Something's Changed

For quite some time there's been a small but persistent sense that something has changed. Not that something's in the process of changing, but that it's already changed.

This would seem reasonable considering all the shifting, discarding, re-arranging and re-adjusting happening in our world and in our individual lives. But if we're frank about this, isn't it our tendency to think that our internal senses and feelings aren't reliable? Yes, of course we should acknowledge them, we tell ourselves. But always we should look for supporting evidence in the outside world before we jump to any conclusions based on a feeling. Never value feelings first, value facts first. We have the programming from very early childhood and it's strong: what you detect by your five senses is real. The rest is mental, emotional, imaginary, and therefore not real. If you can't see it, hear it, taste it, smell it or touch it, forget it.

When I was a child the model was "Be cautious about your feelings because they can be unreliable. Use logic, facts, and rationality first because they are reliable. If somehow they don't work, find the flaw and make them work. If you've tried, and then tried harder, and things still aren't right, go ahead and resort to your feelings for help. If you must."

Today there's a different model in place. Feelings, hunches, intuition - they're no longer second-class citizens in the western world. They've been elevated. The scientific community is devoting a tremendous amount of attention to thoughts and feelings and how they work together to create the world we experience, including its "facts". Notice that scientists are studying how, not whether. So feelings have value. Feelings are our guides. Most of you knew that already and have lived your lives accordingly, to one degree or another.

Then what about this feeling, this gentle sense that something has really changed? This feeling is distinct and specific. It isn't vaporous. But what's it about? The world economic system? It is surely in flux and that's a "fact". Our political systems? Popping in and popping out every day. A new world order? Maybe. Show me. Because something is absolutely different - it has turned. I think this first came to my attention last summer. Maybe it's because we're heading into another summer that the feeling is coming up so noticeably now.

Love to all..
+Antaya+