The New Spiritual Consciousness - An Emerging Paradigm Shift
The New Spiritual Consciousness - An Emerging Paradigm Shift
In Terence McKenna's book, Food of the Gods: The Search for the Original Tree of Knowledge, he talks about our inevitable spiritual awakening. He argues that with all the progress in science and technology, we have become disconnected from nature and that's why there hasn't been a renaissance of spirituality like what had been predicted by mystics in bygone centuries.
He cites contemporary examples to back up his claim such as "the dislocation caused by television" or "the disappearance of religious belief through rationalization." And here we are today living in an era where religious belief is rapidly being toppled from its pedestal. In America, the number of people who do not believe in God or an afterlife has quadrupled in the last 30 years.
It doesn't stop there. A recent study also found that 42 percent of Americans are atheists or agnostics, with 17 percent saying that religion is not important to them. As for religious affiliation, only 56 percent of Americans say they belong to a religion (down from 80% since WWII). Even more fascinating is what the poll revealed about which particular religions people identified with: "Protestants dropped from 50% to 31%, while Catholics held steady at 20%." The point being that religions have been effectively losing their grip on the collective consciousness and its members' day-to-day experiences.
Like the loss of religious belief, the widespread rejection of organized religions has also paved way for other collective expressions to take over. The most common explanation for this shift is that people are becoming disillusioned with their traditional values and institutions, and are seeking for alternative ways to find meaning in life. In effect, they have been rejecting the old and embracing the new.
Then there are those who argue that such a paradigm shift might be a temporary one as it won't last long due to social or political reasons. According to them, "The illusion of commonality between different cultures may give way when people discover how little there is that unites them." They believe that all these cultural similarities were actually "generated by cultural interaction. And once this contact is over, the differences between different cultures will begin to be more obvious."
It could be true, but I find it highly unlikely that that cultural similarities are simply a social construct. In my view, there is probably a deeper truth about our common humanity and connection with nature. We are becoming more aware of our deep-seated needs for spirituality, peace and love. This may eventually give way to those unifying principles or values that transcend the boundaries of language, ethnicity and culture.
The Future of Consciousness
If you ask any spiritual leader or scholar about the potential for a new paradigm shift, they would agree that it's possible. However, the general consensus is that it won't happen anytime soon. But here's some things I've noticed in my own field work over the years: First, there is a growing awareness of our inner guide, voice or Higher Self. Second, more people have started to experience what we can call "un-real" experiences (anomalous) such as out-of-body experiences and premonitions. Third, there are more people who are exploring alternative healing practices such as reiki or acupuncture. Fourth, people are becoming more interested in personal transformation and spiritual direction. In other words, there have been more radical transformations than ever before.
My view is that it's not so much about the number of people leaving behind organized religion or the increasing number of paranormal activities and experiences. What's important is how widespread these developments are becoming. As I pointed out earlier, this means that people are seeking for spirituality in new ways and that there is a growing awareness of the need for holistic healing practices, personal transformation and higher consciousness through various kinds of alternative therapies. It's a good sign that they are searching for deeper meaning in their lives.
In my view, I believe that the main reason for this increased interest in spirituality or alternative paths is because people are beginning to realize that there is something more to life than the mundane existence of everyday reality. As the world becomes more complex, it may become harder and harder to maintain this illusion of "normalcy" if you are not experiencing life as it truly is. As Paul Ferrini said: "The world becomes weirder as we become more aware. Our orientation towards reality changes as our awareness increases."
Indeed, it's not so much about the increasing number of paranormal activities. It's about the increasing number of conscious people and their willingness to accept these new ideas. As more people start to awaken, there will be a greater demand for spiritual guidance and growth. I believe that we have already entered into this post-religious era and are now moving into a spiritual one. If you think about it, it makes sense that most people are going through this awakening process at this time because it coincides with the evolution of consciousness on a global scale.