by Leigh Tremaine
When we think deeply, we realise that the dominant worldview defines the self in narrow and incomplete terms - as an individual ego that is fundamentally separate from everything else. This perceived separation is used as the starting point from which we experience the world, and shapes our social, economic, and political structures. It inevitably has a stressful impact on our health and our environment, and is the root cause of the conflict and alienation that comprises our suffering.
This article suggests a series of practical steps for expanding our consciousness and implementing those holistic values that reconnect us with our fundamental identity. It would appear that embracing a holistic worldview is essential to world healing, for it carries with it those values that nurture greater degrees of wholeness in place of separation and division. By experiencing greater wholeness we are able to integrate our lives and extend our sense of identity and enlightened self-interest to include ever-larger areas of existence, thereby increasing our self-realisation. Fear and aggression then fall away, and we open to greater love, joy, and power.
Blocks to World Healing and Transformation
The healing and transformation of our world depends on us developing a greater awareness of who we are, and implementing this awareness in all that we do. Many of us do not fully implement this awareness because we re-create limitation, for example, in the form of excuses and the projection of responsibility onto others. We might justify our inactivity by suggesting that greater awareness by itself is all that is needed, because our thoughts radiate out to affect others. While thoughts do indeed radiate outwards to affect others, a thought produced by someone who is putting it into practice is going to have a more productive effect on world healing and transformation than a thought produced by someone who is not putting it into practice.
The block that holds us back from developing and implementing greater awareness seems to be composed of a primary and a secondary layer. The first layer that we come up against is the secondary one, and consists of such symptomatic patterns as the following:
This secondary layer is generated and reinforced by a deeper, primary layer, which is made up entirely of fear. This fear is always ego-based, and can take many forms, such as:
In this example, each fear listed is derived from the fear of losing security or the fear of responsibility. However, on closer analysis, even the fear of losing security is seen to stem from our fear of responsibility. Fear, because it is ego-based, represents where we close our self off from our universal identity, and will have been imprinted unconsciously through trauma and conditioning, particularly in the formative years of our life.
Steps to World Healing and Transformation
The primary and secondary blocks are interconnected and reinforce each other, so it is necessary to tackle them both. The following steps are suggested for doing this. They do not necessarily follow in sequence, and are mutually supportive.
1. Acknowledge the pain and suffering created by a life based on separation and conflict. We have closed ourselves off from this pain and suffering in order to function in the ways that society expects of us, and to justify the fragmentation of the world in which we live. Once we have opened ourselves to this pain and suffering, we can learn from it and transform our own pain and suffering into a commitment to world healing and transformation. By doing so we become aware of the peace and joy that we can bring into the world, but never forget the suffering. At this stage we have developed our capacity for compassion.
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The need to contact and express our deepest feelings and emotions is often denied or discouraged in a mechanistic society, particularly when these feelings threaten to expose the shortcomings of our world and the values that underpin it. We need to be able to go into and express our deepest feelings and emotions - something which we are taught not to do as children, and which we can encourage as enlightened parents. Creating the space and the acceptance for this in society can be assisted by building supportive relationships and encouraging open, non-judgemental communication. Learning the technique of active listening, without dismissing or interrupting the other person, or planning a response, is important if we are to allow others to voice their feelings. As we rebuild our communities the increased intimacy, trust, and contact between people will allow such a climate to be developed.
The availability of person-centred counsellors and therapists, and the opportunity to participate in group-therapy work, is important for those who feel blocked or unable to deal with their feelings. Contact with those people and things that are visibly suffering, and awareness of such suffering through the enlightened media, helps us to get in touch with our deeper feelings, particularly if we know that it is okay for us to do so. When we truly feel the pain and suffering of the world we will naturally choose to contribute to that which relieves the world of suffering, and to stop contributing to that which does not.
2. Recognise that positive change is possible and necessary for our evolution. Before we can act, we must first be aware. Then, where we place our thought, energy and action will follow. The world around us is created and maintained by our thoughts, particularly those that make up our worldview, so if these change so does our world. If we do not change our thoughts, we do not move forward in our evolution. It is important, then, that we start to think for ourselves and develop our own inner values, rather than be swayed by the thoughts and views of so-called experts and authority figures, however charismatic they may be.
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Our parents, the education system, academics, politicians, business leaders, religion, the mass media, and other spokespeople and commentators all tell us how to think and interpret the world. Often what is presented as fact to us, from the moment we are born, is only second-hand information, opinion, partial truths, propaganda, or lies. While we can sometimes discern the superficial political or ideological bias of the media and other sources of information, we tend not to search beyond this to question the deeper values of the prevailing worldview, which concern such issues as the nature of being and the definition of self. A culture of conformity has resulted.
So, if we are to contribute to world healing and transformation, we need to develop the capacity to look within for our truth, and to give ourselves the time and space for doing this - which we are often denied in a world geared up to productivity, consumption, information processing, and social appointments. The development of new forms of education and new attitudes to parenting that encourage us to think for ourselves and to question the deepest assumptions is essential, as is an awareness of the value of relaxation and meditation a means for stilling the mind and accessing our inner truth and intuition.
We may need to release the fear of looking within. Sometimes the real issue of this fear is to do with exposing the inadequacy of the prevailing worldview (which our ego may have an investment in) or with the belief that there is no alternative to the prevailing worldview other than chaos and meaninglessness. Fostering a positive understanding of the process of change and transformation is important for everyone, and helps to liberate us from our insecurity and fear.
The development of local grass-roots media for communicating a multiplicity of views and information, particularly in relation to the holistic worldview, is beneficial, not just for its connection with local concerns, but also because a centralised media requires commercial funding that may be energy-intensive and corrupting. The establishment of local forums, exhibitions, and working models can supplement the exchange of new ideas and experiences, as can the establishment of networks and support groups for particular issues that are poorly addressed in mainstream society. Learning the art of public relations is of value if we are to communicate accessibly to the public, with clarity, simplicity, and relevance. The use of new-age jargon and terminology may be appropriate in some contexts and fields of experience, but is often not helpful for integrating the new and old within society, for it has a tendency to alienate members of mainstream society, particularly when it dresses up simple concepts in extreme, subjective, or irrelevant language.
One of the most important things that we can do to further world healing and transformation is to speak our truth, and to communicate the importance of holistic values, without imposing our will onto others or assuming the role of world saviour. The power of example and the communication of success stories play a large part in catalysing any shift in consciousness.
When we recognise that positive change is possible, and start to work with holistic values and ideas for the healing and transformation of the world, we create ripples that spread outwards through the world. Due to the way that we are interconnected within the whole, when a critical number of people are producing such ripples, a spontaneous shift in the collective consciousness will result.
3. Expand our sense of identity and our capacity for love by consciously experiencing our interconnectivity with all people and things. By extending the boundaries of the self to include more and more of existence, we identify with that which we initially perceived as separate from us. When we no longer experience ourselves as separate from the many aspects of our world, we cease to react defensively or aggressively to what was originally perceived as a threat because it appeared different or alien to us. Our identification with more and more of existence opens us up to greater love, compassion, and joy as we see ourselves in everything. Our narrow self-interest falls away because our interests are broadened with our sense of self. This enables us to move into harmony with the whole. As we do so, and are supported by the self-organising forces of the whole, our power to co-create our reality increases and higher degrees of wholeness are able to emerge.
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The fragmentation of our world, from which all conflict and suffering stems, results from the narrow and incomplete experience of our identity, which occurs when our sense of self is limited to the personal ego - that central point of gravity within our personal consciousness to which we contract our experience of reality. However, the personal ego is also the point of growth, and the greatest realisation for the ego is that it is not the centre of the universe, but the centre that is everywhere at once.
There are many ways to begin this process of self-realisation. Turning our attention inward, and relaxing the mind - which often has many conflicting thoughts passing through it - is the first step to knowing our inner self, and to expanding our sense of who we are. By ceasing to identify with the contents of our mind - which are nothing more than impressions and reactions - we are in a position to experience consciousness itself, and to connect with the true nature or source of our being, of which the smaller self is only an abstraction. To give ourselves this opportunity it is helpful to cultivate places of peace and solitude in our lives as a complement to those places of work and play. Teaching the value of meditation and other relaxation techniques is also helpful, and can benefit every individual and community. Practising meditation and relaxation within groups is an excellent way of supporting individual practice, and helps build relationships too. Once we have developed the ability to connect with the source of our being, we are then at a stage where we can practise mindfulness in our day-to-day experience, and thereby stay centred in our true being.
The process of self-realisation, by which we expand our identity, can also unfold in response to our experience of community-building, networking, and contact with ecosystems. All of these experiences make us aware of our interconnectivity with each other and our planet. We learn that by delimiting our sense of self we cut ourselves off from our wider connectivity with all that is - that we literally cut the information pathways within the consciousness of our universal self.
By developing our ability to communicate openly and non-judgementally, we open the channels for greater interconnectivity, through which an understanding of our shared needs and common identity can emerge. Our capacity for greater love is then awakened. This process can be taken further by establishing networks, support groups, and engaging in activities that raise community spirit. In addition to these, we can establish community action-groups to raise awareness amongst the public and implement those structures that enhance our interconnectivity with all that is. Raising awareness of the issues through face-to-face contact, public lectures, workshops, and forums, and either electing or volunteering as an action-group coordinator can start the process off.
4. Take back our power by being responsible for our lives and refusing to add our energy or consent to that which does not support our evolution, or resonate with holistic, love-filled values.When we give away our responsibility we give away our power and make ourselves vulnerable. As well as delaying our own growth, this inevitably leads to the misuse or abuse of power by external authorities, who are either unable to use it effectively, or use it for their own ends. It is impossible for any external authority to respond fully to our many diverse needs (which are often changing), particularly when authorities are invested with the responsibilities of a large number of individuals. Often such authorities are so far out of touch with individuals and their needs that they respond in ways that increase chaos and suffering, and in some cases resort to the use of propaganda to manufacture false needs and manipulate public opinion.
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The apathy that holds many of us back from transforming our world stems partly from the limited opportunity we have to participate in the organisation of our own society, and from the realisation that our participation in today’s political systems is unlikely to yield the results we desire. By changing our perception of how we can participate, we free ourselves from this limitation. Rather than trying to participate in an oversized, centralised system that is largely unresponsive to individual and local needs, we can create the local structures needed for our participation to be effective, and thereby re-empower ourselves. This process is called community-building, and only requires that we have the will to be responsible for our own lives. However, if we are to own our responsibility we need to change how we view it, for many of us feel that it is a burden. It helps to realise that responsibility is about inner growth and freedom from dependency, and about furthering the good of the individual and the whole. As we enlarge the boundaries of our self so that our self-interest broadens and our heart awakens to greater love, we spontaneously choose to serve the good of the whole because by doing so we serve our own good.
Having raised public awareness about these issues, local forums can be established for discussing the design and implementation of community structures that enhance interconnectivity, responsibility, and autonomy. The key point is that by decentralising our social structures and keeping them to human-sized dimensions, we can reclaim our power and direct it to where it is most needed on an individual and community level. Establishing local economies and currencies, for example, as well as enhancing our intimacy, gives us greater control over the exchange of energy and resources for a locality, and the ability to respond to that locality’s changing social and ecological conditions. To ensure that decentralisation does not become a move towards isolationism, networks of communities can be created.
It is important that each individual has the opportunity to take part in local decision-making, and that such decision-making is built on consensus, and guided by holistic, love-filled values. Establishing ‘talking circles’ for this, in which people assemble in a circle and pass a ‘talking-piece’ from hand-to-hand as a cue to speak has been found to be very effective, particularly when the circle is opened with a group meditation, a linking of hands, or any other unifying focus. As the community spirit is awakened - in all senses - separation and alienation is overcome, and the enormous amount of energy that would otherwise be wasted in conflict or drained away by large political or economic structures is freed up and made available for healing and creative activity.
Those of us who think that we do not have the understanding to contribute to the organisation of our society can be reassured by realising that decentralisation simplifies our interconnectivity, and that as co-creators we will be supported by each other. Also, by drawing upon our local knowledge and experience we can define our own terms for thinking about and discussing the organisation of our society, and thereby demystify that which is often defined in terms that we find hard to understand or to relate to.
By taking responsibility for our own self-government, we awaken our capacity for leadership and co-creation, and appreciate our interconnectivity more as we develop in responsibility. This restores our self-worth and releases us from apathy. Taking responsibility for our lives empowers us in other ways too. By responding to our full needs, which are revealed to us in greater detail as we progress in our self-development, we are able to release ourselves from crippling fears and emotional patterns. We realise that our greatest need, and our greatest responsibility, is our own self-realisation. The process of self-realisation, whereby we open to the infinite source of our being and come to know the wisdom and love of our relationship with the whole, enables us to find the inner security, support, and guidance to move past all inner blocks to our individual and collective healing. We realise that fear is a reaction of the ego to some part of our experience that is held in separation because we have yet to take responsibility in that area of our lives. A limiting belief will be generating the fear, based on incomplete experience or information. The solution is to take responsibility by extending our self-realisation and experiencing the flow of love and wisdom into that area of our lives.