| Introduction | | | | actions with service to others, to humanity. Through |
| The beginning was ever so slight, only the inkling of an | | | | meditation and observation, I have come to the strong |
| idea here and there, devoid of any real shape or form. | | | | conviction that the key role for humans in the New |
| Gradually the idea took amoeba-like form in the | | | | Age is to act at the individual level while at the same |
| metaphysical and spiritual counterculture groups of the | | | | time act in alignment with a greater, organized whole. |
| 1970s and 1980s. Then as with all of nature's creations, | | | | The outcome is the organized and deliberate actions |
| a period of successive mutations, shaped and | | | | of individual humans to create a meaningful whole that |
| re-shaped the new form. The evolved form that | | | | is greater than the mere sum of its individual actions. |
| emerged in the 1990's was more robust, but hardly | | | | Aristotle astutely observed and understood the |
| perceptible as the start of a profound shift. The idea | | | | importance of the general principle of holism some |
| persisted, gradually gaining critical mass through popular | | | | 2400 years ago. What makes the whole more than |
| works such as The New Earth by Eckhart Tolle | | | | the sum of its parts is its unification, its organization. |
| (2005) and the film The Secret by Rhonda Byrne | | | | Clearly, the completed puzzle is much more than its |
| (2006), finally surpassing its tipping point through to | | | | jumbled pieces in the box. |
| today where we find ourselves inescapably in the | | | | Following Nature's Direction |
| midst of a New Age. | | | | The impetus for humans to organize comes from a |
| The New Age movement spans across many global | | | | source larger than us. The theme is seen ubiquitously in |
| realms including the realms of spirituality, politics, | | | | nature. All complex organisms including you and your |
| economics and climate. In economics, we see great | | | | cat are products of multiple, simpler organisms acting |
| shifting from and collapsing of unstable financial | | | | both at the individual level and at an extremely |
| structures reminiscent of the fall of the Roman empire | | | | organized and unified, holistic level. |
| and the end of the age of dinosaurs. In politics, the | | | | The ability to organize and operate at increasing levels |
| United States entered a new era of racial harmony | | | | of complexity is no small feat, however. Life on earth |
| when its people elected the country's first African | | | | originated about four billions years ago and life-forms |
| American President to office. In climate, glacial melting, | | | | remained relatively simple for the next three and a half |
| record high temperatures, increasing frequency and | | | | billion years. Only in approximately the last fourteen |
| intensity of deadly floods and hurricanes are our new | | | | percent of life's existence on the planet did simple |
| daily norm. A recent MSNBC article states that the | | | | organisms figure out how to organize together to |
| Arctic is warmer today than it has been in 2000 years. | | | | create completely new and complex organisms. Once |
| In the realm of modern spirituality, the ideas of | | | | simple organisms "learned" how to organize with a |
| consciousness, The Great Creator, higher-self, and | | | | unity of purpose, the floodgates to the multitude of |
| human spiritual evolution are mainstream whereas in | | | | diversity of life were opened and there was literally a |
| the not so distant past such terminology was limited to | | | | world-wide Cambrian explosion of evolution. |
| the enlightened few. | | | | Being in the midst of a New Age, we are on the cusp |
| A paradigm shift of global proportions is definitely | | | | of another explosion of possibilities and the keys to the |
| afoot. My own journey to spiritual awakening is a story | | | | new era are organization and unity of purpose on |
| of serendipitous turns and mysterious synchronicities. | | | | global scales. Organization and unity of purpose is |
| Read on and learn more about the New Age and your | | | | certainly not a new concept for humans. Our society is |
| role in ushering it in. | | | | filled with organizations of varying scales and diversity. |
| Spiritual Celebrities | | | | We have governments, educational institutions, religious |
| Spiritual teachers are gaining popularity and reaching | | | | groups, dog shows, Star Wars conventions and so on |
| celebrity status. With increased media coverage, they | | | | and so forth. Our next challenge is the organization of |
| are able to influence more and more of the masses | | | | humans at global scales with a purpose that applies to |
| including myself, a busy mother working a full-time job. | | | | all. Such global purposes include: peace and love. |
| After repeated references from co-workers to Oprah | | | | Variations on the Same Theme - We are all |
| about an enlightening new book called-A New Earth | | | | Connected |
| by Eckhart Tolle, I finally made a point to read it. A | | | | Nature repeats itself over and over on many different |
| New Earth is about spirituality and letting go of our | | | | scales large & small. An international collaboration |
| identification with roles, material things and the way we | | | | of astrophysicts created graphic simulations of the |
| think life should be. The book refers to such ideas as | | | | universe at different stages of evolution. The image |
| human consciousness, universal intelligence, living in | | | | representing the way the universe looks at present |
| alignment with the universe. These terms are definitely | | | | time looks strikingly similar to images taken at the |
| new agey and I was surprised to find such a book | | | | micron level of neurons in our brain. That the networks |
| resonating with the masses. | | | | in our brain mirror the networks of our universe is |
| The book is a #1 New York Times best-seller, is | | | | interesting indeed and telling of the greater and smaller |
| published in over 30 languages, was selected for | | | | scheme of things. From the large scale of the universe |
| Oprah's book club and successfully featured in Oprah's | | | | to the tiny scale within our brain, we see that we are |
| "webinar" series across the globe. Over 3.5 millions | | | | all inextricably connected by the same universal |
| copies of the book were sold in the four weeks | | | | threads. |
| following announcement of its selection by Oprah's | | | | Our Brains are a Reflection of our Purpose |
| book club. Clearly, the masses are not turned off by | | | | Our brains are the result of millions of years of |
| such terms as The One Consciousness. To the | | | | evolution so that we may perceive the world the way |
| contrary, the masses are embracing the call for | | | | it truly is. Our left-hemisphere gives us our ego--a |
| spiritual awakening. | | | | sense of self-separate from others. Our |
| Personally, reading the book helped me undergo a | | | | right-hemisphere gives us our sense of oneness with |
| dramatic change in attitude. Three decades of | | | | the universe. Together our left and right hemispheres |
| previous thinking had produced a person of limited | | | | give us our whole brain, one hemisphere not to be |
| patience. The one message that really altered my | | | | pitted against the other. We are meant to continuously |
| outlook is to not mind so much what happens. Okay, | | | | act at the individual level (left, egoic hemisphere) while |
| there were a lot of other life-changing events | | | | maintaining our sense of connection to others (right, |
| culminating at the same time as my reading this book. | | | | all-encompassing hemisphere) in order to also act on a |
| My mother was dying of cancer and my long-time | | | | larger level. |
| boyfriend and I were breaking up. I was forced to let | | | | Conclusion |
| go of a lot of expectations and I chose to find peace | | | | Our unique human gift of free will, of choice comes |
| in it rather than heartache. The book really helped me | | | | with an obligation to choose worthy purposes. |
| to find that peace and to be much more accepting of | | | | Everything else in nature automatically operates along |
| situations. | | | | the lines of universal intelligence. Choice is our greatest |
| Not too long after finishing A New Earth, I watched a | | | | gift and our greatest risk, whatever we decide. We |
| Mike Myers film-The Love Guru. Having watched a | | | | choose our roles in contributing to humanity at large |
| few of his previous films, I was expecting more of the | | | | and we choose whether the contribution is productive |
| same-a spoof of some sort on popular culture. Instead, | | | | or destructive. Creating the larger image of humanity is |
| the movie was a spoof on spiritual gurus of all things! | | | | at hand. |
| While the film bombed at the box office most likely | | | | Organization and unity are the keys to the New Age. |
| due to the general public not being able to relate, it is of | | | | We have numerous organizations, all perpetuating and |
| keen interest that Mike Myers chose to center the | | | | doing together what cannot be done by one. But |
| entire film around the idea of spiritual enlightenment. | | | | where there are many more possibilities to explore is |
| The film references the spiritual guru-Deepak Chopra. | | | | the mass organization of individuals across the world |
| Not familiar with whom Deepak Chopra was, I | | | | for effective and worthy benefits. |
| assumed the character was completely fictional. | | | | Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit |
| Until perusing the library book shelves not too long | | | | is one shining example of where humanity is headed. |
| afterward, I chanced upon a book and gracing the | | | | Wikipedia is a non-profit organization providing free |
| cover of the book was none other than Deepak | | | | access to its vast collection of articles. It does this |
| Chopra. It turns out Dr. Chopra is a real-life spiritual guru | | | | through volunteers and many, many donations of time. |
| who is a practicing physician and author of many | | | | It is truly a collaborative project where no one person |
| books on mind-body medicine. Today, Dr. Chopra is a | | | | profits above the whole of humanity. Like humanity, |
| regularly appearing guest speaker on CNN for his | | | | Wikipedia is vulnerable to periodic outbursts of |
| expertise in matters of health and spirituality. | | | | vandalism. But more often than not, as we observe, |
| The Key to the New Age | | | | the integrity of Wikipedia prevails and the unity of good |
| "The whole is more than the sum of its parts." | | | | spirit emerges as productive and useful-free access to |
| -Aristotle, Metaphysics | | | | an instantaneously updating collection of history for all. |
| A recurring theme in New Age practice is meditation | | | | Other possibilities for our New Age existence are the |
| as a daily means for connecting to the Source, the | | | | emphasis of our commonality when meeting adversity. |
| Creator, to the Universe. This repeated reference to | | | | Perhaps the prophesied changes surrounding |
| the importance of meditation led me to explore the | | | | December 21, 2012 involves dramatic change in order |
| use of it in my own life. I began with my first attempt, | | | | to help us evolve to the next level. We must choose |
| then graduated to sporadic practice and progressed to | | | | to unify and organize in the face of adversity. Only in |
| a concentrated and disciplined effort at daily meditation. | | | | unification are we better able to survive and flourish. |
| From my meditative sessions, I have literally found | | | | This is our calling in the New Age and apparently we |
| peace, clarity and inspiration. My daily meditation | | | | are already responding with open arms. |
| involves a conscious effort to align my individual | | | | |