“[A] mood of universal destruction and renewal...has set its mark on our age.” Carl Jung, Psychoanalyst
If ever there was a time when our planet and its people needed healing, it is now. We have been struggling for a long time without being fully conscious, however, the last few years have highlighted the gravity of our situation and as crisis after crisis has provided force enough to wake many of us from our slumber, we have been alarmed to discover we are a species already on its knees. As we take in our surroundings from this strange position, there is a strong temptation to close our eyes and sink back into oblivion. Why stay awake to witness the suffering when there is little we can do? Falling asleep again is easy, we’re already numbing out and fatigued as news of the climate, energy-price, food-shortage, refugee or whatever else crisis marks another new-normal day, and a multitude of distracting sedatives – consumerism in all its forms, are always available. But we mustn’t drift off, pinch yourself sharply, if necessary. It is imperative we keep our wits about us at this time as only if we are alert can we see the truth of our situation and only then will we realise there is actually something we can do. The clock may be ticking but, despite the urgency, all is not lost. If we pull together, we can pull ourselves up, and then, as a collective, we will be able to stand tall and stand strong once again.
In difficult times people often look beyond the everyday in search of answers. For some, they may look to the heavens and if they do gaze upwards they will find much to consider astrologically as currently, we are in the midst of a shift from the age of Pisces, governing us since around 498 C.E., into the age of Aquarius. Each astrological age lasts around 2160 years and we won’t pass fully into the new age for some time yet. However, influences of the coming era are felt for several hundred years before cross over occurs and the impact of technological innovations, signs of the Aquarian nature, are already being felt.
Pisces, the sign of the fish, represents faith, belief, sacrifice and religion. It stands for reaching upwards to God in an attempt to overcome our human shortcomings and falling downwards, kneeling humbly, ready to serve. One way we have seen Piscean energy manifest during our current era is with the firm establishment of the main monotheistic religions. So-called negative projections of Pisces are fantasy, delusion and also division.
During this era as we stretched towards heaven but sank to Earth, we ended up dividing ourselves, rejecting our undesirable humanness – body and ego, and separating them from our divine nature. This division is reflected in the Piscean sign of two fish swimming in opposite directions. The ego hasn’t enjoyed being placed out in the cold however, this move actually serving to strengthen its power. Its revenge has been to dismiss the divine, stripping consciousness from the material and declaring only those things that can be measured are real and true.
Jesus has been a highly prominent figure of the Piscean age. His teachings, centred around love and compassion, were aimed at awakening our hearts. And yet, as the centuries passed, Jesus’ original teachings, along with similar messages of other monotheistic religions, were twisted. Connecting to the heart, our access point to Spirit, was discouraged as we were persuaded a relationship with God was possible only if we obeyed certain rules. Control was the aim and the heart’s power became suppressed by those wanting power for themselves.
Aquarius, the Great Awakener, has the sign of the water bearer which symbolises consciousness being poured out to all humanity. It stands for knowledge, reason, innovation and humanitarianism. Under the Aquarian sign the fruits of the mind are set to ripen and science will triumph over organised religion. But extreme caution is required, science must not be allowed to follow the path of religion becoming narrow-thinking, dogmatic, power- and ego-driven. If these are the forces behind our future technologies, we’re in for trouble.
Many philosophers, scientists and mystics, past and present, speak of a new age dawning at this time, some relate it to the aforementioned astrological shifts whilst others don’t explicitly make this connection. But all speak of great difficulties – the period when one era draws to a close and a new one dawns is always chaotic with much discomfort as we resist letting go of the old on an individual and global level. Despite the current turbulence and desolation, there is light on the horizon and many futurists speak of the expansive consciousness that will unfold beyond the transition.
“Perhaps the single most powerful event facing humanity today is a great awakening on a planetary scale that has been millennia in the making. We humans are in the midst of a profound advance as a species to a higher form of global consciousness that has been emerging across cultures, religions and worldviews through the centuries. This awakening of global consciousness is nothing less than a shift, a maturation, from more egocentric patterns of life to a higher form of integral and dialogic patterns of life.” Ashok Gangadean, Integral philosopher
Ashok Gangadean speaks of maturation and many, including the evolutionary biologist, Elisabet Sahtouris, describe our current species development as a ripening into metaphorical adulthood. “We are at the end of our juvenile phase of evolution” she states, “in the adolescent last grasp”. As we reach this stage of collective maturity, it is natural for us to realise, as a young adult might, that life operates most efficiently when we calm our ego’s desire to outdo and instead work in harmony with others. This advancement in our worldview, from competitive to collaborative, is essential for our survival, as Sahtouris says, “competitiveness is too energy expensive to be maintained”. And as we begin to understand the need to work together, there is a gradual dawning that we are intimately bound together.
With the birth of quantum physics has come the understanding that underlying our seemingly solid universe is a world of energy and information from which the material world manifests. Energy and matter, wave and particle, are interchangeable, one and the same, just appearing different according to circumstance. And as the profound realisation that as energy can’t be divided, neither can anything in our physical world, integrates within the scientific community, the obvious conclusion that everything is therefore connected, a truth spoken by mystics for millennia, will start to hit home across wider communities. Our expansive minds have the potential to push us further however, because scientists are now discovering that underlying even the energy and information planes of our existence is consciousness (here comes the water bearer), and universal consciousness is, for some, just another term for God.
"What if consciousness is the ground of being? What if the possibilities discovered by quantum physics are the possibilities of consciousness itself? Remember there is already a class of people who think in this way. They are called mystics, and they say it is all God. Finally, a few scientists dared to say that some of the characteristics attributed to God are similar to what we describe as consciousness." Amit Goswami, Theoretical quantum physicist
Our vision of the world is shifting, from one that is disconnected, with the idea that the universe is random, disorganised and entirely entropic in nature, operating like a non-living machine, to one that is connected with an intelligent organising framework present throughout, and consciousness at its centre. With this new understanding, science and spirituality will finally come together during the Aquarian age allowing us to use our great minds to appreciate the original teachings that spawned our main religions, teachings as old as time.
These wisdoms speak of consciousness as the ground of all being, the essence that connects ‘all that is’ in its Oneness. But although our minds are powerful, deep understanding of these concepts is only possible if we engage our hearts in this learning process. As the mystics have long told us, the metaphysical or energetic heart at the very centre of our being, is the bridge between the material and spiritual. At this meeting point, where two realms merge and particle-wave duality becomes One consciousness, we have access to a deeper level of knowledge – our intuitive knowing.
Our heart not only connects the material and spiritual, but also connects us in other ways. Internally, the obvious example is blood, pumped by the heart so that its chemical messages reach every bodily nook and cranny. Less well known is the neurological influence of the heart, giving the brain a run for its money as it communicates with, and directs other systems in our body. It is energetic connection, however, where the heart comes into its own as through creation of the most powerful biofield, consisting of classic and quantum energy fields, together with the pressure waves of its beat, the heart allows for simultaneous and instantaneous communication between cells across the body. Looking beyond the individual, the story of connection continues. Energy doesn’t stop at physical boundaries and, as is their nature, the heart’s electromagnetic and quantum fields extend from the body indefinitely. As we send out heart energies into the world, they carry with them information, heart rhythms and energy patterns change according to emotional state, for example, and as the heart field of one interacts with that of another, intelligence is shared, communication happening at levels deeper than previously realised.
Re-connection is a central theme as we transition into the Aquarian age attempting to build healthier structures in our bodies, minds and the world outside, and the heart, our ‘Master Connector’, is well-placed to assist us. We have far to go yet, the materialist worldview still dominates and the idea of biofields and energetic communication currently inhabits the fringes of science. Disconnection is all too apparent, highlighted by the stark reality of widening economic gaps, political gaps, health gaps, educational gaps and so on. But there are signs of a coming together too, and the heart’s most recognised qualities, love and compassion, are surging as we witness an unfolding desire to protect the environment, respect minority group’s rights and protect the vulnerable.
From this swirl of new energy has emerged the discovery that synchronisation within, and between, oscillating systems, leading to vibrational harmony, or ‘coherence’, allows for greater informational flow and enhanced energetic communication. A system with a stronger vibrational amplitude will entrain weaker vibrations, causing them to resonate. As individuals, it is from the heart that our most powerful vibrations emanate, even more so when emotions are high, which is why a person radiant with joy has the ability to touch the hearts of others. This, has many great (open) minds thinking. If one heart has such influence, what impact of a collection of loving hearts, aligned and coherent? Could this collective heart, if large enough, bring positive change on a global scale? This may appear to be space-age thinking, something from a future world. But open your eyes and look around, this future world is already here and this research is already being done, yielding incredible results. Open your eyes, but also your ears; your heart, silenced for so long, beats louder than ever, imploring you to listen. Thankfully, as more of us contemplate how we found ourselves on our knees, this is a call we are beginning to hear.
“The human drama is reaching its denouement. The great unveiling is approaching, a time when the power structures of the world begin to crumble and people of the heart sing out a new truth. Many voices are joining the chorus, many feet are walking the path, many minds are dreaming possibilities for a magnificent future. For beneath the crises that are looming at every level of civilization, the global heart is awakening, beating out the rhythm of a new and glorious dance, calling us to a better way of living.”
Anodea Judith
Further reading
Anodea Judith. The Global Heart Awakens.
Edmund Bourne. Global Shift. New Harbinger, 2009.
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