed with Its Invincible Power, just keep thinking about It, just keep writing about It, and just keep talking about It, and let everything we create come from It. The more we do this, the more we accelerate the natural evolution of humankind - this is what we mean by revolution - intelligently accelerating our evolution through concentrated and very conscious acts of creativity. The more we concentrate our individual and collective energies in the service of Whole Consciousness, the more we stimulate the growth of our Critical Mass.
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The mystics have always believed that the concentrated thinking of just five good thoughts has more power to produce change than entire social movements. This idea is now backed by science through the likes of Rupert Sheldrake who has many times demonstrated the process of "morphic resonance". This is the idea that the more a certain pattern of mind or behavior is repeated within a small group of individuals, the easier this pattern is reproduced within other individuals, and the faster the information is shared. This is why we call our Common Ground Perspective the New "Paradigm" - the word "paradigm literally means a "pattern" that is re-presented over and over again. Many of us believe that through the process of morphic resonance we are accelerating a development of our New Paradigm feelings and concepts deep within the minds of all other people. We are building up the formation of these ideas within our Collective Unconscious, and very soon vast numbers of people will be openly talking about the ultimate nature of Unity and the need for greater Harmony.
On top of this sub-conscious , underGround movement of mind, in a more conscious and deliberate manner, we are ready to share and make popular the New Paradigm knowledge. Never in the past has humanity been able to spread the Truth of our Unified, Whole Being to enough people to make a true difference worldwide. This is where we are, once again, unique in the stages of history. We now have the chance to seize the opportunities afforded us by mass communication and information technology and speed up the formation of a Critical Mass unlike ever before. We are doing just that with our international dialogue that has begun earlier this year between CFC members. When we combine our creative networking of New Paradigm Ideas along with the growing resonance of these Ideas within our Collective Unconscious, we are well on our way to surpass any such "movements" made in history. There is nothing more important for we "bodhisattvas" - enlightened ones - to do. Our work will involve a Force that will someday overwhelm the momentum of the Old Paradigm ways currently keeping our world out of balance. The magnitude of the Truth of an Infinite Wholeness that unites us provides the greater mass of our movement, and our collective and concentrated efforts will provide enough acceleration to someday stop the momentum of the fragmented mindset and reverse its trends. We will build a true Unity and Harmony within ourselves and within society. But first, we need to have enough individuals understand the Whole Nature of our Being.
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We must remember that we are each a unique reflection of the One Great Whole. We are each an enfolded embodiment of the Uni-verse - a special "verse" or version of the Infinite "Uni" or One. The basic facts of our Greater Being are What we Truly Are. To heal ourselves and to heal our world, we must strive to constantly reflect our Ultimate Reality in everything we think, say, and do. To be divisive, destructive, unaccommodating, or uncaring is attempting to be something we truly are are NOT, which only naturally results in some degree of suffering or pain. Ultimately, we ARE Unity; ultimately, we ARE Harmony; ultimately, we ARE Creative Change and Growth; and ultimately, we ARE the pure energy of Love. Our aim is to free ourselves from self-imposed limits and ego-dominated thinking; we are happiest when we consciously choose to BE our Ultimate Reality. When we have done this, we have successfully integrated our ego-selves with our Common Universal Self. This allows our consciousness to expand enough in order to become motivated by that which serves the Common Good, and not be motivated primarily by an imbalanced self-interest that is out of touch with Universal Consciousness.
In the Light of our Universal Consciousness and from the Power inherent in our Whole Being, we are able to re-create every major aspect of society. We need to show people that there are more or less limited and more or less effective ways to serve our intended purposes. If we can show them that our current "old paradigm" ways are severely limited and relatively ineffective for the creation of the Common Good, we can, in turn, demonstrate to them the relatively fair and effective ways that our New Paradigm may serve our Common Good. We must remind them that when our economic, political, educational, and religious systems genuinely reflect our Greatest Truths, they will more effectively serve the welfare of everyone, and not just the so-called "privileged" minority. They, that is we, will all learn that the best way to serve the interest of the individual is through serving the highest interests of the Common Good...
...I have spent my time in frivolous fun on the beaches of life. I came to realize there is something deeper, something more mysterious and intriguing... I then allowed myself to enter fully into the Infinite Ocean of Being. Once there, it is tempting to stay put and never return to the shore, only to get your feet dirty upon the soiled sands of society. However, we must not allow the Ocean to hold us and carry us away. It is beautiful, unlike any experience we will ever have. We now know that it is our duty, our calling, to carry the Ocean within ourselves. We will present Its Infinite Love and Its Playful Openness and Its Truth to everything and every being we encounter. With the Ocean within us, we will create a new world.