How To Live In Interesting Times
A message from Vywamus, a teacher of higher consciousness, January 2017
Your Turbulent World Today: Wild Energies At Large
My friends, you are indeed living in interesting times. Politically and otherwise, the recent past has been most stressful for many of you. I’m not just referring to effects of the campaign and election in the United States and to other developments around the globe. They are just the tip of the iceberg. The U.S. election and the run-up to it, for example, are only a clear mirror for the pain, fear, and anger that you have all been feeling in a world full of upheaval and change. All of you are feeling pushed and pulled and battered by the turbulent energies around you, and are longing for a less insane world to live in.
When you look at your everyday world, it can be disheartening. You see an incredible number of events and crises around the globe that you haven’t found ways to effectively handle. And with the worldwide media, you’re more aware of all of these than ever before. Many of you, even those of you who are evolving most rapidly, may be having a hard time. For most of you, your immediate response to all this is that you are paralyzed or polarized.
Faced with the extent of your problems, some of you feel overwhelmed and helpless to cope, and so you may stop trying to understand or to take any action. You may be just hoping that it will all go away, or hoping for someone to rescue you. On the other hand, many of you feel the pull to oversimplify, to reduce many issues to manageable terms of black and white, and then to polarize into militant opposing camps. But so far, none of these ways is actually working.
A Better Prospect
I’m writing this to offer you hope, support, and the broader perspective you need. And to offer some suggestions on how all of you may more easily navigate the turmoil in your day-to-day life.
First, I want to give you a heads up. Pay attention! What’s causing you so much stress, and may even seem to you to be disastrous, is actually a big boost for you. Recent events are giving you a real opportunity to see more clearly than ever before what needs change. And you’re feeling stirred up, shaken out of your inertia, and moved to make that change.
Many men and women currently on the world stage are doing you a service by giving you a chance to see more clearly what’s going wrong, and to see the further extremes that taking certain paths may lead to. What they say and do is actually helping to speed up the breakdown of the old forms that no longer work. You’re spurred to look around for alternatives, for other possibilities of what could be. And that’s good. This is a time for all of you to look at these other possibilities, to look deeper into your hearts and see what you really care about, what you value most, what kind of world you want. And to find also in your hearts the passion and energy to work for that world.
Before you start to work, though, it will be helpful to have a wider perspective of what’s going on in your world. All this you’ve been going through is precisely what can be expected when your current social, political, and economic systems have failed you. Times have changed, you yourselves have changed, and your old forms and ways of dealing with social, political, and economic issues no longer work as they used to. You’ve outgrown them and they no longer serve to promote your growth and general wellbeing. You feel a push toward change — and also a real resistance to change. And so, there is widespread dissatisfaction, and widespread unrest, fear and hostility.
This breakdown of your old forms and ways of doing things, and all the turbulence that accompanies it, is the rough beginning of a huge transition humanity is making. You’re at the beginning of a shift in human consciousness that will eventually lead to a more joyful and deeply fulfilling life on Earth for all of you. Still, even if you know that, this beginning stage is a rough time, where old forms are breaking down and you haven’t yet found new ones to replace them. So I and other guides at my level are here to help you get through this stage, and to offer you guidance on how to make the changes you need, and how to heal the divisiveness and the pain you’re inflicting on each other.
To begin with, in this turbulent time, we invite you to look at some of the patterns you have now — ways of thinking and feeling and ways of operating in your everyday world — which actually keep you from making changes for the better. Certain belief systems and world views you have serve to hold in place the old ways of doing things, and to prevent your seeing clearly which useful new forms are arising and need to be embraced.
Here’s one example: Most of you are brought up from birth to believe that you live in a world where “survival of the fittest,” “dog eat dog,” “every man for himself” is the rule. In this world, every individual is essentially separate from every other, and one person’s gain is another person’s loss. Or, if some of you band together, it may be that one tribe’s gain is another tribe’s loss. In any case, you believe that competition for resources, power, attention, and so on, is the natural order, is how the world works, is the reality. There are many examples around you that seem to confirm those beliefs, and you don’t even question them, do you?
In this world view, your success is currently measured by material wealth and power. The more of these you have, the more of a success you are. But you must compete against others for them, or if you already have them, you must compete to keep them. And, you are always under pressure to be a good competitor, to win out over others, to move to the top. Yes, you may form alliances with others when doing so, but you are expected to discard these if at some point they might obstruct your (or your group’s) reaching the top. Yes, you may resist this pressure to compete, and make other values a priority in your life. But from the standpoint of this widespread belief system, if you do not then rise to material success, you will be looked at as second best.
This belief system of winner take all has led to the inevitable: You are set against each other in the upward struggle to reach the top, or near the top. Some of you do. The rest of you, who are not in the winners’ circle, are altogether disappointed and have a sense of failure. You may feel your government has failed you, or the economy has failed you, or that somehow you yourself have failed. Things have not worked out as you were led to expect. And you may naturally feel powerless or frustrated, or angry, or fearful.
Well, beliefs aside, let’s look at the real situation. Theoretically anyone can reach the top, and you may have been encouraged to believe that you are one of those who can. But, do the numbers: In actuality, what happens in any competitive system is that there are a few winners and many losers. If you’re among the many who have not reached the top, you may be a talented, responsible, hardworking person and still feel left behind. This is not usually because of any fault of yours, but because in your system the top is not big enough. An altogether new system is needed to replace the one you are using now.
Could there be a new form, where everyone could more easily share in the beauties and riches of your world, where, in a sense, everyone could win and be at the top? That can happen. It is no fantasy. You can create such a world. But for that to be, the old mindset based on competition and tribalism will no longer work. It will have to go.
Now, in your everyday world, this competitive winner take all model is only one of the underlying belief systems that shape your current ways of doing things, although it is a major one. I’ve used it as an example, and I encourage you to look deeper at this and many other social/political/economic forms in your society. Are they what you want? You have always taken them for granted as the reality. They are one reality, certainly, but is that reality one you want? How might it be different? Now is the time to ask these questions. You are gradually moving into a new phase of your evolution in which all of you, and all of your systems, will be much changed. The changes will be up to you.
Of course, it’s likely that some of you nostalgically want to go back to the way you remember it used to be, and will fight hard to resist change and make the old systems work again. Go ahead and try if you feel you need to. But you will not succeed. Once a chicken grows to a certain size, it cracks the egg it came from and you can’t put it back. You can only leave it as it is — or, you can feed it and help it grow.
Your Personal Path
I encourage you, don’t give up. There are things you can do, personally, and in conjunction with other likeminded people, to live with this present chaos, and find your own path through it. I offer you here some suggestions about how you can survive and move forward in these interesting times, and how you can even help grow the chicken.
Start from where you are. You have certain beliefs about what’s true and not true, and about what should or should not be done, and you probably have strong feelings to go with those beliefs. Respect the beliefs and feelings you have. Accept them and hold them all. Your views, your anger, your fear, your pain, are all worthy of respect. Your hope, too, is worthy of respect. You need them all, to help you move forward.
So begin by accepting where you are, but then realize you must go beyond that, you must broaden your focus. You will get nowhere if you stay in a limited mindset. The problems you and other humans are facing cannot possibly be solved at the level where they have arisen. You have to get to another level to resolve them. The more you keep that in mind, the more quickly you’ll be able to move through this period of turbulence and upheaval.
Your own current ways of thinking, your beliefs, opinions, and emotions — accurate, interesting, and absorbing as they may be — are limiting to you, and are what keep you stuck in those persistent everyday problems. Luckily, your beliefs and emotions are not all there is to you. They’re only a small part of who you really are. There is much, much more to you, and if you dive down deeper, beyond the waves of opinion and emotion you experience every day, you can reach that fullness of all you really are, the deep aliveness that is the foundation of your very being. This deeper level is there in all of you, although not all of you are aware of it. Some of you are, and already go there regularly and consciously. Others of you have probably been there many times, whether you were aware of it or not.
You reach this level of yourself it in many ways. Sometimes it’s in meditation. Sometimes it’s in peak moments of great joy or understanding or accomplishment. Sometimes it’s when you find yourself caught up in creative work or art. Sometimes it’s at a time when you feel at one with nature. Sometimes it is even at a moment of great danger. Often it can be a bodily event that goes beyond your usual experience. And sometimes it is when you feel a sudden burst of love for someone dear to you. All these moments may be gateways into the deepest level of your being. And even if you can’t recall having any such moments, meditation can get you to this deep level of yourself.
Now, why am I recommending you make this excursion into the deeper level of your consciousness? Isn’t it just a detour from getting down to the nitty-gritty and dealing with your issues in a practical way at the everyday level? On the contrary. You cannot create new forms or a new reality that lasts without going to this level of yourselves.
It is from here, from this deep level of creative energy, that every change in your day-to-day reality begins. The new forms and systems you need in your world will not come as a result of your scurrying around at the everyday mental/emotional levels to prop up or to rearrange and re-rig the old forms you have now, and fighting over which is the best. Rather, what you need will emerge from this deep level of your being, where all true creativity originates. And it is also from here that you will be able to generate the deep compassion, empathy and concern for each other that will help you act together to make the new forms actually work in your everyday physical reality.
Spend time here, even if you can only do so for five minutes a day. Here there is great power. Here you are connected with all other beings, including those who think as you do and even those whose beliefs seem incompatible with yours. Here, reach out to all of them. At this level you go beyond your differences and are able to understand and truly communicate with each other. Spend time here, opening your heart and mind. Spend time here allying your energies with those of all other humans, so that together you can send out your intention and your energies to create the world you want to live in. Doing this is crucial if you want lasting change for the better.
Working In The World: Forming The Future
After working together with others at the deep level of yourself, go back to your day-to-day life in the material world, and bring this energy of your deeper self with you. The flow of this deeper energy through you, as you go about your everyday life, has a powerful effect on everyone and everything around you — more powerful than you imagine. Who you are, at this deep level of yourself, is more powerful than anything you actually say or do, and it will help move you and others in the direction you need to go. So keep that flow going.
Next, let yourself experience the world around you with new eyes. As you go about life in your everyday settings, take moments now and then to resist jumping immediately into your old patterns, your old ways of thinking and acting. Step back and notice these habitual ways you have of looking at and reacting to things. Then temporarily set them aside. Make space for something new to emerge. You are no strangers to this process. Artists, musicians, scientists, healers, and others of you who create engage in this creative process all the time. Whatever new thing you’re creating, whether it’s a painting or a song or a political system, you have to get your mind and its usual patterns out of the way and make space. And then notice what emerges.
When you make this space, you’ll begin to see many new possibilities, possibilities for new political forms, for new economic structures, for new ways of relating to each other, and more. Keep an open mind, observe, let them emerge. You’ll find you’re asking yourself, “What if, instead of the way we do things now, we did ______?”
Notice which of the new possibilities you care more about, and are more excited about. These will be the ones that fit best with your own life path and your own work in the world. Commit some of your energies to playing with these new possibilities, trying them out, seeing whether they work and what can be done with them, shaping and reshaping them, critiquing and improving them. And while you’re doing this, notice which other people around you are on a similar path to yours. These are the people you can ally with to bring in the new forms, and to take concrete, practical steps in your everyday world, to create the changes you need.
As you work together in the world, do the obvious things, of course. Make use of even the old political forms (e.g., staying informed, voting, contacting your representatives in government, running for office, contributing time, energy and money, demonstrating, and other forms of activism). Find common ground with those opposing you when you can. Work to guide and educate others, or to oppose them, to limit their power if it seems harmful, and to support what you see as good in them — but always with your eye on the goal.
As best you can, work for rather than against. Let your passions and feelings fuel you to move forward, rather than let them blind you and bog you down. Keep a compassionate sense of humor. Don’t let yourself be distracted by getting involved in personal attacks. Rather, move toward the new forms and systems you want, and keep that momentum going. This is all common sense.
At the same time, it’s essential to remember that the good new forms you want to foster can only take root if enough humans give them space and adopt them. You must eventually let go of polarizing, and ally with each other for this to come about. So while working steadily for what you believe in, do your best to keep an open heart for all other humans, even those who oppose you. No one of them is perfect, and no one of them is totally bad or worthless. Try not to label or categorize them, since there is so much more to each of you than what you ordinarily perceive in each other. If others are less conscious than you, or if they seem to be going wrong, if they seem even to be holding beliefs that to you are totally irrational, it is a part of their path and of their learning. And of your learning too, since they are in your life. Accept that.
Look at the people around you, then, put yourself in their shoes. See how they got there. And look deeper, see beyond their words and behavior. Call up your understanding and compassion both for those who agree with you and those who don’t. Notice always your deeper level of connection with them, even if you’re very much against what they’re saying and doing in the everyday world. At the deepest level, they’re human like you, and you can meet them at that level and let them into your heart, even if you’re not in agreement with their thinking, and even if you’re actively working against what they do. When you maintain your awareness of this deep connection while moving steadily forward toward what you believe in, the changes you all need will happen more easily.
You notice I’m not giving you here any step-by-step recipes for how to make good changes, how to examine and let go of old outmoded forms and how to find and nurture more useful ones. That would be a pseudo solution, at the ego level. Rather, I am suggesting a process that will help you go beyond ego, where all the problems are arising in the first place, and into the depths of your own being, where you will find your real source of power and from which you can, together, create the kind of world you want to live in.
Following the suggestions I’ve offered here will not only help all of humanity to progress out of the turbulence in which you find yourselves now, it will help you personally to move along more peacefully and more steadily on your own spiritual path. Why do you think you are on Earth at this time and are facing these challenges? Did you really sign up for this? Well, yes. You did. Because it’s the perfect environment for you to grow and evolve your own consciousness. And at the same time, you will be helping humanity in general to also shift into a greater consciousness. So, take advantage. Take a deep breath. This is a challenge for you, yes, but it’s also a blessing and an opportunity. Be with it.
Finally, let me assure you that of course you are not alone. You have help, not only from other like-minded humans, but also from us guides at our level. If you choose to follow the process I’ve outlined in this article, we thank you and will give you extra help. But for all of you who are living in the world right now, know that we love you and are always ready with our guidance and support. This is a huge work you humans are undertaking at this time, no less than a shifting of who you are, and of how your world is to be. You, personally, have been asked to be in the forefront, if you agree. Trust in us and trust your own deeper self to enliven and comfort you, to bring you support from others, and to help you move forward on the path you have chosen. Call on us at any time.
Andrea Seiver is a conscious channel for ascended master Vywamus, a teacher of higher consciousness, and offers classes in channeling and spiritual development, as well as private readings. She is the author of The Next Big Bang: The Explosion of Human Consciousness. Visit andreaseiver.com or call (617) 332-1541.
See also:
Musings: Meditation On Meditation And Country
Benjamin Creme, 1922-2016
