Do you sometimes have the feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore? At the same time that economic, political, social & other structures seem to be falling away, much that has been concealed by those in power comes into the light. Revolutions, large and small, take place across the world as people rise up and claim their empowerment. In terms of planetary activities, we might also note the earth’s upcoming crossing of the galactic equator, magnetic pole shifts, solar flares and more that effect our collective and individual electromagnetic fields in ways that perhaps we cannot fully imagine as yet.

At the same time as we experience transition and transformation in the external world, much shifts within us too. Does is seem as if time accelerates at an amazing rate, and even young people are aware of the change? Have you noticed increased access to intuition? Have you experienced an expansion of love energy in yourself, your family, and your community? Have your dreams become more multi-dimensional? In our moments of love and joy, we come closer to Christ- or Buddha- conscious, nirvana, heaven-on-earth or our essence. As above, so below.

Let’s be honest. Not all of us are feeling like shiny-happy people, and no one that I know feels that way all the time. At the same time that we, as individuals, come more into the light and love vibration, we become more able to see our own shadows rising up to the surface, dancing into our awareness, and begging for release (just as the shadows in the external world come out of concealment – as within, so without).

Our shadows may involve unhealthy beliefs, thought-patterns, habits, memories, feelings and more. Often times we project our shadows onto others, “Oh, I don’t like being with her; she’s so negative!” Really this is an opportunity to see and heal whatever negative thinking patterns we experience. This healing is really essential to our well-being and happiness. In times like these, we manifest what we think much more quickly. If we continue to think of negative occurrences, relationships, patterns and more – even defining ourselves as our story around these patterns – we will simply create more of the same until we’re ready to release it all and to embrace our full potential.

Pioneers of evolutionary thought like Barbara Marx Hubbard, Bruce Lipton, and many others, explore the need to evolve or become extinct. Blending science and spirituality helps to issue in a new era of peace and love. Ultimately, the shift is one of consciousness expanding, our conscious evolution. These are indeed times to celebrate, even as we sometimes uncomfortably and ungracefully release the past, along with the old structures that don’t serve our collective well-being.

This is my definition of conscious evolution: it’s an acknowledgement that change, or evolution, is inherent in the human experience. We, as conscious evolutionaries, are awake and intentional about our response to world changes. We know who we are at our core, and we paint our lives with creative, artistic brushstrokes. It’s about alchemy, as we shift ourselves and our world from polarity- to unity-consciousness, from logic-centric values to incorporating intuition and heart-based knowing, from having and hoarding to offering our unique gifts into the world. We honor and embrace the feminine and masculine, nature and technology, science and spirit, youth and elders, being and doing.

Here’s a four-minute video of Barbara Marx-Hubbard speaking on conscious evolution:

How do you define consciousness?

What does evolution mean to you?

In what profound ways is your world shifting?

Who do you want to be, moving forward from this moment?