Human evolution is a natural process with infinite potentials.
We are not yet a finished product!
In fact, there is no limit to the levels of evolution we can
achieve, both as individuals and as a world society. We have within our
capacity the ability to guide our own development as consciousness
beings, and many of us are doing exactly that.
Humanity as a sum total however, seems to be limited by its own
concepts of life and right living. The only real limitations upon our continued growth as a
species, are those concepts we continue to impose upon each succeeding
generation.
It would
seem that our ideas about progress, prosperity, and successful living
are getting in the way of our own true development. In fact, our lives are largely molded by how we define
the words “progress” and “prosperity”.
In the modern world we find that “progress” is often defined
in terms of building bigger supermarkets, shopping malls, and schools,
as well as the inventing of “higher” technologies, trade agreements,
industries and social institutions.
“Greater prosperity” is viewed as the making of more dollars
per fiscal year, or the raising of the so called “standard of
living” of communities and nations.
But are these things really an authentic measure of progress and
prosperity? Do they really
contribute to a more successful standard of living?
To answer these questions we must look beyond current social
views, and consult with the spiritual center, (soul) of our being.
By silently observing our innermost selves, we find the vast and
largely untapped potentials of the noble human spirit.
When we meditate and pray, there arises a completely different
perception of life, which has nothing to do with stock portfolios,
resumes, club memberships, formal education or the adherence to
“consumer spending” trends. Upon
deep reflection we find that the meaning of life and of truth is far
deeper than the corporate status quo would have us believe.
The inherent condition of the human mind is genius.
Our natural intuitiveness, insight and flexibility are easily
observed in any child, who has been allowed to freely use their minds
without cultural inhibitions. Our
natural wisdom is found reflected in the Native peoples of the world,
one that comes with a knowledge of plants, animals, herbal medicines,
practical spirituality and a deep perception into the purpose of life.
It is the natural reaction of the child to express love and
friendship to the stranger, as an automatic form of spiritual
expression. But in all of
the above examples, the word “natural” is the key to understanding
true human progress. Through
natural laws, (which are also spiritual laws) we learn the reality of
the Cosmos of which we are a part.
True human progress is not defined by the physical structures or
institutions we can build, it is found in the natural, spiritual
advancement of every human being. It
is not our creations which need to be fundamentally improved, it is the
creator within which must be elevated according to Cosmic Designs.
True prosperity is not found through money or the material things
it can buy, it is found through the exquisite joy, profound clarity and
deep wisdom of self realization. Self realization also becomes the
realization of the brotherhood and sisterhood of all people in unity,
and within the context of That which is called God.
Self realization also demonstrates that Nature, like humanity, is
governed by universal constants to which the human species must apply
itself, or suffer the penalty of every failed experiment of
evolution….extinction..
Our task in this modern age is to return to nature and natural
ways, as a very authentic form of spiritual practice.
In so doing we apply ourselves to the Cosmic principles of
living, which recognize no international boundaries, ethnic differences,
religious dogmas or political parties.
By following the laws already established by nature, we supersede
the petty distinctions of courts, popes, emperors, kings and presidents,
in favor of the sweet fruits of universal Truth.
But how can we accomplish this glorious task, this real purpose
of life and enlightenment,
while materialism is still the foremost world religion?
How can we find God, our own souls and real prosperity, so long
as the Almighty Dollar is worshipped as Divine?
We cannot. We cannot
simultaneously worship money, the official corporate religion of Western
society, and still devote our lives to universal Truth.
For what use is money and material possessions, when we are
destroying each other and the Earth to gain them? For what use is an
empire of material wealth, when our minds are in an artificially induced
confusion, our bodies stressed to the limit by unnatural goals, and our
lives lived in a social environment dominated by fear and lackingness?
Clearly, we must culturally redefine what prosperity and progress
really mean, not in the context of a profit oriented media, but in the
context of a vast, intelligent and creative universe of which we are a
reflection.
A global revolution of social values is now poised to emerge,
like a butterfly from its cocoon. The
transformation of Old World material ideals, to the New World of
spiritual lifestyle has the greatest chance for success, now in this
present age. At no other
time in history has the human race been more ready for a change.
The people of the world are realizing that must find the real
meaning of life and right living beyond cultural norms and expectations.
They are realizing for instance, that they are not humans having
spiritual experiences, but spirits having human experiences.
Nature, like the human body, is being remembered as a sacred
temple for spiritual growth, rather than as a “resource” for
material exploitation. People
are being viewed not in terms of their “credentials” or resumes, but
as centers of consciousness who are capable of performing what has been
considered miraculous. Society is finally being recognized not as a collection of
warring states, but as parts of a global organism which is inseparably
united. In this realization
the meditator finds that the sufferings and loves of their fellow human
beings, are theirs to experience every moment of every day.
Above all else, the highest priority in life must remain Truth
itself. The spiritually
responsible person does not ask, “What is it that I want to hear?”,
or “What is it that makes me feel comfortable?” Instead, the truly spiritual person asks, “What is true and
what is not?” The truth
of our world society is that it is in serious trouble, and it simply
does not matter who likes this fact or not.
What matters now is what we as individuals and groups do about
this world crisis. The
immediate remedy to crisis is a change of lifestyle.
In the modern world we find that the stress of unnatural living
is our greatest foe. Why is
it unnatural? Because it is
based upon the worship of money and material things, far and above real
need. We suffer because we seek material goals instead of spiritual
ones. One of our first
tasks as spiritually minded persons, is therefore to reject this
materialistic world society in which we live, in favor of the precepts
of natural law. We must
reject materialism as the state religion, in order to dedicate our lives
to the greater evolution of self, and the human species as a whole.
Materialism is an ideological disease, and until we are cured of
it there can be no realistic hope of genuine progress or prosperity.
We may invent higher and higher technologies and new political
methods, but these will never actually improve the quality of living so
long as their implementation remains unenlightened.
Any system of management remains only as effective as the persons
who participate in it. Our best opportunity for personal and social improvement is
therefore one of inner transformation.
Outer revolution rests squarely upon the advance of inner
evolution.
Inner evolution involves the expansion of consciousness.
Every single thing we do and the manner in which we do it, is
dependent upon our state of consciousness at that moment.
This is why meditation is so important, because it is the premium
tool for self change. In
meditation we realize that we are not the thoughts, images or feelings
which run through our being. Our
true identity is that which creates those thoughts, feelings and images
to start with. That creator
within is none other than consciousness itself.
Not surprisingly, all of nature is also composed of
consciousness, and in meditation the realization I AM THAT spontaneously
arises at a critical point in spiritual practice.
When this happens we realize that the consciousness within, is
the same in essence as the consciousness in all persons, all life, and
in fact, all existence. Our reality is that we are not only in contact with
God, but that WE ARE A PART OF GOD,
just as cells are a part of our body.
We also begin to realize that consciousness is a shared
“substance”, one that
makes it possible for people to “tune in” to each other all the
time. We feel the emotions
of others, and very often experience their thoughts as well..
The ocean of electromagnetic impulses in which we live carries
thoughts, feelings and intentions just as readily as radio and
television waves. In
recognizing this truth, we are given a hint as to how we may transform
the World Mind of humanity in which we live.
Through meditation we are afforded an opportunity to
SELF EVOLVE or in other words, expand our consciousness.
In the group setting this potential is made even more pronounced
via the group mind principle. In short, the group mind principle of Nature states that;
the resulting force generated from the combining of like
minds, is geometrically greater than the sum of its parts.
In other words, minds which are focused together upon a common
theme, create a mutual force which is not merely additive, but vastly
more powerful than any one individual.
Through this force of combined, spiritually oriented
consciousness, we may reshape the landscape of social events.
As we combine out mutual, inner force with a change of lifestyle,
(from materialism to spiritual growth) there is literally nothing that
the human species cannot accomplish.
Matthew Webb
visionquest@eoni.com
The World
Mind Society http://www.eoni.com/~visionquest