With the Blue Moon rising, tonight we ring in not only the New Year, but a whole new decade. And we do so at amidst a time of change.
We’ve seen climate weather, world economic changes and political and government leadership changes. In spiritual, mystical and metaphysical circles, everyone is talking about and predicting change, the biggest of which is, of course, the fact that the Mayan calendar ends with the Gregorian calendar year of 2012. This has caused some people to predict a cataclysmic end to the world in that year. More people are actually predicting a huge shift in human consciousness at that time, which is what I believe will happen…and which I believe is happening already little by little.
More correctly I believe, 2012 actually will be just the culmination of a long process of human consciousness being raised little by little. And, since processes tend to come to a head but continue from that point onward, the process of raising human consciousness will continue beyond the year 2010 as well.
I study all sorts of spiritual and wisdom traditions, but my heart lies with Judaism. In its mystical tradition, called Kabbalah, the mystics claim that creation as a whole is moving toward a change in consciousness that will herald in the World to Come, a time of peace on earth. Rather than this occurring in two years, the date of the end of the Mayan calendar is seen as just a step on the way to the ultimate transformation, which they say lies 230 years in the future – yet the change is happening now, every day, every moment as we move ever closer to the year 6,000 on the Jewish lunar calendar. That would be the year 2240! (We are in the year 5770 on the Jewish calendar.)
Any way you look at it, we seem to be in the midst of a change process. What better time to become part of the change, to become a change agent and learn how to create change within and without, than now. Of course, to do that, you have to start small-with a process of your own. You have to start by creating change within yourself and in your own small environment, and then work outwards. You have to start raising your own consciousness. In the process, you help raise the consciousness of humankind and of the planet as a whole.
To become part of the change, to become a change agent, you don’t have to become an activist, although you can. You do, however, have to change your consciousness.
Let’s look at this change in consciousness from a Kabbalistic standpoint, which, by the way, is not just for Jews-anyone and everyone can and should consider this perspective if they want to become a change agent. The Kabbalists, or Jewish mystics, taught that human beings were created as receivers. God, the Ultimate Creator, created us as the receivers of all the Divine goodness He/She had to offer us and all of creation. Our purpose in creation lies in receiving that goodness. That’s the easy part, because we naturally desire that goodness for ourselves, and the desire pulls the goodness to us. (Admittedly, actually allowing in the goodness can be difficult for many of us.)
To raise our consciousness to a new level we need to have a new desire. We have to desire a higher consciousness…a new consciousness that wants to receive Divine goodness not for our own sake alone but rather for the sake of giving it to others. That’s the hard part. We have to have the desire to share what we receive with others.
For those of us who love others, for instance, our children, this actually may feel easy. We share with them unconditionally. However, we have to feel this way about everyone and everything. We have to want to share unconditionally with all of creation. We have to want to receive in order to share.
And when we do this, we find ourselves in harmony and in unity with the Creator. We find ourselves one with God, because God is a giver and we have become givers. We have removed any perceived separation between ourselves and God. From this place of oneness and with this higher consciousness, we can create amazing change in our lives and in the world, because we are tapped into the flow of goodness and abundance in the world. We are tuned into the Source of miracles.
For the Kabbalist, becoming a change agent means achieving some semblance of this consciousness-developing the desire to share unconditionally and having the consciousness to want to receive for the sake of giving.
In other traditions, changing our consciousness or achieving a higher consciousness may look or sound different. It may be explained in different words. People will talk about creating peace and harmony or accepting diversity. However, the same holds true. To really do this, we want to function from a place connected to Source. It’s here that we actually begin to vibrate with the energy of peace and harmony and non-judgment. This takes coming from a loving place, a place of acceptance, a place of non-judgment, and a place of wanting to share.
To become a change agent in 2010-or any time-you have to find a way to reach this higher consciousness. The Kabbalists recommend getting there through receiving with the intention of giving. However, you also can do it through meditation, chanting, prayer, or any number of contemplative exercises. The change in your vibration and consciousness immediately will radiate out into the world and begin to create change. Then, if you also can take that energy out into the world and put it into action with the same vibration of love and peace, you’ll do a lot of good towards creating change as well.
We can’t stop change, but we can be a part of it. We can become change agents. I challenge my readers to begin by simply changing their own consciousness.  Create change within. Raise your consciousness in some way…to a more loving one, to a less-judgmental one, to a more giving one. When you do so, you can’t help but begin creating change without.
