No More Fairy Tales

Andrew,

Thank you for your groundedness and sincerety regarding these issues. I believe that to awaking myself would be not an easy thing at all.

Tara

Thanks Andrew for that very honest perspective.

yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes YES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Let’s keep the conversation going and VOTE.

Hear hear Andrew!

Thank you so much for pointing out what is obvious to millions of people in the United States of America as well as millions (if not billions) of people all over the planet. The impending election of the President of the United States will have direct and profound implications and consequences for many individuals who may, or may not, be “enlightened.” These people may be caring for families, may be struggling to pay their bills, may be worried about the state of their communities, educational opportunities, job possibilities and a host of other “mundane” tasks of living in the material world. Enlightened leaders in the spiritual community need to understand that the lowest common denominator issues for human beings are the need for shelter, food and basic health and when these needs are not met, there is little to no possibility for spiritual development for large segments of the human population. As a society, we need to work in the material world to address the needs of those who are marginalized. Only then may we hope to raise the collective consciousness.

Thank you for being one of those spiritual leaders who hasn’t forgotten that we live in a material world and for your eloquence in speaking the truth about it.

Dear Andrew,

this is so refreshing! Incredibly simple and logical. And the undeniable truth that consciousness is not disconnected from human volition puts our efforts to evolve in real context. Fairy tales are for children and we have to grow up, now! so we can start to consciously take responsibilty for the whole process.
Thank you,
Katrin

It’s so true,

all of us that followed the evolutionary impulse or the spiritual impulse in life, and found the strength to question the mechanicistic view of reality of modernity, sooner or later had found themselves deeply lost in esotericism and dreamy representation of reality.

Dreaming of peace, of a new world made of the qualities we discovered in our spiritual journey. We’ve all become soft, far out and all but concrete people.

The work to integrate the discovery of consciousness with the reality of the world, moving us and culture ahead is ultimately challenging, but it’s the only movement that is meaningful for us post modern creatures especially if we take seriously the spiritual impulse, what it means and what it implicates.

Thank you Andrew! No more fairy tales!

Luca

Dear Andrew,
Thank you so much for this post! It’s so important for us to stand united in what is happening right now! And for our “new thinking” spiritual leaders to point this out to those of us who don’t always see so clearly. I recently read an article by Deepak Chopra called the “Obama and the Palin Effect” It was one of those viral emails that somehow lands in your box from out of nowhere. In the article Mr. Chopra wrote about why these two political figures have emerged at this time. What was striking was not only his perspective but that it was the first time that I had read an article by a “new thinking” spiritual leader on our current state of affairs. We are all quite used to the “christian right” voicing their views but what about our voices. Thank you for yours! I believe we are in new times.

This is great! The perfect antidote to the disempowering beliefs that we often buy into that something outside of us is going to be an agent for our own transformation. This couldn’t possibly be true if at the deepest level we are all one, then the only change that can happen is the one we bring about - ‘from the inside out’.

Thank you for such a powerful post and by adding clarity to the rational relationship between Consciousness and Culture.  The idea of an imminent external shift really highlights a deeply held postmodern mythic belief, that Consciousness and Culture are steadily moving forward and evolving outside of the awakening human’s intention and volition.  I frequently speak with a friend and client of mine who has a PhD from Princeton in Engineering and who I have taught weekend seminars with on Evolutionary Philosophy, and I can see that this fundamental assumption “that it is all happening anyway” or a “shift is occurring in consciousness” is basically underpinning our thinking.  When I start to question it, I begin to look like the guy who isn’t hopeful of a better future?  Somehow this assumption gets misconstrued as being optimistic about our collective future, but it’s actually quite the opposite because unless we make the effort to see through the “fairytale” and question our own thinking in regard to Consciousness and Culture we are ultimately waiting for God or someone else to create and ultimately take responsibility for the new world we all want. 

Jason

Fantastic! The need for transparency and tangible development is so obvious, no more hidden places where I `think’ I evolve!

As an European, Obama is very inspiring. I heard the Berlin speech and really gave me goosebumps! He was so powerful and transmitted such great care for the whole. It reminded me even of the speech president Churchill gave at the beginning of World War II (We Shall Fight on the Beaches). The same strength and conviction. If Obama will be a new leader, the values will definitely change; the victory of goodness and willingness to fight for a common goal. And this is something that we can demonstrate already!

Very realistic and inspiring because responsible!
Thanks a lot
Rosa Claire

So great to hear the profound nature of consciousness declared so powerfully, so simply, and so timely!
Lets run it in the NY Times and the Wall Street Journal.

So clear, so strong, many thanks.

Yes, consciousness is our innermost self - not as I used to think that “the universe” did this or that.  By facing everything and avoiding nothing and by making astute observations, we can choose and take action from that deepest level of ourselves.  There has never been a better time than now for becoming this responsible.  Thank you for your clarity; it has boosted my courage and resolve.

What a blog!  Awakening to the heart of the universe and voting for Obama will change everything for billions of Souls.  Thank you Andrew, for your clarity and integrity in relationship to the time we live in. 

F A N T A S T I C !

So true. Coming into the light only happens when you are in the dark. Much of whats happening is out in the open and not just an internal- but external. The micro and macro cosmos are becoming the same! Hellaluhah!

Thank you, Andrew for your insights.  There was an essay on the Op-Ed page of the New York Times today that was very heartening to me and relevant to what your blog post speaks to.  Richard Cohen pointed out (as have many others, though not in such a mainstream media source as far as i am aware) that this election is indeed a referendum on whether or not we will move forward as a nation that considers itself seperate and exceptional among the nations of the world or whether we will move forward as a nation dedicated to being a progressive part of the whole universe.  It is so thrilling to see these ideas on the pages of our nations most mainstream news sources and speaks infinitely of the possibilities at hand.

The gate of the prison is open and the guard has gone home long time ago. Do we dare to go out?
or do we still want to listen to fairy tales about freedom?

I trust you do not need to be thanked or praised for your observation so I will not do so. I welcome your thoughts on this aspect of consciousness and share them. What is happening in the United States regarding the elections and other very real events, as well as events all around the world, are a manifestation of our consciousness. We can and do change the collective consciousness when we act with awareness. Awareness includes leading responsible lives.

Beautiful blog Andrew!
You’ve put so clearly the difference between our postmodern worldview where we see ourselves as part of a larger whole and that somehow this whole will take off and lead us all to heaven, versus the directly implicating recognition that I am the process itself and that only by my rightfull action a next stage in consciousness will be created.

We as Americans have indeed an important decision to make. This upcoming election will decide, if we will retain whatever individual freedoms we will have left or if we will become mere subjects to the yoke of European stile socialism.

The masters of old taught compassion, charity and the defeat of the ego. Compassion, charity and defeat of the ego as taught by the old masters means that I, the individual, personal I, have to go out, take the homeless into my home, let him/her use my shower, give him/her my clothes and my food. The compassion and charity taught by the the Buddha, Christ, et al., was to be an individual, personal sacrifice. Only that transforms the ego.

The socialist, like Barack Obama, does not make a personal sacrifice, nor asks it of the masses. He simply dictates what is excessive possessions, takes those away, gives them to someone else to do the “dirty” work of “compassion”. In the end this makes the masses more egocentric, because everyone then wants a piece of this “compassionate” pie and they feel by paying all those taxes they are already doing more than enough.

We must be very careful with what we call a compassionate society. Socialism certainly is not it.

Andrew, good evaluation. Kind of like the feelings in the 1960s when there was hope on the horizon. We are in a repressed state as a culture environmentally, culturally,and individually. If there will be a swing in mans consousness or not as a whole, I do hope. But this unwinding needs to take place at an individual level to kindle the inductive effect that could change humaity.One good apple can sweeten the whole basket.
As R.M. says creating obstacles ego suffers from the perplexity of apparent paradoxes. What the hubris and materialistic greed filled banking types have done to our monetary system is horrible. But they will need our love to have any chance of changing. Change can never come from the kind of leadership that has manifested politically the past 30 or so years. Grass roots change is the only real change that aligns more accurately with nature.

Dear Andrew,

Thank you for your wise words, they sure are extremely helpful.
I also have experienced how to cut through the clouds of Mysticism and myths helps us so much to own and progress on our spiritual path; I completely agree with that part.
It is only, that I have but one thing to add:
At least for me, beyond just the American Elections, the Shift into “Green”, with it’s various leaders and unexpected heroes world wide, Americans and many others, is just as much part of the current “shift” in consciousness. 

GS

Dear Andrew,
I deeply appreciate your insight and wholly support it. Thanks for sharing it.
In joy n Gratitude!

I agree in the sense that calling it “mystical” is not realistic so to speak. I do believe that there is a definite shift but it has more to do with society and acceptance in the fact that we now have a possible 1st african american president. Unfortunately it has taken this long but the good news is that to get to where we are today in this historical moment, something must be changing for us to be able to witness what is currently happening. It is something that has been brewing for some time just like a volcano. This does not happen over night. I guess I would say, ‘YES, there is a shift that is occuring”.

I can completely see how the “fairy tale” thinking is very ingrained in our culture. Illuminating how this kind of thinking has caused such evolutionary stagnation for the human race is of utmost importance. Taking responsibility for changing it in ourselves is an absolute neccesity.
Thanks Andrew!

Thank you Andrew. I like the way you emphasise the importance of change on a more embodied level rather than ‘just’ an esoteric one, although of course there is really no separation.

I did want to add, as an Australian, that sometimes it seems as if in the American imagination elections in the US are elevated to extraordinatory heights of importance.. I think some people in other countries might wonder a little about this?

Leigh

The point that we ourselves are responsible for any change for the better we hope to see in the world is well made. However, I question the value of the frame “no more fairy tales”. I think we need a little humility about the level of elevation of our own perspective, which will in its time come to be seen as another kind of fairy tale. It also appears that much wisdom was hidden in the form of fairy tales by earlier pioneers in the evolutionary process, specifically for the purpose of passing it along to future generations in a form which would be accessible to the discerning, but preserved intact due to its coherence as a compelling story. Sufi’s were masters of this form of communication, but it appears to be pretty much universal. My sense is that our tendency to denigrate forms of communication that have been consciously used through history to communicate with future generations is part of what keeps us from learning our own lessons about our actual place in the evolutionary flow. So, I say yes to not relying on vague mystical conceptions of “something happening” to help us move on, and also yes to seeking to rationally value all forms of historical contribution to the evolutionary process.

Good one, Andrew!

Andrew, thank you for your words - you always speak so eloquently.
I’d like to express 2 points based purely on my own experience and knowledge,

1. spiritual enlightenment is a very personal thing - in other words only the individual can ever really “know” about their level of “enlightenement”. There is no accurate assessment of such a thing - enlightenement is a different experience for everybody that achieves it. To the “outside” world it is subjective. Claiming enlightenement is your own business only. Even an “enlightened” person can create positive and negative actions.

2. The nature of this planet IS the balance between ignorance and awareness. The difference in percentage between the two will ALWAYS remain the same. As the number of the so-called “consciously shifted” people increases so does the ignorance. The balance is maintained. It’s the LAW of our nature.

Enthusiasm, unity will only ever be aspects and results from an “aware” person.

Apathy, separation are the typical results of a person that still needs to experience ignorance.

Kind regards, Robert

We’ve been having elections, revolutions and war since forever and our progress is still too slow. If your candidate wins you will sit back and think that all is well now. The fact is that if people don’t have a radical mind change we will still be at about the same level as the problem with more problems coming at an ever increasing rate. A quarterback on a football team goes into “the zone” when the ball is hiked. Time seems to slow down as he accesses the brain that is going one million times the speed of the conscious mind. He has the sense of a time pressure or he could experience every second as over nine months at the speed of the subconscious. That’s the kind of brain power we need to handle the 21st century and beyond. I can’t promise that kind of ability, but just dropping judgemental words makes a clear access channel to the right brain that would change the world, considering the compassion that also gets accessed. I’m afraid that straightening the deck chairs on the Titanic wont do it, only a changed people can bring a changed world.

Dear Andrew,
Thank you for this and access to your blog: I agree with your assessment. As we walk forward, willingly or no, towards that 12 21 12 multi-Way intersection with our galactic center, more and more light may shine through more and more darkness, rendering transparency where once was opacity. As the progress into what have been called the greater photon bands of our galaxy continues we need to be shedding our “useless & harmful eidolon [ideas and pseudo-ideas]” in ongoing eidetic reductions—and helping others to do the same—keep up your very good work! Peace, Love and Light

Thank you Andrew!
Your clear enlightened common sense is very refreshing.
We may be ‘spiritual beings having an physical experience’, so it is not appropriate to ‘have our head in the clouds’. See & know what is going on with Planet Earth & know our heart & soul, hold our visions for Peace on Earth without ‘escaping reality’ by just focusing on our spirituality (denial of the body & mind).
No more Fairy Tales of ‘Happy Ever After’ which have a lot of us living for an image of the future rather than being in here & now!

Dear Andrew,

Yes! Thank you for taking spirituality out of the clouds and back down to earth where we all live.  I agree it’s time to commit to the highest goals of evolving consciousness for the here and now!  I always appreciate your honesty.

Gracias, Andrew for the conversation. The 2 enlightened ones that visited with you, “speaking non stop” perhaps we’re giving a clue that appearances are very deceiving and when it come to enlightenment, if we’re honest, we don’t know at all what the hell that is. I was wishing for some spiritual combat stories where the 3 of you revealed what was really going on on a deeper level, the wanting to connect. You’re too polite, Andrew. You said you enjoyed the experience, but also communicated you were not in a more healthy and critical conversation. “Something’s happening in consciiouness,” well any one knows that . Start talking about your understanding, your life and let me talk about mine.And I don’t agree with you that, with real spiritual practice or some incredible effort by we enlightened ones, “the world will become the paradise that we all long for.” That sounds unrealistic. I prefer Meher Baba: “Be Happy.” Which doesn’t preclude feeling the acute suffering in the world and the “poor will always be with us,” so we have no business talking about paradise.  I know you, Andrew, have a very humanitarian side and help the poor. I suggest that service melt with your theology. Wishing the best with your great work; enjoy the magazine, Ken W. and yourself and the many voices that come through. Abrazos, Morgan Morgan Zo Callahan

Obviously.

you mean it’s not going to happen? That’s too bad. I’ve been waiting for something cool to happen for YEARS and now you’re telling me I was actually waiting for national television to catch up with my bored and picky ego and deliver something worth labelling as ENTERTAINMENT. Does this mean I should get a good get a good get a good JOOOOOB? Thank for telling me.

Well, what about if the 2 guys had said: �something�s happening in culture�!?

For sure, new paradigms or structures of consciousness do not show up in the air automatically�and I am wondering whether those 2 guys really meant what they said.

No more fairy tales, your next president will act upon values brought by other pioneers and thinkers�the shift happened in the mind of other people a long time ago before being shared in the collective mind (culture).

No more fairy tales, your next president will not rule US (nor the World) otherwise, your country and the world would have already regressed to Bush modern/mythic center of gravity (axis of evil,�)

No more fairy tales, politics are definitely not pushing the hedge�but the hedge has to push them, the hedge has to push the culture forward!�those guys are, in the best, case reflecting the gravity center otherwise they will never be elected�

Alain Marthoz (Belgium)

What an arrrogant and narrow minded perspective! Did you communicate with them?? And believing that an election in USA is groundbreaking for humanity, well to say the least “ very narrow minded” or stupid works also!

As we watch the poor starve (yes, even in this country), the methane burps begin, a 25 year old oil drilling ban fade, the police only policing the labor unions and protestors...not the CEO’s… and large corperations, with brutal and inhuman force. The list can go on and on. Why retreats? Why not action? When will we defend the fish, the water the land… the very air we breath? I have grown tired of spiritual authorities. What is enlightenment?- is this the question one should be asking… or is it time for a flight or flight response… that i assure you rests deep in our evolutionary past. I hope your students will really look at what is happening in the world and act. Or will they continue to travel great distances to hear you speak, focus on the tenets of enlightenment and continue to speak of a shift in awareness that will save us… or even that it matters how one votes in this so called Democracy… the time is now… TO ACT!!!

i hope that someone is really asking these questions. I hope that people will not expect their vote to make the shift that is needed. The shift will only happen by force… by a radical commitment… to stop using oil now, to bring down the two-party system of a so-called democracy… and to get their hands dirty.

Great !  It is never boring when truth gets repeated. 

Consciousness as it is understood in older schools is disembodied intelligence that is everywhere (but not inclusive of me or what I see).  The common view in India is it is something other, despite predominant sages and seers sharing and writing beautiful poems.  This view is the one which helps in the waiting process and allows us to believe that our role is understandably limited.  It is a superstitution !!

To live as part and parcel of consciousness the thrill of living begins.  This is the beauty of your teachings. 

However when you say “ Consciousness is not a mysterious dimension where forces disconnected from human volition are at work making all things possible or not” it is not clear whether you mean that all that IS is the dimension that works through human volition Or all that matters is the dimension that works through human volition.  The former view doesn’t explain extraordinary coincidences and unexplainable additions of good effects and bad effects, inclusive of and not limited to planetary effects.  It also doesn’t explain natural disasters and such phenomenon, not caused by people. 

So while your view explains the purpose of human living in a simple way, and brings all people in concert for the greater good, it doesn’t explain everything. 

Perhaps there is another piece to your blog that covers this, and if so, I will be grateful. 

Dear Andrew,
that is experienced as a complete merging of exterior and interior. It is felt as a big inspiring YES, this is so important to see, you are definately on the cutting edge of integrating the inside with the outside, a leap in evolution of consciousness that is very profound!!!
thank you for sharing this insight.
Hans

I really enjoyed the first part of this blog. It really reminds me of the stories that Idries Shah presents in his book The Commanding Self. He very often tells a tale of him meating some self-proclaimed spiritual master who is a tad deluded. It’s really cool that you write like Idries Shah.

A deep bow of gratitude to the sanity in your message in this blogpost! I couldn’t help smiling reading your post ... What you’re saying is so obvious - but still I’m startled by the fact that among “spiritual people” this isn’t the case.

Philip

Consciousness is who we all are at the deepest level of our interiors...connection to the choices we make...reverberated within me...shaking up recent events into a different perspective. Yes this is “The Way” It is already happening. Awareness is not enough...response from the many called for. I am reminded to reset my focus again to a wide angle lens. Thank you

but… i’ve always liked fairytales…

I like your style of writing. It really reminds me of some stories from a book I have called The Commanding Self by a man called Idries Shah. He often tells stories of him encountering deluded and self-proclaimed yogis and western teacher. Fun that you people have a similar style and mode of telling stories. Rock on.

Andrew,
Thank You!

While I think this election is major piece of the puzzle, I think our enlightenment will come from light -powered by renewable energy.

Until recently, I primarily saw the advantages of renewable energy from an environmental perspective and hoped that it would lead to a more peaceful future if we do not have to battle for resources.

But I now realize that we can decentralize energy and thus decentralize power as we learn how to generate our own energy through solar and wind power. Imagine the implications this has on our society and world as a whole. Jeremy Rifkin, alternative energy activist, claims that remaking the power grid, “represents a paradigm shift so complete that it will also change human consciousness and social relations.”

Could this breakdown of centralized, hierarchical structures, pave the way for successful models of sustainable communities and interdependence? This is the paradise I long for.

Hi. Reading your entry and comments got me thinking. Personally I think that a good decision can happen when you have resolved one central issue - no one can do it for you. No matter what is that IT - science, myth, politics, esoterics, sex, relationship, job or success, to name but a few of them. Yet on the relative side of the walk of life we are all relationship beings. And therefore I think it’s good to choose in life based on, let’s say dalai lama’s kind of view - based on human kindness, openness, friendliness, compassion and consciousness. These ingredients are, so to say, an alphabet of life.

However since enlightenment of the french revolution we’re keen of thinking that especially science and politics can do it for us. And yet it’s the same old story as before that time. Before it was more myth, church, occult, shaman, god&goddess can do it for you, now it’s politics & science & enlightenment can do it for you. We just changed the saviours clothes, havent’ we ? From pisces suit to brand new aquarius trench coat.  Well, it’s really good to know that it’s only a record we are dancing on. The whole world so to say. Even those that would rather not - indigenous groups, animals, plant world. I like to view a fine spirituality as that one that acknowledges this small truth. And also acts on it. Relatively speaking it means that you choose as if your taking into considerations the effects for the 7 future generations. Even within the sphere of politics.  And yes, ultimately we’re nothing without greenness - without plantworld and good water we simply won’t live anymore. So also, vote with that in mind.

thank you.
bostjan

I can’t help but state that the weight given to one person - Obama - relative to billions of people, seems out of kilter for me. Perhaps it is because I am from Australia, too far from the geopolitical centre of modern Earth.

For me any great shift requires billions to shift, and shift more substantively than just in their votes and political donations.

I see a real shift happening, however mostly I see it in the multiple measures that people, communities and organisations are taking around the world to live more peacefully, inclusively and sustainably on this Earth.

A political leader who is courageous enough to support this grass roots wild fire of change would be able to make change for billions.

Who would vote for such a politician? Who would support this political strategy in giving power and resources away for billions of people to use it, rather than for them and their bureaucracy? A kind of heart-politic grameen bank.

Perhaps Obama is such a man, surrounded by such a party, supported by such a bureaucracy and followed by such a populace. And then, the billions will surely follow.

Dear Andrew - Human consciousness, however universal it may become, is only universal human consciousness. Beyond that there is more. Because we do not know what to call it--out there--beyond, we call it mysterious. As you know it grows faster than universal consciousness can grow. Thanks.

I’m struck by the lack of discussion on this board.  Everyone agrees with Cohen’s post.  I’ll log my disagreement:  I do believe there’s a shift and it’s much larger and smaller than the election.  The larger reality is that many people across the world are ‘waking up’ and finding each other.  The smaller reality is that this is also an individual process.  To reduce it to an election seems to me to take something sacred and profane it. This increasing consciousness will continue to happen regardless of who wins. 

I also don’t agree that any ‘shift’ is a fairy tale.  I know that most people I speak with on this point have made very conscious choices about how they live and how they behave minute by minute.  They are not waiting for something to happen to them.  In fact, in my experience, awakening is all about awakening to our own creativity and ability to make our reality.  This is not a fairy tale.

I think it is a common, human condition to “sense” impending change, or doom, or shift.  One can sense a change in “consciousness”, or satan, or in culture.  This is imbeded in our human psychy. 
Also, evolution is not a one dimensional, progressive march forward.  That, I think, is an equally flawed concept.  Evolution is blind, simply responding to the environmental changes and will happilly go in circles as opposed to “forward”.  There is no such thing as “more” evolved, unless if “more” referres to more distal from its origin.

Yes, agree!
Changes comes from within and its not a mysterious force from out there somewhere.
The choice of the American people of a conventional or post-conventional president shows if USA is ready to step into the next level of consciousness.

I don’t really get your point, apart from the fact that you can have an enlightenment experience and still be self-obsessed.
What really is the difference between claiming there’s a big “mysterious” shift going on, and your own frequent statements (as I understand them) that there’s a big “evolutionary” shift going on?
It seems to me that any pronouncements about the future are “of the world” and not just “in the world”.

We stand at the edge of ‘change.’ Not in the persona of Obama or the enthusiasm of his followers, though that is certainly one manifestation of this precipice, but rather in the socio/economic landscape that is experiencing profound upheaval these days.  I am referring of course to the Wall Street economic ‘crisis’ that we are neck deep in.  The great choice before us then is to move forward or remain in the rut.  By this I mean we can allow the banks to fall, thus letting the old paradigm to fall away as a serpent sloughs its skin and embrace a new way of relating economically and communally with our fellow humans, or ‘bail out’ the old system that we have been living under.  We have the choice to remain as we were, or step into an uncertain and perhaps frightening future.  It is only as such due to its ‘unknows’ however.  Search your self, and ask whether or not you and your community could not come together and creatively find solutions to the short term disruptions that this change will cause.  In the long term we will be capable of harnessing the best of humanities creative capacity to develop a new more efficeint means to live and relate to all life and spirit.  The knowledge is there, we must not fear that we lack the civility, creativity, spirituality, and tenacity to confidently step into our collective future.  WE CAN DO IT IF WE HAVE THE COURAGE!

There are no messiahs . . . We the people must take responsibility to create and maintain the change we want to see in our country, from the least of these to the greatest.  If there is one “fairy tale” we must jettison it is this expectation of a false messiah, be it McCain or Obama who will save us from our sins. 

This election is a choice for the mystic community to incarnate its christ-ed ideas so that a beloved community can be born again.  In my opinion Obama symbolizes the sacred contract of “freedom/justice” which this nation signed in 1776 which was never fullfilled. Slavery, native American genocide, and plantation/industrial greed are the shadows that still exist in this nation.  Our denials over the years of our racial political/economic mythologies have brought us to this point in history where a mixed race child Obama, is standing before us for president.  He provokes in our consciousness deep seated racial mythologies within blacks and whites.  Now we must choose.  We are not voting for him or against him, we are voting on ourselves.  This new age of enlightenment will not take place against our “choice and participation.” We must choose. Talk about a cosmic joke . . . brother!!!!!!!!

I recently took part in a discussion with Ananda Giri, who is one of the “very right hands” of Bhagavan from the Oneness Movement. As many of you might know they always have been strong on emphasizing on 2012, great shift and so on.

In this discussion he was asked what would happen in 2012. His answer was that in this year there would be very clear signs of change towards a better world. There would NOT be an abrupt shift. Only clear impulses of change on every level of human life.

My two comments to that:
1. If the Oneness University drops the concept of a radical shift, I’d say that’s good news. Finally we can relax into the Now.

2. Why wait for 2012? As Andrew says, the change is now, and I would add, it was in 2000, and in 1970 and in 1900 and in 1000 and in 0 and ... the world ist constantly changing.

And I am not really sure, if it’s not only changing up and down (e.g. at Christ’s time there also have been many, many “esoteric groups”, the Christians were only one of them). Is this here really such a special time, as every man on the spiritual path, enlightened or not, quotes from each other?

Anyway, what matters is, that we make peace with our own stuff and then help others with theirs - presumed they are interested.

Here a message from Holland. First good luck on the elections in America and I truly hope it will be a new start to a brighter future. What interests me is your observation of your two guests and the conclusion they were enlightened in some degree. I am certainly not (yet) enlightened but was wondering if it’s possible that there are several varieties of enlightment?

There is only one of us here. We (I) must look within and address my own demons and shift my consciousness. ......Then vote for Obama

YES - looking at it for an Integral Theory perspective you seem to be shedding light on something that has captured my attention of late.  The lower right quadrant - the objective way we come together and create new systems - seems to be the place where consciousness is needed to create real change, in real time, for real people.  It seems our spirituality has for too long had a myopic view only in the top left quadrant.  This is where fairy tales float.  The lower right is the place where the rubber hits the road: not just for me invidually but us collectively in our humanity.  It’s where wars are won and lost, new world orders emerge, if we are willing to burn our lives in dedication of creating them.

It is clear from some of the comments above that many readers don’t have the slightest idea what you are talking about.  Several people are even projecting their own belief in fairy tales right into your post titled “No More Fairy Tales”.  I guess this is a testiment to the power they hold.

Consciousness, being conscious of the shift and interpreting it on a mind level does not automatically mean one has reached the ultimate goal.

The mind naturally resists to defend itself. It`s equilibrium is that which it has learned will become its building block. It paints worlds. The fact that everybody`s worldview is totally different means mind is still not totally aware of a reality beyond self-ish thinking. Try to convince someone otherwise and they feel uncomfortable. Therefore let only the wise teach, they know that this uncomfortable feeling will be life threatening to ego and ego will defend itself, he who is wise will know how to draw him out and bring him to light and slay him with a love unbeknown to him. The unwise will draw him out and become his brother or fear his own life. You will need to meet him in the desert and overcome him before you can teach or create situations for others so they came to recognize him. In other words not just knowledge gathered but have experienced it yourself.

Thanks for your blog. Hey, I’m all for sidestepping new-age mumbo-jumbo. There’s WAY to much of it.

But when you say… “Consciousness is not a mysterious dimension where forces disconnected from human volition are at work making all things possible or not. Consciousness is who we all are at the deepest level of our interiors...” it feels amazingly blinkered - as though human consciousness was the center of the universe instead of one tiny cohered point of awareness!

Haven’t mystics always found that consciousness is an infinite sea containing all kinds of mysteries… coherent condensations of consciousness… with non-human volition in the realm of the unspeakable - beyond the human I or we? Or perhaps you’ve discovered they’re wrong?

It seems like you are denying the grandeur of consciousness, to make a very simplistic marketing point for “the Cohen perspective”. And that may be a very grounded, useful point correcting an excess in the popular imagination.

But I’m voting we also keep our hands in namaste to the “light of a thousand suns” which is so far beyond that tiny point.

I have trouble to understand why the election of Obama would be more important than say, the Chinese push towards the conquest of space( which is a major event, almost unnoticed) , or the new discoveries that will be made at the CERN Large Hadron Collider in Geneva.  If Obama is elected, I will dance in the streets of Paris as many of my compatriots, but let’s be careful not to rely on the USA only to lead the dance.

Thanks for reminding us that if we don’t use siritual energy in concrete things, the shift or the revolution, will not occur. Thanks to be so eloquent, but I trust you and your movement more than Obama to accomplish this shift !

I�ve come to realize that everything we collectively see in the manifest world is a reflection of what�s going on in the spiritual world of consciousness.  Lately I�ve found myself, almost uncontrollably, drawn to current events in the financial and political arena.  I began to question my spiritual self as to why I have been so drawn to worldly conditions.  Your article helped me to understand that the current conditions all over the world are raising awareness of the true problem of ethics in government and business. 

Just as the �dark night of the soul� helps us to evolve spiritually, the current worldwide condition is a reflection of the spiritual evolution in process and will help us to evolve in the manifest world as well.

True, love has got to be lived. But what does two spiritual people talking about themselves have to do with it?  Here you are, talking about yourself being a good listener.  You could have started the piece without the spiritual people, just the concept of “no fairy tales”, and had the same effect.  People shouldn’t talk about themselves.  Is it true?  I live on this planet too, and my experience is that people, enlightened or unenlightened, DO talk about themselves.  Gotta love it!  And then, question those beliefs.

While I agree that consciousness shifts according to what is in people’s minds at any given time, I also realize that people are expecting a shift and that this is causing one. If people see light, there will be light. If a small minority expects some kind of cataclysmic apocalypse, there may not be quite as much light, but it will nevertheless prevail. It’s all about expectation and belief, and what’s in people’s hearts. The worse things get, the more compassionate and loving people become, so there is always the potential for great light upon the earth. That’s why Obama is coming our way!

You said:  Consciousness is who we all are at the deepest level of our interiors�and how profound our recognition of that is can be seen through the choices we make and the actions we take.

I wonder if that might be a fairy tale to?  Just curious and not intending to start an argument, only a discussion.

I believe humility is a prerequisite to true enlightenment. It is the foundation of our creation as individuals. Professed enlightenment can be suspect, as a product of ego and worldliness. The more we claim to enlighten others, the farther we are from its true meaning. (Author of Love and Immortality: Long Journey of My Heart.)

Well argued and presented. Only isn’t the promise of paradise on earth also an ancient fairy tale?

I agree with Mr. Cohen when he says…

“Consciousness is who we all are at the deepest level of our interiors�and how profound our recognition of that is can be seen through the choices we make and the actions we take.

The more we not only awaken to that fact but take responsibility for it, the more quickly this world will become the paradise that we all long for in our most inspired moments.”

I believe this is where our focus (as teachers and seekers) needs to be placed… It seems as if the mass majority of people have simply forgotten who they truly are. 

...And there most certainly is an awakening taking place. 

By that I mean people are starting to feel that stirring deep within them selves.  They are beginning to recognize their own God voice and finding the courage to follow it. 

We are collectively beginning to realize we are NOT crazy!  We CAN stand openly in love without being afraid…

Therefore it is up to all of us who are starting to awaken and remember to, as Gandhi said, “be the change we wish to see in the world...”

As we remember it becomes our responsibility to remind…

george bush has bankrupted america through greed and pushing oil to the limit with his saudi oil partnership how did so many politicians let him do it?

Good job!  In this blog and all the work you have done (esp with WIE) to bring a substantial focus to the ‘shift of consciousness’ we are either grasping and demonstrating or missing...because it can be missed, just as you posit.  It is occurring on the world stage with a trigger under our midst ... as Americans.  I am working hard to help elect my candidate, working harder on my handmade company creating aromachology and Ancestral Traditions....  and mostly, taking part in the changes happening Now.  Thank you for your enLightenment!  Please keep up the good work!

Thank you at last a voice of reason. I am never quite sure about what forward means it somehow leaves me wondering about the now. Perhaps you would speak to that please.

Is a couple of well-written but insubstantial paragraphs about something that is hardly r-evolutionary (’scuse the wordplay) worthy of such copious praise? ... I’m not knocking, but if EnlightenNext is going to become a ‘force’ maybe less of the pedestal?

Moving on, is the election such a big deal? How do we know that McCain/Palin grinding the United States further into the ground, or helping suffocate it with even more mediocrity, which in all likeliness they would do if elected, is not in the bigger picture what is needing for the maximum number of souls to learn and grow? Perish the thought, but who knows ... ?

Is true enlightenment not to reside in a place beyond polarity and preference in one’s own consciousness - a.k.a. unconditional love and acceptance? Of course that doesn’t mean passiveness, but perhaps it means that one’s striving and working for the evolution of consciousness unfolds irrespective of what is happening in politics, economics etc. - it becomes timeless and unfettered to contemporary events, although obviously the shifts in consciousness can be witnessed in those arenas?  ...

In any case, is Obama who we think he is? Backed by the Rockefeller lineage and a member of the CFR does that have implications?

Don’t through the baby out with the bath water.  We don’t have to give up our ‘fairy tales’ or make people who believe in them wrong. We can have our fairy tales which inspire us and our innermost truths.  Maybe we, or at least some of us, do need fairy tales; without them life loses its glow!

I must admit that I have read Andrew’s blog a few times I really do not understand what he is pointing us towards. Either I am misreading him or he has gone completely over the edge. Does Andrew actually believe that the world is going to be so affected by this election?? Maybe he does and I am the one gone off my rocker!

Nonetheless, it does seem that most of the comments thus far seem to be handing of the responsibility of the future to the next leader of the US.

What about the things you can do? Besides voting for the old guy who will most likely follow in the footsteps of his Christian/Right party, or the young guy, with little or no experience, who obviously has lots of you charmed with his obvious charisma.

Remember, Obama said this in January of this year: ..."The prayer that I tell myself every night is a fairly simple one: I ask in the name of Jesus Christ that my sins are forgiven, that my family is protected and that I am an instrument of God’s will. I’m constantly trying to align myself to what I think he calls on me to do.”

So, if you are handing off your fate to the young guy and he is handing off his fate to the big guy upstairs, we all best move to socialist Europe! (which by the way is not all that bad having spent exactly half my life here and half my life amongst you Yankees.)

I think the best chance the Big Shift has of getting off the ground is in the projects Andrew announced last week on the conference call.

Roll up your sleeves. We have a lot of work to do.

Or.

Go vote and stay on your knees.

love,

Mick Quinn

Is there a need to fault other spiritual searchers or to label what they are thinking as “believing in fairy tales.” Is there a need to take sides? Surely, the rightness of one’s evolutionary process does not depend on that of another’s being wrong. Any “shift” will be for all.

I find “Pray God when you are in trouble” is common fundamental position of “What God do for me?” in a time of crisis rather than “What I do for God?”.
Our fundamental position of fairly tale “God is outside of ourselves, waiting god” runs deep.
And I find it’s interesting the other dimension you addressed
Even the person declare “I am God(That, Absolute. what ever call it)”,if the person doesn’t take responsibility of that implication.
What is the value of enlightenment? It’s like the president of the nation declare “I’m president” and do nothing, the mother say to her baby “I love you” and abandon the care.

I really do think that you as a teacher have a particular message that is valuable.  I have learned much from your teachings.  Are you a pragmatist?  If so then you might want to recognize that your message is getting lost due to the manner in which you express it.  It seems to me that once again, you are putting down other teachers, which is counterproductive to evolutionary enlightenment. You may be a good listener, I don’t know, but you come off as self-absorbed, self-righteous, & condescending.  This
I’ve-got-the-truth-and-you-don’t, I’m-enlightened-but-they’re-not-and-neither-are-you tone pervades so much of your writing (this gets echoed most blatantly in your conversations with Ken Wilber.) There are people doing incredible work all over this planet, some quietly, and some loudly, some as spiritual teachers, and some as everyday folks .  Why don’t you find them and celebrate them, and don’t waste your time listening to, or running down the people that you don’t have respect for. Oh, and watch out for the illusion of cause and effect when you talk about politics in particular!  And what fairy tail are you talking about exactly??  You like to let people know they are off track without telling what on-track looks like! The mystic will look at consciousness very differently than the historian or the empiricist.  It is so unbecoming for you to look down your nose at people, you who seemingly considers himself THE spiritual teacher, the man with the answers for those of us blindly living in a so-called fairy tale. Sounding like an ego-maniac while putting down other ego-maniacs really does not work.  Or does it?....  maybe you are reaching all the people that you want to reach. 

Can you please develop what you�ve written below ?

�The �big shift� that�s about to occur is occurring on the national stage in our Presidential election. This election will make an immeasurable difference on just about every level for literally billions of real living souls all over our precious planet Earth�

I know this is not the point of the discussion and maybe I did not get this particular point ( I really hope so)�but as a non-american, this declaration sounds�well�.let�s say ethno-centric and somewhat na�ve�furthermore, neither presidential candidate look like a fairy�so I do not understand!

Thank you for your clarification�

Consciousness has been evolving and shifting and making leaps in humans since there’s been humans. It’s become so critical now because our technical knowledge has outgrown our wisdom and moral development in a large percentage of the population. It’s easy to see why some people are hoping/believing that there is some external agency ‘out there’ that will ensure an appropriate shift hapens before we permanently degrade the planet. Whilst firmly believing that there is no old man in the sky ‘out there’ planning the best for us, (or a cosmic ordering service) I do believe in the synergistic combining of our unconsiousnesses, the whole being greater than the sum of the parts, which is making available a wisdom that we can co-operate with. I do also believe that evolution has got a ‘creative’ spin on it (no, I’m not prepared to speculate how it got there) so in fact it won’t ever go around in circles. And there may not be a ‘more’ evolved, but there is definitely an ‘increasingly complex and more inclusive’ evolved.

Let’s not forget the “hundredth monkey.” Counting on others to create our own enlightment would, of course, be silly. However shifts in human consciousness which allow individuals to realize deeper truths are part of our history. For example, the petanonic scale, the scale upon which “The Blues” are based appeared at the same time in history across the globe at a time in herstory when regions were not in communication. Many of us are feeling the shift. However the fairy tale attached to the shift is slightly amusing. In that such shifts have occurred before, ie the end of slavery in the U.S., such shifts are probably not going to see us all walking on water…
At the same time, one of my favorite spiritual realizations is; “One is going to have a hard time working on the deeper lessons if one is worried about paying the rent.”
Peace.

Andrew,
For the last few years I have isolated myself from the massess. The internet, magazines and television, things of my choosing and things I could turn off or change the channel....until I began to pay closer attention to what you said. You words began to bounce around my head....and echo...I’ve heard them somewhere before, India I think.  You have disturbed my isolation.
Perhaps it was a fairy tale to think that I could meditate and simply live in the hidden places of New Mexico in isolation. Perhaps this Gray Panther has awakened.

The shift in consciousness I perceive is more than an election cycle phenomenon. We have ridden this wave of capitalism and commerce for awhile now. It has governed and guided this nation and the world, elevating ideas, creating health and wealth (and unfortunately its opposite too). So what happens when the wave finally crashes upon the shore and the ride ends? What happens when exponentially more and more people contemplate, “Is this really all there is? Is this the best we are capable of?” We all live our lives according to a storyline. I hope the consciousness shift I perceive is about our human organism preparing to metamorph into something different, not necessarily “better,” but a little further along the in development and perceived alignment with its/our essence. It is the journey not the destination, but there’s so many cool places to see and BE. Let us not ignore our responsibility to act and engage, but let us not put the weight of the world on our shoulders. Be in the world, not of it a guru once said. Enlightenment happens when we en-lighten our grasp on what “should be,” and let life-love-light flow through us like the never ending river they are. How blessed we all are in this messy moment. Here comes another wave!

Thank you very much for being so uncompromising.
It seems like no one is scanning our movements as ruthless as you do! ; )
KW does so as well, but he keeps it abstract, you see what he means if you can, but you(andrew) are just standing there in the storm and give them...what they need !
Awesome

Deep bow!

Thank you, for your pertinent comments. I have long believed that “action” is an integral part of enlightenment. To have awareness but merely hold it inside without action, for me, is the stuff of fairy tales. Obama has the integrity and awareness to escort us into this very important time for our planet - we must evolve!

Thank you for opening to the poltiical questions we all face.....  A real shift is happening, yet as you point out it is not the one that “fairy tale mystics envision, nor is it activated by an outside source..... Instead, it is a real shift in consciousness as the Baby Boomers become senior citizens and bury our parents. Along with them we are burying the fairy tails of ancestral religions...... The first step towards enlightenment is to listen to our own hearts and the voice within, rather than abide by the dogmas of our ancestors which contradict our inner voices....... 

As each boomer “awakens” to their own inner light and non-separatness, there are numerous problems to solve in our world; over population, depleting fossil resources, fresh water shortages, depleted arable lands, etc. where we can begin to craft a world of “sustainable enlightnment of integral green”?

Very Nice Re-Frame on “Consciousness” ... (with knowing)

-Life was set up to find the missing. Its biggest irony is that we are the ones that hid it.’ Yrral Nosrac

And from what Yrral suggested that I write ... what I get is that:

- Does “Knowing” really come from thoughts or from Awareness? .... and ...

- Thoughts without meaning are really, really boring.

- Thoughts with meaning can be either inspiring or depressing.

- It’s the meaning maker that sets and controls the quality of the live that we experience.

- Meanings sets what matters

- The meaning maker ... converts “notions” and their grownup counterparts “thoughts” into Thought Transporters.

And as we all have come to know and love ...

“One day Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree. Which road do I take? she asked. Where do you want to go? was his response. I don’t know, Alice answered. Then, said the cat, it doesn’t matter.”

“So what does all of this mean” asked his granddaughter. “Well Sweety, how much do you want your meaning to matter?” he answered.

“Lots and lots and lots like a big bowl of ice cream” she answered.

“Well” he said, “in that case ... you are going to need a lots and lots of flavored meanings pored all over that bowl of ice cream.” Granddad then shared his smile with the infinite space of silence he could see in her eyes.”

--- And NOW...Back to the hear and now ---

So ... since we all have been doing this all of our lives .... all I have are two “not knowing” questions:

1 - “How have you/I/we known when it was important to pour positive meanings over what really mattered in your life?”

2 - “How have you/I/we known when it was important to pour negative meanings over what really didn’t matter in your life?”

Perhaps ... just perhaps:

>>> There is the Awareness You

>>> There is the Artistic and Meaningful “Master” Creator & Dis-creator You ... and ...

>>> There is the Experiencer You

And if so - or not - how far do you/I/we really want to go in your meaningful exploration to discover who you/I/we really are?

Does our artistic creations really mirror who we are ...  or merely show us how far we’ve come?

And as I asked at the beginning of this self-reflective shifting post ....

�Life was set up to find the missing. Its biggest irony is that we are the ones that hid it.�

Yrral Nosrac

PS
Say “Hi” and give a huge smile to your meaning maker ... the Master Creator of your life.

Thought Transporters Anyone?

Lawrence is a contributor to Shift In Action, a blog supported by the Institute of Noetic Science (IONS)

http://www.shiftinaction.com/node
&
Yes ... I am going to reference this wonderful site to our Shift In Action (IONS) members.

Well said.

"Consciousness is not a mysterious dimension where forces disconnected from human volition are at work making all things possible or not. Consciousness is who we all are at the deepest level of our interiors—and how profound our recognition of that is can be seen through the choices we make and the actions we take. The more we not only awaken to that fact but take responsibility for it, the more quickly this world will become the paradise that we all long for in our most inspired moments.”

Andrew’s viewpoinr may not be a fairy tale, but who knows?  The here-now awareness is the seeming infinity that transcends consciousness into Awareness.  Andrews viewpoint from my viewpoint is good and beautiful, but is it the truth?  And how important is that?  We are monkey trying to deal with the relationship of awareness and consciousness where consciousness is defined as Awareness that has been impaled by fairies.

Thank you for always cutting through any misconception about consciousness shifting. As you have pointed out - there is a conversation going around about there being a change coming, i.e., “it’s all happening - don’t you feel it happening?” What a clear example you have used - of how the choice we make in the next election is really a reflection of the level of development of our consciousness. I really appreciate your clarity and simplicity always.

The structure and content of this piece is framed with a typical marketing strategy, or even political ad, wherein your opinion is valued over others you’ve judged less enlightened and discerning than yourself. Unless this is a veiled dig at your unnamed visitors, the piece does not require anything from the first paragraph to make the same points. Since you did include it, please be mindful of the arrogance and isolation it implies. As Bhante Wimala says in one of his poems, “It’s a trap, and many monks were caught.” Our words are always great tangible indicators of intangible inclinations.

Yes, let’s give up the idea of belieing the fairy tale “this election will make an immeasurable difference on just about every level for literally billions of real living souls all over our precious planet Earth.”

Obama may represent a progression change in consciousness for the US but that consciousness remains far behind the level of consciousness demonstrated by many other nations around the world.  Others know better who they are because they look to the US as who they are not.

For the presidential candidates to think the US can return to be the moral compass of the world may very well be the biggest hindrance to the country actually being able to move forward.

A shift will come ... when the illusions are shed and there is a genuine willingness to look at what is actually there.

Thank you, Andrew.  I loved reading your thoughts on this topic. It seems to me that those who sense change are quite likely the ones affecting the change. When we engage in our world, we are connecting to core consciousness in self and society, as you say.  We also become a participant in the energetic movement that is occuring, becoming the energetic movent. 

I appreciate also the historical persepctive you provide.  It would be interesting to run a series of articles on significant eras in history through the veiwfinder of collective conscious.

Sure obama will change things, not as a person, but as a symbol/paradigm. But often in history people want a sweet regression-slumber, after they have been stretched a little. Who are you gonna vote after obama?

Who will prevent or enforce totalitarian missuse of neuroscience-mindreading or other “diagnostic” tools in ten years?

I think one of the biggest shifts in consciousness is in kids who are brought up with computers and the internet. as much as they may lack (the classic fairytale type of) imagination or idealism, they will have integral visionlogic much sooner than other generations. I fail to see the _connection_ between this shift of pacing and the evolution Cohen and Wilber talk about mostly, which is concerned with new levels above turkise or crystal or whatever. Is there a link between ascending and descending ... like the higher we get, the faster low memes will be paced?

i think google is relatively enlightened, already.

Safe to assume that if someone claims to be enlightened they’re not.

Excellent post -

Though physical - I don’t entirely agree with Andrew on his last points - we’re not talking fairy tales -

“Consciousness is not a mysterious dimension where forces disconnected from human volition are at work making all things possible or not. Consciousness is who we all are at the deepest level of our interiors—and how profound our recognition of that is can be seen through the choices we make and the actions we take. The more we not only awaken to that fact but take responsibility for it, the more quickly this world will become the paradise that we all long for in our most inspired moments.”

It’s as if he believes that consciousness only exists when we’re in a human body and not afterwards.... what about reincarnation - if it occurs, do we suspend consciousness and volition until we reincarnate - as if consciousness limited to human experience?

There ARE dimensions where forces disconnected from human are at work…

The ultimate Advaita philisophical piece “Yoga Vashishtha” states:

“In the one infinite consciousness there arises a notion which becomes the jiva and then by becoming more and more dense it becomes the egosense, or mind (which is later called Brahma the creator).  All these and the whole world arise and exist in a notion hence they are unreal. It is experienced es real, just as one feels one’s notion is something real. In that sense all these gods and other creatures are real. In truth, however, there is neither a field her, nor a seed nor a farmer nor the tree (known as creation or the world).

However that notion of the field of creation there is exist all the beings. The resplendent ones among them are the gods; the half baked ones are humans; they in whom there is a thick veil of impurity are the are the worms and such creatures; they in whom there is a thick veil of impurity are the worms and such creatures; they who are devoid of any fruitfulness, who are empty and bodiless (asarira), are known as ghosts or pishachas. The differerentiation is due not to the whim or fancy of the creator Brahma but to their own choice . They become whatever they wished to become. However, in fact, they are all buty consciousness appearing to be subtle (ativahika) bodies. It is on account of persistent self-deception that they seem to have physical or material forms.

The ghosts, too, esixt in their own forms doing what they have to do according to their own nature and experiencing various experiences. They see and communicate awith one another as if in a dream. Some of them do not communicate, like the dream-objects in a persons dream. Like the ghosts, there are also the goblins and disembodied beings. The ghosts creat their own circle of darkness of ignorance which even the sun’s rays cannot penetrate. They thrive in the darkness of ignorance, the light of knowledge is their enemy.”

We agree! Could common sense no longer be rare?
Visit “The physics of emotion in synchronicity with destiny… from a feminine point of view” for a similar perspective, with pictures!

www.wellbeingbydesign.blogspot.com

What’s so is no one really knows with absolute certainty whether the “big phase transition” is happening, will happen, or not, nor what’s driving it, nor how it will or will not show up throughout the absolute realm, an infinite number of relative realms, and what it would look like if it shows up beyond both absolute and relative realms and yet includes both. If “it” happens, we can say, “Well I’ll be!” If it doesn’t, we can say, “Well I’ll be!”

We can create all kinds of assumptions or presumptions about anything whatsoever and label it as a “fairy-tale”, an illusion, a misinterpretation, the absolute truth or not, but the real truth underlying all is simply - we do not know and cannot conventionally know - which is beyond any concocted concepts of “knowing” and/or “not knowing”.

As soon as we plant our “got it” flag based on even the deepest, blazing realizations and we think/feel we “know”, it’s guaranteed at some point to dissolve like a sand castle. Isn’t it so? Why? Because there’s a deep not knowing, underneath all that arises, that trumps all, nothing more, nothing less. Every “thing” else is subject to the shifting quicksand of becoming attached to various ornaments of conclusions and points of view that inevitably come and go.

Again, the truth is beyond conventional “knowing” and “not knowing” and yet fully embraces the conventionality of relative life as it rolls on magnificantly - pointing to our ever present divine ignorance, that resides within the deepest aspect of life itself. Life happens exactly as it happens, and concluding that we must stop or deny something about it because it doesn’t correspond with a certain “belief” about some aspect of it, or if it doesn’t correspond with a certain depth of experience that has soooo much certainty to it, well then, what’s that about? It’s just a rattling of hypotheticals jawing against more hypotheticals, like a flock of crows noisily cawing in a large tree. There’s nothing wrong with all of this cawing. It is what it is. No more, no less. It’s what’s so, not so obviously it’s so what? Being placeless and markless, marks us everywhere, nowhere and beyond both. We become like a hollow bone, allowing life to fully move through with purity, clarity and unassuming grace.

From “I don’t know”, which is beyond any concept of it, deep appreciation arises for the awesomeness of life itself - as is - warts and thorns, conceptions and misconceptions included. The key is establishing one’s awareness in the purity of “not-knowing” Being, and then perform action. From HERE, see what arises as “life”, simply not having any preconceived notion whatsoever of what will arise or not, from moment to moment - liberated from anything and everything whatsoever.

I defer to Rumi:

“Someone half awake in the night sees imaginary dangers; the

morning star rises; the horizon grows
defined; people become friends in a

moving caravan.  Night birds may think
daybreak a kind of darkness, because

that’s all they know.  It’s a fortunate
bird who’s not intrigued with evening,

who flies in the sun we call Shams.”

Challenging notion this - that no forces not connected to human volition may impact my consciousness and make things possible or not. Yes, I take responsibility for my thoughts, actions, etc. Yes I am also affected by the collective (try meditating alone and then in a group of shared purpose). But are there other ‘forces’ beyond my volition that also affect this? Transpersonal Astrology, channelling, religions, etc, etc would all suggest so, without ever suggesting do not take personal responsibilty.

In a lot of ways I think we are all parsing words and many times talking past each other when talking about “shifts”.  If in fact there are a great number of people making the jump from 1st to 2nd tier consciousness, then I would say thats the very shift that Andrew is calling a “fairy tale” here. 

But I suspect that Andrew is really going back 10 years and addressing a lot of the Ascension movements happening then; refuting those types of notions (I agree with him here).

But I did an essay back in 1995 that links Complexity Theory with Consciousness Evolution.  It does in fact propose a great shift that could happen very quickly in consciousness.  See what you think?

http://spectraldesigns.com/complexity.html

I see so much more personal and spiritual autonomy happening in the general population (not being reflected in our institutions, yet), that no matter what the state of those peoples “enlightenment”, it seems like a great step forward compared to where we have been.

I see the collective consciousness “catching fire” in many places and people starting to question literally everything, which is the first step in breaking free of our past, and the literal interpretations of our collection mythologies that have kept us in fear, unable to achieve our greatest potentials.

So I do see things speeding up greatly when it comes to consciousness evolution.  Will something grand happen with consciousness that resembles a super nova going off?  Probably not.  But never say never.  ;o)

I find that equating spiritual shifts in consciousness with American politics is small minded and ethnocentric. Obviously the developmental stage of powerful leaders such as the president of the United States has an impact, but in terms of spiritual evolution it is hardly a drop in the bucket. Acknowledging that mass consciousness is experiencing a shift to a new stage of development is hardly a fairy tale and the result of the election will be a reflection of that, not the other way around. No matter who is elected, consciousness will expand, individuals will continue to evolve spiritually, and this will in turn be reflected in the next election and the next one. Mysterious is simply a way to describe that shifts in mass consciousness cannot be managed externally, they take place in millions of minds and hearts of individuals, therefore arise quietly but powerfully.

(some) humans are far too arrogant to understand the change consciousness is undergoing at a mass level, they associate their personal (ego) understanding of universal processes with the actual workings of those processes...any true spiritual teacher would work to divest themselves of autocratic tendencies that may lead them to place their authority over the truth, this includes being cautious not to dismiss things as “fairy tales” that might simply be encoded messages when properly understood...there is a great shift occurring, and only those who can integrate the modern/post-modern “spirit of the age” with a practical/workable understanding of the teachings of the ancients will be able to see it coming...we should also be careful how we understand the term “evolution” for it can become just another kind of distortion that obscures our view of history…

Only cowards require that comments be approved before they are posted. Obviously explicit language and the like must be banned and removed, but to require approval and possibly not approve the comments that do not agree with your position is decidedly un-enlightened. You can tell how authentic a blogger is by the variety of comments that show up on the blog and how compassionately those comments are responded to by the blogger.

I’m not sure I understand this point of view, or that there is such a big discrepancy.  My assumption, when hearing about the powerful shift in consciousness occurring, is that the shift is being caused by a critical mass of people deciding to acknowledge, explore and live their life from an interior perspective, more from the spirit level, not that it was something mystical happening outside of the individual experience.  And one realization, proof of this, will be reflected in the vote.  At least that is what I am hoping and praying for.

Yes, to believe in fairy tales is not a good practice, but to see those patterns unfolding is needed for clarity.  Are we not telling our own narrative, right now?

Thanks for the amazing post.  I know a lot of people that are just waiting around waiting for this shift to happen and for earth to transform magically.  I call them 2012ers.  I think that it is hard for people in my generation not to get disheartened at the state of the world and the situation we find ourselves in.  At the same time, waiting around for people to magically wake up collectively just isn’t very useful at all.  Waking up and acting appropriately for an improved world situation seems more suitable.

I’m continually amused by those who attempt to elevate the world of presidential politics onto a plain of soaring spiritual significance. Politics is a world of duplicity, petty-hypocrisies, greed, gamesmanship, alliances with unsavory characters, bloviated platitudes, crass manipulation, intimidation and acres of unchecked ego all funneled into one goal: the acquisition of personal power and the prospect of lording over others.

For those concerned with matters spirit to make claims that an election and the selection of one or another presidential candidate will elevate us to some lofty level of consciousness or generate some similar shift; one that will “make an immeasurable difference on just about every level for literally billions of real living souls” seems a subtle form of ego aggrandizement.

The implicit suggestion in much of this discourse is “MY personal political beliefs and MY ideas of social justice are so enlightened and this candidate so much embodies MY excellent values that if he or she is elected the conscious of the world will inevitably shift to a higher plain” or some such. Is this not a childish form of ego projection to award “MY vote” with tectonic significance?

Skillful constituent ego-flattery and political-spiritual hybridization has been the grist for tyrants and empires throughout history, from Rome to Pyongyang. Consciousness most certainly is not disconnected from our collective selves or electoral politics, but isn’t it a good idea to keep such things in proper perspective?

Politics is rarely more than shallow, low-level ego stuff, uninspired by spiritual insight. Spirituality transcends this gunk, which is why Christ rarely focused on the political skirmishes and brinksmanship of his day, much to the fury of many who knew of him. The only significant “planetary shifts” on the horizon are those arising from the transformation from within, something well beyond the superficiality of politics. Good God, can’t we all just get over ourselves and quit trying to polish our personal political positions with the gloss of quasi-divinity?

The Who said is best: Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss. Maybe we should all give “Won’t get Fooled Again” a listen and sober up.

Dear Mr. Cohen:
Your comments clearly show your level of consciousness. The same applies for all others.
Thank you.

Your two visitors speak of their own enlightenment in the same way religious leaders explain the grace of their respective dieties descending upon their followers.  It is an external manifestation rather than internal process of awakening.  In your statement “Consciousness is who we all are at the deepest level of our interiors—and how profound our recognition of that is can be seen through the choices we make and the actions we take. The more we not only awaken to that fact but take responsibility for it, the more quickly this world will become the paradise that we all long for in our most inspired moments.” you have clearly stated the truth.  Enlightenment comes from within and brings into conciousness our connectedness to all life.  Now is our time to act with this knowlege and understanding of who and what we truly are.  Barak Obama has observed that “We are the ones we have been waiting for”.  The wait is over.  Let us come together to take responsible and conscious action further the shift.

I know why these people think this--it is a recurring idea that is so persistent it can’t be ignored.

They think that some ‘shift’ is happening because in order for their own consciousness to evolve to bigger and greater levels they must affect those around them.  That’s how it works! 

We project, we reclaim projections, we project, we reclaim projections and so on and so on consciousness grows.  The bigger the consciousness gets the more OBVIOUS this phenomenon is--so they will notice their projections of their own selves infecting (essentially) others around them which in turn affect others around them--naturally the following conclusion is that there is a shift--but of course that’s another projection--seeking levelness or friendship, alikeness or equalness in the other.  As long as this perception is there the process has not really ‘settled down’ into enlightenment because it means the person is still projected to a great degree--as long as this is the case it means that the person is not ‘all there’ for lack of a better term.  Once grounded consciousness with projections withdrawn, misidentifications eliminated and rejections of self reabsorbed as I AM--only THEN will enlightenment (or whatever we might imagine comes after that) really settle in.  And then the creative being can express itself fully...otherwise they are just another individual with ‘the light in their eyes’ as Andrew put it. 

Shameless plug: You can check out my site with more information at www.howitallworks.org.

Simple truth- grounded-Thank you- I forgive your “indian” past

I am not enlightened but I know one thing for true. Everything we say is not much more than our own point of view. I think that applies the the two enlightened westerners and Andrew’s comment as well.
I wouldn’t claim with such assurance that “Consciousness is not a mysterious dimension where forces disconnected from human volition are at work making all things possible or not”. My point of view is that consciousness is quite a mysterious affair and that human consciousness is just an aspect of a much greater one. Each of us has indeed a small part to play in evolution but who are we to claim that this is the whole story. It’s like focusing on the authors and forgeting the writer. Who knows?

Andrew, thank you for sharing your view and demystifying this popular belief.  For I, too, shared the “mystic” nature of “evolution” at times.  After reading your post, I felt grounded, inspired, and clear about our human nature.

I would love to see a real shift in consciousness awakening whereby more and more awakened people preside over the evolution of a kinder, more peaceful, more compassionate earth.  I’ve heard this is what is happening.  Sorry, if it is happening, it is so slow and subtle that its effect is minimal.  How could we have reelected GWB?  How could this election still be contested?  And I’m an optimist!!! 
It may be advancing but at this rate we’ll blow ourselves up before it arrives.

""” Let’s give up the need to believe in fairy tales. Consciousness doesn’t exist or work in mysterious ways outside of or away from the innermost depths of our individual and collective selves.""""
certainly the “dissapearing the universe” crowd and steve wolinsky “you are not” Types may agree not even a godlike dreamer may exist yet in this imaginary matrix where awareness of awareness arises...........  I (hypothetically positing such an i could) tend to perceive a change generally in my self and others (whatever we take such labels to point at ((thoughts or no)) in the willingness to allow that we in fact may not have or be existance. such a change in perception would require the existance of the imaginary quality time (fallaciously introduced byEIN’S TIME later thought to be mad from much dice gaming) ONE THOUGHT ONE MIND ONCE UPON EIN TIME IN WHICH THE SEE’ER AND THE SEEN ARE ONE IMAGinary now allways allready deja? VU ? 
i have to agree with mark ( 106) Christ’s shoe manship (political or not ) did shift a monetary precept which altered thought which altered behavior which shifted army response putting us in jepardy camps
unless we disidentify with this reality signal Freedom, paradise, like peace are thoughtfoms shifting only when/if the wind feels like castin/kicking it’s dice mark(27) and bob (21) imply it should be my/our sufi feet but my real question ( faerrie with tail,ears or no) why must i as a footprint maker....pass the path again responsibly removing my tracks ?  Pristinity like Divinity belong in the eye of the examiner and if the wind fails to wype my tracks perhaps a global flood could be so kind.......ah but that is not a “fairy Tale” just a different dice game !  shift on in !

Sorry but i don’t think the US are the center of the world !
And the way you talk about the american elections look pretty like a .. fairy tale !

G’day Andrew,
I like your teaching & observations…
As an Aussie and student of cultures, I concur with the notion that individual responsibility and choice are the foundation of the greater consciousness of a culture. I hope you are correct and the US is ripe for change. As an outsider (of the US), I wish you collectively (the US) sense the necessity of being in touch with the rest of the world and welcoming them into your world as well.
The attitude of winning, being on top, expecting respect through power, of pursuing endless growth has made you what you, the US, are - powerful! But after centuries of preoccupation with yourselves (not a bad thing at the time), I think perhaps you do not understand how the world sees you NOW.
Like the powerful before you, you can (like those visiting enlightened ones) talk to the world or choose now to listen to the peoples of the world. Your choice.
Becoming part of a global community (not separate as ‘leader’ means seemingly giving up some of that power, becoming humble before your friends, sharing to care.
A few centuries of same old same old surely means you may be ‘stuck’ in some habits that might come back to bite you. Friends, we have to work together, soonest, to change our world.
The current economic basis for running the world is changing oh so fast as we now see the ending of the oil era that fuelled that growth, we see vast world populations that did not get the basic living conditions of even the poor in America, we see instabilities that can tumble even the great. An economic Tipping Point is certainly near.
To navigate the probable dramatic changes, I see a need to help each other globally through the ensuing chaos, the pain of change, the anger, the confusion.
I hope, Andrew, that your compatriots hear your message of taking responsibility for more than themselves - caring for our world together - making conscious, wise choices for our world community.
The terms socialism, communism, capitalism should have little relevance as we need a new descriptor of our global future. I prefer that we seek TRUE community, that of friends living on a shared planet, that of an extended family - we ARE all related after all.
Let’s build a healthy consciousness, a holistic planet - moving from competition to cooperation and collaboration… in our personal lives and in business so we all win. I think/feel/believe consciousness starts with oneself and grows outwards.
Thanks for taking this conversation to the world, your writings continue to maintain my hope for a peaceful caring world where we work together in the tempest of change.
And so, my American friends, enjoy!

Is it possible to NOT vote for Obama and still be “conscious?” I agree with your comments and love your blog, but think some of the commenters automatically assume you are advocating a vote in one and only one direction.  I didn’t read that in your blog.  Thanks for your honesty and contribution to the discussion.

Wow, this was a popular blog. Well said ...very timely being that the first debate is on in 10 minutes!!  I know many of us feel this “imminent change” in the air, but all that is, is our future calling us...it remains in our hands to MAKE THAT CHANGE HAPPEN!  Thank you for your ever inspiring reality check!

Yes! Yes!! Yes!!! Andrew, and all who have already added their life giving breath to your inspiring insights. We are indeed now the conscious self and life affirming beings who are taking full responsibility for ourselves and the rest of life. It certainly feels good being and owning a part of this loving and truly wonderful experience.

Wow what a response!  If Obama is elected president I’ll be dancing for joy too.  Can’t help thinking of Martin Luther King Jr, and how extraordinary it is that there is a an Aftrican American seriously running for president.  Can hardly believe that IT IS HAPPENING - and that a man, Dr King, gave everything so this could be so.

It is always upsetting to see enlightened people talk about superstitious things.

I hear a lot of talk about “no mind” “truth coming from within” and all I can think is that people want to be done. They want to have accomplished the ultimate goal and know everything so they can be higher.

The more I learn, the more I learn I need to learn more. Not to be more enlightened (Either you are or your not.) but to better help others to be enlightened.

To me that means study. If you want to be a priest you must spend time as a monk. The priest never stops being a monk. Sometimes thinking, learning, and planning is the most enlightened thing to do. These people think sitting around meditating on nothingness is enlightened. I think it can help you get there, but once you are there it is not practical. It is a waste of time.

I think we as Americans are so hyper individualistic it is very hard to try and teach someone. As soon as you establish your self as there teacher (or any hierarchy) even if you do it in a very friendly loose way, they start to subconsciously resent you, and rebel against what ever authority or knowledge you claim. Even if they can’t explain themselves.

How do you set up a teacher - student relationship in a way that works well?

Namaste,

All answers are formed by questions.

Indeed.
We are all connected to one another and all that is… we are all interconnected in ways seen and unseen, in ways that weave through our very fibre of being.... through the air we breathe and the water we drink… Consciousness is the magic breath of life and living. We all breathe. with and without awareness. We can focus and direct our breathing; we can just be with it and sit in awareness of it; and also we breathe without effort/awareness/thought; we even at times hold our breath, breathe shallowly, etc. Like breath our consciousness has many levels and depths. We are all capable of being enlightened and we are all capable of great insight and awakening. It is important to remember that we are all ONE and as such we are all conscious. We all make up the collective consciouness of Being. We must all endeavor to LIVE… grow, open up, consider, meditate, focus, share, receive, let go and begin again. We must not allow our consciousness to stagnate, content with what enlightened or inspired us yesterday, within ourselves and others. We must continue to seek the light and awaken to the great awareness of consciousness that embraces us all.

Namaste.

The “shift” they are talking about, ist much deeper and larger than any elections in the USA where you can, btw., choose between bad and bad, which means, the actual state of being is still infected with a lot of fear.

The so-called shift is about the expansion of mind, of becoming who a human being really is - a God and the term God stands for a mighty being, able to make conscious choices up to its desires and who is not driven by fear. And of course, this is also seen “outside” to a certain amount, but obviously still not fully.

And concerning “fairy tales”. I agree when Bashar says:

The greatest shock in this age of transition
....what you have thought all the time as Fairy Tales is actually the way life is

So - I want more fairy tales…

thank you for shedding simplicity and integrity on this issue. I can see that most of us are just waiting and wanting an “easy way out”.

Beyond nice words. Salt of the earth stuff As above so below, as within so without.  Thanks Andrew very real!

WOW!! some light to add to the inner exitement that I have been feeling lately .... Thank-you

We awaken to our enlightenment but must still do the laundry after.

Brilliant, as always.

Watching last nights debate,it became clear how different Obama and McCain are. Obama resides solidly in his personal power. Only from that place can you project integrity, morality and objectivity. McCain’s personal power was draining as the night went along.
He tapped into past experiences to show his worth, played the victim and near the end he was almost begging. Granted there is a part of the population that will still buy into that sort of behavior, but all and all most of us are ready for someone with vision, impeccability and above all empathy. Obama has the ability to look at issues from all directions, he is an integral thinker. He understands that change needs to happen from the ground up and needs to be encouraged from the top down. He has the ability to be a beacon and inspire....that is what we need right now.

I agree.

And then they lived happily ever after....
The habit of thinking about life and a particular project with a (happy?) ending is so engrained. For the winner of the election it will just be the beginnng. It is daunting to think about it and also very inspiering. What else is there to do?

I believe you are right and that perhaps perhaps part of their statement was correct as well. I think that there is a shift occuring and that is the awakening of consciousness in more and more people across the globe. Individuals realizing the power they hold to make change and the responsibility that goes with it. To consciously choose to make choices from the authentic self ....to realize you can make choices! To realize we are an intricate part of the whole and not a separate powerless entity. That is a shift is it not?

A very important perspective --- great comments too.
Personally I have no time or interest for anybody who presents themselves as “enlightened”, over and above anybody else on this planet.
It strikes me as egoistic and jargonistic, not to speak of the odor of one upmanship and superiority that is projected.
Enlightenment is available to all, and we get it or not according to our openess and readiness to learn and grow as ordinary human beings, living in an extraordinary universe.
Notice also that those who come with an attitude of a a “Pushy kind of enlightenment” have little time for listening—and want to spend all the time talking.
Many years ago Reuel Howe wrote a marvelous little book called “The Miracle Of Dialogue” --- leaning heavily on the insights of Martin Buber.
The message of that book was radical and true—the art of listening is probably more filled with wisdom than the art of talking --- especially talking about one’s own enlightenment!

Seeing the election in the U.S. as a choice in consciousness is basic--but it will speak to which side of the big picture we weight. We will choose dark or light in the moral questions of “are we our earth’s keeper” or “are we only the keeper of our own mortal needs.” A huge “shift” is indeed needed if we are to change from greed and “I-ness” to recognition of the connection of all. Basic? Yes. Noted in the media? I don’t think so. I wish us all not luck, but blessing.

I am happy to see someone write the truth.  It comes from within, not from outside of the person.  I am living proof of it.  I am thankful for that experience of knowing what real is verses false.  I feel Obama is the right person to lead our country out of the disaster that our previous leaders put it in.

I’m feeling kindness and acceptance toward the part of me that recognizes the mystic shift, for the part inspired to action in the world, and the part that judges the validity and clarity of either.

Your comments are a welcome cold shower to this fantasy-worn world. “Consciousness is manifest through human agency” --what a concept! This message couldn’t me more timely for both our immanent political decision-making or to shock our cherished spiritual selves into the bright light of relevance.

Thank you for to be all dedicated to the integral human promotion, without to exclude nothing.
The genuine illumination, without fracture, simultaneously is at inner to the human being, and out too, at individual’s perspective and level, and at collective’s perspective and level.
So, the way of the enlightenment evolution always offers options in all humans’ fields.
The promotion of the humans rights, in all their generations � first generation: right at to be recognized, respected and inviolate like human being; second generation: right at to participate in the politic vie; third generation: right at to enjoy the benefices of the development economics, social and cultural; fourth generation: right at to live in no contamination environment; fifth generation: right to the integral illumination “is such as a condition for a illuminated existence as a fruit of a illuminated existence, all jointly.
The ineffable and eternal/infinite “shift” is being now: in each human being that experiment whole aperture “in all their systems” to the Reality/reality. But these ineffable and eternal/infinite shift is being now too: in each human community that experiment whole aperture “in all their systems” to the Reality/reality.
The illusion “fairy tales” is referred always to: or not agree that illumination is possible, or not agree that integral illumination is possible; or to hope that illumination over come without human being’s participation.
The human species lives at space/time. Therefore, it’s lives in configuration of continue evolution. So, the integral illumination is evolving always. It’s can not to be without evolution. So, each election, individual o collective, helps or not helps, to that integral illumination.
We are in communion.

The description of the two gentlemen as interacting with each other about themselves and their journey as enlightened beings makes me question the “truth” of their enlightenment.  These men as well as all the citizens of the United States are on the same path....to “non-self” consciousness.  Obama cannot do it for us and we have to awaken to the Truth that we have a choice to wake up and that each one makes that choice and is solely responsible for that choice

Thankyou.
Your clarity and simplicity in a milieu of such complexity was indeed enlightening and refreshing. From the other side of the world, I sense the spectacle being played out in the US at this time symbolises a greater spectacle that humanity must wrestle with. The choices that are made at this mesoscopic level will do much to hasten our enlightenment by reflecting the choices on offer both microscopically and macroscopically.
What we have held dear and sacred must be let go to enable new markers in consciousness for the future.

Just a little bird-chirping. What have the fairy tales done? I believe it is the people who do something to the fairy tales which, in my opinion, never have been mysterious. (But some are better than others). As I read, they refer to our soles and intuition, they talk about heroes and archetypes and about cooperation between people and the nature (Snowhite f.ex) and when Cinderella gets her prince on the white horse, I believe she gets consious. Fairy tales are in my opinion very useful to people, they open our soles, our minds, so we may listen f.ex. to you some day. Fairy tales talks about life on this earth and not about some mysterious heaven or mystery at all. And when I see pictures of the universe - the stares and galaxes f.es., it is not strange for me to imagine the magic wand from some fairy tales, and is it not an enlighten way - to create?  And the heroes do really have a lot to fight against - specially their own inside. In my opinion the fairy tales talk about not being an ego but a self, an autentic self. Maybe it is the way we individuals read, and the fairy tales is in my opinion a poetic one about human beings on our planet in the universe.
Copenhagen

I totally agree and understand what you are saying in this blog and “thank you.” However, I am deeply saddened that there doesn’t seem to be a Democrat or Republican Presidential Candidate that is willing to stand up and take the conscious approach to what the U.S. needs.  Even Obama is practicing conservative conventionality in order to win votes.  I wish we as a people had the heart to demand the change that is stirring within ourselves.

I very much agree with the comments of Lesley and Samuel above.
Firstly, I really don’t see any discrepancy between believing that there is a ‘shift in consciousness’ happening and an understanding that such a shift manifests through the beliefs and actions of us humans. It is indeed new Age naivety to believe that aliens or angels or Gods are going to rescue us in some way inspite of ourselves and external to ourselves.  On the other hand, as Samuel points out, there is great mystery in consciousness.  Who knows what forces are indeed working not external to us but through us?  The more awakened we become, the more we manifest the Consciousness of the universe.  If you choose to call that Consciousness God , an awakened consciousness is manifesting the will of God.

And even if people still persist in seeing God somehow outside themselves, surely the old adage still applies: ‘trust in God but tie your camels up at night!’
ie vote for Obama and do all you can personally to make the world a better place!

I would like to contribute with my understanding about the aparent contradition between what the spiritual teachers percive and the way Andrew interpret this. I think both could be possible right at the same time and we don’t need to deny anyone. Becasuse something is already happening in the cosmos and in the planet that is out of control of ourselves and these events are pressing us in an unprecedent form. This doesn’t mean that the world are going to change magically without any collaboration from us, we -that are aware about this- have responsability to align our actions in order to contribute to create a different future, but at the same time recognize that we are part of a biggest global ecosystem in which definitely important things are already happens and in the next future are going to put more are more pressing on us. We definitely must to respond but to think that is only about our shoulders and all the stuff in universe hasn’t any inteligence and is only waiting unconsiusly for our actions is to deny life intelligence itself. So to integrate these two positions could lead us to a more accurate understanding that to polarize only in one or another.

Why not also create some nice and witty fairies . would not it be marvellous ? Let go working for this. Each one of us has a special touch of perfection to give to the picture , haven’t we ?

Thank you for awakening us with your conscious and compelling thoughts.  I would find them even more compelling if you sustituted “and” for “but” in many of your sentences.

Whom ever you elect the president of the United State of America, The Big Bully Behaviour of the US Government is not going to stop. Around 100,000 innocents lost their lives in Iraq. Next it may be Iran or Syria. Not as a responsible government, but as Cruelty Incarnate, the US behaves. Hopefully one day the Bad Karma will come back home to roost.

I was surprised that your post took the turn that it did.  To read your description of the presidential election representing a ‘big shift’?  Give me a break.  A black man’s name might be on the ballot but thats only because ‘the powers that be’ have deemed him an acceptable risk.  In admitting my own arrested development, and that of Helen Keller, “our democracy is but a name.  We vote?  What does that mean?  It means we choose between two bodies of real, tho not avowed, autocrats.  We choose between Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dee” (1911).  I am always horrifed when America justifies war in the name of bringing ‘democracy’ to Iraq or Afghanistan.  If using a fixed electronic system to count votes is our version of democracy, then it’s a pretty poor one, and one that doesn’t deserve to be held aloft for all to see.

I really, really apreciate the work and wisdom of Andrew, but to speak in terms of Ken Wilber: No human individual on this planet can see the whole picture on its own. I would like to include Andrew also as a human being and ask him to at least CONSIDER the idea of others telling him something about shift. My opinion is that people in this arena tend to diminish and convict ANYTHING that smells somehow “esoteric”. I think it’s time to see the bridges and the common issues rather than the differences between all the beliefs and convictions on this world. This will be needed in the future to REALLY overcome duality and to stop fighting against each other. It’s true: We have to begin with ourselves, if we want to change the world! Let’s begin - but let’s do it TOGETHER!!!

Can you tell us more about the enlightend light in the eye you mentioned. How excatly do you identify it, what is it’s characteristics and how or when do you get it? Can christians or people involved in traditional religious systems like the catholic church get it?

I just finished The Search for Meaning A short History by Denis Ford for a class I am taking. I recognize Andrews you are into what I guess some would call a post modern, evolutionary perspective. Or maybe a metaphysical perspective. More skilled writers than can app;y words. Our actions influence our reality, no doubt.  So my response is to take a deep breath, watch you breath and feel, and for some patience will work and for others actions will move them some place, and when the whole soup pot is bubbling, which it might be now, I guess we will find out.

I don’t buy it - I’m sure McCain and Obama believe it but a fully realized spiritual being having a human experience should recognize that this election will have no positive impact on the spiritual awaking of humanity as a whole.  This election is a mud fight on both sides and the winners followers will feel good for a moment and then business as usual resumes - however away from that scene an awakening is happening - your two guests may be on to something. The reason Obama has captivated the watching world is because he knows how to give a well written speech and is a gifted and skilled politician.  His socialist and liberal agenda have never brought a world together - they have only divided again in a different way.  When an enlightened politician comes along that speaks to our higher good and helps us end the mindset in the mass of individuals that creates hate, greed, and disregard for sustainable life on this planet I will go along with you that the election is a pivotal moment in history but if you truly think that is Obama than you are actually asking your readers to believe in fairy tales.....his followers will love you for it.

The title seems sad to me - I believe in the magic of fairy tales as a vehicle for children to learn to fight dragons without the need to shed blood. Sure let us all not sit back and relinquish personal power and responsibility by projecting them onto some mysterious “shift in consciousness” which is going to fix all our problems. Let us also remember that it is fairy tales that have taught many of us to believe in magic, to aspire to “they lived happily ever after” and to trust ourselves and our courage to wake up to a new day after a nightmare.

Children who have been exposed to television rather than fairy tales have not been encouraged to investigate who they are “at the deepest level of our interiors”. Fairy tales are a powerful and effective vehicle to teach the art and skills needed to plumb the depths of our deepest levels. When we are young we learn much about ourselves when we confront dragons in our imagination. We learn little watching it on the box or the TV news.

Instead of fairy tales, perhaps the word stories makes more sense in this conversation.  From my reading of many different New Thought, radical and mystical writers of our era, we need new stories which highlight our interconnectedness and need for peaceful coexistence.  Science now tells us of our interconnectedness.  There is no us and them.  And yet both candidates talk of maintaining the war machine, and supporting the corrupt financial barons who have brought our country near to its knees.  I will vote for Senator Obama as I work in social services and I believe he will be the more wise and compassionate candidate.  He is more apt to contribute to the community good, rather than the corporate good.  However, I am dismayed that neither candidate appears to understand Oneness and the new model of Being.  Perhaps it is a fairy tale to believe in our connectedness as suggested by the Ancients and the quantum physists.  I prefer this story to the old story of conquest and separation.  To me, Senator McCain represents and embodies the old story.  His fairy tale of survival leads to more conquest and economic devastation.  I’d prefer to take my chances with a more modern and brilliant thinker.  (Recognizing, of course, that both political parties are in part responsible for the mess this county is in.) Blessings to all who vote, and especially all who vote outside of the traditional white male box.  And blessings to all who do not vote.  We are One and we are each sacred beings.  Blessings.

Thank you for putting such an emphasis on this election Andrew and the “big shift” that is occurring.  There is a federal election here in Canada a couple of weeks before the U.S. election, but many of us here are trying to figure out how we can vote for Obama!

Hello Andrew,
I am not going to comment about this “shift going on in consciousness”. The point you want to make is inspiring for me but I want to adress this particular statement you made: “ The big shift that’s about to occur is occuring on the national stage in our Presidential election. This election will make an immeasurable difference on just about every level for litteraly billions of real living souls all over our precious planet Earth”.

My context is the one of a postmodern narcissistic self living in Belgium and discovering your very profound and rational teaching which is deeply resonating in me. Thank you.

But I just can’t reconcile this statement with your teaching...is it a personal statement on your personal blog? I don’t think mixing national politics with your role of “international guru” was the best thing to do.

I love America, I love pioneers, I love people who want to transform (themselves and the world) for higher purposes. I love your posture and the one of your teaching.

2 years ago, having strongly been impressed by the posture of John PERKINS “Confessions of An Economic Hitman” http://www.economichitman.com/ I flew right away to your country just to have the chance to meet and talk with this extremely courageous guy, former banker who is denonciating (at the risk of this own life) us policy abroad...and I also flew to Tuscany last august to join you at your really intensive retreat.

If this blog was intented to spark a deep interest for your work and to drive (me) to your revolutionary retreat...in my case, your statement sabotaged the very point you wanted to make...so, this blog missed its target.

I will be looking forward some clarifications, explanations,..regarding this statement...or maybe I will evolve and change my mind!?

Many thanks,
Alain

Good food for thought indeed. And I am reminded of something from Sidhartha, where the Buddha says do not confuse the moon with my finger pointing at it. And beware the prophet who says he understands that which so many others do not. There is much mystery in this world we experience, and there are many more good questions than good answers. My favorite is “who the heck knows?”

ANDREW!,

This article has come to me at the exact moment.
YES this is what i have been doing and this is what i have been confused about.

When you are awakened are you implying this is only a awareness of evolutionary change ?

I have literally been going around asking,

IS THIS GLOBAL OR IS THIS A PERSONAL JOURNEY?
because i cannot distinguish between the two

But surely looking at every human being in your surrounds and only being able to see HUMANS, void of all rolls and illusion, surely that is a personal experience.

I almost feel like someone is going to work-it-all-out and the whole world will awaken

So are you saying that our awakened state’s can be nothing more then a intrinsic awareness of cultural,societal, political change ? 

My personal experience now is experiential commune
with my surrounds and all that enters it, this includes the fruitbats outside of my apartment, the birds e.t.c

I enter into states that i feel are being “BIRTHED” upon this earth, and then when finding images or videos on YOUTUBE, that experimentally reflect to me
my own experience, then i see a DAWNING.

How can it not be global, for we are all the one consciousness? .

I feel i have no mouth sometimes, and i am unable to
communicate my experience to many.

All i know is i am in a spiritual realm, and i am walking in illusion, seeing myself reflected back in everything around me .

And i want to make it clear, this state is not drug induced, i do not touch recreational drugs, nor have i in 14 years.

Please clarify this matter for me, because it has been causing much confusion for me.

I keep asking IS THIS GLOBAL OR IS THIS A PERSONAL JOURNEY ?

Even slight distinctions made
set earth and heaven far apart.

If you would clearly see the truth,
discard opinions pro and con.

To founder in dislike and like
is nothing but the mind’s disease.

And not to see the Way’s deep truth
disturbs the mind’s essential peace.

Source: http://www.mendosa.com/way1.htm

Dear Andrew, Thank you for your clarity in these troublesome times. As I write this congress is voting on the bailout. I wonder if humanity and compassion will have a voice? Once again we must ‘get in the trenches’ as we did in the “Sixties”.  Expecting some mysterious event to occur beyond myself is no longer living in reality. Yes, I Am the one I have been waiting for.

“Work is Love made visible.” Kahlil Gibran

I was quite intrigued by the title.
The power of fairy tales may have changed through time. Where they used to be a door to see things differnetly an d make a shift. They are nowadays more a story with little value because they are not scienticly true?
So also the way of living enlightend changes and developes? Where believing used to be enough and a few would become enlightend. Now the we or i are at a next step? Where participation and learning to live living it is the next step?
Like a idea, becomes a plan, is drawen and then with labour/energy becomes more manifest.
Thank you for sharing your insights and work.
Greetings Lysbeth

Andrew (and others),

you raise a number of very important points and I’m very happy to see it coming from a person such as you in a forum like this where it has obviously ignited some very passionate discussion.

If we are to take this path, I think we also need to be fully informed about the nature of our political choices and the political world as it truly is, not as simply another fairy tale.  I get the feeling that most Americans think that electing one candidate over another will make all the difference (think: Obama for JFK) but this demonstrates a level of naivete about politics that the world cannot afford to allow Americans to retain.

The truth is, that while there are differences between the camps, nobody gets into the race who isn’t simply part of the stageshow whereby political elites manage democratic electorates.  To start to see the true world of deep politics - to look at the matrix - is much more necessary than guessing which candidate is least dishonest at the ballot box. 

The human world is actually quite complex and we are kidding ourselves to think we can actually sit on the couch and make informed choices.  Knowing takes work.  A basic political education, of the type which doesn’t involve listening to any TV pundits, would need to be a first step.  If I would suggest just one website to start looking outside the manufactured concensus reality of mainstream media, it would be globalresearch.ca.  If I suggested a second it would be solari.com.  Additionally, to get the academic view, a textbook on global political economy is a good place to start.

There seem to be so many levels from which to look at the world and the world of politics and all perspectives I feel need to be considered.  Surely only a global conversation about what’s really at the root of our behaviours can help us out of this predicament?  It’ll all end up back as a problem of consciousness, but seeing the exact way this plays out in the world of matter and people is important.

How does one discern if another is enlightened? I’ve observed, ruminated and questioned about this for a long time.

Once during a meditation retreat, I asked my ‘enlightened’ spiritual teacher a question about love. He got mad at me, saying that this question was not within the context of the discussion at hand. The other participants at the time were taken by surprise in the way he dealt with me. Sure, the question was out of left field but I thought, “How can a question about love ever be out of context?” This observation led me to believe that either I was not as enlightened as he, and that I had no right to question his response, or he was not the teacher I thought he was, and I should either go more into myself for answers or find another teacher. I proceeded to delve further into myself.

Without judgment, I ask: how can one can be spiritually-minded or even enlightened, and not be quietly receptive, open and willing to share in the divinity of another?

There are levels of ego, and we must be ever vigilant of the slightest ripple. I’ve known many so-called spiritual people who meditated night and day but suffered from what I thought was a serious form of spiritual arrogance. We all must be mindful of not falling into the trap of thinking that we’ve reached a level of enlightened awareness not shared by fellow mortals.

Taking on the moniker of spiritual teacher is a pretty big responsibility. I call myself that too, and I sometimes wonder if I’ve bitten off more than I can chew. One has to be extremely grounded in understanding and practicality.

As to a spiritual shift in the world, hang on, let’s ride the wave. Consciousness evolves. Growth doesn’t come without pain.

As I observe my thoughts, I ask myself what changes I need to make in my world. I recognize my own awareness curving back on itself, and I ask: “What is worthy of my attention?” I know for certain that my spirituality has to be practical.

My meditation brings me to the Ground of Being, and all my actions are imbued by this anchor. Despite the current economic chaos, war, and change, I remain centered in my True Self, and I’m aware of the intrinsic power of my creative abilities, and a deep sense of compassion for all creation.

Ken LaDeroute
http://www.AffirmationPower.com

At the risk of putting my foot in it by responding, I’d like to draw attention to Dean’s post above, as it seems profound and mind blowing what he has written.  That Dean is even contemplating this out loud - ‘is it personal or is it global, is it personal or is it global’, - and dare I answer that in my experience it is both, that what is happening in consciousnes in the world is both personal and global because there is no difference.

Yes we can! 

I don’t think there’s anything that has not been said in many different ways so far, but I, too, want to applaud you, Andrew, for the simplicity and directness of your comment. 

It has been an interesting experience over the last two years as I have actively supported and spoken out to everyone I could about the potential that this election has for change, for tripping us over a threshold into a world more dominated by second tier thinking than by primitive first tier values.  What is interesting, as well, is that the leader of the “movement” that seems likely to win this election has stressed repeatedly the importance of the second tenet in his refrain, “Yes we can!”—the importance of volition and action to back it up. This has caused MILLIONS of people to contribute their money, time and energy, rather than waiting for others to make it happen.  I have gotten lots of strange looks and side comments from my more “spiritual” friends every time I’ve suggested they read one of Obama’s books, or look more deeply into some of the interviews conducted by Fareed Zakaria, another very public practitioner of second tier thinking. They have at times accused me of being “too worldly” and asked whether I really thought a “spiritual” person should be so engaged in the political dialog and in efforts to change the government. 

So, Andrew, your blog entry was a refreshing and enlivening confirmation from you, the person who has most affected my life for the last 20 years, that maybe it hasn’t been entirely crazy to be trying to change the tone and the direction of our civic life, and in that context, of the life of millions on this planet, through some degree of political activism.

Thank you very, very much.

Evolution takes place gradually.
People needed to find the higher realms and some went ahead
for that purpose � leading the way.
Then we need to implement that in the manifest world.
The real big shift is when people awaken to the inner self.
We need to do that �a thousand times a day�,
remembering not the ego but the Higher Self is the wiser part of all of us.

Only then we will come from that in all our actions and the world we manifest
will reflect that � like the world and its leaders reflect our position at all times.
For so long we forgot, reason and science became god, and we created a materialistic world. But now voices of responsibility and care for the world are heard many places. So as we vote for our Inner Self, listen to and respect its voice more and more - the shift unfolds.

It takes disciplin and moral training to overcome the ego and its shadows,
and that is not done overnight, but the rewards are inevitable and fantastic.
We have a great job here on earth, integrating form and spirit.

Bless and thank you all!

Since there is no real separation in life at a spiritual level, I would agree with Johanna above.  But since there is separation at the physical level, I would agree with Andrew.  I feel that evolution occurs at all different levels at all different times.

When one becomes aware of the interconnectedness of all life at the spiritual level, then one becomes aware of the need to create a thriving supportive physical environment that supports and nourishes all living things and the environment that we live in.

I believe this election has no universal guaranteed outcome but the results will be an indicator of how many people understand that we are all in this together and what is good for one of us needs to be good for all of us on the planet.  It will be a revealing out picturing of our individual spiritual evolution.

This election is only a beginning though and I am not so naive that I believe that this is anything but a tiny opportunity to begin the long hard journey that it will take to begin to turn things around.  But then again at this level, if life wasn’t filled with dire challenges, we could never experience a small part of our true potential!

A big change in consciousness is underway.  Every moment the mind and minds of people are in motion, new frames expressing themselves upon each person.  This is not new.

What would be different, or at least encouraging, would be to see each of us learn enough of the lessons which seep into us during enlightened states to consciously and continuously act from an enlightened awareness.

With the vast economic upheavals that are currently being faced, and the changes to come as a result, it is an ideal time to reconstruct our lives, to choose to act with enlightened awareness.  Each person has that option, to continue in ways which are unsustainable, irresponsible and selfish, OR, to live lightly upon the earth, with less burdens and less attachments, and more vitality.  We desperately need to practice enlightened awareness for our own good and for the good of all.

Thank you so much for all those years of great work and for your last insight about The Election, it’s true importance to the world and your insight about each one of us creating our own universe. The importance of this Election and all that comes with it, is one side of the coin. The other side of the coin is the motivation of all our actions, isn’t it? Creating our Universe from a pure perspective and not from our ego. Working for the whole and not just for ourselves.
No longer waiting for Grace to come from some mystical place, but taking action from within. 

Not so true what you’re saying. And I hope among so many “yes” comments, one which doesn’t agree 100% won’t hurt. Even thou you’re exposing some of the boring patterns of the so-called spiritual teachers (enlightened or not) still, I believe that the mystical feeling, the mysterious emotion that you felt when you had the state of enlightenment (as you certainly had, I’ve seen the light in your eyes) didn’t pass. And if you still remember that day, you will remember also how difficult was then to put into words those feelings, to express something which cannot be expressed but experienced. God, evolving or not, is beyond our words and perceptions. That’s why the great teachers and mystics of the past said about Him that in order to perceive Him you have to enter silence, then the ineffable and mysterious communion with Him might be revealed…

It is great to read all these replies. It is a lively inquiry!
I wholeheartedly agree with the fact that our spiritual development needs to be reflected in our actions. And, as I understand it, that is the sobering message of Andrew, and I thank you for that. And when we collectively take that responsibility in our shoulders, stretch in ourselves to higher freedom and deeper ways of coming together, develop our intelect so that we can come up with new and integral solutions for our inner and outer crises, than something is really changing. And I know I have to do that, so that from my own development I am the change and a support and help to the leaders in our world. Nothing is garanteed, maybe, something will change...our current crises offer a big window of oppurtunity to reach for the new. It remains to be seen whether we, in the most highly developed countries, will bring that change. Evolution needs us.

The consciousness is the manifestation of the principal of duality. It is the opposite of Dead or non living. The journey of Cosmos is essentially a journey from dead particles to highest form of entity that is God Head. In Consciousness resides Conduct and Free-will. All material entities are subject to evolution and devolution. The evolutionary forces are therefore in search of stuff that can be made more strong to become the part of God Head with conscious efforts and is free from the process of evolution and devolution. The Consciousness is therefore capable of producing a “Self” (required stuff) that can be made strong with righteous Conduct and for exercising righteous Conduct Man has been endowed with Free-will.
Thus the journey towrads God-head is a matter of Conscious efforts.

Shift happens! Well not really, unless there is accountable and responsible action behind it. Then real shift can manifest in a real and integrated way. The idea that “something is happening in consciousness” and a great and everlasting change is about to happen, (and then we will all be happy, man!) is extremely outdated and naive but unfortunately very prevalent. Kudos to you.

I agree that we should stop believing in Fairy Tales. I doubt that there will be some magical transformation in 2012, for example. Even if there were a magical transformation, we would need to develop our understanding to ground it and not fall back.

But you wrote, “Consciousness doesn�t exist or work in mysterious ways outside of or away from the innermost depths of our individual and collective selves.” It seems to me that this is another Fairy Tale. How do you know that Consciousness doesn’t exist outside of our individual and collective selves?

Similarly, you said elsewhere that we are the cutting edge of who and what God is. Such bold claims would require omniscience on your part. Are you omniscient?

Surely there is more in life and the cosmos than even the most evolved human being could comprehend.

This is a statement of Andrew which I agree with nearly completely. I have commented last months -on my blog - extensively about the complexity of transitions, transformations, shifts and change as much in context of US Elections as in more global dimensions.

Adding something to Andrews wake up call I am choosing this from Steve McIntosh in this answer to a questionaire for the Chopra Center:

“Question: How could this collective coming together of leaders be most instrumental in bringing public awareness to the great shift that is occurring?

Answer: First, we could demythologize the idea of “the great shift”, recognizing that there is not just one shift, there are actually many shifts in consciousness going on simultaneously in the world-a shift from pre-traditional to traditional in Africa, a shift from traditional to modern in Asia, and in America, and ongoing shift from modern to postmodern, as well as the beginning of a shift from postmodern to integral.

We could also be more discerning about the nature and behavior of cultural evolution, and recognize the fallaciousness of the wishful thinking that expects that the world is going to “wake up” and suddenly become “cultural creative” in a miraculous transformation. “

Best, from Germany

What a lot of response to a posting that is at best vacuous.

you are right to say that Consciousness is what we are and any changes to the outside world must come from within us. You are WRONG however, to dismiss the recent energy shifts that DO lead to the progressive (at times rapid) changes in our understanding of who we are (ie the Consciousness) and its manifestations in the physical world. And how does it work?  We can either respond to those energy changes OR not, as we do have free will.  That’s how manifestations of our reality always come from within us. Your approach to enlightment and spirituality is, from my observation, highly intellectualised and academic. That’s ok, as long as you also give an equal (if not greater) focus on the INTUTITIVE side of the spiritual matters.  We can run a never ending academic discurse about what is enlightment, spirityality etc to satisfy our intellectual thirst for answers.  But until you close you eyes and listen to the Spirit within and actually FEEL that the energy of the Universal Consciousness IS changing by raising its frequency and thinning the vail of separation and illusion, your understanding (and your teachings) will remain incomplete and, unltimately, untrue.  I strongly recommend the works of Gregg Braden and Bruce Lipton who explain those principles beautifully.

My comment is this - I have just listened to one of your videos Andrew - for about 15 min or so you were talking about “enlightened communication” and its importance to the human evolution WITHOUT ONE concrete example of what it means and how it can be achieved.  In all your articles that I have read this is the common theme - you speak about theory without embedding it in practice.  I can see people in the audience nodding their heads as if they understood what you were talking about.  They don’t.  Until you give them practical, every day examples, techniques and guidance, their APPLICATION of consciousness will not change.

I love your insight on the necessity of keeping up with the times - Essentially this comes down to the idea that we need to always be learners, which is a spiritual teaching that I really believe to be true!

OK, Obama is a great change from a powerful country so it does have its meaning… but the world and the american way of life won’t change from the ground up just because of this election. Maybe in 4 years, the Republicans will be back, just like Reagan followed Carter, or Nixon followed Kennedy, or Bush followed Clinton. Maybe Obama will attack Iran, etc. Don’t expect too much, don’t get blinded by emotions. Things evolve, right, but very slowly. And don’t forget that there are other great leaders around the world, which have the same importance for there people than Obama has for americans. Chavez for example, and others… The world is not the USA.

Really enjoyed your perspective on this topic. Thank you.

I voted for Obama because he gets it.  Bush did and does not.  Rarely was our choice so clearly delineated.  Americans rose to the occasion--it’s been too clear to ignore for far too long that how we’ve been doing things isn’t working.  I wouldn’t have believed that Obama would win myself if hadn’t seen it with my own eyes.

Amen! And Thank you.  I admire your ability to write with such love, sincerity and truth.  I agree and would like to add that It is within our consciousness that we are able to find our true purposes., our birth/life visions.  The difficulty comes in allowing yourself to recieve the signs, which could come in any form...dreams, thoughts, and intuitions to name a few. I would love to be able to talk with you some time.  I believe everyone we meet or happen upon ( as I did with your website) has something to teach you, and you them.

Andrew Cohen said: The “big shift” that’s about to occur is occurring on the national stage in our Presidential election. This election will make an immeasurable difference on just about every level for literally billions of real living souls all over our precious planet Earth. There’s nothing mystical about this shift and how important and meaningful it is for all of us who put consciousness first and foremost.

Michael Holliday said:  Is Andrew Cohen self-deluded?
Consciousness (awareness) of who we just elected seems to have eluded him, to some degree.  Or perhaps he agrees with Obama.  I don’t know…

I think Michael Gerson’s view is a little less optimistic and a little more realistic, as to what kind of enlightened leadership we can expect from Barack Hussein Obama, the moral and spiritual imbecile: 

“Obama’s record on abortion is extreme. He opposed the ban on partial-birth abortion—a practice a fellow Democrat, the late Daniel Patrick Moynihan, once called “too close to infanticide.” Obama strongly criticized the Supreme Court decision upholding the partial-birth ban. In the Illinois state Senate, he opposed a bill similar to the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act, which prevents the killing of infants mistakenly left alive by abortion. And now Obama has oddly claimed that he would not want his daughters to be ‘punished with a baby’ because of a crisis pregnancy—hardly a welcoming attitude toward new life...”

“Perhaps (what is needed) is a revolt against a culture of disposability. Perhaps it reflects the continuing revolution of ultrasound technology—what might be called the ‘Juno’ effect. In the delightful movie by that name, the protagonist, a pregnant teen seeking an abortion, is confronted by a classmate who informs her that the unborn child already has fingernails—which causes second thoughts. A worthless part of its mother’s body—a clump of protoplasmic rubbish—doesn’t have fingernails. “

Wasn’t it Jesus who said something to the effect, “What you do to the little ones, you do to me?”

What sayeth you, Andrew Cohen?

I’m reminded of the old New Yorker cartoon of a monastery where a monk was crashing through the gate in a big fat car; and a brother said, ‘Brother John has made the ultimate sacrifice - he’s given up humility’.  Maybe either of your two Enlightened visitors could try listening for a little while. The Obama phenomenon seems to be overtaken by our sudden discovery that those greatest in power and prestige are the smallest in morality and wisdom.  Is there a ‘spiritual’ message in that?

Talking about enlightenment is tricky, even for someone who has had the authentic experience. Someone might say, for example, �He is an enlightened man,� or �I am an enlightened man.� It is necessary to understand the difference between �enlightened now, in this moment� and �once (or several times) having experienced enlightenment, but not being in that state now.�

One who has experienced enlightenment, and then they return to more ordinary ego-centered consciousness into the illusion of separation, can only properly state that they have been (past tense) enlightened. Actually there are large numbers of such people; fully stable enlightenment is rare, but the full authentic experience lasting minutes, hours or days is not uncommon.

Most of the people who have had such an experience do not talk about it with anyone. There are good reasons why they may not try to share their experience. For example, they simply do not know what happened to them and they lack the ability to explain it, not having any previous knowledge of such a state before it came upon them suddenly. Or they may be completely at a loss for words to use to describe it, even though they recognize what it was. Or they may believe and feel that since the experience has passed, that they would simply be egotistical to claim to have had such a wondrous experience. And there are many more reasons as well.

To accurately and honestly claim �I am enlightened� must mean right now, this very moment. Unfortunately, although enlightenment comes all at once, in an instantaneous flash of illumination/awakening, it is rarely once and for all, it is rarely stable, continuous, and permanent. But the way it is commonly talked about, seems to assume it is continuous and uninterrupted once the experience happens the first time.

This is understandable, and would not ordinarily mean there is any deception involved. It would be similar for example to referring to an ex general or president as �General� or �Mr. President� not because they are currently holding that active position or office, but rather because they have previously held it.

We must assume that most human beings will more typically move into and out of the enlightened state rather than stay in that state permanently and continuously. Unfortunately, some who have had the experience, like to claim, �I am enlightened� but this implies right now, when in truth, all they can say is �I had the experience sometime in the past.�

Dismissing the significance of someone having the enlightenment experience as not really being enlightenment because that experience is not stable for them is unnecessary and incorrect.

Once a human being has known their true nature, the SELF, the same SELF that we all are, that everything is, they will never be the same again, and they will have much to share with the rest of humanity. It is an important intermediate state that has so far been largely neglected in the spiritual literature. What is it like, what does it mean, and what does one do with it, after being in and out of the enlightenment state? There is much to learn from spiritual teachers who have actually been there, but have returned to the ego illusion of duality and separation.

This raises the important question of how does one determine enlightenment authenticity? The only sure way is if a person is currently in the enlightened state, and they are �verified� by someone else currently in the enlightened state. It is impossible to verify a past experience as having been authentic. Hence, it is commonly assumed that claiming enlightenment means being in the enlightened state right now. All of us would be advised to be clear that the enlightenment was real when it was real, but right now it is just a memory of a past experience. This is the only way to prevent students, seekers and interested persons from feeling as if they were being deceived.

In any case the point is probably moot, as what really matters is if someone assumes the role of spiritual teacher, is their teaching of value to assist students to wake up, to heal, to become whole, to remember who they really are, to discover and personally experience their true nature, their true SELF.

"Responsibility” I love that word! Fairy tales exist to excuse those who can’t/won’t take responsibility. Freedom comes with responsibility. So many try to asault the heavens without abandoning the hells.