Evolution and the Human Soul: Part Four

This series of blogs on ‘Evolution and the Human Soul’ has outlined what evolution is, what the soul is and how it can help us to navigate and evolve and how the benefits that accrue from doing this work cannot be overstated.  Choosing the path of evolving our consciousness opens us up to being more present in the here and now and more connected with each other, in a way that makes us feel more meaning-driven and alive.

The preceding blog in this series looked at the trajectory of evolution as a series of three tests, or quests, the first of which asks us if we align our identities with the Light or the dark? If we are indifferent to the Light, or actively align with the dark, our evolutionary growth ends there until this perception changes.

On the spectrum of Light to dark, we decide where we feel that we belong.

At the farthest-into-dark point, actively aligning with the dark means that we don’t care about other people, or respecting their boundaries or their free will; this means that harming ‘the other’ is pleasurable for us. Slightly less dark, but not in alignment with Light, is where we are indifferent to Light, meaning that if we don’t hurt others, it is by accident only. So, while we may not seek to hurt others, if it happens, it is of limited consequence to us and, perhaps we might think that ‘surely it was their own fault really?’ So, whether we are indifferent to harming others, or are actively seeking to do so, both points on the spectrum mean that we align with the dark and are under-evolved in our consciousness.

When we actively align our identities with the Light, whether we succeed in preventing harm for others or not, that is when we actually care about others, and not just the self. Moving beyond having a focus on only the ‘self’ to a perception that includes and cares for others, means we have reached a position where we can evolve to the next quest, the second milestone or quest of three.

The Second Milestone: “Can I Surrender My Ego?”

The second of the three milestones in human evolutionary consciousness asks if I can surrender the ego?

This evolutionary stage means that we have achieved awareness of others, that others matter to us, and that we have evolved past self-absorption. What this stage asks of us is if we can surrender the ego, meaning, although we can consider others, is it possible to consider others as equal to ourselves?

Considering others as equal to ourselves means that everyone has equality, that there is no hierarchy of worth for human beings, and that you are better than no-one and no-one is better than you.

In considering this equality, at first it needs for us to de-prioritise ourselves and reduce our needs to that of everyone else’s. This can sound easy to do, particularly when we consider that ethically we all are equal and, so putting ourselves on an equal par with each other in a practical sense shouldn’t be that much of a challenge. However, when we first enter this quest, we say to ourselves: “I am the only person who will ever really take care of me. If I don’t prioritise myself, who will?”

The process of coming through this stage of evolution is that after considering surrendering “me” as having prime importance, and feeling some mild panic about that, we settle into the idea. We ruminate; we allow the idea to marinate, to simmer gently in our consciousness. We tell ourselves, “If I don’t wash myself in the morning, who will do that for me? I must prioritise myself.” Then we say, “Well, to neglect to care for myself is akin to having a lack of self-love, and how is that evolution? And because we are all each responsible for our own bodies, there is no way forward!”

Breakthrough With Milestone Two

So, we sit with this quest a little longer, considering if it might be ‘me’ or ‘others’ who should take priority, when we realise that although we each have responsibility for our own bodies, we all have responsibility for each other too, especially if that ‘other’ is vulnerable in some way, or in crisis, or just in need. Yes, we each take care of our physical needs, but we must all take care of each other too, because we are all part of the same eco- system. We all have a responsibility to take care of the whole ecosystem, to which we all belong; while it might seem that we are extending ourselves ‘to others’ in caring for them, it is more accurate to say that we are all immersed in the same soup and however we show up, bitter or sweet, that impacts the overall flavour.

How this shows up in practical ways in life is to say that we are all responsible for each other and the planet; we are all responsible for the environment and global warming, for our contribution to the wellness of the planet around us. But this also extends to us making sure that our legal systems are fair, that we speak out against injustice, that we reach out to be allies for those for whom inequality and inclusion has historically been elusive. For instance, it is our responsibility to each other that says: “Child sexual abuse is everybody’s business” and that if we know about an incident of child abuse, we are duty bound to act on behalf of that child, to report it. The same applies to animal abuse, or elder abuse, or miscarriages of justice, or protesting when a company wrecks environmental havoc on a region with disregard. It means that if we saw a child or elderly person falling in the street, we would reach to help him or her back to their feet. It means that if, when leaving the beach, we saw a piece of glass sticking out of the sand, we would feel a ‘glad-to-do-it obligation’ to lift it from the sand and remove it out of harm’s way.

This second of three quests, or milestones, asks us if we are able to take care of each other and our planet in such a way that we can surrender ‘my ego’ and make my agenda be about ‘everyone’, as opposed to ‘just me’?

If the answer to this question is yes, this means that we feel that we belong here in this multicultural and varied world; all different, all equal. It means that we see ourselves in each other, regardless of ethnicity or background. It means that we see in each other, that same vital life-force that is precious and must be protected and nurtured and we must all do this for ourselves as a species.

What Happens When People Can’t Do That?

For those incapable (evolutionarily) of surrendering their ego in favour of ‘all’, these will benefit from witnessing those who are more evolved demonstrate by their example. It will prompt, in the less-evolved, consideration of these ideals, perhaps subliminally at first.

Without the capacity to ‘let go’ the ‘me-first’ mentality, that person will stay at this level of evolution until they reconsider and their perception changes, until their awareness evolves.

So, What’s Next?

A more full embrace and deepening of our understanding of this level of awareness is when this consideration of ‘equality for life-force’ extends beyond humans and to other species and to the planet itself, including even to seemingly “inanimate objects”, such as mountains and streams and rocks.

In shamanism, the mineral kingdom, and especially crystals, are known as ‘the stone people’. It’s easy to give respect to a piece of quartz, for instance that can keep time in a wristwatch, but extend that respect to the beauty and magnitude of a mountain, or the life-giving properties of a babbling brook making its way through a forest. Extending our appreciation and respect for all living (and so-called non-living natural) beings is a deepening of our awareness around us of the life-force that is teeming on this planet.

Life itself is precious. And this milestone helps us to deeply consider how precious each and every facet of that life actually is.

The Third Milestone

Once we are full of reverence for all of life here on earth, we come to the next milestone. We tread gently on the earth, with respect for all beings, but our lives are consumed with minutiae. It is only when we move into the third of three milestones that we begin to tap into the profundity of meaning and where that will take us. We will look at this third of three in the next blog in this series.

Blessings on you all and blessings on the work.