There is a global phenomenon underway that is picking up momentum like wildfire and offering seeds of great hope for the future of humankind. Chances are not long after or even before you finish reading this article you'll hear about it from someone else in your life. Perk up your ears, you're about to learn about The Shift.



Millions of individuals, organizations, and corporations around the world are waking up and embracing a new outlook with an emphasis on their responsibility to contribute positively to our collective future. We are witnessing the budding of the greatest transformation in human history. It is a shift in consciousness that will propel our species to a new level of thinking, acting, and being; to a new level of existence in harmony with one another and our planet, Earth, our home. Some refer to it as the shift from third to fourth dimensional consciousness. However you see it, as one who has studied the teachings consistent with this concept and watched for the signs, I am happy to report there is clear and abundant evidence that a shift is now beginning to flower.

If this news is either incredibly exciting to you, totally confusing, or you fall somewhere in between, take heart, help is coming. There is a major motion picture being made called The Shift (www.theshiftmovie.com) slated to be released in Spring 2008 which I suggest you keep your eyes open for and see when it is released. It is being produced as a full length feature by Lighthouse Films and it appears to be spearheaded and/or produced by Deepak Chopra and George Clooney. You can watch a preview today on the movie's Web site, or even on YouTube.

I am compelled to spread the word of this because by sheer coincidence and grace, for the past two years I have come deeply into the area of knowledge, realization, and personal growth that this movie addresses. What I thought just months ago was a random encounter with a little known advanced spiritual teaching is at this moment going mainstream and being shared by millions across the globe. At the time of this writing (March 2008) hundreds of thousands are awakening through none other than Oprah Winfrey as a conduit since she picked her latest Book Club selection, A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle.

As many of you have heard or seen, Oprah began a free 10-week live webcast series with Eckhart Tolle on Monday March 3, 2008. With over 700,000 people pre-registered for the premiere session and attempting to view it online simultaneously, it was difficult to see it live, although it is archived and available on demand. Since the webcast series premiere, according to Oprah's company Harpo, another 1.5 million have viewed the archived version. As a result, there are over 4,000 different discussion threads on the Oprah Message Board for the book alone, having generated over 400,000 views on various topics (with yours truly an active participant in the discussions). The activity level is intense; but to me, already familiar with the teaching, it brings overwhelming joy to see multitudes all sharing and learning simultaneously. And overwhelming evidence of The Shift.

At this point, for a shift to successfully complete, it is imperative to make as many people as possible aware of this globally-growing way of thinking, acting, and being. This evolutionary phenomenon is broader and deeper than the most visible shift, the environmental movement. It involves our very understanding of who we are as human beings, and our responsibility to the world and to life itself.

Throughout recorded history many teachers and their followers, mostly religious mystics, have written books or texts explaining the true nature of our existence, of reality, and how to live. Buddha, Jesus, Moses, Mohammed, Lao-tzu, Ramana Maharshi and many others have been the traditional teachers. Eckhart Tolle is one of the clearest and most concise modern teachers who resonates widely with people across the planet. Previous to Tolle and perhaps better known to many, especially in the United States, are also Deepak Chopra, Wayne Dyer, Byron Katie, Neale Donald Walsch, Thom Hartmann and Marianne Williamson. Then of course there are globally-known spiritual activists like the Dalai Lama and Nelson Mandela. For the science-minded who prefer a non-spiritual context, there is physicist Brian Greene.

What they all have in common is this: no one of them is attempting to create a religion, exclusive group, or ideology. Instead, the essence of their messages is the same; they all speak to one identical truth. What is it? That our physical reality is an illusion. We are all connected. We and everything, everyone, we see around us stems from one consciousness. And we must begin to live from this reality in order to evolve. Furthermore, our very survival as a species depends upon this evolution. I believe once a critical mass of people wakes up to this, the shift will be unstoppable.

The current reality is that the same information is now coming from both spiritual and scientific disciplines across all world cultures in all walks of life. It's coming at, and to, millions of people regardless of creed, color, race, or nation - and will come at you - from multiple angles whether religious, academic, scientific, or even entertainment. The point is unavoidable. Don't dismiss it, run from it, or avoid it. Stay open instead. Pick a teacher and start listening and learning. The shift being explored so intensely on the Oprah discussion boards and infinite other Web sites, groups and organizations has been a long time coming. Now, it appears to be here.

Ultimately, both the decision to believe and the responsibility to understand what you've read here is yours and yours alone. I simply encourage you not to miss what is an unprecedented learning opportunity. A sea change is underway, so along with millions of others, I invite you to awaken to the possibilities of a conscious future.

Copyright (c) 2008 Karen Talavera