Dec 27, 2013  Ann Kreilkamp

This end-of-year list looks like it was designed to help buoy us up during dark times. And it does! For a mostly-downer list see the last post. Remember: if we wish to transform Life on Earth, then let us expand our awareness to include and integrate both darkness and light, without judgment or blame, especially the darkness and light within the self . . . For more on that in me, see next post.

 

By Cassandra Sturdy and Ross Pittman, Conscious Life News Editors
 

Well, we’ve made it through 2013. Quite remarkable really, considering the world was supposed to end in a global apocalypse on December 21, 2012. Meteorites, tidal waves, aliens and comets… all sorts of spectacular scenarios were envisioned for the end of the Mayan calendar; a real-life record-ratings Hollywood blockbuster event.

What the mainstream and Hollywood failed to realize however, was that all the hype was symbolic of something much deeper playing out in the collective psyche: the completion of one cycle of consciousness and the beginning of another.

Indeed. The Mayan calendar and its associated prophecies actually marked the end of one age and the dawning of a new one, one driven by a more feminine energy and the values associated with this such as peace, nature, compassion and connection. This was never meant to manifest overnight, but to grow gradually in global society as more and more people awaken to realize that business as usual on planet Earth cannot go on.

Here at Conscious Life News, we think we’ve seen some pretty exciting trends this year that indicate this new age has begun. We’re not saying everything’s perfect… just that there have been positive developments that indicate the shift is alive and kicking, and will continue to take shape, provided we all keep doing our bit. Without further ado, we present to you, the Conscious Trends of 2013.

1.   More women became influential leaders.

Margaret Brennan

As foretold by the Maya, women became stronger role models and more influential in society. The UN formerly recognized women for the role they play in peacekeeping and conflict prevention. Rwanda elected a women-majority parliament and the equality gap between men and women narrowed in most countries. But perhaps one of the most significant actions by a woman in 2013, was when CBS correspondent Margaret Brennan helped to avert a war with Syria by asking just one brilliant question.

2. More people realized their governments do not always act in their best interests.

More Americans are afraid of their own politicians than another terrorist attack

Admitting they now see their government as the single biggest source of the Nation’s problems, Americans said they are more afraid of their own politicians than another terrorist attack.  We’re waking up to the fact that a wealthy minority use their positions of power to further their own agendas along, often at the cost of the masses and the environment… and we don’t like it.

3. More people awakened to the fact that mainstream media cannot be trusted.

Mainstream media is losing viewers as more people realize they cannot be trusted

Protests against the mainstream media were organized all over the world and people started turning away from big news networks. CNN and MSNBC lost almost half their entire audience.Realising the mainstream media can no longer be trusted to foster freedom of speech and report important global issues, we’re leaving them behind. Sorry about that Rupert.

4. Whistleblowers stood up for our freedom.

Chelsea Manning & Edward Snowden

Just like Chelsea Manning did in 2010, Edward Snowden risked his home, family, life and freedom, because he realised the citizens of Earth deserve to know that governments are building a world-wide surveillance system that secretly tracks how we live, who we talk to, and what we say. Thanks for proving what we’ve long suspected Ed. And, thank you Chelsea for your sacrifice. You really got screwed. We pray for your early release from prison.

5. More people turned to alternative news media.

As the sheeple scurried away from the mainstream,demand for alternative news media shot up. The rapidly growing audiences for websites like Conscious Life News, RT , Activist Post, Natural News, Ben Swann’s Truth in Media, and The People’s Voice prove that there’s a huge demand for news that uncovers important and hidden information about our democracies, is for the people and by the people, and is without corporate and political constraints.

6. We started to call for an end to the corrupt banking system.

Iceland President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson

Continuing to shine as an example of democracy and human rights, Iceland did something with their corrupt bankers that Americans should have done long ago: they threw them in jail. Meanwhile in the US, Ron Paul called for an end to the Federal Reserve. All over the world, people began speaking up about the poisonous grip the banking system has on democracy.

7. We banned GMOs.

GMO corn caused tumors in lab rats

From Hawaii to Mexico,  from the EU to Africa, and fromChina to India, governments all over the world put their feet down on genetically modified plants and foods,sending a strong message to greedy corporations like Monsanto that the people of this world do not want to risk their health or the natural diversity of the planet.

8. We let our governments know we want a better world.

Brazilians protest transportation costs

Brazil, Egypt, Italy, Bangladesh, Turkey, Chile, U.K.,Ukraine, South Africa… we took to the streets en-masse to make it known to our governments what we will and won’t accept, and to show we want change.Acknowledgment of where things are at is the first step of awakening, and we saw lots of evidence this year that highlights people are doing just that.

9. Celebrities helped to raise awareness of the global shift.

Russell Brand

Russell Brand became a prominent speaker about the global shift, calling for a revolution of consciousness. Along with celebrities such as Oliver Stone, Michael Ratner, Moby, and Maggie Gyllenhaal, Brand also took part in a powerful short film about Bradley Manning and the importance of whistle-blowing. The world’s authors banded together to sign an anti-surveillance petition and singer Ben Lee released an album infused with ideas about spiritual awakening and inner work, donating all of his royalties to charity in the process.

10.  Governments started making decisions that favored the people over the corporations and the military industrial complex.

Peru’s poor given solar power

One of the biggest surprises of the year was Britain’s decision not to support a US-led strike on Syria. It seems the UK government did actually learn something in the aftermath of Iraq. Not only that, but in saying no to the US, the UK sent a strong message to other governments that you don’t have to agree with the world’s superpower all the time and you can still stay friends. In Malaysia, the government decided to cut fuel subsidies so they could fund the poor. And in Peru, the poorest citizens were given solar power while the natives of Brazil started to get back their land rights.

11. We started waking up the intelligence of nature and the animal kingdom.

Dolphins Help Fishermen Catch Fish

Discovering that it’s possible to communicate with animals and work with them to create solutions, we began to awaken to the complex intelligences of nature and how sacred and interconnected consciousness really is.  All of life on planet Earth is of value and we must treat it with respect for future generations.

Areas We Can Improve On In 2014 and Beyond

It’s important that we all keep doing what we can to help the shift unfold. Don’t underestimate the difference you can make, we are all equally responsible. Here’s a list of things you can do in 2014 and beyond to continue raising our collective consciousness.

1. Care more about stuff that doesn’t appear to affect you.

Pakistani drone strike victim testifies before Congress about her grandmother being literally blown to bits while gardening in her own back yard. Only five members of Congress bothered to show up.

Everyone should be out protesting the ongoing use of American drones to kill innocent people in Pakistanand Yemen. Innocent civilians don’t deserve to be blown up while gardening in their own back yard orattending a wedding. If people in the US were being killed by drones when they stepped outside of their homes, there’d be an uproar. Yet, that is precisely what’s happening in Pakistan and Yemen, and very few people in the U.S. seem to care. When the Rehman family travelled halfway around the world from Pakistan to tell the story of the killing of their grandmother (who was gardening in her own back yard at the time), only five members of Congress bothered to show up.

It’s important to have compassion for all beings and do what you can to create change.  As Albert Einstein said, we must strive to widen our circle of compassion:

“A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. Nobody is able to achieve this completely, but the striving for such achievement is in itself a part of the liberation and a foundation for inner security.”

2. Vote for better leaders.

In the November 2012 (close enough to 2013) presidential elections, none of the third party candidates in the US received even one percent of the vote. People in the U.S. need to wake up to the fact that the 2-party system is broken and provides merely an illusion of voting (here’s why). Promises of change by the 2-party candidates are empty at best, as evidenced by Barak Obama promising change and then breaking many of his key campaign promises.

In Australia, although Julian Assange’s new Wikileaks Party obtained 88,000 votes in the Australian Federal election, it wasn’t enough to secure him a seat in the Senate. A lot of people who are critical about the system don’t vote and this attitude is really self-defeating.

Make sure you get out there and vote for the people who are trying to create real change in the system… this is by far one of the most powerful actions you can take to protect the world and your civil rights.

3. Support your fellow global awakeners.

Occupy builds homes for the homeless

If your current circumstances don’t enable you to do as much as you’d like to help raise global consciousness, support people who are. Keep getting your news from alternative media, donate your time and skills to important projects and reach out and offer to help with meaningful causes. You’d be surprised how hard people are working and they can always use extra pairs of hands. It’s also good to assist those in the same field as you, even if they might be seen in the old paradigm business model as your “competitors.”

4. Lead by example.

Some people aren’t ready to wake up and there’s no point trying to force them, it can just make things worse. Instead, lead by example. Make conscious choices as a consumer and strive to integrate the new paradigm into your life more every day.

And finally, remember the words of Margaret Mead:

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

About the Authors 
Ross Pittman and Cassandra Sturdy are the editors of Conscious Life News. Conscious Life News (CLN) is committed to delivering timely, relevant and leading edge news within the alternative spectrum of information that is critical to each and every individual on planet earth.

Featured image: Eric Wagner/Flickr