Gateway to the New Earth: The Time Is Now
These days are the days we have waited for…. This time in history is the time that every experience, each relationship, within every lifetime has prepared us for. Without doubt, without hesitation, the events occurring now, within these days, are the reason that we have come to this world. We are living and witnessing a rare event by any standards, the birth of a New World. The events of our lives are the labor that is enabling this birth. —Gregg Braden, Awakening to Zero Point
Much has been written about the times we are living through, a period that signals the end of one era and the beginning of another, according to many spiritual teachers. Astrologers and visionaries alike point to the cosmic significance of these days, when the Earth aligns with the center of our Milky Way galaxy for the first time in 26,000 years. We are in the midst of an extended span of spiritual awakening and global transformation that will continue for many, many years. This "Shift of the Ages" offers human beings the possibility of living in peace and harmony as conscious spirit in physical form but also brings with it sometimes tumultuous transitional changes. Though not the fearful apocalypse that Hollywood makes films about, it is definitely a time of planetary cleansing and renewal. The Maya elders tell us that humans have an opportunity to change now, to choose life-affirming actions instead of destructive ones. It is what we do, one to one, moment to moment, that will define our future.
As the alignment of the Earth, sun, and galactic center unfolds, we are seeing stronger and stronger evidence that powerful forces are at work. Contemporary thinkers such as Gregg Braden, whose work bridges science and spirituality, describe "massive magnetic fields" radiating from the galaxy's core, which increasingly affect both the planet and all beings that live here. The galactic energy that is reaching us more and more directly is having profound effects on every level, particularly within the last decade. Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions constantly shake and reform our planet. Cosmically, we are seeing an increase in solar flares and other "space weather," which can affect both the Earth's natural electromagnetic grid and our own internal mental/emotional grid. Collective human consciousness and individual behavior may be influenced positively as well as negatively by energetic surges of varying intensity on Earth and in the galaxy.
Positive human change is visible in events such as the overthrow of dictators in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia and growing political movements for freedom and economic equality throughout the world (e.g., Occupy Wall Street). The burgeoning alternative health movement is providing people with positive options that do not involve medication or surgery — for example, acupuncture, chiropractic, and organic vegetarian diets. Individuals are also learning to make "green" and sustainable choices in all areas of life, from food to clothing to travel.
The resurgence of spirituality beyond the confines of traditional religion is a heartening sign, too. Meditation and yoga are now common practices among people from vastly diverse backgrounds in countries planet-wide. Spiritually focused events and webinars, such as Barbara Marx Hubbard's "Conscious Evolution Training" and the Global Coherence Initiative's "Globally Connecting Hearts and Minds," are multiplying online. People everywhere, moved by the expansive energy of the shift, are both standing up for their rights and creating countless pathways to positive transformation.
On the negative side, years of human disregard for the environment, including pesticide use, oil spills, the proliferation of wireless technology, and military sonar in the oceans, have led to escalating pollution and health problems, species destruction, and global warming. Our planet now faces polar meltdown as well as increases in severe weather. Strong hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods leave huge populations struggling to survive. Yet, catastrophes such as these have often brought out the best in people, with individuals and groups around the world donating money and services to help those in need. Volunteers work tirelessly to rescue people and animals and restore the damaged environment. The grace, courage, and community spirit of the Japanese people in the wake of a devastating 9.0 earthquake and tsunami in March 2011 has been an inspiration to the world.
Anne Thomas, an American living in Japan, eloquently described her experiences there: "During the day we help each other clean up the mess in our homes…. If someone has water running in their home, they put out a sign so people can come to fill up their jugs and buckets…. Old men in green hats go from door to door checking to see if everyone is OK…. People keep saying, ‘Oh, this is how it used to be in the old days when everyone helped one another'…. Somehow at this time I realize from direct experience that there is indeed an enormous cosmic evolutionary step that is occurring all over the world right at this moment…. I feel a part of something happening much larger than myself. This wave of birthing (worldwide) is hard, and yet magnificent."*
No doubt about it, it is a time of great challenges, both personal and planetary. Yet, seen from a higher perspective, these world events have much in common with our own physical/psychic changes. Mother Earth and we her children must shake off old ways that are not grounded in the oneness of all peoples (war, nuclear power, dictators, extreme wealth and poverty, environmental destruction) and open ourselves to a new world based in compassion, harmony, and balance. We humans have the opportunity to ride the waves of change together into a transformed future. We stand at the gateway to a new Earth, centered in respect for nature, loving kindness for all beings, and gratitude for the gifts of life—if we so choose.
Earth is not alone in this process. Since the universe is made up of energy and we too are energy, there is an energetic web that connects us all. What happens here affects all energy everywhere, and what happens anywhere in the galaxy affects us. There is so much yet to be learned about this time we are living through and about the universe that cradles us.
The human-created Internet daily demonstrates in physical reality the "invisible" connections that translate as oneness in spiritual terms. Slowly, we are reawakening innate telepathic abilities that eventually will allow us to communicate mind-to-mind long-distance without technology, as some people who are trained in this skill do now. And as more and more of us open to an inner sense of universal interconnection, we can make decisions in our human communities that are informed by a wider vision that encompasses all beings everywhere.
Ultimately, what we are looking at is a potential global change in consciousness that would in turn change everything else: sharing instead of greed; mutual aid and service to others instead of self-centered pursuits; love instead of violence. Political and social systems will shift because of these changes in consciousness. As we come to recognize the power of thought, emotion and intention to shape events, we can make conscious choices about holding positive thoughts and feelings of trust instead of negative ones of fear and anger. Each of us holds a key to all present and future possibilities. Together, we can manifest in physical reality our individual and collective dreams for a more peaceful, harmonious world.
My own vision and hope for the times ahead is that they will be open-ended, soaring on the energy of the present moment to that magical place over the rainbow that so many of us grew up hearing about. It was a tornado that brought Dorothy to Oz, and I believe that the whirlwind of change we are now experiencing will ultimately carry us to a better future, an emerald-green world where head and heart are balanced, and our cherished home is not one state or country, but Earth, the cosmos. We who came of age in the late 1960s and 1970s had a vision of this world, where "peace will guide the planets, and love will steer the stars."** That dream is not old, not dead. We are living it now. May the dawning of a new Sun and the Age of Aquarius fill our hearts with light.
*from Anne Thomas's blog: http://www.odemagazine.com/blogs/readers_blog/24755/
**"Aquarius," from the 1967 musical Hair
Recommended Readings
Carlos Barrios, The Book of Destiny, HarperCollins, 2009.
Gregg Braden, Awakening to Zero Point, Radio Bookstore Press, 1997. (His more recent books are also excellent.)
Ken Carey, The Third Millennium, HarperCollins, 1996.
D. B. Ashuah, Conversation with Angels, And So Be It, Vol. I and II, Monkfish Book Publishing, 2009–10.
Martine Vallee, ed., The Great Shift, Red Wheel/Weiser, 2009.
Channeled messages online from Tom Kenyon (http://tomkenyon.com/hathors-archives) and Steve Rother (http://lightworker.com/beacons); blog and global webcasts by Panache Desai (http://panachedesai.com/).
Peggy Kornegger writes of her own life experiences during the Great Shift in Living with Spirit, Journey of a Flower Child, available from Amazon.com and other online booksellers. Her website is http://spiritflower.wordpress.com.
