I would like to adjust the tone of this Awaken to One blog a bit from previous entries to talk about something that I believe is extremely important and necessary. It is being written to bring about a greater awareness into our collective consciousness and serve as topical consideration for future dialogue, identification and focus. I believe it to be a very interesting and delineating terminology that has been around for awhile and bantered about more and more these days in various circles of our growing spiritual community, and is a topic that I feel deserves a more intimate look and deeper analysis. This is the concept of Service-to-Self (STS) and Service-to-Others (STO). This basic and descriptive terminology illustrates a very significant polarity in universal consciousness, consistent with the overarching dualities that we as Soul face in these lower worlds everyday. In understanding what these terms truly represent, we must begin to recognize the journey of evolution that we all have taken and are at this very moment undertaking in the expansion of cosmic consciousness as well as self and God realization. We also begin to realize that the transition from one polarity to the other is not necessarily a neat and tidy process, but a quantum shift fraught with extreme and sometimes intense overlap as well as continual reassessment and refinement.
At its worst, STS is a sociopathic, non-remorseful and egocentric mentality that by its very nature is designed to glorify and provide comfort to self with little consideration for the cost to others around them. The primary motivation is for self gratification and the control and rule of others. This extreme mentality works through fear, intimidation and the manipulation of others around them to suit their needs. If you think about what I am describing, it’s not very hard at all to find numerous illustrations of such mentalities in our distant past and more recent history. From Genghis Khan to Louis the XIV; from Henry the VIII to Stalin; from Idi Amin Dada to Saddam Hussein, they have speckled our sordid history throughout time immemorial.
One of the most recent examples of this type of selfish, compartmentalized mentality is Bernard Madoff, who could perhaps be described today as the current poster boy for the STS state of consciousness. His incredibly massive and destructive Ponzi-scheme has bilked thousands of citizens worldwide of up to $50 billion dollars in hard earned assets, and from the observation of his personal countenance and attitude, he seems to show no feelings of remorse whatsoever. In the greater scheme of things however, Madoff is just a small fish in an infinitesimally bigger pond of STS perpetrators and forces that have done and are doing things that are so outrageous as to not be believed. Within this context, I call upon each and every one of you to dig deeper into the realities we are all facing in this world today, and come into your own understanding of the things going on in order to see the magnitude of the challenges facing us now and in our not too distant future. Now more than ever, vigilance in the quest and acquisition of truth is extremely important for each of us, and mental discipline along with spiritual conviction is essential if we are to move through the paradigm shifting gauntlet we are currently undergoing and will continue to undergo. As Bob Dylan put it, “Times they are a-changing.”
On the opposite pole of this consciousness track, we have Service-to-Others (STO). Some of the best descriptions of this state of consciousness are phrases like, pass it forward; each one teach one; random acts of kindness; and my personal favorite, for the good of the whole. The STO consciousness understands the connectedness of all things around them and they live to serve others. They choose life paths and/or directions that will best allow them to be of service, to help their environment and bring happiness to those around them. STO individuals are motivated by fairness, equity and balance. While understanding the need and importance of serving self to some degree, STO people are very sensitive to the importance that their self-serving does not come at the cost and expense of others. It is a state of consciousness borne from an evolutionary and reincarnational track of experience, understanding and awareness about the cause and effect relationship of life, and the need to find the most unobtrusive and non-destructive course to affect their unfoldment.
As I am eluding to here, STS and STO Souls tend to all be on a collective evolutionary track of unfoldment; they are all works in progress. It could best be described as an evolutionary track from negative polarity to positive polarity, with incredibly subtle gradations in-between. Most Souls are developing along this track and many are at minute stages of overlap between the two. Many of these works in progress may have selfish attitudes but are basically good at heart. Some may be externally grandiose in their philanthropic attitude and output, but are extremely selfish and self-serving in their personal relationships, making these relationships toxic. I know for myself that each day is an opportunity to refine this evolving state of consciousness, and I must be ever vigilant not to fall back into old habits that belie my current state of consciousness. There’s an old saying that goes, “Heaven must be re-won everyday.” I understand this well, for you can only coast in one direction. Whatever one’s placement on the scale, the overriding importance is the potential for personal spiritual growth and the eventual realization and acceptance that we as Soul have a responsibility to help others along the way come into the places we are going and have already been.
Having said all this, I do believe that a universal consciousness shift is taking place, shifting from an “I” mindset to a “We” mindset. We may not be aware of it in the physical, or may be in denial about it, but we are going through a consensus shift in our inner reality in the form of dream experiences, and regardless of whether we are aware of it when we wake up or not, the overarching feelings are there. Now we have a choice as to whether or not we wish to maintain the feelings, attitudes and identities of service-to-self or service-to-others, but the trend is definitely heading to that of service-to-others. Now, the forces of STS will certainly attempt to use this universal shift to their advantage, but like the dinosaur, those creatures that made the transition to a more highly evolved species were those who were willing and able to adapt to change. This shift is a cyclical event and has happened before in eons past, some say around 13,000 or 14,000 years ago. If we believe in reincarnation, our collective evolution allows us to learn from our past mistakes and apply them to future opportunities. In the final analysis, we are all stewards of our universe and by virtue of free will must make our own choices as to where we want to go and what we want to do. I choose Service-to-Others; I hope that you do too.
At its worst, STS is a sociopathic, non-remorseful and egocentric mentality that by its very nature is designed to glorify and provide comfort to self with little consideration for the cost to others around them. The primary motivation is for self gratification and the control and rule of others. This extreme mentality works through fear, intimidation and the manipulation of others around them to suit their needs. If you think about what I am describing, it’s not very hard at all to find numerous illustrations of such mentalities in our distant past and more recent history. From Genghis Khan to Louis the XIV; from Henry the VIII to Stalin; from Idi Amin Dada to Saddam Hussein, they have speckled our sordid history throughout time immemorial.
One of the most recent examples of this type of selfish, compartmentalized mentality is Bernard Madoff, who could perhaps be described today as the current poster boy for the STS state of consciousness. His incredibly massive and destructive Ponzi-scheme has bilked thousands of citizens worldwide of up to $50 billion dollars in hard earned assets, and from the observation of his personal countenance and attitude, he seems to show no feelings of remorse whatsoever. In the greater scheme of things however, Madoff is just a small fish in an infinitesimally bigger pond of STS perpetrators and forces that have done and are doing things that are so outrageous as to not be believed. Within this context, I call upon each and every one of you to dig deeper into the realities we are all facing in this world today, and come into your own understanding of the things going on in order to see the magnitude of the challenges facing us now and in our not too distant future. Now more than ever, vigilance in the quest and acquisition of truth is extremely important for each of us, and mental discipline along with spiritual conviction is essential if we are to move through the paradigm shifting gauntlet we are currently undergoing and will continue to undergo. As Bob Dylan put it, “Times they are a-changing.”
On the opposite pole of this consciousness track, we have Service-to-Others (STO). Some of the best descriptions of this state of consciousness are phrases like, pass it forward; each one teach one; random acts of kindness; and my personal favorite, for the good of the whole. The STO consciousness understands the connectedness of all things around them and they live to serve others. They choose life paths and/or directions that will best allow them to be of service, to help their environment and bring happiness to those around them. STO individuals are motivated by fairness, equity and balance. While understanding the need and importance of serving self to some degree, STO people are very sensitive to the importance that their self-serving does not come at the cost and expense of others. It is a state of consciousness borne from an evolutionary and reincarnational track of experience, understanding and awareness about the cause and effect relationship of life, and the need to find the most unobtrusive and non-destructive course to affect their unfoldment.
As I am eluding to here, STS and STO Souls tend to all be on a collective evolutionary track of unfoldment; they are all works in progress. It could best be described as an evolutionary track from negative polarity to positive polarity, with incredibly subtle gradations in-between. Most Souls are developing along this track and many are at minute stages of overlap between the two. Many of these works in progress may have selfish attitudes but are basically good at heart. Some may be externally grandiose in their philanthropic attitude and output, but are extremely selfish and self-serving in their personal relationships, making these relationships toxic. I know for myself that each day is an opportunity to refine this evolving state of consciousness, and I must be ever vigilant not to fall back into old habits that belie my current state of consciousness. There’s an old saying that goes, “Heaven must be re-won everyday.” I understand this well, for you can only coast in one direction. Whatever one’s placement on the scale, the overriding importance is the potential for personal spiritual growth and the eventual realization and acceptance that we as Soul have a responsibility to help others along the way come into the places we are going and have already been.
Having said all this, I do believe that a universal consciousness shift is taking place, shifting from an “I” mindset to a “We” mindset. We may not be aware of it in the physical, or may be in denial about it, but we are going through a consensus shift in our inner reality in the form of dream experiences, and regardless of whether we are aware of it when we wake up or not, the overarching feelings are there. Now we have a choice as to whether or not we wish to maintain the feelings, attitudes and identities of service-to-self or service-to-others, but the trend is definitely heading to that of service-to-others. Now, the forces of STS will certainly attempt to use this universal shift to their advantage, but like the dinosaur, those creatures that made the transition to a more highly evolved species were those who were willing and able to adapt to change. This shift is a cyclical event and has happened before in eons past, some say around 13,000 or 14,000 years ago. If we believe in reincarnation, our collective evolution allows us to learn from our past mistakes and apply them to future opportunities. In the final analysis, we are all stewards of our universe and by virtue of free will must make our own choices as to where we want to go and what we want to do. I choose Service-to-Others; I hope that you do too.
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