THE GREAT INTEGRATION ~ Chap. 18 ~ Unlocking Our Superpowers

~ Unlocking Our Superpowers ~

Part Six

Tying it all Together :)

THE GREAT INTEGRATION

Throughout Human History, our species has always had a special connection to the planet as a whole. Essentially every Indigenous Culture has revered Mother Earth (Pachamama) as the giver of life ; providing food, water, shelter, and everything else for the tribe.

As humans evolved, some sections of Humanity began to build Civilization. This was a huge change because it distanced humans from the natural world and the spirit of Pachamama. As they began to build big cities, the sense of the wilderness began to disappear. Rather than foraging and hunting for food, they used farming and domesticated animals.

As generation after generation of children were raised in Civilization, many people forgot what it was like to be deeply connected to the spirit of our living planet. We began to see Mother Earth as a resource to be used, rather than a being to be in harmonious relationship with. This process of Separation from Nature has continued to accelerate at an exponential rate since the dawn of Modern Civilization some 10,000 years ago. All over the planet, human culture evolved and developed many incredible inventions, which were intended to “improve our quality of life.”

It is important to note that not all humans decided to pursue the development of Civilization. Thousands of unique tribes all around the world chose to remain in their Indigenous Ways, staying deeply connected to Pachamama. These cultures were usually pushed to far corners of the globe, often to remote locations, in order to avoid the encroachment of civilization. They chose to preserve their ancient ways and generally live a more simple life. It’s not to say they were always in utopia, but many Anthropologists document that these Tribal Peoples experienced hardly any warfare, rape, and had quite remarkable health.

As these tribes stayed in their own traditions, Civilization pressed forward full speed. In some sense, things like Christianity, Higher Mathematics / Science, and the Printing Press did enhance people’s lives. There was also usually a shadow side to this “Progress.” Christianity put “God” in an external realm, far away from the previously sacred Earth. Higher Mathematics / Science made it possible for humans to use “rationality” to objectify, control, and dominate the forces of nature to our benefit. The Printing Press helped accelerate the spread of information, yet also contributed to the already increasing deforestation. It is tough to say whether these changes were “good” or “bad,” but whatever was happening, we can see that human consciousness was shifting, and evolving in many ways.

When coal and oil were discovered, humans were able to harness even more of the forces of nature, and eat up the “resources” of Mother Earth with lightning speed. By the early 1900s, human population had exploded to almost 2 billion people. In the 20th century, human evolution drastically increased again, as cheap coal and oil made it easier to grow more food and build civilization on nearly every corner of the globe. As Technology evolved, wars went from being fought on horseback with rifles, to planes dropping bombs. In World War 2, when the U.S. dropped two Nuclear Bombs on Japan, this drastically impacted Human Consciousness.

For the first time in the history of our planet, many people grappled with the possibility that we could wipe ourselves out! Many people realized, “If we keep blowing up nukes, we are gonna destroy our only home.” I believe this marked a turning point in the awakening of greater consciousness in our species.

In the 1960s, we’d reached upwards of 3 billion people, and we were ravaging the resources of this planet at an astonishing rate. The 1960’s had many other milestones in the Awakening of Humanity. We saw the rise of the Civil Rights Movement, with

Martin Luther King Jr. stirring the hearts of people with his powerful speeches and passion. All over the country, people utilized Civil Disobedience and Boycotts to rally for justice and equality. This coincided with the massive Anti-War Movement, where people of all ages, colors and backgrounds unified for a more peaceful planet. After seeing the potential destruction of Nuclear Weapons, it became more urgent and important to vote for a world with less Military Conflicts, and protest the Vietnam War.

The 1960s also gave rise to the popularity of “Psychedelics” in mainstream culture. LSD and Psilocybin Mushrooms catalyzed new shifts in consciousness in young people all across the U.S. The results varied, though overall I would say that it led to more people breaking Cultural Norms and thinking outside the box. In conjunction with this,

Shamanism began to rise in popularity as Anthropologists discovered some of the “Tribal Peoples” who had preserved the ancient ways and sacred plant medicines. For example, researcher Gordon Wasson connected with the Mazatec Indigenous People of Mexico, and spread the knowledge of shaman Maria Sabina, who taught the healing properties of Psilocybin Mushrooms. This led to many people experimenting with Sacred Mushrooms and potentially experiencing the profound healing and awakening of consciousness as a result.

One final milestone in Human Consciousness took place in the 1960s. This was the birth of the “Environmental Movement.” Author Rachel Carson helped spark this stride to preserve wilderness and all Earth’s creatures with her book, “Silent Spring.” Another big step occurred on Christmas Eve of 1968 when US Astronaut William Anders took a photo called “Earthrise” from the moon! This image was sent back to our planet, and had a profound impact on many people, because it gave a sense of “Spaceship Earth,” suspended in Outer Space. Finally, we were able to see clearly that “We are all in this together.” With a backdrop of darkness, and distant stars, we could now see our precious planet as one unified whole, with no visible man-made borders.

Overall the 1960s were a decade of profound transformation in Humanity’s collective consciousness. Many seeds were planted, literally and metaphorically. Some of these continued to grow steadily, while others withered out, or perhaps went underground to sprout later. Let’s fast-forward to the 1990s with the birth of Humanity’s collective brain. Oops — I mean the Internet!

The Internet has been both a cause and an effect of accelerated Interconnection and Integration. With this world-wide-web, many of the best solutions in every field of study can be cross-referenced, compared, and discussed between people anywhere on the globe. Two doctors looking for a cure for a disease on opposite sides of the planet can now easily share data, and even have a Skype chat! The times of “Trial and Error” and “Doing It Alone” are minimized because we are working to solve challenges more as a collective species!

With the Internet growing more connected every single day, it is clear that we are in the “Age of the Great Integration.” All of these historical events shifts in consciousness that I’ve highlighted can now be studied from anywhere on the planet, at the click of a button. It is as if the Human Brain is growing new neurons, and increasing in connectivity, which leads to even more awareness. Countless breakthroughs, inventions, collaborations, and miracles have come as a result of this World-Wide-Web! It is a priceless gift to have such an amazing tool and pool of resources and knowledge at our fingertips.

Personally, I am most blown away by YouTube and Social Media, and how these two things have revolutionized the lives of billions of people! Whereas before the Internet, you were lucky if you could find someone in your hometown that shared the same interests as you; now you can join a Facebook Group or a chat room and connect with people five thousand miles away who also love studying Bird Migrations or Gluten Free Cupcakes :) Also, the sheer amount of data and content being created daily is astounding. Every single day, there are 4 million hours of content uploaded to YouTube and 4.3 billion Facebook messages posted!

With all this data streaming past us and into us every day, many would argue that we are becoming distracted from what truly matters. I can definitely see this trend, as some toddlers are glued to their iPads before they are in Kindergarten. When so much around is mediated, we can lose touch with the realities right before our eyes. Our planet is truly at a tipping point. Deforestation, Species Extinction, Desertification, Factory Farms, Topsoil Loss, Plastic Pollution, Climate Change, and many more issues are getting worse by the day. Pachamama is calling us to wake up from the Mainstream Strange Dream, which has most people in a Consumerist trance, which is devouring her precious resources. The Tribal Peoples that never became “civilized” are reminding us that it is still possible to live in harmony with nature, and reconnect to the Web of Life.

These monumental times we are living in are calling forth the best in us. It’s time to utilize all the information and resources available to us to transform our planet into the harmonious Spaceship Earth that we all dream of. To do this, we’ve gotta use our Superpowers! So many solutions exist, and are visible on the Internet. It is simply a matter of implementing them on a mass scale. The world needs more Web-Weavers, Village-Builders, Truth-Speakers, Art-Makers, Movers and Shakers! Are you going to answer the call?

If you do, I can promise you it will not be easy. But you will be saying YES to a life of previously unimaginable Beauty, Adventure, Magic, Service, Love, and Transformation. You will be saying YES to one of the most important missions in Human History. You will be saying YES to preserve and continue the magic of life for future generations!

Let’s do this!

 Ahey Aho Mitakuye Oyasin (For all our relations.)

Plugging Into The Movement

If you are choosing to answer this call to action, then you are stepping into your role as an “Evolutionary” : someone who is dedicated to Conscious Evolution as a way of life both personally and collectively. Here are 3 main ways to “Plug into the Movement” :

1.    Join and collaborate with one or multiple Social Movements / Conscious Projects in your area. (There are a bunch listed in the upcoming chapter “The Web of Infinite Inspiration.”)

2.    Work on building community in your area and networking with other Evolutionary People, Projects, and Places. (Tools for this are found in the “Cultivating Community” Chapter.)

3.    Reach out to Kevin - KevinMayCoaching@gmail.com and start up a conversation about any of your ideas for helping the Conscious Evolution of our planet.