Chapter One
by
Shatki Gawain
We are livng in a very exciting and powerful time. On the deepest level of consciousness, a radical transformation is taking place. As the evolution of human consciousness gains greater and greater momentum, we are being challenged, on a planetary level, to let go of our present way of life and create a new one. In a sense, our “old world” is dying, and a new world is coming into being.
For many of us, the old world was based on an external focus_having lost our fundamental spiritual connection, we have believed that the material world is the only reality. Thus, feeling essentially lost, empty, and alone, we have continually attempted to find happiness and fulfillment through external “things”_money, material possessions, relationships, work, fame, food, drugs, and so on.
The new world is being built as we open to the higher power of the universe within us and consciously allow that creative energy to move through us. As each of us connects with our inner spiritual awareness, we learn that the creative power of the universe is inside of us. We also learn that we can create our own experience of reality and take responsibility for doing so. The change begins within each individual, but as more and more individuals are transformed, the mass consciousness is increasingly affected.
My observation that a profound transformation of consciousness is taking place in our world at this time is based on the changes I see within myself, those around me, and in our society. It is affirmed by feedback I receive from thousands of people I work with all over the world.
Living in the Light is about this transformation of consciousness, within each individual and in the world. My use of the terms “old world” and “new world” throughout the book refer to the old way of living that we are relinquishing, and the new one that we are creating.
For many people, this time may be distressing, because the world situation and/or our personal lives may seem to be going from bad to worse. It’s as if many things are falling apart and will continue to do so with even greater intensity, but on the deepest level, I do not feel this is negative. It is upsetting to us to the degree that we are emotionally attached to our old way of living and steadfastly follow old patterns, rather than trying to open our eyes to the profound changes that are occurring.
Paradoxical as it may seem, these changes are the greatest blessing that any of us could possibly imagine. The truth is that the way of life that we have been following for centuries no longer works. While appropriate for its time, it cannot take us where we need and desire to go. The focus on materialism and the external world was necessary in a time when our primary challenge was physical survival. Our patriarchal values and the traditional roles of men and women may have been necessary in order to ensure the protection of our families for a certain period of time in our evolutionary process.
At this time, many human beings (and other species as well) on the earth are still struggling for physical survival. Yet there are an increasing number of us who no longer have to be preoccupied primarily with sheer survival. We have the opportunity, and thus the responsibility, to begin looking for deeper fulfillment on spiritual, mental, and emotional levels. We are searching for greater meaning and purpose in our lives, and for ways to live more responsibly and harmoniously on our planet.
While some people throughout history have led relatively meaningful and satisfying lives, I’m afraid that most of us have never found the fulfillment that we have yearned for. Our cultural conditioning has not given us the tools to develop a healthy connection with our inner realms of soul, intuition, and feeling, and to integrate them with our external world.
In a way, it’s as if we’ve been in school for our entire lives, receiving an education that teaches the exact opposite of the way the universe actually functions. We try to make things work as we’ve been taught, and we may even enjoy some degree of success, but for most of us things never seem to work out as well as we had hoped. That perfect relationship never materializes, or if it does, it soon sours or fades away. Or it may seem as though there is never quite enough money; we never feel truly secure or abundant. Perhaps we don’t get the appreciation, recognition, or success that we want. Even if we do achieve some of these things, we still may suffer from a vague sense tht there must be something more, some deeper meaning. Some of us may actually connect with that deeper meaning. Some of us may actually connect with that deeper meaning and feel increasingly fulfilled and expanded by a growing spiritual awareness. Nevertheless, there are stubborn and sometimes puzzling old patterns and areas of life where we experience great pain and confusion.
Thus, our first task in building the new world is to admit that our “life education” has not necessarily taught us a satisfying way to live. We must learn a way of life that is very different from the way we approached things before. This may not be easy for us, and it will take time, commitment, and courage. Therefore, it’s very important to be compassionate with ourselves, to continually remind ourselves what a tremendous task we are undertaking. It will not be accomplished overnight; in fact, it is a lifelong process.
Just as a baby learns to walk by falling down repeatedly, we must remember that we are babies in the new world. We will learn by making lots of mistakes and often we may feel ignorant, frightened, or unsure of ourselves. But we would not get angry at a baby every time he fell down (if we did, he’d probably never learn to walk with full confidence and power), so we must try not to criticize ourselves if we are not able to live and express ourselves as fully as we wish immediately.
We are now learning to live more fully in accordance with the laws of the universe. We are challenged to explore all aspects of our human experience and to develop all levels of our being_ the spiritual, mental and emotional as well as the physical.
As we do this work, we experience an increasing sense of wholeness, empowerment, aliveness, and a feeling of being “on purpose” in our lives. So, although letting go of the old world may seem difficult at times, it is well worth the commitment and hard work it takes to gradually make this transition into the new world.
Today we had the memorial for my mother who passed away this past Sunday. A week ago tonight she looked at me for the last time. She moved from her hometown in Marianna Florida to St. Louis when she married my father, but always remained a sweet southern belle. I love you mom.
I finally got the slides made into pictures of the '69 Who concert in St. Louis. My husband took this one (and about 17 others) at the show. Haven't had time to edit them yet, but still pretty cool, huh?
Okay, so here goes:
