September 22, 2008   Inspiration , Peace , Spirituality

The Times, They Are A-Changin

  The Times, They Are A-Changin   ...

 

The Times, They Are A-Changin                              Come gather 'round people?                              Wherever you roam?                              And admit that the waters?                              Around you have grown?                              And accept it that soon?                              You'll be drenched to the bone.?                              If your time to you                              Is worth savin'?                              Then you better start swimmin'?                              Or you'll sink like a stone?                              For the times they are a-changin'.?   ~ Bob Dylan In the early 60's when Bob Dylan wrote his classic song, "The Times, They Are A-Changin", there was much turbulence in our society. Our values were being scrutinized by a whole new generation. The Vietnam War was raging and our country's involvement and motives were being challenged from within. Civil rights was becoming a national issue (finally) and women's rights were ascending to new heights of awareness. It was, as many in my generation referred to it, the dawning of the Age of Aquarius — the age of enlightenment...a time when the "energy of life" would be perceived differently because things were happening at a quickened pace. This new energy was welling up from within the very psyche and soul of humanity. I was in high school at the time and so my perspective of it all was fairly juvenile. But, none the less, I distinctly remember the feeling of anticipation and perhaps some angst moving through me and those around me. It was obvious that change was at hand and no one really knew what that meant, what it would look like, where it would happen or even when it would happen. The die had been cast in the collective consciousness and we would all be part of the process, whether we liked it or not. Some would fight it, some would welcome it, but either way, change was underway. For my generation, that feeling of anticipation was anchored in an awareness that something really big was about to happen that would impact us all. It was the beginning of the awakening of an entire generation to the idea that, while most of us could not explain it, there was a growing sense of inter-connectedness with all of humankind. The peace movement was testimony to this fact. With generosity, peace and brotherhood being laid as the foundation by an entire generation of people, the "system" was being challenged to change its ways. Bob Dylan's song was the clarion call, announcing that things would never be the same again, and indeed, he was correct. The 60's announced the rising of the crest of a wave that has been building for nearly half a century and is peaking right now. I interpret Dylan's song to say that if we don't see and embrace the changes that are at hand, and rise to the occasion by first changing how we see and interact with life, we might just metaphorically "sink like a stone" under that wave. Perhaps that's a poet's way of stating the universal imperative, "Grow or Die". Unfortunately, I believe that after that initial impulse of change we were then lulled back to sleep, into a sense of spiritual lethargy and complacency in the 80's and 90's. It was a transition period between the polarities of "spirituality and materiality"...of perhaps having too little, then too much, and now we are being threatened with the loss of it all. If you have read the paper or watched the news you can see this happening on so many different planes, personally, nationally and globally. Maybe it's because many of our values seem to be up for grabs once again, but regardless of the reason, something is moving in the ethers of planetary consciousness and we can no longer avoid the reality that change, great change, lies immediately in front of us as our destiny. How that change shall manifest is up to you and me. Since we are each microcosms of the macrocosm, the change that is happening around us must be happening in us as well. If you are experiencing a lack of ease with what is going on around you, I encourage you to do some self-inquiry. You'll discover there is a correlation. We are all familiar with the saying "As within, so without". As we make peace with what is stirring within, we will begin to perceive what is going on "out there" through new eyes. So, the question that really matters is, are you and I changing how we see and interact with life? Are we fighting or welcoming the change which is knocking on our door? Make no mistake, "change" will continue to knock until we answer. If we don't open the door, change will open it for us in ways we might not desire. What old beliefs and thought patterns might we be holding on to that no longer serve us in the evolution of our well being and wholeness as individuals and as a species? As individuals, now is the time to explore where it might be in our lives that change is seeking a place to happen. What is stirring within each of us is a desire for growth and evolution of the self. The soul of humankind is stirring, preparing for a quantum shift -- a major change. How can you make peace with what is seeking expansion and new life through and as you? First, understand that the changes you make within must show up in your world as well. Despite what may appear to be unparalleled conflict, confusion and chaos "out there", work at dissolving any sense of separation from Infinite Presence within, in the present moment. Generally, resistance to change is rooted in fear and all fear is attached to loss. Fear is the glue that keeps us stuck in the possibility of what negative thing "might" happen sometime in the future, regardless if it is five minutes from now or five years from now. No doubt there is much fear being generated in the collective consciousness around the economy. I don't know of any person who has not been affected by the movement of "numbers" up and down on manmade scales called the stock market. Other global economies have their own version of this and are going through the same process in their own unique ways, but the one element common to all is fear. Fear of scarcity and lack. The inevitable fact is those numbers will change again and again. It is  but another example of how energy moves and how we are at choice to either react in a manner that simply feeds the fear that drives those numbers, or respond according to a deeper knowing that does not even recognize fear at all. This is where deepening our sense of oneness with the Universe comes in. When we can lift our awareness of our unity with the Source of all life, all good, all abundance, then fear has no place to attach itself because fear draws its life force solely on our belief that we are separate from that Source--which is the great lie we tell ourselves. In short, if you and I are willing to hold the high watch and see what is going on in the world through the eyes of spiritually awakened beings, it will be obvious that what is happening in our individual lives, our country and our world has all the signs of a pending paradigm shift that has been forty-five years in the making. We have arrived at time when the energy that supports and takes form as all life is quickening and it is literally shaking things up. The world as we know it will never be the same, nor should it be because it would be counter intuitive to the natural process of the evolution of humankind. Spirituality is making a comeback and it is not doing so in a subtle way. Perhaps our values surrounding what really matters are being realigned or adjusted along with the marketplace "adjustments". Perhaps we are finally being forced to internalize our interconnectedness as a species, recognizing our interdependence upon one another in a manner that generates compassion, cooperation, generosity of spirit and materiality, and a deepened reverence for life.  Great change is at hand and we can either ride the crest of the wave and go with the flow...or not. The vibratory rate is accelerating and those who "have eyes" to see that this is so will find it an exciting time to be on the planet and they will be energized by the changes taking place rather than swallowed up in the fear. For those who see life through the eyes of separateness, selfishness or a belief in "not enough" it may be a time wrought with great fear, suffering, uncertainty, conflict and confusion. Why? Because the universe conspires to help us create the reality in which we most deeply believe. Through which eyes shall you choose to see the world? Just remember, as within...well, you know the rest. No doubt about it, the times, they are a-changin. Are you? Peace, Dennis Merritt Jones Subscribe free to Dennis' weekly e-Mail at www.DennisMerrittJones.com

 

© Copyright 2008 Dennis Merritt Jones, D.D. All rights reserved.