We are called to a path of spiritual evolution
Author: Lee Harris

These days bring a certain amount of uncertainty and chaos. As we are forced to evolve, our resistance to change threatens our very progress as individuals, cultures, nations, and as a species. We somehow thought (because we are a thinking species) that we were exempt from the natural progression of life. We thought our emergence from the cave, the invention of fire, the industrial revolution, the information age were simply historical events. “Not so”, says the wise observer; they are the soul’s paths to evolution. They are the lessons we have learned as individuals and as a collective body. They represent the patterns of our own evolution.

As humankind propels itself forward, it is forced to re-think its existence and adjust appropriately. The theory of evolution offers no comfort for the man who has been downsized after 25 years of service to a single company. It’s so painful to rebirth oneself. The labor pains seem intolerable and eternal. Ask any mother as she pushes the new expression of life forward into the world. Just ask her is she having fun but first make sure you are not holding her hand because she may be tempted to bite it. Once the new life is birthed the experience of pain surrenders to the joy. The event is no longer viewed as negative but simply part of the process that is neither resented nor questioned.

Much of humankind’s progress ostensibly involves how we work and provide substance of necessity and pleasure for ourselves. Our relationship to work and play is no doubt a reflection of something deeper. It is also observable that this progressive cycle is occurring at the level of the individual, families, local communities, and nations at different times and to varying degrees. Every unwelcomed change offers a unique opportunity for us to grow; to slough off the old dead skin and recreate ourselves, one experience at a time. It can be a slow and subtle process or a demanding and turbulent process, or something in between. In any case, we stand as the deciding factor in our own evolutionary process. Each person perceives his or her own circumstances as a personal experience and it is that, but so much more. One by one, the universe approaches us and makes a request to grow, to evolve, to shift, and to leap and as we each respond, the collective consciousness is altered.

Too many No(s): When too many fail to respond affirmatively we see a negative rippling effect and our social fabric is lacerated and the pain in shared across the thinking species in a multudinous series of events. The time, space, and form of these events can be so expansive that they seem unrelated. It appears that life is simply unraveling for no apparent reason and through no fault of our own. I assure you, at a collective and individual level, we are participating in the evolution of our species.

In our own North American experience we can look back to a time when one could reasonably expect that if they performed well they could remain at a company until their twilight years. It was an unspoken agreement that was mutually understood by many. When the agreement was broken en masse, the reaction was disbelief followed by resistance. When the world became smaller and our global citizens began to compete for the same jobs, the reaction was disbelief followed by resistance. When companies expected increasing profits as an inheritance for longevity in the market place but began to experience devastating losses instead, the reaction was disbelief followed by resistance. When we dwell, in large numbers, in states of disbelief/resistance we fail to see we are in the midst of an evolutionary opportunity and failing to see is the beginning of extinction for certain segments of the thinking species.

Those who emerge from the ruins are transformed and their very presence is disconcerting to the vestige ways of life. They make choices the status quo is afraid to make and their prosperity seems undeserved. Our natural orientation to change is very similar to our relationship to death. We are angry that our old ways do not serve us any longer. We are confused that our facts behave like fiction. We are depressed because we know we must change and we are afraid that we cannot change. The self that we have come to know and depend on is dying and the Universe is urging us to forge ahead and recreate ourselves consistent with its higher vision. Though the Universe is compassionate and patient, it is relentless and unremitting: We will change; end of story. For many this universal ultimatum is greeted with morose complaints and more acts of resistance. It is not tragic that entire industries and professions disappear for they are inanimate objects erected to serve the human experience. It is however, a tragedy when the individuals dependant on those institutions cannot make the journey into the new territories overflowing with opportunity.

It is so depressing. As I look around me that is what I am feeling in this moment. SIGH. Every headline seems to paint a more sullen picture and I am pressed to constantly acknowledge and release my own fear of change and remind myself that I am a butterfly. Not yet, but soon I shall be and so with that in mind I surrender to evolution and I respond to the Universe’s warm, tender urgings and I enter into my own chrysalis experience. I go deep into the midst of my own rebirthing process and I expect there will be a temporary sense of chaos and bouts of internal struggle. All of my concerns are natural but I am confident that I shall emerge a transformed being. After all, I really am a butterfly. Does anyone care to join me?








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Robin Harris, is a DesignerLife Coach. She specializes in helping people learn to use their natural talents, abilities, and gifts to grow businesses and careers, as well as create rich personal lives, visit www.thedesignerlife.com or e-mail her at robin@thedesignerlife.com.

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