Surfing the Consciousness Wave

...about the human propensity toward greed, competition, judgment, separation and war, not to mention the poverty and ill health of so many who are struggling just to survive.

Many wonder, "If there's a transformative shift in consciousness underway, where is it? Why have we been seeing the 'same old-same old' for thousands of years? Where are the signs of change?"

• Yoga centers springing up on main streets in countless towns and cities throughout the West.
• Stress-Based Mindfulness Meditation programs operating in thousands of hospitals and wellness centers across the United States.
• Neuroimaging, EEG and physiology studies pouring into mainstream publications and media about the beneficial effects of meditation, ranging from greater intelligence and productivity  to lower school dropout rates and improved health, even spontaneous healings.
• The above prompted in great part by shared ideas and hundreds of millions of dollars allotted by Western nations to fund research on the brain, meditation and consciousness.

This increased interest in consciousness is leading to a mainstream acceptance that meditation and personal transformation are valid and achievable pathways to inner peace and conscious evolution.

If we look closely enough, we see this new wave of consciousness cresting just ahead of us, even as we create it.

Inevitably, wouldn't you agree? Because the mind cannot attain its full potential without cooperating with the heart, spirit and physical body in a single, unified consciousness. We see this unification in Mind Mirror brainwave patterns and of course the quality of our relationships with others.

In the U.S., the people who enroll in "hot yoga," practice Mindful meditation, read books by and about the Dalai Lama--and, may we add, purchase the Mind Mirror for self-awakening--want more than anything else to be happy and peaceful, successful, loving and loved.

And of course, happiness is in and of the heart and spirit. When the heart and spirit are happy, so is the mind.

We are always paddling toward happiness, not just in the oceanic heart of America, but in all parts of the world -- intuitively aware that it takes only one "ah-ha" insight to catch the perfect and inevitable wave of transformation.

Statistics show that consciousness explorers are stimulating personal and collective change at a surprisingly rapid pace.    

In the United States, there's a "new kid" in town--the Cultural Creatives, who read 25 books per year on the subjects of personal growth, spirituality, green economies, and sustainable living, compared to the mainstream which reads one to four books per year on random subjects. In 2001, Cultural Creatives composed one-fifth of the adult population in America. The latest round of statistics gathered by Lifestyles on Health and Sustainability (LOHAS) show that by 2005, the number of Cultural Creatives had increased to one-fourth of the U.S. adult population, more than 62 million people.

Because Cultural Creatives buy products that support their values and beliefs, from yoga mats and nutritional supplements to organic clothing, electric cars and solar-powered homes, their choices are defining market trends and thus are transforming the nature and aspect of America.

Despite how things look on the surface, the emergence of America's Cultural Creatives is tremendous progress. It's also fair to extrapolate that other cultures and nations are embracing higher levels of consciousness as fast or faster than the U.S. and that some, like India, did so long ago, although I haven't seen any statistics on this.

Have you? And what positive indicators do you see in world affairs?

If we live in an ocean of spirit, do you see humanity floundering, drowning, or surfing the wave of personal and collective unity toward a new and better reality--a co-creative world where everyone is honored, valued and called upon to help make this a better planet?

And most importantly, what needs to happen for still greater awakenings to ripple through the fabric of space and time? What can we do, individually, to help bring this about? 

I invite you to meditate on these questions and share your insights.                            

--Judith Pennington