Creating a Collective Vortex of Change:
No Time Like the Present
by Beth Green
Most of us have been working on ourselves for years and have made progress in certain areas but not in others. Transformation can be difficult when we are fighting our demons by ourselves. We need support. Without collective change, it is more difficult for us to change individually. It is harder to say "no" to sugar when images of sugary desserts are all around us. It is harder for us to think of the welfare of others when others seem to care only for themselves. But while the collective consciousness can drag us down, it can also lift us up. In the past, environmental responsibility was rare and harder to accomplish. Now recycling is part of the popular culture and much easier to practice.
It is important for us to realize that our consciousness is not personal; it does not exist in a vacuum. We are aspects of the collective consciousness, influenced by social attitudes, family values, the necessities of our economic system, and so on. On the whole, our culture is driven by ego, and so, naturally, it is difficult for any one of us to transcend its domination on our own. And it is understandable that our culture is driven by ego. Ego is a natural aspect of our design; it is the awareness of our individual existence, and its job is to protect us. In an existence where life is insecure and the world is a scary place, we may notice that the ego is busy protecting us at the expense of anyone and everyone, even when we believe that we are aware and caring. How can we change that? Is there a way to train our consciousness, reduce our fear, and reprogram ourselves to think of the highest good of all and ultimately perceive reality from the perspective of the divine?
That is the work of creating a collective vortex of change. But first, are we motivated? Many of us are acutely aware of the pain and destructiveness caused by the current state of our collective consciousness—too much fear and anger, consumption, addiction, competition, violence, short-sightedness, loneliness, manipulation, and alienation from ourselves and one another. We are longing for a new era, an era of greater inner peace and well-being, a time of harmony, where we exchange anger for understanding and domination for cooperation, an era of co-creation, trust, and mutual support.
With the support of ourselves, one another, and the Divine, we can create the collective vortex of change that helps bring in the new era we all crave. The new era begins in the moment in which we collectively shift from ego-based consciousness to unity consciousness. To make the shift to unity consciousness, we transform our thinking, our feelings, and our very being. We must also heal the traumas and negative programming that we learned beginning in our infancy, so that we are released from the automatic, ego-driven, me-based reactivity driving us unconsciously on a daily basis. Then we will become different on the inside, more and more relaxed, more and more able to experience ourselves as the vibrational energies that we truly are.
Fortunately, our present time, 2012, provides us a great opportunity to make the shift to unity consciousness. We presently have many transformational modalities to help with emotional healing as well as spiritual teachings and tools to help us focus on becoming agents of higher consciousness. We also have access to the Divine, both in terms of greater perspective and powerful spiritual energies that transform us.
Yet we also have a major challenge. If we are to transcend the domination of ego and be guided by divine consciousness, we will have to confront the perspective that the universe should be manipulated to satisfy our agendas. And we will have to move into a higher perspective where we realize that God is not part of our mission; we are part of God's plan.
Ultimately, while we are responsible for doing our part, we are actually instruments of the collective vortex of change that comes from a consciousness higher than our own and from a future we cannot envision. It transforms us from discrete and separate fragments to individuated beings in the context of oneness. It is our creation, yet it informs, guides, and empowers us toward a future beyond our possibility to create.For over 30 years, Beth Green has been a spiritual teacher, intuitive counselor, author, and speaker. She is the co-founder of the Center for Healing & Higher Consciousness (www.CenterforHandH.com) and founder of The Stream spiritual community (www.thestream.org). Beth recently released her latest book, Living with Reality (www.livingwithreality.com).
Beth Green will be leading a retreat called "Creating the Collective Vortex of Change," August 17-19 in Bonsall, CA. (Visit www.CenterforHandH.com for details.) She will also speak at the California Institute for Human Science conference in San Diego on July 22. (Visit https://www.cihs.edu/index.php/events/.)
