Before proceeding with the heart of our discussion, we’d like to establish a basic framework and a common understanding of some key concepts. One of our greatest concerns is to be as simple and straightforward as possible. On the surface, the issues that we face seem impossibly complex and disparate, but their essence can be distilled into relatively basic ideas that are approachable to anyone on a practical, individual scale. It’s important that we avoid getting lost in the endless abstractions and multidisciplinary labyrinth that humanity has contrived.
Our great halls of thought have certainly served us well to an extent, but their limitations have become increasingly evident and we’ll have to move beyond them to dispel the misunderstandings and illusions that their conclusions have created. Chief among these is the growing complexity and abstraction of our way of life, which has estranged us from our true nature and given us a false sense of powerlessness over our own affairs and those of the greater world community. We turn, instead, to those same sources to help us understand and resolve the entanglements that are largely the result of their misguided wisdom. Needless to say, this only perpetuates the cycle.
We propose a different approach that’s illuminated by our own inner guidance and direct experience. A kind of wisdom that transcends and supersedes superfluous words, disciplines, and authorities. Most importantly, this understanding and empowerment is freely accessible to all and requires no specialized knowledge, training, or indoctrination. We want to emphasize this point. Any movement to transform our way of being in the world must begin with the transformation of the individual and there should be no barriers to anyone who’s inspired to realize this opportunity.
Now, we do appreciate the contradiction that’s inherent in adding yet another slew of words to the human intellectual canon. That being said, our foremost concern is the practical expression of the ideas that we’re discussing and we use our words, ultimately, to demonstrate and evoke experience. Furthermore, we recognize the creative power of language and seek to better understand and utilize it as a tool to help us embody and materialize a new way of being.
Much of our discussion will involve the concept of collective consciousness, so it’s important that we clarify up front what we mean when we use it. First of all, we’re proceeding with the understanding that we each have our own distinct consciousness and that it transcends our bodies. It inhabits them, but originates elsewhere; not from the brain or the mind, but from some greater wellspring of creative source energy. Our collective consciousness, then, also arises here, but concentrates more in this nebulous space than within the realm of form. It also includes not only human consciousness, but that of all things.
Like individual consciousness, collective consciousness is dynamic and ever-responsive to the experiences, thoughts, and feelings of its constituent beings. Its overall character and tone at any given moment reflects the predominant energies of which it’s composed. It can be infinitely subdivided around the innumerable ways in which we congregate, so a community, workplace, family, even a temporary social gathering, will have its own collective consciousness.
The phenomenon of collective consciousness is integral to our endeavor here. When we orient ourselves to our true nature, through our attention, thoughts, feelings, and actions, the consequent energy reverberates into the collective domain and alters its quality to some degree. Although the global impact is, of course, imperceptible, we can clearly see the shift that this can have on a smaller scale. We’ve all experienced how a strong presence can dominate the tone of a situation through more than just its external influence.
Such overt examples help demonstrate the point, but it’s important to understand that this relationship is ever-present throughout the ordinary moments of our daily lives and how we engage with it can have a significant impact. As our attitudes and behaviors enrich our experience and that of those around us, it amplifies those qualities within the collective space and, subsequently, within others not necessarily in direct connection to us. Our relationship with collective consciousness is, thus, reciprocal and cooperative. If we, then, each do our part as individuals, we have the potential to elevate the whole exponentially and precipitate a profound transformation from the inside out. We’ll delve into this further as we go along.
By now, it’s probably evident that what we’re discussing is what’s commonly referred to as spirituality. We’re going to avoid using that term, however. First of all, the way that it’s often used and understood is limiting and tends to create the misconception of separation between our daily lives and our so-called spiritual ones. Spirituality then becomes an endeavor in and of itself, at times individualistic, abstract, and disconnected from the everyday realities of life on Earth. In actuality, there’s no separation whatsoever and it’s vital that we discuss these things in terms that affirm the wholeness and interconnectedness of our multifaceted existence.
Another concern that we have with the term spirituality is that it engenders its share of preconceptions and unfortunate connotations which can discourage many from engaging with it at all. That can’t always be helped, but we’d do well to use language that’s, in the first honest and accurate, but also inclusive and approachable. The important thing is that we encourage each other to recognize the tremendous potential within all of us to embody and manifest aspects of our being that the world greatly needs.
Along these same lines, we’d like to address the notion of enlightenment. It, too, comes with its own complications that would hinder us. To begin with, it suggests some kind of finality or arrival; that an enlightened being has achieved a complete and ultimate understanding. Perhaps this is possible, but reality is constantly unfolding and there’s always going to be new experiences to consider and challenges to face. What we should aspire to instead, is an everyday state of consciousness that’s open and receptive, curious and attentive. One that encounters each moment with a fresh awareness that allows the needs of the moment to make themselves understood.
The pretense of enlightenment can also confer a sense of judgement and authority that has no place in our pursuits here. Whether we invoke this idea or others, setting ourselves above or apart from each other is counterproductive to cultivating connection and simply false. The truth is that all beings, however they may present to us at the time, each have their own purpose in the greater collective unfoldment. If anything, having the clarity and humility to recognize and honor this in others is, perhaps, one true hallmark of the enlightened way.
Which brings us to the subject of teachers and teachings. They, of course, have their place and can be invaluable in helping us along in this process. There are many facets to consider and we should welcome guidance as needed. However, they also have limitations and can be a hindrance, particularly when they assert dogma or authority. We need to take care in this area and be ever-aware of what we encounter, feeling whether it rings true within us and remembering that what’s helpful now may not be appropriate later.
The most important thing to understand is that there are no gatekeepers to the deeper truths about ourselves. All that we need is already available to us and requires only our trust and attention to reveal itself. With this attitude, we learn to recognize the lessons that come to us from within, and those from the countless teachers who will grace us throughout our everyday experience.
Another Way is something of a teaching and the preceding admonitions certainly apply. Appreciating the virtue of the inner teacher within us all, our approach is more akin to a map or outline than something didactic. We seek to lay out a framework through which one can realize for themself the greater reality to which we belong. The words are mere signposts pointing in the direction of insight and suggesting how we may apply it. The only way to truly understand and embody these truths is to feel and experience them deeply within our own being, then express and share them from our particular place in this precious world.
How to Use This
The short answer is: however you see fit. It goes without saying that this is all a personal process and there’s certainly no one right way. That being said, we also appreciate that a little guidance might be appropriate for some and we’d be remiss to not offer at least a basic framework. The essays themselves will have specific suggestions for application, but there are a few general points to keep in mind as we go.
The most essential thing to remember is that to truly comprehend, assimilate, and embody any of this, we must experience it deeply within ourselves. This can’t be overstated. Mere conceptual understanding, while a typical part of the process, can take us only so far. Residing only in our intellect, its impact is limited and its integrity is vulnerable to the relative volatility of our thoughts. We need to feel the essence of insight in our body and consciousness, allowing it to move throughout our whole being and acquainting ourselves with the various facets of its nature. From here, we can experiment with putting it into practice, exploring the ways in which it can take shape in our daily lives. Demonstrating the reality of it to ourselves and others helps to further crystallize its truth within our individual and collective being.
So how do we facilitate this process? It isn’t esoteric or magical. In fact, the greatest tool that we can employ is simply inner stillness. To be in an optimal state of sensitivity and receptivity requires us to settle any agitation or noise swirling within. It isn’t necessary to create perfect quiet inside, but an earnest intention of deep listening and awareness is vital. While divine wisdom can certainly come to any of us at any time, we can encourage it by establishing favorable conditions and opening the channels through which it can communicate.
Such a practice can take numerous forms. Probably the most obvious is some type of meditation. It needn’t be a formal method, but periods of some kind of dedicated silent awareness will prove fruitful. We don’t have to sit in a particular way or even be physically still. We can bring a meditative spirit to essentially any activity, particularly those that are often solitary and don’t require deep focus, such as housework, cooking, or gardening. So long as we’re intently present, giving our attention to our inner and outer experience, whatever we’re doing, we give insight the opportunity to make itself known. It may be subtle, or we might not perceive anything at all in the moment, but over time, such a committed practice will allow guidance to flow more readily into our daily life and build the foundation for greater transformation.
Another essential element in enabling this process is our attitude. How we approach it will go a long way in determining how things unfold for us. As with any other endeavor, the more joy, love, and gratitude that we bring to it, the easier we’ll tend to find the going. More important than this, perhaps, is having a profound belief or faith in the spirit behind the process. Since the ultimate source of all this, as well as much of what we’ll encounter, is beyond empirical measure, we need to trust in faculties with which we’re probably unfamiliar and come to embrace the verity of what they tell us.
For some, such a faith will arise uninhibited, awakening with the resonance of truth recognized. Others will need to cultivate it, gradually letting go of conditioned ideas and being open to something different. Openness is vital, and we can nurture it with a keen sense of discovery and an impassioned desire to serve the greater purpose. All of this is amplified when we’re inspired; exhilarated by the connection to something fundamental and the realization that we’re an integral part of it. Our hope is that Another Way will serve as such a source of inspiration.
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We welcome and encourage your input, which you may send to: contribute@anotherwaybeing.org.
INTRODUCTION
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