Realign Your God Settings (Part I)

Ponder this concept for a bit; we are all Divine Sparks of God essence sent down into the lower spiritual worlds for the express purpose of gaining experience and remembering who and what we are as Soul in order to make the journey back home to our Divine origins of Source energy, or God. In this journey we are given everything we need to successfully make the trek back and forth, including the super-sensory tools of cognition, perception, intuition, creativity, manifestation, and an inner awareness and connective wiring that allows us the ability to both communicate and travel at-will into the inner worlds. The problem is, we forgot. In our multiple cycles of life, death and reincarnation, we begin to remember little by little the tools at our disposal, testing them incrementally until we come to a milestone of spiritual awareness where we actually understand what this whole trip is all about. We become more and more comfortable with the concept of God and are moving deeper into a personal understanding that this higher power loves us and has our back. The issue now becomes, how do we communicate with this love force in such a way as to be able to sustain and maintain a more consistent one-on-one relationship? Welcome to Awaken to One - 101; Connecting to Your Divine Source.

In many ways this process of connection can be compared to the tuning in of an AM/FM radio trying to get a specific station. The pulse wave of radio communication is constant and in all directions, but we may not yet be tuned in to hear or understand its frequency. This frequency is on a particular ban and it is up to us to tweak the dial just enough so that we are able to align the radio and tune-in to the right station. In much the same way our goal is to align ourselves with this God frequency. How do we do this and is it hard to do? Well as the saying goes, “The longest journey begins with a single step.” We all have the innate ability to instantaneously tap into this vibration and it is not hard to do, but it does require that you align yourself with the energy as opposed to it coming to you. The vibratory energy is always around us, but we have to increase our own vibratory rate of consciousness and awareness to a more refined place so that we can begin to pick it up, communicate with it, and interact within the wonders of its offerings.

We can do this on a number of levels, and in the course of both this writing and future entries, I will attempt to interject a variety of ways that we can bring ourselves into a greater alignment with this energy. First and foremost is the exercise and practice of mental discipline; that is, identifying and monitoring the flow of your thoughts and shifting this flow into a more aligned space of universal love. As I have stated in earlier writings, everything begins as a thought, and it is out of this thought that your life becomes manifest. The energy is always there for the express purpose of exercising your inherent ability to create your own universe. Whatever is the hub of your wheel is what will outflow. So ensuring that your thoughts and consciousness are at a place of universal love, devoid of fear, is an essential first step. This is accomplished in large part by what you choose to bring into your conscious awareness in the first place.

It is worth mentioning here that the current influence of modern technology and ubiquitous media sources such as TV, radio, and the Internet are in many ways disconnecting us from our God settings; it is dictating and determining the vibratory rate of our mass consciousness here and now. We are all being fed to a large extent extremely low vibratory consciousness input (garbage in/garbage out), and our societal responses of violent interactions are a testament to its malevolent effectiveness. Our news cycles are now at an addictive 24/7/365 pace, and we are constantly being fed negative information and barraged by tabloid journalistic fodder that is at best a major distraction and at worst an effective form of mass brainwashing and mind control.

I’ve been struck recently by a rather eerie commercial campaign being shown on television about a new Internet service known as Hulu, where Alec Baldwin explains how Hulu is a plot by “evil aliens” to turn the human brain into gelatinous goo, ripe for alien consumption. In talking about our obsession for constant television and Internet stimuli, he states “…and the best part is that there’s nothing you can do to stop us. What are you gonna do; turn off your TV and Internet?” The unfortunate truth is that this parody is closer to truth than many realize. How many of us can go a day without looking at television, surfing the Web or texting on a Blackberry (not even mentioning evil aliens)? It is time for us to take a much needed hiatus from daily television, Internet, radio and communication devices, as well as the endless daily news cycle, and embrace the beauty of silence for a while. It is vital that we begin to listen with more conscious awareness to our inner voice; the one that is constantly trying to get you back to your true origins.

If cutting yourself off completely is an impossibility for you, then at least set aside 15 to 20 minutes a day to sit in raptured silence and send love to your Creator in whatever form best works for you; whether it be chanting your personal mantra or simply repeating the word “love” over and over until you feel this sensation flow through you. Perhaps you can take this time to read something that resonates with you spiritually. This act alone can begin to increase your rate of spiritual vibration. It is also important to take a moment and embrace nature, either by taking a nature hike or just a stroll in the park. We need to reconnect to our inner selves and spiritual surroundings, and not be held at the mercy of our modern technology. This technology is supposed to serve us, not become our masters.

I have mentioned at the beginning of this Awaken to One blog series and throughout these writings that we are in an increasing transitional vortex of universal energy, where things are moving much more rapidly than they were before. As such, we are at a quantum crossroads of opportunity where we can either evolve into a higher state of collective spiritual consciousness, or become trapped for a very, very long time into a stagnating state of course, dense fear-centric consciousness. Again the choice is yours, ours, all of us. We must first become aware that this crossroads exists and do what is necessary to connect to it and pass this message forward to our fellow Souls. If enough of us awaken to our true purpose and divine identity, we can be assured of our enlightened spiritual evolution. If not, then there will be a long hard road before we are back to this key cyclical moment of evolutionary opportunity. In the coming weeks and months, I will be talking more on this subject. The message is out. The truth is upon us. Our light bulbs are coming on and the inner communication is blaring. Do we choose to listen and heed the call to the next level of unfoldment or will we ignore the inner calling to this essential Awakening? I know where I’ll be. I hope you will join me.

The Hub of Your Wheel

Our world today is so fixated on material wealth and possession, that in many ways it has become the new religion. I say this because in so many instances it is the driving force for one’s motivation, identity, self worth, and measure of success; it is perceived by many that money is the key to happiness. The drive for the almighty dollar has created a dog-eat-dog mentality awash in Machiavellian tendencies that have made even the noblest of humans consider choices and rationalizations that he or she would have never pondered under less dysfunctional circumstances or conditions. In the final analysis though, the quest for material wealth for wealth’s sake becomes a hollow pursuit. Don’t get me wrong. I like money as much as the next guy and I understand very poignantly how our society has established this man-made stimulus as the measure of a person’s worth and security. But after all of the toil, blood, sweat and tears pass, it does not lead to self-fulfillment or happiness; not really. It is merely a necessary evil that society has placed upon us humans as a means of creating hierarchical delineation and a functional plasma for the pulse of industry and commerce.

I mention this because so many of us seem to have lost our way and forgotten what is truly important in our lives. People have forgotten that true happiness and worth is not dictated by one’s wallet or bank account. What has also been forgotten is that our outer circumstances are created by us. As Soul we are endowed with unlimited creational and manifestational energy and potential. The question becomes what do we choose to have at the core of our being? A significant question because whatever emanates from this core will determine what manifests in your life. It is the hub of your wheel of existence; what you hold to with the greatest value; what you place your attention on the most that will determine what out-pictures in your day-to-day existence, and ultimately your life. This is all-important because whatever is at your core will determine your level of true happiness.

Many years ago, I was a drug treatment counselor at a methadone clinic. In this capacity, I worked with a large caseload of clients struggling with poly-substance abuse; that is, a primary addiction to heroin but with multiple addictions ranging from cocaine abuse and sexual addiction, to alcoholism and prescription drug abuse. These individuals were just like any other person, but got caught up in the cycle of addictive behavior due to outer circumstances they couldn’t cope with. Very often as I worked with these individuals, I would see how their behavior created a self-perpetuating cycle of pain, addiction, momentary recovery, and relapse. It was so frustrating for them to go through and me to witness, and I began to view this work as the Never Ending Story because the cycle would go on and on with the same clients coming back over and over again like a revolving door. It was so difficult to measure success. Over the course of my interaction with them, a pattern began to emerge that proved to be incredibly insightful to me in my own life quest for spiritual understanding. When probing deep into what motivated my clients to behave in the ways that they did, it became clear to me that they were all trying to fill a void in their lives. In filling this void, whatever was at the center of that person’s awareness and focus was what their life became about. In this case, drugs. This core of their concentrated awareness created the outward spokes of torment, danger, fear, guilt and constant anxiety about where the next fix would come from. This was the center of their being; this was what life was about for them.

It was not enough to tell them to stop and understand that what they were doing was horribly dangerous and life threatening (they weren’t stupid, they already knew). It became clear that the only way that this addictive behavior could be changed was by replacing it with another addiction; another hub for their wheel. The question was what would that new hub be? Ultimately I began to understand that they were actually looking for the same thing; they were all looking for escape from pain, and the source of love, protection, nurturing and guidance that we all seek. They were all looking for Divine Source, for God. They just didn’t know it consciously and used artificial stimuli to achieve temporary escape and succor. When our discussions would reveal this to them, making no value judgments on how they should exercise their personal belief, many of them began to understand and became deeply enmeshed again in their church, temple or synagogue. They ate this new addiction up with the same zeal as using. Over time, many of them felt the old pulls of addiction falling away. Though it was one day at a time, they were creating a new hub for their wheel, and out of this new center emanated a whole new way of life for them. It was and is a daily struggle, but some did make the connection and turned their life around.

Though we may or may not have a history of addiction in our own lives, the journey and choices are still much the same. When it comes to monetary wealth, many people whose lives are filled with financial abundance often find this satisfaction to be fleeting. It serves as their hub or center, but it is artificial in nature and fails to ultimately fulfill them. Things are out of balance. In my own life, I continue to do the things necessary to fulfill my obligations and society’s monetary requirements but I understand that this is not who and what I am, it is only what I do to take care of myself and my family. The center of my life is my recognition and understanding that I am from a Divine Source, that I am one with God; that I am Soul. This is my center. Everything else is just something to do to help me better understand myself and remember with greater awareness where I come from.

In these trying economic times, it becomes increasingly challenging to keep one’s attention on God while going about the daily struggle for financial well-being. But hopefully you begin to realize that making the attempt serves as the very means by which you attain abundance. By placing your attention on your Higher Power, you remember that you are never alone and that you are filled with unlimited creative energy. What you place your attention on will manifest. When done with the right attitude there is no limit to what you can create in your life, regardless of outer circumstances. It is ultimately your choice. You can remain the victim, or the center of your own creation. Where you place your center will determine what your life will be. Choose well. Be happy.

Everything is Spiritual

We are all on an amazing journey. Its origins began in eternity and continue forward into infinity. We were brought forth in order to become aware that we exist. We begin experiencing incarnation after incarnation, making us stronger, wiser and more aware of who and what we are in the process. We are the seeds of the Divine, multiplying into infinite diversity and experience. It is the light fragmenting into a multiplicity of vibrational rates and levels of existence. It is us and we are It. It all…we all come from a Divine Source – a Divine plan. Its essence is Spiritual. Its truth is All That Is.

When we awaken to one we begin to realize that everything has a Spiritual significance; a Spiritual relevance. As referenced in my last blog, A Daily Contemplation (March 18th, 2009), I write, “We understand that everything in life is Spiritual, and that we walk on Holy ground everyday.” It’s all a matter of perspective. Where do you view your reality from? What is your truth; your frame of reference? The same overarching truth is in front of each and every one of us everyday, but we all see it differently based on our state of awareness; our state of consciousness. Many consider truth to be hard and fixed, but in fact it is malleable and dynamic.

Consider for a moment the analogy of sunlight as truth. It is absolute truth, beaming its raise of wisdom in all directions at all times. We receive the warm light of this truth, but in fact we only receive one tiny portion/beam of this infinite, omnipresent light. Our perspective is solely based on where we are in our respective orbital universe. We only see and experience one ray amongst millions going out in all directions simultaneously. It is only when we shift our perspective (shift our awareness and state of consciousness) to a much different place that we begin to see this same truth in a whole new light. It is the same truth, but now we are in a different place.

Not only are we in a different place, but the more we grow the greater our capacity to take in more light. As we embark on this journey of new light, we realize that everything in life is indeed provided for us and put in front of us to fulfill an important spiritual mission, to teach us. More significantly, to help us remember. Sometimes the lessons are painful, brutal, and hard to reconcile. Sometimes they are easy. All times they are filled with potential growth and promise. Always it is here to move us to a different place; to a more refined state of awareness.

The deeper we go into this journey of discovery, the more we are able to realize something else. That is the ability to discern the wheat from the chaff. Our discrimination faculties become more and more refined, and we are better able to identify divine truth from dogma and disinformation. Our “gut” serves more and more as a barometer for truth, and our inner perceptions and refined communication allow us to begin to see beyond what we are presented with on the surface. We are better able to cut through the density and find our way more and more to the light. It is our Divine right to do so.

As we move through this journey, we are able to see every action and reaction that we observe and experience with greater clarity the Spiritual understanding. Some things still surprise us. More things do not. We continue to ebb and flow in our levels of awareness and acceptance, but we become better able to find the balanced middle, and see things from a more neutral perspective, void of judgment and lingering negativity. We begin to trust our inner communication and judgment with greater certainty. We refine our personal connection with Source. We move to a different place. We are humble for we know we are no better than anyone else, but we see things in a whole new light; a Spiritual light. We see God’s plan in everything and everyone, and we realize that in this world of duality, both polarities of energy, negative and positive are by design looking for that place of integration and balance moving back to Source.

The work goes on; we still have peaks and valleys for the ebb and flow of Spiritual existence does not occur in a straight line. But now, we are more aware and more in control of what we choose to allow in our universe; our Spiritual space. We control our own destiny and we choose the direction of our life’s journey. This is what the road to self mastery is all about. This is the road we are all on whether we realize it or not. Yes, everything in life is Spiritual, and we do walk on holy ground everyday. The question becomes, are you now aware of it and how do you intend to live the rest of your life?

A Daily Contemplation

I was in an introspective place today and thought I'd share a daily contemplation that I composed. Consider it a gift to all of you to use as an affirmation to start the day, or an exercise to shift your internal energy from negative to positive. In either case, the goal is to transcend. Enjoy:

A Daily Contemplation

From this moment forward, I awaken to the oneness of All That Is and Its unconditional love.

I now understand that while I am also an individual spark of Divine awareness, I am God and God is me, and that it has always been this way.

Now “We” embark on this new day neutral and balanced to outside events that unfold, and are humble, mindful and grateful that they serve as divine challenges to embrace, lessons to learn, and opportunities to grow.

From this moment forward, we exist within the power of love, understanding that God is love, and we are one with It.

We too identify and understand that we are one with our surroundings, and all whom we come in contact with, regardless of whether they are aware or not.

We acknowledge that the road to God awareness and consciousness seems lonely sometimes, but that this is only an illusion for we are never alone.

We understand that everything in life is Spiritual, and that we walk on holy ground everyday.

We embrace our role as a conscious channel for Spirit, and that our light derived from an unlimited ocean of love will be used to touch and heal those around us.

From now on we live within God’s conscious awareness and embark on our life’s journey, knowing that we create our reality by virtue of our thoughts.

We are thankful for this perfect day filled with miracles and possibilities, and we know that God’s wonders will always be.

The Opposite of Love

Most people when asked about what is the opposite of love will more than likely proclaim it to be hate. Logical response; it certainly seems to represent the opposite polarity of energy. But while this pat answer is understandable, it is in fact inaccurate. Love is a core emotion from which many an offspring is spawned; emotions and responses such as happiness, kindness, goodwill, charity, faith, empathy, fairness and compassion. In truth, hate is actually a subset of a much greater and stronger emotion, and this core polarity also has many offspring. From greed to anger; from prejudice to envy; from jealousy to pride; from deceit to aggression and brutality, this core emotion is none other than fear. Fear is the opposite of love because fear is the base emotion from which hate, prejudice, greed, stress, paranoia, and all of the many other negative emotions that make up the lexicon of our human conditions and experiences are based. It closes the heart and makes us vulnerable to negative influence and control.

Under the proper conditions, fear actually serves as a useful survival tool when dealing with a fight or flight response stimuli, and helps to keep one safe and alert to potential dangers that may lurk around the corner. The problem though, comes when this reflex emotion is forced to remain at full (or partial) intensity for an extended period of time. In the wild, fear is often used as the major adrenaline rush that helps a wild animal respond appropriately to an impending danger, either by running away or fighting. Afterwards, the feeling subsides and is replaced with contentment and a focused existence in the here and now.

Today, no emotion is more palpable in these changing and uncertain times than fear. It has been spawned and stimulated by a lack of the feeling of protection and security in the things we used to take for granted as always being there for us. With our current world economy in a state of fiscal unrest, with the emotional roller-coaster that drives the stock market and other financial engines, with unemployment at a staggering 8% in the U.S. and growing worldwide, we have been rocked to our core in terms of our faith in the things we have held for so long as the foundations for our modern existence and protection.

Many a prosperity-based gospel is suddenly finding itself with dwindling membership and equally dwindling funds. The laws of abundance seem on the surface to have abandoned us and many of us are finding our selves physically, emotionally and spiritually destitute.

This, however, does not change the fundamental principles of spiritual law; e.g. the law of attraction and our ability to manifest abundance in our own lives. Those that get it live in a state of joy regardless of outside conditions, because they understand that their emotional state is not an outside/in manifestation, but an inside/out creation. Now, more than ever, the practicing of these fundamental spiritual principles need to be exercised in ways that they have never been before. Now more than ever, we need to come into an alignment with who and what we truly are, separate and apart from our outer circumstance. Now more than ever, we must understand that our connectedness and the conscious realization of that connectedness have tangible and sustainable benefits. Those benefits are the importance and realization that we must begin to care for and take care of one another. It starts small and grows into concentric circles of influence and action. The mantras “Pass it forward” and “Love one another” have never been more important than it is now. The knee-jerk tendency is to hold back and hoard, but now more than ever we must begin to work for the collective good. There is enough, there is abundance. We have just been led to believe that there is limitation. This is an illusion.

The choice is yours and ours. Do you become cause in your life, or do you slip deeper down the hole of victimized effect. Our thoughts, our feelings, play a significant role in what we create and how those thoughts out-picture in this physical universe. It is always important to remember (and I will always communicate to you from this perspective) that we are more than the physical bodies that we occupy. We are a part of an amazing multi-layered multiversal of existence. Our perceptions may temporarily be compressed into the limited viewpoint and spectrum of the physical, but we are all so much greater; so much more than what we are being led to believe in this limited physical existence. As we begin to wake up more and more to our true identities, we begin to understand the illusion around us and the games perpetrated on us. We begin to realize that this multi-chaptered stage play we call life and existence is just a minute percentage of our overall existence and beingness. We begin to realize that the mundane realities we have focused our attention on for so very long are but creations of our own manifestation, and that we can rewrite and recreate them both individually and collectively by virtue of what we choose to place our attention on. Fear or love; this is the choice.

Physical existence does not have to be as it currently is now, but as long as “We” continue to go from day to day, asleep at the wheel of life, and not awakening to the wonders of what lie beyond, we will forever be trapped here. It does not have to be this way, and the more of us that begin to wake up and smell and breath the divinity in each of us, the more we as Souls connected to each other and a part of the whole of life can take conscious control of our situations. The more we can change things for the better; for the good of the whole. Fear is the base emotion that we are being fed everyday. It fuels the fires of negativity and hopelessness and gives strength and control to that energy. We have the power to stop this, but we must make a collective choice to do so. As FDR once said, “…there’s nothing to fear but fear itself.” My call is and always will be to awaken to the oneness that is you, that is us. Within this awakening, fear does not exist. Our existence depends directly on our collective ability to evolve and embrace the love that is at the true core of our being. It is about love; not fear. Love and fear cannot occupy the same space at the same time. Love is stronger than fear because love is the pure positive energy of Source. We are love; we make up its energy. We can choose whether or not to allow fear into our hearts and minds. Take control. Accept the love; reject the fear. Show kindness and compassion to one another. We do live in abundance and there is enough. Don’t let anyone or anything make you believe otherwise. We just have to reclaim our rightful place in the Spiritual hierarchy and allow love to reign supreme. It’s the way of, and to, our Creator. My love goes out to all of you, and I thank you for your love in return.

We Already Know

When the light bulb comes on and we begin to awaken into a conscious understanding of our true selves, many amazing things begin to occur within us. Through our universal mind connection things begin to filter in, eventually becoming a flood of insight and reconnection. We begin to realize that the knowledge that is flowing through us has always been there (here) and we are only lifting the fog of memory to re-acquaint ourselves with it.

We need to remember and come into alignment with these important points; we are Soul, an eternal spark of God essence and awareness. We inhabit a body; a super bio-computer that allows us to function in the physical and process the data of life, making informed and intuitive decisions and choices based on the input we receive and in accordance with the level of awareness we have attained. We learn new things (hopefully) everyday and incorporate this newfound knowledge into our daily habits, developing Pavlovian responses that hard wire us on a day-to-day basis. As we begin to ascend into the nuanced levels of spiritual unfoldment (an inevitability in Soul’s journey), we begin to realize something that is at once startling and simultaneously freeing; all of the information that we have been coming to understand and accept are things that have always been inside of us but we forgot. Our knowledge of life is in fact not a process of learning, but a process of remembering what we already know.

It’s all here, inside you and me here and now. Everything that we could ever hope to know and understand is within our Spiritual receptors. The trick becomes how do we get to the knowing? There is a marvelous passage found in a website called The Reluctant Messenger, which articulates this sentiment of knowing quite beautifully. It reads:

: The knowing is not the thoughts :

: The knowing is not the feelings :

: The knowing is not the body :

: The knowing is not the mind :

: :

: The knowing is found beyond the thoughts :

: The knowing is found without the feelings :

: The knowing continues when the body does not :

: The knowing transcends the mind :

: :

: The knowing is found within :

: The knowing is sometimes forgotten :

: The knowing is never gone :

: The knowing is for you to find :

: :

: The knowing is who you are :

: The knowing is where you have been :

: The knowing is where you are going :

: The knowing is knowing you know

When I first read this I felt quite a chuckle inside because it resonated so deeply with me. In my own experience I have gone into that deep and important place that allows you to tap into the Cosmic Consciousness of existence and find the macrocosm while still in the microcosm. Meditation, contemplation and inner spiritual stillness are the tools we all must use and reconnect with to get to this celestial center. It is within all of us to acquire, but we must tune in to get it; it won’t come to us, we must go to it. When I say “tune in” I am being quite literal, because within the stillness, beyond the chatter of the mind and thoughts and emotions is found the connection to All That Is. We tap into the allness of existence. We become one with Source. It is here that we realize that we are God itself, temporarily separated from the awareness of this omniscience but in fact never separate from it. Whether we are conscious of it or not, we are all sparks of this God force.

But we must tune in to the correct spiritual frequency in order to get to this wonderful place. It takes practice. It takes desire. It takes patience. But most of all, it takes surrender and love. This is the act of showing and sending love to that from which you were created. We must find that quiet place and do the spiritual exercises that resonate best with us. I am not here to tell you what specifically to do; that is for you to ascertain based on your own unique spiritual journey and insights. There’s no one way, but it does require a dedication (or rededication) to the practicing of this important process.

Now more than ever, it is important that we turn off the television, unplug the ipod, put the computer in hibernation mode, turn off the lights, say hello to Source and just be. Your true home awaits you and is ready to give you all that the kingdom has to provide, but you must take the steps necessary to get there (here). Awaken to One is a verb; a declaration of action, but then you already knew that.

Service-to-Self / Service-to-Others

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.