The Time of Global Shift Seminars -- THERE'S NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT

THERE'S NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT

Abigail Lewis

You hear a lot of people saying that these are extraordinary times that we live in. Why are people saying this? What do they mean? As the prophecies from all corners of the world and all pockets of time come into focus, it gives us pause to stop and rethink a lot of our assumptions. For some, the comforts of unconscious living may soon be swept away, while for others, a chance to affirm what they already know will become paramount.

EVOLUTION, NOT REVOLUTION

A few years ago, it was pointed out to me that a "revolution" was a 360-degree turn and that, in making a full revolution, you end up where you started. As a long-term environmental activist, someone who had been fighting for change, this semantic revelation affected me profoundly. I realized that fighting the system was not the best way to create change because by fighting against something, you perpetuate the concept of polarity - Good vs. Evil, You vs. Me, Us vs. Them, Male vs. Female, Black vs. White, Rich vs. Poor, Inner vs. Outer. The shift that needs to occur is a fundamental recognition that we are all one.

Environmental degradation and social injustice cease to make sense once you realize that these actions are a crime against yourself. Without this understanding, any attempts to affect change in the public arena are temporary. As the giant collective river flows, boulders trying to block the way become worn down to pebbles. The course of the river needs to be altered - not the flow. What is necessary at this time is a collective internal evolution, not an external revolution.

The Universe around us is changing. Our stubborn refusal to grow and change with it is causing the human family much pain and threatens to tear us down. Since a graceful transition is becoming less available, collapse may be the only way - so that we can be rebuilt in harmony with the universal.

AGE OF AQUARIUS

One aspect of the change upon us is the current transition from the Age of Pisces to the Age of Aquarius. Not everyone puts much stock in astrology, and this is understandable since tabloid horoscopes are often too silly or vague to be of value. These horoscopes fail to take into account the vastly layered and complex influences that are unique to each person. Horoscopes should not be confused with the ancient science of astrology.

Of the many astrological influences that effect us individually, it's worth noting that our own planet also passes though the signs in the zodiac. These periods are known as Astrological Ages and take roughly 2,000 years to transpire. In her book, Positive Magic, Marion Weinstein explains that although the exact dates of transition are not known, we can be sure that we are soon passing from the Piscean Age into the much praised "Age of Aquarius". Pisces, the two fish facing in opposite directions, represents among other things duality, polarity, following orders, allegiance, regimentation, nationalism and patriotism.

Aquarius, the Water Bearer, on the other hand represents equality, oneness. Weinstein explains that crossover or cusp phenomena are easily recognized in today's culture when new Aquarian concepts are being formatted into Piscean formats.

For example, the Aquarian view of sex is that it is a part of love as opposed to contrasting it, and that the sexes are equal. The women's movement, unisex fashion, sex education and acceptance of trans-sexuality and homosexuality all reflect the Aquarian influence. However, pornography or "dirty" movies still hold the idea that sex is "prurient". This is a cusp phenomenon. This is a Piscean attitude to an Aquarian idea.

Communes are also Aquarian. Communes with cult leaders are a Piscean form imposing on an Aquarian idea. Piscean science categorically denies the existence of occult phenomena. The fact that psychology and parapsychology, sciences that deal with the non-physical, are gaining respect is a sign of the cusp.

I believe that the Internet is a glorious example of Aquarian technology, however, the dot com drive for profits were Piscean. And it didn't work.

As the dot com disaster smolders before us, I believe we have been given a great example of why it's time to evolve. For everything in this universe is fractal. The Micro reflects the Macro and vice versa. It's time we notice that the equation has changed and there's a new pattern to work with. If we heed the signs, we can grow and flourish with the universe, but if we do not, all the prophecies of earth changes and social disruption may occur as predicted.

SYSTEMS

There are many levels of understanding and rules that we abide by. As our awareness grows, we naturally harmonize with larger systems of order that encompass and guide the smaller ones. For example, as a baby, you rely totally on your parents for everything and let loose any emotion or bodily fluid that needs releasing. Once you enter into group situations, such as school and work, you learn to act according to social mores, cooperating as a group, and sublimating the individual needs to the group. We have community systems, state systems, a national system, legal system, and global system as well as an economic system.

These are the systems that humans recognize and abide by. It works -- but only up to a point. This is because there are natural systems, planetary and solar systems, cosmic and universal systems that are being ignored. They encompass all of the smaller, human-oriented systems. Short-term gain can be realized within our human systems, however, if they continue to go against a bigger reality, these systems start to break down.

For example, a few years ago, a friend of mine said that it is "regrettable but permissible" that we were logging the redwood forests into extinction, but that the people who owned the land had the right to do with it what they wanted. After all, he said, it belongs to them. His functioning reality was grounded in human systems and he did not seem to realize that, although he was perfectly correct from his perspective, that the larger system, the ecosystem within which he is embedded, would ultimately fail -- affecting everyone within it.

Just as the time comes when a child learns that it has to follow certain behaviors in order to be part of the group, we too must grow as a species to belong to the universe. The realization that the universe is a single conscious entity of which we are all a part has profound effects on one's outlook and behavior. Love and compassion make sense in this universe when you understand that everything you see is simply another part of yourself.

There is no time like the present for humanity.