2009 Signs of the Times

Winter Solstice, 2012, the date that marks the end of long, cosmic cycles of time and symbolizes the beginning of a new era for life on Planet Earth, is fast approaching. That's both good news and bad news.

The good news is we are only a few years away from the anticipated transformation of human consciousness toward harmony, creativity, and peace rather than conflict and fear.

The bad news is there isn't much time to make significant shifts in our perspectives and behaviors to turn the tide toward positive, life-giving outcomes for ourselves and our planet.

The start of a new year is an opportune time to have a look at how we're doing.
On the positive side, the election of Barack Obama as U.S. president gives evidence that the consciousness shift is underway. The Obama style and agenda are, for the most part, inspiring, intelligent, and inclusive. If the state of the American psyche is reflected in its leader, then we are gaining ground.

Other signs of the times are less hopeful on the surface, and some are downright scary. The escalating Israeli-Palestinian conflict, unemployment spiking toward 10% in the U.S., extreme winter weather in many regions, and the devasting coal ash spill in Tennessee are all pieces of evidence that we are in the midst of unprecedented global financial and environmental crises. Yet these and other potentially disastrous events and situations are trigger points for transformational change.

As the old paradigms and systems crumble, we will be called upon to create alternative, life-giving, flexible, sustainable systems to replace them. In the new paradigm brought about by the anticipated consciousness shift, creativity and communal enterprise will be valued more than ever and are likely to emerge in surprising ways. When faced with shortages of goods or cash, people will learn to make do with less and share what they have. We're already seeing that happen in our consumer culture. Necessity helps us become more sustainable in our lifestyles and choices, and that in turn increases harmony and peace on our planet.

In my book, I explored how to thrive in a new economy. As the monetary and banking systems collapse, for example, I envision that bartering of goods and services will return, micro-businesses will sprout up, local and regional cooperatives will provide basic food and materials, and many varieties of sustainable communities will flourish. If technological advances are directed toward renewable energy rather than weapons and entertainment, the planet conceivably could pull back from the brink of ecological disaster.

When reading the signs of the times, it helps to look at the potentially positive outcomes that transformational change may bring.