The change that is happening in the world, the change that is needed in the world, is a change in consciousness, a shift in our understanding of reality. We are waking up from the dream of separation, from believing ourselves to be separate, isolated beings that have no connection to the rest of existence. We are waking up to our interconnectedness with the Earth, with the Cosmos, and with each other. We are waking up to the corruption, greed and injustice in our society. We are waking up to the deeper reality of who we are.
Raising A Conscious Collective
THE STATE OF THE WORLD IS A REFLECTION OF OUR STATE OF BEING
The challenges that we face today as a society—violence, poverty, famine, disease, climate change, social inequality, political corruption—are the result of human activity. They are the inevitable by-products of a culture that values individual gain more than collective responsibility, material wealth more than spiritual understanding, and endless growth more than balance and harmony with nature.
While the issues we face may appear to be numerous and diverse on the surface, they have their roots in a deeper fundamental cause. We do not really know who we are. We are unaware of our true nature, and this fundamental ignorance causes us to act in ways that produce suffering for ourselves and others.
The state of society is a reflection of humanity’s state of consciousness. The outer turmoil and suffering that we see in the world is a reflection of the inner turmoil and suffering that exists within the hearts and minds of human beings. Therefore, the solution to our greatest problems lies in the transformation of our consciousness. By transforming the basic paradigm that shapes our worldview, we will transform the way that we act in the world.
The real issue lies in our understanding of ourselves, and who we feel ourselves to be. Most people have a deeply rooted belief that the self, the thing we call “I”, exists as a separate entity, an isolated and independent being that lives apart from nature. We regard it as self-evident that we exist as separate, self-contained beings, living out our individual dramas, while everything else—particles and cells, bacteria and minerals, plants and animals, humans, planets, even the food we eat and the air we breathe—exist as things distinct and entirely separate from ourselves.
It is because we feel ourselves to be separate from the world in which we live, that we feel so alienated and alone in this world. Because we feel ourselves to be separate from one another, we feel justified in judging, mistreating, and abusing our human family. Because we feel that we are separate from nature, we also feel it is okay to neglect it, manipulate it, pollute it, and cause it harm. Nearly all of the disasters of our time arise from this delusional belief that we have an existence independent of the world we live in. All of this misery, all of this destruction, all of this pain and suffering, is caused by our failure to realize that there is no separation in nature, and that really, we are all one.
We are not strangers in the universe, we are the universe,
expressing and experiencing itself as human beings.
Just as the universe has evolved to form galaxies, stars, and planets, it has evolved to form each one of us. We are not the separate, isolated beings we often feel ourselves to be—we are a part of this incredible universal process. We are like branches of a single tree, unique and individual on the surface, but essentially inseparable from the tree as a whole.
This separate sense of self that we have confused our identity with is often referred to as the ego, and because of our identification with the ego and our attachment to it, we neglect the true reality that we exist within an interconnected web of life. If we saw clearly that we aren’t merely this social identity with its names and roles, but that we are a living being who is intimately interconnected with all living beings, then we would no longer act in ways that harmed life, but instead in ways that protected life and helped it thrive. If we want to live in a world where peace and harmony are realities, and not just ideals, then we need to develop peace and harmony within ourselves and our relationship to life. We need to let go of our attachment to the isolated and fearful ego and awaken to the truth of who we are, and this cannot just happen at the intellectual level. It has to happen at the actual level. It has to be true for you and your experience.
This journey of discovering who we really are is something that one has to do individually, as no one can look within yourself but you. However, you do not have to do it alone. The Healing Societe was created to help you in your journey of awakening, so you can discover your oneness with all living beings, feel the freedom and love that arises from this realization, and integrate this realization into your daily life, allowing it to inform all of your actions for the benefit of all.
The primary practice that helps us to awaken from our ignorance is the practice of mindfulness, the practice of being aware of our direct experience in the present moment. So many of us spend the majority of our time consumed by thoughts that take us away from the reality of life. By actively practicing mindfulness, noticing when we are consumed by thought, and coming back to the present moment, we begin to open up to the reality of life and to see it with more clarity.
The Healing Societe envisions a collective of conscious beings, a world in which human beings understand their oneness with all living beings, and treat all beings with compassion, care, and respect—for the Being within us is the Being within all. We know that this vision is possible, but it can only become a reality once we awaken to the truth of who we are, heal ourselves from our cultural conditioning, and begin acting in ways that are motivated by love and the understanding of our oneness with all life. It is one thing to understand our unity on an intellectual level, but what is really needed is for us to feel it at the experiential level, and to live the implications of this understanding in every moment of our lives. Peace is possible, and it starts with us.
“You get world peace through inner peace.
If you’ve got a world full of people who have inner peace,
then you have a peaceful world.”
Wayne Dyer
We aim to contribute to a society of conscious and loving beings by helping individuals awaken to their essential oneness with all life, heal from their conditioned beliefs and habit patterns, and live a life that is harmonious and beneficial to the Earth and its inhabitants.
“The world we are experiencing today is a result of our collective consciousness,
and if we want a new world, each of us must start taking responsibility for helping create it.”
— Rosemary Fillmore
The Healing Societe