~ The Awakening of the World by LLEWELLYN VAUGHAN~LEE : CONSCIOUSNESS OF ONENESS ~
At this time of transition when one era is dying and another is being born, we have a choice: we can stay with the images of the past, the ghosts of materialism that have polluted and desecrated our planet. Or we can move into a future that is not yet defined, that is full of possibilities. There are already signs of this future, some visible and some as yet hidden. We can see the seeds of a global consciousness, a deep awareness that we are all one people who are a part of a living, interrelated ecosystem.
And within this awareness is an awakening consciousness of oneness, a consciousness that is not based upon duality but upon a primal knowing of the oneness that belongs to life and is a direct expression of the divine. In the internet and other forms of global communication we have been given some of the tools of this future, forms of interconnectivity that can take us beyond the hierarchical models of the past, into an organic and holistic way of living.
These are the signs of a future that is being born that can free us from the paradigm of duality and separation that has caused so much conflict and division, the conflicts of masculine and feminine, the split between matter and spirit. What is awakening is a more integrated consciousness that can heal and transform many of the wounds of the past era and offer humanity the possibility of living in greater harmony with each other and the planet. This awakening consciousness carries an energy that comes from the source of life, an energy that is dynamically alive, has the joy of creation, and brings with it a more direct experience of the divine that is within everything.
During the last era the many gods and goddesses of polytheism were replaced by the one God of monotheism. The masculine God of monotheism has a primarily transcendent nature-He lives in heaven-and as the gods and goddesses were banished the created world became separated from its divine nature. The split between matter and spirit emphasized the spiritual poverty of the physical world, and much of the natural magic that belongs to creation was also banished, just as the wise women who practiced healing and other natural arts were persecuted. As we become awake to the oneness that embraces all of creation, and is a embodiment of the oneness of God, humanity can reclaim the divinity of matter and the wonder of divine presence. We no longer need to live in a world of separation which has divorced matter and our physical selves from its spiritual nature. Everything is a celebration of divine oneness, everything a unique opportunity to praise and remember God.
Every moment is dynamically alive with His presence. Divine presence is not an isolated occurrence, not a single sighting to be revered and remembered, but an outpouring of love that is a constant stream coming into life. It cannot be captured, held as an icon. It needs to be embodied and fully lived. We are a part of the living substance of God that is in constant motion as It reveals Itself again and again, “never in the same form twice.” Each moment is complete, and each moment is a part of life’s continual outpouring.
Once we awaken to divine presence we will find ourself in a very different world. As we reconnect the physical world with its divine nature it can come alive again in many ways that are hidden or have been repressed. The physical world is not just dead matter, but a spinning organism of light full of magic and hidden potential. There are many forces in creation that are waiting to be activated that can heal and transform ourselves and the world. In the past some of these forces were known to shamans and healers. Much of the healing work of the future will be learning to work with these forces on both an individual and global level. We will learn new techniques that will bring together the wisdom of the shaman and priestess and the knowledge of the physician and scientist.
There are many different levels of reality, different dimensions of consciousness, from the physical world, through the archetypal world of symbols, to the pure consciousness of the Self and beyond into the planes of non-being. In the previous era the journey of spiritual ascent took the seeker from the physical world of the senses to the higher planes of reality. However, in the circle of divine oneness everything is present. There is no above and below, no ascending or descending. These are images of the past millennium. All the levels of reality interpenetrate, and the “highest” is present within each of us. The soul pervades the body from head to toe. Every cell is impregnated with His essence. And between the particles of creation is the infinite emptiness, which recent physics suggests is full of dark energy, and mystics know to carry the secrets of non-being..
The consciousness of oneness does not just embrace the physical world and the interrelationship of the web of life. It will also bring together the different levels of reality that in the last era were primarily kept separate. Our western culture may have its roots in the Pre-Socratic tradition of Parmenides and Empedocles, but we have systematically erased the knowledge that they were mystics and magicians with direct access to other worlds. Similarly we have forgotten how to work with the symbolic world, although as Carl Jung rediscovered, this knowledge was kept alive for many centuries by the alchemical tradition. We need to reclaim the knowing of how to work with the inner worlds, so that the wisdom and energy that is within us can come into the outer world and once again we can be nourished from the source of life and the meaning that comes from the soul.
Relearning the language of the inner world will mean regaining respect for the forces that underlie existence, the primal powers of life that were called gods and goddesses. We will have to realize the pain we have caused them through our neglect and abuse, and how our pursuit of materialism has polluted not just the physical world but also desecrated the inner world of the soul. We have created an inner and outer wasteland and stripped the sacred meaning from life. As we awaken to the new consciousness that is being offered we will have to accept responsibility for our actions and neglect. Consciousness always comes at and price and we will see more fully what we have done. Then, when the worlds begin to flow together, when the inner and outer unite within our consciousness and our lives, something new can come alive. This is the child of the future, born from this coniunctio. She is both male and female, outer and inner, above and below, spirit and matter. She is within each of us and yet beyond us. She knows the secrets of matter and the majesty of light upon light.
