Altruists and Avatars

Elly Kelly Baker

January 4, 2009

"For each child that's born, a morning star rises and sings to the universe who we are." (Singing the Journey #1051, "We Are", Ysaye M. Barnwell).

How wonderful! Our opening hymn speaks to the ever-flowing hope which new life brings...hope to the family, hope to planet Earth, hope to the Universe.

There is a beautiful African ritual which insures each child feels a lifetime loving connection to the tribe. When each child is born, a special song is created. This song is often repeated so the spirit of the child is connected to the spirit of the song which is connected to the spirit of the tribe. When this person needs to be healed in body or spirit, the tribe encircles them and sings their song over and over until the song calls back their spirit and reminds them who they are.

New Age healers would refer to this as a "sound healing", "a vibrational realignment of the chakras" perhaps, or a "connection with one's primordial sound". However it is named, it is one example of how our ancestors, indigenous people, naturally responded to the need to care for each other in body and soul.

In our culture, few are blessed to have their own spirit song to ground them, but we do have mentors and messengers to guide us. Good thing...because we certainly do need help!

Even before this economic meltdown, our sensors were receiving messages that something has to give. The evidence is plentiful. Here's just one sobering statistic: We Americans now require 9 earths to sustain our level of consumption and waste patterns into the future. (The 2008 Shift Report, p. 11)

Is it any wonder we're viewed as the "Ego-infested Western culture"?

There is hope. A major paradigm shift is possible. Civilization has experienced other crucial shifts where one belief replaces another. For example there was: "The world is flat." Not! or "The Sun revolves around the Earth." Not!

This shift is more about our internal world view. And it promises to be a very good change for all sentient being, for all living things, for all the universe.

In his book, Global Mind Change, Willis Harman observes, "We are living through one of the most fundamental shifts in history---a change in the actual belief structure of Western society. No economic, political, or military power can compare with the power of a change of mind. By deliberately changing [our] images of reality, people are changing the world."

The current belief system is based in duality. There's "you vs. me" or "them vs. us"; therefore, we need to be in competition to get what we want and to survive. We've got to get there first, take as much as we can whether we need it now or not, and whatever we do...don't waste energy worrying about "them".

Thankfully, few individuals operate from such selfish and stressful guidelines. But, can the same be said for certain businesses or countries? What's in the minds of those who are in charge?

Current circumstances are telling everyone to STOP! THINK! RETHINK!

As James O'Dea, past-president of the Institute of Noetic Sciences states: Our world is "...caving in under the pressure of fundamental contradictions. To permit and participate in the destruction of nature while at the same time affirming salvation in otherworldly realms is a formula for ending life as we know it on this planet." (Shift, No. 13, p.10 )

A rather dire assessment!

Author and former nun Karen Armstrong puts it this way: "We have never surpassed the spiritual insights of the Axial Age (900-200BCE). All the sages preached a spirituality of empathy and compassion; they insisted that people must abandon their egotism and greed, their violence and unkindness. Our technology has created a global society. We now have to develope a global consciousness, because...we live in one world." (Shift, No.13, p.33).

As the bumper sticker proclaims: "One people, one planet, one future."

So, what is "global consciousness"?

In simple terms, "global consciousness" is knowing "All is One". Everything, everyone is connected. It is the same message from spiritual elders and contemporary scientists. It is the awareness that all is impermanent and being recycled. We're all exchanging the same molecules of air---infant and insect, stranger and friend.

"All is One" is reflected in our Unitarian Universalist principles when we affirm "...the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part." It's as difficult as deep forgiveness and as easy as a smile. It's the Golden Rule with a twist: It's doing unto others as you would have them do unto you because you believe and feel your hearts' connection and exchange of energy. In a very true sense, there is some of you in me and me in you. For example, when we hold hands with loving intentions for the Benediction, we improve each others and our own immune system. I often felt there was something special going on then, didn't you?

Scientists now can confirm these invisible energy fields. Our "...heart's magnetic field is about 5,000 times stronger than the brain's and can be detected several feet away from the body with magnetometers." (The 2008 Shift Report, p.65). Perhaps you will feel this invisible energy connection the next time you have a "heart-to-heart conversation" with a friend. In a similar way, we speak of getting "good vibrations" when we walk in a room or finding we really "resonate" with that person---see, our language reflects what we felt intuitively. Our words preceeded the science.

A central teaching of Hinduism is "Advaita" meaning "non-duality". Gandhi said, "...though we have many bodies...we have but one Soul." "All is One" is found as a basic belief with many indigenous people including Native Americans. The chant, "O, Great Spirit" tell us this:

"O, Great Spirit...earth, sun, sky and sea.

You are inside and all around me." (Anonymous)

The New England Transcendentalists spoke of the Oversoul, "...a vital force in the universe in which all souls participate and which therefore transcends individual consciousness." (American Heritage Dictionary, 2nd ed.) Perhaps today, this is referred to as a "unified field of consciousness". In any case, it has been proven that a relatively small number of people meditating can affect positive change over a large population...another example of our invisible connections.

One well-documented experiment was in Washington, DC during the summer of 1993. Meditation by about 3,500 people over an 8-week period effected a 25% drop in the city's crime. Also, non-meditators living near the meditation site experienced physiological changes as if they too were meditating. (Shift, No.15, p.17). As quantum physicist David Bohm says, "We are all linked by a fabric of unseen connections [which are] constantly changing and evolving...directly structured and influenced by our behavior and...understanding." (The 2008 Shift Report, p.20).

I believe it was at my first SUUSI in 1992 that a woman leading a worship service showed us how to awaken our chi, our life force. In Chinese, it's "chi" as in "tai chi" or "qigong".

In India, it's called "prana". [Demonstrate.] More invisible connections.

"Global consciousness" means creating a world belief system of collaboration and cooperation, not competition. Altruists and avatars have been believing this new world into being for a very long time. They are the visionaries, the cultural creatives, the positive agents of change who learned to seek with an open heart and mind; who lived to cultivate peace, justice, and compassionate love. They faced ridicule, hate, fear and responded with intention, compassion, and love.

Of the traditional Hindu Avatars, those deliberately descended from "...higher spiritual realms to lower realms of existence for special purposes.", the most familiar to Western culture is "the enlightened one", Gautama Buddha. The Buddha said: "What we think, we become." Science now knows this to be true...our thoughts change our biochemistry. The Buddha said: "Awake." "Come and see." He called us to awaken to the impermanence, the illusions of this material world. This Avatar's intentional mindfulness and conscious, compassionate teachings flowed westward to Jesus' teachings of forgiveness, connection, and love. Zoroaster (Zarathustra), ancient Iranian prophet, poet, and founder of Zorastrianism, also intuitively spoke of the mind-body connection: "Doing good to others is not a duty, it is a joy, for it increases our health and happiness." These and many other sages helped awaken and reinforce the basic belief of the global consciousness paradigm shift which is---there is no separation. We are all connected.

All is connected.

Although altruists arrive on Planet Earth as normal as you and I, many altruists undergo a transformation. An altruist is one who acts unselfishly, without ego, for the benefit of others. It seems that many experience a profound epiphany, a "sudden intuitive realization" (Am. Heritage) of their life's purpose...an existential awakening.

Greg Mortenson, co-author of Three Cups of Tea and founder of the non-profit Central Asia Institute (ikat.org) which has built 78 schools in remote, politically volatile Pakistan and Afghanistan, said, "When your heart speaks, take good notes." It wasn't until Greg was literally lost in northeastern Pakistan and humbled by not reaching his goal of climbing to a mountain summit that "...failure opened my eyes to this incredibly beautiful area and the people who live there. If I'd reached my [initial] goal, none of it [his awakening to this life's purpose] would have happened." (USA Today, 1.2.2009, p.4D).

It seems avatars and altruists often have to go it alone, believing in their purpose even when others don't. This was true for The Buddha and Jesus and Mohammed; they all had confusion before clarity. The well-known altruist Albert Schweitzer, at age 30, announced his intention to begin a 7-year medical-school program "...amid a hail of protests from friends, family and collegues." (Wikipedia). Other well-known altruists are Mother Teresa, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, and my favorite, Peace Pilgrim.

Born into a poor family, Peace Pilgrim, a name she gave herself as her life purpose became clear, realized as a young woman that money and possessions didn't insure happiness or peace of mind. She was particularly confused by the inconsistent teaching of being generous and unselfish yet needing to "...get out there and grab more than my share of this world's goods." (Peace Pilgrim Her Life and Work in Her Own Words, p. 5).

She sensed a calling to dedicate her life to promoting peace. "However," she says "there's a great deal of difference between willing to give your life and actually giving your life [to a cause], and for me fifteen years of preparation and inner seeking lay between."

(Peace Pilgrim, p. 8) To track her progress and setbacks, she created "Peace Pilgrim's Chart of Spiritual Growth". This chart clearly shows her spiritual journey was a real struggle. But, she was focused, dedicated. From 1953 to her death in 1981, Peace Pilgrim walked over 25,000 miles criss-crossing the United States alone with just the clothes on her back and a toothbrush in her vest pocket. Her pledge: "I shall remain a wanderer until mankind has learned the ways of peace, walking until I am given shelter and fasting until I am given food." Peace Pilgrim experienced "...a oneness...which permeates all and binds all together and gives life to all." (p.21) Her altruistic life continues to inspire seekers of peace. If you're interested, and I hope you are, you can view a documentary of her life on the non-profit website, www.peacepilgrim.org.

Until recent scientific research proved otherwise, selfless concern for another, "altruism", was considered to be counter-intuitive to our primitive survival instincts. In fact, it appears that our brains, and possibly other animals', are hard-wired to care for others. Good news! We have "mirror neurons", so called since they cause us to sense someone else's pain and respond with empathy as if we also were in pain when we are just witnessing it. (The 2008 Shift Report, p.21)

More evidence of our connection to caring for each other has been noticed in our body chemistry. It seems when we engage in acts of compassion, our "...bodies produce more of the hormone oxytocin, which triggers feelings of connection and bonding..." thereby creating a cycle of good vibrations. So, "...compassion may be self-perpetuating." (The 2008 Shift Report, p. 24). "Just as compassion begets more compassion...it also appears that acts of altruism are contagious on a social level." (The 2008 Shift Report, p. 25). In other words: The more good we do, the more good we want to do.

Even more awesome: altruism isn't just for humans. Science has confirmed what many have long recognized---humans aren't the only species capable of unselfish acts. Dogs adopt orphaned cats, squirrels, ducks. Dolphins swim under injured or sick animals for hours pushing them to the surface so they can breathe. Whales often stay with an injured whale. In a similar fashion, a grieving elephant will endanger itself by staying for days with a sick or dying family member after the pack has moved on.

At a butterfly farm, I recently witnessed one butterfly hovering around another who was on the ground and appeared to be injured. In due time, I realized the struggling butterfly was newly reborn from its cocoon and needed more time for the morning sun to dry its wings.

Once warmed, the two flew off together. Amazing and beautifully altruistic!

I've always believed there is spirit in everything...even rocks. Seeing those butterflies was another affirmation.

In preparing this message, I discovered a world of altruists on the internet. There are people working out of their living rooms, not waiting for a committee to form or a congress to legislate. There are websites for altruistic non-profits such as Altruists International which defines "wealth" not by "...what you've accumulated for yourself, but...by how [your] actions have affected the wellbeing of other people---you are "rich" with the healthiness of your relationships." (www.altruists.org) They promote "non-zero sum" interactions where everyone wins versus the old duality model or either I win and you lose or you win, I lose.

Another visionary group is "The Co-Intelligence Institute". And, then there's the Australian charity, (I love the name.) "The Foundation for Humanity's Adulthood". An informal survey revealed that most folks see the human species at the adolescent stage of development...a time of deep confusion due to the ego. It's time for our species to become consciously awake, to live in deep awareness of the interconnecting flow of all. Isn't that what we truly want and need,...a planet connected by intentional win-win collaboration and cooperation grounded in interdependent spiritual good vibrations?

We can be wiser, kinder, use less, and be connected more. As the avatars and altruists know...it begins with intention. We can believe our paradigm shift to global consciousness into being. Kimberly King, co-president of The Peace Company, offers this: "Within our spiritual DNA, we have the power to evolve ourselves from a paradigm of polarity to a worldview of wholeness and connection. We just have to believe, and

surrender together."

Surrender...hmmm. That's a word not heard very often, especially in our culture of aggressive team sports and worldwide military domination. Just what are we being asked to surrender? Answer: Our egos. Not easy. Ego has been running the show for so long that a lot of us forgot we had any other options. Thanks to New Age thinkers such as Eckhart Tolle, Gary Zukov, Shakti Gawain, Caroline Myss, Allan Watts and many others, we can realize the benefits of letting go of our ego and thereby be encouraged to release. With awareness, meditation, practice, it is possible to live more in your spirit.

The avatars have done it. Many altruists have done it. Heck, our close relatives the bonobos, "peace-loving" (Shift, No.13, p.17) primates have done it!

So, let's all try telling our Ego to get in the back seat and let Spirit drive. We already are all altruists in spirit. The Native American Hopi Elder told us: "We are the ones we've been waiting for." Rev. Richard Boeke reminds us with these words: "We are pilgrims together on this planet. Holiness has no hands but our hands."

There are choices to be made. Our world is at a crossroads. We can continue to live in competition or we can choose to create new connections of cooperation. We can continue to let our egos control our emotions and actions or we can awaken to create a new model of living in the flow of trusting interconnections, of global consciousness.

Avatars and altruists have shown us the way. Now is our time to intentionally create a more spiritually evolved global consciousness.

And it begins with each of us. So, here's my list for myself...feel free to try it on. Some of it might fit you too since, may I presume, we're about the same size, spiritwise?

1.   Listen...more...deeply...to everyone, to everything.

2.   See with "Spirit Eyes"; everyone, everything is precious, sacred, connected.

3.   Breathe. Think. Feel. Then, respond. (Avoid reacting.)

4.   Focus. ("Don't major in the minors.")

5.   Invite cooperation and collaboration.

6.   Trust in the Flow, the Continuum, Cosmic Time. (All will be well. Surrender Ego.)

7.   Take less. Give more.

8.   Acknowledge connections. (Avoid attachments.)

9.   Be gentle.

10.   Meditate.

11.   Find a way to do something altruistic everyday.

As Henry David Thoreau observed: "Goodness is the only investment that never fails."

May Your Journey Bring Harmony.