Once upon a time we all thought that the time of great awakening, in comparison to the era preceding it, would be a little like the before and after photo’s of a weight loss story: two dramatically different images with one being heavy and sad, the other being light and joyously happy. We’ve all carried some form of ‘before and after’ images in our minds concerning the way we imagined/felt/intuited life would look 2013 and beyond, however just like the weight loss photo’s, we may not have had any images depicting the amount of time and active steps it takes to get from ‘before’ to ‘after’ – particularly the amount of time and active steps it takes to get a whole humanity from ‘before’ to after’, to get whole systems from ‘before’ to ‘after’ including politics, media, health, education, environment conservation, social welfare, justice, sustainable housing, corporations, finance etc.

It’s time to receive those images now and make peace with the reality of them, so that we can open up to the many ways each of us can participate in the creation of all that they lead to.  If you have carried these images for a long time, but despaired as to when, how or even if they would ever come to pass, know that the energies of now support a rapid physical unfolding of these images where in the past the energy resisting those images was the more influential force.  As awake and aware beings, it is our responsibility to be open to our inner guidance, to listen to the signs around us and to follow through with whatever active steps we are being called to take. It can’t be stressed strongly enough that this is a time to take responsibility for the world we are creating (personal and collective). This is a time to come out of whichever waiting bays we have found ourselves in. It is time to be the living embodiments of consciousness and action.  Consciousness alone won’t get create our new world, nor will action without consciousness. Both are required. Everyone has different action steps to take. For some it will be a very personal thing, involving ‘walking your talk’ in the way you live at home with your family. For others it will extend to wider arenas such as taking this conscious action into social, political and environmental arenas. It’s all good, it all counts.

We may not have had any images depicting the many stages of transformation that something or someone has to go through before they emerge into the ‘after’ period of their life. You have likely gone through many, many stages of transformation, many layers of awakening to get to the level of consciousness and awareness that you now live from, yes? Well so too, everyone and everything around us is now going through their own stages of transformation and their own layers of awakening as they move to new levels of consciousness and awareness. It is not an overnight thing, it is a process – albeit one that will now be happening in faster and more intense ways to more people.

We may not have had any images depicting the many difficult triggers we as a society would have to witness or go through as individuals, in order to wake up, in order to be sufficiently outraged or saddened, in order to feel fully compelled to speak up, to take action, to demand change where before we didn’t. We know that this is the process we all went through on a personal level in order to facilitate change in our personal lives, however it is important to realise that this same process is now being experienced on a wider level by greater numbers of people, and as it happens to more individuals it is thus happening to the communities, companies and organisations of which those individuals are a part. Some people are observing the external reality, seeing an event like the shocking gang rape of a young woman on a bus in India, and are saying “Nothing is changing, it feels like it’s going backwards. I am disappointed, disheartened and disillusioned. I don’t want to go on anymore.”  Others are witnessing the outpouring of anger and compassion that followed, are being moved by the 600 mostly male guitarists paying tribute to the young woman with the song “Imagine” and finding hope in the calls for a change in attitudes and laws regarding abuse and violence against women. Those people are saying “Wow so much is shifting so fast out there! I am so inspired and excited by everything that is changing.” Some of us are feeling both ways depending on the time of day and what we happen to be focusing on.

When we live life consciously, we come to know that certain external triggers in our personal life happen to awaken us and assist us to evolve our thoughts, our beliefs, our attitudes, our patterns, and our ways of living and being. We can go around in circles all day with the chicken and egg debate: do the external triggers happen to awaken us, or do they just happen and it is our choice to use them in a positive way to awaken certain aspects of ourselves? At the end of the day, the point is that external events, when experienced consciously, have the potential to facilitate major awakening.  This is true on a personal level, and it is true on a mass level. It is true for a group of individuals who make up a certain family or community, and it is true for a group of individuals who make up a certain company or organisation or system. As we enter the era of greater consciousness, which we are doing right now, we simultaneously are going to witness more people ‘being awoken’ by certain events be it in their personal lives or out in the greater world, and choosing to use these events to awaken to more aspects of themselves, to more truth within and externally.

We may not have had any images depicting that this time of ‘revelations’, of the veil coming up, of truth coming out, would be at times ugly and disturbing. We can’t turn our heads from this, because it is often the most ugly and disturbing of truths that leads to the most dramatic change, when we face it with courage, strength and appropriate action. Revelations of truth are met by great resistance not only from those who seek to keep the lid on truth, but also from those who cannot bring themselves to face the truth yet because of what that means: a complete overhaul of reality as they knew it. For those addicted to truthseeking, the idea that we’d one day enter a time when more and more truth gets revealed conjures up images of people celebrating on the streets and gazing with wonder at all that has kept hidden. In reality, when we aren’t yet ready to acknowledge a certain truth we see that truth as crazy, delusional, overwhelming or scary. So we’re seeing a lot of people at the moment who might think you’re a bit crazy for how you’re thinking, meanwhile you’re thinking they’re a bit crazy for how they’re thinking! I’ll be writing more about this experience of the different ‘reality’ camps that are popping up in the weeks and months to come.

Even amongst those of us who know that certain things have been kept hidden from public knowledge, who know that shady things have been going on behind the scenes regarding certain events and global situations, the mind can find it very difficult to fully absorb the truth of what has actually occurred and is still attempting to occur. Relief can be found in the knowledge that the truth is coming out, at a pace we can all absorb properly, and that all truths, no matter how confronting to acknowledge, are essential and powerful keys in our lives, unlocking the door to greater freedom, power and authenticity.  Things that are going against the flow of the energy of now, the energy of consciousness and thus truth, will not be supported in the same way that it was very difficult for consciousness and truth to be supported in the old energy. So, even while old energies are still attempting to have a hold here, they can’t ‘stick’ in the way they once did. Light is pouring in through all the holes in false stories, be they our own personal ones or collective ones. A great affirmation right now is:

I let go of all of my false stories about myself and about all things, and I open up to the truth. I open up to my authentic self and the greater truth about myself, and about all things.

Each of us has a true, authentic self that holds the key to our personal transformation and holds one of 7 billion plus keys to our collective transformation. The energy of evolution itself is calling each and every one of our authentic selves to awaken, to rise, to activate our full potential. Anything that is not in alignment with that will become less tolerable and more difficult to sustain.

Now more than ever, you will feel most at home within the centre of your own authentic self, a self that is itself constantly shifting and changing. So how does one anchor and ground themselves within a centre that is constantly shifting and changing? It is a moment by moment thing. Our reality perception of today may not apply next week. So the key is to be present in the moment. If you’re feeling off-centre, ask yourself:

What are my true feelings right now? What is my truth about this right now? What do I most need right now? What do I most want to do right now?  What part of myself am I neglecting or ignoring right now?

This will help you to reconnect with your authentic self, and disconnect from external influences that are ‘muddying’ your waters along with old, non-serving inner influences. Actually, these questions are good to ask yourself regularly, not just when you are feeling off-centre, as a way to help you keep in your centre and stay connected to your authentic self.

As the winds of transformation gain momentum around us this year, with the lines between what is truth and deception and what is reality and illusion becoming clearer, with different people responding to this in different ways, as the ‘reality camps’ become more distinct, it will be more important than ever to find a safe, sane harbour in a secure, peaceful place. That place is within you.